I bought my son a VOX guitar amp a few years back. He's used it some. Lately it's developed a hum that he says is the fault of the input jack. Seems to hum with any cord, any guitar, but is quiet when nothing is plugged into the jack.
I'm guessing I could replace the jack if:
A) I can get to it.
B) It's actually what's causing the hum.
Anybody care to share some wisdom?
Does it hum with a cord connected but no guitar? Do you have something else to plug in like an mic or even a set of headphones? If so, does it still hum?
Paul_VR6 (Forum Supporter) said:Does it hum with a cord connected but no guitar? Do you have something else to plug in like an mic or even a set of headphones? If so, does it still hum?
Hmmmm. I'm going to get him a new cord. Mic doesn't seem to hum. Flexing the cord (instrument cable) near the plug changes the hum. I'm thinking bad cord.
This one isn't particularly old. Who makes a good one?
In reply to 1988RedT2 :
Is it a 1/4" instrument cable? If so, you can take the end off and cut 6" or so from the cable and re-solder the end back on. Almost all cable issues are bad solder joints or cable fatigue right near the end. A broke guitarist can generally fix a given cable 4 or 5 times before buying a new replacement.
As for who makes good ones, ask your local shop what they recommend. I'm a fan of Monster cables but don't currently own one because $$$. Local shops usually will carry a few different price points. Seems like the decent stuff is 1.50 or $2 per foot. And if he doesn't already have a spare you should get him one. Just a good practice.
I just got off the phone with Sweetwater. I've got one of their house brand cables (Pro Co) and a Roland cable on the way.
I seem to recall fixing one of these a while back, but not this one. It's very generic-looking and presumed Chinesium.
In reply to 1988RedT2 :
Sweetwater won't lead you wrong. Their customer service is legendary, and their warranty/returns policy is even better.
barefootskater (Shaun) said:In reply to 1988RedT2 :
Sweetwater won't lead you wrong. Their customer service is legendary, and their warranty/returns policy is even better.
That's good to hear! I suspected as much. This is my second order with them. My first experience was quite positive.
I think you'll find that the jack is not the problem. They are so remarkably analog and mechanical it's comical. You'll pull it apart and be like, oh... that's it?
It is literally a hole with a springy tang in it and wires soldered to the tangs.
Like this:
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
Yup, but even simple analog thingies can get loose and corroded. He has a Mexican strat that I went into and replaced the potentiometers on. Of course, that guitar is still the source of some hum, and I've got the copper tape to do this to it:
Single coils can pick up noise in the "environment". I've noticed the recessed LED lights in the room where my amp is will cause noticeable him when they're on and I'm using my Telecaster copy. My Schecter with humbuckers not so much.
In reply to 1988RedT2 :
A strat is inherently noisy. Does the hum go away when you touch the strings?
Turn the lights off and see what that does. I have an old Fender Twin Reverb and it gets noisy if there is a CFL bulb on close by.
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