Started 2 years ago by pogowump
Topic Rating:
I have a VT 50. It is clipping even at low volume levels, most particularly when I play an E on the 12th fret/ 6th (low E) string. I've never played the amp loud and it is doing it with 3 different guitars. Any suggestions?
Posted 2 years ago
Try a factory reset to see if that clears it - might just be a minor software corruption. If not, try cleaning all the jack sockets in case there's oxidation and you're hearing degraded tone.
Posted 2 years ago
I read the manual...did a factory reset and made certain that the noise reduction was set to zero, as I gathered that, set too high, it might cause some clipping. Unfortnately, none of that worked. The amp is just a little over a year old and there is no oxidation, but cleaned anyhow...made no diffence. There is clipping when I play an E on the 12th fret/ 6th (low E) string...same when playing an E on the 5th fret/5th (A) string. Some, but markedly less, clipping above or below those notes and no clipping elsewhere. The clipping is occurring regardless of what guitar is used ( I've used two Epi's, a Gibson, and a Gretsch) and regardless of the volumes levels and/or what amp model it is set to....though harder to detect if set to something that has a lot of distortion built in. Hate to send it back to Sweetwater, but this is remarkable annoying...kind of like knowing that a fingernail is going to be on a blackboard every time you hit an E note on the 5th or 6th strings! Is this an electronics problem, a speaker problem, or what? Any suggestions short of sending the amp back?
Posted 2 years ago
You sure its clipping, and not a resonant frequency shaking the amp or surrounding furniture?
If it is, you might wanna have the amp a few feet of the floor, might stop shaking/rattling/vibrating.
Thats the only thing i can think of.
Could you describe the exact signal chain, i.e stompboxs etc.
Did you mean the 7th fret on the A string? Because the 5th fret on the A string is a D, not an E. If the problem is just with the E, then that is almost certainly resonant frequency issue. Almost every object has a natural resonant frequency, if its exposed to it it will vibrate violently. Like when a car hits a certain revs and the dashboard vibrates.
Hope that helps!
Adey
Posted 2 years ago
Could be the tube - might be worth trying a different one.
Posted 2 years ago
I did mean the 7th fret on the A string...same note as the 12th on the 6th string...does not do it on the E on the 2nd fret of the D string...even though it's the same note. It is definitely the speaker I'm hearing. I understand about pictures on the wall or furniture rattling, but this is coming from the spreaker even at low volume level. I've used this amp less than an hour a day for a little over a year...the tube should certainly last longer than that, shouldn't it. There is no sequence...just from the guitar to the input on the amp...had a tuner inbetween, but took it out just to make certain that was not somehow causing the problem. It was not.
Posted 2 years ago
Hhmm, well im at a loss then. I suppose you could replace the tube, there not expensive and some people even recommend a tube upgrade. If its not that then its looking like a visit to the doctor.
Good luck, i hope it turns out to be something simple ;)
Adey
Posted 2 years ago
