6G3 Brown Deluxe...

che_guitarra

che_guitarra

New member
Can anyone demystify this amp for me? I know the tweed deluxe sound very well, so too the blackface deluxe reverb... where does the brownie fit? You rarely see them at all here in Aus.

I've read a many reviews that describe them as falling midway between the two other deluxes - but how so? I mean, does it work equally well with single coils, P90s and humbuckers, or does it favour particular models? How does the response differ from the other deluxes at 25%, 50%, 75% and fully dimed? How loud is it in comparison? Can it take pedals? What genres is it most suited for? What are it's strengths, and what are it's flaws?


You know the sort of questions I want answered. If you have inside knowledge of 6G3 brownface deluxes i'd love to hear your opinion :)
 
Re: 6G3 Brown Deluxe...

To me, a brown Deluxe with the right speaker has a tone that is more like the idealized Marshall tone that I hear in my head than either a blackface Deluxe or tweed Deluxe has.

But it doesn't really sound like a vintage Marshall - it's not nearly so bright and crunchy as a vintage Marshall. It sounds like what my interior mental version of a vintage Marshall sounds like rather than a real Marshall.

Smoother. Chewier. Browner. Snarlier. But without the sizzling upper treble and presence control of a vintage Marshall.

When turned up to at least 5 it's a very cool, sort of midrangey, somewhat snarly sound that's great for soloing and grindy ZZ Top style rhythm guitar.

However, the brown Deluxe is not able to get clear enough for my style of playing which is blues based but which uses a lot of jazz and complex chords. My blackface Deluxe Reverb (with a Celestion speaker) is a better match for my style of playing.

I love brown Deluxes though!
 
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Re: 6G3 Brown Deluxe...

All the brownface amps sit between a tweed and a blackface but the Deluxe is special...it is pound for pound the nastiest pre CBS Fender amp ever.

Watch this clip...

Behind Billy on the drum riser is a brown Deluxe with a mic stuck in front of it...



Also as a point of reference Ted Nugent recorded most of his big 70's hits with a brown Deluxe...





As the VERY PROUD owner of a nice 1962 brown Deluxe amp I can tell you that if you crank it these tones will just fall out of the speaker!
 
Re: 6G3 Brown Deluxe...

Interesting. Not as Fendery as I imagined in my head. I hear Brian Setzer and Dick Dale used brownies back in the day (albeit not deluxes) so I thought it'd be umm, surfier!

Nugents tone is great. ZZ Top is harder to assess because they play with such a light touch you don't hear the full dynamic of the amp.

Thanks for posting, its all a little clearer now
 
Re: 6G3 Brown Deluxe...

Gypsyblue said:
Any idea what speaker the rev uses? I know Nugent used an Electro Voice SRO.
Click to expand...

Always wondered...at that point (1980) not much would surprise me.

I've read he used to be very much into alnico Jensens, alnico Celestions and Greenback Celestions and these days it's those 3 as well as Tone Tubby's however these days his tone is VERY different from what it was in the 70's and early 80's.
 
Re: 6G3 Brown Deluxe...

che_guitarra said:
Interesting. Not as Fendery as I imagined in my head. I hear Brian Setzer and Dick Dale used brownies back in the day (albeit not deluxes) so I thought it'd be umm, surfier!

Nugents tone is great. ZZ Top is harder to assess because they play with such a light touch you don't hear the full dynamic of the amp.

Thanks for posting, its all a little clearer now
Click to expand...

Billy was using heavier strings and a heavier touch back then but in that clip it's run up pretty hard.

The bigger brownfaces (like the Bassman Setzer uses and the Showman DD uses) are cleaner because they are higher wattage...they crunch much like the Deluxe if you crank 'em and the Deluxe will stay clea(ish) if you keep it low however like I said the brown Deluxe is the gainest Fender ever.

Here is a crappy handy cam clip of me playing with some guys...i'm the guy on the right and I'm using a Broadcaster clone into my 62 Deluxe with an old G12 Alnico Celestion...I'm using a Lovepedal Les Lius in this clip very low for just a little boost...this isn't dead clean of full on grit but a tone that has a little hair on it and a nice compression that let's me get some sing from it even with weak single coils!

The clip is distorted and when Dave takes his solo at the end he pedal volume is jacked to high and it gets funky but my solo is fairly easy to hear...

Don't judge the playing too much...it was Dave's CD release party, I had just learned the song a little before hitting the stage and I was just trying to lay back and let Dave do his thing...

 
Re: 6G3 Brown Deluxe...

the guy who invented fire said:
however like I said the brown Deluxe is the gainest Fender ever.
Click to expand...

You sound great! The amp I was looking at buying was a tweed deluxe, but now you've got me thinking about those brownface deluxes. I've always liked the look of those amps, but wasn't sure about the tone of them. For some reason you always seem to hear about blackface and tweed Fenders, but it's like the brownface era stuff gets completely overlooked.
 
Re: 6G3 Brown Deluxe...

That90'sGuy said:
You sound great! The amp I was looking at buying was a tweed deluxe, but now you've got me thinking about those brownface deluxes. I've always liked the look of those amps, but wasn't sure about the tone of them. For some reason you always seem to hear about blackface and tweed Fenders, but it's like the brownface era stuff gets completely overlooked.
Click to expand...

Thanks man, that means a lot! That really was a hurried night and show but we had a good time!

The browns are sort of odd man out...they lack the cleanliness and clarity of a blackface but won't get that super nasty sort of ragged tone tweeds often get.

The were only made for a few years but they are super cool amps!

I like the brownface era of Fender best to be honest and I'm thinking rather hard about getting a bigger one for myself.

Besides Uncle Ted and some BFG another GREAT few examples of brown Fender amps are Tom Petty and Mike Campbell both used blond Bassman heads all over Wildflowers, Setzer is a classic example and Rich Robinson has one he's rather fond of as well...

They are the least seen Fender amps but once you hear one you'll start noticing that you've heard those tones before!
 
Re: 6G3 Brown Deluxe...

It's definitely it's own sound, isn't it? Not as scooped as a blackface, and not as loose as a tweed.
 
Re: 6G3 Brown Deluxe...

I can't believe I forgot one of the greatest brown Fender amp users in history!!!

Mark Knopfler uses a brown Vibrolux and has for decades...that amp sounds a LOT like the brown Deluxe but it's a little louder/cleaner (35 watts) had a little more chime (6L6's) and is slightly more scooped (bass/treb tone stack vs a tone control) but they are still very similar!!!
 
Re: 6G3 Brown Deluxe...

So tell me this Christian......Will a Brown Princeton have a similarish tone and gain structure as the Brown Deluxe? I have wanted a Princeton for a while and very well may have to bounce on one soon.
 
Re: 6G3 Brown Deluxe...

B Bent said:
So tell me this Christian......Will a Brown Princeton have a similarish tone and gain structure as the Brown Deluxe? I have wanted a Princeton for a while and very well may have to bounce on one soon.
Click to expand...

Similar overall tone but less gain, less aggressive, less bark to it...

Here is a not great, IMHO demo pf a brown Princeton but he does hit a few different settings with a Stat, a Telecaster and a P-90 loaded Fano...

Lots of the same vibe as the brown Deluxe but not the same...

 
Re: 6G3 Brown Deluxe...

the guy who invented fire said:
Similar overall tone but less gain, less aggressive, less bark to it...

Here is a not great, IMHO demo pf a brown Princeton but he does hit a few different settings with a Stat, a Telecaster and a P-90 loaded Fano...

Lots of the same vibe as the brown Deluxe but not the same...

Click to expand...

I think I'm gonna get one. There hasnt been one on the Bay in a few weeks. I guess I will start my search now. I thought I may want a Vibrolux just for obvious reasons, but I have learned not to do that kinda stuff anymore. Its all about practicality and for practical reasons I have no use for an amp over 15 watts anymore.
 
Re: 6G3 Brown Deluxe...

Guys, I'm about to build one. Christian, which Weber would you go with? 12A125A seems the logical choice based on weber descriptions, bit I've not played this amp.
 
Re: 6G3 Brown Deluxe...

I dunno...I'm sort of speaker shopping again. I've tried several speakers but the truth is none of what I've tried are vintage correct style!

If you were going to go vintage series Weber I'd say either 12A125 or 12A125A.

I've used mostly Brit style speakers but am currently thinking about going more American for a change.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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