NAD Fillmore 50...with a buzz....

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Fernando

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I just received my Fillmore 50 and am loving the "vintage" vibe i'm getting! I've only been able to play it about an hour or two to test it out and begin to get the feel of the amp with my guitar, but I am a bit concerned after I turned it up loud to get that "alive" feel, lol!

It started buzzing, especially when i hit the notes on the low e string. I checked the chassis bolts, made sure they were not loose, as i did the long bolt that "grounds" the chassis to the top, inside of the amp housing. I noticed that if I tilted the amp backward or forward that the buzzing would go away. I felt that I heard it coming from the grill or speaker itself.

I happened to press the upper middle grill area, where the grill covering wraps around the wood frame, against the amp speaker baffle as i played the low e notes and the buzzing went away. Finally the sound i was looking for, pristine boogie! lol!

So, and maybe authorized boogie could chime in please, what would be the best way to cushion or batten down that area of the grill that seems to need a bit of pressure to tame the buzz. Also, how do i get the grill off? There seems to be 4 screws that i can see the phillip head on the speaker baffle, from the back of the amp, that screw to the front that appear to hold the grill on.

Thus far I'm loving the amp. The clean and drive/distortion channel are ripe for tweaking. I was finding some very usable sounds, especially the distortion.

While I have a slight preference for the LSS Cleans, I think that with break-in and tweaking, the Fillmore will be another great addition for clean tones. I think the 6l6 headroom may give it an edge.

The distortions are what i've been looking for that my other boogies just couldn't hit for certain music i play, namely tango, fado and "bolero" style tunes where I've been looking for a sustaining, "clean" "not-too-gritty" distortion, if that makes sense, where the note definition doesn't get "washed out" and the character of the guitar doesn't disappear with the "over-compression", that is useful in other genres, but to my ear, when I play the type of music i mentioned before, can be overbearing. I want the distortion to "blend in" with the other acoustic instruments and not stand out too much. I'm not saying I don't like the distortions i get from my MK5:35 or TC50, just that, so far, the sound characteristics i've found in those amps have led me to obviously more rock/shred territory, which I also love...lol...i gotta have it all!!

Anyways...thanks for reading and for any suggestions.

peace
 
Fernando said:
I just received my Fillmore 50 and am loving the "vintage" vibe i'm getting! I've only been able to play it about an hour or two to test it out and begin to get the feel of the amp with my guitar, but I am a bit concerned after I turned it up loud to get that "alive" feel, lol!

It started buzzing, especially when i hit the notes on the low e string. I checked the chassis bolts, made sure they were not loose, as i did the long bolt that "grounds" the chassis to the top, inside of the amp housing. I noticed that if I tilted the amp backward or forward that the buzzing would go away. I felt that I heard it coming from the grill or speaker itself.

I happened to press the upper middle grill area, where the grill covering wraps around the wood frame, against the amp speaker baffle as i played the low e notes and the buzzing went away. Finally the sound i was looking for, pristine boogie! lol!

So, and maybe authorized boogie could chime in please, what would be the best way to cushion or batten down that area of the grill that seems to need a bit of pressure to tame the buzz. Also, how do i get the grill off? There seems to be 4 screws that i can see the phillip head on the speaker baffle, from the back of the amp, that screw to the front that appear to hold the grill on.

Thus far I'm loving the amp. The clean and drive/distortion channel are ripe for tweaking. I was finding some very usable sounds, especially the distortion.

While I have a slight preference for the LSS Cleans, I think that with break-in and tweaking, the Fillmore will be another great addition for clean tones. I think the 6l6 headroom may give it an edge.

The distortions are what i've been looking for that my other boogies just couldn't hit for certain music i play, namely tango, fado and "bolero" style tunes where I've been looking for a sustaining, "clean" "not-too-gritty" distortion, if that makes sense, where the note definition doesn't get "washed out" and the character of the guitar doesn't disappear with the "over-compression", that is useful in other genres, but to my ear, when I play the type of music i mentioned before, can be overbearing. I want the distortion to "blend in" with the other acoustic instruments and not stand out too much. I'm not saying I don't like the distortions i get from my MK5:35 or TC50, just that, so far, the sound characteristics i've found in those amps have led me to obviously more rock/shred territory, which I also love...lol...i gotta have it all!!

Anyways...thanks for reading and for any suggestions.

peace

Hmmm. Not common, but wood can shift with the environment, etc...

The 4 screws will remove the grille - you may want to put a small piece of weatherstripping between the grille and baffle. Thanks!
 
Thank you for the prompt reply, sir! I will try that and reply back.... :)
 
Placed weatherstripping on the grill, fired up the amp, and i swear it sounds like heaven, lol....

Well, there is absolutely no buzzing, anyways!

Played a bit more and tweaked a bit more and it's coming together! Gotta say that the vibe coming from this amp is stellar!

I can't really turn it up at home and rehearse my tunes, but probably will do it next weekend when I rent some hours at a local practice room and really get to hear the amp.

Thank you so much Authorized Boogie and Mesa Engineering!!

peace
 

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