Quiet down a switchblade?

[Colin_D]

I got an EH Switchblade for $10 about a month ago. I've been using it to switch between 2 channels on my 18 watt TMB ( http://www.18watt.com/ ), but there's a lot of hum coming through. Is there anything I can do to improve its performance? Also, it's passive, but do any of the pricier (active) A/B/Y boxes sound better? If you have any recommendations on building or purchasing, I'd love to hear 'em!


Colin

[Rodgre]

If it's passive, then it shouldn't introduce any noise or hum, really. Do you somehow have a ground loop somewhere in the chain?

Are you sure that all the cables that you're using are shielded guitar cables and not a speaker cable?

Roger

[CGDARK]

I got an EH Switchblade for $10 about a month ago. I've been using it to switch between 2 channels on my 18 watt TMB ( http://www.18watt.com/ ), but there's a lot of hum coming through. Is there anything I can do to improve its performance? Also, it's passive, but do any of the pricier (active) A/B/Y boxes sound better? If you have any recommendations on building or purchasing, I'd love to hear 'em!


Colin

Normally a non-isolated A/B box will hum if they switch between two amps but between channels on the same amp is strange. I agree with Rodgre. Check your gear for ground loops and your cables but most important open the Switchblade and check the connections. For that price something maybe wrong.

CG

[zachomega]

Clean and tighten the jacks too.  They probably make the ground connection. 

-Zach

[Colin_D]

I checked everything in the path and realized that the cable leading to the inactive input is not grounded! It's like having a cable plugged into the amp with no instrument. Noisy as all heck. I guess you get what you pay for...

[CGDARK]

I checked everything in the path and realized that the cable leading to the inactive input is not grounded! It's like having a cable plugged into the amp with no instrument. Noisy as all heck. I guess you get what you pay for...

Normally a non-isolated A/B box will hum if they switch between two amps but between channels on the same amp is strange. I agree with Rodgre. Check your gear for ground loops and your cables but most important open the Switchblade and check the connections. For that price something maybe wrong.

CG

I told you.

CG