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Post subject: 68 Custom Princeton Reverb quality issues?
Posted: Wed Apr 05, 2017 11:03 pm
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Hi all!

I just bought a 68 Custom Princeton and really love the sound. However, the first unit had some anoying tube rattle and went back. They sent me another unit, and with this unit now there is some mechanical rattle at low frequency tones from the back part of the cabinet (when I touch the back panel it vanishes). Also, the reverb only works intermittently, sometimes it works like expected, sometimes turning Reverb up to 10 does not get wet at all. Any tips to fix this or should it go back again?

Just bad luck or are the Fenders made with little care nowadays?


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Post subject: Re: 68 Custom Princeton Reverb quality issues?
Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2017 11:57 am
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There are many post like yours in the forum ; Fender poor quality on amps.

Return back, best is to test in store from the box before go home.


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Post subject: Re: 68 Custom Princeton Reverb quality issues?
Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2017 12:37 pm
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stratele52 wrote:
There are many post like yours in the forum ; Fender poor quality on amps.

Return back, best is to test in store from the box before go home.


+1

The Fender of old -- where their amps would play flawlessly for ten, twenty, or even thirty years before maintenance or repairs were needed -- is but a distant memory now.

:(

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: 68 Custom Princeton Reverb quality issues?
Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2017 12:41 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:

The Fender of old -- where their amps would play flawlessly for ten, twenty, or even thirty years before maintenance or repairs were needed -- is but a distant memory now.

:(

Arjay


+1


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Post subject: Re: 68 Custom Princeton Reverb quality issues?
Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2017 6:34 pm
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As stated Fenders amp quality is not what it used to be. OP says both cabs had a buzzing that stopped when touching the back panel. I had this problem once, so I bought some rubber grommets and put them on under the back panel and the buzzing vanished. Can't help you with the reverb problem but if you elect to replace it again and all else works fine but the buzzing still exists, this may be a good fix for ya.

FWIW

T2

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Post subject: Re: 68 Custom Princeton Reverb quality issues?
Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2017 11:29 pm
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Thanks for you replies! Unfortunately testing in the Store ist not an option, they only have the cheap ones on stock. The rubber grommets are a good idea, but I will send back because of the reverb.


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Post subject: Re: 68 Custom Princeton Reverb quality issues?
Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2017 2:48 am
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hausmeister wrote:
Thanks for you replies! Unfortunately testing in the Store ist not an option, they only have the cheap ones on stock. The rubber grommets are a good idea, but I will send back because of the reverb.


I understand store must order the amp .Ok
Why don't when they receive the amp it you did not test it before go home ?

Or you do not want to order from a store but by the web ?


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Post subject: Re: 68 Custom Princeton Reverb quality issues?
Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2017 6:04 am
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If it as simple as returning to the store, playing another amp, and walking out with a "good one" then by all means do it. But returning an amp because of tube rattle or intermittent reverb without some DIY troubleshooting could be throwing the baby out with the bathwater IMO. I'm not disputing that they "don't make them like they used to" -- one look inside the chassis of modern, mass-produced amp will confirm that--but I suspect that the majority of problems people have out-of-the-box are the result of faulty or poorly-seated tubes, and not the amp itself. "Tube rattle" that isn't fixed by reseating the tube in the socket can cured by replacing the tube. Intermittent or weak-sounding reverb could be caused by a bad or improperly seated reverb tube also. Tubes are user-replaceable parts, so replace them! You can't buy a tube amp without expecting to spend some $$ on tubes at some point, and if they are bad out of the box, its very likely Fender will work with you to resolve the issue. If you choose to return, its always possible the "good" amp you get will have its own problems down the road.

I'm not a tech--just a guitar player who likes to understand how his gear works at some level--and the time I spent learning how to diagnose and fix tube problems has paid off greatly. If your problems are tube-related and you resolve them (and put some grommets behind the back panel to stop the rattle), the amp could give years of good service. I won't dispute there are problems with quality control out there, but there are also a LOT of happy users of modern Fender amps in this world. IMO. :o


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Post subject: Re: 68 Custom Princeton Reverb quality issues?
Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2017 7:03 am
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Rock Icon, I buy in the store, but they order the amp for me, they don't have it on stock.

Hobbyist, I thought about that, troubleshoot myself. But, this amp is more than 1000 dollars over here, I think one should have an out of the box experience to just plug in and play. Its like buying a new car and change the tires yourself the first day.
Regards!


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Post subject: Re: 68 Custom Princeton Reverb quality issues?
Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2017 7:30 am
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hausmeister wrote:
Rock Icon, I buy in the store, but they order the amp for me, they don't have it on stock.

!


Test amp before bring to your home.


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Post subject: Re: 68 Custom Princeton Reverb quality issues?
Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2017 7:30 am
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hausmeister wrote:

Hobbyist, I thought about that, troubleshoot myself. But, this amp is more than 1000 dollars over here, I think one should have an out of the box experience to just plug in and play. Its like buying a new car and change the tires yourself the first day.
Regards!



I agree with you.


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Post subject: Re: 68 Custom Princeton Reverb quality issues?
Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2017 9:33 pm
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hausmeister wrote:
I think one should have an out of the box experience to just plug in and play. Its like buying a new car and change the tires yourself the first day.


I suppose out-of-the-box tube issues could be resolved in Fender sourced better tubes (which could be a challenge in today's world) or figured out how to ship amps with greater protection so they arrive at the user consistently with tubes intact and secure. Or, they could rely on qualified dealers to make sure their amps work properly before they go home to the customers. To borrow your new car example, auto dealers have mechanics for that purpose.


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Post subject: Re: 68 Custom Princeton Reverb quality issues?
Posted: Sat Apr 08, 2017 11:39 pm
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JDB2 wrote:
To borrow your new car example, auto dealers have mechanics for that purpose.


So who does Guitar Circus have......?

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: 68 Custom Princeton Reverb quality issues?
Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2017 2:06 am
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Yes, Hobbyist, this ist how ist should be. But I guess it is a thing of the past or only a few guitar shops.
For me it would be ok if the amp came with some detailed instructions to set it up, reseat tubes etc. But this beeing my 1st tube amp I am very careful, knowing some high voltage is at work.
Regards!


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Post subject: Re: 68 Custom Princeton Reverb quality issues?
Posted: Sun Apr 09, 2017 2:12 am
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hausmeister wrote:
Yes, Hobbyist, this ist how ist should be. But I guess it is a thing of the past or only a few guitar shops.
For me it would be ok if the amp came with some detailed instructions to set it up, reseat tubes etc. But this beeing my 1st tube amp I am very careful, knowing some high voltage is at work.
Regards!


hausmeister, for your information, your are also Hobbyist :lol:

Hobbyist you talk about, is name on forum is JDB2
Rock Icon name is stratele52

Hobbyist or Rock Icon or Rock Star name is only how many post / answer you have on the forum.


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