Fender Deluxe Reverb Mod's

[DetroitBlues]

Are there any mod's out there for Fender Deluxe Reverb amps?

[koula901]

What are you trying to do to the DR?

[DetroitBlues]

What are you trying to do to the DR?

 

Don't know. No reason for it, but gives me something to think about...

[kbp810]

Don't know. No reason for it, but gives me something to think about...

Phew! I was worried there for a minute

[111518]

I sent my DRRI to Benjamin Fargen for a pretty extensive rebuild --new iron, new vital components (although not the PC-board gut and turret-board rewire that some guys offer.) You can check out his website for a complete description of what he does (http://www.fargenamps.com/hot-mods.) I played one of the Fargen "hot mod" DRRI's, and it was a major step up from the tone and response I was getting from mine --still sounded like a DR should sound, but very touch sensitive, very "present." (I was at the point of selling mine, I've got amps that cover the territory, including the little Rivera 6v6 amps I wrote about the other day, but my first amp was a silverface DR, so I sort of have a nostalgic connection to DR's.) And, I checked the web pretty thoroughly to see what people had to say about Fargen and his work, and almost without exception what I found was good.

 

It's finished and in the Brown on the way back as we speak, somewhere between Sacramento and here, so we will see if I made a good call.

[DetroitBlues]

I guess I'm just a novice amp user. I was struggling to get a overdrive tone out of the amp without making it too loud.... As it turns out, all I needed to do was turn down the reverb. The volume at 6 wasn't as loud as I expected and the overdriven tone with my boss st-2 power stack gave me the perfectly bluesy southern rock tone I crave... Guess I just needed to bond with the amp a little more often... Sorry Brian!

[schundog]

I'd get to know your new amp a bit first, but I had this mod done to my Deluxe Reverb Reissue. It adds reverb to the normal channel as well as the vibrato channel, and I swear, seems to make the amp take pedals much better. He has a Fritz Mod 2 that "deflubs" the amp, as well; I haven't had that one done yet, but I believe they are both totally reversible. Check with Brian for his opinion on this, but it's "hot stuff" over on the Fender Discussion Page.

 

 

"fritz" mod

[SteveKrell]

I am not Trying to go off topic, The Fender twin with effects loop at the rear panel is a good all around Twin. 2x12 will give a southern rock growl to a Kenny Burrel jazz tone. Its very heavy. The Fender concert 1x12 is much lighter. It does the same range of tones but no tremolo and a two button foot switch. overdrive and reverb. I really like the tone of the Fender Deluxe Reverb, but its not as easy for me to balance the overdrive with the clean rhythm channel. Any way if you see a 12 Fender concert ( power standby switches on the front panel) grab it, they are great Fender Amps ... good luck..Steve

[DetroitBlues]

Adding Reverb to the first channel sounds like a great idea, but may not be possible considering mine is point to point turrent board, not PCB.

[ingeneri]

So really dumb question, exactly how do you change speakers on a 1X12 amp. When you buy a new speaker does it come with its own wire or do you have to remove the solder to the stock speaker and them re-solder them to the replacement?

 

Also, saw on some cork sniffing webpage that upgrading the amp cable is an easy and cheap, but effective, mod. Folks have any thoughts this. If it's considered worthwhile are there any recommendations on what and where to buy?

[kbp810]

Adding Reverb to the first channel sounds like a great idea, but may not be possible considering mine is point to point turrent board, not PCB.

It is entirely possible!

[kbp810]

So really dumb question, exactly how do you change speakers on a 1X12 amp. When you buy a new speaker does it come with its own wire or do you have to remove the solder to the stock speaker and them re-solder them to the replacement?

 

Also, saw on some cork sniffing webpage that upgrading the amp cable is an easy and cheap, but effective, mod. Folks have any thoughts this. If it's considered worthwhile are there any recommendations on what and where to buy?

In most cases you would de-solder and re-solder the connecting wire.

 

For the amp cable... a good high quality cable from guitar to amp can make a difference. It's more about reducing signal loss and limiting interference.

[111518]

So really dumb question, exactly how do you change speakers on a 1X12 amp. When you buy a new speaker does it come with its own wire or do you have to remove the solder to the stock speaker and them re-solder them to the replacement?

 

Also, saw on some cork sniffing webpage that upgrading the amp cable is an easy and cheap, but effective, mod. Folks have any thoughts this. If it's considered worthwhile are there any recommendations on what and where to buy?

 

In most cases you would de-solder and re-solder the connecting wire.

 

For the amp cable... a good high quality cable from guitar to amp can make a difference. It's more about reducing signal loss and limiting interference.

 

Planet Waves markets a cable for this purpose. Has a 90 degree molded 1/4 plug on one end, 2 feet or so of beefy cable, spade lug connectors on the other end. If your speaker has spade lugs, as many do, this makes for a quick, no solder solution. I think the MFers et. al. sell it for less than 20 bucks, so, not cheap, but unless you have the parts kicking around anyway, not a bad deal. (Soldering thick speaker cable into a 90 degree plug is always a pain, at least given the fact that I do it once every couple of years.) I have one and have been pleased. Not sure it improves sound a lot, but it works.

[ingeneri]

Thanks, do you know if the Weber 12F150s have spade lugs?

 

I'm in a 700 sq. foot one bedroom apartment with a 7 month old, so soldering irons are a big no no for the foreseeable future.

[koula901]

I tried to use a DRRI and to get high gain sounds out of it but couldn't. Used all these different dirt boxes at the music store, including Big Muff. Then, last night on You Tube I saw this guy w/a les paul getting very nice sounds out of one - it wasn't high gain, but more a '70s crunch style. I'm stymied.

[111518]

Thanks, do you know if the Weber 12F150s have spade lugs?

 

I'm in a 700 sq. foot one bedroom apartment with a 7 month old, so soldering irons are a big no no for the foreseeable future.

 

I'll check when I get home, easy enough since I have one sitting in a box waiting to be installed.

[NoNameBand]

I tried to use a DRRI and to get high gain sounds out of it but couldn't. Used all these different dirt boxes at the music store, including Big Muff. Then, last night on You Tube I saw this guy w/a les paul getting very nice sounds out of one - it wasn't high gain, but more a '70s crunch style. I'm stymied.

I don't know about the "Deluxe Reverb", but I can get plenty of dirt out of my Deluxe w/Kbp810 reverb by setting the volume to 7-8. This may be a little loud for a bedroom, but it's fine for my basement. The only other way to do it is either lower the power or increase the gain with a Master Volume. This is where all tube amps break up. So to get distortion out of an amp that does not have any amp attenuation or a Master Volume, you simply have to turn it up to about 7, 8, 9 or 10 the get the desired crunch. If that is too loud, get a champ. The Fender Tweed Champs and Deluxe amps were the studio amps of choice for crunch in the 60's. Still good enough for me.

 

Maybe Kbp810 can come up with an attenuator for those that desire less power to get more crunch.

[DetroitBlues]

Thanks, do you know if the Weber 12F150s have spade lugs?

 

I'm in a 700 sq. foot one bedroom apartment with a 7 month old, so soldering irons are a big no no for the foreseeable future.

 

Wouldn't an amplifier without headphones be a Big NO NO too?

[DetroitBlues]

I tried to use a DRRI and to get high gain sounds out of it but couldn't. Used all these different dirt boxes at the music store, including Big Muff. Then, last night on You Tube I saw this guy w/a les paul getting very nice sounds out of one - it wasn't high gain, but more a '70s crunch style. I'm stymied.

 

Swapping speakers might help. I have a Celestion V30 in mine and it breaks up around 5 and at 6 it has a nice bluesy crunch. Another KBP810 RD amp has a different speaker that requires more volume before it breaks up... The amps are exactly the same on the inside.

[111518]

I tried to use a DRRI and to get high gain sounds out of it but couldn't. Used all these different dirt boxes at the music store, including Big Muff. Then, last night on You Tube I saw this guy w/a les paul getting very nice sounds out of one - it wasn't high gain, but more a '70s crunch style. I'm stymied.

 

I don't think the Deluxe (maybe any 6v6 amp) is really the ideal vehicle for what most people think of as "high gain" --esp. the modern low-end thrash sort of sound. The beauty of the Deluxe, for me, is that at club volume --say 5-6 on the amp with buckers, a tad higher with single coils, you can get a fairly clean rhythm sound with the guitar volume rolled down and a singing lead tone when you roll the volume up. They tend to emphasize highs/upper mids, so it's a distortion that cuts --some think this makes them esp. friendly to 'buckers. Back before the tube screamer, when the only "distortion was fuzz, it was a working musicians amp that let you get tones that you could really use. That's sort of the ideal of tone that I grew up with --give me a nice hollowbody and a place where I can run a Deluxe at 6, and I'm a happy man.

 

On the other hand, they tend to get flabby in the low end if you push them, so they are not ideal for modern thrashing rhythms on the low strings with tons of distortion --and they tend not to be particularly good reproducers of those sounds produced through a box, since they add their own color beginning at fairly low volume. The tube screamer type boxes work ok --they sort of do what a deluxe will do on its own, if allowed. All my opinion, of course.

[ingeneri]

Wouldn't an amplifier without headphones be a Big NO NO too?

 

I usually only use the amps on gigs, and event then only run the DRRI at about 4 max. If I do play through the amp at home I usually put it on a speaker on low volume.

 

Fortunately, the baby likes watching me play (look, fingers!) and even seems to be a bit of Monk fan. Though, personally, I want her to grow up to be a B3 player like Shirley Scott so she can back her Dad.

[fxdx99]

--give me a nice hollowbody and a place where I can run a Deluxe at 6, and I'm a happy man.

 

+1

 

(actually, any guit solid, semi... thru a deluxe reverb and I'm good).

[111518]

Thanks, do you know if the Weber 12F150s have spade lugs?

 

I'm in a 700 sq. foot one bedroom apartment with a 7 month old, so soldering irons are a big no no for the foreseeable future.

 

OK --Weber does have spade lugs; I physically checked to see if my planet waves cable fit properly, and it does.

[RJLII]

The best mod I found on my DRRI was a new set of good tubes (Tung-Sol Reissues) and a proper bias. It was night and day.

[schundog]

--give me a nice hollowbody and a place where I can run a Deluxe at 6, and I'm a happy man.

 

On the other hand, they tend to get flabby in the low end if you push them, so they are not ideal for modern thrashing rhythms on the low strings with tons of distortion --and they tend not to be particularly good reproducers of those sounds produced through a box, since they add their own color beginning at fairly low volume. The tube screamer type boxes work ok --they sort of do what a deluxe will do on its own, if allowed. All my opinion, of course.

 

 

A friend gave me some good advice once regarding Deluxe Reverbs; set it 666; volume, bass, and treble; adjust from there if needed, but as mentioned, working the guitar volume can control a LOT.

 

Here'e another mod designed to "deflub" the bass; the page on the FDP explains what's necessary. I haven't had my amp guy do this one yet, but I intend to. Usual disclaimer, if you blow up your amp or yourself, I'm not responsible!

 

 

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