I mostly use mine at home but I've put in a 5y3 rectifer tube in it based on my local amp tech's recommendation. It quietens it down a bit and gives it more compression earlier. I suppose it's somewhere between a Princeton and a Deluxe with the normal 5AR4 rectifier. I also had the bright cap made switchable using the dummy ground switch that came on the old DRRIs, and I switched out the Jensen for a Celestion Vintage 30 12". Finally I put a Joyo American pedal in front of it so I can voice it with a little more midrange if I want, or more break up at lower volumes. It sounds absolutley beautiful to my ears. You want it hotter for a bigger room, put the 5AR4 back in it. I think it's the perfect amp. And I really don't think it's all that heavy.. really!
I found one advertised on line for $500. It was over 200 miles away. I contacted the guy immediately and told him that I would drive down to get it. He said that it was too heavy to carry around so he got a Tone Master. One of the drivers in the reverb tank was bad and the pots were dirty. Otherwise, it looks almost mint. I cleaned the pots and replaced the driver in the reverb tank with one out of an old tank I had. It works perfectly. Such a beautiful sound:)
I also wanted a Deluxe Reverb after playing it in the shop a bunch. I ended up getting a Tonemaster version instead. Never played it ahead of time just bought it. It is a tremendous amp for sure, no question. The Tonemaster features like the attenuator specifically make it nice to use. However, I have gone back to play the tube Deluxe and I do think it has some other dimension of sound the Tonemaster doesn't capture. Pretty damn close and certainly good enough for me (and the deal I got for my TM) but should be acknowledged that it does sound slightly different
Normally gig my Fractal FM9 for ease and convenience , but I got an Amplified Nation Overdrive Reverb in Feb that I use for more important gigs and outdoor venues. Definitely prefer the ODR but no one else seems to notice when I use the Fractal.
Love my Tone Master Deluxe! Sounds really Good and REALLY EASY ON THE BACK!!!! You can download the Firmware Fix which eliminates the Bright Cap and corrects the Fine Tuning of the Reverb on the Series 1 Black Face that I have. Happy New Year John and Cheers from Salem, Oh. US.
Same, I sold the valve one in favour of the tone master after playing them side by side. I also removed the bright cap with the firmware fix. Fantastic amplifiers and no more service bills or inconsistencies as tubes age.
My custom Deluxe is my amp of the year. A Princeton may well be your sweet spot, though I did just see a guy gigging a ‘76 Vibro Champ for his pedal steel.
I’ve a tone master version, and a twin reverb TM. Tube v tm, side by side, there’s a slight difference in favour of the tube but………it’s got an attenuator, is light/easy to transport and the audience will never know the difference - even pro’s
For home volume I 3Med a Tone King Iron Man mini in the back of the cab. You need a good right angle adapter for the speaker input but it works really well where it just always sits back there snug in the cab at -11 or -14 db and sounds awesome on 4 on the volume!
iv'e been giging for two years with the tonemaster blonde deluxe reverb. and i'm a tube snob, 24 lbs. is good for this old man. It would be nice if you'd get a hold of one and gig with it. I'd like to hear what your opinion would be on it..
i have the 64 handwired. it's a lovely amp although it was a tad noisy so sent it to chris fantana at rift amps and he worked his magic on it. Then fitted a gws et65 and the results are perfect! a stunning amp.
You can clip the bright cap in the reverb channel * I just got the Sweetwater Princeton tweed with a 12” Cannabis Rex speaker- Luv it! like a deluxe but not quite as loud. 👍
You can pull the tube out and bend that little holder in a little and then replace the tube and that will stop happening. Also look at clipping the bright cap on channel two so it’s like channel one with the reverb and tremolo. I have bought one again and will never need anything boutique again as meant are based in this anyway. Happy new year
I gigged a 1980s Sessionette 75 for many years, then upgraded to a Fender BDR. Both excellent amps. Last year I bought a 1989 Peavey Bandit, which is an absolute beast of an amp. I fitted a Celestion Sidewinder speaker into it. Another recent purchase is a 1999 Laney VC30 II, and that too is superb. I'd gig any of these, and just to be clear, while they'll easily overpower any drummer, my preference is to keep the amp volume relatively low, but mic it up with an SM57 into the PA.
The tone master version is probably a decent gigging amp- I have one but have never gigged it- mainly because if it goes wrong you can’t get under the hood and fix it- it basically goes down the tip with all the other crap you clear out of the shed. I have a Princeton - they are flippin great - maybe even better than a deluxe for little gigs- My fave amp this year has to be the Hamstead 60 RV that I used at a couple of gigs - it’s expensive though but I basically stole it from NAMM in 2020.. hehe lovely cleans amd huge HR and wattage can be attenuated.. handy business… Thanks for all the smashing videos this year, John.. always informative and gently humorous! Happy new ears!!
Hard to play a Princeton clean in a live environment. If you need more headroom a DR is going to work a lot better than a Princeton. On the other hand, if you like to play with compression and overdrive a DR can be a bit painful for the tables near the band so you have to use a pedal. Kind of different animals, no?
Fender Blues Jr. for home use. Affordable. Easily modded if need be. Has a master volume, which is a huge plus. Jensen speaker. It's not the end all be all like some people perceive, but it's a good sounding amp for playing at home for sure.
The deluxe reverb is real sensitive to speaker swaps. I have a 67 that still has the bright cap but I have a celestion 55hz (bass cone) G12H30 in it and it sounds great even at lower volumes on that 2nd channel. I actually prefer the second channel over the 1st channel. But really any black face style amp is great. Princeton reverb as well. Vibroluxe reverb, super, pro, twin etc etc. just depends on your volume requirement. The deluxe is my favorite all arounder along with the Princeton .
Should definitely try the Vibro Champ (the recent '68reissue has 10" speaker) or, better, a vintage Vibro Champ (8" speaker, but hand wired). Also, I got a hand-wired reissue of the '57 Fender Champ (tweed style, 8" speaker) last week and have been delighted by how loud it can get (I rarely get above 3 or 4), and by how the clean tones are round, dimensional and full of character.
Funny you mention that - I was literally looking at an old silver face vibro champ! I used to have one and tried it into a normal speaker, BIG fender tones!!
Hey John, why go for a Champ if you like this amp? Howabout placing the amp in a cupboard or wardrobe or even better a bit of carpentry and make a wooden box to house the amp and mic then you can crank the amp more without louder sound levels?
I have a 2008 DRRI - amazing amp. You can't go wrong and they arevery affordabld. I find the sweet spot is about 5-6 on the volume. Roll off the bass and raise tge treble for amazing crun h tones: yes it's a real rock machine!
Awesome video as always - I was just wondering: when you say that on gigs you put the volume of the amp at, say, 3, at what level do you have the volume knob of the guitar usually (or between what levels) - I’m kinda struggeling between more guitar volume and less amp volume vs. the opposite; more amp volume and less guitar, especially when dialing in gain pedals that rely on the amount of guitar input. Though sometimes you’d want a lot of drive but without the increase in volume.. would love to hear anyones thoughts! Wishing you the best for the new year!
Yeah '65 DRRI is common here as is Hot Rod Deluxe/Deville and '59 Bassman RI/LTD. Even '65 TRRI is actually. If you never use Tremolo, Super-Sonic 22 is a DRRI with TMB and legit high-gain stages, deep switch on the Normal.
Oh cool. Like all old Fender amps, it sounds great but it's falling apart. Get that tube seating fixed. Fenders do great cleans. Great pedal platforms.
And he never tried jumpering the Channels, i built a Fractal fm9 preset with a jumped in parallel Deluxe with normal and brillant channels. It was the only way I could get a Deluxe to sound good to me. With Stock speaker Dynacab, now with an EV speaker it sounded Great/Dynacab.
I have owned DRRI, Rivera Deluxe ii, Princeton R and Tonemaster Deluxe. Love them all but at the gig the TMDR is very close (plus all the other benefits. Try it at a gig before writing it off. Oh, btw best amp I ever owned was a ‘69 Vibrolux. Not sure why I sold that one…😢
Did you know that if you press the headstock of your guitar against your bedroom door, it will amplify the sound? I currently have my door mike'd up to the Meris Mercury X for ambiance.
They are my least favourite amps of all time. The bright cap is a nightmare and I can't get on with the total lack of compression. I think the Tonemaster is a much better bet for the real world. Sure it doesn't have the magic valve harmonics when you crank it and slam the front end, but most people don't get to play that loud. The Tonemaster gives a consistent controllable sound at lower volumes and the D.I output sounds thick and lovely coming back through the monitors.
Love/hate relationship with your channel. Your sincerity has me subscribed but have absolutely no interest in digital all in. But live your reaction to actual tube products....you act like you've discovered FIRE. Tube will always be king in end. But I am entertained by guitarists who say say "so close". Just get the real thing call it day
First thing, I've played several tube amps in the budget category - Fender Hot Rods, Blues Deluxe/Devilles, Bugeras etc - and if you play with pedals (like most players do today) my personal opinion is that a good solid state amp (Orange Super Crush, Roland JC etc) can many times be better (the outrage!!)!! More importantly not all players have the budget to go get a pro level tube amp... Second thing the digital modelling stuff, like the UA pedals for example, lets you play good recreations (check out Rhett Shull's or JHS's vids on the UA pedals) of the classic amps - AC30, FDR, Tweed Deluxe, Plexi. For most players it's simply not in their budget to go out get even one of these amps, let alone a vintage one!
Save yourself years of tone chasing and just reproduce Uncle Larry's rig. He has already done all of the trials, hit and miss, and mistakes you are going to make for years to come- there is a reason he uses what he does. I know you can't afford a $350,000 Les Paul but you can get in the ball park. You are a great guitarist, but it will be years before you are where hi is. He is way past having to noodle all of the time like you do.
Uncle Larry is great but he isn't the only one. Plenty of other excellent guitarists play other rigs that sound great too. Personally, I played nearly 200 gigs this year. I still like to play different rigs and amps at different times. It makes my job more fun. Also, some of us like John's "noodling" quite a lot. If you don't like what John is doing, that's fine, but no need to be condescending.
I mostly use mine at home but I've put in a 5y3 rectifer tube in it based on my local amp tech's recommendation. It quietens it down a bit and gives it more compression earlier. I suppose it's somewhere between a Princeton and a Deluxe with the normal 5AR4 rectifier. I also had the bright cap made switchable using the dummy ground switch that came on the old DRRIs, and I switched out the Jensen for a Celestion Vintage 30 12". Finally I put a Joyo American pedal in front of it so I can voice it with a little more midrange if I want, or more break up at lower volumes. It sounds absolutley beautiful to my ears. You want it hotter for a bigger room, put the 5AR4 back in it. I think it's the perfect amp. And I really don't think it's all that heavy.. really!
I found one advertised on line for $500. It was over 200 miles away. I contacted the guy immediately and told him that I would drive down to get it. He said that it was too heavy to carry around so he got a Tone Master. One of the drivers in the reverb tank was bad and the pots were dirty. Otherwise, it looks almost mint. I cleaned the pots and replaced the driver in the reverb tank with one out of an old tank I had. It works perfectly. Such a beautiful sound:)
I also wanted a Deluxe Reverb after playing it in the shop a bunch. I ended up getting a Tonemaster version instead. Never played it ahead of time just bought it. It is a tremendous amp for sure, no question. The Tonemaster features like the attenuator specifically make it nice to use. However, I have gone back to play the tube Deluxe and I do think it has some other dimension of sound the Tonemaster doesn't capture. Pretty damn close and certainly good enough for me (and the deal I got for my TM) but should be acknowledged that it does sound slightly different
The 65 Deluxe has been a staple for gigging musicians for years ✅🧐👍
Normally gig my Fractal FM9 for ease and convenience , but I got an Amplified Nation Overdrive Reverb in Feb that I use for more important gigs and outdoor venues. Definitely prefer the ODR but no one else seems to notice when I use the Fractal.
Love my Tone Master Deluxe! Sounds really Good and REALLY EASY ON THE BACK!!!! You can download the Firmware Fix which eliminates the Bright Cap and corrects the Fine Tuning of the Reverb on the Series 1 Black Face that I have. Happy New Year John and Cheers from Salem, Oh. US.
Same, I sold the valve one in favour of the tone master after playing them side by side. I also removed the bright cap with the firmware fix. Fantastic amplifiers and no more service bills or inconsistencies as tubes age.
My custom Deluxe is my amp of the year. A Princeton may well be your sweet spot, though I did just see a guy gigging a ‘76 Vibro Champ for his pedal steel.
Supposedly its the most recorded amp ever - it’s that good, I personally love the normal channel!
John Nathan Chord-y
That smile while playing live. That’s where it’s at! The achievement of glorious tone chasing is over.
I’ve a tone master version, and a twin reverb TM. Tube v tm, side by side, there’s a slight difference in favour of the tube but………it’s got an attenuator, is light/easy to transport and the audience will never know the difference - even pro’s
For home volume I 3Med a Tone King Iron Man mini in the back of the cab. You need a good right angle adapter for the speaker input but it works really well where it just always sits back there snug in the cab at -11 or -14 db and sounds awesome on 4 on the volume!
iv'e been giging for two years with the tonemaster blonde deluxe reverb. and i'm a tube snob, 24 lbs. is good for this old man. It would be nice if you'd get a hold of one and gig with it. I'd like to hear what your opinion would be on it..
i have the 64 handwired. it's a lovely amp although it was a tad noisy so sent it to chris fantana at rift amps and he worked his magic on it. Then fitted a gws et65 and the results are perfect! a stunning amp.
You can clip the bright cap in the reverb channel *
I just got the Sweetwater Princeton tweed with a 12” Cannabis Rex speaker- Luv it! like a deluxe but not quite as loud. 👍
You can pull the tube out and bend that little holder in a little and then replace the tube and that will stop happening. Also look at clipping the bright cap on channel two so it’s like channel one with the reverb and tremolo. I have bought one again and will never need anything boutique again as meant are based in this anyway. Happy new year
You should try the Tonemaster Deluxe Reverb John. I use it with my HX effects. use the attenuator 1 or 5 watt..volume at 7..it sings. 😀 Br/ John E.
The last bit reminded me quite a bit of Allen Hinds - another user of the Deluxe Reverb.
God Bless!
My everyday amp is a Super Reverb. I installed casters on it because it is so heavy, but that fucker sounds fantastic!
I gigged a 1980s Sessionette 75 for many years, then upgraded to a Fender BDR. Both excellent amps. Last year I bought a 1989 Peavey Bandit, which is an absolute beast of an amp. I fitted a Celestion Sidewinder speaker into it. Another recent purchase is a 1999 Laney VC30 II, and that too is superb. I'd gig any of these, and just to be clear, while they'll easily overpower any drummer, my preference is to keep the amp volume relatively low, but mic it up with an SM57 into the PA.
Tone King Gremlin is my favorite.
Been using DRRI for the last 2 years playing out. Its a great amp in so many different rooms and situations.
Deluxe reverb fans never played a Princeton
Had a few Princeton’s and they were never loud enough to gig and not get overly compressed. DR has been the sweet spot for me for years now.
Makes no sense at all 🤣
The tone master version is probably a decent gigging amp- I have one but have never gigged it- mainly because if it goes wrong you can’t get under the hood and fix it- it basically goes down the tip with all the other crap you clear out of the shed.
I have a Princeton - they are flippin great - maybe even better than a deluxe for little gigs-
My fave amp this year has to be the Hamstead 60 RV that I used at a couple of gigs - it’s expensive though but I basically stole it from NAMM in 2020.. hehe lovely cleans amd huge HR and wattage can be attenuated.. handy business…
Thanks for all the smashing videos this year, John.. always informative and gently humorous!
Happy new ears!!
Hard to play a Princeton clean in a live environment. If you need more headroom a DR is going to work a lot better than a Princeton. On the other hand, if you like to play with compression and overdrive a DR can be a bit painful for the tables near the band so you have to use a pedal. Kind of different animals, no?
Fender Blues Jr. for home use. Affordable. Easily modded if need be. Has a master volume, which is a huge plus. Jensen speaker. It's not the end all be all like some people perceive, but it's a good sounding amp for playing at home for sure.
The DRRI is the GOAT.
Welcome to the 20th century cordy.
Love seeing you play live.
The deluxe reverb is real sensitive to speaker swaps. I have a 67 that still has the bright cap but I have a celestion 55hz (bass cone) G12H30 in it and it sounds great even at lower volumes on that 2nd channel. I actually prefer the second channel over the 1st channel. But really any black face style amp is great. Princeton reverb as well. Vibroluxe reverb, super, pro, twin etc etc. just depends on your volume requirement. The deluxe is my favorite all arounder along with the Princeton .
Should definitely try the Vibro Champ (the recent '68reissue has 10" speaker) or, better, a vintage Vibro Champ (8" speaker, but hand wired). Also, I got a hand-wired reissue of the '57 Fender Champ (tweed style, 8" speaker) last week and have been delighted by how loud it can get (I rarely get above 3 or 4), and by how the clean tones are round, dimensional and full of character.
Funny you mention that - I was literally looking at an old silver face vibro champ! I used to have one and tried it into a normal speaker, BIG fender tones!!
My fender tweed 57 reissue has been fun. Cuts through with a 15 piece band.
The tonemasters are really nice. I have the blonde one, a DRRI and a 73 Pro reverb. I play the tone master the most.
That's really interesting - I'll grab one and see if I can do a bit of comparing? I had a Super Reverb which I wasn't crazy about
@ The other tube versions sound better, but for recording and playing at home, the TM is my go to. It’s crazy light and takes pedals well.
Hey John, why go for a Champ if you like this amp? Howabout placing the amp in a cupboard or wardrobe or even better a bit of carpentry and make a wooden box to house the amp and mic then you can crank the amp more without louder sound levels?
Well, the house isn't that big! I'd more likely just use a loadbox I think
Fender Bassbreaker 30r. Cheap, sounds great, no need for pedals
I have a 2008 DRRI - amazing amp. You can't go wrong and they arevery affordabld. I find the sweet spot is about 5-6 on the volume. Roll off the bass and raise tge treble for amazing crun h tones: yes it's a real rock machine!
Awesome video as always - I was just wondering: when you say that on gigs you put the volume of the amp at, say, 3, at what level do you have the volume knob of the guitar usually (or between what levels) - I’m kinda struggeling between more guitar volume and less amp volume vs. the opposite; more amp volume and less guitar, especially when dialing in gain pedals that rely on the amount of guitar input. Though sometimes you’d want a lot of drive but without the increase in volume.. would love to hear anyones thoughts! Wishing you the best for the new year!
That singing note at around 5:15 😮
Yeah '65 DRRI is common here as is Hot Rod Deluxe/Deville and '59 Bassman RI/LTD. Even '65 TRRI is actually.
If you never use Tremolo, Super-Sonic 22 is a DRRI with TMB and legit high-gain stages, deep switch on the Normal.
Just as you cut from what everyone else can hear (baby crying) sounded just like my wife when I’m playing at home 😂
Oh cool. Like all old Fender amps, it sounds great but it's falling apart. Get that tube seating fixed. Fenders do great cleans. Great pedal platforms.
And he never tried jumpering the Channels, i built a Fractal fm9 preset with a jumped in parallel Deluxe with normal and brillant channels. It was the only way I could get a Deluxe to sound good to me. With Stock speaker Dynacab, now with an EV speaker it sounded Great/Dynacab.
Never heard of it but it sounds ace.
Mines the california tweed 40w
With the zendrive 2*
Love the Cali Tweed 2:20
Great sounding amp!!! What are your settings for clean on either channel??
It is the best amp and has been for 80 years. That is all.
My favourite amp in the Helix is the deluxe reverb, I would love to try a real one!
For me after all the amps/modellers/pedals/guitars it basically goes back to a Strat into A Deluxe Reverb :)
Well an Imperial anyway
you should do a review of the tone master imperial mkii
My buddy Jake borrowed one, great sounding amp!
Do you have preferred settings for DR and ODR1 combo?
I have owned DRRI, Rivera Deluxe ii, Princeton R and Tonemaster Deluxe. Love them all but at the gig the TMDR is very close (plus all the other benefits. Try it at a gig before writing it off. Oh, btw best amp I ever owned was a ‘69 Vibrolux. Not sure why I sold that one…😢
I use mine with Iron man mini II. Always on 5 or higher (bright cap is out then). Live in apartment never had a complaint 😅
4:38 jake looks straight up offended you didn't go to the next inversion... ngl so am i
Did you know that if you press the headstock of your guitar against your bedroom door, it will amplify the sound? I currently have my door mike'd up to the Meris Mercury X for ambiance.
Ah, but what's the door _made_ from? I have oak doors in my house, and they sound much better than pine ones...
@1man1guitarletsgo my doors are Carbon fiber with built in Bluetooth speakers
@@ogmakefirefiregood The thing with carbon fibre doors is that the sound will never mature the way it will with my oak doors.
The Deluxe is a lot of people’s favourite amp :)
My pick for amp of the year is…
…a Gorilla GG-80W 1x10" Guitar Combo Amp
If its so good, id like to hear it at home. Pls make a tonecatch for the hotone pls ;)
I would like you to check out and demo a Suhr Hombre.
The Boss Nextone Special rocks mt world...still
They are my least favourite amps of all time. The bright cap is a nightmare and I can't get on with the total lack of compression. I think the Tonemaster is a much better bet for the real world. Sure it doesn't have the magic valve harmonics when you crank it and slam the front end, but most people don't get to play that loud. The Tonemaster gives a consistent controllable sound at lower volumes and the D.I output sounds thick and lovely coming back through the monitors.
Woah crazy never heard of it
Works for me
The inside of that looks like a cell phone.
A musician’s final thoughts should be of Ohio
I think uncle larry prefers amps to modellers too😂
All that noise was bizarre. Tom never told people to buy anything. Only wahh he likes
Love/hate relationship with your channel. Your sincerity has me subscribed but have absolutely no interest in digital all in. But live your reaction to actual tube products....you act like you've discovered FIRE. Tube will always be king in end. But I am entertained by guitarists who say say "so close". Just get the real thing call it day
First thing, I've played several tube amps in the budget category - Fender Hot Rods, Blues Deluxe/Devilles, Bugeras etc - and if you play with pedals (like most players do today) my personal opinion is that a good solid state amp (Orange Super Crush, Roland JC etc) can many times be better (the outrage!!)!! More importantly not all players have the budget to go get a pro level tube amp...
Second thing the digital modelling stuff, like the UA pedals for example, lets you play good recreations (check out Rhett Shull's or JHS's vids on the UA pedals) of the classic amps - AC30, FDR, Tweed Deluxe, Plexi. For most players it's simply not in their budget to go out get even one of these amps, let alone a vintage one!
Save yourself years of tone chasing and just reproduce Uncle Larry's rig. He has already done all of the trials, hit and miss, and mistakes you are going to make for years to come- there is a reason he uses what he does. I know you can't afford a $350,000 Les Paul but you can get in the ball park. You are a great guitarist, but it will be years before you are where hi is. He is way past having to noodle all of the time like you do.
Uncle Larry is great but he isn't the only one. Plenty of other excellent guitarists play other rigs that sound great too. Personally, I played nearly 200 gigs this year. I still like to play different rigs and amps at different times. It makes my job more fun. Also, some of us like John's "noodling" quite a lot. If you don't like what John is doing, that's fine, but no need to be condescending.
Old love! Clapton and Cray, nobody knows that song!