Radio signals that will not go away from my NS1

WRHLondon · Newbie Joined: 10 Apr 2009 Posts: 18

I received my new NS1 in March and it picks up a radio station every time I play. I can EQ it out with a lot of fiddling, but that takes time. I returned it to the company for them to replace the electronics but since I live in Canada it spent over a month in transit, and when I finally got it back the problem was still there. I am in touch with the guitar technicians who are researching the problem further but I would find it really helpful to get some of your suggestions as to what to do.

Here is the situation.

1.I know it is not the Carvin amp or the cord connecting it to the amp. The problem exists even when I use another amp on another cord.

2.I know it is not the location of the guitar. I took it to a friends apartment in another neighbourhood (yeah, I spell it with a "U", remember I'm Canadian eh Very Happy

) and the problem was still there

3.I tried tech supports' advice and used a converter to make the three prong plug a two-prong one to avoid a grounding issue. No luck.

4.I don't play near electronic equipment, furnaces, or florescent lights as was suggested as a possible source of the problem. Nor do we live near a radio station, or a tower.

5.The station gets much louder suddenly when I set the mid.cut boost and mid sweep controls

So, any thoughts? I really hadn't planned to be playing along to E-Z listening!

Thanks!

WRH

fokof · Gold Member Joined: 20 Sep 2008 Posts: 106

Is it the same when plugged with the GK cable?

Is the guitar signal through the GK cable clean ?

Have you tried the guitar directly in a "Board" with headphones?

WRHLondon · Newbie Joined: 10 Apr 2009 Posts: 18

Thanks for the suggestion about the GK. No, I haven't tried that yet. I've been holding off buying synth equipment until I got this problem solved. What would trying this show me?

advdir

Just out of curiosity, did you find out which radio station you are hearing and where the transmitter is located and how powerful the transmission is?
Every bit of info helps.

WRHLondon · Newbie Joined: 10 Apr 2009 Posts: 18

Good idea, I'll see if I can figure it out.

fokof · Gold Member Joined: 20 Sep 2008 Posts: 106

supachunk

I actually have the same problem with my NS1; it's done so since I first received it. As I recall it's only when playing through the 1/4" jack... doesn't pick up a radio signal when going through the 13-pin jack. Most likely something to do with the onboard active preamp I'm guessing.

I'll double-check the guitar and see if I can pinpoint it more... sounds like we're having the same issue.

WRHLondon · Newbie Joined: 10 Apr 2009 Posts: 18

Thanks, I really appreciate it. I returned my guitar once to Carvin and when I got it back the problem was just as bad as when I sent it in. I also had to contact them three times to get them to refund my money for shipping(I had to pay in advance because I live in Canada). I am very disappointed about this and other issues with this guitar.

WRHLondon · Newbie Joined: 10 Apr 2009 Posts: 18

I just got back from the US where I bought a Roland G20. Sad to say the radio signals still come through loud and clear through the 13 pin cable hook up.

rhcole

When I was a teenager I lived in an area in California that picked up a radio station on everything in our house- intercoms, tape recorders, guitar pickups. It drove me nuts because I was into guitar and audio. I had to shield the crap out of everything, position devices carefully, and it still sometimes came through on recordings.

You say you've played it at a friends house. Have you taken it far away, say into a different town?

WRHLondon · Newbie Joined: 10 Apr 2009 Posts: 18

Thanks for reading my saga. No, I haven't tried that. I guess that is the next step. If I lived in Toronto under the CN tower I could understand, but the nearest radio tower is miles away. Thanks for the suggestion. Would you believe my daughter actually had a friend that once got a radio station on her braces?(It's not an urban legend!)

Thanks again eh!
WRH

rhcole

Well,

The short answer is that something is not shielded as well as it could be. And it could be something as trivial as a slightly inferior solder joint. You don't have to live under a radio tower to have this happen, there are repeaters and transmitters everywhere nowadays. There are after market products such as shielding foils that can be put inside the cavity of the guitar to help.

I knows guys that could solve your problem for real, because they are genius RF engineers (seriously!). I don't know if they would do it for free or for fun, but if Carvin can't solve it that's where you need to be, with RF specialists.

One of the engineers I know once said to me that radios were like a form of black magic- you can position a part on a circuit board 1/4" to the side and start picking up stray radio signals accidentally. The interaction of the components etc. are all factors. I'm sure Carvin has followed standard design practices but something is just a bit off in your case.

Really, even a slightly dull solder joint or cranky connector that doesn't prevent it from working otherwise can cause this sort of thing.

It can drive you crazy.

KevinFL

I own a Godin Grand Concert SA with RMC electronics & a Godin LGX-SA with LR Baggs electronics & I can't make this happen. In the past I have gotten had radio stations coming through the amp with no guitar input. One time the amp was turned off. None of your other guitars do this? What are the other problems you have with the guitar.

WRHLondon · Newbie Joined: 10 Apr 2009 Posts: 18

Actually I was trying to decide between a Goudin and the NS1 when I made my purchase. I actually wish I had gone with the Goudin, that way I would have been dealing with a company in the next province instead of a company across the border and thousands of miles away. Other problems with the the guitar(as noted by another poster) include outside E strings that are very easy to push off the fingerboard(higher tension strings can help), and strings that rattle against the frets(this, despite what tech support said, could not be fixed by adding relief). A minor irritant was it coming with an instruction sheet for the wrong guitar, and when I phoned and asked for the correct one I was promised they would email the right one. I never got one.

The guitar looks great, and sounds great when the above problems do not rear their heads. This forum and the many people who have offered suggestions has been a real help and I appreciate everyone's imput.

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