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Post subject: Tell us about Your DRRI Experiences 65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue
Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2010 8:31 am
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The locals around here seem to be in agreement here that the DRRI is one of the best values and players for most playing situations.

I thought a thread dedicated to these very fine amps and players experience with them might be fun.

Stories from gigs recording sessions, Mods, Speakers, Tube tweaks ect....

Even problems, trouble shooting tips of common ailments ?

Any way I have owned three or four so far ( I'm a compulsive gear swapper) and keep going back for more, I can't live without the tone of a finely tuned DRRI in my set.

So far my only tweak with mine has been tubes, The old white label GT's just sound steril after dropping in a set of Tung-Sol RI's and V-1 and V-2 have GE NOS 5751's

The tone difference is amazing !!!!

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Post subject:
Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2010 9:40 am
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My association with this series of amp dates back to 1966 when I bought my first, a year-old blackface non-reverb "Deluxe" model. In the intervening years I've owned three or four, foolishly trading them off when I thought I needed "more". Currently I own a re-issue and I couldn't ask for a more versatile and dependable amp. I've altered mine to a modest degree, to include the "Fritz" mod, a multi-tap output tranny with switchable dual secondaries, and a new enlarged cabinet to accommodate a 15-inch JBL D130F speaker. A mix of vintage NOS tubes completes this ensemble and since I built it, it's become my "go-to" amp for home practice, impromptu jams, band rehearsal, and small-to-medium venue gigging. I really cannot recommend this amp enough.

YMMV

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2010 10:42 am
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I got mine a year ago on a recommendation from Supro.I was looking for something for smaller gigs . Our gigs have shrunk and we have been playing in smaller places.Previously I was using a 59 Bassman ri and a Blues Deluxe.I also had been using a blues jr for practice and small gigs.I really didnt care for the lack of bottom end on the jr.Checked out the drri and have been content ever since .I ended up selling the blues deluxe ,but still use the jr for an emergency spare.I have had more copliments about my tone since playing this amp.At present its all stock ,but soon I will be retubing it.


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Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2010 3:59 pm
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Soon to be a proud owner of one myself!
The waiting is tough though.

Arjay..you and I think CedarBlues made a "Spankmaster" out of yours.
Where did you find the JBL D130F?
In which model Fender cab did those come in? I'm thinking I should keep my eye out for one so in the future I can do my own Spankmaster. 8)

-T

PS Just thought of something related...how many speakers could a stock DRRI handle? Would hate to burn up the output transformer pulling too much current.

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Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2010 4:11 pm
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I've got to get rid of the stupid bright cap, it keeps me from using the reverb side much.

To be honest I played through My Clark Piedmont, Victoria 20112 and 59 bassman for so long that I have gotten very used to no reverb in my playing and find the overtones a bit annoying.

That being said, I would still use the Vibrato/trem if it were not so ice picky.

Also I have some sweet alnico 8 ohm 12's laying around made by phillips in Holland in the late 60's to early 70's and I'm just wondering what tonal sweetness I can find there ???

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2017 50's Baja Telecaster BSB

1968 Bandmaster with 2X12 cab C-rex speakers
VHT Special 6 Ultra combo

Visual Sound Route 66
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Post subject:
Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2010 4:53 pm
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I haven't done the bright cap mod and don't plan to, mine sounds great the way it is! It could be cause I have a 15" in there and the fact that I keep the volume above 6 :D

Anywhere I take my Spankmaster it's almost guaranteed that someone will walk up to tell me what a sweet tone I have. Extremely happy with mine! 8)

Tyronne, you can find JBLs on ebay, sometimes on CL, around $150. Fender used these JBLs in different amps and cabs, I'm sure Arjay will give you a full report :) 64 Vibroverb, Dual Showman cab...


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Post subject:
Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2010 6:42 pm
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tyronne wrote:
Arjay..you and I think CedarBlues made a "Spankmaster" out of yours.
Where did you find the JBL D130F?
In which model Fender cab did those come in? I'm thinking I should keep my eye out for one so in the future I can do my own Spankmaster. 8)

-T

PS Just thought of something related...how many speakers could a stock DRRI handle? Would hate to burn up the output transformer pulling too much current.


Indeed, CB and I have matching "Spankmasters". But they're not the only ones to exist. I've built three others for clients (two blondes, one black) and I know of several others across the land.

I find my JBLs on Ebay -- six or seven of them thus far. The 15-inch D130Fs were OEM in all Showmans, Dual Showmans, the brownface Vibrasonic, and a few blackface '64 Vibroverbs.

I have on occasion added an extension cab to my Spankmaster, with alternatively a pair of JBL K120s (12-inch) or an additional pair of D130Fs without incident. But these speakers are 16-ohm versions for a total enclosure load of 8 ohms, which I specifically built my Spankmaster to handle. I also know of at least one DRRI re-built into a 4x10 combo configuration, driving a quartet of Eminence Ragin' Cajuns -- for a "mongrel", it's pretty ballsy!

As long as you "match source to load" vis-a-vis the speaker impedance, you can do quite a bit of tinkering with any amp.

HTH

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject:
Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2010 8:33 pm
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I've got a DRRI in the Electric Blue color, with a Celestion Blue speaker in it, stock. Apparently this was a limited edition, and in fact says so on the back of the amp chassis.

I know that I run a risk of blowing this speaker since it's only rated at 15 watts, to the 22 of the amp. I have asked the forum about this previously, and gotten good feedback from the members here. (Thanks!) I have also, recently written an email on the saftey of this to Fender Consumer Relations, without a response. Not a big deal, but I keep thinking 1 of 2 things:

1) Surely, there would not be an amp produced and designed with this inherent potential problem, if Fender did not somehow do something to mitigate this risk.

2) Well, maybe there WAS an oversight, since it was just a limited edition. No big deal, and I'm not trying to put Fender on blast, if they were to admit this to me. I just want to know if they may have not thought this one through completely. I mean, it's a sweet idea. Super awesome amp, with super awesome speaker! Makes sense to me! ...If it works :)

I worry about this often, though. I only play the amp at about volume level 3-5 most of the time, and only on rare occasions turn it up past that. I play in the apartment only for now. But I want to gig with this thing at some point in the not too distant future (when I'm good enough to gig!) and would like to have confidence that my gear will hold up if I push it harder. (Voulme at 8-10, OD pedals, etc) - And boy, do I want to! 8)

Do you all have any specific recommendations for possible mods or procedures that can be used to lower the risk of blowing this bad boy? Or should I just play it quiet, and shut up? Or go all out with her and replace the speaker if it blows?

Oh, and I may have forgot to mention... I LOVE THIS AMP. She sounds SO SWEET and is my most prized possesion along with my American Standard Strat!!!!
I would definitley get another, (maybe a regular DRRI...) if anything happened to this baby.

Thanks for reading, and keep the blues alive, folks!

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Post subject:
Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2010 8:50 pm
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This is the e-mail I sent a couple weeks ago, if anyone was interested...


Hello,

I am writing in reference to an amplifier I purchased. It is a Limited Edition 65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue in the Electric Blue color. This amplifier comes equipped with a Celestion Alnico Blue speaker installed. My question is regarding the ability of the speaker which is rated for 15 watts, to handle the 22 watt output of the amplifier. Is the speaker in danger of blowing if I turn the volume up on the amp? The serial number of the amp is AC 080651.

Thank you for your time!

Ben

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Squier Affinity Strat Blue/Rosewood
Epiphone Riviera-Cherry Red
65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue-Electric Blue
Vibro Champ XD
... and others


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Post subject:
Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2010 9:33 pm
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sofingraw wrote:
Or should I just play it quiet, and shut up? Or go all out with her and replace the speaker if it blows?


If it's that significant an issue for you (and it would be for me) you might consider yanking and warehousing the "blue" and replacing it with Celestion's alnico "Gold" for professional stage use. Or try a different speaker brand altogether that you'd feel confident could handle the amp's output under "dimed" conditions.

JMO, HTH

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject:
Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2010 9:41 pm
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Yeah, that does sound like a good idea. I mean, shopping around and trying new things is what life is all about, right?!

And if all the speakers I try are not what I like, I can always go back to the Blue, and play it till it smokes 8)

Thanks for the advice!

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08 American Standard Strat Olympic White/Maple
Squier Affinity Strat Blue/Rosewood
Epiphone Riviera-Cherry Red
65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue-Electric Blue
Vibro Champ XD
... and others


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Post subject:
Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2010 9:51 pm
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A good-and-safe choice for earthy vintage tones might be Weber's 12A150. When broken in, they sound remarkably similar to an original (ie: Chicago-made) Jensen P12S. And the Weber will comfortably handle 50 watts -- more than adequate for a DRRI even under severe overload conditions.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject:
Posted: Sun Nov 28, 2010 11:18 pm
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I'd say sell the Blue on ebay, $150-200, and you can buy a used Gold on ebay for the same price.

The Gold sounds heavenly in the DRRI! I'm sure it's the same with the Blue...


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 6:04 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
tyronne wrote:
Arjay..you and I think CedarBlues made a "Spankmaster" out of yours.
Where did you find the JBL D130F?
In which model Fender cab did those come in? I'm thinking I should keep my eye out for one so in the future I can do my own Spankmaster. 8)

-T

PS Just thought of something related...how many speakers could a stock DRRI handle? Would hate to burn up the output transformer pulling too much current.


Indeed, CB and I have matching "Spankmasters". But they're not the only ones to exist. I've built three others for clients (two blondes, one black) and I know of several others across the land.

I find my JBLs on Ebay -- six or seven of them thus far. The 15-inch D130Fs were OEM in all Showmans, Dual Showmans, the brownface Vibrasonic, and a few blackface '64 Vibroverbs.

I have on occasion added an extension cab to my Spankmaster, with alternatively a pair of JBL K120s (12-inch) or an additional pair of D130Fs without incident. But these speakers are 16-ohm versions for a total enclosure load of 8 ohms, which I specifically built my Spankmaster to handle. I also know of at least one DRRI re-built into a 4x10 combo configuration, driving a quartet of Eminence Ragin' Cajuns -- for a "mongrel", it's pretty ballsy!

As long as you "match source to load" vis-a-vis the speaker impedance, you can do quite a bit of tinkering with any amp.

HTH

Arjay


Thanks Arjay and CB for the info. :wink:

-T

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-T

"You can't spend what you ain't got, you can't lose what you ain't never had" ~ McKinley Morganfield


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Post subject:
Posted: Mon Nov 29, 2010 6:05 am
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The 12A150 is one I have thought about as a replacement, webers have been my go to speaker for my 4x10 set up and have sounded sooooo!!! much better than the Jensen imports fender puts in everything.

Alnico at least in my ears sounds warmer, not sure how it will change the bottom end.

Anyone else have any other tube brands that have made a possitive change in tone ? Not so possitive ?

Being speaker swappers is what amp guys are known for, its strange that very few speaker alternatives have been tried by our group, knowing that the stock unit has had at least a mild case of failure in these amps when put to constant stage volume use.

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Keepn' the Blues Alive

2004 50th Ann. Limited edition AMSE Stratocaster
2017 50's Baja Telecaster BSB

1968 Bandmaster with 2X12 cab C-rex speakers
VHT Special 6 Ultra combo

Visual Sound Route 66
Cmatmods Signa Drive


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