Fender Amp Dudes, help with amp dec.?

[Armotron]

Greetings and Salutations Guys -

I posted a thread a bit ago, on helping me choose a fender amp, i came to the conclusion of a Hot Rod Deluxe, but after playing one in my store ive found its not really right for me. It seemed to mute my picking attacks and kindof had not too much character, and was a little woofy. Im looking for an amp to mix well with a Strat with Surfers, and give me a hot texas blues sound that responds well to the pick attack. I also want Vibrato and Reverb to come stock. Ive looked into these Fender Tube Amps-

1. Custom Vibrolux Reverb(according to fender sounds most like what i want)
2. DRRI
3. Super Reverb

Theres nowhere where i can play these amps, so im asking you Fender Amp dudes for some input.

Thanks-
Alex

 

[Armotron]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes, help with amp dec.?

:duck:

 

[Armotron]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes, help with amp dec.?

Noone has ever played a Custom Vibrolux????

 

[Stratcat]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes, help with amp dec.?

I highly recommend the DRRI for you. :smoker:

 

[Tyler]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes, help with amp dec.?

If I was getting a Fender amp, I would get a Bassman or Super Reverb.

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes, help with amp dec.?

Go with a used Fender. You get better quality and if you're willing to shell a few hundred to update some small things (capacitors, speakers, tubes etc.), you'll have a fantastic sounding amp.

If you want vibrato and reverb, I STRONGLY recommend a SF Vibrolux Reverb. The SF ones made in the early 70s are almost identical in tone and response as the BF ones (which are considered one of the "holy grail" Fender amps). I love mine to death and the reverb is amazing (better than any Accutronics I've heard). Never got a pedal for the vibrato, but from what I've gathered, it's great as well.

 

[Quencho092]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes, help with amp dec.?

look for any BF or blonde, or any vibrolux. I grabbed my bandmaster and it turned out to be a transitional blonde, only made in late 63-very early 64.

I have a strat with surfers and see the kind of tone you're coming from. Anything fender in the 60's is gold-DRRI is a bit over priced for what it offers, it's over 864 bucks including tax.

i got my '63 blonde for $600...mint condition, new tubes....everyone's out to grab a JCM 800 these days, get those fenders before they become even more popular and scarce...

 

[jimmy]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes, help with amp dec.?

A twin reverb just might be up your alley.

 

[\m/(00)\m/]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes, help with amp dec.?

you know how i feel about the super reverb man!!!

 

[Skarekrough]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes, help with amp dec.?

Fender has done an amazing job with the DRRI.

At a jam last year a guy that owns and plays through real-deal Deluxe Reverbs and Super Reverbs played through my DRRI and was just beside himself at how good it was.

 

[Armotron]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes, help with amp dec.?

Go with a used Fender. You get better quality and if you're willing to shell a few hundred to update some small things (capacitors, speakers, tubes etc.), you'll have a fantastic sounding amp.

If you want vibrato and reverb, I STRONGLY recommend a SF Vibrolux Reverb. The SF ones made in the early 70s are almost identical in tone and response as the BF ones (which are considered one of the "holy grail" Fender amps). I love mine to death and the reverb is amazing (better than any Accutronics I've heard). Never got a pedal for the vibrato, but from what I've gathered, it's great as well.

How much do these 60s-70s SF and BF Vibrolux's you and Quencho are talking aboot run for on ebay(i cant look now, cuz im at my dads, meaning im on a teen aol sn, and ebays blocked!!!! :smack: )???

Is there tons of difference in the old ones compared to the new Custom Vibrolux Remake? AND do the old ones have a high response to pick attack???

 

[jeremy]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes, help with amp dec.?

i think any of those amps you mentioned will work for ya as would others, and as far as old amp vs new, they all can sound good. play the amp you are going to buy and make sure its a good one.
how much power you need makes a big difference. if you are only playing small clubs/jamming with friends or by yourself, a small amp like a deluxe would be a good choice. itll break up at useable volumes and they can sound great. there is a sf dlx at a shop around here that sounds AWESOME, better than the '65 dlx thats more than twice as much next to it. if i had an extra $800 laying around it would have been mine a long time ago.
if you need more power, the super or vibrolx are good choices and plenty loud. the bassmans are great (i own one) but there is no reverb so if ya dont have a reverb unit youll need one of those too
if thats not enough, its time for a twin or vibroking.
there are also lots of companys that make killer repros of old style fender amps such as victoria, bruno, kendrick ect... and while expensive they are good amps and can be found used. im a big fan of used gear and if you try it out well you shouldnt have any problems. dont be afraid to crank the sucker up to 10 and let er rip. thats the way i play my amps, thats the way i wanna demo my amps. it never hurts to let the nearest employee have fair warning before ya blow the windows off the place

 

[Armotron]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes, help with amp dec.?

haha, ya... im basically looking for moderate power 20-40 watts. I cant afford a Twin or Vibroking, if i could, id get myself a Cezar Diaz Vibroverb. Im looking to spend around or under 1000 bucks... thers no way for me to really play any of these, that would be so easy, but the shop i go to only has Hot Rods, and my closest GC is pure metalhead... what sparked my interest in the Vibrolux, is that on the fender website, they say it responds to your picking attacks, and they call it the mini vibroking. i vary the strength of my picking alot, so i need an amp that picks up on that, and just lets the guitar wail, not muffle it.
So if theres not much of a difference comparing old to new, ill save myself the hassle and trouble of convincing my dad to let me do ebay, and order from musiciansfriend???

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes, help with amp dec.?

Diaz Vibroverb? Armotron, man, you've got good taste :fing2:. The SF Vibrolux Reverb can set you back anywhere from 500 - 800. Add less than 200 for someone to go over the amp and update it, and you'll have one heck of an amp.

What I love about the Vibrolux is how it breathes. It's warm and it sings like nobody's business. I love the reverb/vibrato channel the best as it breaks up sooner and has a bit more gain. The nice thing with BF and early SF Vibrolux Reverbs is how quickly they give up the goods. By 4 on the volume, that thing is cooking and you get that sweet light overdrive that outside of Fender, only a few boutique makers have managed to get. There is a response there that I haven't felt on a lot of amplifiers. Slow bends, sliding into notes, every nuance is really shown. If you know how to play with feeling, this amp will definitely give it to you. If you'd like, I can make up some simple clips to demonstrate it for you. I just got a mic stand and my laptop is back from being repaired, so I'm ready to do some recording again

I'm still trying to figure it out just why vintage Fenders sound so sweet; aged components? I'd take vintage Fenders over a lot of boutique stuff and I can say that seeing as I've played quite a bit boutique stuff myself. There's a mojo that these amps give that are inspiring.

 

[Armotron]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes, help with amp dec.?

Thatd be great Chris, id love to hear that thing in action! Ill guess ill continue to look on Ebay for an SF Vibrolux, or i might have to go with a new one if that doesnt work out. If i do get an SF, i guess ill post on what to change.

 

[gordon_39422]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes, help with amp dec.?

Hey Armotoron,

I just got my Hot Rod Deluxe about a week ago. At first it was heaven, then I started noticing little things about the amp that I didn't like. I have found the dynamincs to be the EXACT opposite of how you described them. In fact the amp breaks up a little too early for my tast. Right now, I just have to relax my picking/strumming until I can afford the upgrades. Part of that is due to the fact that I have been playing SS amps for quite some time now. It is great to be back int he Tube World!!!

Check this website out. He goes over so much about the amp that just seems amazing. There are references to the results from different speaker and tube replacements that are just downright priceless! It sounds as though the Hot Rod might be what you are looking for, at least wattage range. It is loud, and I plan to swap the linear taper pots out for audio tapers this weekend. There are also a few other easy and inexpensive upgrades that can be done in a short period. Right now I am saving for a better speaker, and some better tubes. (Not necessarily in that order!)

At any rate, I would imagine that you could purchase the HRDx for now, and save your pennies to get that BF you want. You might decide to keep the HRDx for its unique applications, or sell it for a decent trunover!

Hope this offers a different viewpoint on the HRdx.
Allen

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes, help with amp dec.?

haha, ya... im basically looking for moderate power 20-40 watts. I cant afford a Twin or Vibroking, if i could, id get myself a Cezar Diaz Vibroverb. Im looking to spend around or under 1000 bucks... thers no way for me to really play any of these, that would be so easy, but the shop i go to only has Hot Rods, and my closest GC is pure metalhead... what sparked my interest in the Vibrolux, is that on the fender website, they say it responds to your picking attacks, and they call it the mini vibroking. i vary the strength of my picking alot, so i need an amp that picks up on that, and just lets the guitar wail, not muffle it.
So if theres not much of a difference comparing old to new, ill save myself the hassle and trouble of convincing my dad to let me do ebay, and order from musiciansfriend???

You're 14 years old. Where'd you get $1000???? :laugh2: Just kidding. If you're serious I have a real nice handwired '74 Super Reverb for sale. Lew

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes, help with amp dec.?

You're 14 years old. Where'd you get $1000???? :laugh2: Just kidding. If you're serious I have a real nice handwired '74 Super Reverb for sale. Lew

GO WITH THE 74 SUPER!!! It's Lew's so you know it's running in top notch condition!!!
Supers are great amps, I love them!

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes, help with amp dec.?

GO WITH THE 74 SUPER!!! It's Lew's so you know it's running in top notch condition!!!
Supers are great amps, I love them!

Thanks! '74's a good year too. Great transformers in that model year. Only reason I'm selling it is because I just got that Matchless SC-30. I'm selling all of my amps 40 watts or over. Lew

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes, help with amp dec.?

Thanks! '74's a good year too. Great transformers in that model year. Lew

My first real good amp was a 74 Super...I loved that amp. It had really bad speakers when I got it b ut I fixed that asap, and it was a killer after that!