Thanks Rick. Glad to see this video as it proves I'm not crazy. My Jet II Reissue does this too. Not quite as bad, (only on a few particular notes and only when tightly cupped) but still quite unpleasant.
Can this be remedied? Just curious. I'll probably end up selling it anyway. "Ghost notes" aside, I'm not real crazy about the tone it produces. I bet there's a guitar player out there somewhere who will really dig it.
EDIT: Please note: This is not a video of me OR my amp. I just happened to run across it and it reminded me of the issue I'm having with the same amp.
T.Bird
---------- Be humble for you are made of earth. Be noble for you are made of stars.
Last Edited by TBird on May 19, 2015 4:11 PM
Hmm, pretty obvious. Dopeing the cone surround may fix it. A speaker swap may fix it. Did you try it thru a different cab? Could be a microphonic component or a cab rattle that only shows up at that frequency.
Barley - Interestingly enough, the pervious owner (guitar player) had the head out and was playing it through a different cab because he thought he was hearing some cab rattle. However, he told me that, when he noticed the same results coming from another amp of his, he discovered that the rattle was actually related to the particular corner of the room he had them setting in. He assembled the amp back into it's original combo form before selling it to me.
A guitar playing friend of mine played through it when I first got it (and wasn't aware of the problem) and he didn't notice anything. Maybe I'll have him trying wailing on it again and see if he can produce the same noise.
T.Bird ---------- Be humble for you are made of earth. Be noble for you are made of stars.
You may have a problem with your mic also. it's not the harp is it? weird how it kicks in when you lean on it. If it's in the amp, set on the cab and try it. I would check tubes. Swap them one at a time...BN
PS, you just bought that amp a short time ago as I remember.
Last Edited by Barley Nectar on May 20, 2015 6:36 PM
You are correct Barley! It's the same amp I posted about a while back. Clearly, I'm not as in love with it as I was when I tried it out at the guys house! I think I'm slowly discovering that I much prefer the tone of 6v6 tubes over EL84s. Live and learn.
Right now I'm thinking I'm just going to sell it and move on, but first I'd like to know that this noise problem is a "harp only" issue (I'm not overly optimistic that it is) and wont hinder the process of selling it to a guitar player. I don't want to just pawn it off onto someone who is going to have the same problem.
It's not the mic. Same problem with a SM57 and a Shure CM bullet.
It's not the harp. I don't remember the note I first noticed it on (and I'm not near the amp right now), but I know I found the same note on a few other harps in different keys and got the same result.
Thanks for taking the time to ponder this Barley!
T.Bird ---------- Be humble for you are made of earth. Be noble for you are made of stars.
TBird, I do like the sound of EL84's as I've stated in the past. Live n learn is right. The only way to find your sound is thru experimentation. I commend you for your desire to sell a good amp and not a problem amp. I have eaten a few lemons myself. Hopefull that will not be the case here. If you find that there is a problem, let me know. I will try to help. My Email is in my profile. Good luck...BN
the # 1 problem with tube amps are the tubes them self's even brand new tubes can present a problem
most new tubes do not measure up to what once was a high standard.
i have an old amp it registrars faint ghost notes "nothing quite like you have there"
it is most likely a power tube. still working on it.
having said all that.....
someone gave me an old ampeg jet it had the same problem, so i sold it thinking it was perhaps not a good harp amp. in hind sight it may just needed some tlc.
I believe it to be a combination of the amp circuit and components, the speaker, and finally the timbre of the harmonica. That sure narrows it down, doesn't it! The ghost note in the video above is particularly irritating because it is a very loud parallel fifth above the note being played. I've experienced this on several amps when a certain note is played, including my '67 Deluxe Reverb - which is a killer guitar amp. Went through the same process as Tbird: same note on different harps, different mics, etc. An amp builder suggested to me that it could be a beat frequency occurring from the difference between the fundamental and the 120Hz power supply ripple when a slight sag occurs. The characteristics of the above mentioned components, especially the speaker, can conspire to emphasize this note. Seems plausible to me. Someday I'll sit down with an oscilloscope and a calculator and see if he's right. Our tube amps are producing overtones with driven harmonica all the time. Most of them aren't this prominent or annoying. I was able to tame the overtone somewhat in the Deluxe by switching from the original Oxford speaker to a Jensen neodymium. I tried 5 other speakers in the process, all of which sounded great with guitar. There's still a faint ghost note so the Deluxe isn't my go-to harp amp but it's usable. Like 1847, still working on it.
Tbird, Have a guitar-playing buddy come over and run the amp through it's paces, especially the note you're having problems with on the harp. I bet it will sound fine. Then you can sell it as a guitar amp with a clear conscience.
Last Edited by Bilzharp on May 22, 2015 8:52 AM
The tremendous outpouring of support available from this forum cannot be overstated. That's what keeps me coming back! Thanks.
The little bit of research I've done on the subject since I last posted (I try to limit myself with this kind of stuff so as not to get more obsessed with gear then with actual playing!) seems to suggest that there was a time when EL84 tubes were put in a lot of cheaper amps to cut costs, thus earning them the inaccurate reputation of producing worse tone then other tubes. Does that sound true?
---------- Be humble for you are made of earth. Be noble for you are made of stars.
