Tips and Tricks for Common Problems

Problem: You go into a club. The club has a house PA system. Every time you get close to the microphone you get shocked.

The Solution: I saw a band called Low Ryder opening for QuickWick in Chicago and the young lady who was one of the singers was experiencing this problem. It not only made her frustrated and uncomfortable- it was dangerous. Okay, here's the deal: The reason why this happens is usually quite simple. The reason does involve a basic lesson in electricity, so please bear with me. Most electrical devices desire to be connected to "ground" in order to work properly. In the most basic sense, this means that it needs to be plugged into an outlet, which is in turn connected to the earth (just about any modern outlet is connected to the ground, and is referred to as "grounded"). As an electrical item works, it often has build-ups of electricity, which it doesn't need, so it sends the extra juice off into the ground- no harm done.

PA systems work the exact same way. PA systems are made up of various electrical items (Mixer, amps, rack gear) plugged into electricity and also need to be connected to ground to work properly. Now, lets imagine for a second that the PA system is NOT properly connected to the ground. (This could happen for a variety of reasons; Many clubs are old and sometimes have outdated and imperfect electrical wiring, sometimes PA systems are not grounded on purpose in an attempt to cure buzzing problems, etc.) The PA will operate, and during its operation it may save up excess power but doesn't have any place to put it. This electricity is just building up in the PA and wants desperately to find it's way to the ground.

Enter you into the equation. You are holding an electric guitar. That electric guitar is plugged into an amplifier. That amplifier is plugged into the electrical outlet. If the outlet you have selected to plug your amp into happens to actually be connected properly to ground, then your guitar is now properly connected to ground and, because you are touching the metal strings, YOU are also properly grounded. So, when you move close to the microphone, the stored up electricity in the PA sees you as a free ticket the ground. The electricity travels through the mic cable to the metal microphone and into your face in an attempt to get to the ground. At which point you are shocked.But, once you have been shocked, there is something you can do to prevent it from happening again. Some hack soundguys bypass the problem by putting one of
those Styrofoam wind screens (also referred to as "Afros") over the microphone. Common sense tells you to SOLVE the problem by DISCONNECTING YOUR AMP FROM THE GROUND! That way, the stored up electricity cannot go through YOU to get to the ground.

But, how can you do that without unplugging your amp? Well some amps have a switch that allows you to adjust the grounding of your amp, which may solve the problem. If it doesn't work (or you don't have a switch) you can use a device called a "ground lift".

A ground lift sounds hi-tech but you probably have 5 of them lying around the junk drawer in your house. A ground lift is one of those adapters you put on a 3-pronged plug to make it fit into a 2-pronged outlet. (You know the ones, they're usually bright orange). You see, the fat 3rd prong is the one that connects an electrical device to the grounded portion of the outlet. So, if you put in one of those adapters then your amp is no longer connected to the ground and you should be safe.

So throw a few ground lifts into the back of your amp (most amps have a little storage area) or keep one in your guitar case. Also, an added bonus of a ground lift is that you may find it solves several other problems you encounter when playing live, such as mysterious buzzes or hums. (Although, don't use the ground lift unless you have to because by using it you risk being shocked by stored up electricity trying to get from your amp to the PA.)]

Problem: You are an electric bass player (this also works with guitars but not as well) and you are poor. Your bass strings are starting to sound crappy. They lack the brightness of new strings and sound "dead". New strings (especially bass stings) are quite expensive. You won't be able to afford new strings until next month.

The Solution: Take the strings off your bass and boil them. That's right, wrap them up and throw them into a pot full of boiling water. Allow the strings to boil for about 15-20 minutes, dump them out and rinse them with cold water for 2-3 minutes. Dry them off as thoroughly as possible and after an hour put them back on your instrument.

The main reason strings sound dead is a collection of dirt. Stings (especially wound strings like bass strings) have lots of grooves and crannies that collect dirt and oils from your fingers. This dirt prevents the string from vibrating properly and thus results in a dead sound. Also, over time, stings stretch and loose their shape- also resulting in a loss in sound quality.

By boiling the strings, the hot water breaks up the dirt and oils. The heated metal in the strings expands slightly, freeing all of the stubborn dirt from the strings. Then, if you cool the strings quickly with cold water, the strings contract, regaining some of their original tension. Dry them to prevent rusting or getting water in the electronics of your instrument and when you put them back on you'll find them to have improved tone. Please keep in mind this only extends the life of your strings by about a month, at which time it is advisable to replace them.

Problem: You use analog guitar/bass effect pedals and you seem to get an inconsistent tone or sound from one or more of your pedals. During each practice or performance the pedal needs fine-tuning or doesn't produce the same nuances.

The Solution: 9 times out of 10, inconsistency in effect pedals stems from the batteries you use.

First and foremost, despite the fact that it is economically and environmentally more logical to use rechargeable batteries, they usually are not effective at producing quality or consistent tones from guitar pedals. Most Nickel Cadmium batteries (the rechargeable type) are designed to slowly lose power output as they are used until they die. On the other hand, Alkaline batteries (the non-rechargeable type) are designed to give maximum power output until it's no longer possible, at which point they die off rapidly. So, after a week of use, the rechargeable battery may only be supplying 60%-70% power output while the non-rechargeable battery would be giving around 95%.

Now, of course, if you plan to actually recharge the Nickel Cadmium batteries after every use, they may perform for you as well as an Alkaline battery. Recharging these batteries after every use is a possible solution, but it is a general inconvenience and will probably be forgotten more often than not.

Another battery factor that may affect your sound is your choice in battery brands. As ridiculous as it may sound, many guitar players have noticed small changes in tonal quality and output of their effect pedals depending on the brand of battery they use. The best bet would be to take note of the brand you're using anytime you notice muddy or especially defined performances from your effects. You may find that you too notice minor differences in the output and sound quality of your equipment.

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