JiveTurkey
Goatlord
- Messages
- 16,022
The phantom power issue with the xlr out isn't a good situation either
Fender FR-10/FR-12 noise reduction mod
- Thread starter Lysander
- Start date
jellodog
Rock Star
- Messages
- 4,446
Hmm... yeah, if I could get a timely fix and turnaround on my FR-12 in Canada, then I'd be interested. Worried that it'd be too much hassle though.
But I'd also like to give some cash to WKSmith for his very pure preamp design. At the very least, I'd like to know what the available options are
Lysander
Shredder
- Messages
- 2,197
To be fair, no, you were told there was zero chance Fender would launch a MKII any time soon
I'm waiting for confirmation on this being a widespread thing. If it happens to be true, and i have no reason to suspect otherwise so far, this would be quite a slimey move by Fender... and very expensive for them, too.
If you place an order for a FR-12 today, there's no way to tell which kind of preamp you're getting
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lolainnb
Roadie
- Messages
- 113
lol. I wasn’t blaming you. Ok maybe a little. Either way Fender will make it right.To be fair, no, you were told there was zero chance Fender would launch a MKII any time soon
I'm waiting for confirmation on this being a widespread thing. If it happens to be true, and i have no reason to suspect otherwise so far, this would be quite a slimey move by Fender... and very expensive for them, too.
If you place an order for a FR-12 today, there's no way to tell which kind of preamp you're getting.
Right? I mean I bought it 28 days ago
Famous_Snack
Newbie
- Messages
- 15
I’m really hoping another user of a newly purchased unit posts a board shot. In my case, I purchased direct from Fender and as far as I can tell, my FR-12 was not just new, it did not appear to have been opened for an update or quick fix as the screw heads were pristine.To be fair, no, you were told there was zero chance Fender would launch a MKII any time soon
I'm waiting for confirmation on this being a widespread thing. If it happens to be true, and i have no reason to suspect otherwise so far, this would be quite a slimey move by Fender... and very expensive for them, too.
If you place an order for a FR-12 today, there's no way to tell which kind of preamp you're getting
Side question: does anyone suppose those screws are JIS heads? Even my good set of Philips-head drivers wanted to cam out more than I expected.
Lysander
Shredder
- Messages
- 2,197
Pretty sure they were all Philips on mine. The back panel had also all wood screws, those can shift around a bit.
Famous_Snack
Newbie
- Messages
- 15
Ah well, I may have been overthinking it.
Famous_Snack
Newbie
- Messages
- 15
LOL, no. Do those guys even know how to solder?
lolainnb
Roadie
- Messages
- 113
I live in a small town. Would the pc repair guy be better? I doubt they do much soldering. Seriously, where does one look for a competent individual?
Piing
Shredder
- Messages
- 1,472
Stratzrus
Roadie
- Messages
- 794
That shot so reminds me of my father. He converted a walk in closet into a small repair shop like that and fixed TVs and audio equipment on Saturdays to supplement his income as an electrical engineer for the government.
lolainnb
Roadie
- Messages
- 113
Not one person or shop wants to do it. They all say it’s not worth their time.
kartikg3
Roadie
- Messages
- 512
Sigh this reminds me of my time on India. Used to be shops and service centers like this around many corners. Watches, TV, radio, electronics of all sorts.
- Messages
- 3,606
NDSP, is that you? You forgot the silhouette of a FR cab!
I just need to express my utmost gratitude to you @Lysander. You just made my Amp that much better. (I just made an account to personally acknowledge your contribution to the community)
For some people the factory hiss won't be an issue due to individual variances in noise tolerance, how far away from anyone's ear is the tweeter located, having the amp mostly for live performances, etc... The fact is that this amp would fall under the category of a "noisy amp" as objectively stated by the first post (dBA measurements included).
99.9% of the time I'm playing the guitar in my room, the tweeter is at my shoulder level pointing directly into it (5 ft. away) and the hiss was really a distractor whenever my attention wasn't fully dedicated to what I was playing and it always makes itself manifest at the very moment I stopped playing for whatever reason (playing rests on a song, pausing my right-hand movement for a few seconds/minutes in between exercises, etc...). Getting my ear at the tweeter level (same 5 ft. away) only aggravated the problem considerably. (Bass/Middle/Treble are at noon)
I had zero experience soldering and I was hesitant to try the mod for that reason but just wondered (for weeks) about the fact that somebody already came up with a solution furthermore posted it explicitly, free of charge, positively tested/reviewed by others and immediately available for anyone to try it was something enticing enough for me to gather some courage and put in the necessary effort to make it a reality for myself as well. I Bought a 30$ soldering station, solder, three IC Sockets, the three OPA4227PA and a YIHUA desoldering sucker (as suggested by @aflynt and I'm glad I listened), invested a few days on Youtube research on how to use those tools, and finally attempted the mod which btw took me all day (about 9 hours) because I proceed slowly, carefully and doubtful due to my inexperience.
Whereas before I had to keep my cut control at 2:00 to reduce some of the unwanted noise and compromise the tone along the way now I mostly play with the cut parameter all the way down and it is now very usable if I want to reduce the noise even further or get a mellower tone.
Once again thank you @Lysander, your willingness and desire to correct what Fender didn't care about brought me and others the benefits and joy that come along when playing a low-noise amp that fosters investing your attention in the musicality of it rather than its unwanted inefficient and by consequence insufficient previous state. I'm using this amp consistently and benefiting from your efforts every single minute I spend practicing with it, which needless to say means a world of difference after your mod.
Special thanks to @aflynt as well, all your experimentations and comments ultimately influenced my decisions and helped to keep this thread centered. (thanks to all other users who posted images and explained further details of how to successfully realize the mod).
(Btw no, I didn't record a video @lolainnb)
Happy new year to all of you gentlemen.
For some people the factory hiss won't be an issue due to individual variances in noise tolerance, how far away from anyone's ear is the tweeter located, having the amp mostly for live performances, etc... The fact is that this amp would fall under the category of a "noisy amp" as objectively stated by the first post (dBA measurements included).
99.9% of the time I'm playing the guitar in my room, the tweeter is at my shoulder level pointing directly into it (5 ft. away) and the hiss was really a distractor whenever my attention wasn't fully dedicated to what I was playing and it always makes itself manifest at the very moment I stopped playing for whatever reason (playing rests on a song, pausing my right-hand movement for a few seconds/minutes in between exercises, etc...). Getting my ear at the tweeter level (same 5 ft. away) only aggravated the problem considerably. (Bass/Middle/Treble are at noon)
I had zero experience soldering and I was hesitant to try the mod for that reason but just wondered (for weeks) about the fact that somebody already came up with a solution furthermore posted it explicitly, free of charge, positively tested/reviewed by others and immediately available for anyone to try it was something enticing enough for me to gather some courage and put in the necessary effort to make it a reality for myself as well. I Bought a 30$ soldering station, solder, three IC Sockets, the three OPA4227PA and a YIHUA desoldering sucker (as suggested by @aflynt and I'm glad I listened), invested a few days on Youtube research on how to use those tools, and finally attempted the mod which btw took me all day (about 9 hours) because I proceed slowly, carefully and doubtful due to my inexperience.
Whereas before I had to keep my cut control at 2:00 to reduce some of the unwanted noise and compromise the tone along the way now I mostly play with the cut parameter all the way down and it is now very usable if I want to reduce the noise even further or get a mellower tone.
Once again thank you @Lysander, your willingness and desire to correct what Fender didn't care about brought me and others the benefits and joy that come along when playing a low-noise amp that fosters investing your attention in the musicality of it rather than its unwanted inefficient and by consequence insufficient previous state. I'm using this amp consistently and benefiting from your efforts every single minute I spend practicing with it, which needless to say means a world of difference after your mod.
Special thanks to @aflynt as well, all your experimentations and comments ultimately influenced my decisions and helped to keep this thread centered. (thanks to all other users who posted images and explained further details of how to successfully realize the mod).
(Btw no, I didn't record a video @lolainnb)
Happy new year to all of you gentlemen.
