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Author Topic:  Hearing Distortion Issue
Kevin Fix

 

From:
Michigan, USA
Post  Posted 18 Jul 2020 5:42 am    
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Has anyone experienced a distorted hearing issue? About a month ago I started hearing distortion issues. I thought it was my guitar and then amp. At low volume my tone sounds clean. When I start to increase my volume it sounds like my sound is distorting. I own two NV112's and tried them both. Same issue with both amps. I even replaced the speaker in my primary amp with a new O.E.M Blue Marvel. Still have the same problem. I have a Hilton and a Goodrich volume pedal and swap them out. My chords all check out. My strings are only about two months old. I thought that it was maybe a P/UP but it sounds the same when I play C6. Tweaking my amps does not change anything. I have a tone control on my Super Pro. If I tweak it some what it helps very little. Came to the conclusion that my ears are getting old!!! I appreciate all the feedback I can get...
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Fred Treece


From:
California, USA
Post  Posted 18 Jul 2020 6:32 am    
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If you think it’s your hearing, maybe try to get somebody else to listen while you play and see if they hear it. The other thing would be to plug in another instrument. It could be a messed up output jack.
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David Ball


From:
North Carolina High Country
Post  Posted 18 Jul 2020 9:31 am    
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10 years back, I was T-boned in my car, and side curtain airbag detonated in my left ear. Since that time, everything I hear sounds like it's coming through a kazoo. It's not bad at low volumes, but the louder the sound gets, the more distorted it becomes. There are quite a few ear problems that can cause this kind of symptom.

In my case, it turned out to be something called Superior Canal Dehiscence Syndrome (SCDS). This is a condition where a tiny piece of skull is broken and allows a connection between the inner ear and the brain cavity. All kinds of other strange symptoms come with it. The impact of the airbag apparently blew the tiny hole in my skull.

But, I've learned to live with the distortion. Hopefully you can get your problem resolved--I know it's no fun!

Dave
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Bob Sykes


From:
North Carolina
Post  Posted 18 Jul 2020 10:15 am    
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I sometimes play with a guitar player who is loud. Especially with his amp of choice, a silverface super reverb. Our keyboard player used to complain about "the fuzzies" and ask him to turn down. I didn't come to fully understand until the keyboard player moved away and left the band. I moved into his old spot on our regular stages and the practice place. I began to hear the fuzzies when he got into a particular range of notes loud. It wasn't his rig. It was our ears.

My solution was stuff his amp cover in the back of his amp when I was set up behind him, and to just move off-axis from his amp when I was out front. Of course ear plugs also worked well.

Try playing your rig as normal or even louder while you are either off-axis or much farther away from it. If the distortion goes away, it's your ears.
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Jim Goins

 

From:
Michigan, USA
Post  Posted 18 Jul 2020 10:37 am     Distortion
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Kevin, I wear hearing aids, when i play I remove them, if you wear hearing aid you might want to take them out.
Jim
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Eric Dahlhoff


From:
Point Arena, California
Post  Posted 18 Jul 2020 1:16 pm     hearing fuzz
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About 8-9 years ago I started hearing distortion from my guitar, but only out of my left ear. At some point I tested my hearing at low volume with headphones and a sine-wave generator. I found that certain frequencies were distorting, but most were clear tones.
It got worse over the course of a year and I eventually lost all hearing in that ear. The theory from several ear doctors was that it was a virus in my inner ear, slowly destroying the hairs in the cochlea.

Use an ear plug in each ear & see if you can determine if it's both ears or just one. And try to find a good ear doctor.
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Kevin Fix

 

From:
Michigan, USA
Post  Posted 18 Jul 2020 3:16 pm    
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Thanks a lot guys. Hey Jim, I gave up on the hearing aids. I remember playing years ago with lead players that played so loud my ears would almost bleed!!!! I made my mind up along time ago that I would get the issue resolved or just quit. Never could figure out why some play so damn loud.
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Jon Voth

 

From:
Virginia, USA
Post  Posted 19 Jul 2020 6:59 pm    
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I would try to narrow down to your ear or amp.

At low volumes, if it's clear-place the amp right up to your ear-is it clear?

Turn it up but place it far away (with a long cord) is it distorted?

Also check difference between single notes and chords or dyads-sometimes two notes together create "resulting tones" that may add to fuzziness? Sometimes you notice things as your ears get more in tune over time? Possibly you're expecting more from your amp than when you first got it and were happy (don't know your history)?

Not an audiologist at all but don't think it's physical.

A novice & my two cents trying to help.
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