Tweeter squeal ruined the rehearsal last night!

[chris]

I AM NOT BADMOUTHING THE AXE. I LOVE MY AXE. I am looking for ways around a problem. I know that you have not experienced the tweeter squeal issue because the feedback issues you are comparing it to are nothing like e actual phenomenon we are experiencing.

There is no venom man. You just aren't hearing what we are saying. I mentioned the other brands because I HAVE experienced what you are describing. And it happened with those brands too.

If it frustrates you that I don't want to change my tone or my band because my drummer is louder...

it's frustrating people because we keep saying what the only solutions are and you think we are attacking you. there is a problem. problems mean you have to change something. we tell you what needs to be changed, but you say you don't want to change them. well, then that's it. problem will not be solved.

Feedback is feedback. It's physics. Feedback happens when the source "hears" itself. Plain and simple. You can't trick or outwit a basic physics law. your guitar pickups are facing the speakers. at a certain SPL, the high frequencies are so pronounced, that they feedback uncontrollably. it is the exact same thing as if you pointed a mic at a speaker - at a certain volume there is no problem. but start turning it up and it will feedback.

There really are only a few solutions.

Put the speaker farther from you. Can't do that since its in monitor position?

Turn down the volume. Can't do that because you don't want to?

EQ your guitar differently. Can't do that because you don't want to change tone?

EQ the feedback frequencies out of the monitor. Can't do that because you don't want to change the tone?

Don't use a speaker in front of you for guitar monitoring - place it behind you.

That's really it. As you can see it comes down to physical placement and volume, the a bit of EQ. That's it. There's no magic going on.

It's like saying "I throw my guitar in the air but it always keeps falling down too fast, something is wrong with the guitar."

Once I get to my drummers SPL level however, this noise comes into play and the only way around it is for me to move away from the speaker at least 10' or so.

That's exactly it.

i've been doing live sound for over 10 years now. actual live sound. like, i show up and setup a huge stage and do sound. not just plug into a club pa and turn things up. others here have been doing sound for even longer. but maybe we all don't know what we are talking about.

there is a possibility that you'll use different speakers and the problem will seem to go away. it could be due to how that box handles certain eq frequencies or where the physical components are and they happen to not face your guitar in the exact same way. regardless, the underlying problems are still there. if you really are super loud and facing your speaker though, you'll probably have the same issue no matter what you try if you don't change the things countless people have suggested.

my best advice is to move your guitar monitor behind you, maybe angle it up so you don't blast the audience.

I'm done here. Good luck.

 

[tallcoolone]

Ok, my pickups aren't facing my monitor because as I have said my monitor is already behind me because in these situations it is having to carry the room. I've been playing for a couple decades so I realize what feedback is so maybe that is why I'm on the defensive.

The disconnect here is what I have mentioned several times--what we are having an issue with is not normal feedback, but Chris and the other 'regulars' have not experienced the issue so they apparently do not believe it exists. If I pull up a normal high input plexi patch, set the gain at 11:00, set my monitor 6' behind me there will be normal feedback just like any normal amp. Once I set the level on the monitor above around 1:30/2:00 however (about the equivalent of my Mesa MkV almost flat out) there is a dull whine that will not go away. Now, on a big stage you will never notice this because (1) there is sufficient room to set the monitor back further and (2) FOH is doing all the heavy lifting. So all you guys who are touting years of experience on huge pro stages are proving my point--you are not experiencing this problem. But on a small stage, where my monitor is carrying my sound to the entire room it is a different story. Turning down is not an option, period because I will not be heard. Moving the monitor further away isn't either because there is a wall in the way. I tried some mid gain patches and the whine is still there. Now, I enjoy playing these smaller crowded venues so what I am going to try are some different monitors--if that doesn't help my only other option will be to go back to amps in these situations.

 

[Sixstring]

If that doesn't help my only other option will be to go back to amps in these situations.

Late to the party here.. have you considered a monitor that has a guitar speaker or a FR speaker that doesn't use a tweet in it? Sorry I havent seen all of your posts on this subject but if I get any type of high pitched feedback I look at the High Cut freq in the cab block and will lower it as much as possible with out messing with the over all tone. Sometimes the cab blocks have the High and low Cut set too far out and there is no real reason to pass all that energy to the speaker if it's not being used especially on an FRFR monitor.

 

[RobinMatrix]

If I pull up a normal high input plexi patch, set the gain at 11:00, set my monitor 6' behind me there will be normal feedback just like any normal amp. Once I set the level on the monitor above around 1:30/2:00 however (about the equivalent of my Mesa MkV almost flat out) there is a dull whine that will not go away.

So, what frequency is this "dull whine"? If you can't describe it in terms of actual frequency, what string/fret of the guitar is it closest to? I'm assuming it is not a bass frequency, but up in the HF region.

Here is a VERY simple test that will prove whether it is magnetic or acoustic feedback once and for all.

Simply stand about 2m behind the speaker and turn the volume up until you get this "dull whine". Turn the cabinet so it is now face down on the floor (best on a carpeted, concrete floor to absorb the maximum amount of sound). The sound level should drop by about 20dB, the magnetic radiation will be the same.

If you can move around the cab around 2m away and still get the feedback, it's magnetic. If you can't it is acoustic.

 

[Big Joe Daddy]

We experienced a similar problem last night at a gig. This was our first gig with a new guitar player. I hooked him up with my spare Axe FX II which is all new to him. He plays a stock Epiphone Les Paul and I previously dialed him in with a couple Dumble presets. We rehearsed 3 or 4 times with no issues running through our regular live PA rig. We are all on in-ears, no wedges.

When the gig started, he began to get some high-pitched squeal regardless of where he was positioned or direction he faced. The PA mains were about 5 or 6 feet in front of him. The squeal was not acoustic, or musical feedback as far as I can tell. I've heard others in this thread describe a 'microphonic' feedback which I think is what we are experiencing. I had him try a couple of other presets which all produced the same results. It's puzzling because we were setup exactly the same way during rehearsals with the exception of stage lighting. We play loud, but not over the top loud. Our stage volume is near silent because the guitars, bass, and triggered drums (mesh heads) are all running direct to FOH. This was a small club with about 150 patrons.

We've got another gig tonight so I plan on attempting some of the recommendations seen here in this thread, although I don't know that any of them point to our specific issue. I'm wondering if perhaps it's something to do with the new guy's guitar?

 

[cobbler]

Tweeters. Now pay up!!!!

I'm sorry, no payment as you did not give your answer in the form of a question.