The Fender Deluxe reverb has become a standard by which other guitar amplifiers are judged, and for good reason.
The
Fender Deluxe Reverb appears to be a fairly unassuming little amplifier. It's
only 22 watts. It's got only one 12 inch speaker. It doesn't even have
"distortion", "drive", "saturation",
"gain" or many other bells and/or whistles. It's not much really. In
fact, to the uninformed, it might appear to be downright boring. But spend a
few minutes with a Deluxe Reverb and you'll realize what all the fuss is about.
Fender's marketing propaganda claims the DR is the most recorded amp in
history. I'm not sure if that's true or how you'd even go about proving it, but
I would believe it.
Deluxe Reverb Back Story
First
introduced in the early sixties, early versions of the DR feaitured white or
brown tolex covering before the familiar black tolex. It featured two 6V6 power
tubes, four 12AX87 pre-amp tubes, and a pair of 12AT7 tubes - one for the
reverb circuit and one for the phase inverter. At only 22 watts and packing a
single 12 inch speaker it was a rather petite little package. It featured two
seperate channels: one with volume, bass and treble; the other with volume,
bass, treble, reverb and controls for the foot-switchable vibrato rate and
intensity.
Black Faces Vs. Silver Faces
The
earlier "black face" models (pre 1967) are considered more
collectable and will command a pretty penny. And even the later "silver
face" models are by no means cheap. The change from the BF to SF design
happened when Fender was purchased by CBS in 1967 - hence you'll often hear the
term "pre-CBS" in amp collector circles. While there is much debate
about the changes that were made to the SF design, most tube amp enthusiasts
still consider the SFDR to be a pretty nice amp, especially when you can pick
one up for alot less money than a BFDR. There were some changes made to the
circuitry but the silver face models still kept the same basic design and
footprint.
One
interesting little aside is that the post CBS Fender actually launched a solid
state version of the DR which was a dismal failure. They looked terrible, they
sounded worse and the amp buying public avoided them in droves! They were like
the Edsel of guitar amps! Seeing the error of their ways, the company returned
to the tube version.
The
SFDR remained relatively unchanged throughout the late sixties and seventies.
In 1978, a pull-boost function was added that many collectors view as
sacrilege. However, just leaving the pull-boost "un pulled" leaves
the original circuit intact. The DR was discontinued in the early
eighties....until it was re-introduced in re-issue form in the 90's. While the
reissues (referred to as DRRI's) aren't bad, they are not the same animal as
the earlier version. The DRRI uses PCB circuit boards instead of "point to
point" wiring, among other casualities that come along with mass
production. They are true to the look of the original BF versions, but calling
them a "reissue" is a bit of a stretch.
So what's all the fuss about?
All
you need to do is plug into an original BFDR or SFDR to understand why these
amps are so sought after. You'll immediately be impressed with their pristine,
clean tone. Fender is famous for their lush reverb and the Deluxe Reverb is
perhaps the flagship of the reverb fleet. Turn the volume up and you'll begin
to hear the warm tube break up. You'll never get full on distortion unless you
crank it all the way up, but there are some delicious overdriven stops along
the way. At 22 watts the DR is an amp that can get a good overdriven sound
without breaking the windows, but don't be afraid of not having enough volume
to keep up with a drummer.
The
Deluxe Reverb is the perfect launching pad for the serious guitarist. Some will
opt to keep it pure, enjoying the crystal clear cleans and warm, natural tube
overdrive. Others will put a few pedals in front to great effect. Either way,
the Deluxe Reverb is possibly the ultimate amplifer canvas on which a guitarist
can create his or her art.
Originally published by the author at www.suite101.com