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Plinky Plonky Sound When Palm Mute Chugging?


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On a JTV-59p when in modelling mode I get this weird plinky plonky sound when using Palm mutes ... it does not seem to matter if it is Spank or Lester etc it is really noticeable and REALLY annoying.

 

I tried it with the real P90's and it is fine ... so it is defiantly the piezo's and particularly the low stings.

 

The thing is I used to own a Variax 700 a few years back and I really can't remember it being this bad.

 

is this a fault?

 

here is a sound clip, it sounds worse in real life... MP3 / SoundCloud seems to have mellowed it.... but in reality i could not play live with it,

 

https://soundcloud.com/badmelonfarmer/variax-jtv-59p-plinky-plonk

 

the first section is the real P90's and the second part is the Lester model.

 

I am running latest firmware and all models etc are stock.

 

thanks in advance

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The dreaded piezo plink!!  People seem to notice it to various degrees, and supposedly, Line 6 has worked on reducing it over the years.  The best advice I can give it to alter your palm muting style so that you are also muting the piezo's.  Putting a damper, such as some cloth or foam, in the small section behind the piezos so that it touches the strings, seems to help a bit as well.  Also try reflashing the firmware.

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To the extent that this sound is caused by a loose pickup hitting the sides of the bridge, I have a suggestion for curing the problem.  Pickup a roll of thin teflon tape of the type used to prevent thread-on plumbing fixtures from leaking.  Remove the strings from the instrument and create enough cable slack to lift the pickup element clear.  Cut a strip of tape to be the same width as the height of the element and wrap a bit tightly around it.  The tape tends to self-adhere.  The idea is to build up just enough that it fits tightly into the bridge without being able to rattle around.  This may take a bit of trial and error, but shouldn't be all that difficult.  Once you have figured out the appropriate length, it will be quick to do the other five.  With a little care, this modification won't be visible when they're back in place.

 

I have never noticed the sound myself and, to be honest, I cannot hear anything out of place in that MP3 track.  But for those with fussier ears this trick might be worth a shot.

 

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What cruisinon2 said...fixed all my idiosyncs!

What cruisinon2 said...fixed all my idiosyncs!

Nice...glad it worked. Had to do the same for some of my models. Gets even stranger if I'm using alt tunings for some reason, especially with the acoustics down 1/2 step...open G string was SCREAMING loud compared to others. Had to knock that string down a lot to even things out. Yet, same model, same 500X patch in std tuning, no boomy G string. Who knows...these guitars get funky the more DSP you're using, but so far I've found a fix for the issues I've encountered...thumbs up for Workbench!

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Nice...glad it worked. Had to do the same for some of my models. Gets even stranger if I'm using alt tunings for some reason, especially with the acoustics down 1/2 step...open G string was SCREAMING loud compared to others. Had to knock that string down a lot to even things out. Yet, same model, same 500X patch in std tuning, no boomy G string. Who knows...these guitars get funky the more DSP you're using, but so far I've found a fix for the issues I've encountered...thumbs up for Workbench!

THAT'S where most of my problems were - Alt tunings - @ 1st I'd read a post where guy said he'd cut overall by 5DB...after doing that I thought it may have been too much, so I have a few "bundles" w/different settings - like u said "thumbs up for Workbench! "

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  • 3 weeks later...
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  • 3 years later...

Same problem here, I saw this on internet, I don't know if it works, I don't prove it yet, but...

The problem is with the piezo pickups and is very easy to fix. The plinky sound, especially, but not limited to palm muting, comes from the way the string "pings" against the piezo. What you need to do is change your strings, but on the new set, put a piece of duct tape or gaphers tape about .5" long about .25" from the ball end of the new string. This will deaden the string against the piezo and completely eliminates that "plinky" sound you are hearing. I sent my Variax back to Line 6 twice before discovering this amazing fix. IT WORKS!!!!!

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