Maybe it's all right to think twice

[JakeK]

I had been wanting to get a louder amp for a little while now. I find my Deluxe Reverb too quiet sometimes and can't really take it up past "6" without getting any break up. I was going to trade my Deluxe Reverb for a Tweed Bassman or maybe a Twin Reverb, but I played through a new Twin today. That's too loud for what I need and how infrequently I gig/record, and it was at around "2".

So, if I were going to trade my Deluxe, I think I would trade it for a Super Reverb. I really love the tone of the Deluxe, and I think how I'm going to solve my volume problem is to get an extension cab like this:
http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/prod ... sku=580900

I can just remove the "Vintage Modified" logo and hey, presto, I have a vintage looking set up.

Right now, the Super Reverb is about the only amp I think I would ever trade my Deluxe for. I do love the Tweed Bassman, as it can get a lot more ground for British Invasion music, but it doesn't have as much versatility as a Blackface Fender. Maybe it has more and I just never thought about trying it? Who knows?

[Ric-O-Buc]

There are things you can do to the DR to get more clean headroom. Namely, tube, speaker, and rectifier swaps - and none too complicated.

[jps]

Don't get rid of the DR, just buy another, amp to add to your tools. There will be times you still want a small amp.

[FretlessOnly]

True about wanting a smaller amp. And there's no need to confine your interest to Fender amps.

[sloop_john_b]

A quick look at eBay completed listings show that used DR's are selling in the $500-$600 range. A new Super Reverb is a $1500 amp. So, if you're gonna have to shell out $1000 + your DR, maybe you should just keep your DR and look for something louder in the sub $1000 range?

Get yourself a 60's Ampeg Gemini. Somewhat ungainly in size but if you're not gigging, who cares? They are loud and have great reverb, plus you're getting a real 60's amp. I got mine for $400. That ought to cover your volume needs, though I'm somewhat surprised that a Deluxe Reverb isn't loud enough for you, especially considering you don't gig (or gig "infrequently").

Sounds to me like you're just fishing for a reason to justify your GAS. You don't need one.

[grazioso]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Aiken-Invader-MkII- ... 4aa2654fda

jake watch for one of these.. i play both larger venues and studio with them i rarely need anything louder than this amp & 2x12 cab. if i need to get breakup going the built in attenuator does the job quite nicely @ normal levels. it does from vox clean to plexi grit ... i have huge 4x10 super reverb style amp too and i rarely use it... like twice in these last two years i needed something that big and i could have get it on loan instead..

[scott_s]

Jake, adding an extension speaker might help a little, but I'd focus on the primary speaker first. What do you have in there? An efficient speaker like a JBL or Neo (or a Celestion Blue if you like to tempt fate) can score some extra volume out of that amp.

How old are the tubes that are in there?

- Scott

[JakeK]

Thanks everyone for your input. I tell you, JB, you know me better than I know myself!

The speaker is the stock Jensen. I love the way it sounds. My question is if the pedals are at a decent volume, can a DR get over the drums?

[kiramdear]

I'll go with JB - the DR is a great little amp and will serve you well for most of what you want to do. You can also mic it if necessary. Save your big amp money for when you really need it.

[analogpackrat]

I agree--keep it and maybe buy something with a different flavor for your next amp. If you need more stage volume, get it up off the floor or tilt it back. For bigger venues...the PA is your friend. Maybe buy a Sennheiser e609 or e906 so you're ready to go at the big show.

I assume this is a reissue? You might like the Jensen, but they aren't very efficient speakers. The easiest way to get a noticeable volume bump is to try a more efficient speaker. If you've got the $$ try a Celestion Alnico Gold which is aptly named. If budget is a concern Eminence makes some really nice speakers. Lots of people like the Red White & Blues in a DR. The Swamp Thang is another good option. I have a '77 DR which had the original Oxford speaker in it. I replaced it with the Eminence speaker that Fender used in the earlier DRRI and it is definitely louder. I also have a big 2x12 cab with a Wizard and a Red Fang in it--really loud with the DR.

For more clean headroom try not to drive the input so hard (don't crank up the output level of your last pedal). Or use the #2 input. Which channel do you use? If you like the vibrato channel, try swapping V2 out for a 12AY7 or a 5751. That's how I've set mine up and I get more Fender clean at volume. If you want to get the dirt back you can drive the input harder (clean or dirty boost pedal). I use a NOS 12AY7, but the EH ones aren't bad. Good luck!

[sloop_john_b]

My question is if the pedals are at a decent volume, can a DR get over the drums?

Pedals or not, a properly functioning Deluxe Reverb should have no problem getting heard over drums in a jam/rehearsal setting, which I assume is what your describing.

I have gigged and jammed plenty of times with my '64 Ampeg Jet which is about 10 watts and tiny. Not much headroom, but your heroes probably weren't very concerned with headroom and that's how they created their signature sounds.

[Ric-O-Buc]

I've got a Weber 12F150 speaker in my '71 SF Deluxe Reverb - and, unless you're playing death metal at 120 db, that amp will hang with anything on stage. I never run the volume above 5 and use a compressor or OD pedal to put a little hair on it. Its the perfect gig amp.

[soundmasterg]

At the local blues jam I go to, until the host started using a handmade amp (Conrad Blues Jammer) by Conrad Sundholm, the co-founder of Sunn, he used a 1964 Deluxe Reverb. The Blues Jammer is louder mostly due to a more efficient speaker, a Weber Blue Dog instead of the less efficient Jensen. It is only 27 watts though, and the Deluxe Reverb is 22 watts, so it isn't a huge power difference between the two. Anyway, both amps keep up just fine with some very loud drums, another guitarist, and often a Hammond B3. Deluxe Reverbs are probably the most gigable Fender amp as a Super Reverb and others of the same type are just too loud. One guy brings his Super into this same venue for gigs and always uses a Tube Scremer to get some grit, because the amp is too loud. A Super Reverb and '59 Bassman and Vox AC30 are being used as the amp choice for many of the artists at the Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland, Oregon next week. This is a huge outdoor festival and the amps are being miked through the PA, but are still just about right for a gig of that nature. The days of multiple huge 100 watt amps are long past with the PA power these days. I'm building myself a clone of a Vox AC100, but am adding power scaling to it so I can turn the power down on the thing as otherwise it is just WAY too loud. Stick with your Deluxe Reverb Jake.

greg