It is currently Tue Mar 17, 2020 5:09 am

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: DRRI Concern
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 12:42 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2011 12:38 am
Posts: 11
Hello everyone. This is my first post and I have a question concerning my DRRI which I bought new recently. The power(mains) transformer becomes too hot to hold onto for more than a few seconds after an hour's playing time. The amp sounds fine but is it normal for the tranny on these amps to get this hot? Would other owners of this amp care to comment please? Thanks.


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: DRRI Concern
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 4:25 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
Yep, they get hot. Why would you touch it? Tubes and trannies get hot. It's normal. I'd be real careful poking around your amp, you can get a pretty nasty burn from the hot components. If you poke around the inside of the amp, you could wind up dead.

_________________
Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: DRRI Concern
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 4:43 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2011 12:38 am
Posts: 11
Thanks for the reply and the safety warning 63supro :D I know enough not to hurt myself. I just wondered how hot was ok? Although I bought the amp new, my guess is that it had been in the shop awhile evidenced by lack of manual and tags. The speaker had also been changed evidenced by the fact that what's in it is stamped C12K, but has no label on the magnet. The output transformer also does not hang straight down but is bent to one side which surely can't be right? Anyhow this all adds up to to me being slightly wary of my brand new purchase.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: DRRI Concern
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 4:44 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 6:51 pm
Posts: 25353
Location: Witness Protection Program
Welcome aboard and 63supro gave you some wise advice...listen to him and be careful!

_________________
Being able to play and enjoy music is a gift that's often taken for granted.

Don't leave home without it!


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: DRRI Concern
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 4:50 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2011 12:38 am
Posts: 11
Hi Mike, thanks. The safety advice is welcome, and I know well intended, after all you and supro don't know me from Adam. Be assured I am extremely careful. My apologies, I am just a little wary of this amp for the reasons I have stated.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: DRRI Concern
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 6:05 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
Magic Bus, Welcome! I've only owned Silverface or original Blackface, and never had a need to mess with them, but Arjay A.K.A. Retroverbial, is all things Fender and speakers/cabs and a huge wealth of information, maybe he'll chime in.

I switched to Egnater after a bad run in with a HRDlx. But I've owned many Fender amps since 1964.

_________________
Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: DRRI Concern
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 6:20 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 3:08 pm
Posts: 2889
Not being as Gifted in the technical side as some of the guys here, I would say this, if you have any doubts about the amp and you just purchased it, NOW ! would be the correct time to return it !!!

Too hot to touch after a few seconds is not what you would expect from your amp, are the power tubes red, Too red ?

When I adjust the bias on my TRRI my hands are in and around the trannys and they dont get that hot after several minutes of being up and running.

Return it now or face the possibilities of owning a project instead of an amp.

_________________
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: Re: DRRI Concern
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 6:58 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
Power trannies are usually pretty hot to the touch. Red Plating is another issue altogether. MB didn't mention anything about that. Ever notice how a wall wort transformer or the transformer from a laptop gets warm to the touch? The power transformer in your amp is much larger and is exposed bare metal. If you take the case off a wall wort, you wouldn't be able to hold it for very long either.

_________________
Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: DRRI Concern
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 7:21 am
Offline
Roadie
Roadie
User avatar

Joined: Thu Jul 10, 2008 8:30 am
Posts: 220
Location: DOWN south
hey Magic Bus~

I understand what you are saying.... I have 5 tube amps, and sure they get hot. THAT's NORMAL RIGHT?? But on 1 of the 5 amps, the transformer DOES get way hotter than the others. It is hard to accurately describe just how hot the one gets. I can place my hand against the under belly of the transformers of the 4 "cooler" amps and I can leave it there for about 8 sec. Of course I am comparing all this considering that the amps are on FULL power for at least 1 hour, say after the first set or so.
My super sonic 22 is the HOT one. I can place my hand there for about 2 sec. and that's it.
The TUBES are not any hotter than the OTHER amps. And these are the other amps:
XXX 120 W all tube 2-12"
Pro Tube Twin~Amp
DRRI
Champ

hmmmmm????????

I am goin to pull the tranny and check to see if the bias drifted off alot or something.
It seemed like after i lowered the bias (it was stock 34-36 mV !) to 24mV, the amp cooled a good bit......
I am about to do that right now, if the bias DID drift back up then tat might explain why the transformer is getting so hot.

p.s. for those that know alot more than me about tube amps, i want to thank you. I have learned alot from you.

_________________
Image


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: DRRI Concern
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 7:41 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
Magic Bus wrote:
Although I bought the amp new......The output transformer also does not hang straight down but is bent to one side which surely can't be right? Anyhow this all adds up to to me being slightly wary of my brand new purchase.


Rest assured, this is no "new amp". It sounds like a floor demo that's been used and abused by who-knows-how many, then dropped a couple of times for extra measure.

I know what I would do in this instance.

Arjay

_________________
"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


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: DRRI Concern
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 11:13 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 3:08 pm
Posts: 2889
Return to sender !!!!

_________________
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: Re: DRRI Concern
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 1:14 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2007 11:39 am
Posts: 92
New amps can (and do) have bent transformers. The 1st Supersonic 22 I purchased from GC had one. Fresh out of the carton. The velcro strips which are stapled to the inside of the amp and restrain the footswitch pulled loose, allowing the footswitch to swing and whack the transformer....probably during transit. Dinged & bent the transformer.....


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: DRRI Concern
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 2:11 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Mon Jun 27, 2011 12:38 am
Posts: 11
Thankyou to everyone for their replies. The amp sounds good and I am loath to return it since DRRI's are scarce in my part of the UK. Trying to be more specific, the transformer is warm after half an hour but very hot after one hour (too hot to touch for more than a few seconds) Retroverbial, since it looks like the speaker was replaced, perhaps whoever changed it could not be bothered to pull the chassis and whacked/pushed the output tranny to one side to facilitate the speaker change?? The amp has stock tubes (EH6V6's etc) and bias is at 17 milliamps for 426 plate voltage.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: DRRI Concern
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 3:18 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
Magic Bus wrote:
Retroverbial, since it looks like the speaker was replaced, perhaps whoever changed it could not be bothered to pull the chassis and whacked/pushed the output tranny to one side to facilitate the speaker change??


Nice trick, that!

And the Fender tranny brackets are sooooo flimsy, you can deform one with a wooden popsicle stick.

:lol:

Sorry, but AFAIK it's not necessary to dismount a DRRI chassis from its cab in order to facilitate a speaker change.

If the amp's tone pleases you then by all means keep it. But you assume some risk -- needlessly so, IMO.

In 45 years I've owned some 60 Fender amps (a dozen of them at this very moment)......I've never had one with a bent tranny.

Arjay

_________________
"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


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: DRRI Concern
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 4:51 pm
Offline
Amateur
Amateur
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jul 17, 2007 4:49 am
Posts: 170
Location: North of Philly
Magic Bus wrote:
The speaker had also been changed evidenced by the fact that what's in it is stamped C12K, but has no label on the magnet.


I can't even pretend to be an amp expert, but the stock speaker is a Jensen C12K. Maybe the sticker came off or was removed?


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: