Fender Deluxe Reverb: Review, Tone Tips & More 

How do you dial in your Deluxe Reverb? Let us know! And follow me on Spotify to hear all this gear on a sultry song or two ~ open.spotify.com/artist/6RLQFre2Qp5T454mFR5Ol4

This amp along with the Marshall Plexi and Vox AC-30 are to me the three amps everyone should own or at least play through at least once. Great video, Jack.

Nice demo of the DRRI showing how you can dial in a nice tone without the need to clip the bright cap, change the speaker, bring reverb and tremolo to the normal channel or any of the multitude of mods you see people doing. I enjoy my DRRI completely stock. It has that Fender tone.

After 30 years of playing, I bought my first Fender amp - a '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb - only after a pretty extensive search for a lower wattage/more portable Marshall Bluesbreaker; and the Custom channel on the '68 paired with it's celestion actually hit it closer than my 1974x. I think I had this impression of Fender amps as too scooped with a kind of anemic low end, but I really love this amp. It's may be the most versatile amp I've ever owned; fits in the back of a taxi, sounds awesome at all volumes. (which is also something my 18 watt Marshall didn't - that amp really needed to be cranked). With the DR, I usually run into Input 2 on the custom channel sometimes jumping it into the vintage channel with a short lead (You can do that on the '68 reissues). At jams or gigs I set the volume up to between 7 and 8 then roll back my guitar volume to clean it up. It takes pedals awesome but I mostly just use a TS808 and Fuzzface set to unity. But even at home, I can plug into input 2 and barely crack open the volume at a TV level (around 2 on the volume) and it sounds clean and punchy. I really does everything. Still not a fan of Jensen's' but with the right speaker these are brilliant.

This was helpful. I'm looking at a '65 Reverb reissue this weekend after a too-long decision process. While I was 90% sure it's the amp I want, this demo was extra confirmation. I can't afford a family of amps, so I must make the right choice now.

Excellent review. Thorough and concise. Thank you for sharing!

Finally an amp I don’t have to buy!!! I’ve already got one!! Love these videos as not only do I get to learn a bit but I get to hear you play... for free too!! Win! Win!

I have a Fender Champion 40, it's always set to the 65 deluxe voicing and i like it. Not thin, not too thick, just the right amount of punchiness. Can't wait to save up for the real one.

Great insight here, Jack. This is the go-to video for anyone curious about buying a Deluxe Reverb.

This is a brilliant tone review of this amp, (I own one of these and love it) I tuned in as I admire your comprehensive reviews. Oh, to own your stable of guitars to compare. I use a Jeff Beck strat with mine and love to push it with a Boss OD3 pedal with volume around 5 for lead work and roll the guitar back for crunch rhythm. It is a sound made in heaven. I have Marshalls and vox's but prefer this for general band work. I should mention that I put a Fromel upgrade kit through it early on and improved the mid-range response a little. It is a killer amp now.

My Deluxe is absolutely the best of my amps. The weapons-grade clean tones are the main reason why I bought it. Admittedly, I really need to plug into #2 once in a while, just for funzies. I totally agree with you on rolling the tone down a wee bit on most guitars. I do miss having adjustable mids, which is why I almost went for a twin reverb, but in the end, I'm really glad I chose the Deluxe. Reverb and a semi-hollow through this amp are breathtaking, my 339 loves this amp. For me, it's all reverb, all the time, and less treble than bass.

Great points about the pros of gigging with this amp!

I've owned a Deluxe Reissue for several years now, with the Fender Special speaker, and it has great projection on stage. Front end it with a Boss ME-80 to get whatever crunch I may need. It sounds awesome with my Rickenbacker 360/12 on "Byrds" compressor settings, and I can get a decent Edge tone with my FrankenCaster thru the ME-80. Coupled with a decent effects setup, you can't beat it for overall quality in my book, and it doesn't weigh a ton!

Fantastic video. I'm a Deluxe Reverb noob and this was very helpful in understanding these amps.

Great review and real nice playing, Jack!

I had a '68 Custom Deluxe upon the recommendation of a friend, and just couldn't bond with it, so I traded it. Then I came across a 1974 silverface locally for just $750 {all original} and I love it. This is my "death do us part" amp. No need to mod it, it sounds just fine as it is. I have different settings depending what style of music I'm playing. It does best for country, pop and classic rock. It seems to prefer single coils a little better than Humbuckers, though handles them well too.

Hi Jack, I have a ‘68 drip edge with a tone tubby hemp cone speaker. On gigs I sit on top of my Budda Verbmaster 18. I like the volume up around 7, breaks up when I hit it hard but still get the sweet tone when I back off. The Budda takes care of the gain. I use a divided by 13 ( switch hazel for amp switching. I have been using this same rig for about twenty years. It just works for me. Love your videos

Oh man! LOVE These amps sooooo much!

I like to crank this amp with my Telecaster in a following way: normal channel volume on 10 in high sensitivity input, Treb on 6 Bass on 4,5. Push it with TS9 - Vol on max, Gain on min, Tone on 9 o'clock. Sounds very similar to cranked bassman.

ive retubed a deluxe reverb and it sounded amazing ,i used the best vintage tubes to my opinion for each slot : v1 mullard i63 for a bassman like tone at the normal channel great for single coils or drive v2 GE12ax7wa for a great crispy american clean at the vibrato channel most people could stop there and be very happy with the results but if it's cost no object then you can also put a GE 12at7 at v3 , GE 12AX7WA at v4, v5 and a brimar/mullard 12at7 at v6. mullard rectifier and marched pair of brimar 6v6gt red logo(good luck finding those...) or rca 6v6gt

The DRRI (with the Jensen C12K speaker) is my main small club amp and has been for the last 5 years, like Jack I use the #2 input of the vibrato channel for the same reasons he does, my pedal board just sounds better in there, especially the dirt pedals for mid gain tones and I use my reverbs and delays in there as well. vol 4-6, treble 6, bass 3 and dirt pedals volumes 11 oclock to max depending on pedal and gain. But that's not to say don't use the #1 input, but because I cover the gamut of blues , rock, and americana tones, in general things just work out out better for me in #2. PS, The DRRI has been rock solid. Thanks for the video Jack!

At about 16:25 with the tremelo it reminded me of Tom Petty's ( Mike Campbell's) "Forgotten Man" tone. Got to hear it after this video is over. Thanks for another great video Jack. You always deliver the goods. My Fender amps consist of a 74 twin reverb, a super six reverb, and an excelsior , I've been wanting a princeton but I found a super champ ( Riveria) locally I'd consider. However, the deluxe may be the one for me.. keep up the great work.

Awesome tips and tones!

Great video!!! Gonna get myself one!

It’s the perfect electric guitar tone. Unbeatable cleans. Fantastic reverb. Of course that is just my opinion.

After seeing this I took your advice on plugging into Input 2 at band practice this week. It puts the sound of the guitar more "in the back" rather than "in the front" if that makes sense. I play a 1972 Silverface Deluxe and we are a power trio. While it is easier to sing with less ice-pick treble, the guitar just isn't there anymore when I play leads on the higher strings. Those notes no longer cut through. I kept turning up the treble on the amp until I went back to Input 1. Sometimes the devil you know is what you need while rehearsing a day before a gig. But I will experiment more with this input. Maybe a compressor would help keep those high notes shimmering. I could step on a clean boost pedal, but I'd rather control the volume with my hands than having to step on a pedal. Thanks for sharing your insights with this video! I love the sound of the compressed tremolo.

That sounded incredible. Especially when you were using the Tele with the “magic pickup.” I’m a big Twin Reverb fan myself but, man, that sounded good!

That ends my internal debate. I want THIS amp! Thank you brother!

Another killer review! Great info and tips! Just curious on your opinion, how would you say the tone of the Princeton reverb reissue and deluxe reverb reissue differs?

I just got one today I love it so far

Great review and tone tips. I just bought the ‘64 custom hand-wired Deluxe Reverb a couple of days ago and was looking for tips on how to dial it in. Eager to try them. Thanks!

Sounds so good. Great video

Great video. Glad I came across your channel! I just bought a DRRI '65 about 2 weeks ago. I run a hollowbody archtop with '59s. The amp I previously used, was a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe. The first model, and it's kind of a turd. Shortly after I purchased the amp, I replaced the stock speaker (Eminence, if I recall) with a Tone Tubby hemp cone speaker which improved the tone. Now, I'm pleasantly surprised by the stock Jensen in the DRRI, but was wondering what your thoughts would be on popping the Tone Tubby in there instead. Penny for your thoughts? The Tone Tubby has a good 8 years on it...which means its well broken in. Will this Jensen get better with age? It's ceramic (Jensen) vs. alnico (Tone Tubby) of course...

Enjoyed the demonstration & tips Jack. How do you find the self noise of these amps?

I have a fender deluxe reverb too I love mine I liked your video thanks

great vid...as usual!! what model tele and les paul is that specifically!??? thanks I just bought my first delux yesterday Thanks!

Very informative and comprehensive review! Do you know the difference between the Deluxe Reverb and the Pro Reverb? Is it just power and headroom? Thanks.

absolutely awesome n ace playing which do you pefer for sensible volume / bedroom n home use Jack between the princeton, deluxe n have you had an opportunity to try a tm? mainly for peter green / danny kirwan style stuff edge of breakup etc are you using an attenuator with yours? thanks in advance

Jack, any thoughts on speakers for these amps? I bought one recently with a celestion G12 65 installed. I'm definitely liking it, but wondering if there is a more 'fender-y' sounding speaker you'd recommend?

I have a 65 ri-delux I love. Burgandy 😊

Nice review. Thanks. For just playing blues would you recommend this or a blues deluxe and can they be played in a home realistically?

Love your taste in guitars. Same as my own

Jack , thoughts on the 64’ Handwired Deluxe? I always enjoy you tech tip videos, Thank you!

In my opinion, the best amp ever made.

I have a '77 with the correct output transformer installed. It came with a treble boost knob on the back. Had an amp tech change that to a low midrange boost, so I can dial in as much or little as I want. Also has a speaker from a Twin Reverb, and that thing is a beast. I generally play through the REVERB channel which sounds fabulous. But the real channel is the NORMAL channel. Good grief.

Thank you Jack 🙏

Hey Jack, I have a 65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue and I’m having some white noise/hiss issues. Is it normal for it to have that sort of noise floor? Anywhere past Volume 4 is pretty noticeable and a real challenge to record.

Another great video. The Deluxe is my desert island amp. I love mine to bits. How about talking about jumping the channels together? That’s another avenue for more tonal explorations.

I keep my controls at 5 for bass and mods 3 for treble and reverb for my Jazzmasters. Sometimes boost reverb if I am playing stuff like the Ventures. You can catch me and my son playing on my you tube channel if you enjoy that sort of music. It’s under William von Zangenberg. My son is on tour in Florida playing finger style guitar like Tommy Emanuel style.

Mine is a (blackfaced) 73 with a Kendrick black frame speaker. I mostly play tele/strat, funk R&B blues reggae... I run the volume between 3-4, treble 5, bass just over 4, reverb 2.5 input 1

Great amp but I still prefer the CVR.. more power and more punchy.. great video!

Totally agree with you on channel 2. Any thoughts on the new Tone Master Deluxe Reverb?

Jack I love the way the that beautiful Trle sounded Which telecaster is that , I need to have one. Please Jack let me know.

Ejoyed that Jack, the cleans with your tele were great. On the subject of tele's, Today was the first day that I played my Cabronita (for a couple of hours) and never noticed the vintage frets, radius or neck carve. It's an awesome guitar and has such a pleasant clean/edge of breakup tone.

What mic are you using to capture the amp? I'm trying to record my friends Deluxe Reverb with a SM57 with the stock Jensen speaker and he's using a MXR '78 distortion for a more Marshall-y tone. It just doesn't translate to the mic like I want it to.

Sounds great, really nice amp. Can you cover the 65 reissue Princeton Reverb? I recently got one with a 12” Cannabis Rex speaker.

My favorite is also in #2. In all my Fender amps.habit I guess. Also I own silverface twins from the early 70s and also silverface Deluxe/ vibrolux Reverb, but the 65 Deluxe blackface rules in my opinion over the silver face Fender amplifiers. Sign a player of 50-plus years. I run them sometimes in stereo and they sound great together.

I play blues and like to play clean to just as the amp breaks up. Would this amp work live plying with a drummer and bass player in micd?

Hi, what is the difference between that 1 and 2 inputs? Does it affect the tone?

Nice video. What was the volume set at on amp?

I got one used and it is a bit noisy. White noise even with all knobs at 1. The reverb and vibrato pick up even more noise from all kind of electric sources of the room. As soon as I start playing the noise goes away luckily

I have the 68 custom deluxe reverb reissue. O running it a bit hot on the vintage channel, input 2 for home use (allows the tubes to work a bit harder while not adding any compression or squish). Pushing the volume at 4.5 or 5. Bass on 6. Treb in 4.5 to 5. Verb on 4. Running a TS9 on the front end and having all EQ on that set to 10 o’clock. Magic with a tele or strat. My Les Paul get tan through the custom channel with a bassman tone stack. Volume at 4 bass on 5 treb on 6 The amp naturally breaks up and sounds just like the “beano” tone

Jack I wish you had dealt with lower volume pedal fussiness on the vibrato channel because of the bright cap

I have found that it really doesn't matter where l put the dials it sounds great...and if I want it louder, say in a band situation, l just plug the cord into the wall. You will find the cord attached at the back, all amps have them.

In a couple of days the C12Q arrive, and I'll try this speaker on my Deluxe 65 - this speaker installed in DRRI 64 HW. I know it's totally different amps, but I have big expectations from this replacement.

Was that a single speaker or twin. You sound great. I've always used Marshall( I have 4 different ones and 3 different line 6 s. Im gonna pull the trigger and get on in my collection of gear.

I just roll off the tone knobs until I can stand the high end. It isn't that bad. It is my favorite amp..I have a tweed re issue also. That has a lot of high end.

My amp sounds somewhat muddy not as crystal and bright as I’m expecting. I put Texas special pick ups in my Strat. It just doesn’t seem to sound “right”do you think I need new tubes? I bought the amp used no matter what settings I chose it just seems like somethings missing. The knobs all work the tone just isn’t there.

You hit on a point here that has always bothered me. 2 inputs. Ive never liked that because it seems to nag at me, as to whether or not I should be in 1 or 2, or low or high. I gigged for ever with a Fender Performer 650. One input. Some people say it doesnt have the shimmer of more famous or reputable amps, but I found that it never made me cringe from a harsh glassiness. It rather left an option to turn up the treble as opposed to looking for ways to cancel it. Very clean "cleans" and the tube lead channel was very nice when tempered with a tube screamer. But that amp youre playing does sound very nice.

Does anyone know if the reverb is spring like the ‘68? I’m assuming it is but I’m not sure ✌🏻

I picked up the exact same PRRI and model recently and am having a hard time taming the treble. The amp is far too bright. My USA Strat needs to have the tone knobs almost all the way down and treble on the amp at one. Even my Duesenberg with humbuckers needs the treble on the amp almost all the way down. Have you heard if there are any issues/differences with the reissues coming out of the factory?

That blue telecaster is beautiful

Great video Jack, if you could only have one, would you keep the Deluxe or the Princeton? Which do you feel like is more versatile with all of your pedals and guitars?

I don’t have a fender deluxe, but I have a solid state Princeton chorus amp. I like to use the “Magic 6” settings on the clean channel, plugged into the low impedance Jack. The. I like to wire in a Magic 6 pedal from RST custom effects into the effects loop. I will fool around with a little compression if I want to soften the dynamics a little bit, placed in front of the amp. That does it for me.

Hey there Jack! What's your opinion on a fender solid state Princeton 65? Thanks.

When Covid lockdown eases in England I will try the Tonemaster version. Great tips on the standard version!

Hey Jack - just bought one secondhand. Thx for the video that has led me to that purchase. I already had a 'heavy' Twin - but indeed: my back screamed for more mercy. But about 'wide open' and volume at ten: do you use some kind of attenuator - or do you keep moving once in a while for fresh neighbourcredit ;-)

I could not own this amp due to the weight. The new Tone Master version is real close. At 23lbs I finally got the amp I’ve admired for so long. Now onto the Twin.

Awesome video man! The “DRRI vs. PRRI” has been debated to death but I’m starting to think the DRRI may be the way to go for me as my first “authentic” fender tube amp. I’m torn between the two because I play in our upstairs bonus room (around 375 sqft) so I can’t have anything too deafening but I mainly want a full sound at reasonable house volumes.. doesn’t need to be overdriven but I want to “feel” the amp a little more than say, my current blues Jr. At the same volume (relatively quiet, while practicing solo) would you agree that the DRRI has a significantly fuller sound over the PRRI? No gigging at all for me, just Looking for that classic fender country sounding amp to use with my roadworn tele (think Pete Anderson- Dwight Yoakam.. twangy/doinky tone, especially with the lower strings).

Hello, My favorite set up is : treble around 3 or 4, bass around 8, reverb on 4, always in input 2, dont use vibrato. I use ibanez tube screamer, dont push it alot, knob of the gain in the middle, half way... and i enjoy more the single coils with this set up, telecaster and strat... Thanks.

Better pedal platform than the hot rod? I got a version 4 over the vox ac30 s1 because of your videos, really liking it.

a mullard i63 preamp tube at v1(normal ch preamp),or v2 (vibrato ch preamp)will soften the highs and add low mids it will tame the brightness without losing air ,those russian stock tubes are harsh when pushed, vintage rca's and mullards are happy when pushed they have a better clean and a much better drive.

Have you tried the tonemaster version? I think you would be surprised. It doesn't sound 100% the same but it still sounds great. As long as you don't crank it up to 10, the TM keeps up pretty well and with a built in attenuator you can have it at any volume you want. Great solution for students like me who during term time live with people who won't appreciate the tubes at anything at or above volume 1 haha. I wasn't sure about it at first after getting a blues cube and it was ok but not amazing and I ended up returning it. As soon as I got the TM tho, I knew it was the right choice. Probably the best alternative to the real thing.

I use a Catalinbread Dirty Little Secret MK3 to get Marshall tones out of it 😅🤙🏽

What do you think about the orange tremlord 30 compared to this amp?

Jack...is there Any Difference between the Black and Wine Red Deluxe Reissues?

What is your view of it not having a mid-eq dial? Is the bass and treble enough? How should I think about it?

thanks

Removing v1 tube, adds a little more early breakup and compression on vibrato chanel, just try.

What kind of tele is that

I use any amp solid state or tube flat 4 jazz on the controls but it depends where u r at club or hall or church

What telecaster is that?

Hey Jack I know you're busy man but I was wondering how is this amp at low volumes if it's going to spend most of it's life at low volumes should I get it? This is probably my dream amp but I only play at home in my studio. Got a real good deal on a used one but essentially still brand new

This or a Princeton for home use . Great channel . Thanks

Jack I need your opinion please! I have a deluxe reverb tone master, I’m considering buying a Princeton 65 RI. Are they basically the same amp sound and vibe wise?

Is that a Power Attenuator sitting on top of the amp?

I have a heavily modded DR handwired clone. Channel bridging, Brownface mods for Normal Channel, Vibrato Off, NFB switchable between Brown and Blackface, PPIMV. Speaker is a Celestion G12H Anniversary. There is not a setting which does not sound absolutely world class. From sparkling Blackface Cleans to BFG Brownface buzz

Do these amps go up to 11?

What overdrive pedal you using with the Les Paul?

HI! WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE ATTENUATOR YOU USE?