It is currently Tue Mar 17, 2020 4:32 am

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 8 posts ] 
Author Message
Post subject: Blues Deluxe w/ a Fargen Mod. Who has one?
Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 6:08 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2011 6:42 pm
Posts: 134
I was on YOUTUBE the other day, and I ran across this video of a Blues Deluxe with 'Benjamin Fargen Modification'. The guy was using no pedals, and the amp was kicking $@!. The clean channel chimed like a classic black face, and the dirty channel was smooth, intense (Peeking just between overdrive and distortion), and you could really here that natural compression swamping in. The amp sound like a totally different unit. It was incredible.
I just want to know if anyone on the forum has had it done, and what is their opinion of it?

_________________
"Bring me four fried chickens, and a coke."
HOUSE-OUT!


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: Blues Deluxe w/ a Fargen Mod. Who has one?
Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 7:10 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
I don't have any experience with the Fargen mods on a Blues Deluxe, but I got the opportunity to try a Egnater Rebel 20 with the whole Fargen mod, caps, iron etc. I got to A/B with my Rebel 20 and my cabs and found the Fargen Mods to sound too bright for my liking. I thought mine had a bit more complexity to the tone. The only thing different in mine is I have a NOS JAN Phillips 5751 in V1. The modded amp belonged to a studio musician friend of mine and he reluctantly agreed with me. Now he's back to the tone search swapping tubes and speaker cabs.

I'm a firm believer in if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Fargen makes great amps. I would by a Fargen before I modded a Blues Deluxe in a heartbeat. Their prices are very reasonable considering what you're getting. They utilize cost saving measures, not corner cutting. For example, I've read that they use the same chassis for different models. Great amps. I've heard a few and tried one. Very nice.

Modding amps will not always give you what you want and like what is being discussed in another thread, it won't make a HRDxxx sound like a Blackface, Tweed SF, Vox or a Marshall amp. It will make your amp sound different, sometimes better, sometimes not. Your playing style, tubes and speakers will have a more noticeable effect on your tone.
To successfully mod an amp to your liking, you really need to understand what component values do to your tone. I've heard people play the same gear and sound completely different. You can't really judge how an amp sounds from a YouTube video. :wink:

_________________
Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Blues Deluxe w/ a Fargen Mod. Who has one?
Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 7:59 am
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Tue Jun 29, 2010 1:20 pm
Posts: 9640
Location: Indiana
63supro wrote:
...To successfully mod an amp to your liking, you really need to understand what component values do to your tone....


+1

It seems that many people want to mod or change tubes or speakers just because it is stylish. Sometimes people don't even know that their amp/tubes/speaker sound bad until someone else tells them. :o

And, what's up with all of the Fargen cussing? You guys are Fargen nuts! :lol:

_________________
---> "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.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Blues Deluxe w/ a Fargen Mod. Who has one?
Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 8:19 am
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2008 11:08 am
Posts: 2265
shimmilou wrote:
63supro wrote:
...To successfully mod an amp to your liking, you really need to understand what component values do to your tone....


+1

It seems that many people want to mod or change tubes or speakers just because it is stylish. Sometimes people don't even know that their amp/tubes/speaker sound bad until someone else tells them. :o

And, what's up with all of the Fargen cussing? You guys are Fargen nuts! :lol:


you cant say fargen in here, i dont mean to sound like a fargen ice hole. lol :mrgreen:

_________________
"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present."

oogway, kungfu panda 2008


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Blues Deluxe w/ a Fargen Mod. Who has one?
Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 8:42 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2011 6:42 pm
Posts: 134
I dig Bro's...

_________________
"Bring me four fried chickens, and a coke."
HOUSE-OUT!


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Blues Deluxe w/ a Fargen Mod. Who has one?
Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 8:54 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur
User avatar

Joined: Mon Jan 17, 2011 6:42 pm
Posts: 134
But I still would like to know if anybody had it done, and what did they think about? Somebody throw me a bone! :( I know the You Tube thing wasn't as good as an actual face to face, but man that amp was unreal. I've had my BD since 98', and it's a 94' I believe. The drive channel really doesn't overdrive, it just sort of gets louder and a tad crunchy. The one I witnessed on YT was spitting out stomp box quality overdrive, without a net. Dude, DUDE?!!

_________________
"Bring me four fried chickens, and a coke."
HOUSE-OUT!


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Blues Deluxe w/ a Fargen Mod. Who has one?
Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 12:31 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
The thing to remember is our opinions on tone mean nothing. It's all subjective. We can talk reliability and how we like the sound of something but it's all meaningless. A few things to remember, first the Fargen mods are pretty pricy. Merc Mag tranny, all high end caps etc. All the mods in the world won't make the cheap thin boards any better. I think the mods for the Champion 600 were more than the amp itself. When you consider the price of the amp, plus the mods, you could have bought something better. Second, in the video, what guitar was used and do you own one? How good was the guitarist? Third, if your amp has a warranty, as soon as you mod it, it won't. Sometimes, not always though, modded amps are sometimes hard to sell.

Modding an amp is crap shoot at best. It may not be to your liking. When I was a kid, I was going to but mag wheels for my 75 Chevy Vega. My old man said, will it make it run any better? I thought about it and didn't get the wheels. Kind of the same thing. I'm not picking on Fargen, they make great stuff, but why spend a bunch of money to make a silk purse out of a sows ear? You want something that sounds great, is flexible, versatile and affordable? Check out some of Egnaters stuff. That's what I did and never looked back. If you have cash to burn, try Victoria, Budda, Fargen, Carr and Dr. Z. Great amps that need no modification to sound great.

_________________
Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: Blues Deluxe w/ a Fargen Mod. Who has one?
Posted: Sat Jul 09, 2011 1:37 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
63supro wrote:
The thing to remember is our opinions on tone mean nothing. It's all subjective......Modding an amp is crap shoot at best.


+1!

It's like this, see......

Image

THREE KNOBS AND THE TRUTH

:mrgreen:

Arjay

_________________
"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


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 8 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: