What's going on with this 1969 Deluxe Reverb Wiring??

xman74 · May 22, 2018

Calling all Fender Deluxe Reverb experts... You are looking at the wiring for a 1969 SF Deluxe Reverb and I am trying to ascertain 1) which circuit this is and 2) if any of the original wiring/caps/resistors are left? I have not seen the amp in person so this is what I have to go on. It's an export model (denoted by the bright red knob on the back panel in the photo), if that makes a difference.

And this one is more subjective, but does it look like the work and replacement components are appropriate and of quality?

Any input from the gurus is MASSIVELY appreciated! Thanks!

Wilko · May 22, 2018

I may be high, but that doesn't even look like a Fender amp. All that 22 gauge wire? All the caps look wrong to me as well.

thejaf · May 22, 2018

Hey, at least some of the CC resistors look original :spabout

sonar · May 22, 2018

All the tone caps were unnecessarily replaced, which does no good for tone nor value. Same goes for the wiring.

Pass.

buckaroo · May 22, 2018

I would pass on that based on the image.

deytookerjaabs · May 22, 2018

Hey, at least it's set up for international touring! If it's priced super cheap it might be a better get than a DRRI.

xman74 · May 23, 2018

Thanks, guys. That is what I feared and appreciate the confirmation. Unfortunate thing is the rest of the amp is super clean and original. But the important bits have been all mucked up. Also not cheap so I think I will pass. Guess I will continue to wait for an export BF/SF Deluxe Reverb...

Hey, one other thing, any idea which circuit this is? AB763?

Thanks again!

akstrat61 · May 23, 2018

One thought would be to send it to Alessandro to work it over?:hank Might be worth a save!:jim:salude:jim

TM1 · May 26, 2018

The yellow caps sound a lot better than the brown turd caps that came in it. This was a transition era for Fenders and they went to cheesy thin wire and offset that with the shielded wire on the input jacks and volume pot. I can see some wrong value resistors for a typical BF era Deluxe. Dump those awful orange drops Ashley sound like shite compared to say those yellow ones or even some Sozo's. Hard to tell, but does have that garbage boost?
there can be hope for this amp given the right caps, resistors,etc..

DrRobert · Jun 1, 2018

69 is way too early for the boost. But yeah, wiring is a mess, lots of changed values, if it were cheap then it'd be worth resurrecting. If they're asking 69 money, walk away.

Wally · Jun 1, 2018

AS noted, the wholesale changing of all tone and coupling caps has rendered this amp to the player ranks...might be a good one but that is hard to determine from here. I would take this...at the correct price considering the non-originality---over any DRRI. The AC wiring supply needs to be revisited....and it appears that they installed a brand new Sprague Orange Drop for the death cap...that needs to be pulled. The installed a true bias voltage adjustment circuit.
Xman, that amp started out with the AB868 circuit, but it is no longer that. One would have to have it on a bench to understand exactly what is there now.
At a certain price, that could be a good amp. It has the one-piece baffle/grille board that is screwed in. That is superior to what came a year or so later with the glued in baffleboard and the velcro-attached grille board, imho.

xman74 · Jun 2, 2018

Some really good input here and I am super impressed at how quickly you can spot the deficiencies. This community is awesome and I really appreciate the feedback. Unfortunately, top money is being asked for it so it’s not going to happen anytime soon.

Wally · Jun 2, 2018

xman wrote: "Unfortunately, top money is being asked for it so it’s not going to happen anytime soon."

For top dollar....exc cond, all-orig....it should never happen, imho.

chipss36 · Jul 14, 2018

I am astounded how many "amp techs" rip out coupling caps in fenders, especially the blackfaces, I have a bag of blue molded "pulls" every one pulled and then sold, ESR problem? nope, A high voltage leakage problem nope, all caps test as new, every one of them....over 50, on a calibrated sencore 77, and a Blue ESR, the blue is about the only ESR meter that reads smaller caps like these. if your amp tech does not have both n ESR meter and at least a old high voltage bridge to check for leakage find anther amp tech who does. And knows how to use it.

I have to Charge a bunch to restore them to stock, caps are like $20 each..... plus my tech time. also the whole orange drop thing, have a bag of them as well, and
happy customers because I ripped em out, use mallorys, they are more like what fender used if gong cheep on a restore. , they have much less Icepick going on....something to consider....

for sure pass.

deytookerjaabs · Jul 14, 2018

TM1 said:
The yellow caps sound a lot better than the brown turd caps that came in it. This was a transition era for Fenders and they went to cheesy thin wire and offset that with the shielded wire on the input jacks and volume pot. I can see some wrong value resistors for a typical BF era Deluxe. Dump those awful orange drops Ashley sound like shite compared to say those yellow ones or even some Sozo's. Hard to tell, but does have that garbage boost?
there can be hope for this amp given the right caps, resistors,etc..

Speaking of awful orange drops, when I opened up my wonderful '67 Twin Reverb it had a number of those in it courtesy of Larry Rodgers (RIP). In fact, Richard Ealey, who runs Blackbird Studios here in town, loved it so much he bought it from me and it's now their house Twin. :salude

LeonC · Jul 14, 2018

Yeah, that's not a collector's amp...and the fact that all the signal caps have been replaced indicates that someone appears to have gone through it with the intent of squeezing some measly profit out of the original caps, which may have been the Ajax blue-molded ones...or maybe not. (It's very unlikely they were all passing DC/shot and therefore needed replacing.) The yellow caps are probably Mallory 150s (metalized polyester dielectric). The orange ones in the phase inverter are some kind of "orange drop", but it's worth noting that not all orange drops are "created equal." The PS series ones are polyester and have a very different sound from the 715/716 caps which have a polypropylene dielectric. IME, the PS series can be great sounding caps in Fender circuits...where the 716s, for example, will make amps that sound sterile or kinda brittle. I can't tell which ones that amp has in it...you really want to see the labels...but the point is, the color orange does not necessarily = bad sounding caps.

Also, I've played through a number of SF Fenders with "brown turd" cap that sounded absolutely fantastic. They are not necessarily crappy sounding caps at all, not in my opinion.

Professortwang · Jul 17, 2018

Lots of great responses

The next time someone says that there is little difference between BF and SF amps show them this picture. Very early SF amps were wired with care and had the same attention to detail as the BF amps. Unfortunately this didn’t last long. The blue Mallory caps used in BF Fenders and some late Tweed amps are fantastic. They are less prone to leakage and sound great, they also look cool. I think part of people’s disdain for orange drops is cosmetic. They tend to be oversized in the higher voltage ranges and stand out like a bulbous Oompa Loompa. The brown turd caps leak, don’t sound good, and are ugly.

chipss36 · Jul 18, 2018

Some early siverfaces did run did run the blue molded caps. Next was the shift to blue pacatrons.
orange drops are ice picks, and the wrong dielectric for vintage fenders, and that
is why I do not like them.

Professortwang said:
Lots of great responses

The next time someone says that there is little difference between BF and SF amps show them this picture. Very early SF amps were wired with care and had the same attention to detail as the BF amps. Unfortunately this didn’t last long. The blue Mallory caps used in BF Fenders and some late Tweed amps are fantastic. They are less prone to leakage and sound great, they also look cool. I think part of people’s disdain for orange drops is cosmetic. They tend to be oversized in the higher voltage ranges and stand out like a bulbous Oompa Loompa. The brown turd caps leak, don’t sound good, and are ugly.

What's going on with this 1969 Deluxe Reverb Wiring??

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