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Microphonic Pickups

Jan 23, 2009
582
596
Running my Ibanez RB690 through a Micro Pog. Dry out into bass amp, octave up into Boss Blues driver into a guitar amp.

I am picking up drums through my pickups heard through the guitar amp. Doesn't happen when I solo the bass amp or when I route the effect through the bass amp. I did notice that if I turn the treble down on the guitar amp I heard the drums less.

What could be causing this, and what can I do to eliminate it in this configuration? I have no issues when using it without the guitar amp.

Thanks!
 
You don't hear it through the bass amp even if you crank up the treble? I'm wondering if it's not the pickups, but maybe something else in the signal chain (like the micro pog).
 
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Nope, nothing through the bass amp. The guitar amp was a fender twin reverb, noted for being a very clean tube amp. Not sure if that has anything to do with it? It's also not optimal for what I'm trying to do so I'm going to try another amp.

This bass has never given me any issues before and I'm not even sure if it's a bass issue or an issue of the set-up. It was really weird though.
 
I was serious. Yell through the pickup. If the pickups have gone microphonic you'll hear it through both amps if you have the gain high enough. If that's not it try tapping lightly on the twin's tubes one by one. Could be the reverb cage too if you've got that on.
 
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Well. Could be everything said so far. Ususally if any pickup is microphonic they're microphonic anywhere in any amp. Do a following "excluding causes" tests, and experiments:

You have turned down the volume knobs on your bass first, have you? All the way off. And even removing the cable from your bass. It shouldn't hum if you hold it up in the air. To test if the drums still puts through? If then, it's not anything on the bass.

1. Change cables, swap them around. Does it still gets heard as much?
2. Put your bass to your mouth and scream and yell into the pups! Is it heard in any amp?
3. If another guitar amp that is solid state, or PA is available test the split signal into these. I e the high treble content of the micro pog and blues driver should be able to be heard there too. If it's still, then it's not the tube amp.
4. Cables run together with tube amps (especially long cables) can turn into some kind of antenna, and together produce som kind of weird pickupsignal as well as microphonics. So : are the drums miked up in any way too? Leakage can occur anywhere down the line.
5. If your bass is active, or run in active mode, or anything else down the chain (pedals that runs on batteries) check if they (it) perform better when run on wall warts power adaptors or swap to fresh batteries.
6. Earth/ground connection, of both bass amp and gtr amp. Check that the power cables runs in the same "ground" so to speak.

It should be heard in the bass amp. Main suspect is the Fender Twin, tubes gone microphonic together with added "dodgy" things that all adds up in the end.

7. Tap with a lead pencil on ALL of the tubes at the back of the Fender Twin reverb while it's running. Be careful. Just tap lightly. If a pinging pitch note is heard, then it's them. Remedy: switch out tubes to all brand new fresh ones. You can yell into those too, but it's too weak signal there, and a little bit...unwieldy.

EDIT: Yes, the reverb "can", things. That's why I love digital reverb pedals that mimicks spring reverbs. I'd rather get rid of the noise and hum and picking up signals, and have a decent digital impersonation, than down to the bone hardcore exact spring. I've used several amps with FX/send returns and even physically removed the reverb can. Makes for a lighter amp, and saves up one tube to cause problem the 12au7. One can remove that one and use as a spare. but hey, back to topic...
 
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Is it one bass like these ? (never mind the color!) :

ibanezrb690-96-1s.jpg



And the back looks like this? :

thumb.php?file=ibanezrb690-96-3s.jpg


Then bass is supposedly active, and can't be run without batteries. Check first that you have FRESH battery inside, but even then I highly doubt that an active pickup has turned microphonic in any way possible. While it can't be excluded, and may happen, it's virtually unheard of that any active pickup should all of a sudden turn microphonic. If someone made active pickups as shoddy as that in order to save costs, it would be better putting in something shoddy passive instead.
 
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