Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue: 10 Years Later - Is it still Worth it?

[@intheblues]

I can't believe I've had this second one for 10 years! Yes, there's a piece of fluff stuck to my head. 🤣 Check it out below if you're interested. Check the related videos in the description. 🛒 Sweetwater - sweetwater.sjv.io/4PQ5dL 🛒 Thomann - bit.ly/2JS9Ljl 🛒 Guitar Center - guitar-center.pxf.io/q4bDgq 🛒 Fender - bit.ly/3fZiRMF 🛒 Sky Music - alnk.to/2jMnV0B (affiliate links)

[@rickycompton2610]

Great Video Shane these are great gigging Amps I have to agree but some were plagued with bad solder joints and bad ribbon cables , I had one that I never had a problem with with I should have kept it,I’m glad to see you still have yours. They are such killer pedal platforms!

[@CannonMusic05]

I just had a custom Stratocaster built and I just bought a fender blues deluxe today. I cannot wait to plug it in this weekend and hear what it sounds like. I sure hope it was worth the money.

[@jamalabdul2009]

I consider this amp as a part of your sound as your ‘52 Tele!!!! I think the most important lesson I’ve learned from watching and listening to you Shane is how much of a difference a good speaker can make for an amp. You taught us that by taking a regular Blues Deluxe and finding a good speaker, you can make an amp sound the way you want to. Here’s to another 10 years of great music Shane!!🎸🎸🎸🎸😎😎😎😎

[@Dragon_rls]

I consider it an overpriced piece of particleboard. And they talk about Gibson. 😂

[@dwightedwardtownsend7674]

Speakers don't change the sound they just filter the sound

[@Davidthestratman7]

Bought this amp last december..... Its amazing

[@mariogonzales1064]

Still my go to amp after 7-8 years. Nice with pedals.

[@waitin4winter]

I’ve had my BDR for about 16 years now. I remember comparing it with a fender hot rod played loud in the shop and preferred the clean sound of the BDR. With a speaker upgrade it’s all I need. I used pedals for drive.

[@rickeymitchell8303]

I just got one brand new yesterday best amp I’ve ever used

[@rickeymitchell8303]

And the drive is awesome With a Marshall in a box style pedal I personally use the mxr super bad ass distortion in combination with the distortion channel sounds epic

[@scottbee501]

Bought mine in 2013. Replaced speaker with Weber ceramic Vintage and installed the Fromel Electronics upgrade kit for this amp. Unbelievable improvement. The Drive channel is fantastic.

[@td7426]

I bought a Tweed blues deluxe when they first came out I believe in the 90s. I didn't know about using pedals for it. It sounded great but I was looking more for a marshall type sound so I sold it.

[@robertparker3580]

I bought one just like yours from a friend for 250 bucks, I love it,it's all stock at the moment, I may try a different speaker at some point,I also have a vox ac30 all tube,but the fender out shines it! thanks for the great content, I'm also a lefty! Cheers from Alabama!

[@bradleydrawsweirdstuff]

I never understood why Fender didn’t make this with a built in attenuator, if it could drop to 20 watts tube it would help a ton.

[@peterjensen5001]

Great video - Thanks for sharing. I had my BDR since 2010 - It bought secondhand. I changed the speaker to a Celestion gold which made a big difference -In a good way - The current power tubes are NOS RCA 6L6 (Fender labeled) from 1970 - preamp tubes are RCA except from V1 which is "Telefunken" I think - I think the best change was the speaker - the tubes were changed merely because the baseplayer in the band happend to be a "Tube pusher" and I got tempted. Funny enough the change of the phasesplitter tube (V3) seemed to clean up the sound - the stock tube sounded muddy in comparison. Normally V1 offers the biggest changes according to what I can read on the WWW. Anyway I am happy with the sound and the tube swap did add more quality to the sound of the amp. To tame the extremly sensitive volue control I have put a 10K audio pot in the effects loop which allow me to turn up the volume in the pre-amp without blowing out the windows 🙂 Have a great day everyone 🙂

[@mariagandcompany]

The timing on this video is perfect. Just yesterday, I wrote down some of your Tone & Volume settings from an old video for cranking a BDR on 7 for natural breakup. Although, due to over-saturation, I had to lower the Vol to 6 (instead of 7) and lower the bass to 3 (from 7), the rest of the settings work GREAT. I now have a clean channel natural overdrive setting for recording direct into the box, no mic, no pedals, just natural breakup. THANKS!!!

[@scottreynolds6317]

Love the vid Shane!!!! Amp sounds amazing!!!! 🎸🔥🎸🔥🎸

[@intheblues]

Thanks so much, Scott! 🎸 I hope you're well. 🙂

[@michaelfrancis9182]

Great video as always. If you had to choose, and money wasn't a concern, would you still pick the Blues Deluxe over the Custom Deluxe? Thank you from Phoenix Az, love your channel.

[@DavidShepard-ke9su]

YES! I have 10 amps but my Blues Deluxe is my number 1 - for the same reasons. Bought it for my birthday in 2010. Have changed tubes twice and rebiased them - which is a snap, by the way. And thanks to you, I replaced the stock speaker with the Swamp Thang, as well as put that tiny Doc Watson attenuator in the effects loop, and BANG! I love my amp even more. Also, I added roller casters to mine. I almost always, ever, only pick it up, but it's kinda nice to move it around a bit on stage.

[@DaNooch669]

Bought this amp last year. I will admit, there was something wrong with the sound. It left my ears fatigued, the bass was way too high and the volume pot was hard to get used to. But, because I'm stubborn, I decided to make it work as much as I could so I changed the speaker to a Lorantz ceramic speaker, I changed the preamp tubes to NOS (5751 in V1, 12AX7 in V2, and 12AY7 in V3), changed the power tubes + rebiased. These changes made the amp sound so good, but I also got the filter caps replaced with better quality ones. Now it sounds absolutely incredible! The tone is to die for. Turn on the reverb, max out the bass and trebble (no mids) and paired up with my firebird, that's a sound I can rely on for years. Use an attenuator to get that sweet overdrive on the clean channel which i reckon this amp does so well The drive channel is still terrible though 😂

[@steffenbrix]

Beautiful Kiesel tele❤

[@pigxstix]

I've had one about 10 years now, love it. I changed the speaker to an Eminence Cannabis Rex, the power transformer to Mercury Magnetics, and I run JJ power tubes and Tung-Sol Reissues in the preamp. Everything you said was spot on with my experience - use the clean channel and it takes all kinds of dirt pedals great and change the speaker. I even prefer the tweed over the black tolex on the Hot Rods.

[@silverwings1843]

I picked one up around 2012. A floor demo for steal. I changed the brite cap, changed the tone stack to 60s Twin and put in a Creme Back. I have had them all. The DRRI is the best Combo there is when you change the speaker. And made as good as a Peavey other then the cheap Fender usual.

[@chrishowitt9654]

I have the same amp with the Swamp thing speaker installed. Absolutely love it. The guy I bought it off just couldn't use it because of the volume level so I got it at a great price (Swamp Thing included). The footswitch was still wrapped in factory plastic. One thing to look out for after watching Psionic Audio videos are the filter caps, might be worth having your tech give it a look at after 10 years.

[@cerclesvicieux]

I bought a used Blues Deluxe about two & 1/2 years ago. The button to choose a drive is gone and i'm not entirely sure about the reverb. That said, I have several MXR pedals including the M300 & the Echoplex so I am hardly wanting for reverb much less a drive option. I can still switch between the channels easy enough and to be honest, I've never needed to turn it up above 2 pr 3. If I do, I have to step out of the room. Overall, the headroom is still there and it sounds as clean as it probably ever did, so I'm happy. It is difficult to find a Blues Deluxe or a Hot Rod Deluxe to even test drive in my area, even at Gutar Centher, but I have issues with GC and prefer a local dealer whom I've dealt wiht since the 70s. I"m happy.

[@stevenrayphoto1280]

Great review as always! Did your amp originally come with the current Eminence speaker?

[@kennethc2466]

First, great video as always. Second, it's amazing how different wattage amps handle clean headroom. Have the same Blues Dlx, and a PRS MT-15 (among many other amps). The 15 watt PRS, seems to have the same clean headroom of the BD, via a 212 Orange V30 cab. Playing with keys, two vocals, (muted) trumpet, bass, rhythm guitar, and drummer, the MT-15 makes me hit the compressor pedal far more often than the BD. It's amazing how clean headroom can be so independent of watts, as at the volume, as my Marshall 1987x is far from clean, at 50 watts, at the same band volume.

[@leoolivero963]

Great review! I have the HR Deluxe and considering a speaker swap.

[@boxcarstewart311]

Great review, Shane! Amps are investments, and its nice to know what players are getting out of it over the long haul. Store reviews are nice, but are largely posted during the honeymoon phase of the amp purchase.

[@DMSProduktions]

Sounds good! Lorantz speaker make even the crappiest SS amp sound good! Nice 1 Shane!

[@youngandrew66]

YOUR drive channel sounds great😂

[@sonnywolfblues]

I own one and it is my main gigging amp these days. I gig 5 nights a week here in Austin playing Blues and old school Rock n Roll and the amp has been very reliable. I bought one in 2006 when the first reissues of these were released but in 2018 I tried the current one I own and noticed it sounded better...not as scooped mids and bright....the 2018 has more low mids and a smoother and more musical treble. I sold the 2006 and have been gigging the 2018 one ever since. I think the stock speaker is decent but I did install a Jensen Alnico P12 for a more classic 1950s Fender tweed era sound which gives that lovely bite that Jensen speakers have....very old school. I agree these amps have more volume than you'll ever need...I run the clean channel usually around 2 and it is loud enough to hang with my Blues trio. I run an Ibanez 808 Tubescreamer that stays on to mimic the amp being cranked but at a lower volume and it sounds great. I don't use the drive channel but I do think it sounds ok til about 8...past that it gets too fizzy sounding. A great amp for roots music and early Rock n Roll styles and quite affordable if you want that type of tone but don't want invest in and gig a vintage or expensive boutique amp.

[@abeanx]

I traded my blues jr for mine and it’s amazing. The thing is loud tho but since I only use it in my house and not for gigs I went ahead and bought the fromel supreme kit which comes with all new f&t capacitors, and replaced all the problem resistors, new switch craft jacks all around, I also rewired the master volume to work on channel 1 the clean channel which tames down that 40watts into an amazing living room amp. Basically a bigger blues jr with a drive channel now. I also have swapped out the speaker with a warehouse et65 and all preamp tubes with EH 7025’s because I heard Lyle from Psionic saying good things about them. Even with the amp cranked almost full up, it’s virtually quiet at idle. Before it was pretty noisey. It’s like fender didn’t go all the way with this amp. If they would have added the master volume to the first channel, put a better speaker in and a few other smaller things with the electronics this would be the amp everyone talks about. But I paid $300 for the blues jr I traded for this and paid like $70 for the fromel kit, did all the work myself. The et65 came out of the blues jr before I traded it I put the stock speaker in and kept it to put in this. But I’m playing it right now and it’s such a beautiful sounding amp.

[@ryangunwitch-black]

I like it because in a lot of ways it’s like a bigger, louder Blues Jr.

[@Strodav]

I've played with a lot of different tube amps and my favorite is still the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe IV with a Cannabis Rex speaker. Yes it's heavy, so it's a pain to transport, but it just sounds right to me. My 2nd favorite amp is the Fender Blues Jr IV with a Cannabis Rex speaker. Great practice amp.

[@jimilee459]

Man, I love mine. I’ve found that putting a volume knob in the effects loop works as good as any attenuator when playing in my apartment. Also, I put in a WGS ET65 speaker which, if I’m not mistaken, is equivalent to a creamback. I love it.

[@jordanbreroberts]

I love mine - Installed a master volume mod added in the effects loop and that way I can get it lower for home use. Still sounds great at low volumes. But I love it at 4/5 if I get the chance!!

[@musicmatty67]

One thing that always seems to get overlooked in the reviews of this amp, is the tone it offers. Of course, tone/sound is purely subjective to each listener. I have both the hot rod Deville 212 and the blues tweed deluxe reissue and I absolutely prefer the tone of the blue tweed deluxe. For me personally, there is something in the circuitry that is a cut above most amps.

[@ryangunwitch-black]

These amps kick ass. I’ve got my dad’s and he had a little tweeter installed with a chicken head knob to control it on back. So killer.

[@shanewalton8888]

Man, that single coil tone is heavenly.

[@intheblues]

Thanks mate. I am loving that Kiesel guitar. The Johnny Hiland pickups are unreal.

[@michellewentworth9862]

I put a Celestion Vintage 30 into my Fender Blues Deluxe reissue. I have found it to be a good choice.

[@gregmock6808]

My Hot Rod Deluxe was modified with Sovtek and Svetlana tubes and re-biased and I love it. the way to get gain tones out of it is putting a 7 band EQ in the effects loop and using it as an EQ and extenuator. You can dial in a velvet zipper gain tone without high volume that way. Mine is a 2003 cream colored one and it's all I'll ever need although I like to run it in stereo with my Fender Champ to give it that spread. I may want to swap the 12 inch speaker one day

[@PeterReesvan]

My main amp since 2011. Only complaint is the volume pot of the clean channel, all the action seens to happen between 1 and 1.5…

[@michellewentworth9862]

Agreed. The Volume pot is really a bit odd.

[@AlexRGuitar]

Lovely Review! That PRS SE sounds amazing! what pickups do you have in there?

[@hutchfromba]

Personally, my favorite amp. I play clean with a pedal board. Or, at least try too. Blues On....💙

[@LittleAng]

I got one as well, the black western version, honestly it has just been collecting dust for a couple of years, I bought a Twin and a Super reverb and the Deluxe within 4-6 months (yep I went crazy but got more orless 50% deals on them so I couldn’t walk past them) so it has been sitting back in favor of those icons 😊 but this video got me inspired to fire it up this weekend, cheers ❤ I’d love if you could insert a brief cut of the amp settings when you’re playing 🙌🏻

[@petarzutic1165]

Which of them do you like best overall and as a pedal platform?

[@robertbryson4576]

I love mine but I wish it had a one watt switch on it. Our neighbours have a new baby so it's either acoustic time for me or headphones with my little black star practice amp. Folk are spot on about the blues deluxe being a great pedal platform. Cry-baby, flanger and tube screamer clone does it for me though maybe a bit of delay with clean would be good. Thanks for all your efforts over the years Shane. I always watch out for your stuff. I'm a lefty but learned to play right handed because it was nearly impossible to buy a left handed guitar then I started in the 1979's Rab from Belfast

[@indigos290]

That drive channel sounds great. Of course it depends on what you're going for

[@intheblues]

It sounds a lot better after the speaker change. I always found it a bit too "blizzard of nails" with the stock speaker, but you're right everyone likes different stuff. 🙂

[@indigos290]

@@intheblues I have a hot rod deluxe iii that I just recently took out out of storage to rent. I decided to just plug in and play it after about 4 years. I'm actually really pleased now with what I'm hearing. I honestly didn't like it much back then. Now I'm confused. Are my ears tuned differently now? I played my Bugera V55 infinium way more over the years. It's a interesting experience to be sure.

[@tamcee6628]

how times have changed 1971 i used a vadis 40 x 2x12 amp and a vox ac 30 2x12 both flat out and still not loud enough.

[@shanerose5348]

Jhs little black amp box, passive attenuator, @65 bucks. Awesome review!!

[@Splattle101]

Good call on the Lorantz speaker. Have you tried a 1950s style Deluxe? I don't mean an actual 1950s Fender (which are ridiculous $$ in Oz), but a clone or home brew version.

[@ampersandmcvinegar5681]

I wandered the tube amp landscape for many moons. I want to sound like Howard Roberts. He's a dirty guitar player. I think this will help. ❤

[@copperaudio9664]

I run my Blues Deluxe into a Tone King Ironman II Mini and it sounds great at lower volumes. 👍

[@eddieholmes3236]

That amp+Kiesel+Royal Flush is some tone.

[@kodymartens8201]

Hey Shane, I just put an 8ohm Swamp Thang in my Blues Deluxe. It used to have a Greenback in it. I used to not be able to turn my volume passed 2 and it would be too loud. Now, after the swap, I have to turn it to 4 or 5 in order to get the same volume level. Did you have a similar experience?

[@ghalston5641]

You once said the DSL 40 had similarly good cleans. Still the case? I have one and must admit I never play with high gain.

[@intheblues]

Yeah the DSL has a solid clean channel. It doesn't have the niceness of the reverb on this amp though. It's got a very minimal digital reverb where as the fender clean + the reverb really sounds great.

[@msaintpc]

Creamback 75. That's the one you want in there.

[@To.Si.Ma.]

Still a classic like your channel.

[@intheblues]

Thanks so much mate!

[@JDStone20]

Nice video!

[@martinboucher6225]

blues deluxe vs peavey classic 410 can be interesting!

[@dwaynemullett9462]

What about a good celestion speaker like Joe Bonamassa would put in it? He tends to like the eminence or Jensen better in Marshalls and celestians better in his fenders

[@jmceachern36]

I just bought one of these. Sounds great but I’m noticing that the low end gets kind of not pleasant sounding when I use my neck pickup. Flubby ? Any way I can tighten up the bass somehow? Thinking about returning it.

[@col145]

Has anyone tried a Celestion vintage 30 in one of these amps ?

[@intheblues]

I've tried the Creamback which is a good match. it can be a bit too bass heavy though, the V30 would be a nice punchy sound.

[@michellewentworth9862]

Yes, I have. I have been happy with it.

[@rossbyron]

Issue s with brake downs?

[@gadgscoastguitars7494]

Any suggestions for an amp that does the same but is lighter in weight. For a 73yo these things get too heavy, but I love 40w and clean. I enjoy my Princeton but it's not 40w.

[@intheblues]

There's not a lot of good 40-watt amps that are small or light. The only one I can think of is the '68 Pro Reverb (off the top of my head). It's lighter and smaller, but double check the specs and weight to make sure. My friend has one and it's a great pedal amp.

[@jasondorsey7110]

Get a blackface bandmaster head and a decent 1x12 cab, will be easier to transport

[@gadgscoastguitars7494]

@@intheblues Thanks Shane. I'll check it out. A friend also suggested the Twin in the Tonemaster series.

[@GaryAppledale]

Get a Roland Blues Cube Hot .. valves are nothing but big old audio placebos anyhow 🙂

[@Twinhit]

​@@gadgscoastguitars7494 Do your homework. I heard that the Tonemaster may be finicky with pedals.

[@hansvandenhurk7497]

How do you compare this against the Marshall dsl40, which you also seem to like?

[@hansvandenhurk7497]

You mention the dsl but also say you use the Fender in most of your video’s. A direct comparison on the clean channels could be helpful.

[@toddflowers8052]

I don't need another amp, I don't need another amp .....dang it Shane !! 😂

[@DMSProduktions]

SURE you don't! ;o)

[@Matthew_Scan]

I wish they made a master volume one I had a hot Rod deluxe and sold it cause it was so frigging loud for home. It’s a tweed amp that sounds like a blackface

[@Alfonzo862]

I got rid of this amp because it picked up the local radio station which was very annoying.

[@intheblues]

Ah no good! That's usually something to do with a non-shielded cable, guitar, or pedal. I've never had that happen before.

[@Alfonzo862]

@intheblues yeh I unplugged my Dimarzio braided cable and american standard strat that I had at the time which went straight into the amp and the amp still played happily the radio station on its own. Got a devilled 410 no more problems and much better amp

[@michellewentworth9862]

Sounds like a warranty issue. Mine is quite.

[@Alfonzo862]

@@michellewentworth9862 no warranty issues it was the design of the amp

[@motokev2727]

Fender used to make reliable amps. I like this amp, but I'll pass based on Fender cheapo components.

[@BladeDoomer86]

That first drive channel sample really destroyed any chance it had of being liked 🤣 awful boxy tone lol Pedals all the way

[@jayhill5982]

Man,I really want to get a fender Amp however I watch a lot of Amp tech videos and unfortunately almost every modern Fender tube Amp seem to use cheap components (caps) and improperly installed resistors that cause heat damage to the board and this is across every Amp Fender makes,which means if I get one I will have to spend hundreds of dollars to correct these built in issues and even used Fender amps are massively overpriced,so I guess I just keep saving my money to get one and have it properly fixed 😊

[@jasondorsey7110]

If you derive distortion from pedals, get a silverface fender instead, the build quality is much higher for the money

[@peanutavalon]

I’ve used my Blues deluxe since 2010 and have done 500+ gigs and have never changed the tubes. Reliable.