I've concluded that my electric Ibanez RX 160 has an electrical problem. I would like to know if you all agree with this, or if you have suggestions for tests I haven't tried.
The problem: when I run the guitar directly into my Presonus Firebox there is a persistent, loud hissing and crackling regardless of whether I'm playing or not, and regardless of the positions of the pickup switch, volume or tone knobs, all of which have been cleaned with contact cleaner recently, more than once.
This could be a problem with my PC or my Firebox, so here are the tests I've tried:
- playing any one of several other electric and electric/acoustic guitars, run directly through either Firebox inputs (I've tried both), results in no hissing or crackling.
- recording with a condenser mic through either Firebox input results in no hissing or crackling
- playing the Ibanez through a regular guitar amp results in no hissing or crackling
- playing the Ibanez through my Line 6 Pod, with the signal routed from my pod into the Firebox, results in no hissing or crackling!
I've used the same cords for these tests. My best guess as to why the last option (routing through Pod to Firebox) results in no excess noise is that the Pod is somehow cleaning the signal up before it gets to my Firebox. This guess supposes that the Firebox is somehow "more sensitive" than the guitar amp or the Pod are - if that guess is true, then it makes sense to me.
Does anyone see a problem with my thinking, here? Is there a more definitive test I can do? I've looked at the pickup and at the electronics through the back of the body, and I don't find any loose wires or broken solder, though a good deal of the wiring in back is exposed, which is the only possible source I can think of for the hissing/crackling. I'm clearly no electrician but I think the wires in the back should be fully sheathed, more or less.
The problem: when I run the guitar directly into my Presonus Firebox there is a persistent, loud hissing and crackling regardless of whether I'm playing or not, and regardless of the positions of the pickup switch, volume or tone knobs, all of which have been cleaned with contact cleaner recently, more than once.
This could be a problem with my PC or my Firebox, so here are the tests I've tried:
- playing any one of several other electric and electric/acoustic guitars, run directly through either Firebox inputs (I've tried both), results in no hissing or crackling.
- recording with a condenser mic through either Firebox input results in no hissing or crackling
- playing the Ibanez through a regular guitar amp results in no hissing or crackling
- playing the Ibanez through my Line 6 Pod, with the signal routed from my pod into the Firebox, results in no hissing or crackling!
I've used the same cords for these tests. My best guess as to why the last option (routing through Pod to Firebox) results in no excess noise is that the Pod is somehow cleaning the signal up before it gets to my Firebox. This guess supposes that the Firebox is somehow "more sensitive" than the guitar amp or the Pod are - if that guess is true, then it makes sense to me.
Does anyone see a problem with my thinking, here? Is there a more definitive test I can do? I've looked at the pickup and at the electronics through the back of the body, and I don't find any loose wires or broken solder, though a good deal of the wiring in back is exposed, which is the only possible source I can think of for the hissing/crackling. I'm clearly no electrician but I think the wires in the back should be fully sheathed, more or less.