5 things to know BEFORE buying a '68 Deluxe Reverb & why I returned mine
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- Опубликовано: 27 июл 2024
- Hi, I'm Jeff Starr, a filmmaker who also loves guitars and gear. This is a demo/review for the Fender '68 Deluxe Reverb amplifier. I explain it's problems with amp hiss, a ticking tremolo and why I decided to return my amp. That said, it might still be a great amp for you and I'll tell you what I really liked about it. I also demonstrate using this amp with the Tone King Iron Man II mini attenuator.
Timestamps:
00:00 Intro and my history with this amp.
01:32 1) Noise Concerns
05:01 2) Ticking Tremolo? Are the rumors true?
09:04 3) Using an Attenuator. Does this make the amp even better? Solution or bandaid?
19:12 4) Things I really like about this amp!
22:32 5) Bassman tone stack on the Custom channel.
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Recorded in LogicX.
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Interesting... I've had mine for a couple of years and have NEVER had these problems. Sorry to hear that yours does.
Not yet. Also has to do with power, LED lights near by with DIMMER SWITCHES, etc. When I turn off my lights- the hum goes away 100%.
Cutting to the chase on this amp that I commented on about a year ago, I decided to attack the sources of the noise floor and had much success. Here’s what I did: 1) I replaced the 1.5k negative feedback resistor with the original spec 820k, 2) I removed the entire filament (heater) circuit from the main PCB, connected the leads directly to the V8 power tube, removed the jumper lead from V7 to the PCB and made up a new artificial center tap grounded at the power transformer, 3) I removed all power section grounds from the PCB (power transformer center tap, power section filter capacitors ground and power tube grounds) and attached them to the chassis near the power transformer, 4) rewired the V3 reverb driver jumper to confirm to the original vintage DR circuit layout, and 5) ran a ground jumper from the unused power section capacitor attachment point CP13 to ground to shunt any stray noise. The result, now the amp is studio quiet, the vibrato tick is completely gone. No unusual hiss, buzz or hum. All I did was confirm the amp to the way vintage Fenders’ heater and power sections were grounded. Additional noise reduction can be made to the reverb section by changing the way Fender blended the channels, but to me it was unnecessary. Fender could do what I’ve done easily, apparently they think we can’t hear the noises. Wrong!
I copied and printed your post and it is almost verbatim what Lyle on his "Psionic Audio", RUclips channel says are the main problems with the '68 DRRI. But you wrote it up so succinctly that I can just hand this over to my Amp guy and give him a head start. I know what a great amp this can be once these issues are addressed.
It's a shame that Fender causes the customer to have to do it though.
It's very cool you sorted it all out but It just shouldn't take that much repair work to get a new amp to function properly. The video here clearly displays problems with the amp and yet I see a number of people in the comments claiming things like power or cell phone interference when it's clearly the amp that is at fault. The clicking wouldn't change speed by changing the setting on the amp if it was an external source. I've heard old original '60s Deluxe amps do that clicking thing and I bet they didn't do it back when they were brand new. Also the level of hiss is quite unreasonable for a new amp. The Dr Z was a serious upgrade from the '68 Deluxe in price and hopefully in quality as well. I've never seen that amp before, it is certainly interesting. Two 6V6 tubes doing class A is cool producing an amp that puts out either 15w or 7w. Too bad there is no Vibrato (Trem) on it as I imagine that was one of the original attractions to the '68 Deluxe Reverb. The Z-Plus does have master volume, an effects loop, and a real tube driven spring reverb so it has a few extras in addition to hopefully being nice and quiet and well built.
@7171jay thanks for your comment. Yes, the Dr. Z is a much higher class of amp, and it shows in sound quality, build, and functionality. It’s absolutely perfect to me. I do miss having trem built in, but I can run a pedal in the front or via the effects loop so I’ll live with that sacrifice. Once again, the Dr. Z is amazing and I highly recommend the Z-Plus.
@JeffStarr Yeah, the Z seems like a very cool amp (one I actually didn't know til I saw your video) and one that I might be interested in if I didn't have my HiMu which is a single 6V6 amp but very different than most other small single ended amps in that it has rather large power and output transformers and a lot of gain options. I'm guessing the HiMu is probably quite a bit like your Z when it is set to 7 watts. The HiMu doesn't do 15 watts (which I really dont need anyway) but has a number of tricks that the Z doesn't which makes it cool in it's own way.
Where do you live? Could you do mine?
Spot on. I returned mine the same day due mostly to the high noise floor and ticking tremelo.
This amp is known to have design flaws which make it rather noisy. I‘ve had one for about a week and couldn’t live with that hiss, which had nothing to do with the outlets in my room, cause my other tube amps didn’t have any issues like that at all. I love Fender amps, but Leo would have never approved the 68 Custom Deluxe
Very useful video .!!! These issues on 68 custom deluxes are being present for a lot of years ,it’s was about time for a video to come !!Maybe Fender will listen and fix them , and then 68 dlx reverb will be a great great choice !!!
Your review really made me want this amp. I love noise in my signal and find extraneous or annoying hisses alongside my pedestrian playing really mask my lack of talent. I’ve considered practicing more, but I think this ticking white noise machine might be exactly what I need.
Maybe you should be playing through your Mom's washing machine. Plenty of noise there! Lol
I've had this amp for about 2 month now and I absolutely love it ! I use a 50s style tele with the volume set at 6 ,no noise I can't live with.The distortion is so good I don't even use my tube screamer.
I just purchased the68 custom deluxe reverb... Cant wait to receive it and hear it with my player series strat
@@godzoo18 yes, I ended up moving the 6.5volt heater wires from the pcb board and directly to the octal sockets. Took about 75% of the noise out.
@@godzoo18 I didn't.
My Tele with Yosemite pick ups sounds amazing through this amp. No Pedals required. I just have to be sure I have at least a couple of hours to play before I plug in. Can't be late to work again...Lol
@@godzoo18 I have one and have NOT noticed that. Mine is whisper quiet. Maybe I got lucky.
Great review. Studio paint looks awesome!
Thank you for this video. A very valid review of your experience with the amp. I had considered this amp, but I wasn't sure I wanted to spend that much money on one and after your review, I've decided to take it off my want list. At the price these are going for (regardless of where they were made), there shouldn't be the type of issues you had experienced. Thanks again for your honest review.
Thank you for taking the time to leave such a nice comment. I really wanted to love this amp but it just seems crazy to me that they have these problems out of the box - especially considering that others have made this same complaint since the amp was first released.
Thank you for this video. I was just getting ready to buy one of these and that would have driven me insane.
Glad I could help!
Good info. Thanks, Jeff! I almost bought one of those today. That noise and ticking would've definitely been a disappointment.
I had two of them as well and sent both back. Psion Audio in Memphis knows how to fix this and greatly improve the circuit for roughly $300. If you get that done and upgrade the speaker it will be a fantastic amp.
Thanks Jeff! I’m dealing with this right now. I got the 65 Deluxe and it’s the exact same thing. I’m on my second amp as well. Slightly less noise, but still there. My uses are exactly the same as you mentioned (home use and recording/not live). I love tone of the amp and feels great to play, but the hiss can get maddening. There’s plenty of people saying that a mod to the reverb circuit fixes it, but it’s hard to justify having to mod something right out of the box. It’s disheartening, but this one will probably go back too.
Thanks for leaving a comment. I have seen others saying that the 65 is not prone to these problems so I think it’s very valuable to know you have struggled with the noise/hiss too. It sounds like your amp was built recently, yes? Does your trem circuit tick too?
@@JeffStarr Yes, the exact same tick and yes, it’s right out of the box (two weeks). Your vid totally resonated (pun intended)... two amps, same issue. Had wanted one for while and I saw that the price had jumped so I was able to get a price match to the old price. This issue would be really infuriating at the full $1400. But nevertheless isn’t something I’m willing to just ‘live with.’ Would love go your route with a Dr. Z, but it’s out of my price range. The DRRI is what I was looking for, simple, feels good to play and the overall tone is awesome. So I’ll be shopping again. I’m a bit skeptical of some of the other consumer level amps that try to be an all-in-one. Or, they seem to put more focus on the drive channel. Thanks for your response!
UPDATE: I saw a post saying to use a 12AY7 in the V4 position to stop the hiss. I happen have one lying around and I’ll be dammed if it didn’t work! Much more quiet. Tone is great! It’s not dead, I may forget it’s on quiet, but it’s like a different amp. I’m not 100% sure if I’m still going to hold on to it, ‘cause in the back of my mind I wonder if I just put a band aid on a bigger problem (?)
I've gigged my 68 SFDRRI like crazy and love it. Totally stock. I have more boutique amps than I care to mention and I always come back to this amp. It's great- sounds amazing and I always get compliments on it. I was in Nashville last week and saw 2 heavyweight guitar badasses do a show in a perfect swampy bar with Tele tones you would die for. They were top notch pickers, but the stage was like a perfect example of "this or this"- one player had a custom boutique amp, a custom boutique tele, and a beautiful but minimalist pedalboard. The other player had an off the rack MIM Tele Thinline, a $99 tube screamer, and this 68 SFDRRI- the tones from both players were totally insane. Goes to show ya it's the player not the gear. Jack Pearson much? :) Anyway, I wish Fender would reissue this amp in a hand wired series like they did the 64. As to the issues you've had, sad to say but "that's Fender sometimes". I remember we went through 5 Fender Supersonic 22w amps in one band I was in. They sounded great, but had tons of quality control issues- major one's too: like heavy static, little/no volume, etc. We bought them new and I went through 2 of them, my bandmate went through 3. Fender stood behind all of them with replacements, but still- that's crazy poor quality control. With mass production it happens in 'batches' so you'll get good ones and then bad ones. Sounds like you got one of the bad ones. Still though- the 68 DR is one hell of an amp.
@@godzoo18 None. The amp is now living in Nashville and has been played by Oz Noy, Uncle Larry, and lotsa others. It’s been doing regular gigs around town without issues. I think Fender on their mass scale production will have amps that fall thru the cracks. I went through 3 SuperSonics before I got one that worked perfectly
@@jessebfly I love the name dropping of people nobody has ever heard of. Nice!
Like you, my amp is noise free, which is fantastic.
Really happy with your video. Thanks at lot.
Thanks! I am glad it was useful!
Great review Jeff. I had the same exact issues with my 68 Deluxe. Plus, there is a lot of background hiss with everything turned to zero that kinda spoils the vibe of this amp. There is no possibility to play quietly to enjoy the subtleties of this amp. Mine went back to the Guitar Center. End of story. I bought a 65 Princeton Reverb and it does everything I want. Fantastic dripping wet reverb and pounding vibrato, and you can play it at low volumes.
Thanks for the info! The noise really ruined this amp for me too. I really, REALLY wanted to make it work.
Thanks brother you just crushed my dreams of owning one of these 😄
I would check out the ‘65 Deluxe Reverb. Viewers have been leaving comments that the ‘65 and ‘64 don’t suffer from some of these problems. And if you do decide that you want to try the ‘68 I would highly suggest that you try it in person or purchase from a retailer like Sweetwater that has a flexible return policy.
@@JeffStarr went through three 68DRRIs and thought to try the 65 on display. Not as noisy but the ticking was as bad as the 68.
I own one and it’s not noisy at all… try them out for yourself first don’t just take this 1 video and run with it
Bought mine in October, 2019, and it has been outstanding.
Really useful video, Jeff. I stumbled across your channel while looking at demos of the Fender Super Champ XD, and you have some great content, really nicely presented. It's a mystery to me why your numbers aren't much higher. Anyway, I'm looking forward to watching many more of your videos. Thanks!
Thank you! I’m just plugging away and trying to have fun making videos. They might not all be great but hopefully they’re not bad. ;)
Thanks so much Jeff! You just saved me, Time, Energy, money, and peace of mind, considering I was thinking of getting one recently.
I also recently heard that these are built in Mexico, not USA like the 65 reissues, so that could be the issue right there.
So looks like I’m going with the 65 reissue instead! Thanks again for posting this informative video.
I'm glad this was helpful!! Making this video took a lot of time and eventually deciding that I wasn't going to keep it was a bit heartbreaking. If you are buying online, I recommend purchasing from Sweetwater and using my rep Joe Schafer. He was super helpful with my purchase, got me get a replacement amp and then made the return of both amps super easy. They work on commission at Sweetwater so I want to throw any business his way as a thank you to him. I get nothing in return for recommending him. He was literally just that helpful to me! :)
So basically you're either going to buy an amp made in mexico by Mexicans, or buy an amp made in the USA by Mexicans.🤷🏼♂️ The price points of those two amps are nearly identical. The labor is much cheaper in mexico. Which amp do you think is of better quality? The '68 has a couple issues, but that can be resolved and it's a great amp otherwise.
My 65 DRRI (which is 23 years old) tremolo ticks also... the noise floor, from hearing what we can hear with an ambient mic, is MUCH lower, however.
Did you try either of these in different rooms? Most of the time those weird ticking noises are unwanted noise from power issues or interference from other electronic devices (cell phone/router)
I must have got lucky because mine has no trem ticking! Mine is not the quietest amp I own, but the noise is masked when I start to play (usually about volume at 3). I don’t know about how it performs at extreme settings. The fact that you received two brand new amps with unusable problems suggests a QC issue, I agree. Thanks for the video.
I've had mine since January and recently the transformer blew...had to get the amp repaired and when I did, I got a 6L6 conversion done to it and It sounds amazing. It's definitely noticeably louder now. Also, I haven't had any of the issues you've had in this video.
Count your blessings and knock on some wood. 😉 Everything in this video is absolutely true about this 68 reissue.
@@jj339c For some people, but there are plenty of people in these comments that DON'T have these issues, including myself. I'm thinking they must have had some bad batches or something. Mine is flawless.
I have had those issues as well and returned to Guitar Center two days later...waiting on the replacement. When I turn on my Ho tRod deluxe III after 8 years with it, still quite (of course changed tubes a couple of times). Love the sound of the 68 and need a backup for live band gigs. Use a Roland JC 40 as well.
Update. The second one was a dud with different issues, no tremolo working and way too much noise cranked to 5 .. traded for a 65 deluxe reverb and it works perfect!
I've had mine for about 6 years and I haven't had any noise from it. It's too bad you have had bad experiences. I think it's an amazing sounding amp and from my experience I would highly recommend
Same. Mine is a launch model too. It's an amazing amp.
Did you try plugging it in a different outlet? I have the same amp and if you plug it into an outlet with a bad ground the amp becomes noisy.
this 100%
The fix for me completely blew my mind… took relaxing the IEC to get rid of the noises I was getting. Makes zero sense to me
I think every criticism is valid, I actually use the Strymon Flint for Tremolo cause the amp one is annoying. However, I do still love this amp. I did put in a Creamback speaker, not positive it sounded better but definitely still sounded as good. And I always turn the bass to zero when I play with a band. I tried one time at rehearsal to not bring my amp and just use the Hot Rod Deville the rental place had and I absolutely hated it.
Looking forward to see your review if you get a different amp Jeff! I'm kinda craving to try one of those Marshall Studio vintage heads.
Yeah, I tried so hard to love this amp. But at the end of the day I was just making excuses for it. At the price it costs I couldn’t deal with it. I ended buying a Dr. Z, Z-Plus. It’s a much more expensive amp so it’s hard to compare them, but the Dr. Z is so perfect I am having a hard time finding negative things to say in my upcoming review.
@@JeffStarr Absolutely, you spend good money on an amp or any gear you have to love it yourself, no matter how well reviewed it is. Congrats on the Dr. Z, looking forward to hearing it.
I have one of these. I think the "ticking" sound comes directly from the tremolo. Wonder if you had It bypassed if it would go away. Sometimes mine ticks sometimes it dont. But if I increase the tremolo it gets louder and worse.
I have a 68 deluxe reverb and i love it mine does not have any issues and i have had it for 5 years
Yeah, based on what others have said this seems to be an intermittent issue that not everyone has. It may be the result of poor quality control at the factory level.
Thank you for this video. I am in the market for a low wattage tube amp - and was attracted to the Fender reissue 68 Deluxe Reverb - until I saw this video. Half way into the video and I've already got a headache from the ticking. I've already had a bad experience with another well known guitar amp manufacture - so I can definitely relate to your account with this Fender amp. Whatever you do - don't buy an Orange Rocker 32. I've gone through five of them (returned three - kept two). One died two hours after purchase (yes two freaking hours), the second died one month after purchase, the third died eleven months after purchase, and two years later the switch died on, yet, another Orange amp. I had an LED light go out one of these amps too. The volume pots on the Orange Rocker are very scratchy. Cleaning with contact cleaner help some - but the scratchiness returned - basically those potentiometers need to be replaced with quality pots. The obvious conclusion here is that the Orange Rocker 32 amps are low quality amps. I always toted a backup amp for gigs out of fear the Orange amp would suddenly die during a paid gig. I'm guessing most of the famous brands that produce modern tube amps introduce reliability issues that old amps don't have - due to cost cutting for the sake of profit margin. I'm not surprised the design with the Fender Deluxe Reverb took a hit with increased noise. That ticking sound is just unacceptable and ridiculous. Shame on Fender! But, do they even care? If they're anything like Orange - I doubt it. I've owned a 1979 Fender Twin Reverb since the 80s (my first amp) - that amp is WAY better than those crappy Orange Rocker 32s - in terms of quality. Obviously, those amps are very different from each other. At the end of the day it might actually be well worth the money to buy a used vintage Fender tube amp - or maybe something such as Toneking's Imperial amp (or some other quality boutique amp) - because perhaps a smaller company with passion will just care a lot more about sound and reliability compared to companies like Orange or Fender. BTW - I happen to be an analog engineer with 24 years of experience working in Silicon Valley (BSEE from Cal Poly SLO and MSEE from Santa Clara University). I repaired amps when I was 17 - working at a repair shop (rebuilt many blown 70s stereo receiver solid state amps). And, of course, I've repaired my own guitar tube amps in the past.
If you decide to look at boutique amp builders I recommend Dr. Z. I ended up returning the deluxe reverb and used that money to help purchase a Z-Plus made by Dr. Z and I love it. Build quality is super solid and it runs so silent it’s easy to forget it’s even turned on.
So Sweetwater sent another without sending the other one back? I’m having similar issues with my 68 Princeton and wanna compare as well. How did you get them to do that? Thanks for the video
Had the same issues….. isolated power bar (rack mount) helped a lot!
Did you noticed this issues with the 65 reissue? I was getting sole weird sounds from the 65 while trying it at guitar center idk what was causing it but now idk if i want that or the jcm800
I bought this amp and the vibrato didn't work. Exchanged it for a new one and have the same problem. Anyone know how to fix this?
I have the 68 vibro champ reverb and it has next to no noise with a big sound. I was interested in the princeton 68 but this noise would annoy me also. Wonder if the 65 princeton is noisy? I also have a pro jnr iv tweed. The first one I purchased was very noisy. The store said it was my power outlet so I moved it around the house and to friends house with same result. They eventually sent me a replacement and it was a different amp, very quiet.
Thanks very much for the advice, now I will try the 68 twin reverb or the custom pro reverb. I use a strat with 69 custom shop pickups, I will keep my fingers cross
I bought a 68, Vibro Champ Reverb and I had all that noise but then I bought a Boss Noise Suppressor NS-1 and all the noise when away and now I love it.
What did you use to power it? Is it your home wiring? I’ve never had that noise unless it was my strat causing the noise lol
I had similar issues with mine. I don’t recall the ticking but it was really noisy. I just tried an Orange TremLord and it also had the ticking issues and was also super noisy :(
I will say that the Volante spring reverb sounds amazing, and you can adjust the dwell using secondary controls.
Source Audio True Spring, - only emulation I found better than Strymon.
i have a 2015 68 twin reverb. same problems, noise, i reversed the reverb pan and it solved about 90% of the noise, still has original tubes, a complete tube change with some good tubes probably would help too!
Good to know. It seems like a lot of these issues are just due to poor construction techniques and QC issues. I have to say that I considered the Twin Reverb Tone Master for a while as getting the actual tube version was just so crazy heavy and loud that I couldn’t justify it. Do you get to gig your Twin out much? Last time I played one live I don’t think I was allowed get the volume past 2. Ha ha!
I really love my '68 DRRI. Yes, it is a bit noisy, but when playing it's absolutely luxurious. Sounds like you might want to try an Ampeg Superjet SJ12T. Super quiet and amazing vibrato.
I'll check it out! I ended up buying a Z-Plus by Dr. Z. I've been in love with that amp since I got it.
If you like Fender, try Ampeg, especially the older models.Only Reverb and Trem that beats Fender, with richer, broader , harmonics.
Export models do not feature a optocoupler for tremolo, but some kind of oscillator circuit which is fed via flying leads all across the amp.
That seems to be the reason for 80% of the floor noise. Just removed the 2 boards for that oscillator and added an optocoupler. Noise not completely gone but fine for recording/playing at home.
Perhaps some US/non-export units are loaded with that as well, which would explain the noise issue in every country.
Apparently the optocoupler part doesn’t meet RoHS standard, hence export model modification.
I think this applies to the whole “Custom” silverface reissues.
I had one and returned mine also. I like the 65’ reissue but the 68’ didn’t do it for me. I was excited about the “bassman-ish” custom channel and both channels sharing the reverb and trem but I was underwhelmed for sure.
I am pretty excited to try the new pro reverb RI but, for what they’re charging, it still may not be worth it.
How you liking the 65’ reissue so far?
Wow, their QC must have gone downhill on these or something. I bought mine in 2016 or thereabouts, and it doesn't suffer from these issues to the degree that yours did. There is a noise floor, but it's in line with any of my other amps. And the tremolo does tick a bit, but again, it's not nearly as noticeable as yours. I think it's a good amp. I'm just not in love with its drive when cranked beyond about 5 on either channel. Excellent cleans and "on the edge" breakup though.
I experienced the same noise with the first of 2 of these that I got from sweetwater. The second one was better but still a bit noisy for low volume studio recording. It seems less apparent as the amp has “broken in “ over time. I bought an attenuator so I could get a more driven sound at lower volume, the added benefit being lower noise. I bought this amp for its sound and yes, the reverb is great. When performing live with a 4 piece band in a medium sized venue , without an attenuator , the volume at 3 1/2 is loud enough in the mix. Interesting that it may be the negative feedback reduction that causes the high noise floor. I kept mine
Thanks for leaving a comment. I think this is super helpful for those thinking about buying this amp. Rock on!
I’ve built my own amps without negative feedback and mine are dead silent in the room, you can’t even tell they’re on. My experience suggests it’s not the reduced negative feedback to blame.
The ticking is a lead dress issue that I've solved on many Fender amps. The noise floor is mainly to do with the electrolytic caps and further lead dress issues than can be cleaned up with higher quality electrolytics and better lead dress technique.
could it be a bad grounding of your house mains installation ?
Wow, thanks for this valuable clip. This is really a deal breaker for me and that will definitely drive my depression worse. It's not a $120 amp which we can figure out what to do😑 if not returnable.
Sorry, i dun mind upgrading the speakers for better tone but its not justifiable to " repair" the amp myself.
Great video. I definitely hear what you’re talking about. Does the ‘65 have the same issues?
I have the 65, no it’s solid
My understanding is that the 65 and 64 do not suffer from these issues.
Wow, so I love mine so much, I had to go running downstairs to really listen close to it and see what you were talking about. I couldn't find the high noise floor or the ticking. I think I bought mine in 2017 and it was a year old. I wonder what happened there. I just think the Celestion speaker was a great choice and the front end takes pedals so well. I'm in love. Apparently, your experience may vary. Must be some quality control issues going on, or bad components.
Yeah, my guess is that this is a QC problem. I've heard from a lot of people in the comments and it's a mix of my experience and others like yourself who have no noise or ticking problems. Glad you got a good one! Rock on!
So if I want clean tones I have to play it at volume 5? Or is that just the volume you’d likely have it at
Five is where I think it starts to sound the best. But you will have a clean sound from 1 to 5 on the amp. Around five, the amp will start to distort, and as you turn up higher, you’ll get more distortion.
I was playing around with my 69 DRII tonight and from time to time would notice radio static and then I heard the ticking you was talking about. I also realized when I had my cell phone near the amp, the noise and ticking would start up! And if I had my screen light on Luke I was to look into the back of the ago it got real bad! I kept experimenting with moving my phone away from the amo and turning on the screen and sure enough it was all coming from my cell phone! Did you happen to have your cell phone near the amp? I tried the same experiment with my Carol Ann Silk and it did the same thing! Buzzing and that ticking noise. I thought I would share this to see if anyone else notices the same thing?
Recently bought one as well from GC, to relive my college years, and I am fighting with the "ticking" noise issue as well. This is ridiculous that Fender would release a product like this and not stand by it. I removed the V1 12AX7 tube, and the 2 middle 6L6s, and play through a single speaker, (saw this "mod" in another RUclips video) playing same guitar only on the vintage channel since the other channel is now disabled, the noise is cut dramatically, but what is the point of buying a muscle car, then remove half the sparkplugs. I feel cheated by Fender and Guitar Center!!
I have great success with the bassman channel.. no problems other than loud pops when you engage the standby switch. I find at 3/4 you get good tones without breaking windows
Dies it make the noise when there is nothing plugged in to the amp?
Yes.
I wanted to add that I played another of these amps, brand new, in a Guitar Center recently. It also had the horrible ticking when using the Trem. Such a bummer.
I've found that the noise floor that you're talking about might be due to the Reverb. Does it go away when you roll the Reverb back?
The reverb does contribute to the noise. You can hear how the hiss reduces when the reverb is switched off. The reverb (if i remember correctly) is last in the signal chain so it's adding gain to everything before it.
@@JeffStarr I had never really noticed this hiss before your video. I played with it this weekend and it almost ruined the amp for me. But then I took a few steps away from it and I can barely hear it even with the amp up to 4 or 5. I don't use the tremolo, so the hiss is somewhat moot for me and not really different from most tube amps at a certain volume. I mostly play in my Kemper and the Kemper filters out the hiss when capturing from this amp so it works really well as a pedal platform and for creating a profile for each guitar in my lineup.
Overall great review!
Did you check same configuration with an amp you know (to make sure not a bad cable etc)?
Oh yeah, multiple times plus different power sources to make sure it wasn’t a power issue. My current amp, the Z-plus by Dr. Z, is running in the same studio and using the same cables and power sources as the Deluxe Reverb was and the Dr. Z is dead quiet.
What do y’all recommend as an alternative in the 1200 range?
The issues I had may not be a problem in the ‘65 deluxe reverb. But I would make sure you get a chance to play it first. Also, I have to admit that the ToneMaster amps are really impressive. I had a chance to play the ToneMaster Twin and it was really fantastic. I ended up purchasing a Z-Plus by Dr. Z amps that is everything I wanted the deluxe reverb to be. It’s a higher priced amp but they do show up used on Reverb now and then. The Z-Plus has amazing cleans and overdriven sounds. I play it with some dirty tones in this video ruclips.net/video/1DPlbeQx1dI/видео.html
Great vid. Kinda bummed to hear that these issues are happening.
I think the "bassman tonestack" is a little misleading on fender's part. A tonestack only refers to the compents making up the eq, not the entire preamp. Blues jnrs use the same tonestack as a bassman
I’m extremely picking with idle noise/hum as well. Which is why I avoid these and go to a hand wired amp preferably without reverb since I use a pedal. Fenders reverb units are so noisy
I’m sure you checked this already but I had the same problem with noise and ticking. The noise came from my outlet and the ticking went away when I unplugged my router and moved it to a different room. Most of the time unwanted noise comes from your power and is picked up in certain amp circuits.
99% of the time that's where it comes from.
My thoughts also.
Not on this 68 reissue. It is not fixable by moving a router or even a dedicated outlet. It is a defective design and sorry components and consistently chronic issue across the board.
@@jj339c Except over half the people here don't have those issues. So, either it's something specific to these players, or it's just a grab bag in terms of quality control.
I have a Carol Ann Silk that makes a hissing noise when its cranked. I dont really have the ticking noise you have. I hear it but its faint. My biggest problems re when i click the stand by switch off it makes a loud popping noise. Ive never experienced that with any amp ive owned. The other problem is its LOUD at 2! There is no gradual increase. Its loud and gets louder!
I ended up purchasing one of these second hand for a good price and took it as far as I could attempting to fix the problems with no luck. I have recently started rebuilding it on an eyelet board as there was no hope of selling such a badly made amp!
I bought one of these second hand. Fellow before me replaced the tubes. Mine doesn’t have any of the noise issues. Maybe I just lucked out and got a good one. Love the tone of this amp. But I’ve heard a lot of folks talk about the noise issue.
Yeah, I think it’s an overall QC issue with these amps. I’ve had such a mix of comments, people either have none of these problems or they have the exact same issues I had. I’m sure all fixable but at this price I didn’t want to feel like I had to fix something brand new. If I was only playing live in a full band the. my “problems” would have been less of a concern. But now that I never play out anymore, and even when I did it was as a duet or solo, the noise and ticking bothered me. I ended up with a Dr. Z amp called the Z-Plus and it’s absolutely silent and sounds amazing.
Thank you for this review! I was going to cheap out and buy a used 68 DR. Instead I will pony up and get the new 68 Pro Reverb.
I sold mine and bought a 71 Silverface Deluxe...Now I'm completely satisficed!
Thank you for sharing this. Dam good thing I saw this because I was thinking of buying one. Not anymore!
I’ve seen comments that the 65 and 64 deluxe reverbs don’t have this issue, but I do still think you would want to pair those versions. with the Tone King IronMan Mini attenuator and that raises your overall price. Something to consider.
Same for me.
What about Fender tonemaster deluxe reverb free from any issues? What amp you recommend and another issues for me why they don't have fx loop 😢
I like the tonemaster amps. The biggest problem being resale value but they have a lot of positives. The Fender amps almost never have FX loops, although unless you are paying super high gain I think it’s less of a requirement.
Thanks for the video. I think you make some good points here and Fender is basically selling an overpriced, really not so well made product...
What amp did you end up with?
I ended up purchasing a Z-Plus made by Dr. Z amps. The Z-Plus has been amazing.
I've had mine for about 5 years without the ticking g issues and the noise floor is not for me all that different than most other combs I've played. The issues I have were almost all resolved by rotation g the reverb tank. There a TSB on that as well. Also try the Weber Mini Mass, it's a much better attenuator.
Hmm... I gigged with one for a few years and tried several more of both Deluxe Reverb and other models in the 68 series. Sold mine because it was too loud really... but noisy? It was dead quiet... since both amps have this issue I'm guessing you have a noise source that only these amps pick up. I had a similar issue with a 65amps Lil' Elvis. Took a while to find the culprit which was a thingamabob that distribute internet through the power cables. None of my other amps picked up on it.
i have that amp and playing through it right now...and that floor noise is absent in mine
I don’t know if you can adjust the bias balance between the tubes on this amp but that can cause noise if not set correctly. Also the reduced negative feedback may be increasing noise. But I think this is worth it as this also improves the tone.
Good video, I have the Tonemaster Deluxe and it’s great for me mostly plying at home. I got an offer today to trade straight up for the 68. Not sure I’m goin to do that after watching this video. The Custom channel makes me want it but those noise issues sound bad
I’d 100% stick with the ToneMaster.
I've gigged with the Custom 68/ 65 Ri/ Tonemaster (and a '70 Deluxe years ago). The Tonemaster does the job as good as any- especially on stage (and is light).
Definitely issues with the Deluxe you purchased, and the 68 Custom that was replaced. Glad I did not purchase one now, but I have a 68 Deluxe Custom Reverb I purchased - maybe it was the second year they had been out. I have had no issues with mine...wow!
Thanks for the info! For anyone looking to buy this amp, definitely check it out in person first or make sure you purchase from a retailer that makes returns very easy.
No problem with mine, check the tubes!?
Bring it back and get another New one, if you still have the garanti, this could happen every amp!
In Australia, Fender offloads as much B-stock as possible. This is all very familiar stuff down under.
I'm real interested in the new 68 custom pro reverb that hasn't been uk released yet, hands staying in my pockets until I'm 100% sure it doesn't exhibit any of those issues, you were right to send your amp back and no way I would be happy with that model
I tried the 68 Custom and I returned it for the same reasons as the OP. I tried the 68 Custom Princeton and returned it as well. I heard about the new 68 Custome Pro Reverb and Vibro Champ... my hands are staying in my pockets.
I am both happy and sad that you returned yours for the same issues I was having. Happy because it hopefully means this video is useful for others and sad because it’s such a shame that Fender can not resolve these problems.
@@alafenetre81 I got my Pro Reverb a few days ago. The overall tone, weight, size, etc would be amazing if it wasn’t for the buzzing it has. Shame because I’d love the amp otherwise!
I have a 2016 68 custom deluxe reverb and never have had any noises like your experiencing. I love mine!
Glad to hear it! I've been getting mixed comments from viewers who have the same problems as me and others who have not. I wish Fender would fix what ever QC or build issues cause this to be a problem. The fact that I had two amps with the same problem is worrisome.
I had the same experience trying out Fender amps. Just decided to get a Dr Z Z-Lux. I’m glad I did. Not one issue and it sounds amazing.
That amp is a powerhouse! Beautiful!!
Man, this review is spot on! I really appreciate your honesty, it's refreshing. I borrowed this amp from a friend and I was very surprised by the level of noise it generated, it was really distracting to me. My Hot Rod Deluxe, my Peavey Classic 50 were almost dead quiet in comparison. But my Rivera Chubster is also noisy - but not as noisy as the CDR. Maybe noisiness is a feature of blackface-style amps? And you are right, the custom channel and the vintage channel are very similar.
Thank you for this comment. Sometimes I think I must have been crazy but it's good to know that I'm not the only one who has experienced issues with the amp. The Peavey Classic 50 is a... Classic! Shame that company has had so many financial issues over the past few years.
So this is the same as a fender CUSTOM deluxe reverb right?
Yes, Fender '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb.
Power filters can do wonders. You should check some videos out on how to eliminate noise from your guitar rig. Especially if you plan on going forward with whatever this is.
I ended up returning the Deluxe and went with a Z-Plus by Dr. Z amps. It’s fantastic and it runs so silent that I have to be careful to remember to turn it off!
Had a 65 DRRI with a ticking tremolo. Changed out the corresponding tube and the problem was solved.
All you described all happened when i bought my first 68 deluxe reverb. I returned it and recieved a new one my current custom 68 deluxe reverb is The best sounding amp ive ever used super reliable and versatile with pedals
Great to hear! When I got two in a row with the same problem it was time for me to try something else.
@@JeffStarr That's reasonable. How many amps should you be expected to buy to overcome THEIR crap quality control.
Nice video, and I agree it is a noisy bugger. But....the overall tone and feel of this amp is really great. If you're using it for gigging or band rehearsal, it really can't be beat for the money. The noise really isn't a factor in those live settings. But playing at home or trying to record clean tones...yeah, this amp probably isn't going to cut it. It's really all in the application.
A blackface reverb fender amp that can’t record cleans? What’s the point? Ain’t that good an amp. You can get an AC-15 for half the price that has better quality. But I guess some guy in Nashville plays one and he’s really good so it’s not a problem. 😄
@@dahliafiend There must have been a bad batch of them. I have a launch model and it's not noisy at all. It's a beautiful amp for recording cleans.
THANK YOU! I've had these EXACT problems. I thought I was crazy until I saw this video. Never had this issue with another amp in my space. I tried different outlets as well as turning off breakers in the house to see if it was interference. The amp had a huge noise floor which made home recording nearly moot. Plus the trem tick! WTH? I was unable to demo this amp in the store before I bought it due to the pandemic. Fortunately the store took it back. Hilariously enough, the manager said "oh yeah, people return these all the time for the same reason."
I have one of these. Mine was noisy, not quite as much as yours. I have solved the noise problem by replaceing the four ATX7 preamp tubes. Noise gone.
I also replaced the two AT7 just for good measure. ATX7,s are Mullard and AT7 Genalex. In my experience with my amps, Fender and Hughes & Kettner I have four, by replaceing the factory tubes has improved them from lack lustre to, I am not going to sell this.
The tubes supplied in AMPS are just crap. Major guitar companies are not doing themselves any favours by supplying products with sub standard tubes.
I understand you shoudn't have to do this but I recommend that you factor in when purchasing a new set of tubes.
I had this noise problem with my Princeton 68. I went to the store and exchanged it by another one with no humming at all. But apparently many of them come fucked up.
This was is my dream amp and was hoping to get one this year does anyone know if the other models like the 64 reissue or even the tonemaster have these issues thanks for sharing Jeff I would have bought blindly
The ‘64 hand-wired is modded to put the reverb and trem on both channels so you will get some shared hiss as a result but I’ve been told that the components are much higher quality and that helps to keep the noise down. I have played the Tone Master Twin and I liked it. I suspect the Deluxe is also nice (and it has its own attenuation built in). I ended up buying a Dr. Z, Z-Plus that is basically perfect and everything I wish the deluxe was. It doesn’t have tremolo but it has an effects loop so I run an analog trem in the loop and it sounds great.
I’ve had the 68 custom deluxe for a year now, and also have a 65 deluxe in the house. Yes the 68 is noisy, but the tone is way better than the 65 in my opinion. It’s a bit of a trade off, but I would take the 68 in a heartbeat. I do lots of recording as well and the noise never comes through in the mix
I have this amp with a celestion Greenback. I don't have any noise problems.
I just picked up a used one made in 2014 for $599.00. I already own a 21 year old 65 deluxe reverb reissue that I did a Fromel Supreme Mod job on, Mercury OPT and and GA-SC64 speaker swap, sounds amazing now. This 69 custom Deluxe Reverb is also amazing in it's own way, different Timbre that is absolutely wonderful. I musta got lucky because there is no real noise floor issue I can't live with for gigging and recording with my 68 custom deluxe reverb. You can always learn electronics enough to not get yourself killed and fix stuff. I love working on Fender Deluxe amps, because they are easy to work on and fix no matter what, and they last forever. Great sounding amps by themselves that also take pedals well...
I own this amp for one reason...live only! These amps are the perfect size for venues. These easily handle small bars up to decent sized outdoor events with a shure 57 in front of it. I won’t lay tracks with fender amps anymore because of this reason. You would be surprised how bad fender amps hiss when you put a royer 121 ribbon mic in front of it. It’s bothersome in the headphones while tracking and the engineer hears it as well and has commented negatively in the past. I have owned a 65 and 68 deluxe, 59 baseman reissue and custom vibrolux. I had a 66 super reverb that was just as noisy so I think the constant hissing is just a fender thing even though the deluxe is considered the most recorded amp of all time.. one good thing I can say is that fender tube amps seem to hold up to a lot of use.. guys around here gig them every weekend with no repairs and they are hot enough to fry an egg after having them cranked for Several hours.. If you record, the tone king imperial, vintage sound amps and just about anything Steve Carr makes are a few amazing expensive “fender” tones that we all grew up on without the annoying hiss for around the price of the two 68’s..awesome and honest review BTW !!
I record with a Royer 121 on my 68 all the time, and it's clear as day. I just think the quality control on these is all over the place.
I had this amp for about 2 days before returning. The noise floor was too loud to play clean at low levels at home; way too distracting. I think did fix the tremolo (or perhaps it was reverb) noise by moving some wires inside the chassis.
Yeah, after a few hours with the amp I knew the noise was going to be a problem for me too. What did you end up getting instead?
@@JeffStarr Orange rocker 15 was the direct replacement, excellent clean channel, but I did not like the overdrive channel. So I replace that with the Blackstar kt88 studio 10 which I was loving until it developed a tube rattle (only happens when playing jazzy mellow bass heavy tones on F#, F). I replaced the power tube and preamp tube (even though I knew the power tube was the culprit) and that temporarily fixed the problem for about a week. I spent a lot of time messing with the tension of the screws of the cabinet, chassis and speaker to remedy the issue with no luck. I've decided not to waste any more time or money on it and move on. Current contenders: Fender hot rod deluxe IV, Marshall DSL40CR, and the yet to be released Fender Custom 68' Pro Reverb. I kinda wish fender would make a hot rod deluxe LITE..no overdrive channel, no reverb, just volume, TMB, presence and a master.
Trem tick is a normal thing on older Fender amps as it's optical... I got one used that was "broken"... had a constant "splashing" clanging reverb sound when engaged... Ended up being a bad tube... New tubes can be bad... Also, cell phones or other devices in close proximity can cause erratic noises like crackling, ticking, and sizzling
Yep
Tubes are the number 1 cause of most things. There is a bit of wooshing sound due to using cheap caps and resistors, but there is a mod you can do if that's such a big deal. These amps are great for the gigging musician and if kept cool, will last a long time. Which is why they are staple in the music community
I have a princeton reverb reissue that has none of these problems (65 blackpanel type)... I wonder why the 68 custom DR is so problematic..
Just got mine recently. Mines not nearly as noisy as yours, about the same as my blues jr. Tremolo tick is there which is mildly annoying. I love the tone I get out of it, pretty happy with my purchase. If you hate noise that much just go for a tone master
Yes, the Tone Masters are very cool amps. I've played the Twin and was very impressed. If I was gigging on a regular basis I would have likely gone that way.
Yeah Jeff, lately I’m hearing nothing but good stuff about Sweetwater, and that their customer service is second to none and the online tech-support are very knowledgeable. and I love their videos as well!👍
hey men i have the same same problem that you. . same amp same atenuator. i can t live with that noise anymore. i will seel this amp forever.
what fender amp you recomend under 50 w . ? tanks man for this video. this make me feel not more alone any more. LOVE FROM ARGENTINA MY FRYEND
I ended up buying a Z-Plus by Dr. Z and it’s totally amazing and PERFECT. It was expensive though!
I had some noise in my 68 custom deluxe reverb when I bought it brand new. It was easily solved by replacing the two 6V6 power tubes with a matched pair of Mullard tubes. These amps are mass produced. I didn't expect super high quality control like a boutique amp. Seems like you gave up on a good amp without really trying to find the noise issue.
What model tubes did you buy from Mullard?
Spending over a thousand dollars and wanting a decent amp as is seems pretty reasonable to me. Fender puts out lemons too often when it comes to amps nowadays.
Replacing the tubes is not an ‘easy solution’. And being mass produced is not an excuse for a bad fundamental design (of tubes)
Did you rebias them?