Fender Deville 212 - Help!

[musicisarmedy]

Hi I'm new to this, but here's my situation:

I have a Fender Deville 212 which, over the past few months, has randomly cutting to a very thin tone and, on occasion, cutting out. I tried to narrow down the problem by replacing cables in my pedal board - this seemed to help the problem with the thin tone, but the amp still occasionally cuts out.

I have noticed that switching between inputs 1 and 2 seems to temporarily correct the problem (I turn on standby before I switch). Also, running the tubes in and out a bit helps the problem as well. I have talked to a couple of local amp techs and I have gotten a variety of possible explanations including bad sauters (is that how you spell it?), however none of them have actually been able to produce the problem in the shop because it happens, as I mentioned, randomly.

Right now I have 2 Groove 6L6GE tubes and 3 12Ax7r pre amp tubes in there which have all been recently replaced. I noticed, just now, as I was looking through the manual, that the recommended tubes are two 6L6GCs and three 12Ax7a pre amp tubes. Is this difference significant enough to affect the performance?

Also, could this problem be caused by bad tubes? How can I tell if my tubes have gone bad? I have heard of power issues being caused by bad tubes, but all of mine are relatively new.

[52 Bill]

Welcome to the board.

I have noticed that switching between inputs 1 and 2 seems to temporarily correct the problem (I turn on standby before I switch). Also, running the tubes in and out a bit helps the problem as well. I have talked to a couple of local amp techs and I have gotten a variety of possible explanations including bad sauters (is that how you spell it?), however none of them have actually been able to produce the problem in the shop because it happens, as I mentioned, randomly.

Everything that you say that helps the problem relates to physical movements: turning on and off the switch, plugging in and out tubes, etc. Have you tried giving the amp a good thump with your fist? Turn down the reverb and hit the top of the amp. Does this cause or cure the problem? Have you tried to plug in a spare cord from the pre-amp out to the power amp in jack?

Right now I have 2 Groove 6L6GE tubes and 3 12Ax7r pre amp tubes in there which have all been recently replaced. I noticed, just now, as I was looking through the manual, that the recommended tubes are two 6L6GCs and three 12Ax7a pre amp tubes. Is this difference significant enough to affect the performance?

Those tubes are fine for use in your amp. That doesn't mean that they are all good, but the type/numbers are ok.

Also, could this problem be caused by bad tubes? How can I tell if my tubes have gone bad? I have heard of power issues being caused by bad tubes, but all of mine are relatively new.

Bad tubes can cause a lot of problems. And new tubes can fail just as easily as old tubes.

[musicisarmedy]

Thanks for the response.

I haven't tried giving the amp a thump, but I will try that the next time the problem arises.

As for the spare chord - Unless I'm misunderstanding you, I don't have a pre-amp or power amp, there is a grounded power cable that is not detachable.

Is this what you're talking about?

I'll try new tubes as well. How can I tell if the ones I have had gone bad though? Can I tell just by looking at them?

[trevorus]

Thanks for the response.

I haven't tried giving the amp a thump, but I will try that the next time the problem arises.

As for the spare chord - Unless I'm misunderstanding you, I don't have a pre-amp or power amp, there is a grounded power cable that is not detachable.

Is this what you're talking about?

I'll try new tubes as well. How can I tell if the ones I have had gone bad though? Can I tell just by looking at them?

On the control panel of the amp, next to the footswitch jack, there is a preamp out, and a power amp in. Hook a little 1/4" cable between those two.

[52 Bill]

Yes, I guess I should have told you where to find those jacks.

Your amp does have a pre-amp and a power amp, it's just that they are all built into one chassis.

No unless the glass envelope is broken, you can't tell a bad tube by looking at it. I suggest that you don't replace the tubes until you find the problem.