It is currently Mon Mar 16, 2020 7:15 pm

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 21 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Go to page 1, 2  Next
Author Message
Post subject: fender hot rod deluxe: preamp problems.
Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 12:15 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Thu Jun 19, 2008 5:43 pm
Posts: 18
hi everyone, how are you doing today?
although im pretty happy with my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, ive had a lot of problems with it over the past 2 years. my preamps tubes seem to quit working every 4-6 months. which is very frustrating and expensive. ive only needed to change my output tubes once, and even then i probably didnt NEED to.
i play very often and gig at least once a week, however my amp really doesnt go over 3 on the volume, and usally is at 2.5. I handle the amp gently. does anyone know why this is happening?
also ive tried 3 different brands of tubes, Groove Tubes, JJ, and Ruby. thank you for your time.


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject:
Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2008 5:31 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Thu Jun 19, 2008 5:43 pm
Posts: 18
could it be due to the fact that the tubes are located so close to the speaker? as i understand it, in HRDs the tubes are closer to the speaker than in almost any other combo.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 11:43 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Thu Jun 19, 2008 5:43 pm
Posts: 18
c'mon, anything?
i emailed fender well over 24 hours ago am waiting on the reply.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 12:40 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 3:08 pm
Posts: 2889
Everything I've read on the HRD's says they are murder on the preamp tubes.

supposedly there is a special JJ tube that is supposed to solve some of the problem, or is that GT that developed one for it ????

I know I just read it at one of their sites or in "The Tube Amp Book" which I've been studying like a madman lately.

any way there are some here who swear by the heat resistant heavy duty O-Rings to dampen the vibration.

just a few ideas for you to do some research on, hope it helps.

_________________
Keepn' the Blues Alive

2004 50th Ann. Limited edition AMSE Stratocaster
2017 50's Baja Telecaster BSB

1968 Bandmaster with 2X12 cab C-rex speakers
VHT Special 6 Ultra combo

Visual Sound Route 66
Cmatmods Signa Drive


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 8:50 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Tue Feb 05, 2008 2:03 pm
Posts: 194
Your tubes shouldn't be going out on your every 4-6 months gigging once a week and practicing. Even the Hot Rod isn't that hard on tubes. If you're not repair savvy, have a good tech check it out.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 11:36 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Thu Jun 19, 2008 5:43 pm
Posts: 18
thank you very mucnh both of you for your help.
the only tech around me (whom im also forced to se often, as he is also the only authorized fender salesman/repairman) really doesnt know anything. And gets very mad that i correct him about everything when i go in there.

it seems that HRDs do go through preamp tubes quickly, but like the above poster said, it cant be that quickly.
i contacted fender via email twice, and still have heard nothing back. Thats strange, normally they are very quick about getting back to me.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 11:42 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
What do you mean by "going"? Do they rattle, go microphonic, totally fail?


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 12:18 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Thu Jun 19, 2008 5:43 pm
Posts: 18
63supro wrote:
What do you mean by "going"? Do they rattle, go microphonic, totally fail?

every 4-5 months, by tubes will do one of those things.
one time they went very microphonic and then went completely out.
a couple other times it (including this time) i just lost alot of the volume in the amp. another time i got alot of rattle.
im considering just trading the amp in and trying to upgrade as much as i can.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 2:17 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
Hi Charles
Tube rattle does not really mean a tube is bad. You can use tube dampers to help reduce the rattle. Almost all combo amp will develop tube rattle at some point. Some amps more than others. The Hot Rod amps are notorious for this. That's why they put they foam on the pre amp tubes. The speaker is just too close to the tubes creating a torture chamber for them. I also have a HRDlx and although mine is decent sounding, but has been one of the most unreliable amps I've ever owned. Most of the problems have been poor manufacturing such as cold solder joints on the tube sockets, 5 watt power resistors burning the traces on the PCB etc. I've owned almost every Fender amp since 1964 so I have a good comparison. My Twin is 35 years old and I never did anything to it except tubes and bias. I should probably get a cap job too.I bought the Hot Rod for something different. I getting rid of mine shortly. They're not making amps like they used to.

You could try a 65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue. Nice amp. They are really reasonable used too. I may be moving to an Ampeg J20. It's a simple hand-wired 20 watt amp and it sounds incredible. It can be had for under $800.
Good Luck


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 2:32 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Thu Jun 19, 2008 5:43 pm
Posts: 18
63supro wrote:
Hi Charles
Tube rattle does not really mean a tube is bad. You can use tube dampers to help reduce the rattle. Almost all combo amp will develop tube rattle at some point. Some amps more than others. The Hot Rod amps are notorious for this. That's why they put they foam on the pre amp tubes. The speaker is just too close to the tubes creating a torture chamber for them. I also have a HRDlx and although mine is decent sounding, but has been one of the most unreliable amps I've ever owned. Most of the problems have been poor manufacturing such as cold solder joints on the tube sockets, 5 watt power resistors burning the traces on the PCB etc. I've owned almost every Fender amp since 1964 so I have a good comparison. My Twin is 35 years old and I never did anything to it except tubes and bias. I should probably get a cap job too.I bought the Hot Rod for something different. I getting rid of mine shortly. They're not making amps like they used to.

You could try a 65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue. Nice amp. They are really reasonable used too. I may be moving to an Ampeg J20. It's a simple hand-wired 20 watt amp and it sounds incredible. It can be had for under $800.
Good Luck

thanks for the reply. I realize that rattle isnt necassarily a bad tube, (thats not what im dealing with right now) however the tube rattle i had was def. a tube problem.
the Deluxe reverb is an amp that im considering, also a super reverb and twin. i wish the super was a few hundred cheaper. i have emailed fender about my HRD and finally got a response. they didnt


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 2:33 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Thu Jun 19, 2008 5:43 pm
Posts: 18
63supro wrote:
Hi Charles
Tube rattle does not really mean a tube is bad. You can use tube dampers to help reduce the rattle. Almost all combo amp will develop tube rattle at some point. Some amps more than others. The Hot Rod amps are notorious for this. That's why they put they foam on the pre amp tubes. The speaker is just too close to the tubes creating a torture chamber for them. I also have a HRDlx and although mine is decent sounding, but has been one of the most unreliable amps I've ever owned. Most of the problems have been poor manufacturing such as cold solder joints on the tube sockets, 5 watt power resistors burning the traces on the PCB etc. I've owned almost every Fender amp since 1964 so I have a good comparison. My Twin is 35 years old and I never did anything to it except tubes and bias. I should probably get a cap job too.I bought the Hot Rod for something different. I getting rid of mine shortly. They're not making amps like they used to.

You could try a 65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue. Nice amp. They are really reasonable used too. I may be moving to an Ampeg J20. It's a simple hand-wired 20 watt amp and it sounds incredible. It can be had for under $800.
Good Luck

thanks for the reply. I realize that rattle isnt necassarily a bad tube, (thats not what im dealing with right now) however the tube rattle i had was def. a tube problem.
the Deluxe reverb is an amp that im considering, also a super reverb and twin. i wish the super was a few hundred cheaper. i have emailed fender about my HRD and finally got a response. they didnt really answer any questions though. Im dissapointed, in past years fender have been very helpful with answer questions and such.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Aug 13, 2008 7:57 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
I hear ya. I've been a Fender fan for over 40 years. I would probably look at some used Fender silverface amps. I'm not impressed with the current crop of PCB amps, especially the ribbon connectors and other profit producing shortcuts. Serviceability is also a problem. I got a GDec as a gift, and after four months it needs to go in the shop because when you turn the selection wheel, it picks random settings. I'm not used to equipment failure. I made my living as a professional musician for 30 years and always relied on Fender amps.
You may even want to check out a used SF Bandmaster. I had one and wish I never sold it. SF Twins are also pretty reasonable at the moment.


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 7:46 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2008 5:25 am
Posts: 22
First thing you need to do is replace the master volume with an audio taper pot. An audio taper pot will spread out the volume over the entire range of the pot. This is a little fender trick to make you think the amp is soooooo loud at 2, it must really be loud at 8!

That's all I know for sure......


Top
Profile
Post subject: ok ok ok
Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 8:48 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2008 9:21 pm
Posts: 20
ok man... ill be honest.. ive had my HRD LE with brown tolex for about two and a half years. I have replaced the power amp tubes once but for a different sound. not incredibly different.. but anyways. i have never had trouble with my amps tone or tubes... I gig with it twice a week and at almost full volume each time. I practice at almost full to full volume pretty much every day. i work it pretty dang hard, and ive never had trouble with it. The preamp tubes on mine have lasted as well. if you are having a ton of trouble still.. go to this site. its pretty much everything in the world that you could ever want to know about your HRD.

http://studentweb.eku.edu/justin_holton/faq.html


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 1:52 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
I wouldn't change a thing. I'd do what I'm gonna do and dump it.
Mine has been fixed and re-fixed and fixed again. If you want the real scoop go to www.thefenderforum.com and search HRDlx and you'll read horror story after horror story about the HRDlx. Herebyproxy is correct about the volume pot.
Some guys have no problems at all, but many, many do. It's the #1 selling because of it's price point. Tone is a subjective thing. I think mine sounds really good. But it's hard for me to get past the reliability issues. None of mycurrent Fender amps have problems. They are all SF amps that are a minimum of 30 years old. My HRDlx failed after a few months.

Justin made his site for a couple of reasons. I had most of the problems he described. My amp tech replaced and raised the 5 watt power resistors off the board and put silicone under them to avoid the burnt traces. It's a shame because the amp has a lot of potential.


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 21 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Go to page 1, 2  Next

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: