Fender FR-12 preamp mod : The Hissterectomy

Chewie5150 said:
Question for everyone that has their cabs on the floor. Tilt or no tilt? If you tend to play while standing up most the time...i'mi guessing tilt? if you play mostly playing sitting down...flat on floor? I've always had mine on tilt. I usually sit while playing...but also been playing seated a good 15 ft away. Been experimenting with both positions but obviously you'll hear frequencies different sit/stand and tilt/no tilt. It's interesting to me as I also have the sound coming from my CLR's that are on poles which got me comparing the differences.
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My FR-10s are about 7 - 8 inches above the floor and I usually play seated, close to the amps, so do not need to use the tilt (or at least never thought of using it, I might try).
 
I tilt it if on the floor. Sometimes I just sit it flat on top my other speaker. It sounds good off axis but if dialed in that way it will be too bright on axis. My other speaker is a Crown amp and F12 cab with no eq. I can make them sound pretty close but the eq on the FR10 isn’t where the suggested ‘flat’ setting is. So between my phones, the F12, and the FR10 I’m not sure which one is the truth. It all sounds good though.
 
WKSmith said:
Their half fix helps the hiss, but the V2 completely kills it... Even the $99 standard+ V2 blows it away. From input to output.

Not just the hiss elimination, proper gain staging, the phantom protection, or the new clip light, or even the phase and crossover notch correction.. it just sounds way better with much cleaner headroom and a radical custom eq that is clean and musical and then gets out of the way.

Not bragging. It just is on a whole different level.
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I have an appointment scheduled with my tech to install my V2 Gold this weekend but I thought I'd try my FR-12 unmodified with the FM9 one more time just to see how it sounds stock.

Mine has audible hiss but you can only hear it when not playing and even then the level is low. Far less audible than the noise from my tube amps or hiss from my Atomic CLRs.

The FM9 sounds great through it using my ES-333 with Duncan Antiquities...clean, overdrive, and high gain. I started wondering if I should just leave it as it is or go ahead and get the V2 installed.

I've been hearing so many wonderful things about the V2 and the list of improvements that Liam mentioned above are truly significant. I plan to use it on Jazz gigs, not just for gain tones jamming with my friends, so clean headroom is important to me.

So I decided to go ahead with the mod this weekend. I can't wait to hear how it sounds. No matter what, the FR-12 is a real winner and is the best solution I've tried so far for amplifying my FM9 when playing out. I love the CLRs but it's different . It's more than just "tone", it's the whole package.

The FR-12 give me more of the traditional guitar/amp experience with a modeler than anything else I've used. I'm sure I'll be grinning ear to ear once I get the V2 preamp installed.
 
stratzrus said:
Mine has audible hiss but you can only hear it when not playing and even then the level is low. Far less audible than the noise from my tube amps or hiss from my Atomic CLRs.


I love the CLRs but it's different . It's more than just "tone", it's the whole package.

The FR-12 give me more of the traditional guitar/amp experience with a modeler than anything else I've used. I'm sure I'll be grinning ear to ear once I get the V2 preamp installed.
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I agree with all of this. Now I'm more sensitive to the hiss coming from my CLR's that has always been there but now spoiled with these dead quiet V2's. I find that I'm firing up my FR12's in favor of my CLR's for guitar more and more. Just that cab in the room feel is there. CLR's are still great for my other uses.
 
I am waiting to see what happens in Europe when the new stock arrives. If there will be a version with those issues solved.
But on the other hand, this mod seems so interesting that I am considering buying a second-hand one and asking for the mod to install it. Something that will not present a difficulty to me since although I am a professional musician, I studied electronic engineering and I continue to do my little tricks at home.;)
 
stratzrus said:
I have an appointment scheduled with my tech to install my V2 Gold this weekend but I thought I'd try my FR-12 unmodified with the FM9 one more time just to see how it sounds stock.

Mine has audible hiss but you can only hear it when not playing and even then the level is low. Far less audible than the noise from my tube amps or hiss from my Atomic CLRs.

The FM9 sounds great through it using my ES-333 with Duncan Antiquities...clean, overdrive, and high gain. I started wondering if I should just leave it as it is or go ahead and get the V2 installed.

I've been hearing so many wonderful things about the V2 and the list of improvements that Liam mentioned above are truly significant. I plan to use it on Jazz gigs, not just for gain tones jamming with my friends, so clean headroom is important to me.

So I decided to go ahead with the mod this weekend. I can't wait to hear how it sounds. No matter what, the FR-12 is a real winner and is the best solution I've tried so far for amplifying my FM9 when playing out. I love the CLRs but it's different . It's more than just "tone", it's the whole package.

The FR-12 give me more of the traditional guitar/amp experience with a modeler than anything else I've used. I'm sure I'll be grinning ear to ear once I get the V2 preamp installed.
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Who has 2 thumbs and would love to have your V2 Gold?
Season 2 Nbc GIF by The Office
 
Nawual said:
I am waiting to see what happens in Europe when the new stock arrives. If there will be a version with those issues solved.
But on the other hand, this mod seems so interesting that I am considering buying a second-hand one and asking for the mod to install it. Something that will not present a difficulty to me since although I am a professional musician, I studied electronic engineering and I continue to do my little tricks at home.;)
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The new stock arrived a few weeks ago, and seems to be sold out again. I bought 2 FR12's when that new stock arrived, one from Thomann and one from BAX. They sound great, the hiss is not noticable unless you stick your ear against it (I also have left them on for days because I forgot to turn them of and no hiss to warn me they were on). I have tried many options with my Fractals (DXR-10, Matrix Q12A, MF10, Elis8, poweramp with F12-X200,...) and the FR12 is by far the best, at least for my taste.
Despite having no hiss, I asked Liam to put me on the waiting list. If not for the hiss, than for the correct phase, the improved EQ, the protection against phantom power, the beauty of the design, and the sheer joy of having followed this thread from the beginning and appreciating all the effort that went into the design of the V2.
 
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M@rio said:
The new stock arrived a few weeks ago, and seems to be sold out again. I bought 2 FR12's when that new stock arrived, one from Thomann and one from BAX. They sound great, the hiss is not noticable unless you stick your ear against it (I also have left them on for days because I forgot to turn them of and no hiss to warn me they were on). I have tried many options with my Fractals (DXR-10, Matrix Q12A, MF10, Elis8, poweramp with F12-X200,...) and the FR12 is by far the best, at least for my taste.
Despite having no hiss, I ask Liam to put me on the waiting list. If not for the hiss, than for the correct phase, the protection against phantom power, the beauty of the design, and the sheer joy of having followed this thread from the beginning and appreciating all the effort that went into the design of the V2.
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I didn't know. I will pay attention and if I find one at a good price second hand, I'll grab it while the stock returns.
The truth is that this mod is worth putting on.
Where is the post about the list and prices on this side of the pond?
 
Nawual said:
I didn't know. I will pay attention and if I find one at a good price second hand, I'll grab it while the stock returns.
The truth is that this mod is worth putting on.
Where is the post about the list and prices on this side of the pond?
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Page one has links to help navigate this thread
 
I received my V2s a few weeks ago. Gigged with one a week ago in my FR-12, and it was great. Sound wise, I didn't notice any difference (yay), and it was really nice that the knobs stayed in place while moving the amp around.

Today, I changed out the ICs on the original preamp. I wanted to wait until I had some time with the V2 in case I screwed it up :). I used sockets and 3 OPA4227s.

I (admittedly unscientifically) checked the noise/hiss levels this morning with a phone app, placing my phone in the middle of the speaker, 1 inch away. Here are the readings I got:
Amp off: 20.8db
Original FR12: 28.6db
FR12 with 3x OPA4227: 23.3db
V2: 22.6db.

Take it with a grain of salt, as I do not have good instrumentation, but the measurements show what my ears heard. The original Fender is annoying, changing the ICs helps, and the V2 is the best option, barely any perceptible noise.
 
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