Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I've been looking into getting a Fender amp, mostly for some jazzy cleans with my Gretsch. Sure, I'll play some rock on it also, but they all seem to be able to handle that, + or - pedals. Basically, I've been curious about the Vibrolux and the '65 Twin Reverb reissues. I know the Twin gets solid reviews for this application, but if the Vibrolux would have enough clean headroom for a FilterTron guitar in a big band, I'd go for that because of portability. If the Twin is the way to go, that's fine with me. Some seem to say the Deluxe Reverb is good for jazz, but I'm skeptical about headroom. Any thoughts? Could the Vibrolux handle it?
-Matthew

Tom, the Vibrolux is a very noisey amplifer which under practice and low volume conditions will "hiss" you crazy.

The Twin Reverb will do the job but it is overkill a lot of the time and is a beast to carry.

I would think that a compromise would be the Delxue Reverb. Have you tried one?

Peter

admin wrote:Tom, the Vibrolux is a very noisey amplifer which under practice and low volume conditions will "hiss" you crazy.

The Twin Reverb will do the job but it is overkill a lot of the time and is a beast to carry.

I would think that a compromise would be the Delxue Reverb. Have you tried one?

Peter

+1 to everything Peter said!

I don't know if you're looking to buy used - this is always a crapshoot with amps - but I have found a really good middle ground with my early 90's Vibroverb reissue (the brown one). These are $700-$800 amps, fairly lightweight, 2x10 configuration, PLENTY loud (35 watts IIRC). I am thrilled with mine.

Another option, and this one will certainly provide you with ample headroom, is the Blues Deluxe. No, it's not all tube, but it will give you some really good cleans without sounding too sterile and without breakup! I used a tweed version of one of these for years and it was great, extremely reliable too (one of the two inputs went bad once; that was it). These are extremely popular amps for a reason - low cost and good tone.

sloop_john_b wrote:

admin wrote:Tom, the Vibrolux is a very noisey amplifer which under practice and low volume conditions will "hiss" you crazy.

The Twin Reverb will do the job but it is overkill a lot of the time and is a beast to carry.

I would think that a compromise would be the Delxue Reverb. Have you tried one?

Peter

+1 to everything Peter said!

I don't know if you're looking to buy used - this is always a crapshoot with amps - but I have found a really good middle ground with my early 90's Vibroverb reissue (the brown one). These are $700-$800 amps, fairly lightweight, 2x10 configuration, PLENTY loud (35 watts IIRC). I am thrilled with mine.

+ 1 more.... The guitarist in the jazz band I have just joined has a Deluxe Reverb RI and it is perfect.

Smaller venues: Deluxe Reverb RI

Medium and larger venues: Super Reverb RI and Twin.

What's all of this complaining about AC 30 and Twin amp weight?! I am no spring chicken and I carry one in each hand on occasion. Buck up, and maybe hit the weights! It makes carrying the amp easier, and when you're wearing short sleeves, makes your chest, biceps and forearms much more photogenic. . .

They're called suitcase amps for a reason. If you wanna call something heavy, try lifting a Marshall Half Stack!
I suggest

Thanks for the quick replies. So how much headroom would a Deluxe Reverb have? I've tried to play jazz with my 15 watt Night Train, but solos always sounded like rock because I had to turn it up so much. I'm guessing that was the nature of the amp more than the wattage?
-Matthew

My only amp is a Deluxe Reverb RI. Why? Because it's so freakin' versatile. It's small, simple to operate and sounds great with any style of music I choose. Yes there are people who will tell me differently, but I find the Deluxe is truly the perfect amp. Add in front of the Deluxe a Janglebox on "Dark" and the neck pickup tone rolled off it gets the perfect Jazz tone, to my ears. The Twin, Custom Vibrolux and Super are all great alternatives, if your venue is larger. I've found that these days no matter where the venue is or how large your amp is, the sound guy will mic you up.

Not a reissue, but this would be great for jazz.

rickosound wrote:Thanks for the quick replies. So how much headroom would a Deluxe Reverb have? I've tried to play jazz with my 15 watt Night Train, but solos always sounded like rock because I had to turn it up so much. I'm guessing that was the nature of the amp more than the wattage?
-Matthew

We play small-medium rooms (typically dinner-dance) with up to 200 people and the Deluxe Reverb is clean as a whistle (unmiked). Band set up is keys, drums, guitar, bass, sax, trumpet and vocals, and even in this wall of sound the guitar (an LP) is definitely not lost in the mix, and solos are clear and clean. I've played rock with the same guitarist and he tends to use pedals rather than push the amp to get break-up.

For relativities - I'm using a vintage Vox AC50 for bass through the standard channel with volume around 3 to 4. We're playing American song-book material at medium volume so that may be more sedate (i.e. lower volume) than the material you're playing.

Sorry to ignore everyone's advice, but I came across an offer I couldn't refuse. A used Twin Reverb sprang up at a local guitar store for $600. Of course, whoever had it first tried to relic it and did an awful job of it (it appears that all the damage was done with one razor blade), but otherwise everything is functional. Sounds good on all the cleans. We've yet to try the 12-string through it, but I'm sure it'll be good for my McGuinn impression. When it comes to portability, I've got a Roland Cube for jazz and a Vox Night Train for rock. So all this amp has to do is sound good. It delivers. Thanks for everyone's input. We looked at all the amps suggested. If this hadn't been in my backyard, we might have done otherwise.

Matthew

That is an excellent deal for a Twin, and if you don't plan on moving it often, then you made the right choice. Nothing else sounds like them.

Congrats!

Opting for a Deluxe, you'll definitely sacrifice some headroom and low end, as compared to the others. Probably not the best choice for warm, clean jazz, especially at higher volumes.

+1 for the Super Reverb RI, providing that you can find one that actually performs the way it should. Among a dozen or more practically identical examples, I've found significant inconsistencies in both tone and headroom. I haven't experienced this with the Twin or Deluxe reissues.