Problem with new Fender '65 Custom Twin 15"

David Doggett · Post by **David Doggett** » 25 Mar 2004 10:31 am

Joe, according to others here on the Forum, the volume and tone controls on Fenders are not linear. So by 4 you may have 3/4s or more of the output. Are you comparing the amp to other tube amps of comparable output, or to solid state amps with higher output? Are you hearing amp/speaker distortion, or cabinet vibrations?

John Bechtel · Post by **John Bechtel** » 25 Mar 2004 10:44 am

Well, well, well; So far, mine is working fine!

------------------
“Big John” Bechtel
Franklin PSG D–10 (9 &

Fender ’49–’50 T–8 Custom
Fender ’65 Reissue Twin-Reverb Custom™ 15”
http://community.webtv.net/KeoniNui/BigJohnBechtels

Joe Alterio · Post by **Joe Alterio** » 25 Mar 2004 4:07 pm

David,

I am comparing the amp to the various Peaveys I have had (N1000, N400) as well as my Vox Valvetronix (hybrid amp, 120W) and little solid state Fender Deluxe 112 (90W).

On the first amp I was hearing horrible cabinet vibration and a bit of speaker distorion. The second amp had no cabinet vibration, but horrible speaker distortion (sounded like the speaker was blown).

I'm going by GC again tonight....the sound out of the amp is amazing. But I need the speaker and cabinet to be QUIET!!!! I hate rattles and vibrations of any kind. I never heard a peep out of my Peaveys.....even when blowing them at near full volume with heavy bass.

Joe

FRANK MARIANO · Post by **FRANK MARIANO** » 26 Mar 2004 6:53 am

I took Bill Leffs advice and pulled the Fender tubes out and relaced with The Eurotubes From Bob Pletka WWW.eurotubes.com. My Fender 65 reissue sounded horrible. It made all the difference in the world.I will put it to the true test this weekend at my gig. I may also pull the Jensons and put the Webbers in, by then I'm sure I will have a very sweet sounding Reissue.

Joe Alterio · Post by **Joe Alterio** » 26 Mar 2004 7:05 am

UPDATE #2:

So, I went back to GC last night. Here's what I determined.

When playing EITHER Fender Twin 15" at half volume with my Stratocaster at 10 (which is same volume output as my steel), there is some "tambourine" rattle on certain notes. The note that triggers it was different for both amps.

When pulling down the output volume of the Strat while putting the amps' volumes at 10, the total volume remained unchanged, but the tambourine rattle was MUCH worse.

I noticed that if I plugged into Channel 1 (either high or low gain) or Channel 2 (low gain) the problem lessened......the worst was on Channel 2's high gain input.

This rattle also occurs on certain chord combinations, but ALWAYS occurs when playing certain notes independently. This, to me, is unacceptable. So.....I got a refund.

And...for the record.....I plugged into a new Twin 2X12", a Bassman and an old Twin 2X12".....NONE of them had this problem.

Joe

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 26 Mar 2004 10:05 am

Joe, I'l see if I can demo one here at the local GC and let you know my observations. Without decent quality control an amp isn't worth buying. Thats one thing that I have to say about Peavey. They are very consistent and have good customer service.

John Floyd · Post by **John Floyd** » 26 Mar 2004 12:57 pm

Joe
The one thing that is unclear here is where you are running the Channel Volume and Master Volume Controls. For a totally clean sound on a Fender amp run the master Volume full to the right and adjust the volume at the volume on the channel.
See if that helps
John

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 26 Mar 2004 1:33 pm

John, I agree.

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 26 Mar 2004 5:01 pm

Okay, I just came back from the music store.
This is what I heard. First off, anyone who knows me knows that I am highly critical and demand only the best quality equipment in optimum working condition. You could eat off all my equipment. So I am fanatic when it comes to quality. Second, the ideal sound for me as a steel guitarist is Tom Brumleys ZB with a Twin tube sound. This is not for everyone. Also, I can hear a gnat fart fifty feet away.
The Fender Twin Custom 15 that I played tonight may be THE BEST steel amp for TUBE sound that I ever heard. I put it through its paces for almost two hours. Lots of C6th on the low strings. High stage volume. There wasn't a hint of distortion or foreign noise in the amp. It was sparkling clear. Beautiful tube sound with my ZB Custom and single coils. The only way I can describe this is that I think this the tube flip side of the Webb solid state sound. The Webb to me is the best steel amp that I ever heard, but for the tube sound I think the Fender Twin Custom 15 is it. I am very impressed.
The amp is heavy. It comes with casters already on it.
I have got a custom Fender tech here who is world class. He has advised me that the Fender Vibrosonic is a better built amp and is infinitely repairable. I am not any kind of expert or authority.
[This message was edited by Kevin Hatton on 26 March 2004 at 05:02 PM.][This message was edited by Kevin Hatton on 26 March 2004 at 05:25 PM.]

John Floyd · Post by **John Floyd** » 26 Mar 2004 5:33 pm

Theres something going on here that Joe isn't telling us, like where he is Setting his controls on the amp,specifically the Volume controls.

If he has tried an external speaker cabinet?

I can't believe he has plugged into two bad amps and Kevin tried one out and loves it.

Joe
When you said you plugged into the Second amp and the speaker sounded like it was busted or about to. That sent uo a red flag to me. Make sure your Volume Controls are set the way I described in my previous post.

A Master Volume Control on a Fender Amp is an Add on Circuit, It wasn't always there, Turn it fully Clockwise, Thats a Fender amp without a master Volume Control when its set that way. Any other way will give you distortion and thats exactly what you described with the second amp.

Hope this helps

Just went back and read Joes post again, he got a refund. So all of this is history now, I sure would like to have known what the problem was. HAd my curosity up.[This message was edited by John Floyd on 26 March 2004 at 05:39 PM.]

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 26 Mar 2004 11:11 pm

Just for the record, there was no master volume on the amp.

John Floyd · Post by **John Floyd** » 26 Mar 2004 11:51 pm

Thanks Kevin, Didn't realize that, At least Fender did one smart thing with this amp.

James Quackenbush · Post by **James Quackenbush** » 5 Apr 2004 6:01 pm

Joe,
If this amp is still giving you problems after messing with it a couple of times, I would say that you might want to consider giving the amp back ....Order another one if you like the amp's tone ....Maybe it will not have the same problems as the one you have now ....Kevin said there were no issues with the one he played , so maybe your amp was one of those "Built on Friday" amps and it was a rush job ....Start fresh if you can return this amp ....Sincerely, Jim

Eric Stumpf · Post by **Eric Stumpf** » 8 Apr 2004 1:51 pm

Last month I purchased a Custom 15 and for the 30 minutes or so before it broke down, it proved to me that it has the Fender tone I've been searching for. The amp I received was obviously defective and developed an annoying "white noise" hiss similar to that which one would hear when pulling the coax cable from out of the back of a working TV set. The amp went back to Musician's Friend who sent me a replacement in a week's time. Now that's good service! Anyway, amp number two arrived factory sealed in the carton, packed upside down and missing the casters. Ugh! Another call to Musician's Friend who promptly put a set of casters in the mail. The amp probably has 20 hours on it now and I am thrilled with the tone. However, the reverb is now acting up and when turned up beyond setting 2 or 2 1/2, it's hissy and annoying. I'm not terribly motivated to send another amp back to MF so any suggestions on how to clean up the reverb would be appreciated. I feel this is a well-designed product but that Fender quality control is poor.

Chris Bauer · Post by **Chris Bauer** » 8 Apr 2004 6:10 pm

Is Fender's quality control this bad on all their products these days????

John Bechtel · Post by **John Bechtel** » 8 Apr 2004 10:39 pm

Kevin Hatton was present at our Super Jam, here in Nashville this past Tue. evening and heard me playing through my new Custom™ 15. Maybe he can comment on how my amp sounded better than I can, because; he was out front in the audience and could make a much better judgement than I can! However, I did get a very favorable compliment on my sound from none other than the great Lloyd Green! I'm not saying he endorses the Amp. I'm just saying that his approval of my sound is all I needed to convince me that purchasing this amp. was the right move for me to make! I couldn't be more pleased except if my playing improves also!

------------------
“Big John” Bechtel
Franklin PSG D–10 (9 &

Fender ’49–’50 T–8 Custom
Fender ’65 Reissue Twin-Reverb Custom™ 15
http://community.webtv.net/KeoniNui/WELCOMEBigJohnand

Bill Hisle · Post by **Bill Hisle** » 9 Apr 2004 5:18 am

Eric, you have a warrenty. Take it to a local dealer and make them fix it. I don't think Fender will listen until the bills from their service reps start arriving.

Kevin Hatton · Post by **Kevin Hatton** » 9 Apr 2004 5:34 pm

Well, John sounded fantastic with the new Fender Twin Custom 15. He had the genuine Fender twin tube sound happening. I think that it is a fantastic sounding amp and I'm considering buying one for a second amp. Absolute clean sound, no break up at high volume. The one that I tried for two days had no problems. The Eminence speaker seems to have great quality and was specifically modeled after the D-130. Those are my observations.

Len Amaral · Post by **Len Amaral** » 10 Apr 2004 4:40 am

I have had my 65 Twin Custon 15 for a month. I have not used it out on a gig as of yet. However, the more I play through this unit the more I like it.

Steve Spitz · Post by **Steve Spitz** » 11 Apr 2004 6:08 pm

How is this amp different from a recent Vibrosonic ?? Anybody own both ? Thanks

David Nugent · Post by **David Nugent** » 30 Jul 2004 6:48 am

I think the "QC" went out when the "CBS" came in.