Some of us play through Deluxe Reverbs. My main "go-to" Deluxe is a late '70's. Although it's not the classic black panel look and circuit, it sounds wonderful, especially with a Weber speaker in it. Tell us about your Deluxe.

I used to play only acoustics till some young friends of mine put a band together in the mid 80's and asked me to play lead electric. So,I got one of the early Fender 62 RI Strats in Fiesta Red at Lark St. Music in Albany but couldn't find an amp I liked but by pure luck I saw a Fender amp listed in my local paper and found a 1965 Deluxe Reverb in perfect condition for $250. it only took about 10 seconds of playing to realize I'd found a very pleasing sound. After that I was constatntly looking and finding black and silver DR's all over the place. Turns out a lot of the local players over the years (country was big in my area) played DR's and Twins and you could pick up 5 or so a year at that time for a few hundred bucks a piece. I loved those DR's and used them for years until I found Tone King Imperials...very similar amp that's lighter weight,better trem (tube)and cool 50's retro look and colors. I got rid of all my DR's....big mistake...but I'll keep any I find now. I still love them and every player should have at least one IMHO.

Sigh---DR's for $250. Those were the days. DR tremolo is tube driven.

I've got a blackface made in 1965, with an an early 60s Jensen P12N speaker in it. I've had the amp's original Oxford speaker re-coned, but I haven't put it in the amp.

When I was in a "senior citizen's" band about 10 years ago, the other guitar player had a DR and I had an early 60s Fender combo amp. What I noticed then was: Though mine ostensibly had more power, his amp was plenty loud enough, and it sounded every bit as good as mine. But his was one piece, lighter and easier to carry, much faster to set up, and it had great reverb.

So a couple years ago, when I found myself needing an amp again, I was looking for something more like his. I found this one advertised locally, and thought it was plenty good enough so I stopped looking.

It is a great amp. You have to set it right though. With the treble rolled up you can get "the Fender ice pick"; I understand some people monkey around with the capacitor values to modify this. [Which one can do on the old amps since they have discrete components not an integrated circuit board like many amps today]. Also with the bass way up I finally came to understand what people were talking about when they refer to speakers "farting out".

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Mine works well for most of my gigs, but if I need more ooomph, I use a black Vibrolux. Also, I'll mention, for any amp, Caig brand Deoxit products are stupendous for cleaning pots, tube sockets, etc. I cleaned a Deluxe a few weeks ago. The trem and reverb were both weak. After Deoxit, both sound absolutely great.

Of course, a beefier speaker (I use Weber) will clean up a certain amount of cone breakup.

Very hard to beat a Deluxe Reverb. One of the best amps of all time. I have a '65 and love it. You also cannot go wrong with a tweed Deluxe either.

quote:

Very hard to beat a Deluxe Reverb. One of the best amps of all time. I have a '65 and love it. You also cannot go wrong with a tweed Deluxe either.

I second that motion for the Tweed Deluxe, reproduction or vintage original. Got a strong preference for ALNICO speakers.

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Originally posted by Ragtime:
Very hard to beat a Deluxe Reverb. One of the best amps of all time.

True, and its architecture is the basis for many other designs by several other manufacturers. I believe that even the mythical Dumble amps were based around these old Fender designs, or at least meant to take the ball and run in the same direction.

those blackface mid sixties Fenders set the standard. I've owned almost one of each: first a Vibrolux, then a Deluxe, then a Pro Reverb, then a Twin Reverb. the Pro was so clean 35 years later it looked like a reissue. tough times and I sold the sucker for 400. Even dumber: I sold an almost equally clean Twin and bought (forgive me,Lord) a Crate. Duh. double duh. my gearhead son has never quite forgiven me, and he's right. One of my alltime dumbass gear moves, and I've made a few. Okay, more than a few. A Deluxe is just the right size and wattage. I play a Blues Junior with an old Jensen put in it, and it's fine, but doesn't lift the kilt like the real deal. tom

My main gig amp is a Deluxe Reverb Reissue. I had the bright cap mod done by Bill Webb, and put a old Altec speaker in it, for a little more headroom. It sounds excellent.

so I'll max out the stupid meter on this thread....

I bought a stock tweed Blues Jr, did all the mods (billm mods for reference, although they've been around for years), upgraded the speaker to a Celestion Blue and the OT & PT to Mercury Magnetics, put in JJ Tesla, GT & EH tubes and a Ruby Tubes reverb tank...

It sounds awesome, and I can actually pick it up! Yes, I overpaid and I could have bought a custom built xxx or whatever for the same amount of $$, but what's the fun in that?

Stupid is as stupid does....

- greg.

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