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Post subject: Blues Deluxe/Deville
Posted: Sun May 30, 2010 8:39 pm
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Whats the difference other than the wattage & speakers/size.Sorry if it's a stupid question,I'm new to Fender amps.I've been a Marshall guy for years but I need/want a combo so I just put $ down on a BDRI recently,was just curious.I'd much rather have a Bassman (or Bluesbreaker...sorry if thats sacrilage around here :lol: ) but money just wont permit it.Also,Ive heard stories regarding reliability with the BDRI,should I be worried...anyone selling a Bassman cheap,haha.


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Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 12:52 am
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The power supply and output tranny are beefier in the Blues Deville to allow the power tubes to be pushed harder and produce twenty additional watts.

The 5F6-A re-issue will be instantly familiar to you (as a Marshall fan) since JCM's original design was light-fingered verbatim from Leo's 4 x 10 Bassman.

As for reliability issues, I would choose the Bassman over the Deluxe/Deville five out of four times. YMMV though.

:mrgreen:

Arjay


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Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 1:49 pm
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The reliability issues I keep reading about this amp are actually starting to scare me.The one I have on layaway is a floor model at GC for $550,I'm highly considering getting something else instead.I know Fender does the 5 yr warranty but as GC is not a service center I'd still have to pay shipping fees to send it to Fender if (or when from what Ive read) something goes bad.Any recommendations for a small amp in this price range?


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Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 2:47 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
The power supply and output tranny are beefier in the Blues Deville to allow the power tubes to be pushed harder and produce twenty additional watts.

The 5F6-A re-issue will be instantly familiar to you (as a Marshall fan) since JCM's original design was light-fingered verbatim from Leo's 4 x 10 Bassman.

As for reliability issues, I would choose the Bassman over the Deluxe/Deville five out of four times. YMMV though.

:mrgreen:

Arjay


+1. My HRDlx was a reliability nightmare. It was in the shop more time than any of my other amps combined. I'd keep saving. A used DRRI will cost not all that much more. About $600-750. I'd rather have an amp with no warranty that an amp that needed it every few gigs like mine did.

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Posted: Mon May 31, 2010 9:47 pm
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Screw it,I'm just gonna get a smaller cab for my plexi,it sounds great & never let me down.Guess I'm just always looking for a little more convenience as opposed to lugging around a head,cab,attenuator,pedalboard etc.Hope GC is cool about canceling layaways.


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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 7:26 am
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My blues deluxe has been very reliable... Are there any tube amps (espcially fender) that DON'T have at least some reliability issues ? You should expect your amp to be in the shop about once every 2 years... that is if you play it frequently... $550 for a new blues deluxe is a deal you will not be finding anytime soon... Good luck !

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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 7:38 am
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Well,other than retube/rebias my Marshalls have NEVER been in the shop,of course they weren't cheap.Oops,I take that back,after about 15 yrs & several falls once my 30th Ann fell from the top of a full stack & I had to take it in (for minor repairs no less). It seems most of the problems with the Blues Deluxe that I read about are because of the PCB & having the tubes mounted directly to it & below it of all things.


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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 9:34 am
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I bought my Blues Deluxe new back in 95, it got lots of play back in the 90s, then it took a long break until I started playing again couple years ago, had to take it in for some repair/cleaning, $100 later the amp was better than new! New tubes helped too...

I dont have experience with the new MIM BDlx. Also have a DeVille 410, bought 2 years ago, still brand new, doesnt see much play... if you're looking for great clean then BDlx is a better option. The 410 is a beast, both size and sound, nice warm tone, better OD channel than Dlx, but I prefer playing clean and using a tubescreamer instead.


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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 9:35 am
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CajunBlues wrote:
My blues deluxe has been very reliable... Are there any tube amps (espcially fender) that DON'T have at least some reliability issues ? You should expect your amp to be in the shop about once every 2 years... that is if you play it frequently... $550 for a new blues deluxe is a deal you will not be finding anytime soon... Good luck !


My 76 Twin saw a shop once since it was new for a preventative maintenance recap and retube a few years ago. It saw 30 years of tough gigging. Every two years is nonsense except for my HRDlx that saw a shop for repair not maintenance every 2 months on average with light gigging. For a retube with newer production tubes, two years may be about right, but not for flat out design ans component failures. My Champ is a 74 and never saw the inside of a shop. My 73 Bandmaster never gave me any problems either as well as my 64 Vibrolux except for a cap job.

I wouldn't buy any HRD series except maybe for 50 or 100 bucks so I could gut it and build something else in it. :wink:

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Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 9:38 am
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You know after snooping around ebay for a while, I suppose you could easily get a used Blues Deluxe for about $450... I didn't realize how cheap they are... But you know I have heard of reliabitliy issues with the Deluxe Reverb also...

Funny story... I was in a used music shop about 2 months ago (Music Brokers) and I was talking to the clerk and he was telling me how reliable the vintage fenders were in comparison to the reIssues... Well we stroll down to where the vintage fender amps were and all 6 of them were un-usable due to issues with popping, no volume, cutting in and out, etc....

So now I don't know what to believe... All I can say is that I have had issues with all my fender tube amps... I have never had a lemon... But I would say that if I use an amp a lot, I can expect it to be in the shop around once in every 2 years...

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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 9:44 am
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63supro wrote:
Every two years is nonsense except for my HRDlx that saw a shop for repair not maintenance every 2 months on average with light gigging. For a retube with newer production tubes, two years may be about right, but not for flat out design ans component failures. :


I agree... When I say every 2 years I am including issues that may occur becuase your tubes need changing...

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In Reference to Blues Legend RL Burnside:
After a heart attack in 2001, Burnside's doctor advised him to stop drinking; Burnside did, but he reported that change left him unable to play.


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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 11:24 am
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A vintage amp that has never been serviced or has been seriously abused will have issues. It's to be expected. I bought my Twin new and kept it in great shape. It was never just thrown around. A lot of times with a vintage amp, all they need is some tubes and possibly a cap job. I've never seen six vintage amps at one time in any of 4 shops in my area. Two of them are big box stores Sam Ash and Guitar Center. I've seen some pretty beat up amps at the big box stores. The Mom and Pop shops I deal with go over every amp before they hit the floor and one has an in house amp tech. They also have 30 day return policies on used gear.

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Post subject:
Posted: Tue Jun 01, 2010 12:39 pm
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CajunBlues wrote:
I agree... When I say every 2 years I am including issues that may occur becuase your tubes need changing...


Mebbe if you bought some better tubes......

My one-owner '78 Twin Reverb ran for twenty-three years on the original Fender-branded (Westinghouse) glass before I took it to a tech for the first "routine" servicing the amp ever had.

My '66 Bandmaster currently runs a mix of milspec JANs, Raytheons, and black-plate RCAs -- all dating from the late '60s and early '70s.

And my '65 Princeton Reverb (built when LBJ occupied the White House) had its original set of bottles up until about a month ago when one of the 6V6s (RCA) became microphonic and I swapped the pair out for NOS gray-plate GEs.

It's not unheard of for quality vacuum tubes to last for decades.

Arjay


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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 10:45 am
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Well,I got this since it can be returned to GC up to 30 days from purchase.Sounds great aside from some power tube rattle & it is nice & small/convenient...BUT...something inside is telling me to return it & just get what I really wanted in the first place (1st choice Bluesbreaker,2nd Bassman).I got a line on a used Bassman reissue for $800 so I guess that only puts me out another $250 from what I payed for the BDRI,probably worth it for the peace of mind alone if it's gonna be that much more reliable,and I don't really need or even want the channel switching or reverb anyway.


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Posted: Thu Jun 03, 2010 10:57 am
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emanym wrote:
Well,I got this since it can be returned to GC up to 30 days from purchase.Sounds great aside from some power tube rattle & it is nice & small/convenient...BUT...something inside is telling me to return it & just get what I really wanted in the first place (1st choice Bluesbreaker,2nd Bassman).I got a line on a used Bassman reissue for $800 so I guess that only puts me out another $250 from what I payed for the BDRI,probably worth it for the peace of mind alone if it's gonna be that much more reliable,and I don't really need or even want the channel switching or reverb anyway.
Have both the bassman and the blues deluxe.If you search around, occasionally you find a great deal on a bassman.Ten times the amp that the blues deluxe is.Took mine apart to lacquer the cab.I used to gig with mine ,but since I have a drri ,i dont .The drri sounds great and is lighter.Although, the bassman is the lightest 4x10 combo that I know of.It weighs 54 lbs.The super reverb and the blues deville weigh 10 lbs more.My 75 super reverb I had weighed 85. :(


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