Fender FR-12 preamp mod : The Hissterectomy

The V2 plugs into the stock power supply. It has been tested with both US and European power.

If you have the current FR 10/12 revision :
IMG_1501.jpeg

It will plug into existing stock sockets and cables, mount into stock holes, and even use the stock hardware, screws, nuts, and washers.

It's a 5 minute (ish) installation.
And absolutely no soldering required.
 
Last edited:
WKSmith said:
The V2 plugs into the stock power supply. It has been tested with both US and European power.

With the current FR 10/12 revision :
View attachment 136418

It will plug into existing stock sockets and cables, mount into stock holes, and even use the stock hardware, screws, nuts, and washers.

It's a 5 minute (ish) installation.
And absolutely no soldering required.
Click to expand...
Wow, maybe I want to buy one of these!!!
 
WKSmith said:
The V2 plugs into the stock power supply. It has been tested with both US and European power.

With the current FR 10/12 revision :
View attachment 136418

It will plug into existing stock sockets and cables, mount into stock holes, and even use the stock hardware, screws, nuts, and washers.

It's a 5 minute (ish) installation.
And absolutely no soldering required.
Click to expand...

Awesome!

Soon I'll get my FR-12 (I'm done with brazilian vendors and their abusive pricing, so I'm importing one myself). And I'm anxiously looking forward to my V2 mod too!

And now I'm curious about those revisions, hehe! When you have some time, could you please comment a little bit on them here, like making a changelog or something?

You know, just so we all can have some distraction while the final version of the V2 isn't ready yet ;).
 
davi_ssilva said:
Awesome!

Soon I'll get my FR-12 (I'm done with brazilian vendors and their abusive pricing, so I'm importing one myself). And I'm anxiously looking forward to my V2 mod too!

And now I'm curious about those revisions, hehe! When you have some time, could you please comment a little bit on them here, like making a changelog or something?

You know, just so we all can have some distraction while the final version of the V2 isn't ready yet ;).
Click to expand...
That revision above is the stock FR preamp. I only mention it for future reference. F-Corp may have a board revision in the future that may or may not be compatible with the V2.

The final V2 design is almost exactly the same as the proofs. I added a taper resistor to the volume pot, and cranked the gain stage a bit, and found a single dropped trace on a SOIC pad (used for future tinkering).

I will post soon when assembly starts. I have 10,000 or so parts inbound this week ...to go with the ones that I have in stock, all those need to ship out first.
 
WKSmith said:
That revision above is the stock FR preamp. I only mention it for future reference. F-Corp may have a board revision in the future that may or may not be compatible with the V2.

The final V2 design is almost exactly the same as the proofs. I added a taper resistor to the volume pot, and cranked the gain stage a bit, and found a single dropped trace on a SOIC pad (used for future tinkering).

I will post soon when assembly starts. I have 10,000 or so parts inbound this week ...to go with the ones that I have in stock, all those need to ship out first.
Click to expand...
Oh, now I get it! So it's better to buy an FR-12 sooner than later, so the full compatibility with the V2 Mod is somewhat guaranteed.

And thanks for the updates on the production status!
 
Ok, update on my 'Fender modded' FR12.

Even with the Fender fix, this thing is too noisy for me. I could imagine if it was dead silent, I would certainly keep it. But unfortunately, I have to take it back. I don't want to have to play the game of finding one that is dead silent, or pay for aftermarket fixes (althought I am sure the options here are quite good and may be a viable option for some), or build my presets around the cut knob being at a certain location.

If this is the 'fixed version' - I find it hard to believe that some people could be ok with the 'bad ones'! It is so noisy. To me it is super distracting coming from previous FRFR's I had (Line 6 L3Ms, and others I have tried).

I am sad.
 
sick pickle said:
Ok, update on my 'Fender modded' FR12.

Even with the Fender fix, this thing is too noisy for me. I could imagine if it was dead silent, I would certainly keep it. But unfortunately, I have to take it back. I don't want to have to play the game of finding one that is dead silent, or pay for aftermarket fixes (althought I am sure the options here are quite good and may be a viable option for some), or build my presets around the cut knob being at a certain location.

If this is the 'fixed version' - I find it hard to believe that some people could be ok with the 'bad ones'! It is so noisy. To me it is super distracting coming from previous FRFR's I had (Line 6 L3Ms, and others I have tried).

I am sad.
Click to expand...
Sorry to hear that. I think you don’t have the fixed version. Mine (FR10) is whisper quiet. Meaning I had to shove my ear against the grille next to the tweeter to hear the faintest noise from the amp.
 
Patzag said:
Sorry to hear that. I think you don’t have the fixed version. Mine (FR10) is whisper quiet. Meaning I had to shove my ear against the grille next to the tweeter to hear the faintest noise from the amp.
Click to expand...
Possibly, but @WKSmith confirmed looking at my pics that it was one of the 'newer' ones. I am taking his word on it! But yeah... maybe there is something wrong with it. Who knows. Sitting 3 feet from it, FR12 volume at around 2PM - the hiss makes it unusable.
 
sick pickle said:
Possibly, but @WKSmith confirmed looking at my pics that it was one of the 'newer' ones. I am taking his word on it! But yeah... maybe there is something wrong with it. Who knows. Sitting 3 feet from it, FR12 volume at around 2PM - the hiss makes it unusable.
Click to expand...
The hiss inherent in the FR12 should be evident with the Treble, Mid, and Bass controls at noon and the Volume can Cut controls fully counter-clockwise and nothing plugged into the input. Try that, and if the hiss isn't still bad, then you likely are getting noise from something else.

-Aaron
 
aflynt said:
The hiss inherent in the FR12 should be evident with the Treble, Mid, and Bass controls at noon and the Volume can Cut controls fully counter-clockwise and nothing plugged into the input. Try that, and if the hiss isn't still bad, then you likely are getting noise from something else.

-Aaron
Click to expand...
The amp is virtually silent in this situation. This is what I confirmed at the music shop when I bought it - we plugged it in, cranked it at these exact settings. No hiss. I instantly said "I'll take it!"

As soon as I connect something to the input, the hiss takes off like a demon.
 
sick pickle said:
The amp is virtually silent in this situation. This is what I confirmed at the music shop when I bought it - we plugged it in, cranked it at these exact settings. No hiss. I instantly said "I'll take it!"

As soon as I connect something to the input, the hiss takes off like a demon.
Click to expand...
Interesting. What do you have plugged into it, and what kind of cable are you using to connect to it?

-Aaron
 
sick pickle said:
The amp is virtually silent in this situation. This is what I confirmed at the music shop when I bought it - we plugged it in, cranked it at these exact settings. No hiss. I instantly said "I'll take it!"

As soon as I connect something to the input, the hiss takes off like a demon.
Click to expand...
Sounds like a grounding issue - maybe?🤔
 
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