Who here plays a SF Deluxe Reverb?

greggorypeccary · April 9th, 2008, 08:46 AM

(Sorry to ayone who may have also read this on TGP, but I thought the Tele forum would be a great place to ask too!)

So for the past couple of years I've been on the amp merry-go-round and can't seem to find myself totally happy with anything, although everything I've tried over the past couple of years has been close. (Currently on the Z bandwagon, great amps but...) I've come to realize the tone in my head that I'm chasing is the basic Fender clean to not quite clean tone. My favorite amp ever is my SF Princeton. I've had it for over 20 years (and many guitars) and no matter what I plug into it they sound great. Add to that, whenever I don't bring my gear to practice and use what the studio has, I always plug into a RI Deluxe or Twin and within seconds I find my tone and am happy.

All that said, how are the SFDR's for gigging? How loud can they go before they start distorting? The 65RI's I've played have sounded pretty good, I don't mind a little crunch and they clean up well when I roll back the volume a little. But given what they cost new I'd rather get an old-school hand wired amp. Plus it would match my Princeton!

The silverfaces are definitely in my price range, even including a possible tune-up/caps/etc. I'm in a band doing classic rock and soul so I really need the cleanish tones, I can hit a pedal for a bit of crunch, but I definitely don't need the power or weight of a Twin.

Thanks for any input on this.

frank4001 · April 9th, 2008, 09:26 AM

I use one for 65% - 75% of my gigs. If it was my only amp I have the 6L6/ss rectifier/ Ev12 type seaker mod. The only shortcoming of the amp is that the transformer can't produce the bass of say a Tremolux, Pro-Reverb or Vibrolux. That being said, the way I have it set up now I can use single coils without pedals and overdrive it easily. I love the sound of this amp. Anything I plug in sounds great through it. I have a Dr.Z Rxes and as great as that amp is...and its awsome....I still grab my Deluxe Reverb, my Tremolux with either a 2x12 or 1x15 or my JTM45. If I'm playing 3 piece I'll go bigger. I still think the Reverend All-Tone is the best speaker I've tried throught the amp but I just loaded a 2x10 baffle with some Emi-Legends...sweet. Get one and don't look back. You'll always find a use for it. A few pedals and you covering anything. They mike up well too...

EMan · April 9th, 2008, 12:52 PM

I put a V30, and JJ6V6's in my '72. Man!!!!!

stantheman · April 9th, 2008, 01:52 PM

My '68 Dripguard.
Totally stock.

Boogie · April 9th, 2008, 11:33 PM

The amp I'm gigging right now is a '79 SFDR. I plug into the Vibrato channel. Weber 12F150, 12AY7 in V2 and Tele with Barden pickups. Between 3-5 is the sweet spot for cleanish tones, 4 is just about perfect and gives me just a hint of dirt. It's remarkably bassy for such a small, low-watt amp and the tone is just as creamy as can be. The reverb and vibrato are also very nice sounding. Blows DRRI (recently sold) and my SF Princeton away.

Telenator · April 10th, 2008, 08:07 AM

I love my '77 SFDR but I put a Weber P12NT speaker in it to clean it up and give it more headroom.

Champs and Princetons have that great rasp that sounds great on a recording or when properly miced, but on their own they sound like a boxey little crap amps on the verge of an aneurism. I like something a little bigger and fuller sounding.

When I think "Fender Dirt" I think Victoria. Victoria makes some of the coolest amps on the planet. Yes, they're expensive but so what. They sound terrific and are essentially bulletproof. They deliver a sweet Fender tone, with a little hair on it. A Victoria will be my next purchase.

jmwjjmwj · April 10th, 2008, 11:24 AM

My main gigging amp is a 1976 SFDR (not BF'd). I recently had it recapped and put an Eminence C-Rex in it. The new speaker really tightened up the low end - no flab here. The cleans are like crystal minus the ice-pick. It starts breaking up around 4-1/2 and handles pedals very well if you need full-on distortion. The reverb is legendary and, bonus!, it only weighs about 40lbs. Quite possibly the perfect amp (IMHO). They have more than enough volume for a typical club gig - I always mic mine anyway because it sounds weird when every thing onstage is coming through the house speakers except the guitar. It sounds disconnected.

April 9th, 2008, 08:46 AM	#1 (permalink)
greggorypeccary Tele-Holic Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Raleigh, NC Posts: 845 36 Photos	Who here plays a SF Deluxe Reverb? (Sorry to ayone who may have also read this on TGP, but I thought the Tele forum would be a great place to ask too!) So for the past couple of years I've been on the amp merry-go-round and can't seem to find myself totally happy with anything, although everything I've tried over the past couple of years has been close. (Currently on the Z bandwagon, great amps but...) I've come to realize the tone in my head that I'm chasing is the basic Fender clean to not quite clean tone. My favorite amp ever is my SF Princeton. I've had it for over 20 years (and many guitars) and no matter what I plug into it they sound great. Add to that, whenever I don't bring my gear to practice and use what the studio has, I always plug into a RI Deluxe or Twin and within seconds I find my tone and am happy. All that said, how are the SFDR's for gigging? How loud can they go before they start distorting? The 65RI's I've played have sounded pretty good, I don't mind a little crunch and they clean up well when I roll back the volume a little. But given what they cost new I'd rather get an old-school hand wired amp. Plus it would match my Princeton! The silverfaces are definitely in my price range, even including a possible tune-up/caps/etc. I'm in a band doing classic rock and soul so I really need the cleanish tones, I can hit a pedal for a bit of crunch, but I definitely don't need the power or weight of a Twin. Thanks for any input on this. __________________ I got the rockin' pneumonia, I need a shot of rhythm and blues! http://www.myspace.com/javablue

April 9th, 2008, 01:52 PM	#4 (permalink)
stantheman Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: White Mountains Posts: 5,071	My '68 Dripguard. Totally stock. __________________ Somebody Loan Me A Dime

April 10th, 2008, 08:07 AM	#6 (permalink)
Telenator Friend of Leo's Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Connecticut Posts: 4,944	I love my '77 SFDR but I put a Weber P12NT speaker in it to clean it up and give it more headroom. Champs and Princetons have that great rasp that sounds great on a recording or when properly miced, but on their own they sound like a boxey little crap amps on the verge of an aneurism. I like something a little bigger and fuller sounding. When I think "Fender Dirt" I think Victoria. Victoria makes some of the coolest amps on the planet. Yes, they're expensive but so what. They sound terrific and are essentially bulletproof. They deliver a sweet Fender tone, with a little hair on it. A Victoria will be my next purchase. __________________ Dogs have the right idea!

April 9th, 2008, 09:26 AM	#2 (permalink)
frank4001 Tele-Meister Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Memphis, TN Posts: 131	I use one for 65% - 75% of my gigs. If it was my only amp I have the 6L6/ss rectifier/ Ev12 type seaker mod. The only shortcoming of the amp is that the transformer can't produce the bass of say a Tremolux, Pro-Reverb or Vibrolux. That being said, the way I have it set up now I can use single coils without pedals and overdrive it easily. I love the sound of this amp. Anything I plug in sounds great through it. I have a Dr.Z Rxes and as great as that amp is...and its awsome....I still grab my Deluxe Reverb, my Tremolux with either a 2x12 or 1x15 or my JTM45. If I'm playing 3 piece I'll go bigger. I still think the Reverend All-Tone is the best speaker I've tried throught the amp but I just loaded a 2x10 baffle with some Emi-Legends...sweet. Get one and don't look back. You'll always find a use for it. A few pedals and you covering anything. They mike up well too...

April 9th, 2008, 12:52 PM	#3 (permalink)
EMan Tele-Holic Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Dallas, Texas Posts: 939	I put a V30, and JJ6V6's in my '72. Man!!!!!

April 9th, 2008, 11:33 PM	#5 (permalink)
Boogie Tele-Meister Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: The Late Great Golden State Posts: 180 14 Photos	The amp I'm gigging right now is a '79 SFDR. I plug into the Vibrato channel. Weber 12F150, 12AY7 in V2 and Tele with Barden pickups. Between 3-5 is the sweet spot for cleanish tones, 4 is just about perfect and gives me just a hint of dirt. It's remarkably bassy for such a small, low-watt amp and the tone is just as creamy as can be. The reverb and vibrato are also very nice sounding. Blows DRRI (recently sold) and my SF Princeton away.

April 10th, 2008, 11:24 AM	#7 (permalink)
jmwjjmwj TDPRI Member Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 43	My main gigging amp is a 1976 SFDR (not BF'd). I recently had it recapped and put an Eminence C-Rex in it. The new speaker really tightened up the low end - no flab here. The cleans are like crystal minus the ice-pick. It starts breaking up around 4-1/2 and handles pedals very well if you need full-on distortion. The reverb is legendary and, bonus!, it only weighs about 40lbs. Quite possibly the perfect amp (IMHO). They have more than enough volume for a typical club gig - I always mic mine anyway because it sounds weird when every thing onstage is coming through the house speakers except the guitar. It sounds disconnected.