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Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue vs. Vintage Mid-60's Deluxe Reverb


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Other than nostalgia, what's the difference tone-wise between a modern Deluxe Reverb Reissue versus a mid-60's Deluxe Reverb?

 

I played a vintage Deluxe Reverb from 1965 yesterday at a custom shop. The thing sounded awesome. The shop wanted $2200. That's way more than I can afford.

 

I'm seeing used Reissues on eBay for around $750. If I sold some gear I don't use that much, I could probably manage $750.

 

I know in theory that point-to-point wiring is supposed to sound better than a modern circuit board, so I'm willing to concede a 10% better tone to an amp from the 1960's. But would a modern reissue sound 90% as good for a third of the price?

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Other than nostalgia, what the difference tone-wise between a modern Deluxe Reverb Reissue versus a mid-60's Deluxe Reverb?


I played a vintage Deluxe Reverb from 1965 yesterday at a custom shop. The thing sounded awesome. The shop wanted $2200. That's way more than I can afford.


I'm seeing used Reissues on eBay for around $750. If I sold some gear I don't use that much, I could probably manage $750.


I know in theory that point-to-point wiring is supposed to sound better than a modern circuit board, so I'm willing to concede a 10% better tone to an amp from the 1960's. But would a modern reissue should 90% as good for a third of the price?

 

 

Pretty sure PTP doesn't make a difference in tone, it's just way easier to fix.

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welcome back armchair!


the reissues are good too, go try one out.

 

 

Thanks, man. I was OOF for too long.

 

The newer Fenders with all the digital junk don't impress me. But with the DR Reissues, they stayed true to the originals. And the size of the Deluxe Reissue is just perfect. I picked up Craigslist Mustang '65 RI on Friday, so now I'm yearning for a Fender amp to go along with it.

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Thanks, man. I was OOF for too long.


The newer Fenders with all the digital junk don't impress me. But with the DR Reissues, they stayed true to the originals. And the size of the Deluxe Reissue is just perfect. I picked up Craigslist Mustang '65 RI on Friday, so now I'm yearning for a Fender amp to go along with it.

 

 

I don't think you could go wrong with a reissue at all, they sound amazing even in the normal channel. i think the RI will do you fine, and if you feel like getting a vintage one down the road it shouldn't be too big a problem.

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then find one that will.

cause this forum is the effects forum. stop polluting it. this bull{censored} is totally out of hand.

 

 

Keep it up man, your fighting for the revolution no one gives a {censored} about!!!

As long as it's music related, it's cool with me.

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The DRRI i played sounded fantastic. But, I opted for a Silverface DR for two reasons. First, it was a couple hundred dollars more--but would have much better resale value than the DRRI (assuming you buy a new DRRI). Second, it's PTP and not PCB--there's always {censored} that happens from time to time with tube amps--a PTP amp is A LOT easier for tech's to service.

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I like the DRRI. Yes, I'd say you're getting 90% of the sound for one third the price, but I'm not sure I'd say you're getting 90% of the amp, if that makes any sense.

 

The PCB construction is a bit of a bummer compared to the old P2P construction, but the basic circuit is the same and it would cost a heck of a lot more if they made them P2P. They sound quite nice IMO. And if you're adventurous, you could probably get a P2P board and mod a DRRI with it... everything else should basically be in there - tubes and sockets, power and output transformers, controls, etc. - just pull the PCB and replace it with the eyelet board and components. Sounds easier than it is (there are a lot of wires coming off the PCB / eyelet board that run to other things, like tubes, transformers and controls), but a good tech could probably turn a DRRI into a fairly reasonable approximation of a P2P BF Deluxe for a few hundred dollars. Not that you need to - they sound fine stock. Missing 10% due to undefinable vintage mojo? Maybe... but that's still pretty darned close, and for a lot less money.... although if you have the means / funds, a vintage BF Deluxe is one of the all-time great amps IMO.

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Advantages of Vintage: Slightly easier to fix, Resale value can only get better for a vintage Fender, and major Mojo points

 

Advantages of RI: Probably won't need fixing anyway for a while, cheaper, built with modern stuff you won't need to worry about (grounded 3 prong plug etc...)

 

It's really just up to what you want then :thu: The Deluxe Reverb is a fantastic amp regardless of when it was made

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I like the DRRI. Yes, I'd say you're getting 90% of the sound for one third the price, but I'm not sure I'd say you're getting 90% of the amp, if that makes any sense.


The PCB construction is a bit of a bummer compared to the old P2P construction, but the basic circuit is the same and it would cost a heck of a lot more if they made them P2P. They sound quite nice IMO. And if you're adventurous, you could probably get a P2P board and mod a DRRI with it... everything else should basically be in there - tubes and sockets, power and output transformers, controls, etc. - just pull the PCB and replace it with the eyelet board and components. Sounds easier than it is (there are a lot of wires coming off the PCB / eyelet board that run to other things, like tubes, transformers and controls), but a good tech could probably turn a DRRI into a fairly reasonable approximation of a P2P BF Deluxe for a few hundred dollars. Not that you
need
to - they sound fine stock. Missing 10% due to undefinable vintage mojo? Maybe... but that's still pretty darned close, and for a lot less money.... although if you have the means / funds, a vintage BF Deluxe is one of the all-time great amps IMO.

 

 

Great explanation. Never considered using a DRRI as a modding platform, but now I'm intrigued. I've built a several pedals from DIY kits, and now I'm looking around for the next challenge.

 

Your point about it not being 90% of the amp is also a good one. The fact is, even if I mod a PTP board and have this thing sounding *almost* like a vintage mid-60's Deluxe Reverb, I'll still be pining for the real deal.

 

In the case of my new 65 RI Fender Mustang, the consensus that the RI's are actually superior to the originals in most respects, and they're certainly better than similar guitars made during the mid 1990's. But for old tube amps, I guess it's hard to compete with a "real-deal" vintage DR.

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Great explanation. Never considered using a DRRI as a modding platform, but now I'm intrigued. I've built a several pedals from DIY kits, and now I'm looking around for the next challenge.

It would be a significant challenge, and you'd probably be better off building a Champ or Tweed Deluxe kit first to get your feet wet. Tube amps are a whole 'nuther world of complexity compared to pedals, at least in terms of the skills you need and the care you must take - tube amps have lethal voltages inside them, and can zap you even after they're unplugged... Unless someone makes a drop-in replacement board type kit to mod it, I would recommend you not bother with it. Or would at least caution you again regarding the complexity of such a mod.

Your point about it not being 90% of the amp is also a good one. The fact is, even if I mod a PTP board and have this thing sounding *almost* like a vintage mid-60's Deluxe Reverb, I'll still be pining for the real deal.

Mojo has its appeal, doesn't it? ;)

In the case of my new 65 RI Fender Mustang, the consensus that the RI's are actually superior to the originals in most respects, and they're certainly better than similar guitars made during the mid 1990's. But for old tube amps, I guess it's hard to compete with a "real-deal" vintage DR.

The '65 RI is really close to the vintage ones in most respects, although not all. They have everything right on it except the finish. I believe they're using either polyester or polyurethane on them; the vintage ones that came out of Fullerton had a Fullerplast base coat and then nitrocellulose lacquer; at least the ones from '65 did. The necks were all lacquer. I have an original in outstanding shape. It's fairly chunky and U shaped. Outside of that, the hardware on the MIJ RI models is pretty close, the slab body shape and material (poplar) are vintage correct, and so is the headstock logo. They are offering the "right" color combinations (originally called just red white and blue, but basically Olympic White, Daphne Blue and Dakota Red), and they got the corresponding plastic parts pretty much right for each color too. IOW, they really are pretty darned good reissues. :) The mid-90s era models that people often mistakenly refer to as "'69 reissues" were never called that by Fender, at least not in the US. They really are not a historically accurate reissue of anything. The have the post-69 contoured bodies, but from '69-72, Mustangs were Competition Mustangs; you don't start seeing the first contoured body, non-striped Mustangs until around 1972-73, and they didn't sell one in blue anymore by that point, although white was an option. Tort was gone by '69, and MOTS was in; going out by '73 or so; replaced with white guards and then black in '76. Nothing from the vintage era lines up with the mid-90s models, and Fender wasn't really trying to from what I understand - they just wanted a Mustang in the lineup. And what they released didn't satisfy the vintage lovers, and it had one unfortunate disadvantage from my POV, and one fantastic advantage: the bodies are basswood (boo / hiss!) and the neck is the thinnest, sweetest, not too narrow not too wide Goldilocks just friggin' RIGHT piece of maple and rosewood you'll find anywhere. :love: They're not bad, and they're certainly not great guitars, but they have amazing necks AFAIC. Yours is definitely more accurate, but the neck is a bit chunkier, which is also more historically accurate if my '65 neck is fairly representative of the era. That may be a good or a bad thing, depending on your own preferences. As far as the current ones being the best Mustangs ever made, I'm not so sure I'd go that far. Fullerton in the 60s put out some very nice Mustangs... then again, the factories in Japan are capable of world-class work too. I'd give the nod to the Fullerton models just because of the lacquer finishes, but the MIJ Mustangs are first rate guitars. I really hope you're getting a lot of enjoyment out of your new Mustang. :cool:

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amp sm.jpg

I know I know I posted this before but this is a re do of a DRRI. It also has all Mercry iron. I had 2 DRRI's and replaced the speakes, some caps, went with silver mica for the high and and with the mods, they were pretty good yet not like this one above. My take with the PC board DRRI is, Fender nickels and dimes away the best tone possible by using cheaper componets. If you never heard the real thing however it still sound great to you. A pretty good amp but it is not as robust. 

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Armchair Bronco wrote:

 

Other than nostalgia, what's the difference tone-wise between a modern Deluxe Reverb Reissue versus a mid-60's Deluxe Reverb? I played a vintage Deluxe Reverb from 1965 yesterday at a custom shop. The thing sounded awesome. The shop wanted $2200. That's way more than I can afford. I'm seeing used Reissues on eBay for around $750. If I sold some gear I don't use that much, I could probably manage $750. I know in theory that point-to-point wiring is supposed to sound better than a modern circuit board, so I'm willing to concede a 10% better tone to an amp from the 1960's. But would a modern reissue sound 90% as good for a third of the price?

 

A guy that was my tenant just sold his '65 that he found in a dumpster for only $1000. The thing was flawless

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