ilovefuzz.com

So first off, I'm a bass player. The amp in question is an Aguilar AG500 (dual channel). The problem is it's a bit noisy.
The clean channel has a mild hum in the background at all times. It isn't incredibly noticeable, but it's the kind of thing that might or might not get picked up by a house mic. The distortion channel is where the real problem is. I realize that it's the nature of a dirt channel to have a bit of noise, but I think there is much more than there should be. There's significant hiss even when both master volume and saturation are set to zero, and it gets worse as it get's louder.

I have heard that running through a power conditioner can help reduce unwanted noise. Is this true, or is this something worth pursuing?

It depends on the power where you are playing it. We practice in my house which has old school knob and tube wiring and fuhrman made a huge difference.

Easy way to tell is to lug it around to a few places you have access to - music store, friend's house, different circuits around your house/apartment.

If it's changing from place to place at the same settings, yea, it'll probably help. It will also frankly just not hurt, and will make things stable in the event of a bad power night/day.

Don't buy a dirt cheap one though - read the fine print and know what you're buying.

Maybe...but dirty power may not be the culprit in *your* amp.

AFAIC voltage regulator and line conditioner with circuit breaker should be mandatory for vintage tube amps, especially if you live in or near a major metropolitan area.
They aren't the same thing, so look into separate units or an integrated system.
New amps and even computer components can also greatly benefit from such devices.

Also, I use a step-up transformer with my amp to give it 210-220, so 1V fluctuation on the step-up's input produces 2V difference in output.
The amp still has some buzz (inherent to its design) but the noise floor is much lower and bottom end is significantly more articulate.
Especially around 80Hz/the open, low E in standard tuning.
Without the regulator and just a Furman PL PLUS II, I've watched my power fluctuate between extremes of 98V and 128V, which greatly stresses tubes, especially a tube rectifier.
With it, the amp is consistent in settings and sound, with better s:n, less waste heat generated and tubes last longer.

Anyone have a specific one that they recommend?

Also, for the record my amp is solid state. Would getting a unit still be helpful?

Tube or SS, dirty power still can contribute to noise.

Okay here's an update to my problem:

I recently aquired a new phaser pedal. Everything seems fine with it, except that it clips. Really badly.

I took the same pedal over to my friend's house (ChetMagongalo, cool guy) and it worked perfectly fine! We used the same method to power the pedal (1 spot), but for some reason it just sounds like shit at my house. I have tried using all of the different links in the daisy chain, different cables for both input and output, and even different instruments and amps, but nothing seems to be working. I have tried moving the 1 spot and amp power cable to different outlets around the room, but that didn't help either.

Keep in mind that this is the only pedal I have ever had this problem with. Everything else in my chain has always been fine using the same power supplies, cables, and outlets. So I have no idea why this pedal would react differently. I think the culprit might be "dirty power" from my walls, but again, I have no idea why this is the only pedal being affected. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME!!!

Anybody?

Sounds like there's a problem with your power at that location.

And that particular pedal is sensitive to whatever it is.

I'd look at checking the voltage/stability and seeing what comes of it, because it may be doing other unwanted things to all your electronics or the harbinger of bigger problems.

Thanks. That's what I figured. Going to try to get my hands on a power conditioner to see if that helps at all.

Power conditioner should work wonders. just make sure you are getting one that is more than a surge protecter. the really cheap ones you want to steer clear of

When in doubt, depending on power needs, UPS works great and you can find them used/open box for cheap and replace the battery if needed.

And if power goes out for a bit, you can still rock on!