Conference napalm::guitar

    	Can you describe your equipment setup,ie pedals etc... and what
    kind of lights are in the club?.... other enviromental conditions?
    

    Tho this may not be the problem, what you discribe is exactly what
    happens if you have an unsheilded cable at somewhere between your amp
    and guitar. Try swapping out the cables. 
    
    "sakman"

    Thanks .1 Yes im playing a strero chorus 212 peavy amp 135w RMS. i
    shouldnt have said pedals because all of the fucnrtionality is actually
    in the amp itself connected to a 4 switch foot pedal which actuates
    level 1 overdrive level 2 overdrive and chorus, reverb. When I go for
    any overdrive at all the line hum is louder than the band. Yes there
    are some rheostaed stage liughts nothing fancy, but even with them
    tunrd off the problme persists. I'm thinking of 'floating' my ground by
    getting a thre to two prong adapter. I'm bringing a meter tomorroow to
    the gig to tell me what the gound conditions are on the line itself.
    
    					thanks fred
     

    thanks sakman. I dont think this is the case because it seems to be
    happening (altho to a much lesser degree) to otgher equipment (PA for
    example) in the band.
    
    					-F
     

	Light dimmers anywhere one the same circuit cause the same 
	sort of noise problem (You usually hear it from the distortion
	box because it has a huge gain - around 1000 to 10,000 - in
	at least one stage). I've seen old ballast style floresent bulb
	units cause the same sort of problem.

	I suggest buying an AC line conditioner (adding surge suppression
	is also a good idea) for at least your guitar amp and any AC
	powered effects that you might be using. Most of these can't handle
	more than 5 amps, so be careful that you don't overload the filter.

	Another wonderful experiance that I've had was to play off of
	a gas powered generator (My advice - get as long an extension cord
	as you need and stay away from these monsters) - I'll never do it
	again.

								Jens

    
    You might be able to get a real deal on one of those 1500lb., 20KW, 
    3-phase line conditioners they we were selling along with the
    9000's....
    
    ;-)
    
    guy
     

    Jens;
    
    	thanks for your thoughtful reply. With all lighting off, I would
    think that any effect that adjustable rheostat or the effect of say a
    floresent bulb would be absent. Anyway thanks for the advice, I'll
    check out some ac scrubbers. Got any suggestions or what price range I
    should be lookinbg at?
    
    			thanks -Fred
    

    Fred,
    
    	I'm not familiar with the Peavey,is it a tube amp? the ungrounding
    with the use of the adapter might be a start. 
    
    
    							Rick
    

    Fred,
    
    Turn the amp up FULL BLAST with no git plugged in.  If the hum is
    absent, it's your guitar that's the problem.  Check the shielding!!!!
    Since you said it gets worse with overdrive, I'd suspect it first.
    
    						Brian
    
    P.S. A quick check of how noisy an amp is can be done by inserting a
    shorting plug (buy a 1/4" plug at Rat Shack, short the tip and sleeve
    together) into an input jack to short the input to ground.  This is a
    *better* test than leaving the input open, as high impedance inputs can
    pick up noise when unterminated.

    I agree with .8
    
    Get a "ground lift device" if you have a three prong plug (on the
    things that disconnects the third prong). Be CAREFULL about how you set
    up the polarity on the amp when using it. You need to use a voltmeter
    to check to make sure the case of your amp isn't 'Hot' in regards to
    other things around. If it it your strings and you will be too and if
    you touch a grounded mic or lighting stand.....
    
    FJE
    

    HEY, WHERE YA GOING WITH THAT GROUND PIN!
    
    I worked in a band where the bar owners didn't have grounded outlets,
    so we ended up putting 3 to 2 prong convertors. There was no choice
    for those bars, BUT I got bit big time one night when the PA power
    cable was turned the wrong way (different polarity) in regards to my
    guitar amp...  get ready, set...  SHOCK!!!!!  (insert blue arc and
    sharp pain on your face), it kicked me right back and fast too! Holy
    smokes, what the heck was that? I checked it (after that tune) with a 
    DVM and it read 95VAC between my guitar bridge and the microphone!!! 
    Noticed after that the lead singer "cut" the ground pin cause he lost 
    his adaptor! Dumb or what? I switched the polarity, checked it again 
    (I forget what it was, but ALOT lower in voltage) and we were back in 
    business.
    
    Rule of thumb: 
    	Never float the amp if you can help it! If you *really* need to,
       check for excessive voltage between your amp and the PA and if it's
       high, switch the polarity on one (not both) and check it again.
    
    			Rock on,
    				Fred
    

    don't run without the safety ground if at all possible. If something
    goes wrong with your gear or anything else you are touching it just
    might keep you from meeting Jesus before your time....

    re -.1 & 2
    	
    	My advise should be taken with the prvious two comments in mind.
    YES, IT'S DANGEROUS!!!, if you're not careful, and 'floating' an amp
    should only be used as a last resort. Most old amps don't have a three
    prong plug anyway and with those (my Ampeg SVT included) the voltmeter
    test should be done each time it gets plugged in. My test is to check
    for AC voltage between the case of my amp and the third prong or case
    on the power bar. No fried lips for me.......
    
    FJE

    My old Marshall heads with the two prong plugs (and the ground wired to
    the chassis!!!) were like assured shock givers (nasty shocks, too!).
    Although, you get pretty proficient after a couple of nasty zaps at
    turning it on/off with you pick.  8^)

    I remember the time when I was rehearsing with my first band. I was
    running thru my Ampeg bass amp, and the lead guitarist was into a 
    Dual Showman. He had this nasty habit of leaving the ends of his
    strings just sticking out of his headstock. One of these happened to
    touch one of my tuning keys and "ZAP!". I was amazed at the arc! I
    still have part of his string WELDED to my tuning key!!!
    
    Edd

	To find a line filter, go to an electronics supply shop. They
	should be able to find you as many as you need. These often are
	small, sealed, metal boxes with tabs that allow you to connect
	your AC in, then connect an AC out. they are small enough for you
	to put them into a metal outlet box (4 outlet - metal - like the
	ones that you put into walls - with a steel cover). The wiring
	is quite simple:

	   	Wall Power		    Audio Gear
		  input			    connection (or outlets)

	   		   --------------
	   	white	   |		|   white
	   	---------[]|		|[]------->
	                   |		|
	   	           |in	     out|	
		black      |		|    black
		---------[]|		|[]------->
                           |  120V AC	|
	                   |Line Filter	|
	        green      |		|
	        -----+---[]|		|     +--->
                gnd  |     |		|     |
	             |	   --------------     |
                     |			      |
	             +------------------------+
	
	These cost anywhere from $5.00 up (get at least 5 amp capability).

	If you want to add surge suppressors, you can buy some at Radio
	Shack (get the high powered ones), and wire them in (before the
	filter in this manner:


		white
		-----------+-------+------------------
			   |       |
			  [*]     [*]
		black      |       |
		-----------+--+----|------------------
			      |    |
			     [*]   |
		green	      |    |
		--------------+----+-------------------


	These cost around $2.00 each (you'll need 3).

	After all, you can get rid of a lot of line noise & prevent blowing
	up gear all in the same box - why not make up some 25 foot extension
	cables with these built in (You always need extension cords).


							Jens

    I hope this is the right place to ask this.....
    
                   Friday night, I played at a friends party in
    his living room. I have a Gibson bass played through a fender
    side kick. It has a three prong plug and the outlet excepted
    this w/o an adaptor. In the room was your normal lighting and,
    his christmas tree with I think a few other lit ornaments. I was
    getting a buzz ( from the amp) that I had to mask with loads of
    treble. I noticed if I stood faceing the amp and slowly turned
    away till I was at a right angle, the buzz would decrease, then
    increase as I continued to turn, ending with my back facing it.
    Was it all the lighting causing this? Is there a way around it short
    of turning off all the lights. How much do line conditioners cost?
    
    
    
                                          Thanks, Jim
    P.S. Im very new to the game of
    setting to play for people. 

Sound's like yer friend has a bad ground in the 3 prong outlet you were plugged
into.

GONZO

Or has something that is putting trash (florecent (sp?) bulbs & thier 
ballast transformers are a common cause, as are light dimmers) onto the 
power line & your guitar was picking it up. Good guitar shielding can help 
here, as well as line filtering (one of the many reasons for the existance
of hum-bucking pickups - they cancel alot of this sort of noise).

								Jens
							

    Also look for any dimmer switches....they all use choppers, and do a
    real job on AM radios and amps.  Check to see if they have any remote
    control power switches.....the type that send a signal down the power
    line.  The lamp control modules can dim....thus they have a chopper.
    For the lamp modules, full "on" just means the fastest chop cycle.  The
    appliance modules have SCRs and no choppers.  The wall mounted remote
    switches with choppers aren't bad - they have a good ground.
    
    So....watch for those chopper style dimmer switches.....they are real
    hash generators.
    
    Joe
    

    ABSOLUTELY on the dimmer switches, those things SUCK!  Wreck major havok
    on cordless phones too...
    
    gh

    We have a dimmer switch on a ceiling light that I never found
    to be much of a problem *BUT* we were recently given a set of
    halogen floor lamps with dimmers on them and they generate more
    line noise than anything i've ever heard before. See if there are
    any of those hanging around.

    Turning a dimmer control to "full bright" will often decrease or
    elliminate the nasty buzz...
    
    Ditto the quartz. I just put 3 lamps in my living room. Even the
    PHONE picks up the buzz....
    
    Edd