68 Custom Deluxe Reverb "Keeps Blowing Fuses"

[@pauldavis6356]

Never seen a blue one before. And with a matching jewel light - Beautiful !

[@maxpeck4154]

The big magnet Creamback is a hell of a speaker. I absolutely love mine.

[@KenJepsen]

Wow... I just love that blue tolex! ❤ 💙

[@DDPAV]

After all the issues I've had with my 2017 '68 DRRI and '65 PRRI. I'll never waste my money on their junk again. The only amps I've had problems with over the last 40 years have all been Fenders, all bought new. Since they never leave the studio I'm going with horrible QC and not a user issue.....

[@markdennis2156]

a small thing, but I really enjoyed the time-lapse of taking the chassis out, the sort of thing that you often edit out and I have no idea if this was more effort but I liked it!

[@sgt.grinch3299]

That Amp is so clean and looks great. Sounds like an Amp should.

[@richardweza3369]

Gorgeous piece of gear. Incredibly well paired with his strat for appearance and sound. 🤘

[@hillelmusic]

Any ideas why a DR RI blows the fuse as soon as powered on? The first 6v6 tube makes a blue flash and the fuse blows

[@gtrhero100]

I had bias issues with a pair of electro harmonic 6L6 in my blues deville, put the sovtek back in and the problem went away.

[@Satchmoeddie]

I have a bunch of O scopes. My best o scope for amp repairs is a no frills cheapie 15 MHz student grade 2 channel like would be found in any 1990s high school or Jr. college electronics lab. I don't really need all the trigger delays & other stuff used in TV & radio repairs and I sure don't need 8GHz with 148 channels to do eye patterns for checking mass computer switch timing. I remember when a DDR2 module was over $200,000. For $250K it had better be really fast & look totally badass going down the highway, and or have at least two bedrooms 1 bath, a kitchen, a living room & an attached garage. The RADAR module sets? $1M +. Now those are fun!

[@Satchmoeddie]

Oh and I paid all of $25 for that 1980s "bread n butter" bench O Scope.

[@Terbs-24]

Definitely replace that rectifier from Fender! I have this amp and it blew fuse after fuse until i replaced the rectifier tube. I also a year later replaced the 6v6 tubes for Tunstol tubes. Not had a problem since. Cheers

[@gerardoromano3436]

Agree

[@jerryking2418]

I have confidence you will figure it out. Good luck.

[@luthiervandros]

Got two in queue for service. Actually like the tone on these with the v type.

[@PerryCodes]

My uneducated diagnosis? You keep putting them in!

[@1Dougloid]

I don't use JJ or-as in this case-JJ made- GZ34 rectifier tubes any more as I have seen more than a few fail. One or two would work OK or on the tester but would fail under load and the result was blown fuses. The Sovtek GZ34 seems to be a lot more rugged and the envelope is made of beefier glass. One of these days if I ever clean up my messes around here I will build a rectifier tube tester that will test them at working voltages. Robert Hull did a design for me but I reckon I can simplify it.

[@PsionicAudio]

I’ve got a TAD on order.

[@MattiasBrahammar]

Thanks for your interesting and very informative videos! I would love to hear what you would have to say about the hand wired Fender '64 Custom Deluxe Reverb. Build quality, component choice (in general and vs the '65 DRRI) as well as the design "deviation" choices they've made compared to the original 1964 Deluxe Reverb. Maybe Santa will hear this... ;-)

[@PsionicAudio]

I keep answering this. Avoid the 64 Custom nonsense. For the price you can get a ‘70s amp that is ridiculously better.

[@MattiasBrahammar]

@@PsionicAudio I would be interested in the detail of why, but I realize you have other things to do.

[@PsionicAudio]

See my last few live streams. Next one that comes in will get a video on this.

[@stevemoore6814]

Love your videos and have great respect for your work. I would like to see at least one video of you useing an oscope. No great in depth explination of the setup just what are you looking for in terms of osiclation that is above the range of hearing.

[@paroblynn]

I’m surprised to hear you say the EH are the best available. I don’t have the level of amps coming in that you do either so your opinion is more valuable here. Tubes are a strange animal to me. The tech I go to when I’m stumped has implanted in me the mindset that they are good until they are bad (tubes). Obviously when they degrade and sound quality suffers, change them, but if everything is good, then you’re good. I’m over simplifying it and you more than likely get what I mean. I know some folks who change power tubes every 6 months and pre amp every 12. I think holy hell, I have amps with decades old tubes functioning fine. Also, I’m glade you mentioned scope and I think even though it would be a pain in the ass it would be cool to see. I was looking at scopes and I remember when they were much, much more money. When I went to trade school *cough* 25 *cough* years ago (I started in 9th grade) we just got new bench scopes with supplies and the school spent an absolute absurd amount of money to get us the best that trade schools had at the time. I’ll close with saying 95% of the problem in tube amps is the tubes. 4% is the user. 1% is something else. I know that’s not the absolute ratio but it’s funny nonetheless. Now excuse me while I go replace some resistors in an amp on my bench. Lol!

[@Eppie55]

Hi, is there a way to prevent that very loud annoying POP when the amp is turned off, no matter in which order. At least on the EU versions of the 68DR. I had a reissue 59Bassman that's always quiet, as are all the old Fenders I had.

[@JPDESS]

Hi look for oxidation in the tube and fuse sockets and oxidation on pin connectors it might be the problem. Good luck

[@gerardoromano3436]

It´s kind of new amp, and was highly modified lately, I think oxidation is not an issue here IMHO

[@JPDESS]

@@gerardoromano3436 Hi you are probably not all wrong, remember that memphis is located in a :humid subtropical climate Memphis has a humid subtropical climate, with four distinct seasons. The summer months are persistently hot and humid due to moisture encroaching from the Gulf of Mexico.

[@ernestschultz5065]

Kinda digging the blue tolex

[@theguitaramptech]

I’ve had to replace two of those plastic speaker plugs in the last month. I hope this is not going to be another new trend with the cheapening of Fender

[@tjminasi1442]

How about a difficult to track down the problem amp, Using a signal generator and scope for those that may have those tools?

[@PsionicAudio]

Well a meter and my noggin found this one. I recorded the process but didn’t include it as it was quite a few fruitless chases, would have been long and boring to watch. When a problem comes in that only the scope will show then I’ll include it.

[@markschinkel1687]

The minute you switched the amp out of standby, both 6v6's have a blue glow to them. Especially the right one. I don't know if this is normal. Also, I seem to recall that you can't see/identify all colors visually, so I thought I'd mention it. I could be wrong with my recollection of course.

[@PsionicAudio]

Blue glow isn’t anything to worry about. But thanks.

[@gerardoromano3436]

@@PsionicAudio I love blue glow of power tubes, brings old memories of my childwood, old "HI FI" stereo consoles and such. Thanks for showing your great work, you are a great professional. I admire your work.

[@gerardoromano3436]

Hi, since you said the rectifier was the original Fender branded tube, why didn´t you change it as well ? That would eliminate the 3 of the 3 major causes of this kind of failure, instead of 2 of 3. Just my 2 cents. And would keep the amp running instead of returning to you, sorry if there are grammar mistakes in my post, English is not my main language. Keep up the good work!

[@russellhltn1396]

As an electronics guy, I wouldn't mine seeing a scope, or sine and square waves.

[@danielsaturnino5715]

Dont worry about it, we get enough scope action from Terry @ Dlab

[@roryyerama5496]

At what point do you advise the client to get a new amp if they keep bringing the same one back several times? I understand maybe it's not in the client's budget to do so, but the lack of reliability has to have a price too?

[@PsionicAudio]

Well this amp didn’t fall into that category. A year after the initial work it blew a fuse. Changed it, tested it, ran fine. Six months later it blew fuses again, found a bad stock rectifier tube and a humming reverb tank. The core amp is healthy and should last for decades. I have had That Talk with some owners of Mesas, HRDs, and Bogners.

[@wesleymorris1]

Tell him to get a Variac so he can keep a even 120v supply. U can get them for 60 bucks on AliExpress or ebay. And protect his amp. I have had power surges and had the same thing happen and went through the whole amp. Nothing wrong, so I use a Variac for my tube amp.

[@Jewdly]

​ @Psionic Audio When you turned the amp off and it made the static sound, you mentioned that as a problem, what usually is the cause of that?

[@PsionicAudio]

In this case it was the rectifier tube. Similar sounds can be bad caps or solder joints, but this was just the old tube.

[@rjschmirler3794]

How does that Celestion compare with the ET65?

[@PsionicAudio]

Very similar.

[@shckltnebay]

Is the knob in the back a mid pot?

[@gerardoromano3436]

yes it is

[@maxpeck4154]

What is that pot on the back of the chassis? Variable negative feedback? Master volume?

[@mudflapking]

Probably a ‘mids’ control pot. Lyle put the same thing on my deluxe reverb last year. Awesome mod!

[@maxpeck4154]

@@mudflapking Aaahhh, gotcha. Hadn't thought of that. Cool!

[@nicholasberndt6224]

C’mon, man! Show us the occasional scope skills! Thanks in advance!

[@DS-nw4eq]

That’s why I go to the proctologist on a regular basis

[@gerardoromano3436]

@@DS-nw4eq Sorry didn´t catch your joke

[@daveogarf]

@@DS-nw4eq - *MOST EXCELLENT, BRUH!!*

[@DrRussPhd]

Behold, I shew ye a mystery.

[@retread1083]

A 'scope and signal generator are two indispensable pieces of test equipment ... about 2% of the time.

[@murraymcleod7605]

Sound guy: “yeah that happens a lot at this venue” 🙄

[@Billywagner22]

Wonder if the client is a good candidate for a Brown Box?

[@infectionsman]

atleast an outlet tester with volt meter

[@pd1jdw630]

And the mystery remains. 🤷🏻.

[@vanguard9067]

Power conditioning!😊

[@goodun2974]

Well, it's purdy from the outside.....the blue and silver faceplate looks way nicer with blue Tolex than the original SF amps with black Tolex.

[@1Dougloid]

For gawds sake do the Al Green riff and I'll shut up.

[@PsionicAudio]

I did Al Green in a video a few weeks back. Even said your name. You didn’t say anything. Why do you hurt me so?

[@1Dougloid]

@@PsionicAudio Haven't seen that one. So many things so little time my attention span is limited. What? Where am I?

[@davidfuller581]

My money's on the rectifier. I don't trust new GZ34s.