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Post subject: New 68 CDR - How to eliminate RF Noise??
Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 8:46 am
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I purchased a brand new '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb last week, and it worked great in the store. I brought it home and immediately noticed that the reverb and volume channels had a ton of white noise, and if I cranked one or both channels I would get radio frequency interference (RFI).

I have N3 noiseless pickups on my Fender American Deluxe Strat, but the amp makes the noise even without my guitar or cable plugged in. Normally my amp is plugged into a Furman M-8X2 Power Conditioner, but I tired it without the Furman and in different rooms of my house, but the noise persists.

I went back to the store and swapped the amp out for a new one (in the box), and no luck. The white noise and RF continues... I live right next to a cell tower and radio station, so I know there is a ton of RF in the area. Is there anything I can do to eliminate the noise without changing my amp? Also, can the RF damage the amp after prolonged exposure?


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Post subject: Re: New 68 CDR - How to eliminate RF Noise??
Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 3:27 pm
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I don't know about RF in your town, but ( many , all ? ) these amps are know to be very noisy.


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Post subject: Re: New 68 CDR - How to eliminate RF Noise??
Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 3:38 pm
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Thank you for your comment! Are you saying that it's common for these amps to pick up radio signals, or white noise in general? This is my fist Fender tube amp, so I really haven't experienced this before.

The only signal I could make out from the chatter is from an FM station. I'm not sure if that makes any difference for how I might go about cutting those frequencies.

Could the spring reverb be acting as an antenna? I tried putting foil around it but that didn't do anything. However, if I hold foil about a foot above the RF gets a little louder/stronger.


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Post subject: Re: New 68 CDR - How to eliminate RF Noise??
Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 3:38 pm
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rfoat wrote:
I live right next to a cell tower and radio station, so I know there is a ton of RF in the area. Is there anything I can do to eliminate the noise without changing my amp?


You might try building a Faraday Cage around your entire home.

Seriously though, you're between a rock and a hard place. And there's very little to do that would have any significant beneficial effect save for moving.

Be that as it may, there is no danger to your amp with such concentrated and prolonged exposure to RFI. The amp will merely see it as another source signal that needs to be amplified and fed to the speaker.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: New 68 CDR - How to eliminate RF Noise??
Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 3:44 pm
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These amp are not the best Fender amp IMO

Google Fender 68 custom deluxe noise


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Post subject: Re: New 68 CDR - How to eliminate RF Noise??
Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 3:53 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
You might try building a Faraday Cage around your entire home.


I could just tell my neighbors that we're fumigating...

Retroverbial wrote:
Be that as it may, there is no danger to your amp with such concentrated and prolonged exposure to RFI. The amp will merely see it as another source signal that needs to be amplified and fed to the speaker.


Well that at least gives me the piece of mind that I'm not ruining the amp.


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Post subject: Re: New 68 CDR - How to eliminate RF Noise??
Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 4:03 pm
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stratele52 wrote:
These amp are not the best Fender amp IMO

Google Fender 68 custom deluxe noise


I doubt that makes a difference in the presence of such a concentrated RF source. Whenever I was stationed at an air defense radar site during my 22-year career in the military the airmen with stereos, TVs, and musical instrument amps who lived in the barracks were always complaining about the interference caused by the S-band search radar (3.00-to-3.25 GHz), whose antenna swept through 360 degrees of arc every 6½ seconds. Noise would be audible for about one of those seconds as the main bang struck any audio gear that happened to be on. The guys tried wrapping their equipment with tin foil, even lining their walls of their rooms. Nothing worked. Neither were their car stereos immune.

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: New 68 CDR - How to eliminate RF Noise??
Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 4:15 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
stratele52 wrote:
These amp are not the best Fender amp IMO

Google Fender 68 custom deluxe noise


I doubt that makes a difference in the presence of such a concentrated RF source. Whenever I was stationed at an air defense radar site during my 22-year career in the military the airmen with stereos, TVs, and musical instrument amps who lived in the barracks were always complaining about the interference caused by the S-band search radar (3.00-to-3.25 GHz), whose antenna swept through 360 degrees of arc every 6½ seconds. Noise would be audible for about one of those seconds as the main bang struck any audio gear that happened to be on. The guys tried wrapping their equipment with tin foil, even lining their walls of their rooms. Nothing worked. Neither were their car stereos immune.

Arjay


rfoat write it is his first tube amp and this Fender look a noisy amp all the time and everywhere.


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Post subject: Re: New 68 CDR - How to eliminate RF Noise??
Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 4:16 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
I doubt that makes a difference in the presence of such a concentrated RF source. Whenever I was stationed at an air defense radar site during my 22-year career in the military the airmen with stereos, TVs, and musical instrument amps who lived in the barracks were always complaining about the interference caused by the S-band search radar (3.00-to-3.25 GHz), whose antenna swept through 360 degrees of arc every 6½ seconds.

Thank you for your service.

stratele52 wrote:
These amp are not the best Fender amp IMO

I bought the amp because I wanted a low watt 1x12 tube amp for practice. It's one of the more expensive (new) amps Fender makes, so unless they shield the reverb tanks on the custom models, which I doubt, what'd be a better option IYO?

That's assuming the reverb tank is the culprit, which we still don't know for sure.


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Post subject: Re: New 68 CDR - How to eliminate RF Noise??
Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 4:18 pm
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It's not the reverb tank. You can disconnect the cables and the noise will likely persist.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: New 68 CDR - How to eliminate RF Noise??
Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 4:22 pm
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You don't have friends with tubes amps you can test in your home ?


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Post subject: Re: New 68 CDR - How to eliminate RF Noise??
Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 4:27 pm
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stratele52 wrote:
You don't have friends with tubes amps you can test in your home ?

If I recall correctly, I tried out my friends Line 6 DT25 tube amp a year or so ago, and it got some RF, but it has a low wattage mode that I used that, which took care of it.


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Post subject: Re: New 68 CDR - How to eliminate RF Noise??
Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 4:32 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
It's not the reverb tank. You can disconnect the cables and the noise will likely persist.

Right, if I disconnect the guitar and cable I still get the RF if I increase the reverb or volume channels.


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Post subject: Re: New 68 CDR - How to eliminate RF Noise??
Posted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 6:24 pm
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Any amp w/ less gain stages(12ax7,12at7,etc.) should reduce the amplification of the RFI. If you can isolate the specific pre-amp tube in your amp that's the starting point of the RFI, you may be able to use a substitute tube type to help reduce the amplification or provide better shielding. But its not likely that you will prevent the RFI completely.
Maybe you could return that amp and "try" a 68 custom Princeton reverb or the 65 Princeton reverb, obviously the 68 would be more closely voiced to the 68 CDR if you prefer the Celestion tone. You are loosing two pre-amp tubes and cutting the wattage about in half though. Its always a little give and take though.


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Post subject: Re: New 68 CDR - How to eliminate RF Noise??
Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2017 1:13 am
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rfoat wrote:
Retroverbial wrote:
It's not the reverb tank. You can disconnect the cables and the noise will likely persist.

Right, if I disconnect the guitar and cable I still get the RF if I increase the reverb or volume channels.


Disconnect pedal switches too.


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