Problem with 360/12

[Kyle]

Was doing some recording this week with my 360/12. I went to record a lead part, used a compressor, and i was getting a low in volume distorted noise. Switched the compressor off and it went away, but bring the compressor back in and it came back right away. It's like a distortion coming from the pickups is being amplified when the compressor is on.

I know that it is the guitar, as i tried it with another amp with the compressor and it did the same, and I also plugged into another amp that has a built in compressor and it did the same.

Very wierd, and very annoying. I love compression on a 12-string, but this is making it unusable.

Anyone have any experience with this?

[Folkie]

Could be the compressor. Can you describe the noise a little more clearly?

[Kyle]

Its not the compressor, as I have tried 2 compressors on it and its doing the same thing.

Imagine a 12 string guitar going through a distortion pedal into an amp, at a very low volume. Put that in behind a clean 12 string guitar going through the same amp, and thats what it sounds like.

[JakeK]

Why not take the pickguard off and look in the toggle switch. Probably some dust in there. Take a Q-Tip and clean the dust out and you should be fine.

[Clint]

What kind of compressor are you using and how are the controls set?

[jps]

What kind of compressor are you using and how are the controls set?

Sears, and the only controls are a power switch and a PSI control valve.

[cjj]

And??? What's the regulator set to???

[jps]

It all set on 11!

[cjj]

Wimp! I set my compressor to 111. 'Course, it's a 2 stage and needs a 240V circuit with a 50 Amp breaker...

[Clint]

Well, that would explain the distortion.

[doctorwho]

Kyle, although I don't use effects very much, what you are describing sounds like the pick-ups are overloading the input of the compressor. Try lowering the volume controls on the guitar and see whether the distortion decreases. (You might also want to see whether the toggle position makes a difference - i.e., if the distortion is coming from only one and not both pick-ups.)

On my Samson wireless set up, I can overdrive the receiver's input if I have the guitar's volume controls maxxed out, resulting in a distorted sound, so that's where my train of thought is comung from.