God is in my Amp

DirtLikeMe

I have a Fender "Evil" Twin and lots of times I will get interference that ranges from what sounds like AM radio to crackles and hisses. I have checked to see if my cords are messed up, but that is not the case. However, when I use my fuzz pedal it intensifies the noise. How do I get rid of this? Pedals? Do I need to have my amp tweaked?

who's_pearljam?

Check the ground in the receptacles and the house. Sometimes that will cause noise and interference. I had a problem in the house I just moved from because it was close to a radio station tower that would bleed through.

If you have a single coil guitar, like a strat, you'll get some noise inherently, which is normal. A humbucker should be quiet, though.


If not that, then it could be loose tubes or a bunch of other potential loose connections in the amp.
The fuzz pedal and the wah wah is like an amplifier for every bit of noise there is! Some fuzzes are noisier than others, depending what you've got.

Try your guitar rig in another amp if possible, in the same electrical outlet and see if the noise still happens, and try somebody elses rig into your amp and see if it's the amp.
If your rig is noisy in another amp, then by process of elimination, you can figure out if it's the fuzz, guitar or amp.
Your guitar ground may not be right, either, if the fuzz is amplifying the noise. If you don't know about grounding,, then you may want to take it to a tech and have them go over the rig.

This is a bit aimless because I haven't had my coffee yet!

I'll read what I wrote later, and update!!
Or one of the smart guys'll get on and correct me.

HeavyMetalNyge

Don't worry. It's probably your house outlets. I have the same problem in my basement. The other day we were actually listening to an AM radio talk show with some family psychotherapist through his fender vibrolux.

mccreadyisgod

Every musician who plays an electronic instrument should go (NOW!) to Radio Shack or Ace Hardware or Wal-Mart and buy an outlet tester. It will test to see if the power you're plugging into is wired properly and is grounded. This is really important for people playing with a PA system... you don't want to grab or kiss a mic that is grounded when your guitar amp isn't, and vice versa.

Grounding problems will cause all kinds of weird things, and AM radio is the worst thing to ever happen to a guitar/bass player.

Those "crackles and hisses" do have me a bit worried, I admit... it sounds like an intermittent short, which usually occurs in a cable or connector. You've tried different cables? Have you tried plugging directly into your amp? It may be the output jack of your guitar, the ins or outs of your pedals, or the input jack of the amp. I'd also check the speaker cables from the amp to the speakers.

There is a reason why they're called the "evil twin"...

All Those Yesterdays

I pick up church mass sometimes on my amp!