Learning new riff...technique advice

[Firsty Lasty]

One of the petty and trivial reasons I like tube amps is because the hum sounds better. Well, that used to be true but I got some hearing loss at work the last couple of years so now I often can't hear small amounts of hiss/hum at all. Like I completely can't tell that it exists except I can see it in the DAW. I should have doubled up with both earplugs and ear muffs, but reasons.
edit: can't type lol

 

[Alicia Willis]

Using the katana because the Blackstar needs new tubes.

Depending on the pickup combination you use and whether it is a humbucker or a single coil a strat is always gonna hum. Basically the idea of a humbucker is that instead of one coil you have two where one cancels the hum of the others one(magnetic fields and such) this isn't present in single coils so the hum remains. A way to work around it is by using position 2 or 4 of the pickup selectors, in that case you are combining two single coils so it gives roughly the same effect.

I see your strat has a humbucker in the bridge so it shouldn't hum that much when you solely use the bridge position.

It can also have something to do with the ground.

yeah I was playing in position 4 with just the humbucker. I never experienced that much hum from when I use the tube amp just the katana, I honest have no clue why. I’m going to play around with it today and see if I can get it to stop.

 

[Christopher Lonski]

I’m learning “The Kids Aren’t Alright” by the Offspring. There’s a part I’m unsure of which technique to use or if it even matters. I discuss this and show my progress in the video. Would love any feedback !

Side note: I’m still working on my palm mutes ! They’re good I think for the most part but I do have some oopsies still

This has nothing to do with your question and the reason you posted, but if you're going to re-tube your Blackstar, go check out this website and feel free to call the guy that runs it. JJ Tubes are PHENOMENAL and the guy running the site is obsessed with tubes and tube tone, he's super nice and always willing to explain different kinds of tubes and the best tubes to use for whatever sound you're going for.

Eurotubes - Vacuum Tubes by JJ Electronic - ECC83, 12AX7, 6L6. 6L6GC, EL84, EL34, KT77, KT66, KT88 - Eurotubes

 

[Alicia Willis]

Gain, honestly (or distortion). Gain and distortion involve heavy amounts of compression which makes everything quiet much louder. Without any kind of noise gate, you just need to learn how to roll off your volume whenever you're not playing.

 

[Alicia Willis]

Side note, quick video so I didn’t think out the logistics of recording one handed....I hope you don’t get dizzy,
! Also the angle makes me look like jabba the hut, which is fun though

 

[Alicia Willis]

This has nothing to do with your question and the reason you posted, but if you're going to re-tube your Blackstar, go check out this website and feel free to call the guy that runs it. JJ Tubes are PHENOMENAL and the guy running the site is obsessed with tubes and tube tone, he's super nice and always willing to explain different kinds of tubes and the best tubes to use for whatever sound you're going for.

Eurotubes - Vacuum Tubes by JJ Electronic - ECC83, 12AX7, 6L6. 6L6GC, EL84, EL34, KT77, KT66, KT88 - Eurotubes

Thanks ! Definitely going to check it out ! From research I’m thinking we may replace the tubes as well as the speakers while we are at it.

 

[Christopher Lonski]

This sounds like it's an issue with the electrical circuit that your amp is plugged into, but that's my guess with very limited knowledge.

When you have any kind of gear issue and you don't know where the problem is coming from, the best and really only way to figure it out is to go through the entire signal chain and change every variable to see what effect it has on the problem. This is particularly common with grounding issues like you are currently having.

I would unplug the instrument cable entirely to see if it's still having the issue. If it stops, it's likely the cable or guitar. If it continues, you know it's either the amp or the electrical socket/circuit you are plugged into. You can even try turning off the lights and other electronics in the room to see if it has an effect (it often does). I have this issue because my guitar is relatively close to my computer when I record.

Try it out and let us know what you find!

 

[Christopher Lonski]

Thanks ! Definitely going to check it out ! From research I’m thinking we may replace the tubes as well as the speakers while we are at it.

Which Blackstar model do you guys have?

 

[Alicia Willis]

This sounds like it's an issue with the electrical circuit that your amp is plugged into, but that's my guess with very limited knowledge.

When you have any kind of gear issue and you don't know where the problem is coming from, the best and really only way to figure it out is to go through the entire signal chain and change every variable to see what effect it has on the problem. This is particularly common with grounding issues like you are currently having.

I would unplug the instrument cable entirely to see if it's still having the issue. If it stops, it's likely the cable or guitar. If it continues, you know it's either the amp or the electrical socket/circuit you are plugged into. You can even try turning off the lights and other electronics in the room to see if it has an effect (it often does). I have this issue because my guitar is relatively close to my computer when I record.

Try it out and let us know what you find!

Thanks so much ! I tried two different guitars but honeslty I didn’t even think to try the cable So I’m gonna go do that now ! Haha.
it’s just frustrating. As I mentioned, I never play this amp so I thought it was normal until it was mentioned that the buzz was a bit much lol. And for our Blackstar, we have the HT studio 20

 

[Alicia Willis]

Thanks so much ! I tried two different guitars but honeslty I didn’t even think to try the cable So I’m gonna go do that now ! Haha.
it’s just frustrating. As I mentioned, I never play this amp so I thought it was normal until it was mentioned that the buzz was a bit much lol. And for our Blackstar, we have the HT studio 20

Different cable doesn’t make a difference

 

[Christopher Lonski]

Different cable doesn’t make a difference

So is it making this noise with no cable or guitar plugged in at all?

 

[Ed Seith]

Video is great - I felt like you were listening to me tell you what to try next. GOOD JOB!
Next thing I would look at is if you disconnect the effects pedals and just do guitar-cable-amp if it gets better or worse. If they're in the FX loop, it's easy, but it shouldn't be hard, either way. We need to rule all that stuff out.

 

[Alicia Willis]

Video is great - I felt like you were listening to me tell you what to try next. GOOD JOB!
Next thing I would look at is if you disconnect the effects pedals and just do guitar-cable-amp if it gets better or worse. If they're in the FX loop, it's easy, but it shouldn't be hard, either way. We need to rule all that stuff out.

You THE man !!!!! Yessss ! That’s it ! No hum/buzz when it’s straight amp to guitar ! Somethings funky with the pedal board !!!!

 

[Christopher Lonski]

Thanks so much ! I tried two different guitars but honeslty I didn’t even think to try the cable So I’m gonna go do that now ! Haha.
it’s just frustrating. As I mentioned, I never play this amp so I thought it was normal until it was mentioned that the buzz was a bit much lol. And for our Blackstar, we have the HT studio 20

As for the Blackstar, you could retube that thing so cheap and even improve the tone substantially. It would only be like $70 after shipping.

As for the speaker, if you're set on just replacing the speaker, Celestion Vintage 30's really are the quintessential rock guitar speaker. They just have the best balance for really anything you want to play, in the opinions of many, many players. But personally, if I were you and had a little extra cash, I would just buy a whole separate cabinet since your amp has separate speaker outputs. A separate cab is something you could use with future amp purchases and you could dramatically improve the fullness in your tone. I'm all about using 4x12 cabs personally, even if you aren't playing at super high volumes. They still give you a much tighter and bigger tone and can handle the extra wattage should you ever purchase a bigger amp head. Even a good 2x12 can yield some great results and would obviously be more portable than the 4x12. There is a lot to consider depending on what goals you are aiming for.

Zilla cabs out of the UK are highly recommended and aren't overly priced. They make high-end clones of other popular cabs and also have a few original designs as well. The Mesa Boogie 4x12 Standard Oversized is probably my favorite cab of all time, and those can usually be found pretty cheap on the used market.

If you want any more help making your gear purchasing decisions, I'm always willing to live vicariously through you and your credit cards!

 

[Alicia Willis]

So is it making this noise with no cable or guitar plugged in at all?

Yes ! I think Ed just got it. I tried just running my guitar straight into the amp (we’ve got everything ran through our pedal board now) and there’s NO buzz/hum when it’s just straight amp to guitar

 

[Ed Seith]

OK, so first make sure they're all turned OFF, and see if it goes away. My money is on a compressor if you've got one and it's on. After that, start removing them from the loop individually to see if any one solves the problem. Keep narrowing your focus until you've isolated the problem.

 

[Ed Seith]

What's the little black one in the middle? That's turned on during your video. What is that?

 

[Alicia Willis]

As for the Blackstar, you could retube that thing so cheap and even improve the tone substantially. It would only be like $70 after shipping.

As for the speaker, if you're set on just replacing the speaker, Celestion Vintage 30's really are the quintessential rock guitar speaker. They just have the best balance for really anything you want to play, in the opinions of many, many players. But personally, if I were you and had a little extra cash, I would just buy a whole separate cabinet since your amp has separate speaker outputs. A separate cab is something you could use with future amp purchases and you could dramatically improve the fullness in your tone. I'm all about using 4x12 cabs personally, even if you aren't playing at super high volumes. They still give you a much tighter and bigger tone and can handle the extra wattage should you ever purchase a bigger amp head. Even a good 2x12 can yield some great results and would obviously be more portable than the 4x12. There is a lot to consider depending on what goals you are aiming for.

Zilla cabs out of the UK are highly recommended and aren't overly priced. They make high-end clones of other popular cabs and also have a few original designs as well. The Mesa Boogie 4x12 Standard Oversized is probably my favorite cab of all time, and those can usually be found pretty cheap on the used market.

If you want any more help making your gear purchasing decisions, I'm always willing to live vicariously through you and your credit cards!

I app

What's the little black one in the middle? That's turned on during your video. What is that?

thats a noise gate pedal. It was the only one on during my video.

 

[Alicia Willis]

I app

thats a noise gate pedal. It was the only one on during my video.

The other pedals are a tube screamer, buff muff, wah, chromatic tuber, and phaser

 

[Ed Seith]

Could be any of them OR any of the patch cables.