Bad speaker cable = hiss?

[WoodyG3]

Just wondering if a bad speaker cable can induce hiss.

[Mugre]

Probably not. Hiss is usually poor gain structure or faulty active components. Once in a while a bad resistor in the right place can cause hiss.

If you're getting hiss with pedals. It's almost certainly gain structure.

Mugre

[Joe Louvar]

Originally Posted by WoodyG3

Just wondering if a bad speaker cable can induce hiss.

No, or at least it shouldn’t - but it could make a loud buzzing like sound, pop, etc if it shorted out , and that’s not good.

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by WoodyG3

Just wondering if a bad speaker cable can induce hiss.

No. Hiss comes from the amp and other electronics.

[WoodyG3]

This is what I thought. I'm getting a bit of hiss even with the gain and volume turned all the way down. Any ideas how to track down the source?

[beans-on-toast]

Some types of cables are called snakes but you should never try to use a real snake as a cable because they will hiss.

Turning down the high frequencies can help reduce hiss.

[Manfred_Bass]

Originally Posted by WoodyG3

This is what I thought. I'm getting a bit of hiss even with the gain and volume turned all the way down. Any ideas how to track down the source?

I have the same problem with a GK800RB!!

[billfitzmaurice]

Originally Posted by WoodyG3

I'm getting a bit of hiss even with the gain and volume turned all the way down. Any ideas how to track down the source?

The source is the amp. All amps hiss, some more than others, some a lot more.

[WoodyG3]

Thanks, Bill.

[Joe Louvar]

All amps hiss, some more than others, some a lot more.

+1
However, if you get more noise with your bass plugged into the amp than when unplugged - your bass, cords, preamp, effects, etc could be adding extra noise or hiss - also some bad AC outlets can add unwanted buzz like noise.