Bass Surges?

**Matthew_84** · #1 08-01-2011, 08:23 AM

Hey,

Don't know how to describe it. I can lay my bass on my bed, all the volume on full, plugged in, and amp is on, and every ten minutes or so I hear this random surge through the speaker. It's almost kind of a "zap" noise and lasts less than a second and goes away. I have noticed it when I'm playing but not as much.

I'm wondering that it's likely the cable, but I also noticed the other day that my volume knob has some static on it when I adjust it very quickly at loud volumes.

My setup is basically what you see in my signature, I have a 20' long 14 AMG cable running from my bass to the VT Deluxe, the RGE-10 is a graphic EQ which is in the effects loops of the VT hooked up with two 1/4" to RCA connectors (the RGE takes the RCA connectors), and then a pretty thin 5' foot 1/4" cable going into (right now) a 10 watt VOX guitar amp.

Anyone have this issue before? Any solutions? I'll try another cable now, and see if that helps.

Matt

**Matthew_84** · #2 08-01-2011, 08:42 AM

K, not the cable

mpdd · #3 08-01-2011, 09:29 AM

the power supply going to your bedroom might not be consistent, i have the same problem with my washing machine in my basement, in my case the power provided to my house by the city of LA fluctuates a lot, i learned this from the sears repair guy showing me his volt meter, it effected my mesa tube head in the studio as well until i started using a fancy power strip i bought at radio shack

**Matthew_84** · #4 08-01-2011, 09:53 AM

Hmm... That sounds logical, as my house certainly has dated wiring (knob and tube to be exact), but I never heard this before I added the VT Bass Deluxe and Boss RGE-10 into the picture, but I do have power supplies for both of them, and that little extra amperage could be causing it. I sincerely hope that isn't the issue as I have a Crown XLS1000 sitting around collecting dust while I wait on 410 cab. I do have everything plugged into a power bar, but it is a basic and relatively inexpensive one.

I have bypassed the RGE-10 (which is likely 20 years old) for the last half an hour or so and though it is still getting electricity it is not in the signal chain. I have not heard this surge since I've done it. But, I still do hear a brief kind of disruption in the static coming from the speaker which is just as frequent as it was before and it lasts just as long... But I could be hearing things...

Maybe the RGE-10 heightens the frequency and causes it to be heard? I don't know, but I can't hear that surge at all and when it surged before, it was quite noticeable (it was nearly as loud as tapping a string). I don't know if the RGE-10 would exagerate the frequency that much.

Or maybe the RGE-10 is just old, and there's some loose or corroded terminal or something. I'll keep it bypassed and make sure I don't hear it again.

**Matthew_84** · #5 08-01-2011, 10:04 AM

MPDD, when you say that it effected your Mesa head, did you hear the surge that I'm referring to?

mpdd · #6 08-01-2011, 10:22 AM

yes, every maybe 8 or 10 minutes i'd get a pop and then things would go back to normal

**Matthew_84** · #7 08-01-2011, 11:22 AM

The sound I'm referring to is not a pop though, it actually sounds like a fridge or something. There is certainly a sort of loud hum, like the sound heard in cartoons when a really powerful electro-magent is energized, and is trying to pull something in towards it.

mpdd · #8 08-01-2011, 11:56 AM

the hum i get is generally pu related, my jazz and sb2 will hum a lot depending on where they are left unattended while plugged in

**Matthew_84** · #9 08-01-2011, 12:54 PM

hmm, it could be that... Seems odd that it only happens for less than a second every 10 minutes or so, but who knows what kind of frequencies are flying around. Thanks

stflbn · #10 08-01-2011, 01:02 PM

Sounds like something somewhere is kicking on every 10 minutes and sending interference through the power line.