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Last edited by jazzpazz; 10-22-2023 at 10:14 PM. Reason: delete
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10-04-2023 01:05 PM
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It's a Fender tube amp. You get what you get. If you want quiet, get a decent solid-state amp.
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Have you tried plugging the amp into another outlet? In another room? What's the age/quality of the wiring in your home? These are some of the things to explore before returning the amp.
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If it gets louder with the volume control, then it's ahead of the volume control in the circuit, which makes it part of the preamp. Presumably, it makes this noise without anything plugged in to the input, correct?
One thing that might be worth trying because it's easy and free is to switch the 12AX7s (three of them in there, according to one web site). If that changes anything, it points to the problem being in a tube, I'd guess. But, I'm not at all an expert or close.
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90% of a tube amp's issues are tube related
always start there.
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How loud is it on the speaker axis at 1 metre (39 inches) from the front panel?
Originally Posted by jazzpazz
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Excellent point. And based on some limited experience, newer tubes aren't quite as durable as the ones manufactured in the heyday of tubes. Originally Posted by wintermoon
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Pre-amp tubes. Period.
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Tubes are noisy devices, and some are noisier than others. There is no way around that, it's very old technology. The noise isn't usually an issue in a gigging situation, with the volume turned way up. Tube amps don't make great bedroom amps, though. Horses for courses, and all that. Some people think there is something sacred about tube amps, and will always recommend them for anyone and anything, but I'm not one of them. I'm not still living in the early 20th Century, but in the 21st. Better technology is available.
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Return it and get a Fishman.
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Well ok, if you say so. I use them exclusively because they sound better than anything solid state I've ever tried. Originally Posted by sgosnell
If that makes me a dinosaur I can live with that.
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Seems to me that some hiss, and some hum from the reverb circuit is normal. It's there to some degree in the tube amps I've owned. But hard to hear at normal playing levels.
How bad is it when you have the reverb set somewhere south of Pipeline, and the volume at your normal playing volume?
If it's bothersome then go after the tubes. See if tapping on them makes them do anything better or worse. That's a sign of one that wants replacing.
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Worth it for tube tone. It’s the price of dynamics, warmth, sparkle.
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The tone stack on a PR immediately follows the first tube stage. As stated above, tubes are noisy. This is why in the old days Fender often specified a 7025 in the first position - it was a low-noise 12ax7. With the quantity of amps Fender manufactures, they’re not going to test the tubes for noise.
You can buy current-production low-noise tubes. Buy one and try it.
For example:
Tube-Town Store - EH 7025 (12AX7 / ECC83 HQ) - V1
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If this is your first tube amp, you may just be responding to the baseline noise level. Very few tube amps are as quiet as modern SS and digital amps (although many early SS amps like the Kustoms hissed like mad). If you can compare it to other Fender tube amps, you’ll probably discover that this is how they sound. They’re not silent at idle, especially with the volume pot turned up. But the background noise is not enough to be audible while playing at any level. It just upsets those used to quieter amps. Low noise tubes can help this.
No one has addressed the hum in your reverb, though. This is not normal. Reversing the cables to the tank will not help that, because the input & output impedances are grossly different. If connected backwards, the reverb will not work at all.
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Pretty sure the reverb circuit hums a bit when the reverb is turned up on a stock Princeton. If it's idling with nothing plugged in, with the reverb is off, no hum. As you turn it up it will begin to hum and that's probably normal. I had a filtering mod done to quiet it down.
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I’m playing at a local club tonight that has a CS PR and a SF Vibrolux. Before we start, I’ll check them both for both idling noise levels and hum with reverb turned up. I’ve been playing through tube Fenders since 1963 - my first was a BF Pro 15” - so I’m used to ignoring the baseline noises. I don’t recall being bothered by hum in any of them, but sometimes we only hear what we want to hear. Originally Posted by skiboyny
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I bought a new Princeton last year and it was a bit noisy.
I replaced all the X7’s with TAD 7025’s and TAD T7’s.
Shipping is murder on tubes also.
Quiet now. Also new tubes need a little burn in time. LOL
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There is also a sweet spot where you can stand a few feet from your tube amp with your guitsr plugged in, then kind of rotate. There should be a position where the noise drops, especially with single coils.
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That's for RFI and other electromagnetic noise entering through the guitar's pickups and/or wiring. That healthy whooshing buzz is known as "the sound of Fender" to those of us who were weaned on humbuckers. The noise that concerns the OP is present without an instrument plugged into the amp. Originally Posted by Brian859
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We haven't heard back from the OP as to whether the noise is noticeable when he plays. That's the real test. Tube amps generally make a little noise at "idle", while warming up, etc. The noise gets louder if you turn up the volume or the reverb knob. If it's audible above the sound of the guitar, it's a problem (and there are solutions that will reduce it). If it's not, it isn't. Until we know the answer to that basic question, there's no point in offering diagnoses and remedies.
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Then there’s no problem. Enjoy your new amp. Originally Posted by jazzpazz
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As promised, I checked our BF Princeton Reverb and SF Vibrolux for noise last night. With no instrument connected to the inputs, idling noise in both amps was a faint hiss that was barely audible a foot from the speakers with volume and EQ pots all the way up. I also heard no hum at all, even with reverb fully up.
I checked this all again after I put in my IEMs. The amps are mic’ed with SM57s gently touching the grille cloth. With my belt pack volume much higher than I set it while playing, both amps were still very quiet. Sure, there’s a little hiss with volumes above 2 o 3 o’clock. Yes, my class D amps are quieter at idle with gains all the way up. But neither of these Fenders has a noise problem and both are excellent for use at any volume level.
There’s a lot of variance in tube noise, and I’ve had Fender amps that were noisier than these two. But none was too noisy to use, even at home. And changing tubes as others have suggested can bring down the hiss. If one of these makes too much noise for you, either it has a problem or you’re better off with SS / class D. On the other hand, hum that’s clearly audible is not normal and needs attention.
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Carbon comp resistors (which you’ll have in vintage Fenders) can produce a relatively high level of hiss. Nothing you can do about it.
It is possible to build a tube amp with no audible hiss or hum. I’ve done it more than once. But I used milspec MF resistors, high-quality filter caps, and paid neurotic attention to lead dress.
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