Effects causing my rig to cut out!

[Colonel Monk]

I'm having intermittent issues with my rig, where my Blue Tube and Octabass pedals are causing the sound to cut out. My troubleshooting says it's not an effects issue per se, but I was hoping you all might confirm/deny my findings or give me a few other idears.

There is an obvious volume boost with these two pedals, but it's not ridiculous.

I have tried my effects board with another amp and couldn't recreate the problem, but I can't play that loud at home either. I did use some extreme settings of gain to see if one of my pedals is cutting out but it would not, so I'm thinking it's an amp issue, but not sure.

Here's the amp thread that I'm egregiously cross-posting here. It hasn't seen any replies, maybe because there's effects content?

Anyway, there's more information there about what I've done.

If you don't think it's an effects issue, and you want to help a brother out anyway I'd appreciate it.

Thanks,

CM

[TaySte_2000]

Have you checked all your cables?

What power supply are you using?

Don't both those pedals have a volume control? So why the volume boost unless you've set them that way?

[bongomania]

+1 to each of those questions/points, and also have you tried wiggling each of the plugs on each item (including the amp) to see if any of the jacks are intermittant?

[ga_edwards]

If you're using a daisy chain power supply cable, check the male/female connection between said cable and power supply. I've found that mine can sometimes work it's way loose and cut out. A pair of pliers in the gig bag fixes this!

For what it's worth, I sometime use a boss v-wah, strangley this is engaged when powered up. So each time my power connection got loose and played up in the past, power came back on with wah engaged and no low end.

Most annoying!

[Colonel Monk]

Originally Posted by TaySte_2000

Have you checked all your cables?

What power supply are you using?

Don't both those pedals have a volume control? So why the volume boost unless you've set them that way?

Cables are George Ls, and seem fine. I never have any problems in bypass mode. instrument cables are fine too.

BLUE TUBE is 120v AC so it has it's own cord. Trex Fuel Tank for Octabass Power.

I only have the volumes set up a little bit, and it is on purpose, for a jam out and solo -- but maybe only a 10 -15% change in volume.

This issue is repeatably intermittent , meaning that I can predict when it's going to happen, but the only time I have an issue is when using these two pedals. So, not really intermittent at all...

So whaddaya think, my amp head or effects?

[bongomania]

How do you have the pedals connected? Is it bass --> pedal 1 --> pedal 2 --> amp? Do you have no trouble with other pedals in the same connection path, using the same cables? Do you have other pedals connected to the Fuel Tank while using the pedals that cause the problem?

[niftydog]

The only way you could be causing your amp to go into protection mode is if you're running it right on the ragged edge. Does you amp have clip lights or anything like that? Next time it happens, back off the amp a little way and try to reproduce the fault.

With 4 and 8 ohm loads from Eden 210 and 115 (together and alone)

Can you expand on this, it's not very clear. Do you mean the fault occurs even if you're only running one of the cabs?

[Colonel Monk]

Originally Posted by bongomania

How do you have the pedals connected? Is it bass --> pedal 1 --> pedal 2 --> amp? Do you have no trouble with other pedals in the same connection path, using the same cables? Do you have other pedals connected to the Fuel Tank while using the pedals that cause the problem?

Chain:

Serano Picoso > bassballs > Octabass > Mammoth > Submarine > FX25 > Blue Tube > Space Echo (boss)

None of the other pedals cause the issue. All are plugged into the Fuel Tank except Blue Tube and Space Echo.

Cables are good, this issue has happened several times using those two pedals.

To Nifty:

I'm running the amp volume knob basically from half to just over half (knobs go from 7 to 5, I'm running from 11 to 1...) So no, not on the ragged edge. It's a loud amp to be sure. I am running the pre a little higher (tube pre) because I like that tubey sound. There's no clipping light because this amp is designed to drive the pre for some tube distortion.

Speakers: sometimes I'm running both the 210 and 115 for 4 ohm and sometimes only the 115 for 8 ohms. Problem has happened in both configs.

I have tried my effects rig with my home amp (Ampeg B2) with ridiculous settings (like diming the volume/gain and all the tone controls on the Blue Tube) and although the clip light on the Space Echo was on solid nothing cut out.

I also tried the ridic settings on my Mesa 600 and found that I could CRANK the gain, and though it was fuzzy as hell, if the main was down around 9 o'clock it wouldn't cut out.

Thanks for the help guys,

Monk

[TrevorOfDoom]

i'd take your whole rig and go somewhere else with it. try again.

i know you took your effects, but you couldn't replicate the problem, so get the whole rig (i repeat, whole rig) and try it somewhere else. see what happens.

[bongomania]

Are you using the amp's effects loop, or are you connecting the fx in series between your bass and your amp?

Have you tried wiggling the plugs as I suggested, to hear if they cut in and out?

The only options that make sense to me ATM are (a) a grounding issue, or (b) an intermittant connection. Both can be tested by using different power supplies, using a cable tester on your George L's, wiggling plugs/jacks, trying each offending pedal by itself out of the chain, etc.

[Colonel Monk]

Bongo,

fx are in series, b/t bass and amp. I've wiggled plugs, they are all good.

Haven't tested FX 1 by 1 yet, hope to this weekend.

Another suggestion is to open my amp and make sure the heatsinks are clear and the fan is working. I'll do this on tuesday when I'm back at our studio.

Thanks for the help

cm