Amps

[Tizzy n' Tipsy]

Hi everyone. I've been stressing about this a lot and I figured it was time to come online to ask for opinions. I'm in the position to buy a Fender Deluxe Reverb, but I don't know if I should go for it. I play a lot of Punk and with some Rhythm n' Blues influence. I'm sure the DR could handle the Rhythm n' Blues no problem, but the kind of sound I'm looking for when I'm playing some punk I'm not too sure about. I mainly use P90s for the more aggressive bite, as well as a few single coil Telecasters. I like my overdriven sound to be tight. A prominent yet tight bass, a slightly subdued midrange that still has the good grit and bite of a good P90, and a top end that has a modest amount of sparkle and a little bit of a chime. I like an overdrive that just starts to break from a clean tone, and can be pushed into moderate overdrive with volume or a pedal. There are a lot of things that should be considered: pickups (are P90s and different types of Tele pickups fitting?), the speaker (a lot of people say to change the stock speaker in a DRRI), and pedals (I haven't been big on pedals much. I have a Maxon OD808 as my primary overdrive and some others that I don't use as much). Is there a better speaker fit for the sound I'm going for? If I replace the speaker with a british voiced speaker, will the amp lose character? What are some pedals you could suggest? I also dabble with some more modern distortion sounds, so a few good pedals for that would be good too. What do you think? Should I go for it? I mean...it's a pretty damn good deal.

[davydusade]

throw a dirt pedal in front when you want the dirt...

[C-4]

Try to remember that any amp you play through, given that you like the basic sound of that particular amp, can be changed to a point to get other tones around the basic tone the circuitry in that amp puts out.

For the Deluxe Reverb, an alnico Tone Tubby Hempcone speaker will set it free. Keep in mind the break-in period for new speakers. A Tone Tubby will take about 30 hours of break-in time, but will sound better, the more it is played after that. For foot toys, unless you are strickly into individual ones, think about either a TC Nova System, (my choice), or a Line6 M-13. The M-13, I believe, has a bit more different sounding overdrives as well as time-based effects.

As a different amp, but if you like Fender amps, consider a Super Sonic 50 watter. It has both Bassman and Vibrolux Reverb settings on channel one and distortion on channel two.

For a different type amp, consider a Vox. It can get chimey tones, but more with a British voicing.

Deciding on an amp is something that must be tried out in a store setting first to see if you can eliminate the ones you find are not doing it for you. But remember that an amp being played live, or at home and with your own gear is going to sound different, so make sure you can get a return policy on whatever you decide to buy.

[newholland]

i would.. i dunno-- blackface overdrive tones? totally mean as shit punk tones to be had-- but to get it tight, you'd need to keep your bass in perspective (i.e. turned down a bit so the amp does the work- not the eq). just dime the thing and see what you get. with single coils, you might need to boost it a bit to get full bore GAIN sounds.. but it'll make some REALLY distinctive bark. i used a mesa studio .22-- which is REALLY similar sounding in a lot of ways on the clean channel. the speaker's a matter of preference. if you use a pretty well overrated speak-- you'll get gnarly and tight gain tones. if you go with a lesser rated speaker.. you'll get those roundish vintagey sounds, which don't sound like what yer going for. adding a second closed back cab, and it's kinda a killer combo for rock without leveling venues or mad soundmen.

[thom]

I always tought of the DR as a mini twin reverb: Not as loud, but clean, and does okay with pedals. And it'ss very versitle.

I personally wouldn't use it to play punk though, but I don't know if your idea of punk is the same as mine
For an agressive tone that cuts thorugh the mix like a knife, I'd never rely on any pedal to provide all the overdrive/gain.

But for all I know the OD808/deluxe reverb combination totally nails it, I've never played that particular rig.

[K-Bizzle]

This is your answer, Blackstar HT Dual

[Tizzy n' Tipsy]

Haha, yeah I've heard some good things about the Blackstar. I've never been able to get my hands on one though. @Thom - Yeah, I don't completely rely on a pedal to get dirt. I like to drive the amp pretty hard when I get the chance, and I prefer the amp's tone to influence sound more than just solely a pedal. @Newholland - Thanks for the info about speakers' ratings. I'll keep that in mind for sure. @C-4 - I actually tried a Super Sonic, but I didn't really like it all that much. Most of all I just didn't really like how the gain channel was voiced.

[Neilrocks25]

Haha, yeah I've heard some good things about the Blackstar. I've never been able to get my hands on one though.

Perfect for punk, old and modern.

[newholland]

have you had a chance to wind out a deluxe yet? you might just find that with what you're looking for you've got all the gain you need with it. i know i err sorta on the cleaner side of gain (probably a LITTLE more than just hairy cleans- but closer to that.), and with a jensen c12k in it-- the DRRI all the way up with a humbucker was pretty much RIGHT there gain wise. single coils or p90's... if you found the right speaker, it's worth a crack.. try it stock, though- just keep the bass thing in mind-- cause that's really the main issue. start with treble and mids up, and keep your bass low, and dial it up from 0 til it fills in with the volume all the way up.

[Tizzy n' Tipsy]

Yeah, I won't be able to have a good crack at the amp until several days from now, but you nailed the overdrive on the head. Pretty much a bit more than hairy.

[BusterBuster]

This is your answer, Blackstar HT Dual

If that unit had delay/echo and a tuner too it would be the perfect simple unit :love:

[C-4]

@C-4 - I actually tried a Super Sonic, but I didn't really like it all that much. Most of all I just didn't really like how the gain channel was voiced.

I found that using the channel one volume control up about one half way, it delivered really great saturated tones...and Yes!, better then the channel 2 distortion. :thu:

A Deluxe Reverb with it's volume dimed, is going to be a loud amp.

Good luck in your hunt for the right tones. :wave:

Happy New year.

[guitarcapo]

Something tweed like a Bassman would have a more raw sound.

Blackface Fenders are all about shimmering cleans.

The overdrive sounds can sound glorious but it's more of a mid-scooped overdrive that doesn't get in your face like a tweed Deluxe or Bassman.

Remember when tweed Bassman reissues were $750? I should have smnapped one up. Hell, the 4 Jensen Speakers and the cab were probably worth $250 of that.

[newholland]

Something tweed like a Bassman would have a more raw sound.

Blackface Fenders are all about shimmering cleans.

The overdrive sounds can sound glorious but it's more of a mid-scooped overdrive that doesn't get in your face like a tweed Deluxe or Bassman.

Remember when tweed Bassman reissues were $750? I should have smnapped one up. Hell, the 4 Jensen Speakers and the cab were probably worth $250 of that.

aw man- i dunno if i agree there about them JUST being for cleans.. granted, the overdrive of a tweed is nice.. but it's soft, in my experience. a blackface REALLY hitting the rails is such a distinctive barky, mean sound.. and certainly the predecessor to the 'modern' gain tone. big harmonic meanness. PERFECT for clang-ish, hi def, treble hot and mean as shit punk tones. KAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHgggg... kinda like that. love that sound!

i think too-- it's really more suited towards certain subsets of sounds, for sure-- tweeds (or at least a 5e3 or bassman) sound way too 'nice and polite' in some instances, and i think that's where blackfaces really kick ass.

[jgyn]

I have a DRRI. Not enough power with a loud drummer.

[clay_finley]

100w Marshall for punk, because it has lots of percussive punch. :idea:

[GizmoZQ]

[mc5nrg]

Depending on what you mean by "punk", I've done it...or rather used a SF DR in a band that played a lot of MC5/Stooges/Ramones/Thunders/Dolls along with original material. Used a Ibanez RRII Flying V with an Ibanez Mostortion stompbox. The drummers were plenty loud. The amp was running Sovtek 5881 tubes rather than 6V6 tubes. Worked fine, one thing to remember is turning the bass down as the volume goes up if the bottom gets mushy.

[cratz2]

More than one punk guitarist has used a clean Fender amp and a RAT in front of it.

:idk: