Anyone tried Deluxe Reverb RI or Vibrolux Reverb RI for PSG

Craig Bailey · Posted 7 Jan 2019 1:20 pm

Has anyone tried a 65 Deluxe Reverb RI or a 68 Vibrolux Reverb RI to see if it would be a good amp for double duty pedal steel and telecaster?

Thanks,

Craig
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Mullen G2, Mullen Discovery, GFI D10 Ultra,
'76 Rosewood Emmons PP, '79 Black Emmons PP
Telonics Amp, Stereo Steel, Fender Vibrasonic & many Telecasters (You can't have too many)

Brett Lanier · From: Madison, TN

I love the 65 deluxe reissue. Not a big fan of the '68 reissues though. i used to run a line out of a '65 deluxe reissue into a split cab, which was a good combination. Sometimes I'll backline two '65 reissue deluxes instead of a twin.

Craig Bailey · Posted 7 Jan 2019 1:41 pm

Did the 65 Deluxe have too much breakup for steel? Did it have plenty of headroom and clear highs for steel. Thanks for your reply.

Craig
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Mullen G2, Mullen Discovery, GFI D10 Ultra,
'76 Rosewood Emmons PP, '79 Black Emmons PP
Telonics Amp, Stereo Steel, Fender Vibrasonic & many Telecasters (You can't have too many)

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

No DR, regardless of the year or if it's original or RI, is going to have 'plenty of headroom for steel'. That doesn't disqualify it -- it can be a great sounding rig.
Listen to Lloyd Green's You Ain't Going Nowhere which was a DR into a 15" cab and it snarls beautifully. But if big sound and clean are important to you, and if you are expecting to have to turn it up to keep up with a band, this is not the best choice.

Craig Bailey · Posted 7 Jan 2019 2:07 pm

Jon, thanks. That's what I figured.

Craig
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Mullen G2, Mullen Discovery, GFI D10 Ultra,
'76 Rosewood Emmons PP, '79 Black Emmons PP
Telonics Amp, Stereo Steel, Fender Vibrasonic & many Telecasters (You can't have too many)

Ken Morgan · From: Midland, Texas, USA

I recall reading a DR was Dan Dugmoreâ€™s choice for several years...thatâ€™s a pretty good endorsement right there
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Ken Morgan
Midland, TX

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

An important factor is how you are planning to use it. If it will be mic'd and you have good confidence in your sound system and your sound man, that would be a different scenario than if you are setting up in a bar and relying on the amp alone.
The Vibrolux, btw, will be more robust.

Ryan Knudson · From: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA

I gig using a silverface Deluxe reverb with a JBL K-120. I like it, but without being mic'ed through the house and into the monitors, it can get a little hairy.

I had a chance to play through my brother's 65 DRRI with a Cannabix Rex speaker, and it sounded pretty sweet.

Benjamin Davidson · Posted 7 Jan 2019 6:49 pm

I've run a DRRI with the steel, and I would limit its use to recording or mic'd work in the right setting. To pull double duty is a great amp choice, depending on your speaker selection.

I would not advertise it as a plenty of head room amp, its made to have some grit.

The one I have had a Celestion Cream Back speaker, which sounded ok for double duty. I've also used Eminences Texas Heat through that amp.

One thing you may also way to play with is swapping out the 12AX7 tubes for 5751s - I prefer the way the 5751s sound in those amps for steel. Smother, a bit less gain, and you can control breakup a bit more.

Per Berner · From: Skovde, Sweden

I use a Deluxe Reverb '65 reissue for steel and Tele. At home volume levels there's enough headroom for PSG, and the tone is great for both. Could be a different story on stage, though.

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

any amp can be successful at any gig, the question is, which gig ?

What are YOUR requirements for the stage or room ?

IF you do not need to push a lot of air in a large room, the DR may be exactly what you need.

If you need to push MORE air it will be exactly what you DON'T need !

Who determines this ? You do.

I have a bi- monthly show where the DR will fit nicely. Lo to moderate volume. I also have weekend gigs where it would be the wrong amp.

Many believe that mic'ing an amp is the solution. IT's only part of the process. Even with an amp that is mic'd if you can't hear it or feel it behind you while the band is "cooking", you will be lost on stage.

A DR can be the perfect amp, in the right scenario. But it will break up early, as designed. All you have to do is define "early".

If they were not so expensive I would own one. But for the money, it's not an every gig amp. It's more of a now and then amp for my needs. It would be an alternative for some small room shows but could never be the ONE AMP solution for my own needs.

Of course some would say, then the band is playing too loud. According to who ? Define loud. We don't dictate a bands overall volume by the amp WE OWN.
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jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years

CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website

Craig A Davidson · From: Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin USA

I have a 68 Deluxe reissue and like Tony says it depends on the gig and the room. I play a blues gig one night a week and it works great for that. I have enough headroom but can make things growl if I need to. What helps is the band knows dynamics and when to play and when not to play.

Norbert Dengler · From: germany

I use peavey 112, silver face twin 72 and silver face deluxe reverb 78 on my gigs. as I play tele too on some songs I really like the deluxe reverb. as tony said, the twin has more clean headroom, but the deluxe is somewhat easier to dial in, easier to carry around and has wonderful singing highs.
playing up the neck is fun and it sustains great. propably a tad of hair on it... its loud enough if you don't play in a rock band and have musical bandmates.

David Spires · From: Millersport, OH

I am often using a '65 reissue Deluxe Reverb head, one channel for steel, and one for guitar or lap steel. At times I like the break-up, or don't need the headroom. Other times I do, and use a Boss GE-7 as an expensive volume control to get my gain structure down before going into the amp.

If I know I need more volume for the gig, I'll switch to a Hot Rod DeVille 2x12", or one of my '65 reissue Twin Reverbs.

Summary - it the studio, and small room style gigs - the Deluxe is great for me.

Best of luck,

David Spires
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2021 MSA Legend XL 10&7; Asher Electro-Hawaiian Junior Lap Steel; '79 OMI Dobro 66 w/ Scheerhorn cone and setup; '64 Hand-wired Re-issue Fender Princeton Reverb

Joshua Gibson · From: Arizona, USA

I played a DRRI for years with steel, one detail that's constantly overlooked with that amp is the bias adjustment pot on the underside of the chassis and the fact that the output transformer is extremely oversized... meaning that you can run 6L6 tubes instead of 6V6's, drop the bias to almost cold plate voltage and the amp will handle anything you can throw at it, the Jensen however will not, I ran a 800W JBL monitor speaker and it sounded killer lol,
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'83 Mullen custom D-10 8x5.
Mesa Lonestar classic 112 custom cab.
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Telonics, Zoom, BJS,
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Charley Paul · From: California, USA

I run my GFI S10 ultra into a 1965 Deluxe Non Reverb. I use a Weber 12F150 speaker. Itâ€™s a beautiful sound. I find it to be plenty loud. Iâ€™ve never turned it past 3-4. Itâ€™s an easy amp to travel with.

I also own a 1966 Pro Reverb, which I love with my steel. But itâ€™s a big amp, and I donâ€™t feel like I need more power than a Deluxe in most situations.

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

swapping a 6V6 pair with the 6L6 pair is indeed possible but be certain that the PT can handle the extra heater current draw which is 2x on the 6L6.

.45 ma 6V6 and .9 ma for the 6L6.
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Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
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jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years

CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

You can run 6L6's in place of the 6V6's, but the benefits are marginal and "iffy" for long term use. You'll get a fuller tone and less distortion, but not much in the way of a power increase. Due to the different design parameters of the two tubes, the change will be stressing both transformers. In Fender's big amps, this usually isn't a problem. But the smaller amps aren't as "over-engineered", so they're far more susceptible to transformer failure.

Chris Reesor · From: British Columbia, Canada

First, my disclaimer: I'm not a gigging steel player (yet).
I really like my DRRI for both steel and guitar, in fact I believe it is one of the best possible "one amp" solutions for a steeler who doubles on guitar.
I agree with Donny on subbing 6L6 output tubes. I did it for a while, but preferred the 6V6 sound for guitar; after all, that is a large part (IMO) of what makes up the DR sound.
The stock Jensen broke up far too easily to be satisfactory for steel use except at very low volumes; for lap steel or straight guitar some might find it perfect.
Subbing a JBL E120 solved that issue at the cost of getting the amp up to 54 lbs. The increased speaker efficiency of around 4 dB is equivalent to more than doubling the amp power as well.
Then I got hold of a K120, which to me is the perfect speaker for the amp, which now weighs a more manageable 47 lbs. This I think is the most important and effective way to make the DR a more viable steel amp.
Using a lower gain tube like a 12AY7 or 5751 in the first preamp tube position will give a little more clean headroom.
I also found it difficult to dial in my reverb setting; it seemed to be either off or too much. Using a lower gain tube in the reverb recovery stage easily fixed that.
This now my favourite amp.
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Excel Superb U12, MIJ Squier tele, modified Deluxe Reverb RI, Cube 80XL, self built acoustics & mandolins

Bobby Nelson · From: North Carolina, USA

Another vote for it depending on your situation. If I was going to travel with a Deluxe, I would have to carry a big gun in the van (twin, super, something at least 40-45 watts), so I didn't get caught in a gunfight with a knife in my hand. The other option, and one I haven't experimented too much with, is to carry another deluxe in case you need both - but I wouldn't carry 2 Deluxes when I knew I'd be safe with a Twin as backup personally.

If I were traveling across the country again, the "two amp in the truck" thing (smaller for small shows, and bigger for the loud ones) is the way I would go. Having a Super Reverb everywhere I went (for guitar, steel is another story I suppose), I rarely if ever came across a situation where I didn't have enough headroom, unless it was an outside gig maybe. But I did come into situations where I had too much amp to do what I needed without destroying my tone, quite a bit - maybe 25-30% of the time.

Jim Pitman · From: Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA

The Fender amps with a 12AX7 immediately without vol control attenuation can run out of headroom quickly. - Try input 2. It attenuates.

Josh Yenne · From: Sonoma California

My main gigging amp is a 66 deluxe with a jbl. The reissues are not nearly the amps the real ones were but they are a lot of the back line amps at festivals and such.

I usually just request â€œFender style amp with reverbâ€
Usually get a deluxe.

Can always work with it it.

Dear god at least itâ€™s not a Peavy!!

Most gigs if the band plays at a reasonable level OR u have good sound reinforcement a deluxe should be fine.

Pat Wickersheim · From: Wisconsin, USA

I'm new to playing steel; however, I've been playing music for almost 40 years...â€¦.. I have been using my 65 RI with just a DD3 delay....the RI has a JBL "D" series 12" speaker... does pretty well... I just tried my Deluxe Reverb ll which is when Rivera was building these with Fender... Ive had a mod put in it years ago with different power and pre amp tubes. I can pull the high and mid nobs for boost... this lil devil sings and I mean sings clean at any volume.... And I absolutely love it with my B bender Tele.

Pat Wickersheim · From: Wisconsin, USA

I'm new to playing steel; however, I've been playing music for almost 40 years...â€¦.. I have been using my 65 RI with just a DD3 delay....the RI has a JBL "D" series 12" speaker... does pretty well... I just tried my Deluxe Reverb ll which is when Rivera was building these with Fender... Ive had a mod put in it years ago with different power and pre amp tubes. I can pull the high and mid nobs for boost... this lil devil sings and I mean sings clean at any volume.... And I absolutely love it with my B bender Tele.

Rich Upright · From: Florida, USA

A better alternative to a DR would be a Peavey Classic 30..more clean headroom,later breakup, similar sound, & they can be had used around here all day for between $200-$300. Mine was $225. Always 1 or 2 on Craigs around here at the same time.
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A couple D-10s,some vintage guitars & amps, & lotsa junk in the gig bag.

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