Actually , even if he had a three prong you can still get electicuted if the electical system has a bad ground in it. It happened to me at venue that we were fixing to play at. I told the lead and Bass guitarist to shut their amps off and unplug plug them we're not going to play.I wonder if there is a death cap or a two prong cord on that amp? Maybe it didn't have a transformer? This is crazy for this day and age.
Fair point. Looking back in history, it's fair to say that guitar Amps. originated from U.S. 110 volt ac where these dangers were not and are not as severe. It all changes when we get up to 200+ volts in Europe and the UK, or in the case Australia; 240 volts at 10 amps.agree, although a ground isn't always necessary to receive an electrical shock, in most cases, this is why people do get shocked. theoretically you can hold the hot wire of a 110vac circuit (I have personally done this, 35 years in the electrical maintenance field) and if you are well insulated from ground, you won't get electrocuted. that being said, a circuit with proper grounding protection will prevent you from getting shocked in the first place.
the strip is on a flip flop pontoon. They probably have a GFCI
Darwin Award in the making...or at least strong contenders !
That is absolutely shocking.....
That is quite true from a medical standpoint , although, of court the higher the voltage, the higher the current for a given body resistance. But it is the current flow that disrupts the body's electrical signals, particularly the heartWithout starting one of those endless Internet discussions, it's not the voltage that kills you. Very, very condensed version is that it's the amps, though ~15mA in a worst case can stop your heart. The chance of this happening is extremely low because it requires that current traveling through your heart, hitting the heart at the right (or wrong, eh) moment, quite a few other factors
I was also taught that the 'arm to arm across the heart " path is the most dangerous. Unfortunately it is also common for guitarists who end up with live strings. They often have one hand on the strings and touch a ground with the other .
The latest mains socket testers as well as verifying correct socket wiring (28 different fault conditions) also incorporate an rcd test and non-trip earh loop impedance test. Around £55 per unit over here.
Yeah, I had a friend I used to jam with, and I couldn't sing into his P.A. because I would get shocked every time I touched his mics..I tried using ground lift plugs on my amp, still didn't help. I finally started carrying foam windscreens to use on his mics.Wow that sucks, I remember playing barefoot at my buddies patio, with an old borrowed fender amp, if you were without shoes and stepped off the rug to concrete you would get a zap, some if you tried to sing with our Jerryrigged PA another old amp.
Boy those were the days alright.
Mitch
I use Lehles..They ain't cheap, but they're good insurance as well as good at suppressing hum.Another prevention method is to use a hum eliminator such the Ebtech but there are many others. This goes between your guitar and the amp, uses small 1:1 isolation transformer between your signal from the guitar to the amp. With it you are electrically isolated from you amp. I keep it in my rig at the ready when needed, along with the outlet tester and the rebar and jumper cables.
It is less cost than a wireless unit. I don't like using it all the time but love it when there is a safety issue.