Flaming Amps! A Lesson Learned

TheGrizz · #1 03-24-2008, 12:22 AM

Get this...my band played a Battle Of The Bands last night. We got there early(for once) and had our gear stacked, and almost ready to go. We left the venue to grab some food,drinks, and smokes. We chatted with some bands and some fans, nothing unusual. Then, all hell breaks loose.

While doing our final soundcheck, our guitarist's strat decided to have the jack fall through. No big deal. While I was fixing it I asked our singer to set up our rig. He has done so before...no biggie. I get the strat set, and go up to the stage. I plug in and turn my amp on...no sound, great. I had a short in my pedal board, so I just plugged my Bass Driver Straight into my amp. We start playing, and the lighting guys decided to add a liberal amount of smoke to the stage. After a while I noticed the smell of something burning. I thought nothing of it. Then, I noticed my amp was beginning to distort. I looked behind my amp, and saw that the cable between the cab and head was melting and glowing

. I unplugged the cab, and to my horror found a 3 foot instrument cable plugged into my rig. My singer put the wrong cable in

I thought my amp was going to explode, but i finished the set after i changed out the cable. After a few jokes and a trip to the tech my amp is fine. Singers...

Munjibunga · #2 03-24-2008, 12:44 AM

So who was lamer? The singer for using an instrument cable, or you for letting a singer set up your rig? If my rig or the PA ever lets the smoke out, there will be only one person to blame. Me. That's because I'm the only one allowed to plug anything into anything. The lesson here is obvious.

Also, I would like to have this thread stickied for all the wise ones out there who say it's OK to use an instrument cable for a speaker cable.

BlackLake · #3 03-24-2008, 12:46 AM

Now...Let that be a lesson to all the people who ask the question "can I use an instrument cable from head to cab?"

AND

all the people who tell them "it's fine to do so."

TheGrizz · #4 03-24-2008, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

So who was lamer? The singer for using an instrument cable, or you for letting a singer set up your rig? If my rig or the PA ever lets the smoke out, there will be only one person to blame. Me. That's because I'm the only one allowed to plug anything into anything. The lesson here is obvious.

Also, I would like to have this thread stickied for all the wise ones out there who say it's OK to use an instrument cable for a speaker cable.

It was an honest mistake, he just grabbed the wrong cable out of my bag. I'm not casting blame on anyone but myself. I usually set up my rig, but I had to fix our guitarists input. I'm just happy my amp isn't dead. It was definitely an interesting moment

Also, even with all of the trouble we won the Battle

Go figure

kesslari · #5 03-24-2008, 02:17 PM

Quote:

Also, even with all of the trouble we won the Battle

It's prolly 'cos you supplied your own smoke.

Quote:

Also, I would like to have this thread stickied for all the wise ones out there who say it's OK to use an instrument cable for a speaker cable.

+1

mjolnir · #6 03-24-2008, 02:21 PM

Yeowch. Glad everything turned out ok though.

buzzbass · #7 03-24-2008, 02:27 PM

so was it the amp or the cable that was actually smoking ?

Nikoubis · #8 03-24-2008, 02:30 PM

We came 3rd at the second phase of a local BOTB last week, which means we didn't make it to the finals. Probably because we didn't destroy anything.

The guitard of the first band that did, accidentally kicked his Behringer pedal, smashing it to pieces against the monitor, while the second band's guitard fried his Line6 head halfway through a solo.

I guess next time we'll have to set up Spinal Tap-ish accidents if we want to look "metal" enough.

TheGrizz · #9 03-24-2008, 11:35 PM

The cable was smoking. It wasn't quite on fire, but after a few minutes it would have been. Some of the shielding melted off, and the wire inside was glowing. I had my tech check out my amp, and he said it was A-OK(I just got it back a few weeks ago)

I think you need to have something go wrong to win a BOTB

Just turn your amps to 11 and hope for the worst, you just might win.

Munjibunga · #10 03-25-2008, 12:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheGrizz

It was an honest mistake, he just grabbed the wrong cable out of my bag. I'm not casting blame on anyone but myself. I usually set up my rig, but I had to fix our guitarists input. I'm just happy my amp isn't dead. It was definitely an interesting moment

Also, even with all of the trouble we won the Battle

Go figure

Oh, I know. I was just givin' ya the biz, Beav.

LumpyGravy · #11 03-25-2008, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheGrizz

The cable was smoking. It wasn't quite on fire, but after a few minutes it would have been. Some of the shielding melted off, and the wire inside was glowing. I had my tech check out my amp, and he said it was A-OK(I just got it back a few weeks ago)

I think you need to have something go wrong to win a BOTB

Just turn your amps to 11 and hope for the worst, you just might win.

Ya could've lit one of your smokes off that.

Hey Ward, weren't you a little bit hard on the beaver, last night

guy n. cognito · #12 03-25-2008, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

So who was lamer? The singer for using an instrument cable, or you for letting a singer set up your rig? If my rig or the PA ever lets the smoke out, there will be only one person to blame. Me. That's because I'm the only one allowed to plug anything into anything. The lesson here is obvious.

Also, I would like to have this thread stickied for all the wise ones out there who say it's OK to use an instrument cable for a speaker cable.

...or the guitard who can't fix his own guitar.

Dude, singers never touch my stuff. They aren't even allowed to go near it!

Sarah5string · #13 03-26-2008, 10:31 AM

Ok.. being thick here but what's the difference between a instrument cable and a speaker cable?

Chebass88 · #14 03-26-2008, 10:42 AM

Sarah,

Fundamentally there is NO difference. Both are cables that transport an electrical signal from one location to another.

The difference lies in the power-handling capabilities of the cables. Speaker cable is heavier, and is meant to transport more power (voltage * current) necessary to activate & move the speaker (lots of air to vibrate!). The signal from your instrument, however, is very weak in comparison.

Conversely, you would not want to use a speaker cable for your instrument, as the resistance is too high, and you may not get the best results.

Hope this helps!

imp

P.S. Perhaps you could label the chords & their location - it could help your singer help set up the PA systems much quicker & save you some headache! It could be REALLY SIMPLE - orange sticker on speakon jack goes to orange jack on speaker. etc. etc.

Sarah5string · #15 03-26-2008, 10:44 AM

ah I see.. thanks for that Che.

barbarbass · #16 03-26-2008, 10:46 AM

Err, I've used an instrument cable from head to cab for about fifteen years now. Is this going to happen to me some day?

livingstone · #17 03-26-2008, 10:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barbarbass

Err, I've used an instrument cable from head to cab for about fifteen years now. Is this going to happen to me some day?

Very likely worse than this. Destroyed speakers are among the possibilities. You should correct the situation now.

TheGrizz · #18 03-26-2008, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chebass88

Sarah,

P.S. Perhaps you could label the chords & their location - it could help your singer help set up the PA systems much quicker & save you some headache! It could be REALLY SIMPLE - orange sticker on speakon jack goes to orange jack on speaker. etc. etc.

The problem was that I had a bag full of cords, and i have a speaker cable that is just as long as the former instrument cable.
We were rushed, and it was my fault as much as his.

LumpyGravy · #19 03-26-2008, 09:17 PM

The color code also makes it easier for you. Especially if you have the same setup. It eliminates the question, where does this cord come from. I usually have my cords in a rack unit and I use the unused ends for speakers and sometimes external inputs for mixers or power amps. Cords can be a pain in the ass. I usually keep them tied with nylon string that stays at one end. I can easily roll them up and tie them after the show. Organization will save you frustration. I usually group them by length. Large ziplocs with the length marked make it nice for me. I learned that in a college recording class. What a time saver!

Munjibunga · #20 03-26-2008, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheGrizz

The problem was that I had a bag full of cords, and i have a speaker cable that is just as long as the former instrument cable.
We were rushed, and it was my fault as much as his.

This is why all my speaker cables that aren't otherwise distiguishable from instrument cables have yellow shrink-tubing over the barrels of the plugs.