Fender FR-12 preamp mod : The Hissterectomy

V2 orders and invites are moving again. Shipping is on pause today, for the Hurricane.

The V3 design is finished! And the pots are now all the premium 41 click type with the stock black knobs. Final proofs are ordered this morning and they will be in production very soon. The clip LED has been moved to the back panel for gain staging. The Bright MOD switch is also included.

here is a peek of the new proofs with a white PCB.

Screen Shot 2024-10-09 at 8.58.06 AM.png
 
WKSmith said:
V2 orders and invites are moving again. Shipping is on pause today, for the Hurricane.

The V3 design is finished! And the pots are now all the premium 41 click type with the stock black knobs. Final proofs are ordered this morning and they will be in production very soon. The clip LED has been moved to the back panel for gain staging. The Bright MOD switch is also included.

here is a peek of the new proofs with a white PCB.

View attachment 146498
Click to expand...
Definitely thinking I'm in for a V3 at this point. Thank you!
 
WKSmith said:
V2 orders and invites are moving again. Shipping is on pause today, for the Hurricane.

The V3 design is finished! And the pots are now all the premium 41 click type with the stock black knobs. Final proofs are ordered this morning and they will be in production very soon. The clip LED has been moved to the back panel for gain staging. The Bright MOD switch is also included.

here is a peek of the new proofs with a white PCB.

View attachment 146498
Click to expand...
Will the final production v3 be PTH?
 
WKSmith said:
V2 orders and invites are moving again. Shipping is on pause today, for the Hurricane.

The V3 design is finished! And the pots are now all the premium 41 click type with the stock black knobs. Final proofs are ordered this morning and they will be in production very soon. The clip LED has been moved to the back panel for gain staging. The Bright MOD switch is also included.

here is a peek of the new proofs with a white PCB.

View attachment 146498
Click to expand...
Hard to sift through the 143 page thread, lol....where can I order?
 
I am working through the last batches of V2s with a long waitlist. When the V2s are gone they will be replaced with the V3s.

Anyone left on the waitlist will get moved to a mailing list for advance notice of when a hundred or two of the V3s will be available on reverb all at once. No waiting.

I appreciate the grace and patience. Parkinson's is kicking my butt. I have a solution in play but it is going to take a little bit 😎
 
WKSmith said:
I am working through the last batches of V2s with a long waitlist. When the V2s are gone they will be replaced with the V3s.

Anyone left on the waitlist will get moved to a mailing list for advance notice of when a hundred or two of the V3s will be available on reverb all at once. No waiting.

I appreciate the grace and patience. Parkinson's is kicking my butt. I have a solution in play but it is going to take a little bit 😎
Click to expand...
Thank you
 
V2 Gold installed today.

I didn't do an A/B comparison before and after. Didn't even fire it up in stock condition to listen for hiss.

But with the V2 preamp the FR-10 sounds absolutely great. I haven't compared it to my V2 FR-12 but the 10 has plenty of bass. My tech commented on it and immediately dialed it back to 10:30.

But long story short it sounds wonderful. My main use for it will be for practicing in my bedroom where I actually do a lot of playing. It's more than good enough for that with the FM9.

The question now is do I break down and get a replacement for the FM3 I sold in order to maximize portability?
 
stratzrus said:
V2 Gold installed today.

I didn't do an A/B comparison before and after. Didn't even fire it up in stock condition to listen for hiss.

But with the V2 preamp the FR-10 sounds absolutely great. I haven't compared it to my V2 FR-12 but the 10 has plenty of bass. My tech commented on it and immediately dialed it back to 10:30.

But long story short it sounds wonderful. My main use for it will be for practicing in my bedroom where I actually do a lot of playing. It's more than good enough for that with the FM9.

The question now is do I break down and get a replacement for the FM3 I sold in order to maximize portability?
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Or get a VP4? A little compression/Drive, reverb and a filter block is all you need for Jazz! And with the upcoming IR loader, you might be in the sweet spot right there?

Edit: I'm doing quite a few jazz gigs these days and I'm seriously considering this as an alternative rig.
 
WKSmith said:
I have been busy today too 🙂

The final V3 proof sounds great!
It's about to be in production tomorrow.
The production boards will be gold plated on black soldermask. But these white ones are kinda cool 😎

View attachment 146953
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Matthew Mcconaughey GIF
 
Ryan Pullin said:
I have a feeling I’m going to succumb to GAS and get a VP4 anyways, and then that’s gonna be my gateway to a combo with an FX loop like a Splawn Super Sport or something
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Patzag said:
Or get a VP4? A little compression/Drive, reverb and a filter block is all you need for Jazz! And with the upcoming IR loader, you might be in the sweet spot right there?

Edit: I'm doing quite a few jazz gigs these days and I'm seriously considering this as an alternative rig.
Click to expand...
I've been considering a VP4, not to use with my Fender FR amps but to use with my Rivera Suprema Jazz Recording combo at gigs.

Agreed that a FM9 or even a FM3 can be overkill for a Jazz gig if using a tube amp. A VP4 should cover the bases, be lighter (an issue when using a 55 lb. combo), and still have more capability than I'd ever use at a gig.
 
stratzrus said:
I've been considering a VP4, not to use with my Fender FR amps but to use with my Rivera Suprema Jazz Recording combo at gigs.
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I just watched the Larry Mitchell video and saw that he was using a Simplifier DLX. It sounded great on Larry's video.

I have one gathering dust and realized that with the VP4 going into it that I could use that as a bedroom practice rig feeding the pair of Presonus Eris 4.5s that are currently serving as stand mounted stereo monitors for the flat screen at the foot of my bed. I'd rather have the VP4 lying next to me on the bed than my FM9. As much as I love the FM9 I think it's a bit much to sleep with. Rolling over on it could be a real pain.

Does anyone know how the drives sound? Could they be sufficient for driving a DLX/Presonus rig?
 
ballhawk said:
Can you reveal what month of the waiting list we have reached? Not that I'm throwing a hissy fit or anything ;)

And I understand if you would rather not.
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There are 11 folks left to clear the Feb waitlist. Many people are asking to be moved to the V3 mailing list.
I expect to finish the V2 production in the next 30 days and move everything over to the V3 direct sales in very large batches.

V3 production will take roughly 30 days starting tomorrow.. So the transition should be quick and smooth.
 
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V3 final.png

V3 change log 10/2024
The major changes for the V3 upgrade of the Archangel V2 Preamp.

Higher Headroom before clipping:
The V3 uses A Burr Brown OPA2134 for the first input stages, and includes 3 other Ti premium OPA amps in the circuit that feature rail to rail voltage swings for even higher headroom before clipping.

The single gain stage has been replaced with 2 isolated gain stages to cut the gain noise in half (pre-Eq) and also keep the signal far from clipping the rails.

New Cut control circuit:
The new circuit does not require an eq amp stage or resonant circuit so noise has been further reduced and the 3 remaining eq bands are now more efficient.
The Cut knob functions exactly like the stock control with the knob range set between 7:00 to 1:00.
Settings from 1:00 to 5:00 will reduce the horn level even further, to zero at 5:00.

Bright Switch Mod:
A MOD Jumper is included to slightly increase the level of the highest frequencies of the horn. In the off position the response is almost exactly that of the stock FRs and V2, In the on position there is a slight lift of the higher 3-5kHz and up bands. It really helps nail Vox type chime and clean pick attack. The Mod Switch increases the gain of the horn amp and as a result, it will slightly increase the hiss of the compression driver. Leave this Mod off for best signal to noise performance.

Rugged Volume Pot:
The volume control has been replaced with one of the premium 41 click custom pots used in the V2 eq. Now all 5 stock knobs and mounting nuts/washers will work with the V3.

Clip Light:
The clip light is now optional (it is included, but you may choose to not install it). It has been re-located to the back panel in the hole labeled ground lift. Installation is simple. Remove the ground lift plunger, push the switch in permanently, push the led holder in the hole, plug it in the V3.

This also permanently lifts the ground from the stock XLR out to keep phantom power from potientially reaching the XLR In. The V3 has internal Phantom Power protection, the stock FR input board and the stock FR preamp absolutely do not.

Premium Components:
The V3 continues the V2 design standard of using full size PTH (old school) low tolerance metal film Resistors, low distortion premium TDK film caps, and Nichion Electro Caps. The dual-sided PC boards are still gold plated with massive busses and ground planes. The only surface mounted SMT components are the 4 OPA OpAmps.

Aux Board Delete
The V2 aux board connectors have been re-designed to include a socket on the V3 board for the power LED and includes heaver AWG cables for the line out connector and horn out socket.
 
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