Chasing SRV tone - Fender DR '65 vs '68 vs Tone Master Super Reverb

[Seraphial]

Currently have a Princeton Reverb with 12" speaker and an attenuator, but the clean headroom isn't quite there and the voicing isn't quite right. Considering one of the Deluxe Reverbs and know what the main differences are - anyone have any preferences? I know those amps will get me closer to the SRV tone, but I sometimes get the feeling it's going to be too close to the Princeton (though the PR will have slightly better cleans from my AB testing).

Also, considering the Tone Master Super Reverb. Bigger headroom, more power, 4x10s & has a built in 'attenuator'. Soundclips it sounds good, but of course the tech is somewhat limited and value will crater as soon as there's a V2 and after the 2 yr warranty.

Thoughts? I'm mainly a home player (apartment) so getting a great tone at lower volumes is important to me.

[jeremy]

a deluxe or princeton is a little squishy to get good srv tones though the deluxe would be slightly better. a real super reverb would be better, but also loud. no idea about the tonemaster versions.

what speaker is in your princeton? a strat with low output a5 single coils, tube screamer, and fender reverb amp, even a princeton, should get you close at low volumes.

srvs tone was big clean amps turned up LOUD, getting exactly that tone is damn near impossible but the basics of it arent that hard. heavy strings tuned down a half step helps too.

[Seraphial]

a deluxe or princeton is a little squishy to get good srv tones though the deluxe would be slightly better. a real super reverb would be better, but also loud. no idea about the tonemaster versions.

what speaker is in your princeton? a strat with low output a5 single coils, tube screamer, and fender reverb amp, even a princeton, should get you close at low volumes.

srvs tone was big clean amps turned up LOUD, getting exactly that tone is damn near impossible but the basics of it arent that hard. heavy strings tuned down a half step helps too.

Yeah, I've been finding that squishiness out recently. Even with the attenuator its just too fizzy/farty. I get a decent blues tone, but doesn't have that clean string definition that SRV got by cranking it to the edge of clean and then using a TS to boost it.

Current setup is a Fender Strat with A5 pickups into a Princeton with 12" Jensen P12Q speaker, Tone King attentuator, sweet spot on volume round 6/7, with the bass dialled back to 1/2, pushed with a G2D Creamtone. The pedal basically doesn't have any gain - it's dialled all the way back and I just use it to boost really. Still adds a little dirt though.

[jeremy]

id think the attenuator would not help the tone much, you want as much clean headroom as possible, but obviously would help knock the volume down. the 12q isnt a bad speaker, i have a p10q, but i dont love the modern jensens and i dont think they sound as good as the old ones. i much prefer weber speakers if im going for that old school american speaker tone.

if you dont use the attenuator, at what volume on the amp do you still get a firm low open e string note? thats where id start

[Seraphial]

id think the attenuator would not help the tone much, you want as much clean headroom as possible, but obviously would help knock the volume down. the 12q isnt a bad speaker, i have a p10q, but i dont love the modern jensens and i dont think they sound as good as the old ones. i much prefer weber speakers if im going for that old school american speaker tone.

if you dont use the attenuator, at what volume on the amp do you still get a firm low open e string note? thats where id start

Yeah, I was surprised at how....underwhelmed I was when I attenuated the PR. It took a lot of tweaking to get it to sound decent - real fuzzy bass tone, a bit mushy but the higher strings sounded great. At the beginning I actually preferred the volume set at 2 (apartment level) with a pedal for dirt. It lacked...organicness when pushed though?

I never pushed the PR past 2/3 because of where I live unfortunately. I got the attenuator cause I was tone chasing lol. Do you think I'd run into the same problem if I got a DR?

[Mincer]

I would think a Tone Master Super Reverb can get that sound. However, as a home player, I'd get a regular Super. The light weight and XLR out of the TM is wonderful if you are gigging, but if you aren't, and don't plan on moving the Super, just go for a tube one, and use a pedal. I have a TM Deluxe Reverb, and it is wonderful, although I don't go for SRV tones with it.

[Seraphial]

I would think a Tone Master Super Reverb can get that sound. However, as a home player, I'd get a regular Super. The light weight and XLR out of the TM is wonderful if you are gigging, but if you aren't, and don't plan on moving the Super, just go for a tube one, and use a pedal. I have a TM Deluxe Reverb, and it is wonderful, although I don't go for SRV tones with it.

Thanks Mincer. Do you think I won't really be getting the full monty when not turning it up? Cause otherwise I'm just using the clean channel and putting a pedal in front of it. I was thinking the Tone Master so I could take advantage of the attenuation.

[jeremy]

a big difference between the dr and pr is the phase inverter. the dr has the longtail pair typical of bigger fenders, where the pr has a split load which can lead to some ugly overtones when pushed

[Mincer]

Thanks Mincer. Do you think I won't really be getting the full monty when not turning it up? Cause otherwise I'm just using the clean channel and putting a pedal in front of it. I was thinking the Tone Master so I could take advantage of the attenuation.

Moving air has a different sound, and we 'feel' different playing a loud amp. I think the attenuation works well on the Tone Master Deluxe- it is pretty close to the same tone of a loud Deluxe, without the feeling of playing loud.
If you can, try the Super out. It might be fine for you- but also look at pedals that can replicate the Fender amp up loud into any clean amp.