Main Forums => Other Guitar Makers => Topic started by: Brad166 on January 09, 2006, 02:38:48 PM

Title: My friends amp is shocking him!!!
Post by: Brad166 on January 09, 2006, 02:38:48 PM
At least I think its the amp. He has a Peavy 5150 combo and an Ibanez with 2 humbuckers. Runs it through a distortion pedal. We have tried removing the pedal to make sure that wasnt part of the shocking equation. But its still shocking him. Could this be a bad ground?? Has anyone had this happen or heard of it happening?? thanks for all your help.
Title: Re: My friends amp is shocking him!!!
Post by: ronmac on January 09, 2006, 03:03:26 PM
Get Thee to a tech quickly.

Ground problems are nothing to be fooled with, and can very well prove to be lethal.

He would be well advised to check the electrical outlet wiring to make sure the hot and cold sides haven't been reversed.
Title: Re: My friends amp is shocking him!!!
Post by: jimmyd on January 09, 2006, 04:17:15 PM
Could be a very leaky filter cap in the power supply or a bunch of other things. Please encourage him to have it looked at by a tech.
Title: Re: My friends amp is shocking him!!!
Post by: Fergy07 on January 10, 2006, 11:00:08 AM
Try the guitar in a different amp or a different guitar into that amp. You need to figure which is at fault first. Sounds one is not being grounded properly.

Andy
Title: Re: My friends amp is shocking him!!!
Post by: jimmyd on January 10, 2006, 12:51:48 PM
Quote from: Fergy07 on January 10, 2006, 11:00:08 AM
Try the guitar in a different amp or a different guitar into that amp. You need to figure which is at fault first. Sounds one is not being grounded properly.

Andy

I'd be suprised if a short or open in the guitar wiring would cause high voltage to pass through an amplifier input. I'll bet you a dozen krispy kremes it's the amplifier power supply.  :TON>
Title: Re: My friends amp is shocking him!!!
Post by: Fergy07 on January 10, 2006, 01:25:13 PM
he doesn't say it's high voltage. I had a Carvin amp for years that I could never trace out the cause of the short. But it still gave a little shock with certain guitars (my rick especially). It was a very low voltage shock, less than what you get zapped with accidentally when someone touches you, but noticiable none the less.

Andy
Title: Re: My friends amp is shocking him!!!
Post by: jimmyd on January 10, 2006, 04:22:51 PM
Quote from: Fergy07 on January 10, 2006, 01:25:13 PM
he doesn't say it's high voltage. I had a Carvin amp for years that I could never trace out the cause of the short. But it still gave a little shock with certain guitars (my rick especially). It was a very low voltage shock, less than what you get zapped with accidentally when someone touches you, but noticiable none the less.

Andy

I hope we get a solution to the puzzle some day. I'm still sticking to my theory but just in case I'm wrong do you like plain, chocolate, or those sprinkly things on your donuts?
Title: Re: My friends amp is shocking him!!!
Post by: Fergy07 on January 11, 2006, 04:36:01 PM
Just sat through eight hours of diabetic instruction...somehow I think the sprinkly things would throw me over the edge, so plain is fine, if not life threatening.   :wacko:

Andy
Title: Re: My friends amp is shocking him!!!
Post by: Brad166 on January 11, 2006, 05:10:43 PM
Well it has stopped shocking him. I was going through all his eqipment to see if I could find a bad ground somewhere. Well I came to his distortion pedal. I poped it open to check out the battery. I was going to throw in a new one since its been a few weeks since he changed it. I noticed the the back of the battery plug was ripped off leaving both poative and negative wires exsposed and pressing against the metel case. I thought well son of a b_ _ _ _, you dont suppose that could be it?? I had alot of doubts about that being whats been schocking him.

He ws pluged into a powerstrip, so I took him off the strip and plugged right into the wall to make sure it had a solid ground. This could also be what help. At any rate we have fixed the battery connector and pluged him right into a outlet. Bottom line....................no more tingly fingers!!!!!!!