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Post subject: Re: What is up with Fender amps???
Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2018 3:34 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Joined: Thu Dec 12, 2013 2:54 pm
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upnorth2 wrote:
The benefits are delicious!!

UN

Image


Man that looks good. Reminds me when my dad would take me fishing in Minnesota when I was a kid.

I'd like to add my compliments on the job you did on the rebuild. That amp will last years longer than a printed circuit amp.

Nowadays you end up with printed circuit boards and ROHS solder. Tin whiskers? It's a thing, do a search. If you mix tin with lead, doesn't seem to happen.

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"Where confusion abounds, there's money to be made."


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Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: What is up with Fender amps???
Posted: Wed Jun 20, 2018 4:29 pm
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Location: Tombstone Territory
vinyl wrote:
That amp will last years longer than a printed circuit amp.


......*AND* be far easier to service and/or repair should the need arise.

Just as Leo envisioned.

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: What is up with Fender amps???
Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2018 6:56 pm
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Hobbyist
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Joined: Thu May 26, 2016 5:40 pm
Posts: 87
What's up with Fender amps?

As a player...... IMO.... Absolutely NOTHING!

The 65 Princeton RI is an outstanding modern amp. Fender's RI's "construction wise..." As a player.. how I see it, is similar to how Marshall has been making their top-shelf production amps for decades (other than their HW reissues). The use of PCBs and mounting any hardware that might need replacing due to wear and tear on to the actual chassis is a tried and true method. PCB's are NOT moveable parts, nor do they degrade. And rarely to they fail, and even more rare is for a PCB to fail to where it's not serviceable.

The best amp tech I know, been playing for 35+yrs... and I've know a few techs in my day..... (he who works on all my vintage Fenders, ) is actually an Electronics repairman. The majority of the things he fixes has a PCB. (computers, appliances, TVs etc etc.. He has no problem fixing amps like a modern Fender.

My modern Fenders for the last 10yrs have gotten the lion's share of the gigs with no problems.

But..... With my Modern Fenders... What I do is to NEVER move the amp unless it's cooled down and NEVER EVER expose the amp to extreme temperature changes! That means after the gig I take the extra time to let it cool down to move the amp, & I go and warm up the car before I take the amp out etc..

I believe this practice is why I have had trouble free modern Fenders. To be honest...due to being 50+yrs old... my vintage Fenders have cost me way more in repairs.. The only thing one of my modern Fenders need done to it was a cap job. ( A HRDeluxe II, bought used, gigged hard, recently sold in fine working order.) I bought a HRDeluxe III, modded it and that took its place. I also have a BJr II, (bought used) that I also modded .. no problems (knock on wood)

This old working musician thinks modern Fenders to be great amps and fun to play. IMO.. One shouldn't really get fixated on hand wired, or vintage etc.. If you like the amp, take good care of it and play it. I love playing my HRDeluxe and Bjr as much as my vintage Fenders.

IMO class A/B push-pull with verb is the best amp platform. (for a plethora of reasons) Fender owns/dominates the market in that area... and delivers the best bang for the buck without question in my mind


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Post subject: Re: What is up with Fender amps???
Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2018 9:38 pm
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Professional Musician
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Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2014 3:25 pm
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Can you think of any american company that still produces their product from 50 years ago? Even Harley couldn't sell a hardtail any more.
Just the fact that they support an obsolete supply chain is amazing for an electronics company. Howdja like to have yer computer run on an 8088?
They do it cause their customer's ears demand it. Otherwise they'd be building only modern Mustangs.
The problem is there just aren't enough classic era Fenders around. They didn't make a lot of them and musicians hoard them like expensive guitars, not electrical appliances. The price skyrockets and they are unaffordable.
The modern amps are produceable for reasonable prices and like modern appliances, are routinely replaced after a 5 to 7 years, just like a tv. No one looks at an amp on the showroom floor and wonders if it will last them a lifetime. Most of them don't know there was ever such a thing. Most will use it till it gives them tube problems and move on.
The few that pursue repair are here among us. We are performance geeks that like dealing with the problems. When most people see an angry bull charging down the street, they take a different street. We look the bull in the eye and say,"Watchya Got?
Whether modern or vintage, the essential skill to tame that bull is a willingness to take on the problem, more than the style of construction or type of problem. As you become familiar with recurring problems, you build the techniques to deal with them.
But the modern amps cannot justify using 3 to 5 times more solder than a comparable point to point amp. Pc boards are an efficient industry standard that give adequate life and serviceability by competent techs. Let's face it boys, the weak point is tubes, modern or vintage.
Vibration isolation type construction and Pcal's advice to let it flameout before moving does make a difference. But that has its limits. Thats why everyone who could abandon tubes like an STD.
Fender doesn't have that option. They have to make modern amps to keep up the volume necessary to make a profit in the mass market. The evolution from Deluxe Reverb to HRDX isn't pretty, but it kept the company alive and still producing the old classic models worthy of classic guitars. The new ones are deeply rooted in the old models and with a little effort, can match their sound. The TBV mods I have described earlier match the preamp circuits of the old BF/SF models and can approach their sound quality.
As far as the op, znerken, he hasn't been back here since two days after his post. Likely a shill for peavey or a salesman from marshall. But if you do read this, replace v4


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Post subject: Re: What is up with Fender amps???
Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2018 4:14 am
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Joined: Thu May 26, 2016 5:40 pm
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I say your right with the consumerism premise. We just buy more stuff, all meant to drive the economy etc..

But... Not sure of the Modern Fender's only lasting 5-7 yrs thing. (or somewhere about)

I think that might be a misnomer.

There are plenty of mid to late HRDs working and for sale. ( That's 20+yrs.) Before I picked up a used HRDeluxe III and modded it, I had a "used" mid 2000 HRDeluxe that I gigged till it needed a cap job, worked fine before and after. Sold it when I got the III

Dropped some NOS tubes and a old Oxford 12T6 speaker in the III, and it sounds as good as my vintage Fenders. (different... but just as good) Love the HRDeluxe .. voids any Gas I have for a Deluxe Reverb!

Also, the premise Hand Wired vintage amps last forever and are built like tankes and never break down etc etc.....

IMO.. that's a misnomer too. Like I said in the first post. My vintage amps (to keep them going) have cost a lot more than my modern amps...(i.e. so far...& knock on wood) If it's not defective bias pots, its the reverb, or its the OT, or the PT etc etc..

50yr+ plus amp have their own set or problems.

My Belief is: If it's fun, play it! Modern Fender are Fun to play..


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