far0n Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Played the other night, both myself and the guitarist had the same problem, soon as we turned the volume controls on our guitars up we'd get this high pitched squeal like microphone feedback. In all the years I've been playing, I've never experienced anything like it. So in between songs we both had to turn down our volumes... then back up for the songs. Just for the record it was fine when we were playing. So what the hell was going on ??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrenochrome Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Probably bad electrics at the venue. One of my favourite small venues in Leeds has the same problem such that I can't use any bass with single coils - on my fretless I can only use the p pup for instance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonny-lad Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 I had trouble with microphonic feedback with an epiphone les paul. I asked at a guitar shop and they said that it wasn't that uncommon and I could get my pickups wax dipped to reduce it. As far as I know, most modern pickups get wax dipped anyway, as this kind of feedback is caused by the pickup itself vibrating instead of high volume causing the strings of the guitar or bass to vibrate, but it's quite straight forward to get them done again if they need it. I think with a search on google you'd find lots of onfo on how to do it yourself or you could probably find someone with experience to do it quite cheap and avoid any hassle doing it yourself. I couldn't really think of a reason for why it became a rpoblem for both guitar and bass on the same night, especially if you've never had it before. Mine came on gradually over several weeks or months, unless you were playing louder than usual. Distortions and overdrives tend to make it loads worse and I also noticed it was much more likely when I used a wah, so maybe there was some EQing that effected it. Good luck sorting it out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RayFW Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 Did the venue have an induction loop for hearing impaired people? That would cause the symptoms you are describing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
far0n Posted April 27, 2009 Author Share Posted April 27, 2009 [quote name='RayFW' post='473244' date='Apr 27 2009, 11:31 AM']Did the venue have an induction loop for hearing impaired people? That would cause the symptoms you are describing.[/quote] I've no idea, it was a fairly echoey room though, all brick walls... rustic style like. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Foxen Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 I got a squeal out of my bc rich at certain angles with gain pedals, switch the pickups to waxed 1/4 pounders and it went. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misrule Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 One of my guitarists has similar problems with a Fender Strat when playing under fluorescent lights. Cheers Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
far0n Posted April 27, 2009 Author Share Posted April 27, 2009 [quote name='misrule' post='473737' date='Apr 27 2009, 09:35 PM']One of my guitarists has similar problems with a Fender Strat when playing under fluorescent lights. Cheers Mark[/quote] Ah ha, the venue I played in did indeed have fluorescent lights ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 [quote name='misrule' post='473737' date='Apr 27 2009, 09:35 PM']One of my guitarists has similar problems with a Fender Strat when playing under fluorescent lights. Cheers Mark[/quote] I've never heard of lights causing squealing before - not saying it wouldn't happen but typically I've experienced it as 60 cycle hum though. I initially thought the cause might be microphonic pickups and high gain settings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Count Bassy Posted April 27, 2009 Share Posted April 27, 2009 [quote name='Crazykiwi' post='473759' date='Apr 27 2009, 09:56 PM']I've never heard of lights causing squealing before - not saying it wouldn't happen happen but typically I've experienced it as 60 cycle hum though. I initially thought the cause might be microphonic pickups and high gain settings.[/quote] I've suffered from someones Guitar doing this when I was doing some live sound for them. I'd never come across it before, and it really threw me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misrule Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 [quote name='Crazykiwi' post='473759' date='Apr 27 2009, 09:56 PM']I've never heard of lights causing squealing before - not saying it wouldn't happen but typically I've experienced it as 60 cycle hum though. I initially thought the cause might be microphonic pickups and high gain settings.[/quote] He definitely gets squealing -- so he brings a guitar with humbuckers to those rehearsals. The lights don't affect my PJ bass, though. Cheers Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huge Hands Posted April 28, 2009 Share Posted April 28, 2009 [quote name='RayFW' post='473244' date='Apr 27 2009, 11:31 AM']Did the venue have an induction loop for hearing impaired people? That would cause the symptoms you are describing.[/quote] My first thought would be this. It's nothing to do with the echo in the room, it's the way your guitars/amps deal with the inducted signal from the loop. They can become huge aerials for this sort of thing. I have not heard of flourescent lights casing that much grief before, but I guess it's probably a similar principle.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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