Ampeg PF800 input noise

[harley7991]

I'm hoping to get some feedback from other portaflex owners on the prevalence of this issue and if it is normal -

My pf800/pf115he setup exhibits a buzzing noise with any bass I plug into it. It sounds like a guitar on a high gain channel when you take your hands off the strings. It's not quite that loud, but it is persistent and annoying. When I plug my basses into other amps this noise is not present.

The noise is present in the cab and headphones, but can be eliminated by:
- pressing the mute button
- turning the volume on the bass guitar all the way down
- switching my L2000 pickups to series mode
- turning the bass to another angle in relation to the amp (me turning while wearing the bass). There are only 2 angles that ever work, a reference position and 180 degrees from that.

So, other portaflex owners, is this consistent with your amps behaviour? The amp is still under warranty, but no warranty repair shops are nearby. I don't want to go through a lot of effort to get this fixed for someone to only shrug their shoulders and tell me it's normal...

 

[JimmyM]

The fact that it clears up when you turn a certain way tells me it's the bass. Are they single coil pickups? Is the bass shielded? Got anything electronic nearby that could cause interference?

 

[2saddleslab]

I have the same issue with every amp I've owned when playing at home. Move that way, lot's of noise. More this way, no noise. It's the environment not the equipment, imho. Never hear the noise at gigs, except one with notoriously bad electric.

 

[harley7991]

Hi Jimmy,

All my basses have humbuckers. The G&L has some shielding, the Guild is heavily shielded, and the Epiphone has the least.

Even though the Epiphone is the worst of the lot, the noise was non-existent on a acoustic B100...