'71 Deluxe Reverb Help

[Frogman]

So, I found a '71 Deluxe Reverb sitting in my mother-in-law's attic, just collecting dust.

Naturally I took it out and said "I'll look after this for you"


I took it to a reputable amp tech in Atlanta (Andrew's Amp Lab) and had it serviced to get it up and running.


Everything works fine and I have been using it for about 3 weeks.


But, I am not happy with the tone. It's got this nasty upper-mid/high spike that I can't seem to dial out. I have had the treble knob on TWO, and it's still there.

Also, when I put any dose of overdrive into it, it just seems to "fart out".


Been reading up on some mods, and I am planning on doing the easiest that I've read, which is to pull the V1 tube, as it puts more pre amp gain into the reverb/trem circuit, which is the only one I use.

Second easiest "mod" seems to be to change the speaker.
It currenty has a "Fender Special Design" speaker in it.
I'm sure this may have a lot to do with the sound.
Was thinking about putting in an Eminence Swamp Thang.


Next thing, is obviously this amp had no mid control.
How can I get more mids?


Lastly, are there any other mods you would recommend me to do (not super experienced)? If I COULD, I would have it sound more british, ala a (gasp!) Vox AC-30..


I don't really want to take it to a tech, as I'm kinda low on cash at the moment, lol.



Thanks a bunch!

[jeremy]

Re: '71 Deluxe Reverb Help

youll never get it to sound like a vox so dont bother trying, but you can have it sound great.

pulling v1 will help a touch. a new speaker will make a big difference. i have a '66 dr and have tried a ton of speakers. the cannabis rex is a great option.

then there are some easy mods you can do. right now the tone stack is a 250 pf treble cap, .047 uf mid cap and .1 uf bass cap. i prefer to change the .047 to a .02 and the .1 to a .047. that mod shelves up the bass which actually gives you more usable bottom end. you could put in two .02 caps for mids and bass ala tweed/plexi.

to get more mids you can change the 6800 resister that acts as the mid pot to a higher value. the easy way is to swap in a 10k or 15k resistor, a more involved way is to hitch up a 25k pot and dial in the sound you want then measure the pot and put that value in.

[Bludave]

Re: '71 Deluxe Reverb Help

I have a 67 or 68. Was having lots of issues with it & was starting to gig more so I brought it to my tech. I had the same mod with the V1 tube on mine when I bought it. I had my tech remove it & he basically rebuilt the vibrato circuit. It sounds incredibly good now but before all this happened I replaced my speaker with a Vintage 30. The amp had no headroom at all, but it was due to someone else getting inside & messing with things. I plan on changing the speaker to a Reissue of the Jensen C12N. That's what my amp tech recommended & he has never steered me in the wrong direction. He knows Fenders incredibly well. He said the amp should have more bass then it does now this is due to the V30. A great speaker but not the best in these old Fenders. I would recommend putting the JC12N in. I just haven't taken the time to do it yet.

[Boogie Bill]

Re: '71 Deluxe Reverb Help

The caveat is, if you don't know what you're doing don't go messing around inside an amp. The voltages are LETHAL.

And the simplest way to get more mids is to keep the treble and bass tones very low and crank the amp. I typically ran my vintage '65 BFDR at V = 6-7, T = 4-5, and B = 2-3. It had a replacement Jensen Gold Label.

Did you replace the power tubes? That might be part of the "farting out" problem if they are worn out or not biased correctly.

They are great amps. Get it running right, and enjoy it for what it is.

Bill

[FuseG4]

Re: '71 Deluxe Reverb Help

speaker will help a ton. Get something smooth, possibly a british flavored speaker. I went with a greenback type in my DRRI and it smooths out the treble a good bit when the amp gets going, and it's got a nice bark to it.

[erksin]

Re: '71 Deluxe Reverb Help

Swap the speaker before you go messing with the innards - it will make a HUGE difference.

[Chickenwings]

Re: '71 Deluxe Reverb Help

It's got this nasty upper-mid/high spike that I can't seem to dial out. I have had the treble knob on TWO, and it's still there.

Also, when I put any dose of overdrive into it, it just seems to "fart out".

Assuming the tech has replaced all the tubes and rebiased the amp correctly, i reckon its your speaker.
The infamous fender specially designed bright and farty crapola cheap ass speaker.
IN lower wattage fenders, I like cannabis rexes...plenty warm, fat ans smooth. It will take that treble edge off and will pump out more than enough bottom end for you. But pretty much any speaker is an improvement over the stocker tho, however I reckon a swampy will sound a little bit too dark for your amp, as it needs some power (i.e. wattage) behind it to get it moving in its sweet spot. Its better for higher wattage/higher gain amps.

Also...look at this site...i reckon it will tell you all you all you need to know:
http://fenderguru.com/amps/deluxe-reverb
By the time you have worked thru all those ideas you should have such a sweet sounding amp that youll not want it to sound "voxy" anymore....which is good, cos they are a totally different style of amp!


bludave...ive tried a c12n reissue in 3 different 1x12 tube fenders. Its better than the "special design" but there are much nicer sounding speakers out there. Its kind of like an improved spec. design sound (less flab and more output and clarity) but it does have a very bright slicing top end and a big scoop. They are definitely an upgrade, but you can get a much sweeter sound with something else. You tech is right about the c12n having more bottom punch than a v30, but thats not difficult - they are much closer in tone to the classic fender tones you hear on records. V30s are all geared towards upper mid presence and bite, great in a marshally sounding overdriven amp, but not ideal for a deluxe reverb, whereas the jensen is about high treble clarity, and a big low end with scooped mids. The general 'vibe" of a c12n is on the right track, but there are nicer speakers for the money. Have a look at the stuff from eminence, there are plenty in the patriot line that are variations on the same theme. For low wattage fenders, i like the cannabis rex (even tho its quite different from vintage jensen tones), and for high wattage fenders i like the texas heat. There are others on offer tho, so if you get the chance try some out.

[Frogman]

Re: '71 Deluxe Reverb Help

Thank for all the responses!

Is the Cannabis Rex somewhat like a Greenback? Does it handle overdrive well
without flabbing out?




This amp is being used in my cover band, and I need it handle anything from ZZ Top, Rush and Zepplin, to Alanis Morissete, Cake, and Janes Addiction.

[Bludave]

Re: '71 Deluxe Reverb Help

If you want you can put a G12-30 in. That speaker works really well with a Deluxe, and it doesn't suck the "Fender" out of it

[jeremy]

Re: '71 Deluxe Reverb Help

im not a huge fan of the greenback in that amp although i love the speaker. the highs and mids are great but it can sound a little hollow on the bottom end.

my two favorite speakers for these amps are the cannabis rex and g12h-30. both sound good clean and dirty. the rex is a little louder and warmer on the top end where the g12h is a little more aggressive on top.

bluedave i have a c12n that you are welcome to try out for a while if you cover shipping. i dont really care for it, bright and thin sounding. my advice is to get a g12h over the v30.