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Post subject: Tube Rattle in Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2017 2:58 pm
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I recently had a new speaker and compliment of tubes installed in my son's Fender Hot Rod Deluxe amp. The new speaker and tubes sound great in the amp. Unfortunately, the new tubes rattle (buzzing only on certain notes on the A and low E strings). The previous tubes did not, but they were years old and due for a change. The tube rattle is not the end of the world, but it does get annoying.

We also have a combo amp from another manufacturer that is notorious for tube rattle. We were able to get a "tube tamer" device made specifically for that amp on everyone's favorite auction site. The device holds the power tubes in place and the tube rattle is gone. Before getting the tube tamer, we tried the silicon tube damper rings, but they didn't work on this amp.

My google searches did not find any such device made for a Hot Rod Deluxe, but I thought it couldn't hurt to ask the powers that be on this forum. If anyone here knows of such a device, does it work well and where can I buy it? If such a device doesn't exist, are there any other remedies to solve the tube rattle problem?

Thanks!


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Post subject: Re: Tube Rattle in Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2017 3:08 pm
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Check the fasteners holding the speaker to the baffle board -- when loose they often mimic the sound of a rattling tube. The screws should be torqued to 25 inch/lbs -- about a quarter turn beyond finger-tight.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: Tube Rattle in Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
Posted: Mon Feb 27, 2017 9:13 pm
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Thanks Arjay!

I'll be driving by the shop in a few days that did the speaker install, so I'll bring the amp and ask the tech to take a look at the fasteners.


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Post subject: Re: Tube Rattle in Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 6:34 am
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Tubes today don't get the quality control they did when I bought my first Fender amp in 1968. I have found in this day and age not to assume that "new tubes" are good to go.

Case in point: I retubed my BDRI about a month ago. I too had rattling on some low notes. The solution was to find the rattling tube and replace it. It sounds great now.


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Post subject: Re: Tube Rattle in Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 7:03 am
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410DeVille wrote:
Tubes today don't get the quality control they did when I bought my first Fender amp in 1968. I have found in this day and age not to assume that "new tubes" are good to go.


+1

Even so, contemporary standards are not what they were "back in the day" and what should be considered to be a marginal tube will pass today's muster. Weeding out the lemons often falls to the end-user, as you discovered while servicing your BDRI. It's happened to all of us.

:x

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Post subject: Re: Tube Rattle in Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 9:56 am
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Some old time techs tell me they didn't even know what "tube bias" adjustment meant. Just plug in new RCA 6L6GC tubes and be with it. :D


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Post subject: Re: Tube Rattle in Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 10:31 am
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BMW2002Ti wrote:
Some old time techs tell me they didn't even know what "tube bias" adjustment meant. Just plug in new RCA 6L6GC tubes and be with it. :D


With the vintage bottles you could get away with that because they were built so robustly. As well, the original blackface circuitry was very forgiving and could operate well through a wide parameter of idle-bias settings.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Tube Rattle in Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 10:39 am
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Plus, the QA for those RCA tubes were very good... for mass production.


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Post subject: Re: Tube Rattle in Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 11:17 am
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Not only RCA......Westinghouse, Raytheon, GE, Sylvania, all of them were great tubes (many built to JAN milspec).

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Tube Rattle in Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 12:32 pm
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Tungsol of New Jersey, too. I can't really think of any poorly engineered US made tube of the 1940-70s. Esp mil spec variety. I guess one could say the Mullard-Philips made GZ34 was a better rectifier. But, I have had no problems using US made 5AR4. Any US made 5U4GB and 5Y3GT outshines the Russian or Chinese equivalent by a country mile.

Rectifiers are so important, as shorts can lead to catastrophic failure in the amp.


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Post subject: Re: Tube Rattle in Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 1:02 pm
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Ken-Rad used to make good tubes in the city I currently live in. I wish they were still here.


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Post subject: Re: Tube Rattle in Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 1:09 pm
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BMW2002Ti wrote:
Any US made 5U4GB and 5Y3GT outshines the Russian or Chinese equivalent by a country mile.


+1!

I've always preferred the Amperex GZ34 but Mullard-Phillips made a fine bottle as well.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Tube Rattle in Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 2:08 pm
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410DeVille wrote:
Ken-Rad used to make good tubes in the city I currently live in. I wish they were still here.


Owensboro, KY. Home of the great GE tubes of the 1960-70s. 6550A and those "Special Tube Requirement" (STR) output tubes. I love their 7581A. One of the few 6L6GC type that can easily run in UL setups. Very nice tone, too.

Image


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Post subject: Re: Tube Rattle in Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2017 2:26 pm
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GE also made 6V6GTA's for Motorola (perhaps others as well). Great glass, near indestructible.

Arjay

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