Home › Forums › Help/Technical Questions › English Muff’N and Vox AC15 “crackly Static”
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January 7, 2009 at 8:52 pm #77507cuppajackParticipant
-I’m cross posting this from Guitarnoise.com My apologies if that ruffles feathers.-
The Set-up:
I’m playing through a Vox AC15CC that I picked up in August as my apartment-bound practice amp (so I never get to crank it.) The amp was a floor-model at Sam Ash but looked like it had only been out on the floor for a short time.
For Christmas I was given an Elecktro Harmonix English Muff’n Tube-based over-drive pedal.
I play a Epiphone Les Paul or a Charvel San Dimas.
My ‘dream tone’ lays somewhere between Jack White’s snarl and Cream’s over-driven British Blues.The Problem:
The English Muff’n sounds great when run into the AC15 except that as soon as I nudge the gain on the pedal up past 8 or 9 o’clock I get a fizzy crackle or static along with the pleasant distortion. Things get worse the more gain I add from the pedal, or the more treble I dial in on the amp, the pedal’s EQ of the tone-knob of my guitar. This ‘static’ sounds a bit like a nice Fuzz pedal, but it tends to decay quickly and suddenly which really makes it sound bad, which is frustrating because I love the tone I’m getting “behind” the static (if that makes sense) and I could at least USE the fuzziness of the static if it was consistent, but they way it fizzles out suddenly just ruins it for me.
I’ve only had a couple of practice sessions to sit town and play with settings, but I’ve mostly tried to run the Muff’n into the amp set for a clean-tone. I’ve tried running the Muff’n into my Pocket POD and didn’t experience the same level of ‘fizzle static’ that I get with the AC15, but there may have still been some (it was early in my trouble-shooting process and I don’t recall the results as well I should…)Help?
Is there anything I can do here?
Does it sound like there is something faulty in the gear, or is the Muff’n just a bad-match for the AC15?
Any thoughts or suggestions?January 7, 2009 at 9:19 pm #90287GoldengloveMemberSounds like microphonic tubes…
January 7, 2009 at 10:11 pm #90289electro-melxModeratorQuote:Sounds like microphonic tubes…….have you tried it with a different amp? those Vox CC’s are notorious for having issues from new.
January 7, 2009 at 11:19 pm #90293cuppajackParticipantQuote:Quote:Sounds like microphonic tubes…….have you tried it with a different amp? those Vox CC’s are notorious for having issues from new.
I haven’t really put it through its paces in another amp… I’ll give it a good workout with my PocketPOD tonight.
Would you suspect Microphonic tubes in the Amp of in the Muff’n itself?
January 8, 2009 at 1:02 am #90296electro-melxModeratorQuote:Quote:Quote:Sounds like microphonic tubes…….have you tried it with a different amp? those Vox CC’s are notorious for having issues from new.
I haven’t really put it through its paces in another amp… I’ll give it a good workout with my PocketPOD tonight.
Would you suspect Microphonic tubes in the Amp of in the Muff’n itself?
it could well be the amp try cranking the amp’a drive and treble up and see if you get a similar thing happen.
January 8, 2009 at 8:41 pm #90315cuppajackParticipantFollowing up:
I Sat down last night with the intention of getting to the bottom of the static issue with the English Muff’n + AC15CC. Unfortunately ended my little trouble-shooting session somewhat frustrated.I first swapped all cables in the chain, and tried the set-up again, this time with my Charvel. I expected the hotter Seymour Duncan pick-ups to exasperate the problem, but to my surprise the static/crackly/fizz seemed to be lessened when I used the Charvel, although it was still present at a level that I found unacceptable.
After much research yesterday I fully anticipated to find microphonic tubes in the AC15, but before breaking out the tools to try the “tap test” on the tubes I took a step back and plugged the Muff’n into my Line6 PocketPOD and which I monitored with headphones. To my frustration the static was still present! And only increasing my annoyance was that the underlying tone was unreal.
So I guess that the problem does not lay with the AC15 after all… I “tap-tested” the tubes in the Muff’n and couldn’t hear any microphonic feedback. Just to make sure, I cranked the AC15 and hit a few wall-rattling chords. Damn did that sound sweet. Now I’m asking myself , “is this is a bug or a feature?”
Possibly a bad pedal? Or is this static-y overtone just part of the English Muff’n’s unique sound that I can’t year in any samples I listen to?
January 8, 2009 at 9:10 pm #90318electro-melxModeratormmm…..right, firstly was this a present from parents? basically i’m wondering if you can take it back to the shop, ask to try another and see if it’s the same. There could be a problem with one of the tubes in the muffin, maybe it got slightly damaged during transit or something…..if there is a problem the shop should exchange it for you or give you the money back.
if that isn’t really possible then I would suggest trying new tubes in the muffin, just get some inexpensive sovteks and see if that cures the problem because it seems the most likely to me.
is there anyway you can record what it sounds like?
I’m gonna pop over to Harmony Central and post a link to this thread, maybe someone who owns one will be able to help a bit more.
January 8, 2009 at 9:31 pm #90322cuppajackParticipantQuote:mmm…..right, firstly was this a present from parents? basically i’m wondering if you can take it back to the shop, ask to try another and see if it’s the same. There could be a problem with one of the tubes in the muffin, maybe it got slightly damaged during transit or something…..if there is a problem the shop should exchange it for you or give you the money back.if that isn’t really possible then I would suggest trying new tubes in the muffin, just get some inexpensive sovteks and see if that cures the problem because it seems the most likely to me.
is there anyway you can record what it sounds like?
I’m gonna pop over to Harmony Central and post a link to this thread, maybe someone who owns one will be able to help a bit more.
Thanks for all the help Electro-Melx!
It was a parental gift, though, like so many things these days, was ordered on-line. I’m going to contact the vendor and see what their exchange policies are. Failing that, one can never have too many 12AX7 tubes laying around can they?
I’ll see if I can’t get an illustrative recording of the phenomenon this evening.
Thanks again.
January 8, 2009 at 9:41 pm #90325electro-melxModeratorno problem, I wish I could help more.
yeah, indeed I can hardly remember the last thing I actually bought from a shop! I had a couple of books arrive from Amazon just this morning!!
February 1, 2009 at 3:27 pm #92414DrMuffnMemberHi
I have exactly the same problem with my Muff’n. I replaced the valves as advised by EHX, but no change at all!
If you figure out how to fix this, please do post the solution!
Thanks
DrMuff’n
February 3, 2009 at 5:33 am #92533cuppajackParticipantQuote:HiI have exactly the same problem with my Muff’n. I replaced the valves as advised by EHX, but no change at all!
If you figure out how to fix this, please do post the solution!
Thanks
DrMuff’n
DrMuff’n, what kind of amp are you using?
February 4, 2009 at 9:44 pm #92674cuppajackParticipantAn Update:
I ended up RMAing the unit to the shop and receiving a replacement. The problem is still there!
I sat down last night and really tried to get to the bottom of it.
The unwanted fizz/crackle is there as treble-y notes decay.
It happens on my PocketPOD but is much, MUCH more noticeable on the Vox AC15CC.I can sort-of mostly dial it out by backing way off of the top-boost treble knob on the amp, cutting the highs on the Muff’n’s EQ and maybe dialing back on the guitar’s tone knob.
The other thing that seemed to help (or was it just my imagination?) was to put the Muff’n in front of my 2 non-true bypass pedals (a Vox Wah and a digitech Whammy.)
I’ve read of others having issues with stock AC15CCs and overdrive pedals, so I’ll eventually try the “bright cap” removal mod that supposedly will help.
I’m beginning to think the fizz/crackle is just a part of the fuzz characteristics of the pedal, but it just gets blown out of proportion by the AMP…
February 7, 2009 at 7:23 pm #92887DrMuffnMemberI have a Marshall AVT20, Blackstar HT-5 stack and a mixing desk connected to my HiFi – I get the same issue with all three. I pulled the power from the Muff’n after an hour or so of messing around with different lead, amps etc. (to no avail) and noticed that the power supply itself was making a horrible noise – I wonder if it is a power issue? I read elsewhere on the forum about low batteries causing lots of noise with some EHX pedals, but of course it is an unusual power supply connection on the Muff’n so I can’t easily try any alternatives.
Still tinkering…
DrMuff’n
February 25, 2009 at 5:10 pm #93939DrMuffnMemberHaving read loads of discussion on this (and other) forums about the effects of dying batteries on various pedals – which sounded like they gave the same sort of sounds that I was getting with my Muff’n – I took the lid off again and had a play with the 9V line. The supposedly moulded-in pins for the funny-shaped 9V connector were very loose in the moulding. I gave them a waggle (with the power off) and hey-presto perfect Muff’n function restored.
Anyone know where I can get a replacement (female) connector to replace the flakey one that I have? Preferably in the UK? If not, I’ll probably hard-wire it in.
Cheers
Dr Muff’n
June 23, 2009 at 9:01 pm #98300mlbosuMemberI had the exact same problem. After some research I found that the bright cap in the amp causes the problem. You can find how to do it here http://www.guitarpug.com/2008/06/vox-ac15cc-mod-guide/#more-179
It is actually pretty easy. It makes the amp take fuzz pedals so much better.
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