It is currently Mon Mar 16, 2020 8:28 am

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 29 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Go to page 1, 2  Next
Author Message
Post subject: New 68 Custom Twin Reverb issues,
Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2015 6:04 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 1:08 pm
Posts: 4
New user on this forum :mrgreen:
The good things first: :D
Used my new 68 RI Twin Reverb on a gig this weekend. The band played classic rock. The amp is so new that i haven't had the time to try it before the gig.(It´s not my first twin) The sound was fantastic. Only used the custom channel with volume on 4. Fulltone OCD and ISP decimator on all the time using volume/tone control on my Crook tele and Fender Custom strat for rhythm/lead. My old Twin did not like pedals, this one do :D

The bad things: As soon as the standby switch is on there is a lot of noise..
The white noise in the amp is so loud; and the popping from the tremolo with the amp on 4 was so loud it was useless. The noise is also there with no guitar plugged in, and all controls set to zero..Our sound engineer asked me to use my spear amp for the second half of the show :evil:,because of the noise .
The amp is now on my local Fender dealer. We know It´s nothing wrong with the tubes, or the rev/vib pedal.
Q1: Are there Production issues on some amps?
Q2: anybody else experienced same kind of problem with 68 Twin/deluxe RI amps? Anybody solved the problems?

For the record: I have been playing mostly pro for the last 30 years. Always used tube amps,
a lot of Fender´s. Almost every Marshall made. Many Mesa Boogies, Matchless, Friedman+++.
Never experienced so much noise on any amp before.

Without the noise the 68 RI TR would be on the podium with my old plexi, and the Matchless.


Last edited by GUITARBOB on Tue Jan 27, 2015 8:13 am, edited 2 times in total.

Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: New 68 Custom Twin Reverb issues,
Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2015 7:22 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Fri Feb 05, 2010 4:31 am
Posts: 14045
Location: Province de Québec, Canada
GUITARBOB wrote:
New user on this forum :mrgreen:
The good things first: :D
Used my new 68 RI Twin Reverb on a gig this weekend. The band played classic rock. The amp is so new that i haven't had the time to try it before the gig.(It´s not my first twin) The sound was fantastic. Only used the custom channel with volume on 4. Fulltone OCD and ISP decimator on all the time using volume/tone control on my Crook tele and Fender Custom strat for rhythm/lead. My old Twin did not like pedals, this one do :D
The bad things:
The white noise in the amp is so loud; and the popping from the tremolo with the amp on 4 was so loud it was useless. Our sound engineer asked me to use my spear amp for the second half of the show :evil:,because of the noise .
The amp is now on my local Fender dealer. We know It´s nothing wrong with the tubes, or the rev/vib pedal.
Q1: Are there Production issues on some amps?
Q2: anybody else experienced same kind of problem with 68 Twin/deluxe RI amps? Anybody solved the problems?
We read often noise problem here , solution ; I don't have read any feedback . I hope you come back to tell what the tech find .


For the record: I have been playing mostly pro for the last 30 years. Always used tube amps,
a lot of Fender´s. Almost every Marshall made. Many Mesa Boogies, Matchless, Friedman+++.
Never experienced so much noise on any amp before.

Without the noise the 68 RI TR would be on the podium with my old plexi, and the Matchless.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: New 68 Custom Twin Reverb issues,
Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2015 7:04 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jul 07, 2010 5:58 pm
Posts: 385
Location: Montana
Same issue here. I have had one of these amps going on seven months now. When I first got it the power tubes were bad, got that fixed at a service center. When I got it back is when I noticed the hiss and I took it back to the service center. After two weeks I was told that it is not as hissy as other tube amps. I have five other tube amps and none of them hiss as bad as the 68 Custom TR, with nothing plugged in and the volume on zero.

I think it has something to do with the way that they have both channels hooked up to the reverb and vibrato, but I am not an electronics expert.

The only way I have reduced the hiss is with a Weber Mini Mass attenuator. It still hisses but not as loud.

_________________
In the hands of the right people it can change the world. Not bad for a hunk of ash, a few magnets, and some wire.
Band Site
http://www.reverbnation.com/bigskybluesband
Demos
http://www.youtube.com/user/bigskybluesband


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: New 68 Custom Twin Reverb issues,
Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2015 9:37 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 1:08 pm
Posts: 4
Will visit the dealer today to hear for some update. It would have been nice if Fender could tell us how much hiss ( measured in db)we can accept from the new Fender RI amps, when on and nothing plugged in. Ill guess they never will...The older ones are sure much quieter. If it had something to do with the rev/vib Fender would know it, and should tell. Done a lot of search on the web, and some have no problem at all, and some got new amps without the noise.

Will report back as soon as there is any news.

Thanks


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: New 68 Custom Twin Reverb issues,
Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2015 10:37 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jul 07, 2010 5:58 pm
Posts: 385
Location: Montana
I agree on the older amps being much more quiet. I have an old blues deville 410 and a 72 musicmaster that are pretty much silent. So are my 65 drri and blues deluxe and those are both reissue amps..

I fired up my 68 tr this evening and if I keep the volume around 2 and use my od pedals level cranked, the hiss is tolerable in my studio and miked with a condenser..

I did some garage jamming a few weeks back and really got a lot of hiss around 4 and up.. The amp sounds real good, but having an amp hissing like this is tough on the sound guy if he is miking it.. The thing will get plenty loud without a need for miking imho..

_________________
In the hands of the right people it can change the world. Not bad for a hunk of ash, a few magnets, and some wire.
Band Site
http://www.reverbnation.com/bigskybluesband
Demos
http://www.youtube.com/user/bigskybluesband


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: New 68 Custom Twin Reverb issues,
Posted: Tue Jan 27, 2015 11:47 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 1:08 pm
Posts: 4
No doubt about it: the TR are very load amps, but when playing for 4-500 up to 1000 people, it´s a matter of balanced stage volume. I like using my amps from my side of the stage pointing cross the stage. Miking it trough the p.a make it sound more "in the band", and our sound engineer always preferred that. In smaller venues i use a smaller amp.
When playing in smaller places and not miking, i set my amps behind me, but with the speaker/amp at the floor tilted, pointing to the back of my head.
Love the TR sound so i will not give up on this amp..


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: New 68 Custom Twin Reverb issues,
Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2015 6:59 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jul 07, 2010 5:58 pm
Posts: 385
Location: Montana
I have tried 12ay7's and 5751's in the v1,v2 spots and the 12ay7's helped a little, the 5751's I got were crap so no dice on them.. I am probably going to get a higher wattage Weber Mass Attenuator, the 50 watter I have cuts the hiss down substantially and it has a line out so I can run it into my board. I also unhooked the reverb and that did not help.. The only thing that took the hiss out completely was pulling the v3 tube out, but then you don't get any sound.. That is what leads me to think that it is somehow in the way they are doing the circuit for the reverb and vibrato to both channels..

I use an old Rat pedal,Hardwire CM2 OD and a Fulltone Fulldrive II for my grit stuff and I find if I turn the levels up on those and turn the level of the amp down a little more on the 68 TR than I usually do on my other amps, I get some good tone.. It is just the reverse for my other amps, level down on the od's and level up on the amps..

I know that it is not an ac line noise issue in my studio, because I have a spendy ac filter.. When I jammed in the garage the amp definitely hissed a lot more because of the ac noise and florescent lights over head, I could see where that would be a big issue with the 68TR..

I was planning on getting a 68 Custom Vibrolux, but not now..

Just a thought, but do any of you mighty electro amp gurus think that if the bias was adjusted colder it would lessen the hiss?

_________________
In the hands of the right people it can change the world. Not bad for a hunk of ash, a few magnets, and some wire.
Band Site
http://www.reverbnation.com/bigskybluesband
Demos
http://www.youtube.com/user/bigskybluesband


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: New 68 Custom Twin Reverb issues,
Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2015 5:52 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jun 29, 2010 1:20 pm
Posts: 9640
Location: Indiana
Lowering the bias current could help with hiss, but could also cause sound degradation if too low. It certainly wouldn't hurt to check the bias and see if there is room to lower it. I haven't seen the inside of one of these amps, but I would look at the lead dress and see if you can move the wires around to reduce the hiss. Start with the power transformer leads, and DC power supply leads, carefully twisting the pairs of wires, something like this:

Image

_________________
---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: New 68 Custom Twin Reverb issues,
Posted: Wed Jan 28, 2015 10:32 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Mon Jul 16, 2007 1:08 pm
Posts: 4
Update: The amp is still at the shop waiting for an answer from Fender (Scandinavia AB) about any tip/issues/solutions. I will let you know if they are trying to repair it local or sending it to Fender, or replacing it.

Remember this " white noise " is there with volume at zero. Have to turn the volume past 4 to increase the hum in the amp. The noise at zero and the hum is different noises.. It´s only the white noise that is a problem. And the popping from the vibrato is so load it´s useless.

Thanks for all the answers. I will report back as soon as i hear anything.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: New 68 Custom Twin Reverb issues,
Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2015 6:42 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jul 07, 2010 5:58 pm
Posts: 385
Location: Montana
I would like to know what they find out for sure so I can notify my service center and get mine dialed in as well.

_________________
In the hands of the right people it can change the world. Not bad for a hunk of ash, a few magnets, and some wire.
Band Site
http://www.reverbnation.com/bigskybluesband
Demos
http://www.youtube.com/user/bigskybluesband


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: New 68 Custom Twin Reverb issues,
Posted: Thu Jan 29, 2015 8:21 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
Personally, I would just ship it back, get a refund and either look for a vintage Fender or a different manufacturer. If I can build a quiet amp from a kit, and I'm no genius but can follow instructions, then Fender can too. I feel bad for you and all the noise problems in their new amps is a disgrace that needs to be addressed. I still feel all the noise comes from cheap components and manufacturing shortcuts. Almost every every manufacturer does it now. In the photo above, the sight of seventeen spade connectors just on the switches and power tranny irritates me. That is one of the shortcuts I speak of.

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


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: New 68 Custom Twin Reverb issues,
Posted: Wed Feb 11, 2015 12:49 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jul 07, 2010 5:58 pm
Posts: 385
Location: Montana
Well it looks like my amp is going to take a trip to Arizona. I contacted Fender Customer Relations and got a FedEx ticket to ride. It will be interesting to find out what is going on. About came to the point of just building my own Twin Reverb from MojoTone and still might do that..

_________________
In the hands of the right people it can change the world. Not bad for a hunk of ash, a few magnets, and some wire.
Band Site
http://www.reverbnation.com/bigskybluesband
Demos
http://www.youtube.com/user/bigskybluesband


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: New 68 Custom Twin Reverb issues,
Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2015 11:34 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jul 07, 2010 5:58 pm
Posts: 385
Location: Montana
Well it looks like round two. They are sending me a new amp.

_________________
In the hands of the right people it can change the world. Not bad for a hunk of ash, a few magnets, and some wire.
Band Site
http://www.reverbnation.com/bigskybluesband
Demos
http://www.youtube.com/user/bigskybluesband


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: New 68 Custom Twin Reverb issues,
Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2015 8:27 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jul 07, 2010 5:58 pm
Posts: 385
Location: Montana
I got the new amp last Thursday and it flamed out on Sunday. Total smoke, red plate on the Vintage channel. It is back in the service center. Damn, what the hell? I got my eyes on another Twin Reverb though. This one is a 70's era with the master volume. I played it yesterday, wow big difference from the 68' Custom Twin Reverb. Probably going to get it if I can get a good deal. The tolex is not in the best shape and it has Peavey Scorpion speakers , not my favorite.. Probably put some Eminence Lil' Texas speakers in it if I get it.. Jackson Browne is stenciled all over that thing, not sure what the story is on that yet..

_________________
In the hands of the right people it can change the world. Not bad for a hunk of ash, a few magnets, and some wire.
Band Site
http://www.reverbnation.com/bigskybluesband
Demos
http://www.youtube.com/user/bigskybluesband


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: New 68 Custom Twin Reverb issues,
Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2015 9:32 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26415
Location: Tombstone Territory
You're better off with a real silverface, MB -- they're built like proverbial tanks and with a modicum of routine servicing, will last a generation or more.

"flamed out", LOLOL!

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
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 29 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: TimsAudio 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: