Help With Deluxe Reverb Background Noise

Hey everyone, I'm hoping someone on YouTube might be able to help me out with this. I just got this Deluxe Reverb Reissue used, and while I'm very happy with the sound/tone, when the amp is quiet I've noticed background noise (it's like radio static hiss).

I don't think the problem lies with any of the tubes. The preamp tube for the vibrato channel crackles when I jiggle it, but I think it may be because the jack is loose (when I replaced that tube with a brand new JJ tube, it did the same thing). I'm thinking maybe I could replace the tube socket. Does this sound like something that contact cleaner could just fix?

Anyway, any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

Category:

Music

Tags:

• fender
• deluxe
• reverb
• reissue
• background
• buzzing
• noise
• hiss

[aintnothinbutdablues]

I had a Princeton reverb with what seems to be the same problem it was the 5AR4 rectifier tube, Just change it and see.

[tehorix789]

@aintnothinbutdablues Sweet! You're the second person to say that with such certainty. I haven't had a need to change it yet (hasn't gotten much use since I'm living in an apartment now), but next time I go home to my parent's place, I'll test it with the 5AR4 in my Super Reverb. Thanks!

[mavman351]

Its a bad rectifier tube. I just replaced one in my friends fender. Same noise and all. Good luck and keep that mule coming!

[tehorix789]

@mavman351 Well that sounds like a simple fix, so I hope that's all the problem is. Right now, I'm not playing out, so I haven't had a need to fix it. But thanks. When it comes time to fix it, I'll give that a shot.

[mattchurchill]

Sounds like a microphonic tube to me dude, the rattling could be the noise of the spring in the tube retainers (metal tube holder whatever they're called!). I'm sure you know already, but there is a screw adjustable hum balance pot in the amp too. You could try tweaking that (the instructions are available in the manual on line. Hope you fix it, these amps are fairly indestructible beasts, so it's probably something small. good luck; )

[tehorix789]

@mattchurchill Thanks, Matt. I'm definitely not interested in shocking myself, so if there's any soldering work needed, I'll be taking it to a tech. Do you know if replacing the tube socket requires any soldering (the one troublesome tube is in a loose socket)? I'm thinking it must.

[Mulesoldier]

You can take a wood chop stick and push on the tubes and see if it stops. If it stops you defiantly have a microphonic tube

[mattchurchill]

@tehorix789 Yes, there would be soldering involved and I find is always better to get a qualified tech to do those finicky little jobs. If it's the tube socket, then that's cheap enough to have replaced; )

[1971SuperLead]

@tehorix789 Modern Fenders often have the circuit board soldered right up to the input jacks (no wires) and the joints end up as structual supports for the circuit board. Solder joints are terrible structual supports and crack when stresses are put on them, like a bumpy drive to a gig. It's a common problem and it's a low voltage area, and it sounds like what your amp is doing. You can remelt the solder, replace the solder or add some wires so if it cracks again the wires will carry signal.

[1971SuperLead]

@tehorix789 Those caps maybe black since it's a newer amp and those caps are crappy and made in China. Many loud players find those caps to fail quickly. They are shaped and sized like shotgun shells. There are 4 or 5 of them all sitting together near the transformers. They should have writing on them stating they are rater at around 600vac. They buffer the AC current but they store electricity and can hold their storage for a long time.

I think d solder joints on your input jacks have cracked