Help please! =)

[iiDaBoss]

Hi all, this is my first post on this forum - so if I am in the wrong place please re-direct me =)

Alright, here goes: Just got my first ERG, an Ibanez RGA8. I also tried the 2228, and the SC-608B and I found this guitar to have superior playability (in my opinion) however this is not what I wanted to ask about.

The guitar sounded pretty good in the store, though I obviously planned on changing the pickups. Now that I have it home however, my amp (Marshal FX50) is crackling, or very quiet when I play anything on the 8th string. Is this a problem with my amp, my guitar, my pickups or none of the above?

Please help as soon as possible! (Remember this is my first post, so please be nice =D)

 

[MetalMike04]

well 1st of all......hehe just had to do it.

and to SS.org

normally when anything is played on a cheap amp with bad speaker, no offense not like my amp is much better, the speakers cannot handle much range outside of a normal 6 string, (EX: if you were to play a bass through a roland cube. you'd prob blow out the speakers) same principal, there just not ment to handle that kind of range! hope i could help.

so in conclusion if im not mistaken, its your amps speakers.

 

[demigod]

Glad your 8th string is quiet, i can barely hear my higher strings if i play them with a bass line.

 

[Goatchrist]

normally when anything is played on a cheap amp with bad speaker, no offense not like my amp is much better, the speakers cannot handle much range outside of a normal 6 string, (EX: if you were to play a bass through a roland cube. you'd prob blow out the speakers) same principal, there just not ment to handle that kind of range! hope i could help.

so in conclusion if im not mistaken, its your amps speakers.

Same thing happens with my crap practice amp when I tune my 7 string really low, maybe try a better amp of a friend just to make sure.

 

[XEN]

Try your amp's headphone out to see if it works. Obviously if it doesn't it's the guitar.
Most likely the usable low frequency range of your amp's speaker is too high for the F# (46.25hz).

 

[iiDaBoss]

thanks very much guys, ill try all of this as soon as I'm home from work (and post pics ) One more question then, i may now return my amp, what would you guys recommend for heavy 8 string playing? (ie, meshuggah, after the burial, etc) It doesnt need to be too loud, just louder than drums so i can jam with my band. Thanks again =P

 

[nightflameauto]

Good sound and cheap = Old Peavey transtube of some type. Bandits are good, Studio Pro 112s are good, there's several others. I have a Studio Pro 112 that just sounds godlike with my 8 string. As for cheap? It cost me $89 out the door. Look around, they're practically everywhere.

The first gen Marshall valvestates are good and not that expensive. Practically custom tailored to achieve a good 8 string/low tuning tone. I managed to pick up an 8100 halfstack that looked brand new for $375, but you can find them cheaper if you look a bit or are willing to buy one that's a bit beat up.

Other alternatives are finding people you know selling good amps cheap just to get rid of them. Got a 5150 block letter head for $300 that way, including a trip to the tech in that price for a once over.

My recommendation is ask around and find used amps that you can try out with your 8 before you buy them. Or just take your guitar along shopping to try out through any amps that catch your interest. It's hard to tell by playing the generally available 6s in the stores what it's going to sound like once you fire off that low F#.

 

[iiDaBoss]

Thank you for the suggestions any other suggestions will be appreciated. How many watts are the amps you suggested btw?

 

[XEN]

I'd recommend the Peavey 6505 combo. It's very good for the price. (60 watts, tube)

 

[nightflameauto]

Thank you for the suggestions any other suggestions will be appreciated. How many watts are the amps you suggested btw?

My Studio Pro Peavey is 65 watts solid state, but loud as balls. The Bandits are either 80 or 100 watts and even louder.

The Valvestates range from 30 watts to 200 watts solid state power. The 100 watt I have isn't the loudest thing ever, but it's plenty loud for band practice and micing on a noisy stage. The 200 watt head (8200) is a terrific value if you can find one in good shape.

The 5150 I have is 120 watts and it's a well known "HOLY SHIT" loud amp. If I ever had the balls to crank it all the way up, I could clearly imagine it blowing all my other amps combined right out of the water.

 

[Rook]

Did you try changing the battery? A dying battery will do that, it'll start with the 8th string. You can put as low a frequency as you like into any amp and it'll be fine unless you're on the clean channel with the bass dimed using a 6" speaker, then it won't crackle it'll just fart a lot.

Seriously, if I'm imagining it right, it's probably your battery.

If what you mean by crackling is actually what I'm calling farting, then yeah a bigger/better amp will help, but 50 Watts into a 12 inch speaker should be dandy.

 

[iiDaBoss]

Did you try changing the battery? A dying battery will do that, it'll start with the 8th string. You can put as low a frequency as you like into any amp and it'll be fine unless you're on the clean channel with the bass dimed using a 6" speaker, then it won't crackle it'll just fart a lot.

Seriously, if I'm imagining it right, it's probably your battery.

If what you mean by crackling is actually what I'm calling farting, then yeah a bigger/better amp will help, but 50 Watts into a 12 inch speaker should be dandy.

T-T

If only I had checked this right away. You are a life-saver dude, I was gonna go buy a new amp tomorrow (i payed like $425 for mine). Thank you so much to everyone that posted help, but the battery was the solution. Sorry for my stupidity everyone! (My first guitar with active PU's aswell.) Thanks again

 

[Bboren]

T-T

If only I had checked this right away. You are a life-saver dude, I was gonna go buy a new amp tomorrow (i payed like $425 for mine). Thank you so much to everyone that posted help, but the battery was the solution. Sorry for my stupidity everyone! (My first guitar with active PU's aswell.) Thanks again

I was also thinking the battery but figured it might be the amp once people started answering. Try out the Axe-Fx in the future! It's so good! I'm pretty poor but I sold several things to afford mine and Ultra prices are pretty low nowadays!

 

[iiDaBoss]

I was also thinking the battery but figured it might be the amp once people started answering. Try out the Axe-Fx in the future! It's so good! I'm pretty poor but I sold several things to afford mine and Ultra prices are pretty low nowadays!

Will do =)