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whenever i play a B (across 2 octaves) my amp gets really noisy. like, kinda sounds like the speaker has a giant gash in it. just on the B note.
specifically the 2nd fret on G string, 14th fret on G string, or 7th fret on B string. (not just the G string)

now i have noticed this sort of thing with stereo speakers before, but usually with really low frequencies on subwoofers. you hear that one bass note that's way louder than the rest of the bassline. that's sort of what this is like, but not really.

so i popped the grill off the champ and this is what it looks like. judging from the branding on the magnet it appears to be a stock speaker for a '76 champ.



it's one of those things that likely wouldnt show up on a recording, and most people wouldnt notice it in person, but it bugs me a little, and if something is fucked up with my amp it would be good to know about it.

Are the symptoms the same with different instruments?

Don't play a fucking b note, shit dude, it's not that hard.

What does your amp sit on? It could be sympathetic vibration. My computer speakers sit on my cheap hollow IKEA desk, and when I play guitar through my computer there is definitely a note on my low e string that makes the desk vibrate and rattle.

with a '76 amp there also might be a loose part of the cabinet...in my experience Fender cabinets in the mid-70s used glue that fails more than typical glue in that period. check for cracked glue joints and loose screws. also make sure the screws and (if present) straps that hold the chassis to the cabinet are tight.

OR you could just, not play B

Stock speakers in that era of Champs weren't particularly hot.

I ended up replacing them on damn near every BF and SF one I owned after they blew.

Could be tubes or resonance, as noted, but could just be the speaker going.

Can you test it on another speaker?

htsamurai wrote:Don't play a fucking b note, shit dude, it's not that hard.

What?

60 cycle hum is very close to a B. Is it possible that your guitar is a little out of tune and your amp is resonating sympathetically with it?

rfurtkamp wrote:Can you test it on another speaker?

Maybe. I dont have a replacement speaker or a cab handy myself. Can probably find one. (dont even know if i can plug it into a cab as easily as some newer amps)

Yeah, the speaker kind of sucks. Looks cheap. But it's an 8 inch. I dont really know how great they can get.

Chankgeez wrote:60 cycle hum is very close to a B. Is it possible that your guitar is a little out of tune and your amp is resonating sympathetically with it?

it's been going on for a while, so it's very unlikely a tuning issue

plus i hvae golden ears, how dare you suggest i am out of tune

pigmaker wrote:Yeah, the speaker kind of sucks. Looks cheap. But it's an 8 inch. I dont really know how great they can get.

TWSS

i can post a vid in a couple days, so u guys can hear exactly what it sounds like, but to me it sounds like a speaker with a big gash in it, just when i play that note.

It'll always be a 8" speaker but there's a ton better out there these days. I used to use the old Radio Shack replacements as they didn't die no matter what I did to them, but that was 20-some years ago and aftermarket options weren't abundant.

Today I'd go with a Weber if I still had a Champ.

And look into if I could cram a 10" in.