Fender 65 Deluxe Reverb

Fender amplifiers (especially blackface amps) are famous of their sparkling clean tone. The '65 Deluxe Reverb is no exception: this amp with its managable 22 W power gives shimmering, sparkling beautiful cleans even at bedroom level.

In contrary to the Fender Blues Junior and some other low-budget Fender tube amps the volume potentiometer of the Deluxe Reverb is tapered beautifully: the amp gets loud at around 4, below that it can be used at home without problems (especially when input 2 is used). Many reviewers across the internet mention that the sound can be icepicky - this is something that I did not experience. In my opinion a Marshall plexi or a Marshall Studio Vintage are bright amps and can have harsh treble, but the Deluxe Reverb is a totally balanced amp which can sound beautiful with any guitar (I tried with a Fender Stratocaster, Telecaster and with Gibson humbuckers).

Those who expect rock and roll overdrive from an amp may be disappointed by the Deluxe Reverb. Turning up the volume will first produce heavenly tube compression and then a light/medium overdrive (at this point the amp is very loud). One should understand that this amp is not designed for overdriven tones, it is made to produce bell-like cleans. And I have never heard an amp doing it better than the '65 DRRI. Being a great pedal platform, overdriven or distorted tones can be achieved with stompboxes. Looking at the Fender range of RI tube amps the Fender Twin Reverb is too loud and heavy for a non-arena gig, the Princeton is too small. '65 DRRI has the perfect size and weight.

I know that the amp is not cheap at all, but in my opinion it is worth every penny. I also considered the '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb, but after listening many YouTube-reviews I found it to lack those shimmering highs which are present in the tone of the '65 reissue. After owning a few good smaller sized tube amps (30 W Orange, Fender Blues Jr., Marshall SV20C) I did not want versatility, I just wanted one good sound that can be the foundation of my sound. I am glad I found it.

I have to add that the reverb and vibrato (which really is a tremolo) effects on this amp are out of this world. Last time I found a built-in effect useful was the chorus sound of a Roland JC120. The effects of the '65 DRRI are just as (or even more) iconic as the chorus of the JC120.

I bought this one year ago, after having used a vintge 70s one in the studio for recording my album. Tube amp iso a must for me, as i only use analogue effects.

Sound: like most Fender tube amps, this sounds PERFECT. Clean all the way through volume level 4, slightly crunchy at 5-6, distorted after 7. This amp does NOT have a distorted/crunchy/overdrive channel, this gets done the old fashioned way, adjusting the volume level. I use it at 4, which is still clean, but very bright, but my sound is enhanced permanently using an Ibanez Tube Screamer (TS9) at 20% gain. I use the Vibrato channel, as i just love the reverb ( real spring reverb!) and i keep it at level 3. I don't really use the tremolo effect on the amp, i find it a bit too soft (using a Marshall tremolo pedal instead).

I use a Fender Jaguar and a Gibson LP, the amp sounds really perfect with both single coils and with humbuckers. When i switch from the Jaguar to the Gibson, i just turn Treble up from 5 to 6, and Bass down from 6 to 5.

I use it at home now, i don't play in a band these days. I use it through a Koch Dummybox Home (and a Vox mini-amp at rhe end) to play through headphones most of the times. I imagine that using this for small gigs, for me at leadt, would surely need amplification, as you cannot crank it up too much if you want to keep it sounding clean (as it does not have a Clean channel); so i would keep it at volume 4, which gives the sound i need, and amplify it (maybe with the dummyload!).

I'm not rating this 5 for features and handling as it is not really for everyone, anyone. No loop circuit for effects rig, no overdrive channel, the Power and Stand-by switches are in the back (but you get the hang of that in a coupke of weeks), and it is pretty heavy for only 22W. BUT that is all in the name of keeping it identical to the original Deluxe, and rhe result is pretty good, my guitars sound the same as through the vintage one that got me into Deluxe Reverb in the firrst place.

Skip all the pedals, and plug in. feel the magic.

This thing sounds rich, and for anyone not thrashing/tapping/screaming, this thing will pull off everything you throw at it. Neighbours will also be well aware of its arrival. There is more punch than any home needs, and is ideal for any mic'd stage.

The vibrato channel is annoyingly noisy/clicky unless the vibrato is off, but that is somewhat expected given that this amp-and-circuit design is not supposed to behave like a modern piece of kit. The reverb is delicious, and is often rich-enough at 3-4.

The 'normal' channel seems to play nicely with pedal-fx such as overdrive, wah, etc. just run 'treble' and 'bass' at 6-7, sometimes there is too much high-end. At low volumes of 1-2, it sounds sweet.

My reverb pedals tend to fall shy of this spring-reverb, which is re-assuring given the terms 'deluxe' and 'reverb' in the product name.

Now waiting for the neighbours to take a long-holiday so I can run the valves warmer....