Is the Deluxe Reverb Reissue still worth it?

Does this reissue amp sound as good as my vintage Fender amplifiers? 🧐
-Matthew
/ matthewscott92
/ matthewscottmusic
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[@McSlobo]

My take on this is that you shouldn't chase the tone of others or legends but develop your own instead. It doesn't matter if it's vintage, reissue, hand wired, tube, solid state or modeller. Just play and let others fiddle with gear. You'll sound much better a couple of years later because you've spent all your time playing and have saved a ton of money in the process.

[@jonathan-smith]

100% agree

[@kenster865]

Umm... you can do both, don't ya' know! Work your tail off to become the best musician you can be but also benefit from the subtleties in the fine gear so readily available out there. Once you get to a certain point in your skill level, it's great fun to play different amps to see how they can affect your sound. This assumes you can afford to play that game. Some can, but many cannot. Cheers!

[@VintageRadius]

@@kenster865agree. Instruments and other gear are not just “tools” as some say. There’s a level of interaction (literally) and they can provide inspiration. Lots of touring pro’s will admit sometimes their sound is a little off on a particular day or in a particular room. But when everything comes together it makes such a difference.

[@stephendixon8575]

The one thing that never ceases to amaze me is that, whether you’re talking about a guitar, an amp or whatever you put in your signal chain, if you feel or believe that ‘that thing’ is what’s giving you ‘that sound’, then it doesn’t really matter whether you’re right or not - as long as it transports your mind, emotions and therefore your playing to a place where the magic begins to happen! You, your brain (and maybe your soul too) are as much a part of the signal chain or feedback loop (if not THE most important part) as every other physical or electronic component, so it really doesn’t matter what it is, as long as you can learn enough to reproduce the same thing when you want it, to get you to (or close to) the same place the next time 😉

[@-alley]

very true friend

[@slowpoke7888]

Amen!

[@bassmandave5865]

The amp sounds wonderful as do the different vintage guitars played through it. But the bottom line is the sweet tone starts with your fingers as they relay what’s coming out of your heart. That’s the beauty of music….the expression that pours out of the artists heart through the instrument. There’s obviously a lot of great music in your heart Matthew. Let it continue to pour out, we all appreciate it very much.

[@kissapeles]

You are right, I believe. How and where you hit the strings using your fingers or pick massively affects tone.

[@mbrackmann8]

Your playing has gone into another dimension as of late. I’ve said this before, but you’re a huge inspiration to my own playing and I learn something new in every one of your videos. Thank you, fellow Matthew!

[@Phoenix_cataclysm_in_2040]

Matt, and Chris Buck too.

[@alexcss423]

If anyone's seeing this comment and is able to tell me what tuning he's in with the gibson at 03:00 that'd be awesome 🙏

[@mbrackmann8]

@@alexcss423 pretty sure he keeps that Les Paul in D tuning. So a full step down.

[@charlesfick729]

If you think about it, the pc board is just another was to connect the components. To me, the difference between old amps and new are the older amps have a fuller and less bright sound. Like the Marshall amps in particular, I don’t like the newer amps, they sound sterile to me, in your face brighter shelved midrange in the upper mids. The Fender amps are smoother, rounder mids with not so ice picky highs….kind of just right.

[@baldpaulstudios7023]

In my opinion its all about the speaker. Same as almost any rig. Put your vintage speaker ( or just the same speaker) in a re-issue and and an original and they will be so close, you may re-consider the extra cost and maintenance of a vintage. Spend your money on speakers.

[@-doggy-6670]

True👍

[@VN9001]

All else being equal, I tend to agree with this, as it's been my direct experience with my DRRI. I replaced the stock Jenson in my amp (which did not sound bad at all, btw, and was in fact broken in with two years of playing) with a Celestion Gold and was stunned and dumbfounded at the wonderful sound. Nothing else was changed. I personally would now recommend to anyone who asked me, to invest heavily in a speaker rather than tubes, caps and other "voodoo" components, provided the amp is working fine to begin with. To each his own though, and as I said, the stock speaker sounded fine.

[@y2ksierra]

I put a Celestion red back in mine and it really came alive. I had a Jensen speaker before and never dug it.

[@SuperBatiskaf]

I replaced the Jensen C12K on my new DRRI 65 to C12Q, and it sounds pretty close to DRRI 64, less top harsh and little bit more presence. 100W C12K has very big magnet with a huge headroom and high frequency bump, I think it's good for Twin. But not for Deluxe

[@mickkraviz]

100%

[@ianmartens5286]

No matter what amp you play Matthew, it always sounds great because you know how to dial up great tone.

[@williambehles7704]

Agreed

[@CC-te5zf]

I just grabbed a used one - the 68' custom version. I lucked out. I got a good one - fairly quiet. I play clean country. For $819 I took the chance. Very pleased. Your video helped me make the decision. Thanks.

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

Stick to Input 1!

[@Sammywhat]

That bit with the Gibson around the 3:00 mark was glorious!! I could have listened to that all day!! 🎸🎶 That ending with the Strat and all those overtones! Your skills are enviable, sir!! 🙏

[@Vireo]

I agree! That piece with the Gibson at 3:00 was magnificent! An original composition?

[@CleberHarrisonGuitar]

Interesting how a good melody really catches our ear. He played a lot of other stuff, but this bit, which wasn't really that hard to play, was what stood out the most. Would love to hear the full song as well!

[@scottreynolds6317]

I love my '65 Deluxe Reverb reissue (bought new in 2021), but when I got a Two Notes Captor X to attenuate it, the whole thing just went to another level! Set the volume to 9 or 10 and the saturation is wonderful!!! Pull it back to 3 for clean tones, and it's beautiful.

[@adamlitchfield3371]

And no tone compromise Scott?

[@LloydTheHuman]

"06:01" kicks in drive, such a good tone on the cleans and the driven sound is pretty perfect for my ear. I also love your playing man, really badass combination.

[@notajazzmusician]

I’ve had a hand wired Deluxe Reverb reissue for almost 10 yrs now, and have never even considered owning another amp. It’s the amp for me. The search has been over for quite some time.

[@pharmerdavid1432]

I have a hardwired DR too, but my Gibson GA amps from their tweed golden era all sound better to me, and my DR sounds great with a Weber 12F150 in it.

[@tadpoleinnit2643]

US Navy Spec. 5750 use to be a thing of wonder. Every component was checked individually to it's designated spec, if it failed on any indice it was binned. The finished product was then moved to an entirely different part of the factory where independent Quality Assurance would test it above working tolerances. Better it broke in the factory than the combat zone. Very labour intensive, often three-times the price to manufacture.

[@mickkraviz]

Dude, I don’t care what you‘re playing through - your guitar playing is amazing! I love your rather „classy“ phrasing compared to the „modern“ styles I normally listen to. Cheers Matthew! ✌🏼🔥

[@benallmark9671]

Love hearing the tones you get in your videos Matthew , I think you’re one hell of player.

[@benmtz]

I know they’re pcbs, I know they’re not vintage, but these 68 Deluxe sounds amazing! I tried it many times and I dig them.

[@bazitube390]

Pcb can sound identical to a "Hand wired amp" but most of the time they aren't and that's not because of the pcb part but its because they usually do cost cutting by using cheaper components in the amp.

[@pagansjudgment]

I just bought a 66 Fender Pro Reverb in Nashville a few days ago, and I haven't been able to stop playing on it. It sounds old and warm, is the best way I can describe it- it's heavenly. Like owning a chunk of musical history.

[@jerrymcgeorge4117]

I’m on my third vintage Pro Reverb. It doesn’t get better.

[@DGoetz26]

I think the difference is worn out tubes and leaking caps 20 years past their change date. I have a 70’s twin reverb and years ago had to get the power tubes replaced and thought it sounded worse afterwards. Then recently I had it recapped (from 45 yr old original caps), and again I thought it sounded worse after. Lots of opinions out there but I have a pc board Princeton Reverb RI that is one of the best sounding amps I’ve ever played through.

[@giulioluzzardi7632]

That is exactly what most experienced players have to put up withh, trust your own juudgement and experience. Too many "Experts" recomending snipping this cap or jumping this pot etc. Trust your ears and keep it simple. As you know the Room you play in can make an amp sound perfect or a total horror.Sometimes we forget that these videos are mainly being used to make you buy stuff you do'nt need or make you freak out about the wear and tear on your electronics so you go buy more stuff. As long as the amp is earthed and you like sound and it works properly leave all as is.

[@jts3339]

If you have the opportunity to play a few Deluxe Reverbs in a side-by-side comparison, you will observe that they have qualities that are unique to each amp. Rather than assign the cause to new vs. vintage, or PC board vs. hand-wired, I think there is a bigger variation due to individual component tolerances, the stack-up of those tolerances, the type and age (in hours of usage) of the tubes, and the model and age of the speaker. There are so many potential variations based on these characteristics that it’s a wonder that any of them sound close to one another. Even when you find “The One”, degradation at the component level will gradually alter the tone. It’s like growing older with someone you love; you don’t notice the effects of aging on a daily basis, but it’s still happening.

[@patrickoneill8248]

Dude this is truly one of the best comments relating to amps I’ve ever read. I really appreciate everything you said, and loved the analogy at the end. Wow.

[@1969Donovan]

Absolutely.

[@davidbruce3730]

Very well said I agree 100%. Even though they all may have little variations in their tone they all have the punchy deluxe reverb tone. The bottom line is these amps just sound good. That's why at the present time Fender manufactures many versions such as the 65 Reissue, 64 Custom, 68 Custom, Tone Master and FSR. You can get so many different sounds out of these guys just by adjusting the knobs.

[@midrange808]

You got that right. Excellent summary.

[@eddiesigerexperience9803]

Right on!

[@jschwam1307]

Whatever happened after you kicked in that overdrive pedal was rather epic, like life changing tone!

[@chrislink73]

I own an older 70's silver face deluxe reverb, and it has the best clean tone and driven clean tone I've heard. miniMass attenuator also helps a lot for these amps if volume is an issue, you still get that naturally driven tube sound without bothering all the neighbors. the reissue sounds lovely as well, although perhaps slightly less warmth on the top end and the overdriven sound can be taxing on the ears... in 30 years I bet all the dust and aging on the speakers will have them sounding incredible though. cheers.

[@johnbeloe]

yep my early silver face with jbl is extraordinary. I run it with a solid state recitifier, 6l6s and a pulled normal channel tube and vibrato tube. lower the voltage so all runs nice and comfortably still. absolutely killer. would out it up against any blackface

[@chrislink73]

@@johnbeloe That sounds like a great setup, enjoy.

[@KleyDeJong]

There is pretty minimal difference between a silverface DR and a blackface DR when it comes to circuit.

[@incredifunk]

What year silverface do you have? Currently looking at a '79 silver face with the master volume. Does yours have that?

[@chrislink73]

@@incredifunk no, I just have one volume knob per channel. The vibrato channel has a push/pull volume knob. Not sure of the year, I think it's a '76.

[@williambehles7704]

Matt, that Melody Maker has never sounded better! That particular Deluxe Reverb should be the designated amp for that guitar, no question! I've heard you play it before, and not always liked how it sounded. You got the correct formula this time!

[@jwonder7618]

It’s a 1958 les Paul special

[@ryanfulldark2775]

Those old P90s sound stellar no matter what they’re put through!

[@jwonder7618]

@@ryanfulldark2775 hell yeah

[@brettjames9088]

Even a humbucker Gibson sounds good through a DR.

[@PintsofGuinness]

Man that is the dictionary definition of great Strat tone

[@mikeowens6389]

I just play in my living room or at my buddy's house. I went through a couple of small amps and finally got a 1979 siveface champ. It is all orginal.with the exception of the speaker and I have the original. I really like this.amp. Great cleans and it has a nice crunch. And 5 watts is plenty.

[@WestlehSeyweld]

Always happy to see a new video from Matthew

[@saginawdan]

Wish there were more! 👍

[@raindogred]

What sounds good to your ears in the room, sometimes does not translate when recorded or with a band. What I heard in this recording sounded glorious. As for the hand wired vs pcb, maybe its more to do with the changing components or component quality over the years. A lot of dudes think older has to be better, and its usually the case. At 57 thats how i have thought my whole life, but lately been exploring the potential of plugins and mixing up the front end with preamps. old saying don't throw out the baby with the bath water..al i'm saying is its all good, its all useable in certain applications, and never close yourself off to new stuff.

[@hungry4des]

Putting a Celestian G12H Anniversary in my '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb made the amp into a tone monster! I set the bass to 0 and treble to taste with volume on 10. Use the guitar's volume knob to control the break-up. Zeppelin crunch with LP Seymour Duncan humbuckers, SRV overdrive with 57\62 Strat single coils, mix of both with LP P-94. Do not doubt me!

[@jjfalstaff]

Still love my 82 Concert. It has always had a big, round, ballsy bass end and sharp, fat high end. I've fallen in and out of love with the mid range over the years. Just had it "rebuilt." Different now but still great.

[@NJSonye]

It’s one of those amps that I’m rarely comfortable playing through. The ones that I played had Celestion or Eminence. There was a Reissue that had the “Iron” replaced with Mercury Magnetics, and sounded excellent. Yes, they do seem to compress and not that musically. I’ve had some success using a Zendrive or B D-2.

[@scottvalk]

I find that vintage amps are easier to service than most modern amps, point-to-point wiring is easier to diagnose replace and fix components than modern circuit board amps. For example, I had at different times, 3 Fender hot rod deluxe amps circa (90's-00's) that all ended up having awful issues that could not be fixed long-term. I never had a pre 1980 Fender tube amp that was decently cared for where it needed to be dumped or have long term unfixable issues. So to me its more worthwhile to go thru the tube, cap replacement on vintage tube amps and have an amp that has mostly retained its value than a more modern circuitboard reissue. I have read on many forums many more nightmares with modern reissues vs the older originals (especially for DRRIs), and the resale value has mostly followed this. Totally agree about the Princeton as the perfect home-volume-friendly amp! I prefer them over champs because the low end on princetons are more pronounced, present and rounder.

[@connorsmith1295]

I had a 1968 fender bandmaster for about a year, and it was my first ever tube amp. It sounded pretty good, super clean amp, then about a month ago I got a 93 DRRI from a friend. It’s literally my favorite amp I’ve ever used.

[@DerekPaulGuitar]

Man theres just something about great old tube amps when using single coils!

[@castleanthrax1833]

I'm not a big fan of Fender amps but it did sound nice. 😁✌️🇦🇺

[@pilsplease7561]

@@castleanthrax1833 I have a nerve condition so i cant play guitar anymore, but I kept my guitar and amp and let a marine that is in the same unit as my cousin play it when they visited us while on leave and it sounded great, I have one of Fenders newer Solid State Amps and its not as good as a tube amp but still sounds good for rock music its fine for more clean stuff a tube amp is better sounding.

[@thmmke6926]

one amp, over a hundred components that slightly vary with age, the combo of which is unique to each amp,

[@PedroYippeekayaye]

Some off the best playing I've ever heard from you!

[@prscustom2112]

I believe it’s a combination of factors with old hand made amps. There’s drift in component values. There’s microphonic traces in the wiring. There’s inconsistencies throughout the amp that give them character. There’s simply less inconsistency with PCB amps

[@jazzfunkhead6866]

Spot on!!!! I have had the privilege of playing 3 different vintage 65 Deluxe Reverbs over the years and they all had their own unique magic to them. Under the hood the hand wiring was a mess but God only knows if I could have come up with the money back then I would have purchased one of them without blinking an eye.

[@jwtplayer]

I love old Fender amps. But the tone and how one feels about it is completely subjective. What sounds wonderful to one ear may not to another. One thing I know for sure, no matter what Matthew is playing he makes it sound great

[@sundial6919]

Maybe you dont know whats happeing😅🤣😅

[@stringlocker]

I just got an idea from one of the other comments. I would love to see you review one of those new tonemasters. You playing through one would give me a good idea of what they are.

[@rockincivic907]

Your videos always have me rushing home to play my guitar. Vintage amps are hard to come by especially where I live. These reissues are we all got.

[@jerryhubbard4461]

I am 70 years old now but back in my days of rock music that I played, I had a Twin Reverb sitting on top of a 4-12 Bassman cabinet running my 67 Les Paul Deluxe Sunburst through it. That Twin would push those six 12's and boy was it fun to play. But, in those days, JBL was the speaker of choice. They could handle the overdrive much better than Jensen with more bottom end too. Today I have a reissue 65 Deluxe Reverb that I play in my house and that is it. I just ordered a new Duesenberg Lap steel to run through the Deluxe. I won't get the lap steel until late February due to it coming from Germany and hand made.

[@djfedezaza]

Your playing is out of this world man.. keep up the great work

[@satoshikono3362]

I had been using some solid state amps for years as we Japanese can not play at loud in the house or apartment due to the strict policy about the noise. I somehow bought a VOX modeling amp with tube circuit on, or a Vox AC30 with nutube, and so on. Last last year, I purchased a full tube amp, VOX AC15 current model and I liked the sound for the first time, especially when the sound is distorted, the tube amp is very good. However, I gradually became dissatisfied with the tone, especially the reverb sound, as I have sub Fender amp to use with headphone at night, and the reverb is much better than the VOX amp. And I saw your video, and others using Fender vintage amps, and I was very inspired by them to use Full tube fender amp, hopefully vintage ones. But the silver face or black face amp is getting very expensive, and just can not afford to buy a real vintage amps, I saw a 90s Fender blues deluxe amp at Japanese auction site and bought it. I could not play it at loud yet, but surely the reverb sound is much better than that of current Fender amps. So, thanks for the inspiration, and I like your policy to use vintage gears, but purchase at the inexpensive priices.

[@lawrenceberge2185]

I would love to get your take on swapping out speakers on amplifiers. What brands and types available, vintage speakers vs new and perhaps a demonstration on how to do it at home.

[@Guitarded51]

Just my opinion but you can’t really go wrong with a Vintage 30, I’ve swapped them in Fender and Marshall and they both sound better to my ear

[@trevorgwelch7412]

I bought this same amp - wish there was low volume overdrive . Great amp . 🇺🇸🔊🔊🔊🔊🔊🔊🔊🎸✨ ( I use a Clapton Strat and an OCD pedal and sometimes an MXR Uni Vibe . )

[@erichvonarnim8732]

Having a number of vintage amps, which I have had to bring back to life, the big difference is 1) the speaker (can’t beat a well worn in vintage Jensen) 2) caps and resistors don’t come in the same exact values as they did in 1964. Even if they did, the old caps and resistors have likely drifted from their original values which creates a difficult sound to reproduce today. This is why two super reverbs from the same year with same speakers can sound different when just a few resistors were changed in the tone section of the pre-amp.

[@intuneorange]

Sounds like you've been down this road for a while I agree with what you said maybe you can find an old tube amp like a Peavey and fix it up for General work

[@jayseb]

Biggest difference I've found in the vintage audio category (audio of any sort really) are speakers. Outside of brand on so on, old speakers (good and functional) are well "broken in" and that's where most of the magic is when comparing exact/similar amps. You should not compare new speakers to old ones... When I hear "old combos are so much better", this should, most usually, translate to "this combo has a new speaker, I should wait a few years of playing it, and then see if I really like it"... I've seen this so many times -> take a new amp, plug it into an older good speaker and the thing just signs.

[@oliverchapman51177]

Had my 2005 drri Handwired by George Alessandro, with the speaker he makes. Channel 1 now is a bassman circuit with the reverb and vibe active. The Deluxe Channel now is just used for my clean tone, I switch channels and combine them. Best Amp I ever played. Likes to live below 4.5 on volume. The Speaker made the biggest difference

[@janvanzuilekom]

Yesterday I’ve changed the blue alnico speaker of my original 65’ deluxe reverb into a canabis speaker , I couldn’t believe my ears , so much better , bite and warmth all together , the breakup is still around 3 and i wished i had a bit more head room

[@kenster865]

I recently bought one of the newer Fender '64 Custom Hand-Wired' DR's and it is every bit the equivalent of the vintage amps if not better. I had a real-deal, brand-new '66 DR back in the mid 60's. I was young and stupid and didn't realize what I had. However, this new version is every bit as good as that amp was as best as I can remember after all this time. 🙂

[@thomashorvath7026]

The vintage sounds better imo , plus I truly believe tone is in the hands. And your playing is very good!!

[@HungryH1951]

Deluxe Reverb sounds pretty dang good. Even when pushed. Like most Fender amps, a winner. Of course I'd rather have a Super Reverb JBL or Vibroberb, but this Deluxe Reverb is really good.

[@robertritchie2860]

My DRRI is from 2008. I changed the speaker to a Ted Weber F150. Quality is spot on. PCB vs handwired sound wise there is no difference. Handwired amps are difficult to build in any volume manufacturing setting due to soldering problems. Arguably handwired is easier to service. Any sound differences lie in the component choice. I have handwired amps too and of course there is the psychology of that it's better... The sweet spot on a DRRI varies from amp to amp. It's usually between 4-6. I run a wet dry rig and my other amp is a Marshall 2061x. It's a great combination. Volume wise there are very few indoor venues where you can run your super reverb flat out - I suggest 22W is more than good enough.

[@tonedragon8616]

💯 agree with you I also have those speakers but can’t get the volume passed 4 it’s so loud and amazing! running a wet/dry rig with a Friedman jj jr combo and I’m tonal bliss. It’s keeping me from chasing that tone dragon……for now!

[@gcharouhas]

I bought a Deluxe Reverb "Tone Master" two years ago and I love it. The ability to attenuate the output for "bedroom" use, while still enjoying the full range of color from clean to distorted, makes for one hell of a versatile amp at a very reasonable price!

[@stringlocker]

I would love to see him review one of those tonemasters.

[@stevendicks7324]

Recently sold a handwired Deluxe Reverb and got a Tone Master. No regrets.

[@mnmstoy5]

I have a 1979 Super Reverb 4x10 Silverface. mods include putting tremolo and Reverb on channel 1. Use the ground polarity switch on the back to turn off Tremolo. It was all original when I got her at a pawn shop for $600. With new Tubes, mods and my amp tech replaced a few tube sockets and capacitors. She is a keeper.

[@russlachapelle1579]

I have had a lot of different amps since I started playing in 1969 and I have to say my 1965 Fender Deluxe (which I still own ) is the best. When I played larger venues, I use to run the Deluxe into a black face Super and the sound was sensational.

[@davidbrown-bh7it]

Great video! I’ve had an original 65 Deluxe Reverb for many years. I’ve bought and sold many vintage Fenders but I’ve always kept the Deluxe. My favorite. Mine has an Alessandro speaker. Put the original Oxford in a box. Thin sounding. Thanks for sharing.

[@r.weaver3769]

Some of the most coveted amps in history were PCB, so that argument is nonsensical at best. It's the schematic, what parts were used and if it is true to the original design, reissues are not, but can be with some knowledge and work, maintaining the PCB with a majority of its components. Some great examples are from Psionic Audio, he explains far better than I ever could.

[@incredifunk]

To your statement, oh I'm sure there are some great sounding solid states out there. I can think of one at the moment and that was a an ampeg guitar amp Well actually another Rickenbacker both solid state and both really pretty good sounding amps...

[@illinoiswildz5049]

Man honestly, I felt that thing sounded great with the overdrive!

[@michiel34a]

Tone King Imperial imho is a very good alternative to the (new) Fender amps. With the build in Ironman attenuator it's a great amp for home use as well band settings. Most important, it has amazing tone.

[@jeffmazzei8520]

I have had many Deluxe Reverbs , The Reissued Version is great for saving costs and does the job, But I recently bought the 64 Deluxe which is Hand Wired and there is no comparison! Totally Silent and no popping when you turn it on. ! At any volume it’s great ! No Harsh Tones !

[@gair1944]

I also own a 64 Deluxe Reverb custom handwired. (2017 issue) It trounces the 65 DR Reissue. Not anywhere in the same universe.

[@davidbruce3730]

@@gair1944 $1600 vs $2950 the prices are not in the same universe. I'm very happy with my DRRI. I'm not comparing it to a Vintage model or an expensive hand wired model. What matters to me is do I like the sound and can I dial in the tone I want. I'm sure the 64 Custom Deluxe Reverb sounds very good but it is a little pricey for my level of playing. Don't forget the 64 is a Custom Deluxe Reverb which means there are modifications from the original circuit.

[@gair1944]

@@davidbruce3730 absolutely right sir! What matters is how happy you are with your sound and the value it brings. I always say If you’re having fun you’re doing it right!

[@gair1944]

@@davidbruce3730 ps; I managed to find deal And bought by 64 custom deluxe reverb for $1750! Lucked into that one for sure

[@paulblanchet542]

I have a DRRI and I still love it. I had a couple mods done, including 6L6 conversion and "slow mod" on the tremolo....also has an Eminence GA64 speaker in it, which I love.

[@soofitnsexy]

awesome what does the new speaker give u? im currently shopping

[@paulblanchet542]

@@soofitnsexy It sounds like an old, broken in Jensen....great clean or with OD pedals.

[@soofitnsexy]

@@paulblanchet542 still enough sparkle and chime?? I just played one here in nyc at guitar center and it was the best amp in the room...but guys are telling me if I changed speakers its amazing! thanks for all the help Paul!

[@paulblanchet542]

@@soofitnsexy I would agree, the blackface DRRi definitely benefits from a speaker change.

[@paulblanchet542]

@@soofitnsexy Yes, very balanced in all frequencies.

[@kylesetzko3144]

That les paul is easily my favorite of your guitars it just sounds absolutely incredible. Great playing and demo as always!!

[@emmiejo1]

I also have a 1973 SF Deluxe Reverb and a Reissue Blackface DR. I could hear a difference which I attributed to different speakers. I changed the speakers in both amps to some vintage 1965 Jensen speakers, slight difference. Had my amp tech rip out the guts of the reissue and wire it per 1965 BF specs, I didn't, however, change out the output or power transformers. The amps now sound the same to me. JJ preamp and power tubes in them both.

[@luthravin4774]

Mine was after I warmed up the bias and put in NOS tubes in it!! Now a days at $1500.. not so much!! I loved it and still do.. but I only paid $700 for it in 2008!! People give up on C-12K speaker, but after mine broke in it was great!! I also ran mine with TS-9 and at times just the amp at 5-6 on the volume.. but mostly with pedal in front of it.. miked up it was glorious!! No issues ever!! You can also pull V1 and get a bit more out of it in the Channel Two Tremolo section.. Thanks for sharing Matt!!

[@saginawdan]

The best way to listen to your videos is through headphones 🎧. The sound is amazing - thanks Matt. 😊

[@justinpaquette224]

I bet the difference comes more down to the speakers and transformers, and maybe some what the components. I bought a 73 deluxe reverb last year for $1500, great amp, perfect for most situations. But then I just bought a 65 super reverb, and man I love that amp. I mostly play funk, soul, blues and reggea, so I love clean punchy headroom. Between these 2 amps I'm pretty much covered, but would like to get a Princeton for home use and maybe as a second amp on stage mic'd and used for amp overdrive with an a b switch

[@baldpaulstudios7023]

I really think component or tube changes are super minor adjustments if at all. Most of it just changes the volume a bit and people hear louder as better. Plus, when you spend allot of money on a part in your head your already convinced it’s better even though no one can tell. I stand by the only way to really change an amp’s tone is by changing the speaker. Everything else can barley be heard.

[@justinpaquette224]

@@baldpaulstudios7023 Changing values on components can also make huge changes. Like changing the bright cap on a super reverb to the value of the bright cap on a deluxer reverb, or changing the mids resistor value in a deluxe. V1 tubes can make a pretty big difference too. Like a JJ can sound dull and unclear, where a tung sol can sound bright clear and percussive. I've chosen a tung sol reissue over an RCA on my deluxe before. But the RCA did sound best in my super reverb

[@user-ks3ol3lw3b]

An audio amp is more than its circuit on a piece of paper. And it's more than the brand of components. The layout really is important. If you've ever hand built an amp you know that. And you can't compare 6V6 to 6L6 - apples and oranges. If you can't play an amp above 3 and get a good sound something's wrong with the product. You can't expect it to sound great at 10, but you should be able to push full volume and get something usable. That's a design flaw of some kind.

[@TheBluebirdsBigBand]

Nice work. I took my Deluxe RI put it back to back to with my 60s black face Deluxe ,switched speaker cables, big improvement in the deluxe Ri. Much of the improved sound comes from the wood the cabinets made from . The original deluxe was diminished by the cabinet and speaker of the RI.

[@southportdrivers]

Great video and very informative as I am considering one of these amps right now. I had a '69 Super for about 25 years that was an absolute monster of an amp. Cleans were great, and when pushed to around 6-7 on the volume it broke up in a way that was full, lush, and distinct. BUT - at that level it would literally rattle the windows. Haven't played out in years and it was just too much for home/hobby playing. Let it go and replaced it with a Nace M2-7R that I'm in love with. Doesn't break up the same as the Super, but has incredible tone and handles pedals in a way the Super never did. I also have a reissue Champ 600 that I use as a head that I really enjoy. Run it through 2 12's (Warehouse G12Q's). I agree though that the PCB boards have something lacking. Depth? Character? Whatever you want to call it, there is something different. As much as I like it, I'm not in love with the Champ the way I am the Nace or was with the Super. Before the Super I played through an early 70's Bassman 10. Great amp with that glassy Fender high end, but never could get it to break up the way I like. Would just get louder.....

[@josephfemoyer7218]

I’m so glad “Mad Matt” is courageous enough to tackle these extremely tough questions,is the fender Deluxe Reverb reissue still worth it? Surely this question should be left for the United Nations!! ,but NO Matt is willing to place himself in controversy and boldly ask it. Thanks Matt for having the guts to ponder a question I myself would be to afraid to ask.

[@clifflee7461]

There great amps the DRRI had mine for 15 years played hard, treated like a baby .Replaced all the tubes with NOS Never let me down once the Jensen Speaker broke in about two years sounded wonderful tone for days

[@gair1944]

Great amps. I think the older reissues like yours might actually sound better than the new ones I just demoed ina store.

[@Fugettaboutit]

Thing is about the 'reissue' versions over recent years is that it's sort of doing an 'imposter' thing with that Jensen C12K speaker in it. That speaker with its huge magnet and really rolled off highs takes what's normally a very spanky and live/bright amp and seems to make it sound more like its much larger brethren like the Super and and even Twin...really bassy and scooped which for some will be pleasing to the ear especially at lower volumes where the amp and its hard-wired bright cap can get pretty spikes. But it takes away what the amp does bet which is cut through in medium colume settings when it starts to drive. So that stock Jensen C12K really throws things off. Again I could see how it makes it a bit easier on the ears for some, but it's kind of smoke and mirrors for bedroom or guitar store playing. Something more akin to an original Jensen C12N to me lets the amp really do its thing, which for some can be kind of elusive since it's a pretty bright sounding amp. But stay away form the current production Jensens. I've always liked the original Reverend AllTone 1250, and more recently, the Eminence Red White & Blues to me does a good job of approaching an original 60's brown-label Jensen C12N that's been played in for a while. Of course, something like the Celestion Alnicos makes it very lively and loud. And yes, a night and day difference between the original hand-wired and the reissue PCVB ones. I've owned a few original vintage '67s and built a few from amp kits. That's where it's at for this amp especially as yo turn it up into its 'happy zone' around 6. The transformers they use on these reissues get rather blatty and kind of nasty when you start to push this amp into overdrive. A hand-wired unit with good Mercury Magnetics trannys (I used to use ones from Allen Amps when he was still around) transitions more smoothly into overdrive, more musical the the reissue ones.

[@user-of9ut1hd9q]

That riff you play at 3:09 totally reminds me of “You’ll Be in My Heart” by Phil Collins

[@brianrollins7275]

The best bedroom amp I’ve come across so far is my 30W Roland Blues Cube Hot. Of course a Boss Katana is cheaper and will do the trick if you don’t mind tweaking. But build quality and sound is far superior on the Roland imo. And I’m talking even at minuscule amounts of volume, the Blues Cube sounds 99% as good as when you crank it up. The compression, sag and feel are all there at any volume level, it’s a great amp. Again imo. Sounds good using headphones 🎧 too. Happy playing folks. 🎶🤘🏻🎸

[@gabedraper7594]

2 years ago I wrote a comment on your picking, a suggestion on technique witch wasn't well taken by some of your fans in the channel. Now I see that you improved your picking a lot, you sound cleaner , play effortless and faster ,and still kept the tone and feeling on your playing. The review on the amp was great...thanks.

[@pharmerdavid1432]

I think other people he knew in real life (not just cyberspace) told him that too, plus he could likely see that for himself, but your comment might have influenced him too. That said, Satana still picks the "wrong" way, but it seems to work for him..?

[@jimkostan9932]

I really enjoy these videos, thanks... Last week I picked up the exact same man that you have about a ten-year-old Fender Deluxe in excellent condition. My amptek told me to bring it to him he'll make it sound like an original black face. I'm a player not an amp Tech. I sort of reluctantly took it to him, he clipped the bright switch swapped out JJs for tung sol.He assured me I'd love it. Also added a master in back it now is the Best amp I've owned since I started in1968. My twin is now collecting dust.Bassman I sold.Everyone should have a Fender 65 Deluxe Reverb.

[@Dylan90210]

You need to play that Mary Kaye Strat more. Always see it in the background but hardly in the spotlight. That project is what got me into your channel years ago.

[@bryceweltin2803]

neck pickup clapton licks for dayz I have a 65 blackface reissue and agree with a lot of what he said about the pros and cons. IMO it does great clean sounds and some barely broken up sounds live in smaller rooms, even though this amp gets loud, it shines at "a little bit louder than house level" volumes

[@caseylm100]

got a tone master ofher day.great anp also. has the same spongy crunch and clean tone and weighs 24 lbs. glorious with a TS808

[@ronachug3757]

New matt video day is as good as christmas

[@rjo8500]

When you turned the amp up and especially when you engaged the pedal it had more of a British flavor. I once owned at the same time a vintage correct hand wired tweed Bassman clone and a Fender ‘59 Bassman RI, comparing them side by side it was a very similar experience. Someone told me, amongst other non-correct vintage specs, that the voltages are too high with the reissues.

[@Wingman52]

I have an older one, not sure how old maybe 2000 vintage.. I've had it maybe15 years or so. I've put a set of older GE USA made tubes in it. Also made the bright cap switchable using the cosmetic polarity switch that was never wired up in the early ones.. cosmetic only. Also I've put a Celestion Vintage 30 speaker in it which pushes the mids up a little bit, and just tightens it up a bit... It's the best sounding amp I've ever had and I've had a few of the old hand-wired Fenders. I've played some of the old hand-wired Deluxes that to my ears don't sound as good as mine. Something to remember is that the original black face Deluxes are going on 50 plus years old. Many of them are worn out. They need complete rebuilds before they'll sound good. By the way the one you are playing through sounds fantastic IMHO.

[@bluesbubba7429]

Matt, Anything you do on an electric guitar and any amp, is incredible. Wish I had a 10th the dedication you have. I guess raising kids, teaching, getting bullshit degrees was my priority for so many years. Now since I retired a few months ago, I can focus much, much more on guitar. Wish I would have picked it up as a teenager. My cousin TracyG started playing guitar at nine years old. It was his life. No partying, booze or drugs. His guitar was his drug. He played for Dio for six years in the 90's. Sorry Matt, I digress.

[@billshiff2060]

Love to have one but my Fender Mustang III does all I need . I definitely think old used speakers are part of the sound of vintage amps.

[@thenameless3271]

Crazy timing, I was just watching a comparison of new and old Deluxe Reverbs

[@santrixhimself3679]

a couple of years ago i owned 3 fender champ amps. one of them was a handwired copy ('boutique'), one was a fender reissue and the third was a printed circuit board. it more like the two handwired ones sounding closer together then the hw and pcb fenders. especially audible when cranking the amps a bit. i was using the same speakers in the same cab. handwired sounded better to me, but the pcb amp had the least hum of them. so there is that.

[@elwrongo]

yes I agree and feel this is the main difference between PCB and P2P. Longevity and ease of service. Long term many PCB amps will be serviceable or converted to P2P. My mate just got his Princeton Reverb Reissue converted to P2P. Sounds nice but not noticeably different than what it did before. $AU1000 in parts, he got the labour for free. (he has some very incriminating photographs of his amp tech).

[@void0094]

I used a Blackstar Artist 10 AE (it has a 12'' Celestion speaker) for a long time. Recently I got a 1973 Guyatone Reverb Jazz which is a copy of a late 60's silverface Twin Reverb and I am very happy with the amp. I've read that the circuit of the amp is very close to the circuits of Fender Twins.

[@JoshuaMalilay]

Hey Matthew! Could you also review the Custom Vibrolux Reverb Reissue if you get the chance? That would be awesome. There's not that many videos on that amp. Thank you man and keep rockin 😎

[@voiceofexperience]

That is like the most "bluesy"- looking & sounding strat ever.

[@bentackett6299]

His fingers are a big factor too!

[@cupolove1]

I have one of these reissue deluxe amps and they do sound great. I use an epigaze audio earthrise in front of it and it really opens up the tone when cranked.

[@felix-antoinedandenault4799]

Tone is mostly about cloth wire and ptp wiring. Its about reducing the dielectric polarization of the matter surrounding the conductors, in the PTP boards the signal wires are mostly suspended in air as opposed to the pcb where the signal path is encased in the pcb material. The cloth wire is the best tone wise, the plastic insulation smears the sound.

[@incredifunk]

That's damn interesting. If that's all true, that's wild. I've never heard anyone else really put it into those terms. And I'm not sure that that's entirely true to be honest. But if you're right that's some pretty crazy s***

[@lastofthe4horsemen279]

I have a Deluxe Reverb reissue with a Celestion Blue .I play a 2003 Lone Star Strat and An Am Pro II Tele Deluxe so These Combinations of Fender gear with the brand new Tele and the 10 year old amp and 20 year old Strat sound amazing would love to play some Vintage gear from th 60's but I love my set up.Your playing sounds great here by the way .

[@stratplayer96]

The reissue has more headroom than my vintage. A bit more clarity as well. Works well with pedals. The vintage sounds warmer, and breaks up sooner. It sounds best all by itself without pedals.

[@sundial6919]

Pedals degrade Tone in my tweed clones , theyre hi fidelity compared to most cheesy pedals

[@jcburger733]

I do love the tone of the Deluxe Reverb re-issue, at least to my ears ;-) Thank you for the comparisons between the fender amps. I do think that vintage amps do sound better to me. But when you have great guitar chops, like you, the hands and experience of playing make the sound ;-)

[@axehacker50s]

I agree with the gentleman on the speaker swap. When I bought mine new several years ago it sounded good but it just seemed a little edgy and a little sterile for a better word. I knew the speaker needed some time on it but I had a gut feeling it still may not have what I wanted. I installed an Eminence Cannabis Rex in it. Tone you know is his own but after the swap Daddy had come home for dinner!!! The louder I cranked it the sweeter it got. Oh and also a new set of JJ tubes iced the cake. I am thinning my herd but this amp is hear to stay and they for sure have gone up in price. Wonderful video Matt and your superb playing is a joy to this old Texas fellow! Rock On!!!

[@coreymihailiuk5189]

My own experience with vintage black face Deluxe Reverbs showed that their "voice" was hugely dependent on speaker choice. After trying several different speakers I ended up with a re-issue Celestion Alnico Blue 12. Over time as that speaker began to mellow a bit, losing some of the initial excessive top end, it ended up being a perfect compliment to a pushed pair of 6V6's. There's was plenty of clean head room, but when pushed it had a fantastic break up. It was the most touch sensitive of all the speakers I tried as well.

[@gair1944]

I never thought to try a Celestion blue with the deluxe! Brilliant!

[@coreymihailiuk5189]

@@gair1944 It was definitely a revelation. I actually got the idea from a friend who is a fabulous player with incredible tone. He had a real 1960's vintage alnico Celestion in his 1966 Deluxe Reverb. I actually found that the re-issue Celestion Blue sounded even better than the vintage alnico Celestion. It had a wider tonal range and a deeper bottom end. Having said all this about speaker choice I did find it was essential to have a really good quality set of 6V6's. I used vintage RCA Blackplate's that sounded great.

[@gair1944]

@@coreymihailiuk5189 I have RCA Blackplates in my 64 deluxe reverb custom handwired. I am definitely going to try a Celestion Blue! Love the idea. You don’t think the power rating is too low? Blue is rated at 15w’s isn’t it? Deluxe is 20-22w.

[@coreymihailiuk5189]

@@gair1944 I highly doubt you would have an issue with the difference between the speaker rating and the 22 watts of power in your amp unless you frequently play your amp on 10! I had no problems whatsoever. Its noteworthy that Fender did issue a number of Deluxe Reverb re-issues with mahogany cabinets with the Celestion Blue and therefore must have felt it was a reliable match. I have known other players who have used that speaker in Deluxe Reverbs with no problems. Just give the speaker time to break in. The guy who sold me my Celestion Blue works on Eric Clapton's amps and he told me that I would find the speaker to be too bright for about 6 months and after that the treble would get much rounder and it would be fine. And he was right!

[@incredifunk]

You know there's one thing we've yet to see. And that's What does vintage amps sound like when they were new. That's something we may never know. You know like he mentions in the video you know the vintage one sounds better sound better on break up and I totally agree. So much. In fact I don't like the breakup on this one at all. But put 30 years on it what's it going to sound like. The speaker's not broke in likely and the tube is probably only have a few hours on them and they say you have to have 300 hours on them to break them in sometimes. So, the question remains

[@pauleddy5146]

Point to point wiring depends on the length and type of wire used. Boards are solder points. Usually less resistance and fundamentally easier assembly. Early tube and driver manufacturing methods were not easily repeatable, being done by hand. So basically, consistency was more of an issue in the early days. Just as every guitar assembled sounds different, every amp is a sum of it's parts.

[@johncrace911]

I sent my Deluxe reissue to George Allesandro He handwired it and put in his signature Speaker. It's perfect.

[@scotttarulli]

Awesome vid, thanks! - Interesting, I find the Vintage amps to be MORE reliable and certainly far more serviceable. But the reissues are nice amps too

[@MatthewScottmusic]

Thanks for watching. I've blown up so many vintage amps 😂 I had a reissue super last for 10 years and didn't even swap tubes

[@scotttarulli]

@@MatthewScottmusic WOW! you go! I love it! - I've been really lucky with my vintage stuff, I guess!

[@hkguitar1984]

Great video Matthew. As time has gone by I believe my personal preferences have started leaning towards 10" speakers instead of the 12". Deluxe Reverb is a classic, everyone should give one a try. The Deluxe Reverb is a great amplifier, but it isn't my first choice if I'm pushing it up to and past its design limits, the 6L6 and larger iron in a Super Reverb tolerates being pushed much better. IMHO

[@giulioluzzardi7632]

Agreed, 10 inch speakers do it for me too from princeton to Super reverbs. I have an Orange AD15 with 10" Celestion which has no fx but can outshine most 50-100watt amps as it is working at full blast for most gigs whereas The bigger amp are just idling away sounding bland.

[@hkguitar1984]

@@giulioluzzardi7632 Agreed. One of myu favorite amplifiers is an old 1947 Magnatone I have, it has a single 12" and 13W. Turned up it is glorious, just not much headroom. If I could start all over again I would have many, many amplifiers and only one or two guitars.

[@giulioluzzardi7632]

@@hkguitar1984 I know, we end up chasing a sound we already once had but with pedals and gizmos available we forgot that we had the sound already. My buddy loaned me a Selmer practice amp, I think it was known as a mighty atom or something(Grey silver plastic snakeskin covering) plugged in at the back which was made of Stiff cardboard. The amp was 30 years old when I got it, the valves never messed with and it was falling to bits but the tone was like warm honey and butter melting on a waffle when at full blast(probably 1950s) Maybe those little Fender tweed champs they make now might sound as good in 30 years as long as nobody "Mods" it unecessarily. I wish I would have just kept 1 Fender(65 strat) and that little Selmer.

[@hkguitar1984]

@@giulioluzzardi7632 Yeah, I can appreciate the magic of a small tube amplifier. I've an old Marshall 50W Plexi that I often play, I plug straight into the amp with no pedals (it doesn't need any). The thing about any tube amplifier, you really have to play them at about 70% of full volume, that is the only way the tubes will pass and amplify all the harmonics that are inherent with a stringed instrument. Once the amp is turned up and the guitar's volume turned back the magic will start happening with played notes blooming out with color and intensity. When played this way even tuning a guitar sounds musical. It is an addiction for sure, I play guitar to sometimes escape and other times just to experience the wonder and magic of it all. Good Times for Sure Giulio, keep playing and enjoy. 👍😉

[@guitarcd]

One of my first jobs was working at a printed circuit board factory. I did outer graphics (silk screening) etching internal traces, and (for the point of my reply) electrical testing and QA. I have been susceptible as player to a lot of other player myth and marketing hype, but I can say from my own observation that a printed circuit board transfers electricity from one component to the next exactly the same as a wire. The big advantage of hand wired and point to point wiring is that they make it easily repairable (or with some of the newer models, repairable at all. When you take that circuit board amp to a tech and they go "Gad, I hate these!" it isn't the tone he's complaining about, but having to tell you you have a big paperweight now) The differences of amps are the huge variance in components, If you get a box of 500k pots and meter each one, ideally there is supposed to be a 5 to 10 percent tolerance... now look at *just* all of the knobs on an amp and you begin to get an idea why some amps (just like guitars) right next to each other on an assembly line sound different. And back to being just a player, and being led around by myth and market hype: after chasing "tubes make all the difference..., caps..., unobtainium transformers...etc. etc." the only component I will bother with anymore is making sure I get a quality speaker. And certainly having a well cared for speaker that's a few decades old will sound very different than something brand new or even a few years old.