Your opinion: Fender Deleuxe Reverb RI or Vibrolux Reverb

Hello,
I am thinking of buying another amp. I am choosing between a Fender Deluxe Reverb RI and a Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb. I tried both, but could not A/B them.
However I am not sure what would be the better choice. I am not sure after playing them.

I play mostly Tele (52 RI) and Strat (62 RI). Most of the time i will use it in practice room and for small to medium Club gigs.
I am looking for a kind of bluesy sound with natural overdrive of a cranked tube amp. (Roy Buchanan, Popa Chubby, SRV) and a nice Fender clean when rolling off the voume knob.
My current Amps are a Fender Concert (Rivera) that is too loud for small clubs and a Peavey Classic 30 (that is loud too, because I use it with a Celestion G 12 H 30 speaker that has a lot of db/Watt...)
Any opinions/experiences?
Thanks in advance,
Klaus

CVR has smooth overdrive and thick tone ..(blond ones look killer, find a blond one).

I'm guessing that if the Classic 30 is too loud, so will either of these amps.

Either a Silverface Princeton OR perhaps a Champ II
should be adequate. Back in the 70's we used to play
at a place called "The Town Grille" with just Silverface
Champs but the Drummer used his brain and played
with brushes. Champ II is more affordable than a Princeton Reverb (less than half the cost).
Also, don't forget the Delta Blues Amps from Peavey
AND if you can find one the Classic 20 (good luck on the Classic 20, people ain't selling them, they're very cool
little amps).

Although I've never played a CVR, I get the idea that it's quite a different beast than a BF Vibrolux like Roy played... Roy favored the Vibro's, Twins, & Peavey Classics; but he dimed all the amp's knobs & just got his different shades of rage from the guitar's knobs - in other words, he was louder than crap. That might be a tall order for your situation.

To answer your question as best I can - most folks I know that play CVR's mod them to get closer to '63 Vibroverb RI feel, which of course is a sorta kinda brownface tone, & is darker-voiced than the chosen blackface tones of the guys you want to emulate.

Fender Deluxe Reverb RI - I'm currently dressing mine up to sell. Some folks replace tubes, speakers, snip wires, etc., for this amp - and I've definitely made upgrades to relatively inexpensive amps that I basically liked - however, the stock DRRI is so far away from what I consider to be good basic tone that it's tough for me to advocate making a bunch of moves here - I have to say that I just find this amp to be harsh & brittle & unforgiving. Honestly, I'd pass on this amp. Fender Pro Jr. (2 EL84's) sounds MUCH better among stock current offerings in my opinion. Same volume knob 'clean to mean' between the two - DR of course has a bit more bass with its 12"... but the headroom between the two is really not that far off, & the Pro Jr. kicks the DRRI's butt for pure tone, so much more organic sounding... don't get a Blues Jr. either, yuck (JMHO)...

It sounds to me like you seek something in the BF Fender tone stack camp, 6L6's or 6V6's, in the bang for the buck dept. You might also consider checking out Traynor 20 watt amps.

Hello, thanks for your input!
As far as you suggested the Pro Jr. I must say that i'ld like to have reverb in the amp and I liked the reverb in the DRRI very much. Much deeper than the reverb in my Classic 30. I also liked it's basic sound (but never tried an old blackface or silverface - however those old amps are hard to find and quite expensive here in Germany)
I tried a Blues Jr. once and I had the problem to get a really clean sound thats loud enough in a band context.
Comparing the DRRI to my Classic 30, the Classic 30 was louder IMO.

Is the CVR louder than the DRRI?
If so it might be too loud for my needs.
I will ask in the store if I can try the amps with my band - this might help...

Thank you again,
Klaus

I must say that i'ld like to have reverb in the amp ... (... never tried an old blackface or silverface - however those old amps are hard to find and quite expensive here in Germany)... I tried a Blues Jr. once and I had the problem to get a really clean sound thats loud enough in a band context ... Is the CVR louder than the DRRI? If so it might be too loud for my needs.
Yes, with a higher wattage and 2x10 speakers vs. 1x12, the CVR is likely to be somewhat louder than the DRRI.

Just given what you've said, you might want to have a look at this recent thread for some suggestions. I don't know which models are readily available in Germany, but perhaps you can audition some of these:

http://www.tdpri.com/viewtopic.php?t=15858

Also, while I know vintage US amps are very hard to find in Europe, and very expensive when you do find them, IF you ever happen to stumble onto a silverface Princeton Reverb, I think you'd like it – a LOT. :-) Plus, you could always put in new speaker baffle with a 12" speaker to beef up the sound.

Best of luck in your search, CS :-)

My current Amps are a Fender Concert (Rivera) that is too loud for small clubs and a Peavey Classic 30 (that is loud too, because I use it with a Celestion G 12 H 30 speaker that has a lot of db/Watt...)

If I were you, I'd set up those 2 amps the way I like them and use an attenuator or 2 to control the overall output.

If you don't like the Reverb grab yourself a Holy Grail
and run through that. Everyone should have a Grail.
I've got a "real blackface tank from the 60's" and I
NEVER bring it out. The Holy Grail has it covered,
truthfully I'm not too hot on Reverb to begin with.
I want to run as dry as possible, like a good martini. 8)

In your little world maybe! I'm not saying the DRRI's are perfect, because they arent, BUT, neither is any other amp I have ever played on, be it vintage or new. My DRRI with NOS tubes and hotter bias will play circles around ANY Pro Jr. I have ever heard, and sounds just as good as many of the vintage amps I have played on. I think the supposed issues of the Reissues is getting a little old. :roll:

In your little world maybe!

Well, my Silverelectrocrunch w/ NOS KT-wizzbangers will sound way better than any amp you can think of... So don't even try to...

Oooh... is there going to be a fight? :-)
amps are so varied, and so are people; I guess that, as the old saying goes, one mans meat is another mans poison. Personally I have never tried any of these, so I am totally impartial, but if someone in my area would like to give me a sound test to tell "Which is the best" I'll be only too happy to ajudicate :-)

Send this Man a Tremolux. Klaus just keep checking
the "Garage Sale" and you'll make out for a decent
price on an American Point To Point Wired Amp.
What you've got now sounds decent enough to my way of thinking. I love Concerts (the last decently priced
hand wired Fender Amp) You should be able to adjust
the second channel to any enviroment.

In your little world maybe! I'm not saying the DRRI's are perfect, because they arent, BUT, neither is any other amp I have ever played on, be it vintage or new. My DRRI with NOS tubes and hotter bias will play circles around ANY Pro Jr. I have ever heard, and sounds just as good as many of the vintage amps I have played on. I think the supposed issues of the Reissues is getting a little old. :roll:

Ha ha... Hey, my world ain't so little! I hope you didn't take offense to my post. Klaus did ask for opinions, so I threw mine into the pot. I can only call 'em the way I hear 'em, & folks definitely have different tastes in tone. I'm not sentimental or biased about gear just because I own it or have owned it - I either dig it or I don't.

For the record - I never said that a Pro Jr. was better than a modded DRRI; what I said was that I didn't care enough for the tone of the stock DRRI to justify going to any lengths in modding it. I had a Celestion Vintage 30 laying around, slapped that in, took it back out, replaced tubes, but that's about as far as it went for me. That's certainly not exhausting the possibilities... I've never been able to afford NOS tubes for even my very favorite amps, so I'd have to be pretty impressed with an amp to go that route. Who knows, your modded DRRI might make the hair on my neck stand up. I had a Carvin Bel Air 2 x 12 for a while, didn't dig it either... but a friend of mine put some TLC into his, upgraded speakers, tubes, did some other stuff, & it sounded pretty nice. All I'm saying is that I have to dig the amp in the first place before I'll go to the trouble & expense of modding it.

Also for the record - You want catch me making a derogatory blanket statement about reissues in general, no more than you'll catch me making blanket statements like all PCB amps suck, or that newer amps are by default inferior to vintage amps, or stuff to that effect. I have two '63 reissue Vibroverbs that I love. I love 'em enough to have upgraded the Oxfords, which I hate, & new JJ's tubes for those amps shipped out today from Eurotubes. But some folks don't dig those amps either. Hey, it's no skin off my nose. I don't take offense when somebody rags on a piece of gear that I like. That's their opinion, & they're more than entitled to it, as far as I'm concerned. In fact, I very much prefer strong, straight up opinions about gear, even when I adamantly disagree. Those are usually the types of observations that I learn something from.

As for the DRRI - well what can I say, I just never warmed up to it... I gigged it 4-5 times & just always came off the gigs frustrated & disappointed. Maybe it's because I gigged my buddy's vintage '65 DR before buying the reissue, & thought that the real deal sounded so righteous. Maybe I'm giving up on it too soon, who knows. Also, I tracked with the DRRI, & just very much prefer the way the Pro Jr. sits in a track. Pro Jr. ain't no holy grail either, but I dig it. Anyway, just because I don't dig something & you do, doesn't make me right & you wrong. It just means that you dig it & I don't. That's all.

Everybody has their own personal tastes. If we didnt, music would be pretty boring! :lol:

It's just fun to agitate sometimes! :D

Someone pls correct me if I'm wrong, but i believe the Vibrolux has the brownface type tremolo which modulates the bias to the power tubes, as opposed to the choppy BF trem of the DRRI (which I really don't care for - I honestly prefer a Dano Tuna Melt)

Also, the Vibrolux has reverb+trem on both channels, unlike the DRRI.

I'd go the Vibrolux, and drop in a pair of Weber P10Rs for earlier breakup/texture if playing a small gig - that way I could use, say, a pair of C10NQs for gigging outdoors.

My .02

I just added another DRRI amp to my somewhat diminished collection. It sounds great.

I had decided awhile back to get another amp and I was fortunate enough to get to take home 6 or 7 amps from the music store and AB them.

Peavey Classic 4X10
Fender Hot Rod Deville 4X10
Fender Vibrolux (used)
Peavey Transtube Bandit
Fender Blues Jr.
Crate something
Fender Twin Reverb

I'm leaving something else out but I can't remember. It must not have impressed me much.

Out of these amps I chose the Hot Rod Deville because the Twin was so expensive. The Vibrolux had sort of a one dimensional tone, thick and dark. It actually came in forth behind the Twin, HRD, and Peavey Bandit.

As I mentioned I ended up buying the Hot Rod Deville. Well it wasn't long before I stumbled onto a '69 Deluxe Reverb at a good deal. I picked it up and had the necessary maintenance done. Wow, what an amp.

I then became dissatisfied with the HRD and have since traded it back in for a new DRRI.

This new amp sounds better than the old one.

Sooo, with that said. Good luck. I think you would dig the DRRI.

Everybody has their own personal tastes. If we didnt, music would be pretty boring! :lol:

It's just fun to agitate sometimes! :D

Cool beans man... but hey brother, you'll have to work a little harder than that if you wanna push my buttons! Cheers.

Hello again,
and thanks alot for your opinions.

I visited the store again and compared the DRRI to the Classic 30. Especially with my Tele I liked the basic sound of the DRRI better. The salesman told me, that they get a CVR next days so I can A/B them.

The Concert (1x12, Rivera period) sounds nice, but also quite different compared to the DRRI. And the Concert is VERY heavy. As far as the drive channel was mentioned.... I have to confess, that I never use it. IMO it lacks bass and is too harsh.
However - next thing to do is comparing the DRRI und the CVR and to ask to check them with my band.
But i have to say that I almost took the DRRI, after trying it again :-)
By the way I also looked for older DR - they are very rare here in Germany and much more expensive than the DRRI

Klaus