Great video! Love all of the tones you're getting, especially with the Zen Drive. I'm from the US, so I don't know about the UK music scene, but if you're a reasonably high level band, you can get quite a few outdoor shows at fairs or amphitheaters here. I have a Tone King Imperial MkII, which is one of the best amps I've ever played, and I'm able to completely turn off the attenuation on outdoor gigs. For indoor gigs, I still have to tame it down a bit. I know Jake used a Tone King for a bit as a stand-in for the Bella. If it's ever possible, it would be super cool to do a video comparing the Suhr Bella, Tone King Imperial, and the Fender Deluxe Reverb.
1: the regular deluxe reverb is quite loud with the Jensen C12K, which is why I bought the Sweetwater wine and wheat special edition as it has the vintage rock voiced Jensen P12Q alnico speaker in it. It’s waaaaaay quieter with a speaker sensitivity of only 94dB. It has a chimey top end but breaks up much earlier, but as you noted, it can maintain plenty of clean head room up to 4, which is still pretty loud. 2: tone and emulating other amps is easy….just throw an EQ pedal in front of it. 3: if you want lower volume, gainy overdrive, there is a cool trick for that if you don’t want to use a transparent overdrive like a wampler belle or Nobel ODR1. All you have to do is utilize either your guitar volume and crank the amp OR use any form of a buffer pedal with a volume control or volume step pedal. You can crank the amp to 10, yet play at whisper quiet volumes, with tube overdrive. Attenuators are needless. 4: you want an additional gain stage and more volume….jump the channels….instantly gives Marshall sounds. I prefer using an ABY box into the normal and vibrato channel, but you can just as easily use a pedal patch cable and jump the vibrato and normal channel to create more volume and additional gain stage. You can also jump the vibrato reverb and tremolo over to the normal channel that way. 5: a lot of people find the 2 channels to be unnecessary…and they are….but that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with them. You can do some neat stereo effects running A into the normal channel and B into the vibrato channel simultaneously. I also have a type C to 6.35mm tip sleeve input jack cord, so I can plug my phone into the normal channel and play isolated drum, bass, etc tracks from RU-vid, adjust the EQ accordingly, then plug my guitar into the vibrato channel and literally play together.
@@emannaquilina6331 I use an ABY box, to step it on, but the idea is that the normal channel has a pre-amp tube dedicated to it. You also have the vibrato channel with a tube dedicated to it. If you combine the two, you have added an additional gain stage. There are actually multiple ways to do this. One way, is if you are plugged into the vibrato channel, you could just pull the V1 tube out and play. An easier way(in my opinion), is plugging into either channel…..but I’ll just say the normal channel for the sake of example. You have 2 inputs for each channel(1 and 2). Plug your guitar into normal channel, input 1. Use a pedal patch cable or short guitar cable and plug that separate cable into input 2 on normal channel and the other end into vibrato channel 1. The gain stage, reverb, and tremolo from the vibrato channel will “jump” to the normal channel giving you a marshallesque overdrive and more volume.
@@Jeffcatbuckeye thanks a lot to reply. so in the case of jumping the channels, the vibrato side would be like acting as an input to the normal channel then and this would give it more drive? does it work that way?
If you have a good pedalboard, a Pro Junior (IV or IV SE) all the way. Only 23 lbs in weight, portable, punchy classic Fender tone, and has kept up great in every live situation I've used it (unmic'd indoor and outdoor gigs with full drum kits and other guitarists and keyboardists), and can even use it at home.
@@mkrj2576 The Pro Jr. is smaller, 10 lbs lighter, has a 10" speaker instead of the 12", but is said to be louder and cut through better in a band mix than the Blues Jr. The Pro Jr. also only has 2 knobs (volume and tone), which is all you need in a well-voiced amp with a sensitive tone knob that gives you a variety of sounds (and since my OD pedals have tone and bass/treble controls). If you have a good pedalboard, I highly recommend going for the Pro Jr. Without pedals, the Blues Jr. definitely sounds better (since you can OD it with the volume/master knobs and fat switch, and its EQ and reverb). Hope that helps :)
@@joegrant413 It probably is better in some ways, as is a handwired Princeton Reverb, but the DRRI is 20 lbs heavier than the Pro Jr., so I’d pick the Pro Jr. (for me). (Convenience is one of the considerations for me.)
Johnny should have stuck with the Tone Master. 🙂 The reverb tank is a physical device that generates tone and has small wires. They often fail, especially if you move the amp around a lot, causing the tank to bounce and the spring/connections to break. Most people use external tremolo and reverb pedals, so don't worry if it stops working. It's funny how this amp used to be the right size to get a hot, overdriven sound. Now we use it with less volume and create the overdriven sound using pedals.
I use a '65 Reissue Del Reverb with an attenuator (Tone King in my case) which works great and allows you to get those great DR tones at a manageable stage volume.
All a person needs to do is play a DRRI for a few gigs to fall in love. But John, I have a suggestion for you--get your hands on one of the Fender Princeton reissues with a 12" speaker installed. Lighter, smaller, more reasonable volume....maybe the "perfect" gig amp?
I have had my '76 Deluxe Reverb for almost 30 years, and it ain't going anywhere! I figured that at some point the tube sockets may loosen a bit allowing the Power/Rectifier Tubes drop out, so I installed some KT66/88 hold down spring clamps, which go up over the tube tops.
Friend of mine, respected Blues player down under, played Deluxe Reverb for decades. He used my Marshall at a jam session, now runs a Marshall JTM45 stack. Jussayin
For 15-years the Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb reissue was my main amp. Toward the end I was having tube troubles, tracking down strange noises & such. Sold it and moved on. Recently I was in the market for a new amp and immediately looked at getting another Deluxe Reverb. That's when I gave an honest look to the Tone Master series. These digital modeling amps (or whatever wizardry is involved) are a fantastic alternative to the tube versions-- no tubes to fuss with, the overall weight is maybe half what the tube version is, and it sounds really good. Not exactly like the tube version, but close enough. The other features unique to the Tone Master are what clinched it for me. As long as it survives two or three years, it pays for itself compared to the tube version when accounting for service, labor and new tubes. The Tone Masters are really worth consideration.
I put tube retainers (bear trap style) on most Fender amps that visit my bench. They are super easy to install and much less work than replacing/ reworking tube sockets. I most often gig w/ tweed Deluxe (5E3) amps but recently used my ‘67 silverface DR (blackface specs) and was surprised how much louder it was. We tested the real ‘67 against a new reissue, the original DR had more depth on tone, but the DR reissue with better filter caps and maybe a different speaker gets very close. Unless you tried them side by side as we did, you’d be hard pressed to tell the difference.
I was always under the impression that it would break up at lower volumes than it does. You are bang on about the volume…..for 22 watts it’s mighty loud and has bags of headroom….sparkly high stuff. 😉 i tried the new ltd edition Princeton Reverb with the 12” speaker and it sounded way loud enoughfor me. Mesa comparison is valid but when they need repairing….that’s when you wish had bought an easier to repair amp. A cheap Mesa is cheap for a reason!
Perhaps but a Princeton is SOMETIMES limited by headroom, but probably not for home use, plus you can change biasing, headroom, etc. you can also do that with a deluxe reverb though too. I bought the limited DRRI with the P12Q….way less speaker sensitivity, and its quieter than a Princeton.
@Jeffcatbuckeye maybe that's the key, deluxe reverb, but swap the speaker for something less efficient. And have an extention cab with something more efficient for when you need to be louder.
@@eliasthury425 swapping the speaker does help. Like I said, you can also use a buffer pedal with a volume control on it or a buffer pedal that sits up to a separate volume pedal to control overall volume too
Bro, I’ve been rocking a Fender blues jr IV since 2020 and a small pedalboard and that is all that is needed for clean to dirty tones. 15 watts all is needed. Amp is loud enough and no issues with it. Gig it hard and effectively almost every weekend. 100%
I use mine with a Tone King Ironman II Mini Attenuator and it work very effectively. For me, (mainly tele and Les Paul) setting volume at around 4.5-5.5, treble around 7 and bass around 4 (ish to all of those) works wonders. Without the iron man, I agree, it would simply be too loud for pretty much any venue I’d play. At 4.5, it is on the cusp of breakup and it is just the sweetest sound.
I don't think you can go wrong with a Deluxe Reverb. My favorite Fender Amp is probably my 1979 Vibro Champ but its a very small amp. I picked up a used '68 Custom Vibrolux Reverb with 2x10" speakers at 35 watts. It pushes the headroom up more than a Deluxe Reverb but the amp operates the same. I am actually trying out some vintage Gibson and Epiphone amps to see how they compare to Fenders.
I use the Fender Deluxe Reverb and the Deluxe Reverb Tone master(especially for gigging. It has the attenuator and its light weight). Quilter Aviator Cub (Awesome and great for gigging. light weight too), Roland JC40 (amazing cleans sounds and very loud), an old Blues Junior. and for small Duo(two guitar gigs) a Boss Katana 50. In my living room I keep a Fender LT 25. It has some great presets plus space for 30 user presets. The clean Fender Princeton sound is really great on the LT25.
I think it's possible that most viewers of this channel skew in the direction of a nice Fender clean tone, so for this audience, it's a great amp for sure. I used to own a Hot Rod Deluxe, and to my ears it sounded bigger than the Deluxe Reverb. Unfortunately it was too damn heavy. The Deluxe is a great clean sound, but for gain I prefer the Marshall approach. I have a Fender Bassbreaker 15 which is sort of Marshall-like, and I think it's great for those dirty sounds. Having said all of that, one of the best clean Fender sounds I ever heard was a silver face Princeton. I should have bought it. If we all had identical opinions the world would be a boring place.
Try a private Jack speaker sometime. What Guthrie Trapp uses and sounds really good with a princeton. More headroom than the original fizzy low headroom speaker.
I’m loving my Supro RK1970 25w 10” with 2 x 6v6’s. More Fender tweed sounding, a bit more mids, with a master volume to push the gain slightly and keep the overall volume down. 25w sounds hefty but the 10” creamback keeps it manageable. Would love a Deluxe Reverb at some point, but probably wouldn’t be practicable for gigs or bedrooms!
There is more gain on the vibrato channel. To get it to sound the same as the normal channel you just have to cut the bright cap. Then you have that less harsh sound, reverb and trem. You can get the deluxe to drive between 4 and 5 usually and it’s actually no louder that 3…it just has less headroom and starts saturating. The Deluxe really is a pretty perfect amp and if you wanted more drive from the amp with less volume you could always grab a Tone King attenuator and just knock the volume back a tiny bit. That way if you need to get over the drummer you have the headroom. Honestly…like I said on your other post if you have a Deluxe and an AC15 with an Alnico Blue you can cover almost all bases (outside of metal).
The Deluxe Reverb Tone Master has been one of my best purchases of the last few years. It’s the best bedroom amp that can keep up with a band on the weekends
Battling the whole volume thing for sometime now and come from a generation that have always loved the Deluxe, but certainly never considered it loud. That has changed in this day and age. I find the amp most versatile with the volume on 4. I also have an Imperial which is largely the same but additionally has attenuation. Helps when needed. I also have the blond tone master which also can be attenuated as needed. They all sound great. In current times I think it stands to reason that the Deluxe rises to the top of the list because of this. Followed closely by a Princeton as well. Still have a few larger amps I love, but practicality intervenes more often than not.
I had the opportunity recently to try and listen to a bunch of different amps at medium/high volumes. Those that really stood out to me were the deluxe reverb, princeton, ac30 and a supro black magic reverb. The deluxe had by far the best clean sound, headroom, etc. The AC30 and Supro had the most character. Distortion without pedal I heard many people getting really good tones out of the supro. My guitar jelled better with the AC30 top channel, but I still loved the Supro.
When I bought my 40W Fender BDR, the guy in the shop said the 22W DR was easily loud enough to gig. It cost more than the BDR though, which influenced my choice. Given the size and weight of the BDR, my back would have preferred the DR!
If anyone is in the market for a Deluxe Reverb, I would highly recommend buying an actual 70s silverface deluxe reverb. You can buy one for basically the same relative ballpark price as a reissue. The differences in tone between the vintage blackface and silverface are in my opinion pretty negligible and the silverface nonetheless sounds incredible, while the vintage blackfaces are typically selling for $4k+. The main benefit of having the vintage silverface deluxe is that you get a handwired amp with the nicer transformers. Time and effort spent for maintenance on handwired amps is much more efficient which will cost you less in the long run. The amps during the 60s and 70s were built to an objectively higher standard. You would realistically be passing that amp down to your grandchildren.
John, how beautiful is the Ferris Wheel in London... very. It engages all the senses, those we know we have, and those senses we are unaware of yet make the experience unique in all the world. I posit, so it is with the tube amp tuned to perfection, the way you played today. There is replication, sure! But, even the word replicate leaves room for "not the same as in reality." There is no replication that is the thing.... for any thing. Ferris Wheel or Tube Amp. But in pragmatic use... who can tell eh? And do they matter as they are likely few in number and not a significant factor. Man.... you make that thing sound good!
I've been on a long journey over 4 decades now and I have to say - for me - the conclusion is the Deluxe Reverb is the best amp in the world. Sure there maybe the purists who will say Two Rock and Alessandro and whatever and of course they're great. And if you specialising in a certain genre then other amps will do the job far better. But I hardly gig now (maybe 2 or 3 per year) so my new(ish)Tone Master Deluxe Reverb is perfect for me. Especially the "attenuator" (ok its really a master volume) which can get my usual live setting sounds but at bedroom/neighbour/wife (*delete as applicable!) friendly volumes and takes pedals just so effortlessly. "Meh.... it don't have an effects loop though" people moan. Its a digital modeller amp so you don't need one!
I'm sure I've said it before, but it's the greatest amp for the most amount of people ever made. Also, I like the TPS guys, but I don't know what they're smoking or what kind of gigs they get to play, but I've been in loud punk bands for thirty years and rarely ever got to put my DRRI above 3.
The 65 is a very bright amp. With a strat i have keep the treble a 2. With an sg the treble on 5 works great. I much prefer a 68 reissue which is nowhere as bright..
it's a historically important amp, but Ive not only had the luxury to play a great number of vintage ones over the years, I had a chance to A/B a particularly good example from 1964 (so pre-logo) versus my own Carr Rambler that I was actually selling because I preferred other amps I owned, and uh the Carr won pretty handily for my taste. Now, a black panel Twin, or a tweed Deluxe? That I'm more sympathetic to.
Strangely - I prefer your modeling tones of most your videos compared to the opening segment tone of this video So glad you brought up Mesa + reliability. I don’t understand why people are saying they are unreliable. It’s strange to me - I’ve owned many and never had a serious issue
Ask literally any amp tech about Mesa and prepare to be told horror stories. They might sound good but from an engineering/design standpoint they’re objectively horrible amplifiers.
@@blairmichaelhogan4502 I have local amp tech that’s been a verified Mesa repair place for decades. He’s never said a negative word about it. Plus - you’re talking about it being a pain in the butt to repair which … ok I get it. But I’ve never had one breakdown period
Just check out psionic audio mesa repair videos, the issue is that there are basic design and compnemt choices or component mounting choices that are inherent in them that are always the points of failure WHEN one of them fails. If you WERE one of the percentage of users whose amp DOES have a failure, Lyle demonstrates and explains the bad design choices and how labor intensive it is to GET to them to fix. The point being that the labor cost to a mesa customer after warranty is caused by deficiencies in design that lyle often points out as cost cutting a few bucks per component choice, or mounting heat generating components flush to the board or too close to other heat sensitive components, etc. The same was pointed out in some of the fender blues jr type amps if I remember correctly so it is not only a mesa problem, but the labor time is considerable just getting to the components that need replacement.
JC40 my friend. $700US new. Clean all day long. Gets super loud. The JC120 is really excessive unless you have the funds to pay somebody to lug it around. JC40 really hits that sweet spot for the majority of players. Takes drives better than people give it credit for. Put your Angry Driver into it and you’ll get some great sounds.
I got a JC22. It’s an awesome amp and is fully clean but it requires pedals as you don’t have tube saturation or OD. You’re then at the mercy of the pedals. You also don’t have control of the speakers….which are awesome, but they aren’t vintage voice. The Roland is great for the smiths, the police, Metallica, especially with the on board chorus, but it can’t do it all without a lot of pedal adjustments.
For a few years I owned and gigged a Silverface Twin. It had the best sparkley clean sounds you have ever heard. Unfortubately it weighed as much as a truck and at 135 watts it was MUCH too damn LOUD!!! .. it was very difficult to get the volume much above 2
I was visiting my parents in the states recently. My dad owns a Deluxe Reverb and a Tone King falcon. The DR sounded better. One good clean tone is better than a few mediocre tones via an attenuator IMO. So it’s a good amp. But just one of them. However, since going digital I don’t have to worry about having the one good amp anymore. And despite what TPS and Captain Anderton and so on say, it’s a fun playing experience and my tones sound so great I’ve even made old men tube snobs double take.
The very first real amp I ever owned was the Vibrolux Reverb. My parents bought it for me for Christmas. I think I was 15. Back then I didn’t even know pedals existed and was playing rock. I found it way too clean.. now I would love to own another one from that time frame 72-73?
My fav amp is my Vyse Amps Blue Rock Custom. Built in UK by Jason Samson (down your way) for Vyse Amps when Barry Vyse was running things. He built me a very nice JTM45 with KT66s too. Check them out. If you're into history, dig a little into Barry's history (spoiler: he knows a thing or two). You're welcome.
Fwiw, I'm huge fan of the FDR, but .... if I decide to go back to a tube amp, I would be choosing between the Suhr Bella, Magnatone Twilighter, or a Two Rock combo. I suspect I would end up with the Bella.
Oh gosh. I bought a PR clone then realised I preferred the DR ... May be if one comes my way with the right price tag I might let the PR clone go for a clone of these.
I need a Fender Hot Rod Deville ML, .. (a Really Great & Underrated Amp!) .. 60w with 2 Celestion V-type 12"s, .. to keep up with my drummer and Bass player, on Bigger Stages, with the Volume on 4-5, for Perfect Sound behind my back, in balance with Drums a Base! .. A Fender HRD 40w, can't Give Me Enough power Cleans, before it Breaks Up, .. and Then I'm lost in too much "dirt-sound, & No Clean Sound at all!" .. A Fender HRD (ML) Is a Perfect Pedal Platform, with Great Headroom & Reverb!! .. I have Played guitar on Stages since 1974 now, .. and That is Still My Truth! .. Most of My Guitar-friends say, that a fender 100w, is Optimal to keep up with Clean Sound as a Lead Guitarist! ..
The best ______ ever is a silly game to play. As for the '65 Deluxe... 400+ volts on the 6V6 is just dumb, two seperate channels just to have tremolo and reverb, and I'm not a fan of complex push-pull class AB circuits with negative feedback. Listen to your guitar through a single-ended triode amp with no negative feedback, and you'll see what I mean. All of a sudden all the rich harmonics are back. Fender made great classic guitars, but really had no idea how to design an amplifier. Hot take.
Well modern Fenders are not build the same as the old ones, and they have proven their ability to stand the test of time too. If they are serviced *properly* and not by a so called tech, they will last a good long time without needing a thing.
Almost every used Fender Tube amp I have ever played has some sort of major issue. They are as unreliable as they come. I was considering buying a Deluxe once, but all 3 of the used ones I tried in my local Guitar Centers were busted in one way or another (one had the most awful hissing sound I have EVER heard). I would never buy a Fender amp
Not large. Not terrible weight. Wattage that suits most clubs and can hang with a lot of drummers’ volume. Much better-sounding and more usable than the Hot Rod Deluxe. It’s just that PRICE. I bought mine about 10 years ago for HALF of what they cost now. It’s an unsustainable dynamic. Ten years from now, this amp cannot double again in cost to $3,200. Stop the madness, Fender.
Anyone who thinks it is NOT,..... may be mistaken,... Just listening to a DR, (without seeing it), sounds bigger than a normal 1-12 combo, imo. Couldn't agree more with @francis23777, but I'm old school, just turned 68!
