68 Custom Deluxe Reverb | Part 1 : De-Stupidifying

[@WayneMemphisMojo]

I almost wish I had known about these mods before I sold my '69 CDR ... I appreciate you spreading the word about these less noise mods

[@dinmentor]

Interesting. Had a great amp guy mod mine. Changed the way both channels have reverb. and also the grounding spot, which made it even less noisy, quite a lot. Zero noise after this and sounds awesome.

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

Lyle, you’re a treasure! We really do appreciate these vids. 👍

[@PsionicAudio]

Did you see my live stream last month featuring channels to watch? You should… ;)

[@paulstaffordcook8799]

@@PsionicAudio So grateful Lyle. I’ve now responded property via a new comment on that particular live stream. 🙏

[@Robstafarian]

@@PsionicAudio I missed it; I will watch it tomorrow.

[@sandlmv8301]

Incredible knowledge to pinpoint a single wire to replace with a shielded one in amongst a jungle of wires!

[@Leslie-m9p]

Love your videos - major wealth of valuable and interesting information about these amps. I’m a big fan of Fender black face amps. I’ve had almost every Fender black face since I started playing guitar in 1964. Hated the ‘68 and later years of the Fender product line. Never even considered owning one until the ‘68 Custom Pro Reverb was issued. Bought one in May of 2021 on line from Sweetwater (Thanks Ben Robinson!). I had heard the hum and noise “horror stories” about this amp and decided to check them out and playing them before buying one. Went to a couple of local GCs and did in fact hear the excess noise😩. However, some players indicated they had the Pro Reverb and the amp was great! So I talked with my contact at Sweetwater and asked him to send me one but it better be a keeper (quiet) or back it goes the same day! Well, the one he sent on May 17, 2021, was (and still is) absolutely noise and hum free (unless and until I get the volume up to around “8” and then there is a bit of hum, but at that volume you don’t hear the hum😂). I tried your technique of testing for hum and noise, and my amp is absolutely quiet with reverb and tremolo on or off, bright switch on or off. It sounds great. So I lucked out😉. Thanks for all the info - keep it coming!

[@brentstewart59]

Quite a drastic improvement

[@kano_riff]

Excelente explicación. Ahora entiendo porque aparecen tantos custom 68 usados a la venta en mi país y no hay tantos 65 blackface.

[@jaronensley]

The sad thing is, most of this crap is something a guy like Lyle can fix/do ONCE. Good parts, proper grounding, good PCB,. When scaled up, this is virtually costless. Shaking my head.

[@tjnugent62]

I bought two of these and sent both back. The noise was too much. I live in TN, I wish I had known about you!

[@danielmargolis3210]

A shame that Fender doesn’t get it right in the factory.

[@denmar355]

Agreed. Profit is king for any corporation.

[@sgt.grinch3299]

Looking forward to the demo

[@russellesimonetta9071]

Awesome! I think a mids pot on all black face amps is a great Idea. Going to defeat the tone stack gets you into ❤tweed or Brown face territory.

[@stillpist]

I've had mine since 2014. It has some noise but nothing unmanageable. it's been reliable and has served me well. Still, wondering how much some of these mods would cost from a decent amp tech since I would like to keep it for the long run.

[@robmartin8051]

I would love to have this work done on my 68 CDR! I will have to make a list of all of your mods to bring to a local amp tech. Too bad you are not in Boston!

[@Dmcinc]

I would really like to see an opinion video about the 68 series, really want to know what you think about each amp and what is the best practice to mod/fixing them And thanks for this great video :)

[@GeoffJaymes]

Hey Lyle, I have this same amp. Do these mods you perform affect the overall tone of the amp and how it responds? What about breakup volume? Does the gain structure still behave relatively similar? I love the tone of the amp, but could certainly benefit from less noise as it's a studio amp. Thanks!

[@dommolnar3702]

Where do you recommend starting if you want to learn how to do these mods/fixes on your amp? I have this exact amp and would like to do be able to do this to it.

[@anthonypanneton923]

1) learn how to properly use a soldering iron. 2) learn some basic electronics. 3) learn how vacuum tubes work.

[@JasonDelk-uf1yh]

I always appreciate your insight - great video. If I was in the market for one of these amps and wanted similar work done what would be the ballpark cost?

[@PsionicAudio]

Depends on the region and the tech. Should be 2-3 hours labor plus about $35-50 parts.

[@weschilton]

Wow, that noise reduction was quite significant! nice work! So I was wondering... One of the big things I hate about this amp (and the Hot Rod Deluxe too) is the useless volume pot that is off, off, off then suddenly WAY too loud when it finally comes on around 2 on the knob. So is there a reasonable way to address that? Allowing a usable volume range all the way around the knob without sacrificing the tone?

[@PsionicAudio]

Hmm, I’ve never encountered that on any of the Fender RI amps (or their variants like the 68C). They use a good 30% taper volume like the originals. It’s possible yours has a bad pot. Or you don’t like the response of a 30% pot, in which case you can swap out for 10% taper. The HRD has a resistor in series before the pot and a resistor in parallel between wiper and ground. Tweaking those resistors can improve the taper.

[@dazfarrell]

I have steered many a person away from these noisy devils...

[@CharlesWillisBonsai]

Lyle, you mentioned that they added the reverb and trem to the normal channel in the cheapest noisiest way possible and youve since removed it. Can you talk about how to keep the reverb and trem on the normal channel and quiet the noise down? Is it just a matter of cutting a trace and running a shielded wire from the normal channel plate to the reverb grid?

[@morrisfinancial]

I’ve been wanting this type of work (and then some) on my 68 CDR but I’m in Miami and don’t know many techs down here. Anyone you can recommend?

[@dancash7731]

Love these videos. Really great for learning. I Need to add the shielded wire to my 65 RI To illuminate the reverb hiss noise. Can you please elaborate on the shielded wire used? In the video it looks brown jacketed. Is it a braided jacket, single conductor? I tried some Mogami but it’s doesn’t appear to be the right choice. Thanks again.

[@PsionicAudio]

Braided single conductor. The trick is to use something that doesn’t have too thin a center conductor. Try Canare GS4.

[@dancash7731]

@@PsionicAudio Thanks so much. Just one more question pls. Should I ground the shield at the V2 end also or cut it off just short and connect the core to pin 7 ?

[@ourlifeinwyoming4654]

What is the value of the pot you added for the mids? Thanks.

[@TheMoodyLoners]

What a remarkable difference in the noise floor. Wonder how much it would add to the cost if Fender were to implement these changes?

[@Dantettakumi]

Really hope that there is such good "amp guy" in my area. (Nope, i have tried all the available ones, and NOPE.) I don't get why there are noises even when every thing is at 0 on my fender, and now i can final tell its not that i am paranoid....

[@silverwings1843]

I have scoured your videos addressing C5 when you cut the V1 and V2 Plate Link. Looking at the schematic it appears that C5 has to be reinstalled to link the custom channel back in. Also, I see you cutting the Green Wire out to V2 but never explained why. I know you are busy doing these instructive videos. And they are very productive. Could you address this please. Also working on a 2019 68 it appears they did not put that 18K R in the Custom Tone Stack

[@PsionicAudio]

Yes, I reinstall C5 and the corresponding 220K mixer resistor at the PI input. I cut the trace from the volume wiper on the pots board and disconnect the green wire to V2b pin 7. Then I do a shielded cable from pot to V2b grid.

[@silverwings1843]

@@PsionicAudio Thank you....

[@sammysamsam1415]

This has become my replacement for Bob Ross 🥲

[@415TCrider]

YOU ROCK!!!! without the hum...

[@matteojones]

how much do you charge (or how much should one expect to pay) for de-stupidifying 68's in this way?

[@davidfuller581]

As stock, it's noisier than a lot of high gain amps. That's wild! Like I think a 6505 is quieter...

[@matteojones]

Besides adding the mid's pot, has your mod changed the voicing of the Custom channel at all? I believe it's based on the Bassman? I somewhat prefer that voicing over the Vintage channel.

[@ReturnTheSanity]

I have been reading reports that newer models are noise free. I have one coming in 2 days so I will let you know.

[@francislalonde7843]

so? are you happy with your deluxe? I'd like to have one because I like the sound!! But I will maybe buy a Tone King imperial MK2

[@aldonova71]

How much does it cost to mod this amp and how long does it take?

[@gregstaten8526]

Where is your shop located?

[@MichaelSmith-rn1qw]

Is there a reason you went with a 40uF reservoir cap rather than two 20's? Lower cost? I went with five 16uF caps when I serviced my 1977 Deluxe Reverb.

[@PsionicAudio]

The PCB spacing determined that. Different layout than the old doghouse board.

[@BigSh00tsie]

What do you charge for something like this?!

[@nolarocks]

Enjoyed the video

[@silverwings1843]

I have always been amazed at Fender demanding such a high price for cheap parts and low quality control. Fender has always been like this. Even back in the BREADBOARD Days. A wrong resistor placement. That's why you could go into any shop and play 3 different Twins, Supers or Deluxes and they would all sound different. Peavey has its problems but the build is far superior. The newish Fender Reissues are so cheaply made. And a Bit Rippoff!!

[@jeffmazzei8520]

What is your opinion on the 64 Hand Wired Deluxe ? Is it decent?

[@PsionicAudio]

No, way overpriced.

[@daveandrew7014]

Any amp techs in Sydney Australia can do these mods please hit me up!

[@PsionicAudio]

Contact Brad Webb at Brad’s Guitar Garage in Emu Plains just outside of Sydney. He’s your man.

[@butchlauer]

Hearing is believing, you make buying these amps on the used market very palatable and affordable. Especially in comparison to going even 70's silverface era.

[@fluidaudiogroup]

Is that mic an M201?

[@PsionicAudio]

No, sE8 sdc.

[@fluidaudiogroup]

@@PsionicAudio Love sE product!

[@PsionicAudio]

It’s been great as a bench overhead mic for live voiceover.

[@Tweed_Tone]

Yup, I plugged into one at my local shop and I cannot believe how noisy and horrible this amp was. Why they still make this and charge so much for it I don’t know. Sure it looks nice from the outside but it’s a nightmare when you see this poorly made circuit board

[@MBRMrblueroads]

👍👍

[@ditchgator1]

😎👍👍

[@rinkydinky-ob9pe]

Imagine if this was another industry, the consumer wouldn’t buy this junk