https://guitarnoise.forum/from-here-to-there/help-with-crackling-static-on-ac15-muffn/ Guitar Noise Discussion Board en-US Thu, 04 Jun 2026 15:03:38 +0000 wpForo 60 https://guitarnoise.forum/from-here-to-there/help-with-crackling-static-on-ac15-muffn/#post-318150 Fri, 09 Jan 2009 01:33:48 +0000



Anyway, they were really noisy pedals when you cranked the gain. You would think they would be better now.]]> From Here to There Wes Inman https://guitarnoise.forum/from-here-to-there/help-with-crackling-static-on-ac15-muffn/#post-318150 https://guitarnoise.forum/from-here-to-there/help-with-crackling-static-on-ac15-muffn/#post-318135 Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:41:30 +0000 I Sat down last night with the intention of getting to the bottom of the static issue with the English Muff'n + AC15CC. Unfortunately ended my little trouble-shooting session somewhat frustrated.

I first swapped all cables in the chain, and tried the set-up again, this time with my Charvel. I expected the hotter Seymour Duncan pick-ups to exasperate the problem, but to my surprise the static/crackly/fizz seemed to be lessened when I used the Charvel, although it was still present at a level that I found unacceptable.

After much research yesterday I fully anticipated to find microphonic tubes in the AC15, but before breaking out the tools to try the “tap test” on the tubes I took a step back and plugged the Muff'n into my Line6 PocketPOD and which I monitored with headphones. To my frustration the static was still present! And only increasing my annoyance was that the underlying tone was unreal.

So I guess that the problem does not lay with the AC15 after all… I “tap-tested” the tubes in the Muff'n and couldn't hear any microphonic feedback. Just to make sure, I cranked the AC15 and hit a few wall-rattling chords. Damn did that sound sweet. Now I'm asking myself , “is this is a bug or a feature?”

Possibly a bad pedal? Or is this static-y overtone just part of the English Muff'n's unique sound that I can't year in any samples I listen to?]]> From Here to There CuppaJack https://guitarnoise.forum/from-here-to-there/help-with-crackling-static-on-ac15-muffn/#post-318135 https://guitarnoise.forum/from-here-to-there/help-with-crackling-static-on-ac15-muffn/#post-34625 Wed, 07 Jan 2009 21:38:32 +0000 The Set-up:
I'm playing through a Vox AC15CC that I picked up in August as my apartment-bound practice amp (so I never get to crank it.) The amp was a floor-model at Sam Ash but looked like it had only been out on the floor for a short time.
For Christmas I was given an Elecktro Harmonix English Muff'n Tube-based over-drive pedal.
I play a Epiphone Les Paul or a Charvel San Dimas.
My ‘dream tone' lays somewhere between Jack White's snarl and Cream's over-driven British Blues.

The Problem:
The English Muff'n sounds great when run into the AC15 except that as soon as I nudge the gain on the pedal up past 8 or 9 o'clock I get a fizzy crackle or static along with the pleasant distortion. Things get worse the more gain I add from the pedal, or the more treble I dial in on the amp, the pedal's EQ of the tone-knob of my guitar. This ‘static' sounds a bit like a nice Fuzz pedal, but it tends to decay quickly and suddenly which really makes it sound bad, which is frustrating because I love the tone I'm getting “behind” the static (if that makes sense) and I could at least USE the fuzziness of the static if it was consistent, but they way it fizzles out suddenly just ruins it for me.

I've only had a couple of practice sessions to sit town and play with settings, but I've mostly tried to run the Muff'n into the amp set for a clean-tone. I've tried running the Muff'n into my Pocket POD and didn't experience the same level of ‘fizzle static' that I get with the AC15, but there may have still been some (it was early in my trouble-shooting process and I don't recall the results as well I should…)

Help?
Is there anything I can do here?
Does it sound like there is something faulty in the gear, or is the Muff'n just a bad-match for the AC15?
Any thoughts or suggestions?

-I've cross posted this to the Elecktro Harmonix forum as well... Hope that doesn't ruffle any feathers.-]]> From Here to There CuppaJack https://guitarnoise.forum/from-here-to-there/help-with-crackling-static-on-ac15-muffn/#post-34625