FX8 and Fryette Power Station Problems and Conversation with Steven Fryette

Speculum Speculorum

Speculum Speculorum

Power User
Hey Guys,

So I talked with Fryette yesterday (I'm pretty sure it was Steven Fryette himself) as I've run into an issue with using my FX8 and Fryette Power Station together. As a result, Steven said they will be buying an FX8 from a local dealer who has an FX8 on hand and will be testing it to see if they can find a fix.

Using the four-cable method and recording my amp through the Power Station simply doesn't work. As soon as I plugged in my amp to the Fryette with the FX8 in four-cable method I started getting harmonic feedback. Everything in my chain other than the interface is using the same outlet, so I'm not sure why it would be doing this. It creates this harmonic feedback through the speaker cab even if I don't have the line out to my interface, so I know THAT isn't what's causing the harmonic feedback.

I sought to figure out the source and worked out the culprit. The preamp out from the FX8, when utilizing the Fryette, causes this to happen. If the FX8 is in the loop only, there is no harmonic feedback. There is no harmonic feedback if I'm running the system live. There is some sort of ground loop being created by those two elements and there doesn't seem to be a solution to this problem.

Steven did recommend I give the following product a try:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...&m=Y&c3api=1876,92051677562,&is=REG&A=details

But I doubt it will help. I tried taking an old guitar cable and removing the ground from it and connected it and it still created the high pitched whine. One more cheap fix I'm going to try is getting a ground adapter plug and insert it into where my power conditioner meets the outlet to see if it might close some errant ground loop I'm otherwise missing. It could be anywhere, of course.

So I'm at a weird point, now. The FX8 works AWESOME for live configuration, especially with my amp (50 watt 5150 iii) because it easily fixes the volume jump from the green to blue channel. The simplest fix would be to grab a wah and flanger, making sure they run off batteries so I can record from home and still have some preamp control. And if I don't sell everything in the next couple of days that is probably exactly what I'll end up doing.

As a side note, I talked with Steven about humbuster cables, and he mentioned sometimes they cause radio interference. Has anybody had any issues with that? The TS cables I'm using seem to be just fine, mind you. So I don't feel like it's something I necessarily NEED to invest into if I don't have to. Just curious if anybody else has picked up radio frequencies from it.
 
Speculum Speculorum said:
Hey Guys,

So I talked with Fryette yesterday (I'm pretty sure it was Steven Fryette himself) as I've run into an issue with using my FX8 and Fryette Power Station together. As a result, Steven said they will be buying an FX8 from a local dealer who has an FX8 on hand and will be testing it to see if they can find a fix.

Using the four-cable method and recording my amp through the Power Station simply doesn't work. As soon as I plugged in my amp to the Fryette with the FX8 in four-cable method I started getting harmonic feedback. Everything in my chain other than the interface is using the same outlet, so I'm not sure why it would be doing this. It creates this harmonic feedback through the speaker cab even if I don't have the line out to my interface, so I know THAT isn't what's causing the harmonic feedback.

I sought to figure out the source and worked out the culprit. The preamp out from the FX8, when utilizing the Fryette, causes this to happen. If the FX8 is in the loop only, there is no harmonic feedback. There is no harmonic feedback if I'm running the system live. There is some sort of ground loop being created by those two elements and there doesn't seem to be a solution to this problem.

Steven did recommend I give the following product a try:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=&sku=161090&gclid=CjwKEAjw26C9BRCOrKeYgJH17kcSJACb-HNAIyXena_G4V_yHfft7PBKvGy0fyeW2n6USEs948hLiBoCF5vw_wcB&Q=&ap=y&m=Y&c3api=1876,92051677562,&is=REG&A=details

But I doubt it will help. I tried taking an old guitar cable and removing the ground from it and connected it and it still created the high pitched whine. One more cheap fix I'm going to try is getting a ground adapter plug and insert it into where my power conditioner meets the outlet to see if it might close some errant ground loop I'm otherwise missing. It could be anywhere, of course.

So I'm at a weird point, now. The FX8 works AWESOME for live configuration, especially with my amp (50 watt 5150 iii) because it easily fixes the volume jump from the green to blue channel. The simplest fix would be to grab a wah and flanger, making sure they run off batteries so I can record from home and still have some preamp control. And if I don't sell everything in the next couple of days that is probably exactly what I'll end up doing.

As a side note, I talked with Steven about humbuster cables, and he mentioned sometimes they cause radio interference. Has anybody had any issues with that? The TS cables I'm using seem to be just fine, mind you. So I don't feel like it's something I necessarily NEED to invest into if I don't have to. Just curious if anybody else has picked up radio frequencies from it.
Click to expand...

I had some issues with a sig-x and fx-8. You could try wiring the pre section of fx8 'ground lifted' using a loop switcher. Guitar --> loop switcher in -> loop send (ground lifted cable) fx8 in -> fx8 amp send (ground lifted cable) to loop return -> loop switcher out -> amp input .... Post section of 4cm regular cables.
 
I tried to replicate this last night after seeing the other thread started by journeyman. Amp was an old 5150 running into a PS2 for attenuation, FX8 in 4CM using the PS2's loop. No problem or noise yet, but I did have a splitter before the amp that I usually plug my guitar into. Will remove that from the chain tonight and see what happens since it has its own ground lift switches.
 
I have a Fryette power station and have heard this harmonic noise personally. Mesa Mark IV into an original Powerstation. I got busy with life and didn't follow up with this. Good luck in the quest, I will appreciate hearing the result!
 
OK, finally tried this with the 5150, without the splitter in front, still using the PS's loop. Still no noise. Tried same with a 2ch Dual Recto, KSR Ares, Peters Gryphon, and a tube rackmount preamp (line-in mode), same result. Only thing I can think of is my PS is 2nd gen. No idea if that makes a difference or not...
 
scottdh said:
OK, finally tried this with the 5150, without the splitter in front, still using the PS's loop. Still no noise. Tried same with a 2ch Dual Recto, KSR Ares, Peters Gryphon, and a tube rackmount preamp (line-in mode), same result. Only thing I can think of is my PS is 2nd gen. No idea if that makes a difference or not...
Click to expand...

Info like that is where this sort of issue always lie. All details are important, even the mundane.
 
I have the same problem with my new Fryette PS2.. Everything sound fine but when I close the fx loop circuit with my delay... Carzy scream harmonics and wistle come to light...
Any ideas? Advices?
I'm living a hell.

Thanks and best regards

jj
 
Back in my pre-fractal days I had a Elmwood Bonneville combo amp. I bought a line 6 M9 pedal and it did this with 4cm. L6 tech support blamed it on the Bonneville's loop and offered no advice. I gave up and sold everything. Good luck
 
I'm gonna work on this over the weekend. I've got 4 heads, with different loops. Mesa Dual Rect, Mesa Mark IV, Ibanez 120 watt tube head and a mesa rectifier recording preamp. I'll run them through with the fx8 in the loop and try and replicate the conditions. Note, I DID experience the issue before, so i'll see if I can replicate the issue.
 
Great! Tell us please!
But... Why is this happening to me and not to everybody who have a Fryette PS2?
 
This happening on my rig as well: FX8, Marshall JTM 1 (1 watt version), and Powerstation version 1. It happens whenever I attempt to use the PS loop in 4 cm. Tried switching the output of the JTM to .01 watts from full power (1 watt) and the loop settings on the PS as well, with 4cm - problem remains. However if I skip the loop and run the fx8 in front of the amp there is no issue.

Please let us know if you run across a fix... really want to run my timeline effects in the loop Post so I can get nice clean delay and reverb sounds.

Cheers...
 
Issue SOLVED here!
All my pedals were fed by a 1SPOT...
Now I power the loop section pedals (delay, reverb and moeer multimod) whith the 1SPOT and the pre amp pedals with a Boss (PSA?) and everything is total quiet! No noise at all!
I hope this work for somebody else.
Good luck bros!

jj
 
My issues were purely gain based. With too much output vol, the fryette squeals like a pig. There are impedance changes when new output sources are jacked in (I had line out plugged in), so sometimes levels need to be dropped a bit to avoid the squeal. That's what I found.
 
This is a bummer. I love my amp, but I can only use the FX8 straight in or in the loop. The Power Station is essential to really use my amp since it's a NMV 100 watt Wizard. Not sure what to do now. The strangest thing is that it squeals even with the FX8 powered off when attempting 4CM. The post effects in the loop work fine, just can't plug into the amps input.
 
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