Deluxe/Band-master VM

[Gringo13]

I got a black Deluxe VM the other day and I'm a big fan of this amp with the misleading name. A lot like a modified Hot Rod Deluxe... not based on much of anything "vintage", but can snag some damn good tele-tones. Anyone else have it? Pics upcoming....

[mellecaster]

Poor Russell is lonely on this Post guys....somebody else here must own one ??

[tgfmike]

Where are the pics that G13 promised us, lo these many weeks ago?

[lareplus]

I would like to know more about the Deluxe VM. . .some good reviews on HC.
Does anyone like it? How does it do with pedals???

[getbent]

our other guitarist has one. it has been replaced twice now under warranty.

I love his playing, but I don't like that amp very much. the reverb is not great and he uses a lot of it.

It would not be an amp I would buy.

[wannapickone]

Originally Posted by getbent

our other guitarist has one. it has been replaced twice now under warranty.

I love his playing, but I don't like that amp very much. the reverb is not great and he uses a lot of it.

It would not be an amp I would buy.

If your fellow band mate played with less reverb, would like the amp?
I have this amp and have the reverb at 2 1/2 and compression at noon settings on all 4 knobs......this is for most new country songs and works well for me. Of course this is subjective I know. It is a very versatile amp. INMHHHHO.
WPO

[Gringo13]

Haven't been on the computer too much lately.

TGF... Pics are still upcoming hahaha I'm trying to get the perfect shot of my Harley, Amp, both Teles, and a woman hot enough to stand in with them! I think it's close! : )

Lare... the only pedals I can speak for with this amp are the MXR Phase 90 and MXR Compressor. With my other amp (Egnater Rebel 20), I used an OD pedal as well, but I don't need it with the gain channel on this amp. The phaser works well and so does the compressor, but I took the compressor out of the loop, as I don't really need it. The amp comes with a pedal that allows the instant switch of gain/clean, reverb, and chorus. I love the gain/clean aspect, but I honestly can't speak for the use of other pedals. I'm planning to try a fuzz pedal pretty soon, though.

Getbent... Fender has had issues with a resistor on this amp. I bet your guy's issue was that the amp wouldn't go "active" after the stand-by switch was turned on. That's the most common issue with this amp, and apparently, since it's a newer amp, a lot of techs aren't familiar with repairing them. And you're right, that could be risky! Regarding the reverb, I have found that if I turn it to the same level as I would on a DRRI, then the VM reverb doesn't sound good (cheesy, maybe). However, if I keep it around 2ish, then it sounds fine for my ears. I don't play "surfy" stuff and I'm no vintage Fender expect to say the least, so I can't speak for others' reverb standards.

Personally, I find this to be a unique and versatile amp. It fits me pretty nicely, considering that I don't like a complicated pedal loop and I use both channels about the same amount with the songs I write and cover. Drawbacks? Yes. Besides the stand-by issue (kind of a big deal), I am happy with this amp.

[tgfmike]

Originally Posted by Gringo13

TGF... Pics are still upcoming hahaha I'm trying to get the perfect shot of my Harley, Amp, both Teles, and a woman hot enough to stand in with them! I think it's close! : )

I'll check back in another couple of months then.

[gtrplyr335]

OK...just received a new (used) Fender Deluxe VM Limited Edition yesterday.
I've had less than an hour to try it out but my first thoughts are....it sounds great.

The clean channel isn’t quite as loud as say….a Rivera Chubster…but it had more than enough dBs for me and without breaking up.
And…I liked how the clean volume knob didn’t have all its muscle in the first 3 numbers on the dial. It seemed like a smooth, gradual increase.

The dirty channel has more control with a gain / volume / bass / mid / treble and I’ll take some time to get comfy with that. (shades of the Fender Montreux…less one mid control) The effects seem to work just fine….I actually like the reverb…plenty wet there. Only driven the Tele so far....

Please....if you have one of these little monsters....share your views with the others. It's partly this website and it's forum that I ended up with this amp. I own a Roland Cube 60 and a Phil Jones Cub 100 (for the orchestra pit work) and this is my first tube amp in many, many years. I think I'm gonna like it and I will update my review when I've had more hours under my strap.

Have a good one and remember....please share.

[gtrplyr335]

OK... Just came from driving some other guitars through the new amp. It's still holding it's own.
I'm still working with the clean channel more and trying to find the sweet spot depending upon which guitar I'm using.
Whether it's the Strat or Tele....there is still plenty of head room on the clean sound. While the bass and treble controls don't react dramatically when you change them...they do offer a nice color palette of tone. The low end isn't super muddy and the high end isn't that "ice pick in the ear" treble either.
Now when I say there is plenty of head room I mean inside...by myself...without drums and other instruments it certainly sounds like more than enough volume. And....I can really tell the difference between the warmer sound vs. the crystal clean sound of the Cube 60. It has it's place too but the tone I'm hearing is very refreshing. Makes me want to play some old school blues...rock...just old school. When you start to push the envelope a bit on the volume, there is this very slight break-up in the amp or the speaker...not sure which. It's hard to discribe. All of you dyed-in-the-wool tube jockeys know what I'm talking about. Those of you who have only driven solid state amps....you just have to spend some time in front of a couple of tubes....It's sweet !

I'm still getting used to the effects and what setting work for me. The reverb, at least to me sounds very spring like. How do they do that?
Oh yea.....when I plugged in the Gibson 335.....well, it was SWEET.
I have a gig in a couple of weeks with the big band...can't wait to try it out in that setting.....
This could be a very underated little combo amp here...
More to come....
__________________

[Jack]

I just made a review in another thread that was on this forum, but that thread shows as being moved? Anyhow, y'all can check that out. Bottom line is I love this amp. I'm a little concerned from what Gringo13 said about the issues. Mine works great; I hope it doesn't start giving me problems as I bought the floor model as it was all they had in stock so I don't have a box to ship it off if necessary.

Regardless, I'm going to fight through what ever comes and will get as many replacements as needed because I love this amp. Fender has a rock solid five year warranty should I need it.

The reverb and other effects on this amp are superb! The reverb can get really cavernous if not used in moderation. I can't get mine past 3 and normally use it at ~ 2.5. Sounds great though.

gtrplyr335.. what is the Limited Edition you got? Mine is the blond. Is that limited or just an alternate color? I don't like the cheesy badge and will probably take it off.

Awesome amp! I couldn't be happier.

[Gringo13]

Jack.... the issues I experienced were minor, but could be an issue of they got worse. I wouldn't worry too much about it, as I think it was a bad batch of resistors (I think) that Fender had installed in these amps early on. Basically, if I used the stand-by switch, the amp sometimes wouldn't go back to "active". It was easily remedied by turning the power off and back on, but that shouldn't be necessary and I didn't know if it was a warning of something catastrophic in the near future. Anyway, a local music store has a guy that repairs Fender amps and honors the warranty, so it's not a big deal. I love this amp and so does everyone I've let play it!

If you haven't noticed any issues yet, then I wouldn't stress it too much. Those symptoms showed up early on and even one of the display amps in the store had it! I just know it was a common problem early on with these. Congrats on a great amp!

[Jack]

Thanks Gringo. Mine has a little back ground hiss when turned up a bit (what tube amps don't?), but otherwise it's perfect.

[gtrplyr335]

QUOTE: "gtrplyr335.. what is the Limited Edition you got? Mine is the blond. Is that limited or just an alternate color? I don't like the cheesy badge and will probably take it off."
* * * * * * * * * * *
Mine came with a small plate on the back that states it's a Limited Edition model. What I've read is that they only made 500 of these units. I'm just not sure how they differ from the other "Blonde" versions.

All I do know is that with each passing day...I'm lovin' this amp more and more. All you tube purisits out there...Just give this one a try. I'm telling you that it's the sleeper amp of the year.

[Jack]

After a week with the amp it just keeps getting better. I can't believe the lack of discussion about one of the best amps Fender's ever put out. Just incredible IMO.

I rolled in set of Tung Sol's, but eventually found them to be a bit too bright so I put the Sovtek back in V3 and it sounds much better. Any of you guys try different pre-amp tubes? Anyone tried a 5751 in either slot yet?

[gtrplyr335]

OK.... Last night was the first gig with the new Deluxe VM...she passed with flying colors. Now keep in mind for the past 20 years I've used nothing but solid state amps and I had forgotten what a tube amp sounds like.

The gig was my 4 piece jazz group...drums / bass / vibraphone and me. The guitar of choice for the evening was my Epiphone Elitest Byrdland with flatwound strings. Never had the amp over 4 on the clean volume channel. (This was not a gig to use the dirty channel). It was difficult at times to control dynamics and sometimes I thought I was overplaying...at least in volume. Also, I think the flatwound strings naturally having a darker sound was a bit too dark through this amp. The bass on the amp was turned down to about 2 or 3 and the treble was somewhere in the neighborhood of 6 or 7.

It was quieter than I had antisipated. The club where we played is a much older place and I worried that the electricity in the house would give me a problem with buzzzz and hummmmmm. No problems though...

Now next Saturday will be a great test for the new blonde beast...I play in the big band ( 9 piece with horns )...outside....and we will do everything from swing music..to R&B...and even a Santana cover tune. I think that gig will call for my Gibson 335 with round wound strings. It's a real versital guitar and should put the VM though it's paces. I will post after the gig to let you know how it drove....I'm hoping outside I will have enough clean headroom for most of the night. Stay Tuned....And please, post more of your comments about the amp. The more people know about it...the more it will grow in popularity....

[gtrplyr335]

Well....As promised, here's my update on the first "real" gig with the Fender Deluxe VM....
The big band had a gig last Saturday evening....outside....and because of almost certain rain, I decided not to inflict punishment on my new acquisition.
Instead, I took the Roland Cube 60 as my amp of choice....and I'm glad I did...
As the last note of the last song of the first set was being played....the skies opened up and we all got drenched. The dummies throwing the event we were playing for provided us with a stage but no cover at all....
My PA....amp....pedals...were all drenched... oh yea, me too.
Took everything home to dry out for a day and everything seems to be working fine... so far.
Just glad the new amp didn't have to go thru that....
I didn't want it to think it had found an evil owner....

More later....How about more VM owners updating your experiences here?
Gtrplyr335

[Gringo13]

gtr... sorry about your weather misfortunes, but I'm glad the VM was spared! I wanted to update a little bit on my VM tone. I use very few pedals, but I also don't like to mess with the amp much once I'm set, so with a lot of amps this can be a problem. Lately, the material I've been writing and playing seems to need a lot of gain (for me, that's 4-5 on the amp), or it needs just a little bit of dirt (sort of like a tube amp barely breaking up), so I have been using my amp pedal to control the heavier dirt and running my Green Screamer (with the gain on 1-3)when I'm using the clean channel. My rock n roll and alt. country tones have never been better. I love this amp!

On a different note, however, I am strongly considering a new speaker as some of my lower tunings are seeming a bit flubby. The problem is that the stock speaker is very shallow (4.7" I think) and not many good after-market speakers seem to fit the specs. Anyone know of any they'd recommend?

[tgfmike]

Originally Posted by Gringo13

TGF... Pics are still upcoming hahaha I'm trying to get the perfect shot of my Harley, Amp, both Teles, and a woman hot enough to stand in with them! I think it's close! : )

I guess I checked back again too soon.

[ankn]

Originally Posted by Gringo13

gtr... sorry about your weather misfortunes, but I'm glad the VM was spared! I wanted to update a little bit on my VM tone. I use very few pedals, but I also don't like to mess with the amp much once I'm set, so with a lot of amps this can be a problem. Lately, the material I've been writing and playing seems to need a lot of gain (for me, that's 4-5 on the amp), or it needs just a little bit of dirt (sort of like a tube amp barely breaking up), so I have been using my amp pedal to control the heavier dirt and running my Green Screamer (with the gain on 1-3)when I'm using the clean channel. My rock n roll and alt. country tones have never been better. I love this amp!

On a different note, however, I am strongly considering a new speaker as some of my lower tunings are seeming a bit flubby. The problem is that the stock speaker is very shallow (4.7" I think) and not many good after-market speakers seem to fit the specs. Anyone know of any they'd recommend?

I have just ordered a Weber NeoMag 12. It is supposed to sound like an old JBL D120. It is a tad heavier (8.5lb), but at $160 it has a sensitivity at 102 db which should make it louder and maybe cleaner than the stock Celestion. In addition, it has a depth of only
3.75" (9.52cm), effectively increasing the space between the speaker and the tubes.