The Fender Deluxe Reverb - the G.O.A.T?

[Xpensive Wino]

 

[charliechitlins]

I dragged mine out to a gig awhile ago.
I had forgotten how amazing...
The band leader was blown away.
I said, Yeah...I seldom take this one out because I'm old enough to remember when it was a ham & cheese amp...and a little too small.
He said, Well it's NOT.
We had it good when we could walk into the music store and buy a hand wired tone monster for $230.

 

[goldtop0]

I haven't got a '60s DR but one of the LE reissues, put a Blue in it and that took it to another level, love it to bits, there's plenty of grunt with those 22 watts.

 

[LeonC]

I'm sure I'm in the minority, but I just don't like DRs. They're great amps for sitting in front of in the living room and playing clean....but not enough clean headroom for most of my gigs and not the greatest overdriven sound when I need that. Just not the right size for me. I'd rather use a really good sounding Princeton Reverb on low vol gigs and a Vibrolux Reverb for just about everything else.

 

[Wilko]

I've played them all. Even when I still had a my Vibrolux Reverb, The Deluxe was still a better choice for most gigs. I use a Princeton with a 12" alnico blue for most gigs these Days, but the Deluxe still has a fatter tone.

Main gigging amps these days are the '73 Princeton and the '64 no-logo Deluxe Reverb.

 

[Wilko]

Here's one of my favorite videos of my Deluxe Reverb in action at the Belly Up! tavern in Solana Beach. I'm playing a bursted 1968 Les Paul with 1961 PAFs

 

[Patrick Ginnaty]

I've owned 3 SFDRs. I put K120s or D120s in all three. Biased the last one for 6L6s w/ss rectifier. Dual Deluxe Reverbs is an amazing sound.
I missed that last one, and ended up buying a LE DRRI that sounds very sweet. I think that I'd like to send it to Alessandro to rebuild eventually.

 

[jb_abides]

I've tried many Fenders, but the only Fender amp I've ever owned is a 65 DRRI mod'd by Fargen with a Greenback. Yum.

 

[renderit]

 

[Any Name You Wish]

I'm sure I'm in the minority, but I just don't like DRs. They're great amps for sitting in front of in the living room and playing clean....but not enough clean headroom for most of my gigs and not the greatest overdriven sound when I need that. Just not the right size for me. I'd rather use a really good sounding Princeton Reverb on low vol gigs and a Vibrolux Reverb for just about everything else.

Maybe a minority but not alone. Every time I try one I think that I just don't get what everyone else is so excited about.

 

[J T]

I was watching ACL Festival last weekend and I spotted DR's in the backline of bands.
I also noticed most of those guitarists had huge pedalboards in front.
It seems to be the go to amp nowadays.

 

[lure555]

It seems to be the go to amp nowadays.

It's been that way forever. All those L.A. studio guys in the 70s were using them. Most were modded tho. I had a 68 CDR that was incredible. The QC was iffy, but that Bassman channel was magic.

 

[jb_abides]

It's been that way forever. All those L.A. studio guys in the 70s were using them. Most were modded tho. I had a 68 CDR that was incredible. The QC was iffy, but that Bassman channel was magic.

Fender has a 68 Reissue with those Rivera mods.

Although if I had the dosh and yen I would opt for the Rivera Stage IV.

 

[LeonC]

It's been that way forever. All those L.A. studio guys in the 70s were using them. Most were modded tho. I had a 68 CDR that was incredible. The QC was iffy, but that Bassman channel was magic.

Louie Shelton wasn't one of them He used a Princeton Reverb and eventually had some of Paul Rivera's mods done to it. Fabulous player and a kliller amp!

 

[DutchRay]

I thought we had settled on this allready... The answer is yes, every guitar player should have one!

 

[el84ster]

Classic super great amps for sure.
And I also acknowledge I’m probably a bone head for not digging them, but the blackface sound in general is not my thing. Bright, scooped and a little hard sounding
I’m more into tweeds, jtm45s, Valcos. I like a little more mids and grease.
But I’m glad they exist and people dig em and do make them sound good, just not when I’m the one plugged in. Lol

 

[charliechitlins]

Gorgeous.
But a ticking bomb to play.

 

[renderit]

Why?

I am assuming it will need stuff replaced at some point, but nothing SEEMS bad...

'Course it still has the death stuff in there.

 

[charliechitlins]

Because the electrolytics are 40+ years past their expiration date.
As far as posterity AND tone are concerned, a vintage amp with replaced caps is much more desirable than one with replaced caps AND output transformer because a filter cap blew and took the OT with it. Then the amp will always have an aftermarket OT.
The techs who think it's OK to run old caps must either have a large parts stash or don't realize that you can no longer call Fender and order proper parts for old amplifiers.
You usually can't tell caps are bad by looking at them.
When we say they are leaking, that means they are no longer doing their job and DC current is leaking out the negative side, not that there is a physical substance oozing out of them.

 

[renderit]

Which is why I always run it through a light bulb...

But point noted.

I need to find someone I can REALLY trust to do the stuff you are talking aboot.