Questions about new Peavey NV112

Phil Halton · From: Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA

My NV112 arrived today and it's a heck of an improvement over the little keyboard practice amp I was using. I have some questions about its health after shipment though.

First, its got a fair amount of hum--more than I expected. I have the pre-gain at 9 o'clock and master gain at 12 noon and the hum is fairly prevalent. Is this normal?

Second, if I move the amp (while powered on), it makes a sound like --hard to explain-- like a wrecking ball knocking around in a metal shower with lots of reverberence. I didn't think that was right either.

Aside from that, I love it--I can finally hear the highs without them breaking up into whining little shards.

I'm just wondering if this amp might have taken a hard knock in shipment--any thoughts on this?

Lastly, I have a Goodrich VP. Do I need to connect via the pre-gain patch, or can I go straight from the pedal to the high gain input? I thought the patch was for VP's with 250khz pots--the goodrich I guess has a 500khz pot. And, does the cable quality make much difference? I've got some high-quality "Monster" shielded cables I could use instead of the less expensive run-of-the-mill instrument cables if it'll make a difference.

The only complaint I have is the fact that there's no, or barely any, tactile markings on the knobs which makes setting them a bit difficult when you can't see much. There is a little roughness at the base of the knob at the indicator line which you can feelwith some difficulty , and will have to do unless I want to gouge a line where the visual line is.
thanks,
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Jonathan Cullifer · From: Gallatin, TN

Depending on how high your reverb is set, that might be the cause of the hum and is definitely the cause of the crashing...spring reverbs don't like that too much. Without hearing it, it's hard to tell how much and what sort of noise you're having...I doubt that it was hurt during shipment, but ya never know...

When I'm setting an amp, I always zero everything out and rarely ever look at the knobs after that...just listen to the sound and tweak it till I like what I hear. I don't know how many other people do this, but it works for me.

Phil Halton · From: Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA

I know very little about the electronics side of things, but I have a carter starter and I wonder if the pickup--not being a Humbucker--might be a source of some of the hum? As far as the crashing sound when moved, it dawned on me after I posted that it probably had to do with the spring reverb. I changed out the VP cables with some better quality ones and that brought down the noise a good bit--I guess good cables do make a difference.

Zero out the EQ controls then tweek to taste huh? I'll try that tomorrow. This amp is sounding better and better in just a few hours--maybe that's not possible, but it seems so--maybe its me.
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John Bechtel · From: Nashville, Tennessee, R.I.P.

At home in the house, a setting of 3 or 4 on the Pre~Gain is plenty, with the Master set on 5½”. That should rattle the rafters! 9 on the pre~gain is way too high under almost any circumstances with a steel guitar! Out on the job, I never needed to set the Pre~Gain above 6, with the Master on 10! If your amp is sitting flat on the floor, ±0dB should work fine for the Lows, Mid –6dB, Shift 650Hz., High +6dB, Pres. +6dB, Rev. 4
===================
Pre~Gain 3 at home, or ±5 on job.
Low ±0dB flat on floor, or +12 tilt/chair.
Mid –6dB
Shift 650Hz or 12:30
High +6dB
Pres. +6dB
Rev. 4
Master 5½ at home, or 10 on job.
====================
This would be good for starters! Also, give the speaker some ‘break-in’ time.
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<marquee> Go~Daddy~Go, (No), Go, It's your Break Time</marquee> L8R, jb
My T-10 Remington Steelmaster

David Doggett · Posted 29 Aug 2007 9:58 pm

The spring reverb crash is so the bass player can make a grand entrance by kicking your amp as he comes on stage. It's classic. The fix is to not move the amp while it is turned on; or get rid of the bass player. But the next one will probably do the same thing. There are some small digital reverb stomp boxes now. But they are worthless because they wont give a spring reverb crash no matter how hard you kick them.

If the hum gets louder as you press down on the volume pedal, it's the single coil pickup. To minimize the hum while playing, be sure the pickup is close to the strings, about the thickness of a quarter, and pick hard. Both these tactics will improve the signal to noise ratio. And keep the volume pedal backed off when not playing. Nearby electrical circuits such as flourescent or neon lights or spot-light dimmers can make single-coil hum worse. You can try moving your guitar. But the sure fix is to tear your house apart and replace all the wiring and fixtures. If this occurs in a club, start an electrical fire so they will have to replace all the wiring before you come back there again. Be sure the fire wipes out any neon signs near the stage.

If the hum is there even with the volume pedal off, or the guitar unplugged, then it's the amp. Take it to a tech, send it back, or get another amp. Or do like most guitar players - play real loud and never stop playing. And if you do stop so people can hear the hum, tell them all expensive high-powered vintage amps do that (even if yours isn't).

Don't worry. You'll learn this cool experienced virtuoso stuff over the next several decades and several spouses.

John Bechtel · From: Nashville, Tennessee, R.I.P.

You might also try to find someone with a L’il Izzy or Izzy+ or a Goodrich Match Boxto plug into your guitar first, before your volume-pedal. That should help!
_________________
<marquee> Go~Daddy~Go, (No), Go, It's your Break Time</marquee> L8R, jb
My T-10 Remington Steelmaster

Phil Halton · From: Holyoke, Massachusetts, USA

9 on the pre~gain is way too high under almost any circumstances with a steel guitar!
John, sorry, I was talking in terms of a clock face--not the markings on the unit itself. I'm "near blind as a gum stump" and can't see the markings on the unit--clockface works best for me.

And, David Doggette, thanks for the great, if not slightly illegal advice--I needed a laugh today. Yeah, the hum is related to the position of the VP, and I do play hard, a habit I picked up playing banjo in outdoor settings. As far as adjusting the height of a pickup--is that something Mister Maggoo could do? (if you don't know who mister Maggoo is, then please disregard this question) How would I go about doing that exactly?

hanks
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Disclaimer! I make no warranty on the manure I've been spreadin' around here.

Paddy Long · From: Christchurch, New Zealand

Phil - poor quality cables can induce a fair amount of hum into a system as well. Get some George L's.

David Nugent · From: Gum Spring, Va.

Phil, A simple way to do the pickup adjustment is to place the quarter on top of the pickup and turn the mounting screws on the pickup counter clockwise until the quarter is snug against the strings but can be withdrawn easily. You will need to adjust each end individually.... But before attempting this, try running the volume pedal through the pre amp effects loop (will require a third cable). Run one cable from either pedal output jack to amp "return" jack, a second cable from "send" jack on amp to pedal input) then plug guitar directly into amp's high gain input. This alone may eliminate or greatly reduce the hum.

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