So...

I was preparing to record a guitar part last night. It was just a little clean fill with a slight bit of vibrato. Amp sounds good, mics sound good, ready to go.

Hit record. Play. Time for vibrato. Step on the pedal. Tejano music.

One by one, I tried each pedal I own. When any of them are on, they pick up a Tejano radio station.

I turned off the amplifier and tried going direct. When I actived ANY of the pedals, "Tu tienes mi corazon...TUBA SOLO...etc"

As far as I know, there are no radio towers near my house (downtown Houston). Any ideas for a fix?? And don't say 'move'.

This may sound uninformed 'cause well i'm uninformed.

I have an old DoD flange pedal from the early 80's w/out a ground prong. 2 not 3 prong. This pedal has the nasty habit of picking up the local christian nutter radio show. I wonder if your pedal is grounded?

I dunno'.

I A/B'd all of the pedals with an AC adaptor and a 9 volt battery. And still...Sus ojos son rojo...TUBA FILL...etc

Even with a battery? Latino ghosts in the machine.

I have no idea. Good luck!

Just use it as a cool effect? I've been trying for ages to get my guitar to pick up radio stations...

I'm glad to hear that I'm not alone on this one.

I've been getting the Texas Rangers on AM in English now for years. It's kind of nice in that I can practice and follow the game too, but our guy Eric Nadel is worse than Hawk. It's literally like he's calling a fashion show:

"Teixeira steps in to face _________. The Rangers are wearing their road grays, with blue piping up the leg and around the belt-loops. One and O. They're wearing their sleeveless alternative jerseys with the blue undershirts. Their jerseys have the Texas flag super-imposed with a capital T. Two and One."

He actually says this stuff. But what's amazing is that he manages to miss the whole game, while sprinkling all this nonsense throughout the game. I've heard him mention the A's white shoes in the 8th inning. But as strict voices go, it's quite pleasant.

Oh, does anyone know how to stop the reception? I like to sound like I know what I'm doing for my own amusement.

Sounds like the problem might be Texas. I'm in Austin, and I usually get the album rock station coming out of my cabinet during practice.

Krystofsky wrote:Sounds like the problem might be Texas.

Agreed.

This might sound stupid (maybe it is) but you might try to wrap the effects box in one or more layers of tin foil. Your problem relates to shielding. I have had problems like this at different times. Your location does have something to do with it.

I did a series of shows at the Demalue Center in Toronto playing with a dance company. The CN tower (a really powerful radio tower) is a couple of blocks away and using a wah wah pedal worked like a radio tuner (Hendrix gets this effect live at the Isle of Man). I used tin foil to get through a couple of rehersals and used the craft rooms at the theater to make shielded boxes out of sheet metal and wood for my amp and the effects and that helped. Some of the comercial effects cases have shielding. As mentioned some effects use balanced cables and that can also help.

Or you could open up the effects pedal and use sheilding paint on the inside of the box if you can figure out which one is the problem. Wah wahs especialy old ones seem to pick up a lot of stuff as do vintage fuzz boxes.

Lemuel Gulliver wrote:

Krystofsky wrote:Sounds like the problem might be Texas.

Agreed.

I think the problem is from New England, but he moved to Texas and acts like he's lived there his entire life.

-A