Amp noise help please , I'm a bit worried.

[makaze808]

Hi. My Fender Blues Deluxe has started making a a noise like it's on super high gain. If I hold my guitar strings, touch the amp, any jack, any pedal it disappears. At first I thought it was a pedal problem, as I had put a new build into it. When I scratched along the side of the pedal enclosure the scratch was amplified by the amp!!

Any ideas as to what is going on???

Thanks.

[alanlan]

If it has a PCB behind the panel, I would be inspecting it for cracks or may be dry joints.

Where is it made?  If it does have a PCB it could be of the cheaper variety (i.e. not FR4) which will be more liable to breakage.

[sean k]

What you are doing is earthing the amp through you body so at some place in the amp or along the signal chain there is a poor earth going on. Somewhere the connections to earth on the chassis aren't happening like they should. Maybe something connected to earth is on it's way out but start from the earths and work your way inwards.

[ashcat_lt]

What you are doing is earthing the amp through you body...

This is not the way it works, and is a very bad thing if it is in fact happening. 

Usually, touching the strings on a guitar connects your body (the closest EMI transmitter to your guitar) to ground via the amp's chassis, causing a reduction in noise.  This is the way it's supposed to work and a good thing.

Have you changed anything about the guitar, or cables?