Mains Hum through Amp/Guitars Help required

Mr_Bluesman

Help

Is the the 50/60 cycle hum you here so much about


It seriously gets right on my nerves as causes issue for recording and is ditracting for practice, sometimes it's there sometimes not. I can't track it down to anything in my house. Sometimes I think it's when the washing machine is on

A few points:

1) Happens with any of my amps and any guitars (mainly using Gibson LPs at mo and it's worse on neck pickup on all 3 LPs, which are all wired slightly differently). It's not the guitaras no grounding when touching metal parts, and so far tried 6 out of my 12 instruments.

2) Happens with or without pedalboard (which is curently daisy chained with a one spot - new ISOLATED supply on way). Clean channel not an issue, Drive channels or Dist pedals in front of amp are the problem, pedals worse than drive channel.

3) In this case it's Wampler Pinnacle (powered with one spot) into L6 DT25 Clean channel.

4) This is my little little music room, so gear can't move or be used elsewhere, i't's a small room. New wiring as part of extension. So is there anything I can plug amps/pedalboard into that will clean power if it is the cause of the noise. A special extension cable or something.

5) Computer/LED Monitors/Studio speaker monitors are off are off and unplugged so make no difference. Could it be magnets in Yamaha studio monitors?

6) Lights are LED not halogen in this part of the house

7) Please listen to end and you see how it it stops for a bit, I'm not touching anything

Any ideas at all?

Cheers in advance everyone

spark240

Got any dimmers switches?

And you video is private ....

ToneControl

is it upstairs? I used to get this when compact fluorescent bulbs were on in the room below the guitar

Hang on, I listened to it , that is amazing

is your guitar lead earth connection gone?

Mr_Bluesman

@spark240 sorry changed the upload setting should be available now

Mr_Bluesman

@tonecontrol no it's downstairs in an extension, I used to be upstairs and the same happened. We had a extension to the kitchen I I had a little room built for music.
A couple of things discovered:

1) The plugs in the music room are on the same same breaker as the kitchen plugs
2) It's at it's worse when the washing machine is on
3) I've turned off every other breaker aprtfrom the kitchen socket inc lights, other sockets etc and it's the same
4) No dimmers
5) Tried loads of leads
6) Straight into amps (3 of them is the same) with any lead is the same with any of 12 guitars

Over on the guitarnerds (run by some current/former guys from GAK) facebook forum it's beem suggested to try a power conditioner like Furman by a knowledgable guy that tours frequently as it could be dirty power!

ecc83

That is not a general 50Hz mains hum! There is a 50Hz component in it but it is being produced by some sort of machine.

Diathermy? Do you live near a vet? Can you give a general post code? I am for instance NN5 5P* then I can look on Google for possible interfering sites.

I would also post this over at www.soundonsound.com because there are several graduate electrical engineers there as well as guys that do big PA rigs (often the same guy!) ....SOMEBODY will know what that is, Betcha!

Dave.

Mr_Bluesman

WA1 3P*
Yeah it's definately worse when washing machine is on and the psockets are on the same circuit as the kitchen plugs.
I'll look at soundonsound when I get home tonight

Thanks for that

ToneControl

I'm wondering if there is something very wrong with your mains wiring, like current getting onto the earth

It sounds like very dirty power with lots of spikes and noise above 50Hz

Do you have a modern RCD fusebox?

ToneControl

you can buy mains conditioners, but they are expensive and for handling unpredictable venues.

If you have noise on your own house mains, I'd get it fixed

BigMonka

I put your post code into google - how close to that railway line are you? is it electrified?

Was the washing machine (or other kitchen gadget like a blender) on when you recorded that clip?

Rocker

Do you have an earth spike as part of your electrical installation? Some houses use the water mains pipes as earths, better IMHO to use a good spike. Lots of good info on earthing on the Russ Andrews website. His products are costly but you can read or download info. If you move the amp to another power line, not on the kitchen circuit, is the noise less or gone?

Mr_Bluesman

@Tonecontrol, yes have RCD Box
@BigMonka yep it's an electric line and I'm 0.6miles away from the line and a small unmanned station
@Rocker no ground spike, I'm gonna moving stuff later when home

BigMonka

Mr_Bluesman said:

@BigMonka yep it's an electric line and I'm 0.6miles away from the line and a small unmanned station

If you're over 0.5miles away then I doubt you'll have any issues from it. I'm close enough (literally a few metres) that if I play in the closest room then I get different levels of noise depending on which direction I have the guitar pointing relative to the track!

@Mr_Bluesman when you did the recording were any appliances in the kitchen turned on? What time of day was it, as could it be a local industrial unit?

spark240

Oooerr...thats nasty ! are you doing anything when it changes tone?

  

ecc83

Are you one of the few people left with overhead electricity supply?

If so that could be tricky to solve. If not look in the meter cupboard and see if your earth is bonded properly to the incoming armour. But TOUCH NOTHING!

You will probably have the neutral similarly bonded (PME) but different suppliers have other arrangements.

Dave.

ToneControl

have you tried the amp running where it is, but using an mains extension reel to a socket in another room?

ToneControl

and have you got one of those mains socket testers?

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=sr_nr_p_76_0?fst=as:off&rh=i:aps,k:mains+socket+tester,p_76:419158031&keywords=mains+socket+tester&ie=UTF8&qid=1436455191&rnid=419157031 

markblack

@ToneControl sorry replied in the wrong thread, I have a similar question on here as well

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/45593/anyone-used-a-mains-conditioner-on-their-home-set-up-to-reduce-hum#latest

spark240

Take amp and guitar to another hosue a try it there..?

Mr_Bluesman

discovery: took a seperate power feed from a different circuit in house and turned off every other circuit on consumer unit, hum dramitally decreased. Turned each circuit back on one by one. Low and behold kitchen circuit back on and boom noise back, washing turned on and even worse. So looks like I need a new separate feed to the office. Luckily bros a spark, although he's so busy doesn't know when he can do it! Unless any other ideas

ecc83

I STRONGLY suggest you get a sparks in ASAP. You may have lost an earth (or a neutral). You might have an appliance with a serious earth leak, yes, if you have a consumer unit with an RCD it should trip but ***t'appen.

Do you own a multimeter? If so check everything involved including amps for earth pin to chassis continuity. I know a DMM is not the proper tool for such low resistances but view anything over 2 Ohms with deep suspicion.

Dave.