Tell me about today's Fenders

Discuss the stuff that makes your ears bleed.

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hamo
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Re: Tell me about today's Fenders

Post by hamo »

TmcB wrote:I've just put a '68 Custom Deluxe on layby because it's the best amp I've played in years.

Absolutely love it.

And if later you feel you want to try a '65 DRRI you just change one resistor and the speaker.

There are complaints in forum land that it's got some hiss at idle. This is due to the lack of negative feedback and it being a no-master-volume amp - I a/b'd it against an AC30 with Master maxed and the AC30 had the same hiss. I'll bet if it shipped with attenuator or Master Volume there would be no complaints.

However, the GrooveTubes "valves" Fender ships their amps with are absolutely awful though - the 2 12AT7's were scratching and popping, and the 12AX7's were microphonic. So that's most of your preamp valves that need replacing.

So there you go. I've got a set of valves on the way to replace the preamp.

I love it but Fender don't help the awesomeness get out as easily as it could. Other than that, clean is stunning, reverb and trem are lovely, crunches like a mofo, and sounds hauntingly beautiful when you want it to.
Shouldn't the shop have replaced the valves?
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Re: Tell me about today's Fenders

Post by TmcB »

hamo wrote:
Shouldn't the shop have replaced the valves?
Well, the distributor should but it's more trouble than it's worth to just get more crappy tubes in there.
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Re: Tell me about today's Fenders

Post by MrDINO »

Shame Fender can't quite deliver the finished package

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Re: Tell me about today's Fenders

Post by TmcB »

Yeah, it's a bit annoying for the gold but to be fair they've done all the usual mods (bright cap, Reverb/trem both channels, tweaked first channel, old school schumaker transformers, celestion speaker) so I'm kinda letting them away with it.

The tone is worth it.
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Re: Tell me about today's Fenders

Post by null_pointer »

Can't speak for mine, perhaps the toobs got replaced prior to it coming into my possession but I'm really happy with the toan and not noticing any issues. I really should check em and see!

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Re: Tell me about today's Fenders

Post by MrDINO »

I used to own a Fender concert ( 80s vintage) great amp but for me again the weight issue..

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Re: Tell me about today's Fenders

Post by null_pointer »

DRRIs and PRRIs are both pretty light and transportable. Shouldn't have any issues there moving them round

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Re: Tell me about today's Fenders

Post by H671 »

I haven't tried a Princeton but I would love to A B one with my Gibson G20 - it's got the same size reverb tank as my Fender twin!
However, I think that my Vibro King has killed all of my amp Gas, such that the weight is irrelevant. Actually it's not that bad - 30 kg.
Every type of guitar that I have from single coils, P90's to Humbuckers sound great through it.
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Re: Tell me about today's Fenders

Post by hamo »

TmcB wrote:
hamo wrote:
Shouldn't the shop have replaced the valves?
Well, the distributor should but it's more trouble than it's worth to just get more crappy valves in there.
I guess. When I had the Blackheart, it had a microphonic valve in it, and they replaced it in the shop with a Sovtek one, which was better than whatever was in there from the factory. Still, at least this way you get what you want in there from the off.
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Re: Tell me about today's Fenders

Post by goldtop0 »

A Blues Junior is a good combo but the latest '68 DR ri and Princeton etc are not that great imo.
Doin' that scrapyard thing.

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