Deluxe Reverb... Make the normal channel the gain channel and A/B them..?

[Pierre]

Re: Deluxe Reverb... Make the normal channel the gain channel and A/B them..?

That's not much different from what I'm doing now. I have my amp set for clean, the AOR boost for just a tiny bit of crunch (very, very, very little) and I have the Bad Monkey as a 'thick boost' as I like to call it, a Danelectro transparent OD to get more of my tone, a Carl Martin HDB for my best lead voicing, fuzz, metal distortion and plexitone for more.
It's not bad, quite handy... but whenever I play in a band setting, I really wish for amp drive...

 

[gmacdonnell]

Re: Deluxe Reverb... Make the normal channel the gain channel and A/B them..?

If you like metal, and want more distortion with a band, I hate to say it, but a Deluxe Reverb is probably one of the worst amps for you.

They're incredible for bluesy, mild overdrive, and semi-clean tones, and sound great cranked up. But asking them to do a high gain tone, whether with mods or pedals, is asking too much of the amp.

You said you haven't played a Deluxe Reverb yet: go try out a Reissue, or a used BF or SF DR.

I think you'll see what I mean: they're low gain amps. While they like pedals and boosts, everything about them, from the capacitors to the tone stacks, to the cabinet and speaker, is designed for low-gain, medium volume playing. There's simply no way to retain its sound and personality and get a lot of overdrive, with mods or pedals.

You either love them, or need something else. Go try one out and see where you're at.

 

[supernosher]

Re: Deluxe Reverb... Make the normal channel the gain channel and A/B them..?

I know a very talented guitar player who plays either a 2x12 TSL or a BF Fender Pro Reverb, and he gets all his dist from a stupid BOSS pedal, but he blows everyone who hears him away. It really doesn't matter as long as you rock, which includes being loud and proud.

 

[Pierre]

Re: Deluxe Reverb... Make the normal channel the gain channel and A/B them..?

If you like metal, and want more distortion with a band, I hate to say it, but a Deluxe Reverb is probably one of the worst amps for you.

They're incredible for bluesy, mild overdrive, and semi-clean tones, and sound great cranked up. But asking them to do a high gain tone, whether with mods or pedals, is asking too much of the amp.

You said you haven't played a Deluxe Reverb yet: go try out a Reissue, or a used BF or SF DR.

I think you'll see what I mean: they're low gain amps. While they like pedals and boosts, everything about them, from the capacitors to the tone stacks, to the cabinet and speaker, is designed for low-gain, medium volume playing. There's simply no way to retain its sound and personality and get a lot of overdrive, with mods or pedals.

You either love them, or need something else. Go try one out and see where you're at.

Haha dude no way, I'm mostly a blues player where I try to use as little gain as I can get away with When it comes to the brewtalz I use a pedal. But I do wish I had a light drive channel I could use live as I usually prefer amp drive to pedals. Of course not all amps are created equals though.
The reason I'm considering the DR is because the BEST tones I ever had when playing were when playing clean through a Super Reverb. The SR is too big, powerful and has too much headroom for my needs. Pro reverbs aren't as common. So the DR's the next choice. If I got one, it'd be because, and mostly for, its clean sound.

 

[ES350]

Re: Deluxe Reverb... Make the normal channel the gain channel and A/B them..?

In any kind of real world setting, the DR 'cleans' disappear like pixie dust behind drums and bass. I used to use two and that was just to keep up; they sure weren't clean. Consider a Pro Reverb/Vibrolux/Bandmaster (35 watt output). Put a pedal in front of a healthy Pro and stand back...

 

[gmacdonnell]

Re: Deluxe Reverb... Make the normal channel the gain channel and A/B them..?

I know what you mean, ES350. I used 2 for the same reason. Nowadays, I'm almost always mic'd up, so my onstage sound is more of a monitor.

I also had a 40 watt, modded Deluxe Reverb for awhile that sounded great.

I see what you mean, Pierre. If that's the case, than the DR still might be the right choice for you. Deluxe Reverb II's, though they sound different, still have a lot of that BF magic, plus a great lead channel.

Standard Deluxe Reverbs can definitely rock out, but not in any way similar to, say, a JCM800. They can do Stones, AC/DC and ZZ Top (with a fuzz and/or boost.) But they can't get the cascading gain sound, and they just hate trying to get that huge low-end, modern metal sound...

That said, Pro Reverbs are much more versatile, (albeit twice the size.)
Because of their increased headroom, and having two speakers, they're much more capable of a driving rock sound, without farting out.

Personally, I think Pro Reverbs and Super Reverbs are among the best sounding amps of all time, (along with some of the earlier Tweed, and Brownface designs.)

But for sound, size, and the trifecta of gorgeous cleans, raunchy overdrive, and huge dynamics and responsiveness, the Deluxe Reverb is hard to beat.

 

[Pierre]

Re: Deluxe Reverb... Make the normal channel the gain channel and A/B them..?

That was my reasoning... I use pedals now but I'm ok using pedals as a boost of for very very heavy stuff, but I much prefer to get the amp to do my ac/dc style gain levels.

To be honest I'm almost considering a Vox VT30 + footswitch for home. I mean they sound pretty **** good! Cheap too. I'd still go for a Rocker 30 at some point though Right now since I'm not sure where the hell I'll be in 6 months there's no point though. I hate being on the verge of graduating

 

[drpietrzak]

Re: Deluxe Reverb... Make the normal channel the gain channel and A/B them..?

I have never heard a mod to this amp that actually sounded good to me. The mod would also kill your resale in most markets. It will also void your war. But, you may find something that works better for you than I have heard. YOu may also want to look at the Super Sonic.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Deluxe Reverb... Make the normal channel the gain channel and A/B them..?

A great trick is to do the Pete Anderson mod. I don't have all the specs off the top of my head but look it up. Basically it runs 6l6's, and you get almost twice the wattage.

not sure what is involved with the mod but there must be a transformer change if you want to get significantly more volume. i run 6l6's in my bf dr and it sure sounds different but not much louder.

Anderson also would put a Celestion Blue in it. Mine had a Weber Blue-style speaker. These speakers, while they're not high wattage, are really sensitive and get a ton of volume.

Even just that speaker would give you more headroom. Personally, I found the Vintage 30 didn't do too much for volume and headroom, but it does give a nice overdrive tone.


I'm currently using Tone Tubbies, a Celestion Blue, and a Eminence Cannabis Rex in my DR's, (though I also have a Texas Heat.)
That Cannabis Rex is a great match, because it's very loud, has great headroom, and is a very clear, even speaker that never gets too bright or harsh.

a friend of mine uses a blue in his dr and it sounds great but im very leery of using a 15w speaker in the amp. i cant afford popping a $250 speaker. the v30 isnt my favorite but it has to be louder than the stock oxford in the old ones. the new jensens arent that quiet but i dont like the tone all that much. i use a cannabis rex in my '66 dr too and really like it. im sure i would like the tone tubby too but the only one i have is 16 ohms so i havent tried it.

as to the op question... i have modded my dr's normal channel to be a 'lead' channel but it isnt exactly a gain channel. i pulled the eq out, shelved up the bottom, moved the volume control placement. changed the cathode resisters and a few other things. its more like a fat channel than a gain channel but using an a/b switch i can have a "clean" sound with reverb or a fatter dirty tone with out reverb and it works really well

 

[Bludave]

Re: Deluxe Reverb... Make the normal channel the gain channel and A/B them..?

There are a couple ways to get more headroom.

A great trick is to do the Pete Anderson mod. I don't have all the specs off the top of my head but look it up. Basically it runs 6l6's, and you get almost twice the wattage.

I used to own a SF DR that had these mods done to it, and it was a great blues, jazz, country and r&b amp.


Anderson also would put a Celestion Blue in it. Mine had a Weber Blue-style speaker. These speakers, while they're not high wattage, are really sensitive and get a ton of volume.

Even just that speaker would give you more headroom. Personally, I found the Vintage 30 didn't do too much for volume and headroom, but it does give a nice overdrive tone.


I'm currently using Tone Tubbies, a Celestion Blue, and a Eminence Cannabis Rex in my DR's, (though I also have a Texas Heat.)
That Cannabis Rex is a great match, because it's very loud, has great headroom, and is a very clear, even speaker that never gets too bright or harsh.

IMHO there is no point for me to do that. I also have a 68 Super Reverb. If I need a Fender tone & I need real good cleans I use the Shuper. I am probably going to just swap out the Speaker. Right now it has a emminence in it. The guy I bought the amp from was a Jazz player. I play more blues & classic rock stuff, so I need a little more volume & I need to keep the amp clean. The Vintage 30 I have coming should do the trick.

 

[supernosher]

Re: Deluxe Reverb... Make the normal channel the gain channel and A/B them..?

Hey BluDave, the Eminence Red Fang is Eminence's take on the Celestion Blue, but the new version is a 50watter. Might wanna look into that if you have the money ($170). It's supposed to be a better built speaker than the Celestion, and it'd sound a whole lot more "Fender" than a V30!

 

[gmacdonnell]

Re: Deluxe Reverb... Make the normal channel the gain channel and A/B them..?

That amp I had, the guy that did the mod put one of those Mojotone (?) transformers in it. It sounded great for jazz, blues and country.

I don't really recommend that mod to most people though. It's reversible, but like people have pointed out, (including me!) Deluxe Reverbs are classic amps just the way they are, and there are better Fender amps for that kind of thing.
It's just a shame Fender never made a 40 watt 1x12 back in the day...


The new Eminence Red Fang sounds terrific, as do the Weber versions of the Blue. I was never a fan of Eminence, but their new Patriot and Red Coat speakers have really changed my mind. Very nice build quality and materials, great tone and very affordable pricing and all made in the US. Doesn't get much better than that.

I know what you mean, Jeremy, I certainly wouldn't want to risk popping a speaker that costs that much. The only Celestion Blues (not copy) I've used in DR's is in my 'clean' amp, which I've never cranked past 5, and usually is around 3. The speaker just gives it a bit more push, headroom and volume at the lower volume knob settings.

Those "Oxfords" aren't very good speakers, and just about any modern driver will be an improvement, IMO. The reissue Jensens haven't impressed me much though, they're not very loud, and they're a bit harsh. Weber make sa much better Jensen style speaker, IMO. And the Eminence Patriots, some of them are voiced like Jensens.

I usually like "American"-style speakers in my DR's, "Blue"-style speakers being the only exception. They somehow match the voicing of that amp really well. They still have that twang and sparkle, and they overdrive beautifully.

But the Texas Heat and Cannabis Rex are great matches for it, as well.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Deluxe Reverb... Make the normal channel the gain channel and A/B them..?

I have the V30, so that's whats going in..... I always thought putting a Celestian in a Fender was a bad thing..... "It sucks all the Fender out of it". A few months ago I was visiting a friend out in the midwest who is a monster player and usually gigs with a silver Deluxe Reverb. He had a Vintage 30 in his & I was blown away at how twangy it could get. He was playing Teles Les Pauls & Sg's with it and it sounded great so I'm sold on the V30, especially since the one I have is an old British speaker. Should be great.

 

[Falstaff]

Re: Deluxe Reverb... Make the normal channel the gain channel and A/B them..?

I had that done to my Pro Reverb (with reverb in both channels) and I like it a lot. The difference isn't like Marshall/Fender but it is noticeable, usable, and both sound great.

 

[gmacdonnell]

Re: Deluxe Reverb... Make the normal channel the gain channel and A/B them..?

I have the V30, so that's whats going in..... I always thought putting a Celestian in a Fender was a bad thing..... "It sucks all the Fender out of it". A few months ago I was visiting a friend out in the midwest who is a monster player and usually gigs with a silver Deluxe Reverb. He had a Vintage 30 in his & I was blown away at how twangy it could get. He was playing Teles Les Pauls & Sg's with it and it sounded great so I'm sold on the V30, especially since the one I have is an old British speaker. Should be great.

It will be great! UK V30's are awesome speakers. I've still got 4 in boxes in my closet.

I just personally prefer the Blues or some of the others I mentioned for the Deluxe Reverb: but I use fairly bright guitars, and not very much overdrive.

Falstaff's mod, (above) is a real good one for DR's and BF Fenders in general, even if (or rather, because) it's fairly subtle, just more usable.