Fender Blue Deluxe Reissue Amp: Tearing Across the Sonic Landscape
Written: Mar 09 '08 (Updated Mar 09 '08)
Product Rating:
Pros: Great vintage tone, warmer than your typical Fender
Cons: None, really: this is a very good amp for the money
The Bottom Line: Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue amp is a high-quality, value-priced amp that provides warm vintage tones with a gain option. This is a very good amp.
buffoonery's Full Review: Fender Hot Rod Reissue Blues Deluxe™ 40W Guitar ...
Note to self: This is one fine-sounding amplifier.
Fender has a well-deserved reputation as one of the world’s finest amplifier manufacturers. You haven’t played much guitar if you’re unfamiliar with the classic tones of the Fender Twin, Reverb, Champ and other amps that defined the sound of rock and blues in the 50s and 60s and even now continue to exert great influence. The amps are famous for their crisp tone and the soft spot you get as you crank them into tone. Played with a Tele or Strat, you can drive people into the abyss with these amps.
The Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue is a refreshing contrast to the modeling, multi-channel, everything-to-excess amps that are now littering your favorite big box. (I admit I’m one of the offenders here, as I like modeling amps a lot because they’re such cool toys.) Let’s focus on the important innards: you get three 12AX7’s in the preamp and two Fender 6L6’s in the power amp, all of which are driving a single 12” Eminence speaker. The amp has two channels, one clean and the other that engages the gain control—just press a switch and the red light come on, indicating you’re on the gain channel.
The result: classic Fender tones that are beefier and, well, bluesier than a Twin or Reverb. The clean channel produces sweet leads and gutsy chords. The drive channel won’t have anybody turning in his Rectifier, but breaks up nicely and is ideal for vintage rock. Indeed, this amp at times has tones more reminiscent of a Marshall than a Fender, especially in the drive channel. Players looking for a more vicious Fender might find themselves it the right place.
And let us be clear about something: rated at 40 watts, this tweed amp is loud and is well suited for playing in a small club. At forty-five pounds, it’s more manageable than a lot of amps I’ve dealt with.
The controls are a 60s throwback. There a chicken-head knobs controlling bass, mids, treble, presence, master volume, and drive (gain) for the gain channel. There is also a bright switch for boosting the highs. Two input jacks are included for high and low output guitars. There are jacks for effects in/out and some speaker connections, as well as on/off and standby switches (use standby when you’re not playing but leave on the amp, as this extends tube life). No phaser, uni-verb, octave-shifter, or any of that other stuff that you’ll find in your garden-variety Line 6 modeling amp.
Use the controls judiciously as they are capable of producing very different sounds. As befits a high-quality machine, the Blues Deluxe can create a wide range of tones, so don’t just put everything on ten and fire away. In particular, watch out for the volume control, which is non-linear (more sensitive at lower volumes). Play with the bass and treble controls, or use the gain channel at low settings. This is ideal for both lead and rhythm work. It can be very warm and punchy and provide nice sustain. There is also a footswitch for reverb and channel-switching.
Yes, I like this amp a lot. At $699 retail this is extremely price-competitive delivers great tone and volume for the denarius. Beginners and intermediates should probably start out cheaper, although I wouldn’t turn this down if I got it for a birthday present.
So who should buy this amplifier? Vintage players looking for a more bluesy Fender tone—pre-heroin Clapton and pre-death Stevie Ray players have found the right place. Country and western players will like this very much, although maybe it’s a bit much for fans of the Bakersfield Sound. It’s excellent for small gigs but overpowered for a small apartment so be advised. On the other hand, it’s not clean enough for jazz players and way too underpowered gain-wise for hard rock and metal heads. With the Fender name and the quality within, this will hold its value but don’t buy one expecting to make cash off the appreciation. Especially when there is a recession on.
Technical Specs:
Output 40 Watts
Ohms 8 Ohms
Speakers 1-12" Special Design Eminence® 8 ohm, 50 watt Speaker,
Channels Dual Selectable Channels (Vintage and Drive)
Features Independent Gain and Master Controls in the Drive ChannelBright SwitchEffects LoopReverb1-Button Footswitch for Drive SelectChrome PanelVintage Chicken-Head Pointer Knobs
Controls PresenceReverbMasterMiddleBassTrebleDrive Select SwitchDriveVolumeBright SwitchStandby Switch
Covering Genuine Tweed covering
Weight 45 lbs
Dimensions Height: 18.75" Width: 23.5" Depth: 10.5"
Tube Complement 3 X 12AX7, 2 X 6L6, SS Rectifier
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