Recording on the computer

No, it will not blow the soundcard. The problem is really that the soundcard does not have the 1 M ohm input impedance that an amp does, but will usually be in the range of 10k to 100k ohms. Big deal -- what does THAT mean? -- some high frequency roll-off (attenuation). So the guitar might sound a little dull into some sound cards, but can be usable.

How much signal power comes out of a pup? If we consider a really hot mother => 400 mV p-p open-circuit and use 12 kohm as the rough pup impedance, then the max RMS power that could be derived would be in the vicinity of 0.0016 mW = 1.6 uW into a matched load (12 kohm). I made a simplifying assumption or two, but that's probably not far off. Fortunately, guitar amps sense pup signal voltage, not power.

I've felt like I've had to back myself up the whole time because of ONE person!

I know from experience I've never had a problem and I'm a little pissed off that someone that comes around maybe every four or five months can have an effect on a subject and say something that confuses someone to the point of disbelief!

I've felt like I've had to back myself up the whole time because of ONE person!

I know from experience I've never had a problem and I'm a little pissed off that someone that comes around maybe every four or five months can have an effect on a subject and say something that confuses someone to the point of disbelief!

I'm with u Tracker... the question has been answered...

Niether Tracker, Arjen or I have ever had any problems pluging an amp into a soundcard. I've plugged one of my guitars directly into the soundcard and used a program called guitarfx box to get fx. I only had one amp and this let me use my comp as an amp to jam with a friend. I've recorded hours and hours and have never had a single problem. This is the cheapest way to do it, cost's maybe $2 and you don't need to worry about anything.

Max's failure is likely to have been caused by mechanical damage or static discharge.

listen like i said. in my case it blew. iv herd of other cases wear it blew. but iv also herd from many that it didn't blow.....so i gess it is a trial and error situation. its up to you man.

Help us out here, Max. What exactly do you mean by "blow." This isn't meant to be patronizing, but terms such as this tend to be used inexactly.

Other info: Type/brand of sound card? Line input or mic input? What exactly stopped working? Any input? Mic input? Were there any symptoms associated with the failure? Loud buzzing or similar? Active or passive guitar electronics?

I agree with the point that three people having good luck does not prove something is safe, but a little more info on your situation may help correctly ID your issue. A passive guitar pickup is not intrisically capable of delivering the voltage or the power (current is irrelevant here) to damage a line in audio circuit. The FET input to a soundcard mic circuit -- also unlikely, but this could be susceptible to static discharge damage -- especially in dry weather.

???

k. well,

first off, i did not run my guitar into an amp first. i ran it straight into the mic input in my soundcard. (sounblaster audigy 2) it worked for about 15 minutes of recording then just stopped recording. when i treid plugging a regular computer mic into the card it would not record either. apperently said the computer store when i brought my computer in, you should never plug a guitar line straight into your soundcard, they confirmed that i had fried the recording half of my soundcard. because i could still here and play music perfectly fine. i bought a new card for like $70 bucks canadian and that was that. then i bought a usb audio interface for recording and now i dont have problems. the type of electric guitar that was used to plug into the card was a shitty old peavy raptor aswell as my yamaha fgx acoustic electric guitar ( a beauty, if i may say so) i used the same adapter as in that picture in this thread. 1/4 inch stereo to 1/8 inch stereo, and i used a peavy patch chord. that is all the detail i can think of man.

hope that helps....

If connecting to the mic input in some way damaged the card badly enough to also damage the line level input, then the problem was almost certainly electrostatic discharge (ESD, commonly called "static electricity"). These days most electronics are designed to handle pretty sizable ESDs. But some computers, and especially their peripheral components, are not always designed to resist damage from such discharges. Certainly plugging in an ungrounded (un-earthed) guitar could increase susceptibility to this. Probably something to note, especially for those who own Sound Blaster cards.

Interesting thing of note is that the guitar makes no more output than most cheap dynamic microphones. Based on all this, you'd have the same chance blowing your sound card by plugging a mic into the mic input.

Really, the way your going to guaranteed blow your card is to put a powered load on it: ie: a load meant to drive a speaker, such as your amp's "Speaker Out" or "Extension Speaker" jacks. Straight from the guitar or from the headphone outs is a very nominal power level.

Got yer back, Tracker 8)

That's a good point I overlooked, thanks for clearing that up gnease. Perhaps you have some advice on how to avoid esd for us?

Interesting thing of note is that the guitar makes no more output than most cheap dynamic microphones. Based on all this, you'd have the same chance blowing your sound card by plugging a mic into the mic input.

Got yer back, Tracker 8)

Actually, a dynamic mic probably generates a bit less than a hot humbucker or P90, but the comparison is apt.

Most people use the cheapo condensor mic that comes with the soundcard or PC. This has at least two anti-ESD advantages: completely insulated, so less chance of a "spark" jumping over to its internal metal parts, and a short chord/cable. The latter means one can't move around as much over carpet and such to generate a static build up while using it. Also the ergonomics are such, than nobody holds one of these while using it. Compare that to a guitar: walk around, hands on, hands off, hands on, walk around. It's pretty easy to build up a good sized charge and then dump it through the guitar to the PC/soundcard chassis ground. Even into the PC's grounded chassis, a good sized charge can do damage. BTW, ESD is noticeable when plugged into an amp -- ever hear pops coming from your amp, especially in the winter? I've also witnessed singers getting a nice lip to mic static discharge when approaching, then "eating" the mic.

So, is there some kind of way for me to ground the guitar before I plug it in the soundcard to stop any damage to the soundcard. For example, when working with wires or somehting, to ground yourself jsut touch a bit of metal (or something like that)

Thanks everyone for your help

So, is there some kind of way for me to ground the guitar before I plug it in the soundcard to stop any damage to the soundcard. For example, when working with wires or somehting, to ground yourself jsut touch a bit of metal (or something like that)

Thanks everyone for your help

blackzerogsh no offense but you sound WAY too paranoid to even attempt this...Spend the $100 and get THIS...It seems it will be the ONLY way you have piece of mind...

Im not sure what youre talking about. Im just asking if there is a simple to ground the guitar before trying it, becuase Id prefer avoidong ruining any piece of my already fragile and old comp. I have a 8 year old pentium II .333 mhz that barely runs things anymore. My parents cant afford to buy a completely new system, which is why Im hesitant to do something that has a chance to break something which would need replacing. Maybe that will help you understand my "paranoia"

If you are careful about touching a grounded (earthed) object before grabbing your guitar or mic, chances of ESD damage are greatly reduced. BTW, problems with ESD usually occur during the cold, dry seasons -- nobody draws a spark during warm, moist spring and summer months. Worry only during late fall and winter.

I suspect the Sound Blaster card's vulnerability has a lot to do with the audio ground isolation strategy used in the design -- probably to eliminate ground loops, the audio ground is not connected directly to safety (earth) ground. If your PC uses a safety-grounded power plug (third prong), you can check to see if it's connected or isolated from the audio card's signal ground. With your PC turned off and unplugged from power, use an ohmmeter (resisitance measurement faculty of a multimeter or DMM) to measure the resistance from the mic or line input's audio ground (jack sleeve) to the third pin in the power cord (long circular cross-section pin). If the resisitance is near zero, everything will be fine ESD-wise, as long as you plug into a properly grounded outlet. The the resistance is clearly more than a few ohms, then you may have to take the precaution meantioned above.