My Cheap Chinese Amp is Getting Spanish Cell Phone Calls

**Alder Statesman** · 05-05-2010, 03:38 PM

Wierdest thing happened last night while I was playing. I started hearing voices. Not only was I alone and not talking to my self, but the voices were in Spanish and coming from my Line 6 Spider III 15.

I cannot speak Spanish, but these two went on and on.

This really caught me off guard. I thought digital cell phones were secure and were impossible to eavesdrop on. Back in my high school days (early 70's) it was a fairly common to get police and fire coming over our old tube amps.

Anyone else have this annoying phenomenon?

**M. Smit** · 05-05-2010, 04:04 PM

the problem seems to be, that line 6 is emulating cheap chinese tubes:P

**billkath** · 05-05-2010, 04:49 PM

Usually a symptom of your guitar lead being too long and it's shield failing. Tried a different lead?

**Squint** · 05-05-2010, 05:10 PM

The big question is: "Do you need to contact an interpreter, an electrician, or an exorcist?"

**Alder Statesman** · 05-05-2010, 05:24 PM

Originally Posted by Squint

The big question is: "Do you need to contact an interpreter, an electrician, or an exorcist?"

All of the above! Maybe a Mexican priest who moonlights at construction sites.

**Squint** · 05-05-2010, 05:32 PM

I'll ask the guys in front of the hardware store!

Btw, know what else Segovia, Hendrix and Reinhardt have in common?

They all died WISHING they'd had access to a PLEK machine!

But seriously, what would anyone have against a PLEK'd guitar? Have you had a bad experience? Please tell me as I am very interested because I am working on an article about PLEK right after I finish a comparison of the Micro Cube vs. the DA-5...

**abracadabra** · 05-05-2010, 05:47 PM

Can you get wifi on that thing too?

**FatJeff** · 05-05-2010, 05:51 PM

Originally Posted by Archtop Bill

Maybe a Mexican priest who moonlights at construction sites.

I know just the guy.

**Alder Statesman** · 05-05-2010, 05:54 PM

Originally Posted by Squint

I'll ask the guys in front of the hardware store!

Btw, know what else Segovia, Hendrix and Reinhardt have in common?

They all died WISHING they'd had access to a PLEK machine!

But seriously, what would anyone have against a PLEK'd guitar? Have you had a bad experience? Please tell me as I am very interested because I am working on an article about PLEK right after I finish a comparison of the Micro Cube vs. the DA-5...

You are right, Segovia probably would have killed for a PLEK'ed guitar as the guy, from what little I know, had such a keen ear he could spot the most modest imperfection in intonation. Hendrix and Rheinhardt: They are not here to answer for themselves, but they did not seem as focused on hardware as what they could squeeze out of whatever they playing.

I look at a PLEK and see this CNC milling machine with incredible tolerances. Two things come to mind. 1) Such marvelously good music was made on guitars made by hand (and machine) that perfect intonation was not an issue. (Parallel example: The greatest photographs of all time were made with horribly antiquated cameras, photo-chemicals and processing.) 2) I enjoy tweaking my guitar and experimenting with different gauges of strings. Also, as the seasons change, the guitar "moves". Once any of these things happen: tweaking, string guage change, weather you need to go back and have the thing PLEK'ed again.

Just my thoughts.

For the cost to PLEK my fairly inexpensive guitar I could buy a new/used amp that might not pick up cell phones.

**Squint** · 05-05-2010, 06:12 PM

Very good points, Bill!
But don't limit the PLEK machine to "intonation" issues alone.
While it can help in that area, my main interest has been in the "playability" it brings to instruments that just were not living up to their potential. And as far as the changing of acoustics, (especially), the place where I get my guitars PLEK'd, Westwood Music in Los Angeles, will re-PLEK the guitar for free for the first year. But it has been my experience that this is seldom needed if you have a good tech/luthier like the ones at Westwood Music. In fact, you would be surprised at the number of real working, professional musicians, who have their instruments PLEK'd simply because they're tired of having to spend so much time "tweaking" them themselves.

And then, there are the great guitars that have been rescued from the closet by a few swipes of the PLEK. These are the ones I will be writing about in my next review.

But you're right. The PLEK is not cheap, but it's a LOT less than a new guitar!! (And easier to hide from the wife!)

And back OT, I used to get the air traffic radio signals on my old Peavey Classic 212 back in the day.
We would use it as another "effect" up until it started cutting out the guitar signal entirely...

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 05-05-2010, 06:18 PM

Line 6? Sounds like a job for Santa Muerte

**X-500** · 05-05-2010, 07:20 PM

Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles

Line 6? Sounds like a job for Santa Muerte

DIOS MIO! EL MUERTE!

**woyvel** · 05-05-2010, 07:35 PM

I have a DOD multi-effects pedal that picks up a TV station, but I can't figure out what it is. I have cable and have searched the channels, but couldn't find it. My Line 6 M13 doesn't have such a problem.

**randyc** · 05-05-2010, 07:51 PM

A small value capacitor (15 - 20 picoFarads - NOT microFarads) connected across the input jack of the amplifier to ground will suppress radio frequency interference. (The capacitor should cost about $.05 although you may have to buy ten of them at your local electronics supplier.)

**Doctor Jeff** · 05-05-2010, 07:59 PM

Originally Posted by billkath

Usually a symptom of your guitar lead being too long and it's shield failing. Tried a different lead?

Obviously you need a Monster Cable...

**billkath** · 05-05-2010, 09:08 PM

Jeez-I KNEW there was something i meant to buy this week! I bought another couple of CD's instead, because I couildn't remember what I wanted to get! Old age creeping up again!!

**Tom Karol** · 05-06-2010, 07:37 AM

When I was a kid, we used to get a local radio station on our toaster!

**Alder Statesman** · 05-06-2010, 08:29 AM

Originally Posted by billkath

Usually a symptom of your guitar lead being too long and it's shield failing. Tried a different lead?

I use a fairly short cable, but it is an inexpensive one. Thanks for the suggestion.

**Alder Statesman** · 05-06-2010, 08:30 AM

Originally Posted by randyc

A small value capacitor (15 - 20 picoFarads - NOT microFarads) connected across the input jack of the amplifier to ground will suppress radio frequency interference. (The capacitor should cost about $.05 although you may have to buy ten of them at your local electronics supplier.)

I will get out my soldering iron and add the capacitor.

Thanks!

**derek** · 05-06-2010, 12:41 PM

Dunno why you are complaining, usually you have to pay extra for that feature.

**cosmic gumbo** · 05-07-2010, 11:25 AM

I used to have an old Sunn transistor amp that would sound like it was trying pull in Radio Moscow late at night.

**GuitaRoland** · 05-07-2010, 11:59 AM

Back in the 60's when I played bass for a period, I had a Dynaco Mark lll poweramp with a Swedish built preamp. I heard the radio all the time between the tunes and under our breaks - not loud but it was there.

/R

Baltar Hornbeek · 05-07-2010, 04:06 PM

back in the cold basement days, me, I would be huddled up to the peavey classic 30, warmed by the tubes and listen as it radioed me to sleep.

**JohnRoss** · 05-07-2010, 05:36 PM

I think this sort of thing is quite common, or at least used to be. I had an amp once that sometimes used to pick up police and/or ambulance frequencies, which didn't matter at loudish gigs, but could be disrupting when I was playing restaurants.