Alembic Guitars Club

Alembic products => Owning an Alembic => Troubleshooting => Topic started by: edwin on May 26, 2014, 02:59:45 PM

Title: DS-5 Noisy
Post by: edwin on May 26, 2014, 02:59:45 PM

Hi all,
I've discovered that my ancient DS-5 has gotten noisy. When I replace it with the DS-5R, all is quiet. The noise is not hum, it's more like weird hash, I guess it's possible it's the filter caps (it is pretty old, I don't remember if I've replaced the caps or not), but my understanding is that bad filter caps introduce hum, not hash.
 
I'll take a look inside, but I thought I'd see if anyone has experienced anything similar.
 
Tnx,
Edwin

Title: DS-5 Noisy
Post by: sonicus on May 26, 2014, 03:26:06 PM

HI , Edwin ,I have heard a variety of noise from bad caps. I have replaced caps in the channel strips of a Soundcraft analog board and cut rid of such noise. As long as you are in there perhaps replace the full bridge rectifier for just a few dollars more maybe .
 
  Usual disclaimers ___ (lol)
 
 Wolf

Title: DS-5 Noisy
Post by: keith_h on May 27, 2014, 05:38:05 AM

What wolf said. I don't have an original box but have had the stereo/mono switch on my DS-5R cause noise when I used it after a long period of disuse. After exercising the switch it cleared up.  
 
Keith

Title: DS-5 Noisy
Post by: edwin on May 27, 2014, 08:00:30 AM

Thanks, guys. I'm pretty familiar with caps doing funny things when they go bad, but the caps in a channel strip function differently from power supply caps. Bad power supply caps should just create hum in cases like this. But, I guess it can't hurt to replace them after so many decades. I'll try cleaning the switching jack, first though. That might be a source of something like I'm hearing. If I were to compare it to anything I've heard before, it sounds a bit like what you get when the plate resistors on a blackface Fender go bad.