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'65 Deluxe Reverb RI or Limited Edition Blues Junior?
'65 Deluxe Reverb RI 82%  82%  [ 31 ]
Limited Edition Blues Junior 8%  8%  [ 3 ]
Neither 11%  11%  [ 4 ]
Total votes : 38
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Post subject: Re: Only getting 1 amp and can't decide between.
Posted: Wed Oct 02, 2013 2:47 pm
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63supro wrote:
No contest.
The DRRI. Huss said........


ok...but what about DRRI vs the new 68 deluxe "tribute" (not reissue) that is $100 cheaper and supposedly has the exact same components and same "legendary fender clean" tone PLUS a second dirt channel plus cool blue light bling? what am I missing?????


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Post subject: Re: Only getting 1 amp and can't decide between.
Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 10:33 am
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Personally, I wouldn't trust the first year run of anything. I don't like being a Beta Tester.
You need to try these amps out for yourself. We can't make tone assessments for you because tone is so subjective. I would still take the DRRI or any 65 reissue as well as a 5e3 Deluxe or Bassman reissue over any HRD series amps. As far as components go, you're not getting anything top notch in the HRD or 65 series for that matter. If you want better components, go with the old 50's Tweed reissues. They use higher quality components and no PCB's.

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Post subject: Re: Only getting 1 amp and can't decide between.
Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 12:03 pm
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63supro wrote:
Personally, I wouldn't trust the first year run of anything. I don't like being a Beta Tester.
You need to try these amps out for yourself. We can't make tone assessments for you because tone is so subjective. I would still take the DRRI or any 65 reissue as well as a 5e3 Deluxe or Bassman reissue over any HRD series amps. As far as components go, you're not getting anything top notch in the HRD or 65 series for that matter. If you want better components, go with the old 50's Tweed reissues. They use higher quality components and no PCB's.


That may be so,...BUT,...not everybody's going to be able to afford the old '50's tweed re-issues and our budgets may only allow an amp up to a DRRI or even a TRRI for that matter. Don't get me wrong,...if I were able to spring for one,...I'd take that '57 Bandmaster
RI amp,...or even the Bassman! :) I see your point about first year run of anything,...I may not be too quick to trust them,either. Give them time in the field first to see how they do.

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Post subject: Re: Only getting 1 amp and can't decide between.
Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 2:22 pm
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KC9SYJ wrote:
That may be so,...BUT,...not everybody's going to be able to afford the old '50's tweed re-issues and our budgets may only allow an amp up to a DRRI or even a TRRI for that matter. Don't get me wrong,...if I were able to spring for one,...I'd take that '57 Bandmaster RI amp,...or even the Bassman!


Would you regard it as more cost-effective to buy a hand-wired tweed re-issue and play it problem-free for twenty or twenty-five years or simply grab a new $300 offshore-made shitbox every two or three years for the next two decades?

There's no right or wrong answer -- I merely pose the question rhetorically.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Only getting 1 amp and can't decide between.
Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 5:35 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
KC9SYJ wrote:
That may be so,...BUT,...not everybody's going to be able to afford the old '50's tweed re-issues and our budgets may only allow an amp up to a DRRI or even a TRRI for that matter. Don't get me wrong,...if I were able to spring for one,...I'd take that '57 Bandmaster RI amp,...or even the Bassman!


Would you regard it as more cost-effective to buy a hand-wired tweed re-issue and play it problem-free for twenty or twenty-five years or simply grab a new $300 offshore-made shitbox every two or three years for the next two decades?

There's no right or wrong answer -- I merely pose the question rhetorically.

Arjay


I never said that there was a right or wrong answer. I mainly tried to point out that not everybody can afford a $2,500.00 '50's tweed era reissue amp. Sure,it would be cost effective to go that route if one could afford to do so,...and I wished I could do it. Some of us on this site run on limited budgets and don't have money trees in our backyards,...so we are limited to those,...to put it a bit more mildly if you don't mind,...amps you call $300.00 "crap boxes". We have to go with what we can afford at the time. I would be doing quite well to have a Deluxe Reverb RI amp,...but my budget just would not allow it,...which is why I have a HRD III amp instead and to be honest,Arjay,...to me,it's a damn good amp and does quite well for what it is. It's sure not a 'crap box' to me. And who knows,...that $300.00 "crap box" may last longer than you might think if built well enough.

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If it aint' broke,...don't fix it! I like to keep my amps and guitars factory original,...no mods necessary,...don't want them,...don't need them!

My gear as of now;
Standard Strat
Hot Rod Deluxe III amp
Champion 20 amp
'59 Bassman LTD Reissue


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Post subject: Re: Only getting 1 amp and can't decide between.
Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 5:50 pm
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What makes you think I have a "currency tree" in my backyard?

Hell, I'm still driving a pickup made in 1986!

:mrgreen:

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: Re: Only getting 1 amp and can't decide between.
Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2013 5:52 am
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KC9SYJ wrote:
Retroverbial wrote:
KC9SYJ wrote:
That may be so,...BUT,...not everybody's going to be able to afford the old '50's tweed re-issues and our budgets may only allow an amp up to a DRRI or even a TRRI for that matter. Don't get me wrong,...if I were able to spring for one,...I'd take that '57 Bandmaster RI amp,...or even the Bassman!


Would you regard it as more cost-effective to buy a hand-wired tweed re-issue and play it problem-free for twenty or twenty-five years or simply grab a new $300 offshore-made shitbox every two or three years for the next two decades?

There's no right or wrong answer -- I merely pose the question rhetorically.

Arjay


I never said that there was a right or wrong answer. I mainly tried to point out that not everybody can afford a $2,500.00 '50's tweed era reissue amp. Sure,it would be cost effective to go that route if one could afford to do so,...and I wished I could do it. Some of us on this site run on limited budgets and don't have money trees in our backyards,...so we are limited to those,...to put it a bit more mildly if you don't mind,...amps you call $300.00 "crap boxes". We have to go with what we can afford at the time. I would be doing quite well to have a Deluxe Reverb RI amp,...but my budget just would not allow it,...which is why I have a HRD III amp instead and to be honest,Arjay,...to me,it's a damn good amp and does quite well for what it is. It's sure not a 'crap box' to me. And who knows,...that $300.00 "crap box" may last longer than you might think if built well enough.


You don't have to spend $2500 on a reissue. You can get a clone kit that you can either build or order already built from some suppliers that in most cases sound as good or even better for less than half that. My 5e3 clone cost me $750 with a nice Weber Alnico speaker nice pine enclosure and covered in Tweed. If you like your amp and it's what you can afford, you're golden. Just be aware that there are other options for us budget minded people too. The one I build is on a Mil Spec PCB, not traditional turret board. It wasn't hard and if you can solder, anyone can follow the instructions and learn stuff to boot. :wink:

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Post subject: Re: Only getting 1 amp and can't decide between.
Posted: Fri Oct 04, 2013 4:09 pm
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63supro wrote:
You don't have to spend $2500 on a reissue. You can get a clone kit that you can either build or order already built from some suppliers that in most cases sound as good or even better for less than half that.


+1000

Or, if one is less than electronically-inclined, there are still deals to be made on nice vintage pieces......

Image

This near-mint '68 Deluxe Reverb cost me a little over half of that hypothetical $2500 figure (the JBL D120F was installed subsequent to the purchase). I had the reverb tank overhauled shortly after delivery ($45 total) but aside from that, the amp hasn't cost me a dime in repair costs.

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: Re: Only getting 1 amp and can't decide between.
Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 8:40 am
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Think Floyd wrote:
Of course, everyone's opinion is different!

Myself, I'd go with the LE BJr with the Greenback. I enjoy hearing others play through Blackface-type amps, but when I play through one it just doesn't suit me. In fact, I had an Allen Accomplice (hand-wired hot-rodded deluxe reverb clone) and wanted something a bit smaller and lighter. I ended up with a LE BJr III w/Cannabis Rex. At first I didn't like the stock BJr IIIs, but after hearing a few Limited Editions with various decent speakers I found that I prefer them over any of the older stock Blues Junior amps.

Now, is my previous Allen Accomplice, or a new DRRI a better (in build quality) amp than my new BJr III? Of course they are. The guts of the Allen was a work of art, and the DRRI, while still being a PCB, at least has chassis-mounted tube sockets. They are both built better than any BJr by far... there is no comparison whatsoever. The clean tones of these amps are, IMO, very very sweet. However, when using dirt pedals, I find that they sound better to me through my BJr III w/C-Rex than they did through the Accomplice. If I played only clean tones, then a Blackface style amp would be great. But, since I mostly use OD/Distortion, I'm happier with the BJr III.

My big complaint? The same as everyone else... a Blues Junior is not very well-built and can sound a bit "small and boxy" (although I feel that my new amp is not as boxy as the older versions). Fender could have done a better job, but I realize that they were building to a certain price-point. I would love if they offered an "upgraded" BJr III with better quality parts, chassis mounted pots and tube sockets, a high quality PCB, and a slightly larger real wood cabinet. I'd be willing to pay more for a well-built, more reliable Blues Junior. I'd prefer a "hand-wired" version, but that may cost too much!



Sorry for bringing this thread back, but I wanted to make a new observation:

I no longer have my Limited Edition BJr III with the Cannabis Rex speaker. Why? Because of the same problem as my last Blues Junior... crackling noise caused by bad solder joints where the tube sockets are mounted to the PCB. It was repaired under warranty, but I sold the amp because I can no longer trust these amps to be reliable. Tube sockets mounted to a PCB are a terrible idea, so I vow to never, ever buy another amp built that way.

I now have another Allen Accomplice. I was actually in the market for a Deluxe Reverb Reissue (or SFDR), but found this amp for less than the cost of a new DRRI. I just put in a new Celestion V-Type speaker (stock in the new 68 Custom Deluxe Reverb), but if I decide that I don't care for it I'll go with a Cannabis Rex like I had in my BJr III.

I still like the "idea" of the Blues Junior, but the construction quality sucks. After one year of ownership, my BJr III didn't have a lot of hours on it, it left my home just 2 times, and the tubes were never removed/changed. I did nothing to this amp that would cause a tube socket's solder joint to fail, yet they failed.


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Post subject: Re: Only getting 1 amp and can't decide between.
Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 9:22 am
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So how's the new Accomplice working out for you -- any "bugs" to be worked out?

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Only getting 1 amp and can't decide between.
Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 10:45 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
So how's the new Accomplice working out for you -- any "bugs" to be worked out?

Arjay



Bugs? Not that I'm aware of. This Accomplice is a kit build like my last one. The seller is the one who built it, and he lives just 15 minutes from me. He's willing to check it out should there be any problems. Yesterday I put in the Celestion V-Type speaker, and today I removed it! It sounds nice, but doesn't really fit my style of playing (poorly!). Since I liked the C-Rex in the Blues Junior I may go with that, or the Red White and Blues favored by David Allen.

Even though this is a sweet amp (and well-built with a nice wiring job), I'd still prefer having a smaller, lighter amp... I am getting older! I'm not jamming with anyone at the moment but I'm looking for a basement/garage band. If I can't find anything, then I'll get rid of the Accomplice and replace it with a nice Tweed Deluxe clone.


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Post subject: Re: Only getting 1 amp and can't decide between.
Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 4:22 pm
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I am quite happy with my BJr II but that is with a Swamp Thang and a MOD reverb... most folks I talked to seem to think a speaker swap is a must on BJr, hence all the LEs with upgraded speakers. I understand the regular BJr III has ice pick highs without a speaker swap.

I think more people are happy with stock DRRIs although they can be improved with upgraded speakers too.

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Post subject: Re: Only getting 1 amp and can't decide between.
Posted: Sun Mar 29, 2015 4:25 pm
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Tiger J wrote:
I think more people are happy with stock DRRIs although they can be improved with upgraded speakers too.


+1

I never understood the rationale behind installing a 100-watt speaker in a 20-watt amp, whether it be an imported Jensen C12K or an Eminence.

Arjay

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