@@AskZac Zak. You know of my cousin outta Dixon Tn CW .. singer writer Mike Shipley ? Forest Lee Jr. Just got done with a custom Tele he Built. I opted for a triple pickup with the 5 way switching like the strat . But it got a 3 way lol Do you know much if any about this Guy Forest Lee ?
@@LUCKYB. I’m sure Zac knows Forrest. He’s kind of known around town as the Bender guy. His Teles are great if you’re after a good Tele with a B or G Bender, or one with both. If I wanted one built, it would be by him or Joe Glaser. Seems to be a nice guy, too, based on the emails I’ve exchanged with him.
Why couldn't we have teachers like you in the 50s and 60s? We didn't need internet ,just an attitude like yours.its really refreshing,and unique. That is why everybody says how much they really like your demeanor. I am a big fan.Its hard to find video as good as yours! Keep it up!
Spending the past two plus weeks in the house has given me plenty of time to discover new things on You Tube. Really enjoy watching your stuff, both your playing style and your speaking style. Tons of information and such an easygoing manner. Thanks Zac.....
Zak, I was riveted to your video. So much of this mirrored my own tonal journey, right down to the Fender Vibrolux beginning to the Celestion speaker swaps. Amazing! Thanks for posting.
Great video! Thanks for sharing. I saw JD Simo at Robert's about 10 or 12 years ago, and I was totally blown away by his chops and his tone! Tele - Cable - Deluxe! No mic, No effects. I now have a Princeton with a 12" speaker, and it always sounds great!
It's tough to argue against the Deluxe Reverb. Back in the 90's my band played small blues clubs and my only equipment was an ES-335 and a 1967 Deluxe Reverb. It sounded great clean at a lower volume and when I cranked it, the natural tube overdrive always seemed to be at the perfect volume. Loud enough to get over the band without making anyone's ears bleed. And it's easy to lug around. Light as a feather. A great workhorse amp.
@@AskZac I hear you. I think I paid $450 for mine and then my amp guy did a Blackface mod to it. I stupidly sold it a few years ago. But now I have a 1965 Princeton Reverb, which runs a close second to the Deluxe in my mind.
Ah I’m in agreement. It was my first “ good amp” and I ended up selling it years later. Got it in the mid 70s. It was amazing and still regret selling it. Fantastic. The boost pedal took it to another level.
Great video I still own my 1964 no logo DR and about 20 years ago bought a matchless sc30 after meeting the Hellecasters and JJ telling me the Matchless is one of the greatest sounding amps. Still smiling still loving guitar. Oh yeah had to buy all the fender Hellecaster signature models. Still own them. JJ probably best electric guitar player on the planet. My 2 cents thanks
The church I attended in the mid 70's had a 160 voice choir, two baby grands and an Organ. Rock musicians need not apply. attending a A/G college in 1980 I was blown away. chapel was amazing, we had a drummer, a guitar player and an Electric bass plus a piano players or a keyboard player. I did recording work for some of the small traveling groups and was the sound tech guy for one of the two larger vocal groups. fond memories.
Thanks Zac Iam 70 i got my 65 Deluxe When I Was 13 It Has Been Serviced All These Years Caps New # Prong Cord etc. I Will Try One Of Those Vintage Speakers
I’m currently running a blackstar ht club 40 vintage pro it has the vintage 30 which is why I got it. I’ve had it for 7 years now. Over the past week I’ve been blown away by the sound of the 68 deluxe reverb silver face reissue. That is the tone I’ve been searching for and I hope to pull the trigger on one this year.
I've always wanted a Deluxe Reverb but couldn't afford a vintage one and wasn't convinced the new models have "that" sound. I started on a Frontman 15R which I still use as a practice amp but eventually splashed out (for me) on a Tweed Blues Junior III special edition with a Jensen speaker. It's a great little amp for small gigs but I'd still love to buy a Deluxe Reverb. Maybe one day....
I’ve recently bought a 2019 telecaster American performer series. It comes with the newish I believe it’s called the grease bucket tone circuit. This guitar being my very first telecaster. I’m new to the tele bridge pickup and its shrill high end (I actually love it). But I find that if I roll off the volume and tone just a touch. Like I would do on my Gibson’s. It really smooth’s out the bite of the top end and really allows the guitar to sing. Which is a far cry from my younger days when I was a humbucker with a ton of gain and scooped mids. Hahha the eighties and nineties tone. Or lack of tone is actually kinda embarrassing now at almost 50. But hey! I was a kid and meggadeth was the king of the hill for me.
I had the ‘68 deluxe reissue with a Celestion for a while and enjoyed it. Then I got the Tonemaster Blonde edition, and absolutely fell in love with it. Something about the Celestion Neo Creamback speaker makes all the difference in the world. The ability to attenuate it, well, that just takes it to the next level on my opinion. Now I’ve purchased the Twin Blonde with the same speakers in the back, and although it sounds different, it still sounds glorious! Great video!
I’m a bit late on the party but i can say the search for the ultimate tone in a deluxe is the speaker IMO , I’ve tried tons of them including Vox vintage blue, Altecs , celestions etc etc , the latest of the greatest is a Canabis , it litterly blew my mind , the headroom increased and the amp is more pronounced and louder (efficient) which is significant for outdoor gigs , tubes are new ones, happy days
I started out late 70's with a Twin Reverb that I really liked but got tired of the weight after years of lifting it in and out off a car trunk, pre-suv days. Moved onto that 80's thing, using a Roland Jazz Chorus that I still own but do not use much anymore. I am convinced old transistor amps get noisier with old age. Went into a very heavy acoustic era using the JC and other acoustic amps. JC worked well for both acoustic and clean electric. Now back into tube amps with two Deluxe Reverbs, one stock black face RI and one modded brown face RI. Essentially one is clean and one breaks up very early. The black face needs a better speaker but want to stay clean with it so need to do some research on new tubes and speakers for that one. Also developed that tremolo click that I caught you turning off on one of your videos. I think the DR is a perfect home amp with the low wattage and being able to breakup and drive at low volume numbers. I love tube tremolo. I will still use a Twin Reverb when I play clean and use only flesh/finger, I can't get there with a DR. As I moved onto electric with the church band when our previous electric player left, I now use a Mesa Mark in church as it has a DI out to run to the board. I wish more amps had DI available. I want to try the Radial JDX R800 DI box that goes between the amp and the speaker.
yup sold my 66 vibrolux reverb a few yrs ago and kept my 66 deluxe reverb..pulled the original spkr out and i put in a WGS veteran 30 (their vintage 30 clone but cheaper) plus a eq pedal to fine tune....loud enough and light weight compared to my 68 bandmaster 1-12 combo (which has a wgs veteran also). i use the same spkr with a marshall code 50, my jtm45 and my traynor ycv50B. on the traynor i pulled the 12ax7 in v1 and put in a 12ay this got rid of the buzziness and made the gain channel usable...i have 9 les pauls, 3 strats, 2 teles, an sg and a prs...they all sound great through these amps
I got a smoking deal on a drip-edge DR a decade or so ago. I had to rebuild it and did so to BF specs. I played it and loved it for a few years. THEN - I biased it for 6L6's and did a few other common mods to it. Never looked back! This amp will be forever in my arsenal. It's all I use. Absolutely the best sounding amp I have ever played.
I have a Deluxe Reverb re-issue. I never vibed with the speaker in there. I thought about getting a Celestion Blue Alnico or some sort of Eminence speaker at one point, but I ended up getting a Kemper Profiler (due to back problems). I still have the amp with its original speaker in there. I might change it out someday. I had a 90s era Fender M-80 Stereo Chorus (solid state) back in the day that had a 2x12 'Fender Specials'. After doing some research, I found out that the speakers were OEMs made by Eminence.
A sax-playing friend has a Deluxe Reverb he got new in ‘66 to use as a small room amp for his Fender Rhodes and a quickie PA. One tube changed, lived its life in a custom padded cover. He lets me and other drooling guitarists use it when we play together. It’s a revelation when you only know the 80’s peavey. Nothing against Peavey. My little backstage plus 1-10 punches way above its price and class, perfect for budget-limited teens, but that Fender is something else.
Great review Zac! I can appreciate your story. I also play in Church. I play in the C.O.G.I.C. I been playing in it for 29 years. I been through so many amps its insane. My main amp has been the Fender Vibro King. I had several of them throughout the years. I also had Marshalls and a bunch of Dr. Z amps as well. I currently have the fender deluxe Reverb as my main gigging amp mine is the 65 deluxe in whine red with the Italian Jenson speaker that Sweetwater sells exclusively. I got a great deal on one used at GuitarCenter. I have to agree with you its the perfect amp. Its lightweight yet still cuts through the mix and the clean as well as overdriven tones are great. The reverb is also lush sounding. Plus you have the option of that other channel if you want to get into more blues tones its real fat sounding almost like a bassman tone. Its a great amp.
The music at Church of God in Christ (Seattle WA and Bridgeport CT) has blown me away. They've also fed a lot of hungry children breakfast before school. Just want to say thanks.
@fastguitar Vibro King hands down no comparison. I wish I still had mine. I gigged it for 20 plus years in the C.O.G.I.C its just way to much amp for the small church Im in now. I have a Marshall studio combo and a Dr. Z Z-28 now and I use a fryette Power station 2 with them I gig my Z-28 most of the time.
I stopped playing electric in '73 but picked it back up in '89 when a co-worker gave me his G&L Skyhawk (sickle headstock) to get me back into it. After doing years of playing catchup re amps, guitars, pedals, I settled on a Peavey Classic 50 because of an interview I read re Dan Huff grabbing one out of a studio after playing it. From then on I stuck with EL84 amps. In '08 I was introduced to Dr Z amps and still stuck with his EL84 style amps - until I bought a Remedy. This whole time from '89 until the present the other guitar player in the band I am in had a SF Deluxe Reverb as well as a SF Twin. His brother on bass has a '64 BF Bassman. I would periodically borrow those amps because of their reputations but I never enjoyed their tone - I didn't get the hype so I gladly stuck with Z. But after watching this video I may have to borrow that SF Deluxe just to see what can be coaxed out of it. I do wish though, that when I started back on electric, that there were avenues like this (including the Lounge!) so I wouldn't have spent so much $$ on the tone chase and also would have enjoyed those earlier "youthfull" years. Thanks again Zac - another great one!
I have a 1963 Deluxe, a 1965 Deluxe, and a 1966 Deluxe Reverb. The Brownface Deluxe is still my Favorite for those Marshall like sounds they produce when cranked. 🤷♂️
Zac, I so look forward to these! Thanks again. I am a huge proponent of changing speakers in Fender amps. Either Greenbacks or V30s depending on what you are going for. Changing a speaker is the cheapest,non-permanent mod a player can do and has one of the biggest impacts on the tone. If you are ever feeling frisky and haven't yet, try an Eminence EM12N or an old EVM12L.
@@AskZac Indeed, that is why the Eminence EM12N. The Neodymium speaker cuts the weight by 2/3, and gets you darn close to the tone. I was skeptical at first but made the switch to the lighter speakers. Specially in a 212 cab... I am happy.
I had a deluxe reverb but it distorted to much after you get passed 3 on the volume. I tried the clean channel but there is no reverb on it so I went to a peavey delta blues amp with a 15 inch speaker, which sounded exactly like the fender but deeper and the clean channel has a reverb.
Can't agree more with you about volume. My days of 100 wt jcm800 with a half stack are long gone. My biggest amp is a Fender 40-watt bandmaster which I love the sound of but most are around 15 -20 watts. We grow and are thankful for the hearing we still have, I think. I love the Vintage 30 speaker too. I have two 1x12 v30 cabs and they sound great together. Another great episode, Zac. Thank you.
Wow. Thanks it's a treat to hear someone who also spent time in the AG church! Again a wonder edu. (was that the gate keeper at 32 seconds?) : ) Thanks man. And BTW found a pre-owned Deluxe Reverb because of your awesome interview with Reggie Young.
Thanks Zac! I’m On my second DRRI and absolutely love it. I’m about to start looking for the Celestion Vintage 30 and take it in to my amp guy for the clip job as well. Thanks again and keep em coming!
Just note that the V30 has 4 mounting holes, and some Deluxe amps have 8 bolts. You may want to look at an Eminence of Warehouse V30 copy with 8 holes.
I would love at Deluxe Reverb at some point. Right now I have a Fender Bassbreaker 15. Good amp and I clean it up. It’s a little loud to play at church. I bought it because it has the XLR DI on the back, the price was right and I really like the sound. I need an amp or speaker maybe like you were saying to smooth off the high end. I have an American Telecaster 2013 with twisted Tele neck and 50 Broadcaster bridge. Love it but it’s a bit shrill at times. Thanks for your channel. Love the information and the presentation. Also I really love telecasters!!
God bless you Zac! Loved hearing about your adventures with praise bands, evangelists, etc. I can relate to some of all that, having been in about 5 praise bands over the years. I used a Fender Twin Reverb years ago ... still have that. These days I use a Vox AC15C1 with MOD reverb tank and WGS Invader 50.
I can dig it. I've always loved Fender amps. A long time ago with my first band in college, we had the pleasure of recording our album in a proper little studio and the owner had a vintage Blackface Deluxe Reverb. It was awesome, I can definitely see why you love them. I also owned a Fender PA100 for a while and that was an incredible sound too. Very loud and super high head room. Interestingly enough, my friend owned the PA135 and that thing would overdrive at pretty reasonable volumes. I currently own a Hungarian amp called KOX and it's modeled after a Bassman (with reverb though). It's lovely for clean but to get any kind of drive, you have to crank it really loud. I think it'd be good to get a lower powered amp to get good sounds at home.
Awesome..I have silver face 68 custom deluxe reverb which Is absolutely killer. They come stock with a Celestion G12V-70 and use 6V6’s. I use it in my Surf band and it’s absolutely perfect..wouldn’t use anything else! ...Unless, playing straight up hard rock...then it’s Marshall :)
Love the channel. I've played telecasters since i was16 years old , toured Europe and the USA. I had vox ac100 and then dual showman reverb with JBL s and then twin reverb with JBL s.These days l have a musician RP 100 ,that has survived thousands of gigs also with a JBL d12O in it . I've never really got into Fender deluxe amps ,but I'm thinking of it. My favourite Tele player will always be Clarence White who l saw a few times, A big thank you for sharing your ideas and thoughts and good luck with the channel . Kevin Smith
Love the DeluxeR. mine is an early '69 AB763 bought sev yrs back from Fanny's Music Nashville. I'm using a MM 112-50 EV most of the time, little more compact [3 lbs more] BUT I am amp crazy lol have a TwinR, ProR[AA165], PrincetonR[AA764], and Bassman 2-15 all made 68/69 bought the PR when it was new. The super sonic 60 combo [2006] has real good tone also it has a vintage 30 from factory. I like your vids....
PS,, I ordered some V30 speakers a few yrs back,, and they were china made... since they were special order @ Counts Bros Muscle Shoals, AL I did take them but wasnt happy...
I've never really been a Fender amp guy but I'm always willing to try. I love the way they sound for others but I just haven't had the best luck. I went shopping for a Fender amp while I was living in Cali and they had two, a George Benson HRD and a reissue Deluxe. One of the channels on the Deluxe was faulty so I took home the HRD. It's a fine amp but I just have never really bonded with it. It throws a lot more bass than I like. I just got myself a Dr Z Z-Wreck Jr with one of their cabs with a V30 and so far, it's been the bee's knees for me. I haven't gigged with it yet so I don't know if it has enough headroom but I'm thinking it will work. So far, so good but we'll see. Thanks for all of your videos.
@@AskZac Oh yeah, the Benson is a fine amp for sure. I can't imagine letting it go. It's pretty solid and has a nice tone and I know if I'm in a pinch, I'm pretty sure it'll be there for me.
I have a 1967 BF Deluxe Reverb that I gigged in a cover band for years. Absolutely, hands down my favorite amp of all time. Still have it. Traded a custom Colt 1911 National Match and $700 for it.
Great video. I love the Deluxe Reverb. I played through my buddies new one in 1965.I also like the Princeton Black Face Reverb. I have been shopping for one or the other . Nice vintage Princetons seem to be selling for around $4,000 and the Deluxe a little less these days. Good ones are getting harder to find.
I’ve had a 65 DRRI for a while now and it hasn’t knocked my socks off so I gotta try these tweaks you mention. I heard good things about the Alessandro speaker in these as well.
Should have went to Assembly of God church with their traveling players. Did play in a Congregational church basement tho. Having our band practice in the church basement for an upcoming high school dance who should walk in but 2 amazing classmates where the guitarist plugged into my Montgomery Wards 300 watt amp with 6x10 cab with his uncle's 60's 335 Gibson and the singer who later toured nationally with Up With People did a couple Blind Faith tunes. Never heard such a sound from my amp. The vocalist was even better. This was 1972 and my meager Teisco stereo guitar didn't come close. I could barely change strings. I was crushed but today have 5 Fender guitars, 4 customs and couldn't be more happy. BTW, if you know JD Simo you have a special friend!!
I just listened to a great conversation like it was just me and a friend. Thanks so much. Its so refreshing to hear an honest option on something without a sales pitch to buy something. I play rthym guitar in a small band were I live and currently play an Ac10 (caveat I suck but have have a lot of fun doing it LOL). Going to check out the deluxe next time I'm in the city.
That's funny, I started with a Fender Sidekick 35 as well. But I'm a metal player, so I put a metalzone in the front and I was happy with it back then. Later I got a 100 watt Marshall head, and I was even happier haha.
Great video and interesting about the V30. I have a 65DRRI with a tweed finish and it’s awesome. I also have a Marshall Bluesbreaker which also has an awesome full clean sound and various other amps. I have to say 9 times out of 10 it’s the deluxe that gets used. Covers all bases and unlike the Marshall is not a backbreaker... thanks again, very interesting. Cheers
Zac, which Celestion Vintage 30 speaker do you use? Seems that they make 3 currently, all with slightly different voicing. Keep the videos coming, you’re a treasure!
Dont know if you are familiar with Ben Fargen of Fargen Amps in Sacramento Ca. i was up at his place on time and asked him what was the best amp you ever heard? and he told me a 70's silverface deluxe. Ben makes a great deluxe called the Blackbird
Awesome video. Thank You for sharing your considerable experience and opinion(s). Just my opinion but I'd personally place Fender's Deluxe Reverb in the Top 10 Greatest Amps of all time. 10 years ago or maybe 10 years from now maybe my opinion concerning this amp will change, but where I'm at right now sonically speaking it fits right in to my playing style.
Hi Zac. I've enjoyed working on some vintage tube test equipment such as volt meters and oscilloscopes. I'm curious to find out your thoughts on kit built amplifiers by a reputable manufacturer, and built by an experienced electrical (avionics) guy? The cost of vintage amps is constantly rising, even for ones to be repaired. Perhaps something new with the original Fender circuitry, quality components, a good speaker, and a couple mods that you mentioned might be worth the time and effort.
Thanks for sharing your amp story. Great video as always. Just curious on your thoughts on the Princeton Reverb, can it get you in the same ball park with less power and weight, or is the 10" speaker a non-starter?
I loved your fascinating amp journey and I think you are a wise man. I love the Deluxe Reverb too and the and I agree with your thoughts on 22 watts being the sweetest. I also love the tube rectifier's compression and the that wonderful tube reverb plus from Burt Bacharach's recording sessions to Eric Johnson's clean almost every studio cat used this beast. The only thing that prevents me from gettin' one are my neighbours since I like to hear it without pedals and I hate the tone master version. Greetings from Portugal.
Great video Zac . My favorite deluxe reverb has been a Alessandro modded deluxe I picked up about 3 years. Surprisingly they don't go for as much as you would think on the used market. It's been great though , probably the last amp I'd hold on too if everything had to go.
In my opinion, the Tone King Imperial MKll is the best all purpose amp and possible the best amp...period. My second choice would hands down be the Fender Deluxe Reverb. The Tone King was a combo amp when I purchased it. I special ordered the head cab, did the swap and use it with a Mesa Boogie one twelve cab with a made in England Celestion Vintage 30 for practice. On stage I run the guitar into the pedal board, Tone King head, Suhr reactive load impulse response box, then into the PA. I use a US Gibson Les Paul Standard with P90 pickups. In my opinion, you can get just about any tone you need or want from this setup.
I started playing seriously at 13 in 1964. My wonderful mom thought enough of my progress by '66 that she bought me a BF Deluxe Reverb. I loved that amp but traded it off for a Bandmaster as we were just stupid kids playing too damn loud! Within a few years I realized what a dummy I'd been. I was never impressed with the PCB versions of the DR so avoided them and the 60's era hand-wired versions were getting old and were very pricey. Then recently Fender released their "64 Custom Hand-Wired DR. WOW!! I found one just barely used at a real good price on Reverb and grabbed it. It's noticeably superior to my old '66 if memory serves. I love it!! The only amp that I think works even better - and it's design is based off a DR - is the Tone King Imperial. It's a DR on steroids and extremely well balanced. If you've never played an Imperial you need to, Zak. They're amazing!! Cheers, bro!! 🙂 🙂
More playing. The amp needs to speak for itself. Lol I have a silver face deluxe reverb loaded with a creamback. I agree, really any 60s deluxe (even the reissues) are the ultimate in all tube tone. I’m playing mine for the remainder of my playing days
The blackface Deluxe Reverb could very well be the most articulate amplifier that Fender ever made. Great "generalist" amplifier. My head tone says, BIG BOX tweed Tremolux! (Preach on, says a guy with tinnitus!) I don't have to worry about any tone but what I like! One of the beauties of being old and retired! When I played out (35 years!) I never, ever had a Fender amp fail me. But always a good idea to keep another Deluxe R around, they are small enough! I have a '77 DR being "amped down" right now (a beast of a linear thing). Just waiting for one more Mullard 12AT7 to get here. Might try that Celestion in there ... I already have one in a '76 Twin Reverb (English version, even). Thanks for spending the time with us, and Amen to Jesus!
Great video. Thanks! How do you feel about the newer 65 reissues as a faithful (or not so faithful) reproduction of the original? I know they aren’t totally the same internally, but do they do a respectable job copping the same sound and feel?
Hi Zac. I just bought a 1990 Deluxe Reverb and plan on making the changes you have mentioned. I really enjoy your channel. If you have any other suggestions as to other upgrades or maintenance, I would be interested. I don't think anything has ever been done to my amp. Thanks again. Keep up the great work. Jim D.
Zac are you familiar with Sommatone amps? Jimmy Somma has been teaching my amps for 25 years. Maybe 10 years ago he moved to Austin Texas, set up shop and is killin it. He Also has a tech Tommy Hayes who lives by me in New Jersey, also a great tech. These guys are really cool!!! Check ‘em out
My 1st real amp was a 70s Deluxe 2nd was a Twin npw after many years amd man different Peavey amps have settled on a Bandit and a 77 Twin silverface pretty pleased with them all except needing a crane for the twin
I've been wondering your views on the old Music Man amps? There seems to be a period where they had a strong showing in the market, and every one I've played through has been excellent. I would not say classic Fender 60s, but very clean and lovely working with pedals more so than my Twin Reverb reissue. I kind of feel like they are often overlooked these days partially due to the 'hybrid' solid state preamp/tube power amp platform. At the same time, players like Mark Knopfler toured with them and I believe that Albert Lee used them as well.
This was such a cool story Zac. I just got the Deluxe Reverb Tonemaster, are you familiar with it? I was new to the deluxe reverb, and used to play a hot rod deluxe but got rid of it years ago as it was just too loud for daily use. Going with the tonemaster was a real personal battle, as leaving the tubes behind was no easy task. Maybe it was easier for me, not having played the original Deluxe, but the sound it just amazing. I’m at that point where I hit a few notes and almost gets emotional. Anyways, thanks for a 20min highly enjoyable monologue!
Ask Zac I hope they do! They should. It’s so nice to be able to dial in that sweet spot at 10:30 at night in the comfort of my own home without waking up the entire neighborhood.
I must say I agree with you I started when I was 23 years old I had a Wem amp 10 watts after that Fender blues junior combo marshall DSL5c combo Yamaha THR10C about 18 months ago I got the Fender deluxe reverb best thing I have ever done, I always thought that V30 speakers the cheap end of speaker range I think I will have to have a re-think on that thanks for the video very enjoyable Subscribed today from the UK
