‘65 Fender Deluxe Reverb RI w/clean boost

[Hossius Maximus]

Can I raise the clean volume level (headroom) on a ‘65 Fender Deluxe Reverb RI with a clean boost pedal?

I’ve read that it will work but I would like some first hand input.

Thank you.

 

[noname_dragon]

You can boost clean if you haven't run out of clean on your amp already

 

[Hossius Maximus]

So, if I’m not at breakup yet, the boost won’t send it into breakup?

 

[InstantCoffeeBlue]

So, if I’m not at breakup yet, the boost won’t send it into breakup?

It might.

 

[Paul G.]

What kind of guitar are you playing? Something with low output pickups -- Strat, Gretsch, Rick, Danelectro, funky older guitars (e.g. Harmony), old Guild -- you will get more clean volume. If you're playing a guitar with more powerful pickups -- Gibson, PRS, G&L, most Telecasters, etc., you're probably at your clean limit.

 

[schmee]

"Can I raise the clean volume level (headroom) on a ‘65 Fender Deluxe Reverb RI with a clean boost pedal?"
The answer is yes. The tone will depend a lot on the clean boost. For simple clean boost I would go with an MXR Micro Amp. One knob. Set it at 12-1 oclock. Works great.
Make a DR louder?:
-Micro Boost
-A Loud Speaker (Weber 12F150, Emi Red White and Blues, Emi 1258 etc)
-JJ power tubes set not too hot on bias. (minimal effectivity compared with the speaker and MicroBoost.)

My secret weapon for 20 years now has been Hot Pickups and the EC Mid Boost installed in the guitar, set on 0. It just makes a guitar loud. I used the MXR Micro Amp if I didn't have the mid boost installed.

 

[noname_dragon]

With my DR in a country band situation, I like an Analogman modded Boss GE7 as a clean boost for clean country soloing... you can add some mids with it if you like. Of course my rhythm sound is clean, then I step out clean for parts that I want louder. If that amp is at max clean, the clean boost will start to overdrive the front end. Many overdrive pedals will offer clean-ish boost with degrees of EQ and grind. I also like an MXR DynaComp for boosted solos and sustain... nice.

 

[fenderchamp]

Can I raise the clean volume level (headroom) on a ‘65 Fender Deluxe Reverb RI with a clean boost pedal?

I’ve read that it will work but I would like some first hand input.

Thank you.

I use a clean boost to goose my amp, but the result is more compression (gain), not louder cleans.

You can't really get "more clean" easily out of a tube amp if you've already got it turned up where you need it, and it's already compressing, and gainy.

What kind of pickups are you using btw, hot pickups will rob you of your sparkling highs to be sure.

If you really need lots more headroom to get clean leads over a band, like clean country licks, you might want to explore a bigger amp and a compressor maybe, particularly if it's a tube amp (like a twin) and it sounds plinky when you can't turn it up past 3 and you're using a tele.

If you are already miking your DRRI up, maybe just put your amp on a chair or a stand and tilt it toward yourself, get it closer to your ear and talk to the sound guy, and the drummer and other the members of the band possibly. Maybe it's time for a talk about stage volume and dynamics?

I personally found that playing an unmiked DR(RI in my case at the time) with a loud rock drummer, provided me with insufficient headroom, to get clean sounds, but I think some discipline and discussions among the the band could have fixed that.

 

[Hossius Maximus]

What kind of guitar are you playing? Something with low output pickups -- Strat, Gretsch, Rick, Danelectro, funky older guitars (e.g. Harmony), old Guild -- you will get more clean volume. If you're playing a guitar with more powerful pickups -- Gibson, PRS, G&L, most Telecasters, etc., you're probably at your clean limit.

1993 American Standard Telecaster

 

[InstantCoffeeBlue]

I'm not sure how a clean boost is supposed to increase the headroom of an amp. It can't. With a smaller amp like a Deluxe Reverb, the output stage is ultimately going to be the bottleneck. Once the power tubes begin to saturate, you're done and you need to find another way around the problem (ie, ask your drummer nicely to PLAY QUIETER FFS, lol). Can a clean boost magically defy physics and get around the limitations of a small amp's transformers, output tubes and overall design? No, of course not. If anything, you're going to hit power tube saturation even sooner if you're adding more gain up front.

I actually use a clean boost with my Princeton (non-reverb) to compensate for the missing gain stage compared to the PR in that amp. It actually allows me to get some great crunch sounds out of an amp with a rep for being "clean all the way up the dial".

it's a "clean" boost because it's supposed to boost the signal without intentionally adding distortion or other coloration, not because it uses wizardry to turn a 12W amp into a 22W amp, or a 22W amp into a 40W one.

 

[Cosmic Cowboy]

You can find a more efficient speaker. You can get loads of headroom increase with a super efficient speaker in the Deluxe.

 

[zhyla]

I'm not sure how a clean boost is supposed to increase the headroom of an amp. It can't.

This is correct. It has the same effect of raising the volume knob. The only difference is the first preamp triode is seeing a larger signal, which only puts it closer to breakup, not farther.

 

[Dacious]

The BF preamp is not particularly high gain, and due to the negative feedback and preset mid resistor it tends to sound compressed it you boost it with normal tube screamer type devices People are right saying if you're at the edge of volume control breakup you can't really substantially increase volume.

If you just want a boost for soloing or prominent bits, the trick is to get something that pushes treble and mids especially, while preferably cutting bass.

Bass freqs take most power. Mids in a BF/SF amp is what will get you solo power. The Supersonic 22 which has the same clean/reverb channel with no trem sounds a lot louder when you hit the fat button.

That simply kicks up mids. Your perception is the amp is a lot, lot louder.

 

[Hossius Maximus]

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