Need advice-Strat SC's and the XL-FW1808

Stratman68

Axe-Master
First, I have the action pretty low and the neck pretty flat-I am an old time r&r guy with some arthritis so I need it like this. Been like this forever-30 years maybe - I have a very light touch so it works fine-
"normally".

As of late I get this "noise" which is certainly a high end thing (Lindy fralin Blues Specials and 2006 USA Deluxe Strat-maple fretboard)

Just wondering where best to start with regard to this extreme hi end unpleasantness to avoid losing hi end tone.

It's my setup I am sure but I have no other choices. Don't know why it's rearing it's head up again, 4 years ago I had similar issue but that was an Ultra and I don't remember where I started to fix it.

Hope that makes sense.

ex: turning down the treble is not the answer-Anyway-if anyone has a good starting point It would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Frank
 
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I've had this happen to me a couple of times when loading new firmware. I've experienced what you described as well as the opposite too, having too much low end.

With the high end noise issue I noticed the following:
1) the first time is was due to the laptop sitting in front of me and my Strat causing high end noise. When I pushed the laptop away or shut it off the noise went away. Also, my preset levels were too high, I reduced them so that when I play hard the new VU meters would peak at 0 or 1 db or so, and normal playing is around 0 db.

2) the second time I experienced what you're describing it turned out that it was my download of the new firmware being corrupt somehow. I downloaded the firmware again and reinstalled, restored system parameters (a forum member suggested this) and the issue went away.

When I had too much bass it was when I installed firmware 18.0.7, so downgraded back to 06. I am about to install 08 so I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Not sure if any of these is your issue, but hopefully some of what I've described will help.
 
We need more information to help you. "High-end noise" can be a lot of things. It's a bit like saying, "Hey guys, there's an ugly yellow thing on my desk. What is it?" We really don't know.

Can you post a clip?
 
I have never re downloaded a FW and I have been here , well, a while.

I will try that...also should have mentioned that the FRalin Blues Specials are new to my USA Dlx Strat, so.............sorry. But it's noy too close too far noise.

I will post something over the weekend

Thanks so much
Frank
 
Have you tried just reloading the firmware? Firmware can be corrupted while transferring the data from your computer to the Axe. Try just simply reloading 18.08.
 
It might be something you can adjust with some simple
EQ. Here's a technique to help find what it is you're hearing.
Place a parametric EQ at the end of your chain. Adjust band 4 as follows:

Q: 8
Gain: 10 db
Now try various frequencies, sweeping from 1500 to 8000
Once you zero in on what bothers you, try reducing it instead.

Once you know what you're after, you might use the graphic EQ .

Also, consider trying the same test in front of your amp block. It might be something in the guitar or pickups.


A few other ideas:
Try a different speaker IR!
Try "hacking" the amp:
- Turn the BRIGHT switch OFF and the TREBLE or PRESENCE up.
- Try lowering dynamic presence a little.
- Try playing with the BRIGHT knob.
- Etc
Try a FET BOOST pedal in front with boosted mids or lows.
Adjust the tone at your guitar
Explore a different amp type

Have fun with it.
 
I get the same thing due to a ground loop, and only when I am using my MBP to record with the MBP plugged in. If I unplug the MBP, the noise comes down. Then if I power down the AF II and power it up with the MBP unplugged the noise goes away. And only with the SC pups. Weird stuff.
 
I had a weird reverb issue after loading FW18.08 & I messed around for about 45 minutes until I realised I didnt have the cable to my Bose headphones pushed in fully! (What a twat! .. me that is) :mad:

Seriously though, try loading the firmware again. Many people have reported odd issues & a reload seems to sort it.

Good luck.
 
I get the same thing due to a ground loop, and only when I am using my MBP to record with the MBP plugged in. If I unplug the MBP, the noise comes down. Then if I power down the AF II and power it up with the MBP unplugged the noise goes away. And only with the SC pups. Weird stuff.
That sounds like interference from your MBP getting into your pickups, rather than a ground loop.
 
Thanks guys- I will try them all. I have to ask-and look stupid- What is MBP????

Thanks for all the help-digging in now.
 
That sounds like interference from your MBP getting into your pickups, rather than a ground loop.

MBP?????? Only MacBook Pro comes to mind-which I do "not" have. I am on a desktop top of the line Windows PC .

I should put that in my signature-I will.
 
Well, I went thru everything suggested and this is what I found and did:

1.Lowered Hi Res in Speaker tab of amp to 252 (used to be the default a long time ago)
2. Turned the bright switch off and added treble and mid as Matt suggested.
3. Lowered my pickups

Sounds good now- still need to tinker with it.
These are new Pups to this Strat (the Fralin blues specials) They are pretty hot which I didn't realize for various reasons.

So the flat-ish neck and the low action can remain -Yah.......

I tried to upload something to Soundcloud but I keep getting password errors. I reset PW with them and delete IE cache. Still no luck-too late now.

But I wanted to thank everyone for all the helpful responses-what a forum. Maybe I need a new strat with a rosewood fingerboard-never had one-always liked Maple-which supposedly is brighter
 
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Just realized-If I had to sum my issue experience discussed it this thread and was asked to describe it-short and sweet:

Sounds like my guitar is clipping. On 5,6,7,8 volume knob no noise as discussed here.

( or full volume on guitar and everything else the same, distorted clipping type noise.
 
I might be way off, but I had a similar (opposite) issue in one of the 18.x updates (IIRC, it was going from 18.6 to 18.7).

Which IRs are you using? I had been building my own with CL3 for 18.06, then there was the whole IR thing that was the main reason for 18.07. There was entirely too much low end in the 18.06 IRs that 18.07 made apparent. Could you be experiencing something similar, except with high end freqs?

Just a thought, and might be totally unrelated.
 
Just realized-If I had to sum my issue experience discussed it this thread and was asked to describe it-short and sweet:

Sounds like my guitar is clipping. On 5,6,7,8 volume knob no noise as discussed here.

( or full volume on guitar and everything else the same, distorted clipping type noise.

Make sure your input and output levels are not clipping. There are meters in the Axe FX you can check to see if anything clipping. I had to go through everything again carefully and make sure nothing was clipping. Here's a video on it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh_Gmu19r4M

Also I wanted to mention that changing the input impedance will change the sound of your guitar.

5.35.1 Input Impedance
The INPUT IMP parameter appears on the page with Noise Gate parameters, but is not part of the Noise Gate.
Instead, it changes the actual analog circuitry of the INSTR input jack to alter the way the Axe-Fx II interacts with
your guitar. This recreates the way that some classic effects (e.g. Vibe) “load down” the pickups, causing a change
in frequency response. The Axe-Fx II recreates this effect by switching various (real) resistors and a capacitor in and
out of the signal path.

In Auto mode, the impedance is automatically set based on the first active effect the input "sees."

Normally you will want to leave this on AUTO, but you may also select any of the following values manually.
This setting is saved with the preset.

1MΩ
1MΩ+ Capacitor
230kΩ
230 kΩ + Capacitor
90 kΩ
90 kΩ + Capacitor
70 kΩ
70 kΩ + Capacitor
32 kΩ
32 kΩ + Capacitor
22 kΩ
22 kΩ + Capacitor
 
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