Q: I bought a reissue Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb amp, but it “pops” when I turn off the standby switch. Is this normal?
A: We consulted our Service Department tube amp guru, and here’s what he had to say:
Standby popping is normal with any Fender Deluxe design. Fender originally (in the 1960s) added the standby switch because it was a requested feature. It was used as a “beer break” mute switch by most people. The modern replicas keep true to the original design, which had this peculiar trait.
To prevent the pop, the standby switch should be turned off last when powering down. Another option is the standby can be left on permanently. It is not needed with the tube rectifier. There will be no damage to the amp. In fact, it is better for the all the amp parts to turn on slowly with the rectifier tube rather than seeing full voltage when the standby is turned on. If you decide to go this way, when you take a break, simply turn down the volume control, don’t use the standby switch.
By the way, the ’65 Princeton Reverb amp has the same tube-rectifier power supply as the Deluxe and it doesn’t have a standby switch because it is not needed for the amp to operate safely.
