It is currently Tue Mar 17, 2020 2:11 am

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 16 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Go to page 1, 2  Next
Author Message
Post subject: '65 DeLux Reverb or Super Sonic 22...?
Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 5:03 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2012 4:28 pm
Posts: 53
Location: Cow Pens Island, NJ (USA)
I'm in a bit of a quandary here. I'm presently playing my American Standard Strat through a Blues Jr. Not a bad little amp, especially for a lone hobbyist player of limited talent like myself. However I'm thinking of up-grading to something with a fuller vintage tube sound. I'm looking at both the '65 DeLux Reverb, and this newer Super Sonic 22 combo.
As I'm seeing it now, the DeLux is a more truer vintage full tube amp platform having a rectifier tube compared to the S/S 22's solid state rectifier. The DeLux also has a Jensen speaker compared the the Eminence speaker in the S/S 22.
The Super Sonic offers a wider pallet of sounds with it's gain channel and settings, but for the most part it's the classic clean Fender tube sound I like playing.
Has anyone here done an in depth comparison of the two amps....?
Note any appreciable difference in the clean tone between the two....?
Is the quality of the reverb the same in both.....?
The sound of the speakers.....?

I'm open to any and all opinions here......Thanks....


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: '65 DeLux Reverb or Super Sonic 22...?
Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 6:54 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
I think you'll find yourself modding or upgrading either amp to coerce it into performing as you expect. The DRRI is a modern-spec rendition of the original AB763 circuit, which most informed folks will tell you is the legendary Fender platform. OTOH, the SS22 adds some modern twists that many younger players demand. That said, you may safely anticipate that both of these new amps may have issues that demand corrective attention -- cheap tubes, a lackluster speaker, footswitch problems, reverb hum (in the SS22), the infamous "trem tick (in the DRRI). Not all of these amps manifest those symptoms but be prepared to deal with them should they occur. Personally, I prefer the vintage or vintage-spec amps and rely on pedals for OD, compression, and effects. When a hundred-dollar stompbox fails it's a lot more palatable to hook-shot that into a dumpster than a $1500 amp.

JMOOC, HTH

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
Post subject: Re: '65 DeLux Reverb or Super Sonic 22...?
Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 7:46 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Sat May 22, 2010 10:53 pm
Posts: 1467
Location: deep down in Florida...
TonyMig wrote:
but for the most part it's the classic clean Fender tube sound I like playing.

Deluxe Reverb, nothing else Fender makes today can beat it IMO. With the right tubes and speaker it'll sound very close to a vintage DR.

If buying new is not a priority then look for a nice early 70s DR for the same price, you'll get great tone AND reliability.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: '65 DeLux Reverb or Super Sonic 22...?
Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 8:02 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Sat Mar 17, 2012 7:27 am
Posts: 892
Location: Houston Texas
Arjay has a point, and it's on the top of his old head. :lol:


Kidding of course brotherman.

IMO the DRRI is probably the best amp I ever played on, but it sucks in a way. It's good enough to realize how good it is, and how bad it is. Bottom line, it's a $1000 amp that with a few tweaks, might be the best amp this side of boutiques. Or antiques.

_________________
Gary


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: '65 DeLux Reverb or Super Sonic 22...?
Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 8:06 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Sat May 22, 2010 10:53 pm
Posts: 1467
Location: deep down in Florida...
Hou-Tex wrote:
Arjay has a point, and it's on the top of his old head. :lol:


Kidding of course brotherman.

IMO the DRRI is probably the best amp I ever played on, but it sucks in a way. It's good enough to realize how good it is, and how bad it is. Bottom line, it's a $1000 amp that with a few tweaks, might be the best amp this side of boutiques. Or antiques.

What sucks about yours?


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: '65 DeLux Reverb or Super Sonic 22...?
Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 10:58 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Sat Dec 13, 2008 11:49 am
Posts: 1153
Location: South Bay, CA
TonyMig wrote:
As I'm seeing it now, the DeLux is a more truer vintage full tube amp platform having a rectifier tube compared to the S/S 22's solid state rectifier. The DeLux also has a Jensen speaker compared the the Eminence speaker in the S/S 22.


I'm not sure who gave you this information - please go and slap them...

Plenty of well-regarded Fender amps came with solid-state rectifiers that were vintage, such as all of the following amps:
Bassman - Blonde 6G6A, Blackface, Silverface
Bandmaster - Blonde, Brown, Blackface, Silverface
Showman - Blackface, Silverface
Dual Showman - Blackface, Silverface
Twin Reverb - Blackface, Silverface
Quad, Super Six Reverb - Silverface

I certainly wouldn't kick them out of bed for having an SS rectifier. Yet I also like tube rectifiers on lower-wattage amps. Someone can chime in, but at or above 40 watts, back then it was tough to find tube rectifiers that could handle that much, hence their use mostly on the lower wattage (Deluxe, Princeton, Tremolux, etc.)

Also the current Jensen company is not the former Jensen that made great speakers in the 1960s for Fender and other company. It's an Italian company making so-so speakers and charging a lot for the Jensen name.

That being said, I'd pick the Deluxe Reverb over the Super Sonic any day. One is a reissue of a classic amp; the other time will tell, but I'm guessing not favorably. On the Deluxe, buy one used, swap out the speaker for a Warehouse Speakers G12C, perhaps add in some NOS tubes, and you've got a happening amp.

_________________
Image
'59? Bogen Challenger CHA-33, '65 Bandmaster, '65 Tremolux, 65 Showman;
'74 SF Princeton; '77 SF Princeton Reverb; Dr. Z Mini Z

Our band: http://www.facebook.com/thetoysband


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: '65 DeLux Reverb or Super Sonic 22...?
Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2012 11:22 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
nedorama wrote:
On the Deluxe, buy one used, swap out the speaker for a Warehouse Speakers G12C, perhaps add in some NOS tubes, and you've got a happening amp.


+1

That'd be my preference.

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
Post subject: Re: '65 DeLux Reverb or Super Sonic 22...?
Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 2:36 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Sat Mar 17, 2012 7:27 am
Posts: 892
Location: Houston Texas
cedarblues wrote:
Hou-Tex wrote:
Arjay has a point, and it's on the top of his old head. :lol:


Kidding of course brotherman.

IMO the DRRI is probably the best amp I ever played on, but it sucks in a way. It's good enough to realize how good it is, and how bad it is. Bottom line, it's a $1000 amp that with a few tweaks, might be the best amp this side of boutiques. Or antiques.

What sucks about yours?


The player. :lol:

_________________
Gary


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: '65 DeLux Reverb or Super Sonic 22...?
Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 4:07 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician
User avatar

Joined: Sat May 22, 2010 10:53 pm
Posts: 1467
Location: deep down in Florida...
Hou-Tex wrote:
The player. :lol:

LMAO!!

I own 3 DRs to hide how bad I suck :mrgreen:


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: '65 DeLux Reverb or Super Sonic 22...?
Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 6:57 pm
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2012 4:28 pm
Posts: 53
Location: Cow Pens Island, NJ (USA)
Thanks for the input so far guys, much appreciated.....

Much like the Blues Jr. I own now, I figured a tube swap would be the first line of business, I was able to find a nice NOS set of American Made replacement tubes for that amp within a week of buying it, and they sound much better than the Chinese and Russian Groove Tubes that came with it....

However I wasn't aware that the Jensen speakers were an out sourced product of questionable quality, if that's the case, then why doesn't Fender just put an Eminence in there like most of their other amps.....?

I'm leaning toward the '65 DRRI as I'm mostly interested in the classic clean Fender sound, every once in a while I get a like crazy and kick a pedal on, but I mostly play blues and surf music, so most of what the Super Sonic offers would go to waste anyway, I was just wondering if having those options should I want them on rare occasion would be worth it not knowing any track record on an amp model that's only been around a couple of years compared to the '65 DRRI that's been around a lot longer.....

_________________
Image
American Standard Strat
American Standard Tele
Custom Vibrolux Reverb
Fulltone RTO
Boss TU-3


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: '65 DeLux Reverb or Super Sonic 22...?
Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 8:10 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
The first DRRI's were in fact Eminence-equipped. It was the same driver as used in the TRRI. Sometime after the turn of this century FMIC switched to the import Jensen -- perhaps as a tip of the hat to historical accuracy but more likely that Jensen merely offered a better per-unit wholesale price on their C12K model. In either case, neither of these speakers really favor the traditional blackface Fender tone.

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
Post subject: Re: '65 DeLux Reverb or Super Sonic 22...?
Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 10:30 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Sat Jul 03, 2010 2:18 pm
Posts: 6544
The Eminence "door-stop." I've yet to figure out what to do with all those I replaced in RI amps --- at least, that requires electricity. :mrgreen:


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: '65 DeLux Reverb or Super Sonic 22...?
Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 10:39 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
BMW2002Ti wrote:
The Eminence "door-stop." I've yet to figure out what to do with all those I replaced in RI amps --- at least, that requires electricity. :mrgreen:


:lol:

I've got a stack of them myself.

At this point I have to insist that my clients, for whom I've installed new speakers for, take their OEM junk home with them when they pick up their amps!

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
Post subject: Re: '65 DeLux Reverb or Super Sonic 22...?
Posted: Wed Sep 12, 2012 11:07 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Tue May 15, 2012 2:49 am
Posts: 560
Location: Perth, Australia
I prefer the Supersonic myself, but my SS TWIN does have a lot more on offer than the 22. So if you are unsure of what to do, or don't need as much versatility, then go for the true tried and tested option as every one else has suggested.

_________________
GUITAR: Fender USA JazzMaster.
BASS: Fender USA 58'AVRI
AMP: Fender USA SuperSonicTwin - Blonde.
Image


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: '65 DeLux Reverb or Super Sonic 22...?
Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2012 5:04 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Sat Apr 02, 2011 9:49 am
Posts: 441
I also went through that decision process. I had other amps on the list as well. I went for the DRRI for the classic sound. Had a few problems, nothing serious. Swapped the tubes. It does have the trem tick. All in all I'm satisfied. The tone is nice. Mine's a 2010 model.


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 16 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next
Go to page 1, 2  Next

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: