Fender Deluxe 90 hums

Jul 06, 2017 2 Replies

It hums, said the customer. I'll take a look, I said.



After a cleanup I tested it and couldn't find anything electrically wrong.



But with nothing except power connected there always seemed to be a faint hum from the speaker.



Probably normal I thought. It doesn't seem to be the highest quality design.



But then I noticed that the bench seemed to be vibrating a little. And when I disconnected the speaker the hum remained.



It's actually caused by the power transformer. Pushing hard on the back of the unit by the transformer eliminates the hum. Perhaps tightening the transformer bolts will fix it.


** There are a whole bunch of Fender SS amps built the same way - and I have seen one or two that hummed due to vibration from the AC transformer.

Tightening the mounting bolts might help.

.... Phil

Before tightening the bolts, slacken a bit and introduce thinned lacquer all around the E&I soft iron plates. Check soldering at the input socket ground lines as well.

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