'67 Deluxe Reverb, noise in Vibrato Channel

[pops]

Looks like the earth ground (green wire) that is on the power transformer is long enough to leave there, but solder the shaft to the chassis, scratch the chassis first and use a big soldering iron.

[drasp]

Sorry to be absent!!! Been sorting a new guitar & took a little break from fiddling w/ the DR.

I did pull V2 as requested, which mutes the Vibrato channel entirely, so no real info/answers there as the Normal channel always sounds lovely. . .

[drasp]

Lets try to pin this down to what gain stage the issue is starting with, if you pull out tube V2 does all of the Vibrato channel issues stop?

Also before you yank out V2 take a meter set for ac volt and measure the power supply ripple voltage on the plate side of V2a and V2b and report back with how many mv that is if you would?

Ran home @ lunch to crank the amp for a while & check PT/OT temps are requested earlier in the thread - they actually seem to be running pretty damn cool. I didn't get an actual temp, but after ~30min of running pretty hard I could still comfortably hold my fingers to the iron. . .

Will get ripple measured on V2 tonight & report back!!! (checking pins 1 & 6 to ground, correct? Should be 170VDC+ (higher due to higher mains today), but looking for little/no AC - whats the threshold?

Listening more carefully to the vibrato channel, there is "something going on" in the noise - its not just the hiss @ idle, but when I'm pushing the amp pretty good there isn't quite a crackle, but something changing in the noise, if that makes sense.

[drasp]

AC ripple is as follows (measured between pin 1 & ground, then pin 6 & ground, while idling, all controls down, AC voltage test on my auto-ranging true RMS meter)

pin 1 pin 6

v1 0.00VAC 0.00VAC

v2 0.00VAC 0.00VAC

v3 0.04VAC 0.04VAC

v4 0.00VAC 0.00VAC

v5 0.05VAC 0.05VAC

v6 0.08VAC 0.12VAC

Anything remarkable there? I've also re-checked the transformer grounds, haven't re-located the green aux ground, but will. . .

Any more thoughts/stuff to check!?

Since this noise is highly/directly variable w/ the volume control & only observed w/ something plugged in on the Vibrato Channel, that should limit it to something early in the circuit, yes?

Also, not sure I got an answer about pin 2 on v2 being super microphonic - can really hear any little taps or bumps on that line where it comes out from under the board. . . (BUT, I just tried v1 & its the same)

[Stevem]

Replace the socket for V2!

[drasp]

Replace the socket for V2!

Based on the microphonic pin 2? Even though V1 does the same?

[Stevem]

Two post ago you said that it was only observed on the vibrato no?

[drasp]

Two post ago you said that it was only observed on the vibrato no?

That was an error on my part. Have to have something plugged into the input to observe it.

Anyhow, I still feel like this Amp idles with more noise/hiss in the Vibrato channel than other old Fender amps I've owned/played/worked on, and that the difference between the two channels is larger, BUT:

My band was doing some tracking to 1/2" tape last night & the other guitar player had has freshly re-tubed Twin RI, and it idled noisier than the Deluxe!!!

[Structo]

perhaps you have dirty power in your area.

What Hz is the noise?

[drasp]

perhaps you have dirty power in your area.

What Hz is the noise?

I don't own a scope, so not sure what Hz the noise is, BUT I'm comparing the noise level on my Deluxe to my Super Reverb which is sitting right next to it, plugged into the same outlet. The Super is VERY quiet (I went through it a few years back, top shelf glass, etc.) and the Deluxe just isn't. I've had close to a dozen '60 & early '70s Fenders plugged in to this same outlet w/ the same signal chain & the Deluxe, to me, is just noticeably louder/noiser at idle than any of them. I know some of the charm of old amps is that no two are the same, BUT by that same tolken, it should be possible to get the noise level on this amp down to what I've experienced with other similar amps, RIGHT!?

I'll record an A/B between the Super & Deluxe & see if it illustrates what I'm hearing in the room.

[pops]

Have you tried taking the preamp tubes out of the deluxe and swapping for the tubes in the super. If the super gets noisy then you know or can rule out the tubes. There are a lot of noisy tubes around. I have had 10 of 10 JJ tubes so noisy i couldn't use them.

[drasp]

Have you tried taking the preamp tubes out of the deluxe and swapping for the tubes in the super. If the super gets noisy then you know or can rule out the tubes. There are a lot of noisy tubes around. I have had 10 of 10 JJ tubes so noisy i couldn't use them.

Did that early on. I've had several known good new and old tubes in V2, V3 & V4.

[Stevem]

It may take some added wire, but you without a lot of effort swap the output of the tone stack from the normal channel to the vibrato to prove out the issue!