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Post subject: Compare Blues Deluxe 1994 American and Mexican Reissue
Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 8:23 pm
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I purchased a Blues Deluxe a few years ago off e-Bay. The previous owner put the amp on removable wheels, but other than this change, the condition of the amp was near perfect. I did replace the amp with new matched tubes. The Eminence speaker was in great condition and other than a little wear and tear (mostly in need of cleaning) the amp sounds fantastic.
I purchased the amp for about $600.00 plus shipping from Florida back to California (it was made in Brea CA - not far from where I live in the Palm Springs area). I traced the two letter Date code located on the Quality Assurance test - JC performed the test and EG or July of 1994 was when the amp was manufactured.

I have not been able to find much information comparing the American Made original Blues Deluxe to the Mexican manufactured Reissue other than the layout of the drive buttons and the drive and bright lights are located in different locations as is the foot pedal switch. I also found out that the Reverb button of the foot pedal does not activate the reverb. I assume that this was not the original foot switch but was a replacement from a Reissue. If I am wrong, possibly someone can tell me how I can get the foot switch repaired.

Another difference; there is no cage around the power tubes and the pre-amp tubes on the right side of the amp facing the back does not have a rubber stabilizer that was added to the Reissue.

I play a 1997 Guild Bluesbird - American made by the Guild Custom Shop that I found for $700.00 (it retailed for $2,100.00 but I've seen it listed closer to $1,500.00) from a local guitarist who purchased two instruments. He kept the custom cherry red serial number 0001 that had a built in synthesizer. The guitar was in mint condition with quality hardware and PAF Humbuckers. I did mount the pick-guard since I play finger-style and had to mount it directly to the black lacquered maple top since the original hardware was missing. I did a clean job and inasmuch as I plan to keep the instrument, I'm not worried about any loss of value - it is a sweet sounding guitar.

It needed to be properly set up and fortunately, as an engineer, I was trained by Dan Erlewine's custom shop instructions and had all the specs. The guitar pre-dates the sale of American made Guild guitars before Fender purchased the company in Mesa Arizona. For the money - nothing I can compare it to will match the sound or quality. I've always wanted a vintage Les Paul but did not have the cash. After properly setting up the Bluesbird and matching it to the Fender Blues Deluxe my desire to trade it in for a Les Paul evaporated. I own two other guitars with a history that I won't part with; a 1990 Martin OMC-28 Guitar of the Month signed by Chris Martin and one of 86 made that was an anniversary present from my wife on our 10th anniversary (the first Martin I ever owned) and a 1992 Taylor 915 Jumbo that I acquired as payment for engineering work I did for Ben Harper's grandfather at the Folk Instrument Center in Claremont California (that is now owned by Ben following the passing of his grandfather - a really wonderful and talented man). I met Ben when he was still playing with Taj Mahal and doing guitar repairs for his grandfather, Charles Chase, in the back room of the Folk Instrument Museum. Charles was not a musician, but he was a wonderfully talented sculpture and poet. At the time I had no idea who Ben was (or would become) but when he signed with Virgin Records, his family was so excited and each time I visited his grandfather, the store buzzed with Ben's success. It was a close family and you tell how much support Ben received from his family and those who helped out at the store (kitty-corner to Alligator Records in the old part of Claremont).

Does anyone know or have additional information regarding the difference between the American made "original" Fender Blues Deluxe and the Mexican Blues Deluxe? Is there any difference in the tone and/or desirability as an original amplifier should I need to put a market value on the amp? There are some really good sites on YouTube that compares the amp and also discussing getting the most out of the amp with pedals. This is a great buy if you can find one, but I don't think that there is much difference between the Original American model and the sound of the Mexican made Fender. Any Comments?


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Post subject: Re: Compare Blues Deluxe 1994 American and Mexican Reissue
Posted: Thu Mar 10, 2011 11:25 pm
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Hi LQBlues,

I think that is the wrong foot-switch, no reverb button on the original switch. The original is to select drive/clean. The reissues have a two button foot-switch to select drive/clean with one button, and drive/more drive with the other. I don't believe that any version has reverb control with the foot-switch.

Also, the Original US versions had no bias adjust pot, and I believe that they didn't have the external speaker jack either, only one speaker jack.

Other than that, and what you have mentioned, the amps are pretty much the same. The US made will have a higher resale value than the Mex made. :idea:

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Post subject: Re: Compare Blues Deluxe 1994 American and Mexican Reissue
Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 5:33 am
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No, the footswitch with the Reissue is for drive/ clean and reverb on/off. There is no "more drive" channel on the Blues Deluxe (unike the Hot Rod Dlx).

To answer the OPs question I found my BDRI had a murkier tone on the clean channel than the original 90's one I had at the same time and the drive channel was way fizzier than the original.

The Reissue was extremely reliable, but the 90's original crapped out time and again and is probably the model that gives rise to the bad name of this range of amps.

I never had a single major issue with any of the newer Hot Rod series.


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Post subject: Re: Compare Blues Deluxe 1994 American and Mexican Reissue
Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 8:32 am
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Thanks Tom De Ville,

I did confuse the RI with the HRd. I also didn't know about the Reverb switch with the RI. The schematic shows the same/similar circuit for both versions. I wonder if the reverb switch should work for both? I have helped a few people with the BD, and the schematic looked like there was some control of reverb on/off, but all insisted that there was no reverb control on their foot-switch. Live and learn.

Thanks again for the info. :)

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---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.


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Post subject: Re: Compare Blues Deluxe 1994 American and Mexican Reissue
Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 8:42 am
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You got me thinking, shinnilou. I'm wrong about the BD footswitch - it is of course a one-button switch (clean/drive channels). God, my memory is going! Here's one for sale

http://www.zzounds.com/item--FEN0994052000


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Post subject: Re: Compare Blues Deluxe 1994 American and Mexican Reissue
Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 2:39 pm
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:lol: I am still not sure either. If you look at the schematic for the BD and BDRI, they each have an op amp used for some kind of reverb control that can only be activated with a foot-switch (U4B on BD, and U3A on RI). In my previous discussions about the BD and RI, I thought that there must be a reverb button on the foot-switch, but no one that I talked with had a foot-switch like that. :?

Maybe someone who has one can chime in and set us straight. Yep same here, the memory isn't what it used to be. :) What were we just talking about? :lol:

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---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.


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Post subject: Re: Compare Blues Deluxe 1994 American and Mexican Reissue
Posted: Fri Mar 11, 2011 9:05 pm
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The BDRI has a two button pedal. Channel switch and reverb on and off. If you unplug the switch, both operate from the amp controls.


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Post subject: Re: Compare Blues Deluxe 1994 American and Mexican Reissue
Posted: Sat Mar 12, 2011 10:17 am
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gtg +1 absolutely.

Tonal differences between the two should be negligible. Same circuit. Tone difference could be tubes, biasing, speaker hard to say but they are the same basic platform.


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Post subject: Re: Compare Blues Deluxe 1994 American and Mexican Reissue
Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2011 7:16 am
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I own a BDRI.

Yes, as stated the BDRI has a 2-button footswitch: Channel select and Reverb on/off.

Here is the original Blues Deluxe schematic:

http://support.fender.com/schematics/gu ... ematic.pdf

Here is the service manual for the Blues Deluxe Reissue which includes the schematic:

http://www.blueguitar.org/new/schem/fen ... eissue.pdf

There are minor circuitry differences between the two, most notably the inclusion of a bias pot on the BDRI and the Bright Switch. The Bright Switch on the original Blues Deluxe supposedly operates on both the clean and drive channels. It operates only on the clean channel of the BDRI. There may be other minor circuitry/component differences between the two, but nothing that will significantly affect the sound.

Both are fine amps.

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