Make my '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue Sing
January 13, 2008 2:25 PM Subscribe
What tricks/tips do I need to know about my new Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue Amp?
I just got a new '65 Fender Deluxe Reverb reissue amp. I'd like to know if there are any pedals that go especially well with it, how to get some good overdrive while playing at low practice volume, and what are some good settings I need to know about while I'm playing. What's the best way to utilize the reverb and the vibrato. What do I have to look out for?
I've been a singer-songwriter type for a long time and I'm only starting to branch out with my band into new territory. Any advice about this amp would be greatly appreciated.
I just got a new '65 Fender Deluxe Reverb reissue amp. I'd like to know if there are any pedals that go especially well with it, how to get some good overdrive while playing at low practice volume, and what are some good settings I need to know about while I'm playing. What's the best way to utilize the reverb and the vibrato. What do I have to look out for?
I've been a singer-songwriter type for a long time and I'm only starting to branch out with my band into new territory. Any advice about this amp would be greatly appreciated.
What kind of music do you play and why don't you have some on MeFiMusic? (ha, ribbin' ya.)
Seriously, I had a '70s twin reverb that was really sweet. Aside from suggesting that you run it through its paces to find out what you like about it, like all amps, it's gonna behave totally differently when you're playing live and loud. At 22watts, though, you're not gonna have to crank it too much to get your rumble out of it during practice.
Sweet amp, man. Go break 'er in!
posted by snsranch at 3:44 PM on January 13, 2008
Seriously, I had a '70s twin reverb that was really sweet. Aside from suggesting that you run it through its paces to find out what you like about it, like all amps, it's gonna behave totally differently when you're playing live and loud. At 22watts, though, you're not gonna have to crank it too much to get your rumble out of it during practice.
Sweet amp, man. Go break 'er in!
posted by snsranch at 3:44 PM on January 13, 2008
If you play harmonica, you'll be able to get some amazing, classic sound with a green bullet and your new amp.
posted by Baby_Balrog at 4:37 PM on January 13, 2008
posted by Baby_Balrog at 4:37 PM on January 13, 2008
I have a late 70s silverface twin reverb, and the two essential additions for me were a resissue outboard Fender Reverb tank and a ProCo Rat distortion pedal. The Rat is used as much to overdrive the preamp as anything else for low-volume crunch. A Wah works really well too, as does a tape delay or an emulation thereof.
As an amp it's not that versatile but with the right guitar it sings like no other.
If you're playing it quiet, a cheap compressor pedal can be a big help. When you crank the amp, it compresses naturally... or at least your ears do...
I use a Fender US Jazzmaster and a Burns Doublesix 12-string with mine.
posted by unSane at 6:48 PM on January 13, 2008
As an amp it's not that versatile but with the right guitar it sings like no other.
If you're playing it quiet, a cheap compressor pedal can be a big help. When you crank the amp, it compresses naturally... or at least your ears do...
I use a Fender US Jazzmaster and a Burns Doublesix 12-string with mine.
posted by unSane at 6:48 PM on January 13, 2008
get some old (not necessarily NOS) unmatched tubes. if it has a tube rectifier, put a 5U4 instead of the 5Y3.
get a pile of old tubes and play with them. the new chinese tubes these things ship with are crappy sounding, harsh and brittle.
get a tech to look at it. there's ways to soften the sound and introduce a bit of sag.
i figured if you wanted loud and clean, you woulda gotten a twin.
try a TS9 tube screamer.
nice amp, but a little cold compared to an old original. it'll be a little better after it breaks in.
posted by KenManiac at 7:24 PM on January 13, 2008
get a pile of old tubes and play with them. the new chinese tubes these things ship with are crappy sounding, harsh and brittle.
get a tech to look at it. there's ways to soften the sound and introduce a bit of sag.
i figured if you wanted loud and clean, you woulda gotten a twin.
try a TS9 tube screamer.
nice amp, but a little cold compared to an old original. it'll be a little better after it breaks in.
posted by KenManiac at 7:24 PM on January 13, 2008
I have a real '65 Fender Deluxe (without the Reverb), and while nothing will ever come between me and it, I think these re-issues are still quite solid amps.
Without knowing what kind of music you play, it's tough to make recommendations. What kind of guitar(s) do you play?
Deluxes are amazing because, as snsranch points out, you can actually crank the hell out of it and enjoy the glory of its real tube distortion. I've had great success recording directly from guitar into amp, no pedals or anything - just turn the amp to 10. It's a beautiful thing. Of course, if you add a distortion pedal (KenManiac is right, an Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer is a great workhorse of a distortion pedal), it'll be even more ballsy.
If you don't have experience, you may want to be careful about messing with the tubes - I'm a little squeamish when it comes to doing that kind of work, I think it's possible to damage either the amp or yourself. But different tubes can make a huge difference. Where do you live? Finding a good amp tech is a very useful thing...
posted by fingers_of_fire at 9:19 PM on January 13, 2008
Without knowing what kind of music you play, it's tough to make recommendations. What kind of guitar(s) do you play?
Deluxes are amazing because, as snsranch points out, you can actually crank the hell out of it and enjoy the glory of its real tube distortion. I've had great success recording directly from guitar into amp, no pedals or anything - just turn the amp to 10. It's a beautiful thing. Of course, if you add a distortion pedal (KenManiac is right, an Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer is a great workhorse of a distortion pedal), it'll be even more ballsy.
If you don't have experience, you may want to be careful about messing with the tubes - I'm a little squeamish when it comes to doing that kind of work, I think it's possible to damage either the amp or yourself. But different tubes can make a huge difference. Where do you live? Finding a good amp tech is a very useful thing...
posted by fingers_of_fire at 9:19 PM on January 13, 2008
Response by poster: I'm on a budget as you might imagine. I'm playing an Epiphone SG, and would like to upgrade to either a Gibson SG or a Fender Jaguar (for neck-related playability issues) in the next few months.
I did pick the Deluxe Reverb over the Twin Reverb on advice of a really good player, who indicated you can't get as much distortion from the Twin which is pretty twangy. I like the twang, but I want the chance to have a dirty sound on some songs.
My music is all-orginal, DIY punky in form (not using a lot of standard song forms such as AABA), lyrically driven. Bass player is punchy and melodic and the drums are really good on the dynamics as well as laying down the beat. Because my music is lyrically driven, I want to have a clean option so that at least the choruses will be picked up by the audience. I do like reverb, I must say. I don't want it too wet, but I like that sound.
Pedal-wise I have only one--a Sparkle Drive overdrive pedal which allows the clean channel to be dialed in to the overdrive. This was bought for use with my accoustic, which was originally the only guitar I owned. Not sure what other pedals I want. The distortion recommendations are very good.
I won't be practicing at 10, I can tell you that.
I'm not touching the tubes.
Thanks for the great advice.
posted by Ironmouth at 10:09 PM on January 13, 2008
I did pick the Deluxe Reverb over the Twin Reverb on advice of a really good player, who indicated you can't get as much distortion from the Twin which is pretty twangy. I like the twang, but I want the chance to have a dirty sound on some songs.
My music is all-orginal, DIY punky in form (not using a lot of standard song forms such as AABA), lyrically driven. Bass player is punchy and melodic and the drums are really good on the dynamics as well as laying down the beat. Because my music is lyrically driven, I want to have a clean option so that at least the choruses will be picked up by the audience. I do like reverb, I must say. I don't want it too wet, but I like that sound.
Pedal-wise I have only one--a Sparkle Drive overdrive pedal which allows the clean channel to be dialed in to the overdrive. This was bought for use with my accoustic, which was originally the only guitar I owned. Not sure what other pedals I want. The distortion recommendations are very good.
I won't be practicing at 10, I can tell you that.
I'm not touching the tubes.
Thanks for the great advice.
posted by Ironmouth at 10:09 PM on January 13, 2008
Sure, don't practice at 10 - it's CRAZY loud. But the point is it's doable - you get much above 3 on a Twin and it's painful. But on a gig, when your drummer is hitting really hard, don't be afraid to crank that sucker up - after the volume gets to about 4 or 5, you don't add much in the way of volume - it just gets dirtier. And the cool thing about that distortion is that if you want to clean it up a bit, just pick lighter - all the clean sound that you need!
Enjoy.
posted by fingers_of_fire at 8:35 AM on January 14, 2008
Enjoy.
posted by fingers_of_fire at 8:35 AM on January 14, 2008
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posted by drezdn at 3:44 PM on January 13, 2008