I think I hate my Fender.

[Big Flannel]

I have a 65 deluxe reverb reissue that I haven't played through for quite some time. This afternoon I decide to give it a go and whereas the clean tones sound good, and drive I added through my dirt boxesnwas awful. Like, nothing but a tinny, fizzy, trebly wall of hate.

I think its time to seriously get serious about my serious amp choice.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: I think I hate my Fender.

Sounds more like you don't like your pedals than like you don't like your amp.

Do your dirt pedals not have e.q. controls?

 

[Big Flannel]

Re: I think I hate my Fender.

They do and they sound fantastic through another amp that I own. Through fiddling with the eq I can get rid of the awful fizz but then everything sounds anemic.

 

[zenmindbeginner]

Re: I think I hate my Fender.

It's time for a new speaker.

Go celestion... Blue or Gold... Greenback if you're nasty.

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: I think I hate my Fender.

Fenders like Celestions. I like the Golds with my Vibrolux.

 

[Big Flannel]

Re: I think I hate my Fender.

So the Jensen has to go?

Not gonna lie, I never even thought of a speaker swap.

 

[FuseG4]

Re: I think I hate my Fender.

I had one and I loved the clean sound on like 3 or 4 but indeed it often sounded like thin buzzy crap with pedals until the amp volume was up to like 5 or 6, and 7 was the sweet spot I feel like. It was hard to get a lower volume drive tone but I really liked the crunchbox when the amp was really going.
I had to get a different speaker (greenback) before I started to really like it, and I clipped the bright cap,
and then I got a different rectifier tube and that chilled out the high end a little bit too.
It sounded a lot sweeter than stock after that, but I eventually I still sold it.

 

[SlyFoxx]

Re: I think I hate my Fender.

Sounds like operator error.

Not trying to come off harsh...but a DR is seriously cool platform for all kinds of sonic mayhem.

 

[Big Flannel]

Re: I think I hate my Fender.

As Fuse mentioned, the amp has a sweet spot. Unfortunately, I'm unable to play it at the volume required to reach that sweet spot.

I'm not saying that its the amps fault, just that currently out doesn't do what I need it to do.

 

[Oinkus]

Re: I think I hate my Fender.

You might want to try and examine your entire setup sometime. Bring ALL of the stuff you want to use (gig ready rig) over and we will pull my big pedalboard out of the closet and take a shot at tuning your rig. A speaker and /or tube swapping are always a good idea just to get ideas and audition sounds.

 

[Mr. B]

Re: I think I hate my Fender.

That is why you also need a Marshall...

 

[ken361]

Re: I think I hate my Fender.

The new 68's are better, not bright and take pedals well

 

[Red_Label]

Re: I think I hate my Fender.

That is why you also need a Marshall...

Yup... mostly.

A nice blackface head, running into a sealed-back cab, with the right speakers, and the right pedal can get there. But why not get a Marshall (or clone) for OD tones?

I really loved my TRRI that I had a few years ago. Beautiful cleans. But even with my Carl Martin Plexitone pedal (which makes everything sound great), I just couldn't get it to sound like my rock amps. I mostly blamed the Jensen speakers and open back configuration.

At any rate, there are good rock tones in Fenders. But for true rock, no one can convince me that Fender type amps are as good as Marshalls. Just like, if one desires the lushest and most pristine cleans, Marshalls can't out-do Fenders. There are more than a few amps that do BOTH well though (many of which I've owned).

 

[ken361]

Re: I think I hate my Fender.

Thats why the 68 custom twin rules over the RI, its warmer has the custom bassman side for pedals. The speakers make my bogner pedals sound better then a bright ass marshall! LOL

 

[Red_Label]

Re: I think I hate my Fender.

Thats why the 68 custom twin rules over the RI, its warmer has the custom bassman side for pedals. The speakers make my bogner pedals sound better then a bright ass marshall! LOL

That may be, but having owned Bogners and Bogner pedals... I'd take a good, "bright ass Marshall" over them any day for chunky, crunchy, well-defined rock.

I found Bogners to be darker and mushier than I wanted my tone. I want the mids right when I'm playing rock.

 

[ken361]

Re: I think I hate my Fender.

love the old marshalls but the new ones not too much

 

[Red_Label]

Re: I think I hate my Fender.

TOTALLY agree with that Ken! The 2203X that I had last year was pretty cool. But the fact is, that even with the re-issues of their great amps, they're all PC boards (except for the expensive hand-wired ones). And if I'm gonna go with a PC board-based amp, then I'd pick a builder like Bogner any day over Marshall, because at least Bogner builds them very heavy duty. Which is all why I chose my Ceriatones over the newer reissue Marshalls (which I had been looking at). In regards to newer Marshall designs... I had an older DSL50 head that was pretty good when dialed-in just right (green channel, with an OCD pushing it). But I haven't really liked anything since the older DSL design. 'Cept I did always want to try a 1959RR and the YJM heads... but haven't been able to.

 

[xxxplorer]

Re: I think I hate my Fender.

Real magic is taking a stock brighter marshall and running it in tandem with a darker modded marshall.

 

[Red_Label]

Re: I think I hate my Fender.

Real magic is taking a stock brighter marshall and running it in tandem with a darker modded marshall.

EXACTO-MUNDO!!!

Just got my current rig up and running last night and it's exactly that (except the logos are gold Ceriatone logos instead of white Marshall logos). This rig sounds AWESOME. Darker-sounding EL84-based RP 18/36 paired with a brighter JTM45. Even the wife had to admit last night that she preferred both amps together over each individually. Usually is the case whenever two good tube amps are paired.

I'm officially in-love/lust again!!! Mmmmm...

 

[zenmindbeginner]

Re: I think I hate my Fender.

I have the same problem with my blackface Fenders. I can't even come close to getting to the sweet spot.

Vintage Marshalls will be the same way... they have sweet spots too.

I borrowed a bunch of dirt pedals last Summer and put them all through the ringer. I jived with like one of several that I borrowed.
Then Agileguy_101 turned me on to Weehbo pedals and I picked up a JMP Drive. When I brought it home, it sounded exactly like the demo and all was good.
It turned out to get "my sound" I had to goose the JMP Drive with an old MIJ CS-3 and then another gain stage from my Badgerplex AC after the JMP Drive and before the amp.

But I had it outfitted with the perfect distortion and my clean sound was pure crap at low volumes.
Then I recently swapped the Jensen for a g10 Greenback... and I picked up an Empress ParaEQ to take off of the sub bass, boost the low mids and cut a harsh upper mid resonance.
Now my clean sound is as good as my distorted sound but it was a long haul. I'm a tone dependent guitar player... if I ain't got the tone, I ain't playing.

The Fender Deluxe is a much warmer, less harsh and less spikey version of my Princeton Reverb... I'm surprised you are having so much treble with it.

Of course, I play out of real blackface Fenders, not reissues. I have access to a real blackface Deluxe Reverb and it is tone for dayz.

I would definitely swap the speaker out since if you eventually have to sell it, you can keep the new speaker.
There are sooooo many 12" speakers out there. Being in the UK, I'd just go Blue, Gold or Creamback... the Greenback might break up too early.