Fender DRRI making noise

[nashville40]

New guy here, and I apologize if this topic has been covered.
The day I brought it home it was making these crackles and pops. Sometimes a pop initiates the crackling. It does it regardless of volume, and even if a guitar is not plugged in. The noise occurs in both channel inputs, normal
and vibrato.
It's especially noisy right after I flip the standby on after it warms up. After a few minutes it "might" stop making the noises, but if I move it or jiggle it will do it.

I was told to switch out the preamp tubes which I did, and it still made the noise. I shot a video of it but I'm not sure how to link it, so I'm just going to paste the URL in this message.

Thanks guys I really appreciate any feedback you can provide

http://youtu.be/XNQRcy5mpo8

[sepulchre]

That reverb sound is normal when you shake it. The crackle is not.

[Milkmansound]

It's brand new? Exchange it - you don't want that one

[nashville40]

It's brand new? Exchange it - you don't want that one

Couldn't get it to make the noise when I took it back, I bought it two years ago.

[xtian]

"Bacon frying" sounds can be because of bad tubes, dirty tube pins, loose tube sockets, cracked or cold solder joints, bad plate resistors, and sun spots. To find the problem we use tools like chopsticks, process of elimination, and pure luck.

[nashville40]

"Bacon frying" sounds can be because of bad tubes, dirty tube pins, loose tube sockets, cracked or cold solder joints, bad plate resistors, and sun spots. To find the problem we use tools like chopsticks, process of elimination, and pure luck.

Thanks man, somebody gave me the chopsticks method. GC gave me 3 brand new pre-Amp tubes, and I purchased a Sovtek and they didn't solve the issue. I started at V1 and just went down the line.

[Firestorm]

I had one of these in a year or two ago making similar noises. Turned out to be a loose contact in the rectifier tube socket. Try retensioning the octal sockets (it's not easy with the sockets they're using now).

[renshen1957]

Thanks man, somebody gave me the chopsticks method. GC gave me 3 brand new pre-Amp tubes, and I purchased a Sovtek and they didn't solve the issue. I started at V1 and just went down the line.

Hi,

You didn't mention if the amp was purchased brand new or used

If used:

I usually start at the power amp (Phase Inverter) and work my way backward to the first tube.

Bacon Frying can also be a bad plate resistor on a pre-amp tube.

More common in the days of carbon comp resistors, but anything related to non-custom shop Fender Reissues is basically cheap (and barely minimum, frequently undersized) components.

Could also be a bad solder joint, previous repair, or dirty pots, even the standby switch on its last legs.

If you do not have experience with PCB with barely adequate traces (Fender), take the amp to a tech or an experienced builder to replace parts.

Fender copper traces will lift very easily if you do not know what you are doing. (You did mention you are a Newbie).

The Re-issue and Hot Rod, Blues, etc., have a well deserved reputation of traces lifting in working musicians (constantly gigged) amps usually after about 3 years.

Savvy amp owners/working musicians (dump) trade in these amps in when intermittent issues crop up (for the next unsuspecting owner) to get the value out of the amp and purchase a replacement.

I've worked on these amps (when well past this point), and if the amp is well used, recommend gutting them to make a project amp.

I don't think you are to that point.

Off topic, As a general rule, I recommend replacing the rectifier tube with a NOS or tested used OS tube in DRRI for the supplied tube by Fender. This may not fix your problem, but it is sage advice gleaned from a number of DRRI owners who were happy with the resullt.

Best regards,

Steve

PS If the amp was purchased brand spanking new (two years ago or yesterday) welcome to the world of Fender lemons.

Don't expect much in the way of technical support or assistance from Fender, even if the amp was purchased new yesterday.

"Fender Consumer Relations department representatives can assist you with most technical questions about guitars or basses. It's almost impossible, however, to diagnose a complex technical issue by phone. To expedite a resolution to your problem, Fender representatives may refer you to a certified technician at a Fender Authorized Service Center in your area."

Translation, Fender doesn't want to be bothered and turfs the calls to guitar stores to deal with problems such as discovering stripped truss rods, etc.

"Regarding technical support for amps, Fender is very limited in what it can discuss with consumers because of liability issues and the complex nature of amplifier electronics. As Fender amplifier products typically aren't user-serviceable, representatives may refer you to a certified technician (I corrected the website spelling error) at a Fender Authorized Service Center in your area for assistance."

Fender is too busy arranging Artist endorsements and resting on the laurels of the pre-CBS days to sell their products than being concerned with QC.