Hi, I've owned a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe since '01. Around '06 I started having problems like crackling sounds when on but guitars volume was all the way down. Loss of volume here and there. While amp was on it would just die and to get it back on I'd have to switch the "Standby" switch on and off hard and then I'd get signal back. I brought down to a tech in the area who gave it a clean bill of health. Two weeks later at a gig it totally died. I took it upon my self to re-tube the amp with the exact OEM tubes. It helped a bit only to have, in 5 months, the same problems happen. My friend gave me another newer HRDeluxe to help me out but that one, when the Reverb knob is at 5 it produces a weird high frequency to the over all signal that only goes away when the Reverb knob is all the way off. If anyone can help with any suggestions I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks in advance
Music - Fender - Hot Rod Deluxe Guitar Combo Amplifier
Answers & Comments
In YOUR amp, take a pencil and tap teh sides of the tubes GENTLY, listening for any crackling... note SOME microphonics is normal in the preamp stages.
Since retubing it fixed it once, it is likely either a tube was bad OR a pin of a tube wasn't quite making so replacing the tubes cleaned it and made it work. Tubes DO go bad, especially when they are vibrated like in these amps... BUT don't just replace the lot, try to find which is at fault..
On your friends unit, LIKELY an electrolytic bypass capacitor for one of the reverb preamp stages has dried out and needs replacing.