drr24
New Member
Posts: 2
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Post by drr24 on Dec 1, 2020 10:50:27 GMT -7
Hello everybody, I just purchased a brand new Jetta last week and was wondering if it is normal to experience a hissing sound when the master is anywhere from 9o’clock and up. This is my real first “real” tube amp and I just want to make sure that what I am hearing is not out of the ordinary. When I have the volume knob turned up I can’t hear it but when I roll the volume back and turn up the master for a more clean tone, it becomes much more noticeable. The sound does not change if a guitar is plugged in or if the effects loop is in use. I did notice that when I plug my attenuator in, the hissing sound is greatly reduced and may even goes away depending on where I have the master.
I attached a video that I took to reference the sound I am referring to. Besides that, I am loving the tones coming from this thing!
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Post by frankie on Dec 1, 2020 12:20:02 GMT -7
Hi, welcome to the forum. Despite it's small size, the Jetta is a 30 watt amp at it's cleanest setting, as loud as if not louder, than something like a VOX Ac30. So when you have the volume all the way up, as well as the master, you are hearing the maximum amount of gain coming from a 30 watt amp, which is very loud, and would probably peak somewhere closer to 40 watts fully overdrive. I would say, if you plug your guitar into the amp while it's all the way open like that, you'll certainly be reaching for your ear plugs. So by listening to what you sent, no there is nothing wrong with the amp. The Master Volume circuit also will allow you to overdrive the power section, which is actually a decrease in headroom, as you'll be clipping the output tubes. My suggestion for optimal clean headroom in this amp is for you to set the volume at noon. Bring the master to 9:00, and if the amp is already distorting, then bring the volume down back to 10-11:00. Then slowly bring up the master volume until you have the optimal playing volume and clean headroom. Depending on your pickups, you may start to have breakup around noon with some hotter humbuckers, so you may need to back the volume off. The reason why your attenuator decreases the noise floor is because it attenuates the entire output signal, so the noise floor will come down as you attenuate the output. As an aside, could you tell me the dealer and the serial number of the amp, just so we have a record of your amp in the unlikely case you have any problems arise? You can register the amp on our database: drzamps.com/support/registration/
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Post by LT on Dec 1, 2020 12:58:54 GMT -7
^^^ You can't beat Doc's service team!
And yes, welcome to the forum and to Dr Z amps.
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drr24
New Member
Posts: 2
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Post by drr24 on Dec 1, 2020 13:57:43 GMT -7
Hi, welcome to the forum. Despite it's small size, the Jetta is a 30 watt amp at it's cleanest setting, as loud as if not louder, than something like a VOX Ac30. So when you have the volume all the way up, as well as the master, you are hearing the maximum amount of gain coming from a 30 watt amp, which is very loud, and would probably peak somewhere closer to 40 watts fully overdrive. I would say, if you plug your guitar into the amp while it's all the way open like that, you'll certainly be reaching for your ear plugs. So by listening to what you sent, no there is nothing wrong with the amp. The Master Volume circuit also will allow you to overdrive the power section, which is actually a decrease in headroom, as you'll be clipping the output tubes. My suggestion for optimal clean headroom in this amp is for you to set the volume at noon. Bring the master to 9:00, and if the amp is already distorting, then bring the volume down back to 10-11:00. Then slowly bring up the master volume until you have the optimal playing volume and clean headroom. Depending on your pickups, you may start to have breakup around noon with some hotter humbuckers, so you may need to back the volume off. The reason why your attenuator decreases the noise floor is because it attenuates the entire output signal, so the noise floor will come down as you attenuate the output. As an aside, could you tell me the dealer and the serial number of the amp, just so we have a record of your amp in the unlikely case you have any problems arise? You can register the amp on our database: drzamps.com/support/registration/Thank you for the tips frankie I certainly appreciate it. I didn’t think there was a problem but I wanted to check with the experts just in case. I purchased my amp from Matt’s Music Center in Weymouth, MA. Serial number: EE 49193. I’ll be sure to register my amp later today.
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