This old Pro Reverb in this video is the greatest Fender amp tone I’ve ever heard. The new version is fantastic too and only 35 pounds. I played one at GC and it slays
It is essentially a 2 12" version of a Super Reverb. I have a 1964 Super, probably my 4th one, and my last one. I've never owned a Pro Reverb, but I know others who have and they love them.
I've got a ES-335 dot same color as your custom shop Jim. Mine is 1981, with Tim Shaw humbuckers. Love it! I also have a Pro Reverb, 1973 I believe, silver face. Currently, it's used exclusively for my Fender Rhodes electric piano. Great amp.
I was in a music store a few years ago and was trying out all the Supro amps and saw this old blackface Pro Reverb sitting there. I had thought the Supros sounded great, so when I saw the old Pro I wondered what all the fuss about the old Fender Blackface amps was about, was it real? So I plugged into the Pro and was immediately blown away. I have an early 65 RI Deluxe which has had a few subtle mods, it sounds really good to me. But after playing the old Pro I was left wondering just what is going on with the old Fenders. It was astounding to me, the warmth, the grit, the compression, the I don't know what? When Fender can make a real reissue of the old ones they will have accomplished something monumental. You would think it would be easy for them, probably very expensive, but I can tell you they haven't done it yet!
Love to outtake at the end. LOL 66 sounds to die for but the 68 sounds great also - tighter but less full. Having used a Neo Creamback in a 68 Custom Deluxe i owned for 4 years, I now think there are much better speakers for a 112 Fender configuration, e.g. Celestine Alnico Cream or Gold. Even with an Alnico Cream in the 68 it’ll still only be 2kg heavier at about 18kg (Perfect).
Yes you did hear some tube rattle. Nice ear, had to rewind after I read this. I still might get one of these. I've been on a solid state kick lately. I'm really digging my 80s Yammy JX65D and believe it or not, the kid brother of the Peavey Bandit, the Envoy (teal stripe). Both of those amps sound great but I need more gear. You know how it is.
cool vídeo, thanks. I hear the difference, but they indeed are different amps..and they have different speakers, and the new one certainly needs some break-in. I bought the custom and use an extension cab 1x12 - and that changes the game a bit.
Individual guitars make a radical difference I have a Custom Pro Re and with my guitar it sounds more like the 66 here I think he has the bright switch on the 68 here, and I think the amp overall shines with it off
Hey, I actually own the same amp, a 66 Pro Reverb. It's the best sounding amp I've ever used and not too bad to move around, especially compared to the Twin I used to have. The new 68 isn't bad at all, but thinner sounding. 2x12 makes a bit of a difference too.
I ' m a the 68 pro owner, i think it' a great amp, it doesnt sound absolutely as tight as it seem here. The vintage 66 sounds awesome here, one of the best fender sound ever made, the 68 is by the way different in circuit, speaker, cabinet and all, but i should say that the eq on this amp work very well and has an useful mid control that the 66 doesnt have, and that can radically change the overall tonal balance. I repeat, if you want to regulate as you like, the amp sound a lot more fat and not so thin as on this review.
All Pro Reverbs are post CBS and the 68 I own is an early version drip edge with vertical black lines that has the BF circuit the AA165. Later in 68 CBS started to change the amp to SF specs.
old one sounds better (rounder/ fatter and punchier) but I think the 66 is a bit louder in volume. Can you dial in the 68 to match the 66 better. The sound of the 68 is good but in comparison tehre is a difference . but I wonder if you can match the amps by tweaking. Or is the new speaker not that good???
Its easy here. The vintage Pro has much more solidity, richness, and more "stuff"in the tone. A more finished tone. When my amp tech was working on a Fender type that I built, he let me use his 1966 Pro reverb. That was a nice treat. Ha, I can't believe he let that out of the house but, I'm an old guy, so I guess he trusted me.
Watched 3 times and enjoyed demo tremendously-- Not sure over the years you may have changed things on your amp and I wonder too about break in time of new amp may make a difference. What do you say ?
One thing with the 68 reissue is that I’ve never had such a contrast when breaking in a speaker as the Neo. The Neo is much stiffer when new than when broken in, probably two or three times more noticeable than any ceramic speaker I’ve experienced. I actually was somewhat disappointed at first, but it now delivers the goods.
Exactly what I did. Couldn't resist the temptation of checking how it would sound with an original creamback (G12M-65). I liked the result. Sounds fuller, a bit more volume, and definitely a stronger (and looser) bottom end. Wish I had the means to do a proper A/B comparison to avoid self-bias. But hey, we do what we can :-p Oh, and there was also a difference in feel. To me, the neo always felt too stiff and lifeless somehow.
The new '68 clearly has a lot more upper mid and treble presence with less lows. However; how in spec was your '66 vintage? Had it been recently recapped throughout to bring it back to spec?
Man, this just goes to show that fender amps are a shell of what they once were! There's a few other comparisons on UA-cam also comparing vintage against new reissues and every one is the same. The new amp sound like a toy compared to the vintage stuff. And fender is charging $1500 for the 68 reissue! $1700 for a 65 deluxe reverb reissue! Think it sounds like a vintage 65 deluxe? He'll no! It sounds like this. A shell of the original. Fender has become nothing but a cash grab compared to the company Leo started. 😊
Never, ever use effects pedals when comparing amps or guitars. You de-legitimize the entire comparison by introducing a pedal. There is really no comparison between the two amps: one is two channels, two 12" speakers, the other is single for both. Aside from the fact that except for the name, the amps aren't anything alike, the new one sounds like crap compared to the original. It is thin and lacks authority while the real Pro Reverb sounds terrific. They don't even have their original speakers, nothing sounds the same. The real Pro is unruly? Boy, why has everyone become so afraid of volume? Pretty soon anything larger than a Champ will be socially unacceptable among musicians.
You nailed it! Ridiculous review!! Would’ve expected he’d know that, he’s just done his best to put people off an extremely good amp in the 68 custom pro.
This old Pro Reverb in this video is the greatest Fender amp tone I’ve ever heard. The new version is fantastic too and only 35 pounds. I played one at GC and it slays
It is essentially a 2 12" version of a Super Reverb. I have a 1964 Super, probably my 4th one, and my last one. I've never owned a Pro Reverb, but I know others who have and they love them.
Both sound great, but man that vintage 66 sounds richer and fuller
I've got a ES-335 dot same color as your custom shop Jim. Mine is 1981, with Tim Shaw humbuckers. Love it! I also have a Pro Reverb, 1973 I believe, silver face. Currently, it's used exclusively for my Fender Rhodes electric piano. Great amp.
I hate to say it but the vintage one smokes the new custom 68.
I was in a music store a few years ago and was trying out all the Supro amps and saw this old blackface Pro Reverb sitting there. I had thought the Supros sounded great, so when I saw the old Pro I wondered what all the fuss about the old Fender Blackface amps was about, was it real? So I plugged into the Pro and was immediately blown away. I have an early 65 RI Deluxe which has had a few subtle mods, it sounds really good to me. But after playing the old Pro I was left wondering just what is going on with the old Fenders. It was astounding to me, the warmth, the grit, the compression, the I don't know what? When Fender can make a real reissue of the old ones they will have accomplished something monumental. You would think it would be easy for them, probably very expensive, but I can tell you they haven't done it yet!
Solid advice in the end! Love the comparisons - and those two guitars were great 👍🏼- your amp was fantastic:)
I have a first run 1965 pro reverb. It is the greatest Fender amp tone that exists.
Love to outtake at the end. LOL
66 sounds to die for but the 68 sounds great also - tighter but less full. Having used a Neo Creamback in a 68 Custom Deluxe i owned for 4 years, I now think there are much better speakers for a 112 Fender configuration, e.g. Celestine Alnico Cream or Gold. Even with an Alnico Cream in the 68 it’ll still only be 2kg heavier at about 18kg (Perfect).
Being a Fender ( amp) guy... I love this ...
Liking these comparison videos
At 3:14, is that power tube rattle I hear? I think it is. Ever so faint behind the note.
Yes you did hear some tube rattle. Nice ear, had to rewind after I read this. I still might get one of these. I've been on a solid state kick lately. I'm really digging my 80s Yammy JX65D and believe it or not, the kid brother of the Peavey Bandit, the Envoy (teal stripe). Both of those amps sound great but I need more gear. You know how it is.
cool vídeo, thanks.
I hear the difference, but they indeed are different amps..and they have different speakers, and the new one certainly needs some break-in. I bought the custom and use an extension cab 1x12 - and that changes the game a bit.
Individual guitars make a radical difference
I have a Custom Pro Re and with my guitar it sounds more like the 66 here
I think he has the bright switch on the 68 here, and I think the amp overall shines with it off
The vintage has more of Deluxe Reverb like midrange character, and the Custom has more of a bright Princeton Amp character.
Hey, I actually own the same amp, a 66 Pro Reverb. It's the best sounding amp I've ever used and not too bad to move around, especially compared to the Twin I used to have. The new 68 isn't bad at all, but thinner sounding. 2x12 makes a bit of a difference too.
I ' m a the 68 pro owner, i think it' a great amp, it doesnt sound absolutely as tight as it seem here. The vintage 66 sounds awesome here, one of the best fender sound ever made, the 68 is by the way different in circuit, speaker, cabinet and all, but i should say that the eq on this amp work very well and has an useful mid control that the 66 doesnt have, and that can radically change the overall tonal balance. I repeat, if you want to regulate as you like, the amp sound a lot more fat and not so thin as on this review.
All Pro Reverbs are post CBS and the 68 I own is an early version drip edge with vertical black lines that has the BF circuit the AA165. Later in 68 CBS started to change the amp to SF specs.
old one sounds better (rounder/ fatter and punchier) but I think the 66 is a bit louder in volume. Can you dial in the 68 to match the 66 better. The sound of the 68 is good but in comparison tehre is a difference . but I wonder if you can match the amps by tweaking. Or is the new speaker not that good???
Celestion gold in the 68 for the win.
But only to improve the 68. The 66 is a better clean amp
Jim I bought a new one of these Pro Reverb --using a Parker artist humbucker guitar --and I cannot tone down the sharp sounds coming from highs -
Its easy here. The vintage Pro has much more solidity, richness, and more "stuff"in the tone. A more finished tone. When my amp tech was working on a Fender type that I built, he let me use his 1966 Pro reverb. That was a nice treat. Ha, I can't believe he let that out of the house but, I'm an old guy, so I guess he trusted me.
Boy that backing track is wayyyy loud
Watched 3 times and enjoyed demo tremendously-- Not sure over the years you may have changed things on your amp and I wonder too about break in time of new amp may make a difference. What do you say ?
One thing with the 68 reissue is that I’ve never had such a contrast when breaking in a speaker as the Neo. The Neo is much stiffer when new than when broken in, probably two or three times more noticeable than any ceramic speaker I’ve experienced. I actually was somewhat disappointed at first, but it now delivers the goods.
Wondering if the new 68 would sound closer to the original with a medium magnet cream back instead of the neo. Considering the swap right now.
I wondered the same thing, just gonna wait to see who puts it on UA-cam before shelling out the money. 🙂
Exactly what I did. Couldn't resist the temptation of checking how it would sound with an original creamback (G12M-65). I liked the result. Sounds fuller, a bit more volume, and definitely a stronger (and looser) bottom end. Wish I had the means to do a proper A/B comparison to avoid self-bias. But hey, we do what we can :-p Oh, and there was also a difference in feel. To me, the neo always felt too stiff and lifeless somehow.
The new amp is sounding like a toy comparing to the old BF
The new '68 clearly has a lot more upper mid and treble presence with less lows. However; how in spec was your '66 vintage? Had it been recently recapped throughout to bring it back to spec?
Changing the 68s speaker out from the neo cream back would probably help.
The Vintage one is looser and open
The New one has a tighter bottom, but slightly edge to the sound, but single 12 will do the job ! And easy to move
Yeeeaah... Smoke it... Jazz baby...
Ride that cliche train daddyo!
A lot of the difference is just because it's a 212 against a 112 the new 68 custom Pro Reverb kills
Man, this just goes to show that fender amps are a shell of what they once were! There's a few other comparisons on UA-cam also comparing vintage against new reissues and every one is the same. The new amp sound like a toy compared to the vintage stuff. And fender is charging $1500 for the 68 reissue! $1700 for a 65 deluxe reverb reissue! Think it sounds like a vintage 65 deluxe? He'll no! It sounds like this. A shell of the original. Fender has become nothing but a cash grab compared to the company Leo started. 😊
Never, ever use effects pedals when comparing amps or guitars. You de-legitimize the entire comparison by introducing a pedal. There is really no comparison between the two amps: one is two channels, two 12" speakers, the other is single for both. Aside from the fact that except for the name, the amps aren't anything alike, the new one sounds like crap compared to the original. It is thin and lacks authority while the real Pro Reverb sounds terrific. They don't even have their original speakers, nothing sounds the same. The real Pro is unruly? Boy, why has everyone become so afraid of volume? Pretty soon anything larger than a Champ will be socially unacceptable among musicians.
You nailed it! Ridiculous review!! Would’ve expected he’d know that, he’s just done his best to put people off an extremely good amp in the 68 custom pro.