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Hissing amp help please

SLH

SLH

Aug 17, 2011
27
5
Florence, SC
#1
I am new. Please redirect me to avoid duplicate threads. I’m trying to learn if my 150 watt Eden EC150 combo is working properly or if I bought a broken amp. How much white noise/hiss should a 150 watt Eden combo produce before, and after, the bass is plugged into it. I stood 6 feet from the amp to measure the dB. First, without an instrument, I turned the amp’s tone knobs to flat, the volume to 11:00, the gain to 8:00 and recorded 51-55 dB. Second, I plugged my
‘54 reissue P bass into the amp, turned the volume to 11:00, set the tone flat and measured 80-88 dB. Answers, thoughts, opinions, advice, etc will be welcomed and appreciated.
 
#5
SLH said:
I am new. Please redirect me to avoid duplicate threads. I’m trying to learn if my 150 watt Eden EC150 combo is working properly or if I bought a broken amp. How much white noise/hiss should a 150 watt Eden combo produce before, and after, the bass is plugged into it. I stood 6 feet from the amp to measure the dB. First, without an instrument, I turned the amp’s tone knobs to flat, the volume to 11:00, the gain to 8:00 and recorded 51-55 dB. Second, I plugged my
‘54 reissue P bass into the amp, turned the volume to 11:00, set the tone flat and measured 80-88 dB. Answers, thoughts, opinions, advice, etc will be welcomed and appreciated.
Click to expand...

I am not disputing that you have a noisy amp.
You think there is a lot of hiss and that should be what matters.

I am concerned about how you arrived at the numbers you came up with.
You can't just download a sound meter app and take whatever numbers you get from that.

From the website listed below I found the following list of levels of common sounds.
I even question this because they don't compare the noise to a common reference.
Though it is valid to compare a Chain saw to a snowmobile and say the snowmobile is 10 db louder than the chain saw.

We don't know how close you are to your amp. The further away a sound source, the lower it will be.
Your measurements should include, how quiet the room is with the amp shut off, then what are the measurements with the amp tuned on.

Something "db" all by itself tells us nothing. Decibel measurements are always relative to something else.
For a stand alone db measurement to be valid it must be in units that include a quantifying factor such as dbm or dbv or whatever the db[unit of measure]. You can call it dbao (amp off). Then if the numbers are louder with the amp on you say it was 20dbao. 20 db louder that with the amp off.

By your account and compared to the list below, your amp is somewhere between a vaccum cleaner and a lawn mower.
And if that is the case, I agree that's pretty loud.

How Loud Is Too Loud: Decibel levels of common sounds

  • Aircraft at take-off (180)
  • Fireworks (140)
  • Snowmobile (120)
  • Chain saw (110)
  • Amplified music (110)
  • Lawn mower (90)
  • Noisy office (90)
  • Vacuum cleaner (80)
  • City traffic (80)
  • Normal conversation (60)
  • Refrigerator humming (40)
  • Whisper (20)
  • Leaves rustling (10)
  • Calm breathing (10)
 
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#6
Generally, if the noise floor increases when something is plugged into an amp, the added noise comes from what's plugged in rather than the amp itself.

Is this the original passive pickup or do you have actives in your bass?
 
#8
Thanks again to all for reading and sharing opinions!
I agree with criticism of that the numbers aren’t reliable and thus my opinion of loud is subjective.

The reason for my question is because the Fender Rumble 100 I’ve borrowed while learning to play is dead quiet compared to the new amp I bought.

So, considering the limits of communication in this forum, what useful information might I provide that will help me decide if the amp works correctly?

Please tell me if I’m too sensitive.
I do appreciate constructive criticism.

The guitar is a used Fender ‘54 reissue, “blue flower” P-bass, from the Atlanta Bass Gallery. The pickup is not original. It is a Seymour Duncan ‘51 single coil.

I expect hum from this type of pickup, but it’s quiet through my borrowed Fender100 Rumble.
The amp was new.

Thanks again.
SLH.
 
#9
SLH said:
Thanks again to all for reading and sharing opinions!
I agree with criticism of that the numbers aren’t reliable and thus my opinion of loud is subjective.

The reason for my question is because the Fender Rumble 100 I’ve borrowed while learning to play is dead quiet compared to the new amp I bought.

So, considering the limits of communication in this forum, what useful information might I provide that will help me decide if the amp works correctly?

Please tell me if I’m too sensitive.
I do appreciate constructive criticism.

The guitar is a used Fender ‘54 reissue, “blue flower” P-bass, from the Atlanta Bass Gallery. The pickup is not original. It is a Seymour Duncan ‘51 single coil.

I expect hum from this type of pickup, but it’s quiet through my borrowed Fender100 Rumble.
The amp was new.

Thanks again.
SLH.
Click to expand...
 
#10
Or is it possibly my guitar? How do I determine if it’s my guitar.
Sorry to be dumb about this stuff. I read a lot of posts on this site and often find the answer to my question. This time it’s harder. THANKS TO ALL.
 
#11
Depending on the amp's voicing, and the amount of gain at those knob positions relative to the Rumble, it may be normal for that amp.
The numbers by themselves don't tell the story without a lot more info.
 
#12
SLH said:
Or is it possibly my guitar? How do I determine if it’s my guitar.
Sorry to be dumb about this stuff. I read a lot of posts on this site and often find the answer to my question. This time it’s harder. THANKS TO ALL.
Click to expand...

Try another bass.
 
#14
Surprised ABG would trade, hes retired and I've heard health isn't too good. If he's willing to trade for another give that a whirl.
That was an awesome shop sad that it closed.

Do you have any effects or connections other than just the bass?

Try setting gain to zero and eqs to flat, and volume to 10 and roll back until no hissing. Make a note where it is set. Set volume to 0 then raise gain while plucking a note until the clip indicator lights up, then roll it back a little and put volume back to its last setting. If still a lot of hiss try rolling off treble. If still, maybe try another instrument cable, another bass, and/or insulating the cavity in your bass.

Edit: looking at reviews, this might not have a clip indicator. In which case you can't set the preamp to pre clip in the way I described. Try putting it to 3.
 
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#15
ATLANTA BASS GALLERY IS/WAS a GREAT SHOP!!!
IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION!!!
ABG is NOT responsible in any way for this amp. It did NOT sell me the amp. The amp came from another shop in another State.

Atlanta Bass Gallery sold me my BASSES and set up my basses, and will be missed. I cannot pay too many compliments to ABG. The owner met me after hours, on a rainy, cold Sunday afternoon to help me buy my first real bass. I trusted the staff and their advice.
I also planned to buy my own, first REAL amp from ABG, but it closed before I could make the purchase. That’s the reason I have this amp with which I am troubled. I KNOW ABG would have made sure I knew what I was buying, sold me what I needed, backed it up if needed, and made sure I was confident in my purchase.
SLH
 
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#17
SLH said:
I’ll try the steps everyone has given. Thank you.
SLH
Click to expand...
Knowing diagnostic techniques is important to properly determining the problem(s).
(There may be multiple problems adding up to make matters worse.)
This is a skill that is developed over time. Training and experience leads to the requisite discipline needed.
This is not something inherent in the human experience, so if the process illudes you, don't feel bad.

Sometimes there is only so much help that can be given on line.
At some point you may need to have someone else look at it.

Certainly, there is nothing wrong with asking questions and trying to figure it out yourself, but if you don't know how to interpret what you've found, or how to fix a correctly diagnosed problem, then it's time to get help.

Someone who, literally can get hands on the problem, may see things that you or others overlook, or dismiss.
 

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