Musicians ....... My New Amp

[RichM]

In 1975 I bought a new Fender Silver Face Pro-Reverb. Back in the late 90’s I had it completely changed to Black Face spec’s and it served me well until last week. That’s 42 years. I sold it for 5 times what I paid for it back in 1975. The reason I sold it was I don’t play outside of the home as much as I used to and the 2x12 40 watts were more than I needed for home use.

I set my sights on the Fender Deluxe Reverb, 22 watts and 1-12” speaker. Basically half the Pro-Reverb. In my search I stumbled across this, 1965 Fender Deluxe reissue which is completely rebuilt by George Alessandro.

For those of you who don’t know the name, his client list includes David Gilmore, Joe Perry, John Mayer, Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, just to name a few.

He took this Fender 65 reissue and removed the Fender printed circuit board, pots, jacks and then built a custom board and handwired the Deluxe Face Reverb circuit AB763 using new pots and parts. Basically building a Deluxe Reverb from scratch. In addition, the Normal channel has been modified to a Tweed Bassman circuit which includes the tremolo and Reverb.

It’s the way Fender should have built it to begin with.

For those players who prefer single coil pickups and the clean tube sound of the Fenders from the mid 60’s to 70’s you should check out his amps. Here are a couple of shots of mine. I’ve only had it for two days and already I’m in love. I should also mention, it’s my Xmas present from the wife. Enjoy. 80FE8C67-CCDA-438A-983A-47D125CBF130.jpeg

[RichM]

The Vibrato Channel is the AB 763 circuit and the Normal Channel is the Bassman Tweed. Speaker is a Jensen 12” 8-ohm P12Q. Sorry for the crappy photo.

[BristolCavendish]

Very cool.

(1) Is there a noticeable (e.g. audible) difference between the solid pine cabinetry of the original Fender amps vs the plywood cabinetry of the re-issues?

(2) Is your Jensen a vintage re-issue? The original Jensen speaker company was purchased years/decades ago by someone else (an Italian company?) though the product name is still being used. Some folks like to run with aftermarket Weber VST speakers that are modeled after older designs (i.e. Jensen, Celestion etc.).

(3) The BF Fender Deluxe Reverb is a very versatile amplifier for studio and club work. It's brighter than the older Tweed Deluxe but sometimes the 'lo-fi' tones of a Tweed can't be beat. The input stages are different on the two amps as the Tele/Strat pick-up winds differed going from the mid 50s into the 1960s (more output in latter years).

(4) Do you use drive effects (i.e. overdrive/fuzz) and any modulation/time effects (i.e. phase/delay)? I went the DIY route and built my own effects (with the exception of the delay).

(5) Do you prefer true bypass or buffered effects/pedals? I run with true bypass and have a mini-booster (a Bad Bob) at the end of the line going into the amplifier.

(6) Over the years, I realized/discovered that the tone of speaker cables can vary as well. I finally settled on Canare GS-6 with solderless George L jacks (although I prefer soldered Switchcrafts). Is there a particular cable you prefer or are you running wireless?

This is one of the few times I've encountered an electric guitar/amplifier thread on TRF. Didn't intend to inundate you with a bevy of queries but the questions kept flowing as I wrote. BTW I also use Dunlop Jazz 3's (both the black and red ones). They're not all that good for strumming but work great on single notes.

[RichM]

Evening BC. Nice to have you back on the boards. Always enjoy your threads.

Wow, that’s a lot to answer but I’ll do the best I can.

1- Right you are. This amp is constructed of Baltic Birch Plywood. I’ve noticed no difference between the 70’s Pro Reverb and the new one. The biggest concern being cabinet rattle. So far none, with volume set at 8.

2- Right again. This Jensen is clearly marked “Made In Italy.” For now, this speaker is fine. My Pro-Reverb had “Fender Special” which I think were Oxford 12L6’s. I was too cheap in the 70’s to spend the extra $40 bucks for Jensen’s.

The sound from the Deluxe Reverb today is way sweeter to my old ears.

3- Agree. I play a 1997 American Standard Strat with Lindy Fralin Vintage Hots.

4- See photo of pedals. I have not tried them on this amp. I’m just enjoying the clean sound for now.

5- You’re over my head with this one.

6- Right now I’m using an Alessandro Instrument Two 20’ cable. It was a gift. I’m not really sure these tired ears can really tell the difference.

Hopefully I’ve answered your questions to the best of my ability.

[BristolCavendish]

I have an American Series Stratocaster (a 2004 model with the stock Delta Tone pick-ups). In order to bring out more of a traditional Strat tone (cleaner and brighter) I had to lower them a bit, about 3/8" above the pickguard. I've considered replacing them with maybe something along the lines of the Lollar BFs but haven't been playing all that much lately so that project is on the backburner.

BTW, as you are running Boss pedals, your effects are buffered. True-bypass effects are generally characterized by a 3PDT button switch, hence the term 'stompbox'. The primary difference between the two is that when the effect is off, with true-bypass the signal is running directly through the switch and back through the cables. With a buffered pedal, the signal is always running through the circuitry (whether on or off) along with a slight boost. Too many of one type inline can effect the overall tone and length of cable also has an effect.

[Dan Pierce]

Very nice, Richie! Love customizing.

Had a couple blonde Fender 2x12 cabs made to original specs about 25 years ago. Added some blonde telex to the rack so the collar matches the cuffs.
dP

[Rolex addict]

Cool!! My first guitar teacher had that amp. I had a carvin half stack because I liked hair bands. Live loud!!!!

[RichM]

Originally Posted by Dan Pierce

Very nice, Richie! Love customizing.

Had a couple blonde Fender 2x12 cabs made to original specs about 25 years ago. Added some blonde telex to the rack so the collar matches the cuffs.
dP

Very cool Dan.

[RichM]

Originally Posted by BristolCavendish

I have an American Series Stratocaster (a 2004 model with the stock Delta Tone pick-ups). In order to bring out more of a traditional Strat tone (cleaner and brighter) I had to lower them a bit, about 3/8" above the pickguard. I've considered replacing them with maybe something along the lines of the Lollar BFs but haven't been playing all that much lately so that project is on the backburner.

BTW, as you are running Boss pedals, your effects are buffered. True-bypass effects are generally characterized by a 3PDT button switch, hence the term 'stompbox'. The primary difference between the two is that when the effect is off, with true-bypass the signal is running directly through the switch and back through the cables. With a buffered pedal, the signal is always running through the circuitry (whether on or off) along with a slight boost. Too many of one type inline can effect the overall tone and length of cable also has an effect.

Thanks BC for explaining it.