The Fender Blues Deluxe - Is It Still The 'King Of Blues Amps'?

[@diegodarkmoon]

Blues Deluxe and the Super Reverb always have been my favorites. My early band days required a different sound so I always had Blackstar for my stacks. Time to reconsider what I prefer 😅

[@smudger6573]

I love this amp as I just plug in my Gretsch guitar and it just gives me the perfect 1950s rockabilly sound

[@christogeorgekurian]

that black strat has some real shine to it.

[@DavidShepard-ke9su]

I bought mine now 14 years ago. It is beautiful. I have replaced tubes and rebiased it (which you can do easily), replaced the stock speaker with an Eminence Swamp Thang and put the Doc Watson $22 attenuator in the effects loop, and it's perfect.

[@DaNooch669]

Did the same, and changed the filter caps. Love this amp now

[@kenbunkley1167]

It looks a lot smaller than my original 1995 Deluxe. I still love mine, but it's HEAVY! Like you said it's plenty loud for and bar gig and the spring reverb is second to none.

[@precisionbrown6829]

Ofcourse they’re heavy. All amps are heavy especially the old tube amps 😅

[@precisionbrown6829]

By the way I have a 99 or so blues deluxe, just like this one. I practice a lot and well anyway, I forgot to shut it off! Two 2 days later it was slightly humming. I cover my stuff up so it wasn’t as noticeable as when it wasn’t covered. Yeah I did it once before. I pull new tube in it about 5 or 6 years ago and I’m a blues player so I’m good.

[@mstewart248]

I bought this amp two years ago. At the time I looked to see if you did a video on it. I had been trying to get higher gain tones with pedals. I got a Marshall DSL40CR a month ago. Now I AB the Marshall DSL and Fender Blues Deluxe and use the Fender as a clean amp. The Blues Deluxe works much better when you use it for what it was designed for instead of trying to make it something it’s not. It has a great clean sound and has a good distorted sound when you turn it up loud enough on the clean channel. I don’t care for drive channel but if you can get the volume loud enough on the clean channel it sounds really good.

[@gergemall]

Thank you

[@DaNooch669]

This guy gets it

[@daleguthormsen8555]

An outstanding review, for once good clean tone examples and discussion. Thank you for sharing! most helpful in my search for great clear tone.

[@Summ3rhays]

I love mine. It’s been a great amp. It definitely benefits from attenuation. It’s so gloriously loud.

[@stryanx4395]

Nothing sounds better than a strat with a tweed

[@RideAcrossTheRiver]

Totally the Steve Miller sound if you put in Jensen!

[@WoodyBlueberry]

Suggestion : You should show the exact tunig knobs control on the amp, not just only show all the knobs setting to midi all the time

[@pigxstix]

Love mine, they are greatly improved by a speaker change. The drive channel is ok in a pinch but where it really shines is the clean side with pedals. It eats any dirt pedal you put in front of it beautifully. It falls right in the middle of Tweed and Blackface, you can touch both tonal areas with settings and pedals and it has a surprisingly good onboard reverb.

[@madade27]

I've recently got one used, with a Dr Watson "widget" in the effects loop, No regrets..Its GLORIOUS! (Dr Watson Lion Tamer for Blues Deluxe \ Deville - Master Volume Module)

[@DavidShepard-ke9su]

YEP. I FINALLY put the Doc Watson $22 attenuator in the loop and BANG. After so many different tries and different things, BOOM. Perfect.

[@michellewentworth9862]

I own a The Fender Blues Deluxe reissue (I put a Celeston Vintage 30 in it). It is a great amp. I love it. My other amp is a Mesa Boogie Nomad 100.

[@kaptkrunchfpv]

I ran across a older (from the looks of it) Blues Jr, serial B-255951. I can get it for around $200, is that a good deal now days? Its nots pretty, but supposedly works as designed.

[@IamtheFerryMan]

I have a 95 BD. It's lovely!

[@brandonbutler8808]

I love the Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue, I bought mine used during the pandemic and I got a good one, the fender Hot Rod Series which this is a part of can have long term maintenance issues, the capacitors are cheap and can go out, but it is my understanding that before parts of the board burn up for which this series is known for it can be taken in for longevity maintenance and after this the amp can last for a couple decades. Mine is still in good condition but I will have it serviced at some point. This isn't just this amp, new Marshall tube amps in this price range can have issues, maybe it's just a thing with economics where some things aren't just built to last the way they used to be. A lot of working/gigging guitarists use the Fender Hot Rod series, and I do love the way my Blues Deluxe sounds.

[@explorervango880]

That’s the Fender amp I bought. My other amps are AC30C2 and Friedman BE100 Deluxe to cover most anything I would want.

[@xxdr34m5xx_4]

Got them all in my fender TMP 🎉

[@explorervango880]

@@xxdr34m5xx_4 yeah digital I have a HeadRush. Nice to plug in and practice a little. Tube amps are special though.

[@xxdr34m5xx_4]

@@explorervango880 yeah for sure, for gigging purposes i sold everything besides my prs mt for home use and i went completely digital, never might come back to analoge..

[@DanielStucy]

Great vid, very helpful.

[@patvidal8932]

I replaced the stock speaker with the Eminence The Wizard sounds Amazing, Not Cristal Clear like my Twin Reberb, but Super WARM and CREAMY. the best for Tele First, Strats Second, with Humbackers you must use the Bright switch i supossed but I didn´t try . Greetings from Chile

[@DaNooch669]

If only they made a couple of changes to the amp, it would go down as a classic in its own right

[@Smart-Alex]

Sounds great but it's very loud (as you said). An attenuator is a must-have purchase too for "bedroom" players.

[@Tedanson]

It goes past 11!? There’s one on special at my local music store but I still can’t afford it 😩

[@Twinhit]

Had BDRI in 2010-2017 put a Celestion Gold in it and it sounded great to my ears. 2009 Fender American Standard Strat and 2006 Gibson Les Paul '56 Goldtop VOS w/Bumblebee caps and.... my cedar top spanish classical w/undersaddle pickup sounded great. It can get pretty darned loud. For Fender, its not a bad amp, for sure. '65 Princeton Reverb is an excellent one too for smaller size venue and recording and '65 Deluxe is probably the BDRI's biggest compettitor for gigs as near as I can tell. Another great little bedroom amp knocking on the BDRI's door is the Supro Blues King(discontinued) or Delta King 12. Plenty of volume and useable three band EQ with nice gain, boost and vol and master vol. that compares reasonably with the BDRI that I had. The Delta King 12 is a direct competitor with the standard Blues Jr and to some ears better. The BDRI was really nice... sorry I had to let it go.

[@99otari]

I have an early Blues Deluxe ('94). It's definitely not a bedroom amp as is. It's just way too loud 😬when trying to drive it into distortion. I have to use my 'power soak' or stomp box.

[@mstewart248]

It’s possible to play it at bedroom volume, you just can’t get the full potential out of this amp at bedroom volume. I wish he demoed cranking the clean channel. That’s where this amp really shines.

[@jaydenvandyke2614]

That was my problem too, before I swapped one of the 12ax7s for a 12ay7. I tend to play pretty clean though, and it's not completely fixed.

[@RoyvanRikken]

This is exactly what I’m looking for. I might have the chance to trade it for my Peavey Classic 30. I’m tempted……..

[@mueslimuncher1950]

Funny you should mention 'coffee stains' but my blues deluxe was bought in the early 90s, with the price reduced by £50 BECAUSE of a circular stain from a coffee mug! I wouldn't swap it for anything. My one complaint is that it's too loud. I cured this by adding a 'Lion Tamer' (attenuater) into the send/return Jack's.

[@doghousejt]

love mine it can be smooth as silk or blow the windows out of a small room!

[@gkol69]

No SD-1 or TS-9? I'm surprised! And I was hoping for some Les Paul/humbucker tones, too...

[@prw9]

Agree. Pity we only heard a strat …. What about using it with some humbuckers 🤔

[@DennisHayes-tr8jd]

I thought I heard you say metal zone . I had to rewind it 17 times. You really said boss metal zone. I gotta go pick up my jaw now.

[@christophervincent8420]

It's an absolute pleasure to play an amp like that. Just can't own one. Lol

[@OldManandtheGHome]

I'm sold!

[@O_Towne_Bear]

Okay, have a question for all the amp-ologists on here. I love Fender amp tones but not that Fender glassy highs (nails on a blackboard). Now, I don't have a lot of experience with them - but can that be dialed back (or even dropped all together)?

[@beauwolf5729]

You can dial back the treble on the amp or on your drive pedal(s). In the extreme case you could replace the speaker ( i have done that) for a warmer type. A lot of Fender amps have bright speakers which are great for clean playing but not always great for playing with overdrive or distortion. It is up to the player what he finds more important; a clean or overdriven sound.

[@O_Towne_Bear]

@@beauwolf5729 Thanks for your thoughts. Cheers.

[@billpoplin2534]

12ay7 in v1 and ecc81 in pi. Lion tamer in e loop

[@O_Towne_Bear]

@@billpoplin2534 sure sure...

[@alinsandu7190]

Boss ge7 in the loop lower at 6.4k or tone knob on the guitar.

[@tommyd5238]

I bought a Fender Pro Junior a few years ago as I couldn't afford the blues version, it's ok but it buzzes like hell, not so good for low volume playing, but how's the latest Blues ?

[@bobboitt3126]

Probably the power tubes....EL-84s and combo amps tend to rattle, perhaps try another set.

[@tommyd5238]

@bobboitt3126 Thanks, I'll give it a try

[@joeinterrante7873]

Settings?

[@southernpride2003]

Is this a tube amp

[@adiohead]

Yes!

[@xcx8646]

This is _the_ realistically priced and sized Fender amp for me. I don't know why Deluxe Reverbs get so much love, as they sound bland by comparison.

[@Dragon_rls]

What a sales pitch. QVC is calling sweetie pie.🏳‍🌈

[@millermonsterair]

Harley Benton/Monoprice offers a 15w all tube/valve amp and if you rip out the garbage celestion seventy 80 in it and swap it for a celestion 75w creamback, you now have an amp that is better than the blues Jr, and almost as good sounding as this, at a tiny fraction of the cost.

[@HALWASRIGHT]

The Fender will come with a better transformer, which will help for a better overall sound than a monoprice. Not to mention serviceability is not an financial option with the monoprice...just saying.

[@millermonsterair]

@@HALWASRIGHT go ahead and spend that kinda money for the name then. its not my money youre spending

[@millermonsterair]

@@HALWASRIGHT serviceability? that is why youre okay spending a $1,000 premium? are you serious? you cant be serious right now.... on the monoprice, the tubes are literally right there and take ZERO effort to replace, as needed. why you sending your amp to a tech and paying them, well how much money to do that exact same thing? literally, if youre buying the fender, at this point, youre ONLY buying the name. the monoprice with a creamback in it is superior to a blues junior. put them both under a 'scope and tell me you can still hear a difference. dunning-kreuger is strong in some people

[@Gabriel49718]

Umm… “Slow Dancing…” John Mayer is NOT blues.

[@radicalagnostic]

LOL yes it is

[@ajdicosimo6205]

"John Mayer is one of the best young blues guitarists I've heard in a long time. He has the right feel, and he understands the roots of the blues." -B.B. King, 2006 interview with Guitar World Magazine. "John Mayer is an incredible player with a lot of depth. His approach to the blues is fresh and exciting." -Eric Clapton "John Mayer is a talented musician. He’s got a great touch on the guitar and really knows how to convey emotion through his playing." -Buddy Guy