Perplexing 1993 Fender Blues Deluxe (2x10)

muttznmongrelz

New member
So I ran across this one and it appears original but it’s packing a pair of Jensen Special Edition Ceramic Magnet Jet Falcon 40 Made In Italy 10” Speakers. Not finding any 2x10 models of an Original Issue Blues Deluxe. Thoughts? Custom 2x10 Baffle?

Has some wear on the bottom corners of the tolex but no rips/tears in the Oxblood Grill Cloth at all. ZERO issues and everything works as it should with the exception of the red jewel light when you turn it on. Listed as a First Year of Production 1993 Fender USA Blues Deluxe 40 Watt Tube Amp with 2x10 Jensen Special Edition Jet Falcon 40 Speakers - Basically; the 2x10 option gives you a Fender Bassman type sound. Plenty of these in the 1x12 configuration but the 2x10 configuration is not listed or coming up in any searches.



*** Original Issue Fender Blues Deluxe Review:

Vintage Tweed Sound & Style

Much to their credit, when the demand for vintage-style sound equipment began to ramp-up again during the early 1990s, Fender was right there on top of it -- they released their new, but decidedly retro-cool "Tweed" series of all-tube amplifiers in 1993 and I was lucky enough to purchase one at a guitar show that very same year.

Amazingly, a few years later I would save my hard-earned money for nearly 6-months in order to purchase Fender's awesome and iconic '65 Fender Twin (see my review here) but today, going on eighteen years later, that big, black, silver-grilled Twin Reverb has long since been sold off, and the trusty old Blues Deluxe is my guitar amp of choice yet again. It was the hefty weight of the Fender Twin that ultimately did it in.

The Blues Deluxe, while not necessarily on a par with the Twin for sheer volume & clean headroom (hell, this thing was built for dirty blues, and at that it excels,) feels light as a feather in comparison, making it a pleasure to toss into the back seat of your car and haul into a dank club a few nights a week. In my younger days I could handle that hefty Twin. Nowadays, not so much.

Warm Tone, Powerful Output

No slouch in the features department, the Blues Deluxe sports modern channel switching (with both clean & overdrive channels,) a dual-button footswitch for quickly jumping between the two channels, old-school Fender spring reverb, a contemporary effects loop for your pedals and rackmounts, three 12AX7 preamp tubes, and two 6L6 output tubes -- with the whole 40-watts of power pumped through a single 12" speaker.

Now if you're looking for modern high-gain madness you're just plain looking in the wrong place brother, but for a soft, bluesy, crunchy overdrive and sustain, Fender's Blues Deluxe absolutely sings. In overdrive mode it can easily break out from behind your average rhythm section, and in its clean channel it produces the deep and shimmering bell-like tones that Fender's amps are known for. This thing produces a warmth of tone that you can only really find in an all-tube amp.

As far as downsides go, there really aren't many to speak of; I suppose that if I could upgrade the reverb unit in this baby I probably would. It's not that it's bad in any way, it's just that the reverb produced by the Blues Deluxe is incredibly raw, and after being spoiled by "the Twin," I kind of miss that truly lush, almost spacy reverb.

Pure & Simple

Ultimately what I like most about Fender's Blues Deluxe, and what brought me back to this little tweed beauty even after experiencing the rock-solid performance of the Twin, is its all-inclusive nature.

I'm a no-nonsense kind of guitar player, and having a good reverb, plus both overdrive & clean channels all in one amp means less luggage to haul from gig to gig -- no extra cables, no extra stomp-boxes, no extra nothin'... you just drop the Blues Deluxe onto the stage, plug in your guitar, and you're ready to play. It's that simple...



*** JENSEN FALCON 40 10":

The Falcon 10" tone is warm and straightforward with a pronounced low end. Its mid frequencies are slightly enhanced over the Falcon 12", and it has a very sweet, yet cutting, high end. When presented with overdrive distortion it creates some mean fuzz. With its 40 watts of power, a ceramic magnet, and a seamed green cone made from all natural materials, the 10" Falcon is specially designed to ensure optimum tone for all styles of music.


Lows: Tight/Fat Mids: Firm Highs: Smooth

Overdrive: Crunchy

Guitarist Description: Warm, straightforward tone with a pronounced low end. When presented with overdrive distortion, it presents some mean fuzz.
 

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Re: Perplexing 1993 Fender Blues Deluxe (2x10)

Celestion or Jensen? Or do the former make the latter?


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Re: Perplexing 1993 Fender Blues Deluxe (2x10)

a buddy of mine rhett plays a blues deluxe with a 2x10 baffle which was custom made for him. he makes it sound great. cant recall what speakers he uses
 
Re: Perplexing 1993 Fender Blues Deluxe (2x10)

The Blues Deluxe was a nice amp for sure but just wasn’t my thing. Moved it on to someone who could appreciate it. Thinking that I am pretty damn good with just these two amps.
 

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Re: Perplexing 1993 Fender Blues Deluxe (2x10)

Agreed. Blues Deluxe is very much a different animal from either the 5150 or 5:50 Plus. Much more akin to the Peavey Blues Classic that I just sold.
 
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Re: Perplexing 1993 Fender Blues Deluxe (2x10)

Tolex, what Tolex? This is real Tweed. Glue the rips back to the wood and give it two shots with Zinnser Shellac and a real leather handle. This sucker will get some serious mojo...

BTW there are reliability mod kits from Fromel.
 
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Re: Perplexing 1993 Fender Blues Deluxe (2x10)

It had already been modified for the known original issues as well as having a professional conversion to a 2x10 baffle. Inquired of the seller when I returned it and he conveyed a bit more detail about it. Some "Fender Tweed Hound" is gonna love it. ;)
 
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