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hi nacho!
you´re welcome!
first off – i think Jens (the host of this site) is way better than me in terms of srv´s sound, but i´ll give it a try, anyway…
if you already own a bf twin reverb you should be able to get real close – after all, stevie was using bf-fender-amps a lot.
i would try this:
- remove one pair of power-tubes (the inner pair, or the outer pair) like this:
XOOX
or this:
OXXO
then disconnect one of the speakers!
the impedance will now match the output-trannie and the amp will be perfectly safe to use this way.
now you essentially have a 40w, 1×12″ bf-combo in a big (and heavy) cabinet.
that should get you real close to the 40w, 1×15″ vibroverb that stevie used.
for more gain, you can remove the first pre-amp-tube (V1) and sub it for the phase-inverter tube (V6, next to the power-tubes).
if that doesn´t get you close, try a tubescreamer (or one of its many, many copies) in front of the amp.
sorry, i can´t really help you with a “brighter” speaker for the blues junior. i always thought the stock-speaker was plenty bright and usually went for a warmer-sounding speaker
if you don´t need a lot of volume from the amp, i can suggest the jensen reissue C12Q.
it sounds nice and fendery, is rather cheap and has good hi-end-response.
but it is also less loud, and has less bass-response than the stock-speaker…
best
carsten
Hi guys.
Personally I have obtained some of the best SRV-tones from multiple 10″ speakers and amps, like the super reverb, vibrolux and vibro-king. One of the reasons for that, I think, is that the speakers share the load and are not beeing pushed over their limit. They respond quickly with punchy bass and clean sparkle. Cabinets with multiple tens are also naturally scooped in their tone, which matches stevie’s EQ-profile. Remember that Stevie wanted clean tones out of his amps. Cezas Diaz had twin reverb output transformers, diode rectifier and EVM or JBL speakers installed in the Vibroverbs. Vintage speakers are not neccesarily best for achieving the srv-punch and sparkle, so I’m talkng about speakers that can tolerate more watts (not more efficient, that’s a different thing). I have tried all 15″ speakers out there, vintage and new. The classic EVMs and JBL’s are not easy speakers to obtain a good tone with, you need to EQ the entire tone value chain to suit those speakers. One of the best modern 15″ speakers that easily gives you an amazing SRV tone is the Eminence Legend 1518. It’s very efficient, has a nicely balanced american frequency response that also sounds nice with distorted tonesm, and it takes pedals well. I have a big extension cabinet with this one (approx same dimension as Weber’s biggest 15 cabinet), and man it delivers the El Mocambo experience no matter what Fender amp that drives it. That speaker is voiced much better than the EVM and JBLs, imho, and it’s cheap too!! If you use an extension cabinet you need not to hazzle with swapping the speaker in a combo amp.
We could talk for hours about this.
Jens
Carsten,
If you pull two of the 6L6 tubes, do you need to have them re-biased or can you play them without having them re-biased? Thanks,
Rudy
Thank you, Carsten. All of you are very good people. Thank you for your time and work.
I have to try this simple mods in my TR, perhaps this week. I let you know.
And yes, I have a couple of tubescreamers
one 808 reissue, one maxon mod.
Thank you again.
Nacho
Hi. My name is Patrick Belanger. I like to know How much your fender deluxe reverb amp with the jbld120f speaker in it is. please call me my phone number is 1-603-883-2165 call me any time after 8P.M. at night. I check out your web site. I dont have A computer I go at the Library. that is why If you could call me. Thank You! Patrick Belanger.
I’m not exactly sure why you’re asking. I guess you can find such a blackfaced silverface deluxe reverb on US eBay for 1000-1300$, I don’t know. The speaker you may have to look for separately and pay 100-200$, possibly more.
Hi, you have a great website and very informative.
I have a ’67 Blackface Twin Reverb and it has a great clean sound but is too strong in the bass. I have tried different speaker combinations however it has a similar tonal response with each of them. The amp was recapped and serviced some years back before I owned it. I’m thinking maybe some wrong parts were used. I want to keep the wattage and clean headroom of the amp but would to know if there is anything I can do to tame the bass.
Thanks.
Regards,
Paul.
Jens,
I have ’93 Super Amp. I cant find alot of info on this amp and would to make some minor mods to it.
Could you please help?
Al
Hi.
I write here because I can’ t find info elsewhere.
I am looking for info about old speakers manufactured i Norway in the sixties. The chassis is gold/coldish.
among others they were used in the danish manufactor of speakercabinets “Larsson Electronics”.
Anyone knows about these speakers???
Hello,
Congrats for your great site! I own a fender blues deluxe RI. I would like to ask you if it ‘s possible to achieve the srv tone and what mods should I use? Any suggestions?
Thank you very much,
Kim
Hi, I have a ’73 Deluxe Reverb and having a couple of problems. First, the clean or first channel seems to work fine but the second channel is out putting at about 1/3 power. It produces sound but wavers a bit and again is at about 1/3 the normal volume. In addition, the vibro channel only produces a thumping noise. Finally, the reverb is very week so I have it turned up to 10 to get a light effect. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
hi peter!
i would start with the pre-amp tube for the vibrato-channel.
it´s the 2nd pre-amp tube from the right, when looking at the back of the amp.
take it out (with the amp OFF) and substitute it with the first pre-amp tube (normal-channel, which seems to work fine as you described).
if you´re lucky, that´s all that´s wrong.
however, with an amp which is roughly 40 years old, it´s always a good idea to have it checked out by a competent tech.
will cost you around $100 (+/-) usually, but will be worth it in terms of performance – and peace of mind
best
carsten
Thanks – it worked. The original tube ended up working as well so I’m afraid there may be a short in the tube socket. I guess it’s time for the tech….
On another note, what are your thoughts on the ’73 Silverface Deluxe Reverb? Is it still within the early silverface era before CBS messed with the style of the amp so much? When is the cut off for sound value, when they introduced the push/pull pot? I originally bought this from an amp tech who said that he modded the circut to be like the blackface, although my amp sounds a little harsher when cranked for a dirty sound (5-7) compared to my buddies ’65. Although, I also have a Celestion Greenback in mine and my buddy has a Jensen.
Thoughts?
Thanks and love the web site.
Peter
hi peter!
good to hear the tube-trick worked – but yes, let someone check the amp out, it´s worth it!
sorry, i´m no expert on the little circuit-changes along the way, but it think a ´73 dr is as nice as any sf-model.
i have a ´74 bandmaster reverb and it sounds really, really nice.
i recently talked to a player/collector/technician i know and he said he thought the ´73/74ish amps were great as he thought they used good parts at the time.
the differences you noticed between your buddies ´65 and your amp could be caused by any number of things – tubes, bias-setting, speaker, drifted components etc. – not neccessarily a circuit-related thing…
who knows – yours might sound just as sweet when you get it back from the tech
best
carsten
does anyone know what the production number is for ??mine just says princeton amp aa964 production #2.. it is a 1965 stamped OF
hi andy!
as far as i know, fender made the amps in “production runs” at the time.
like, they would produce xxx-amount of princeton amps at a time.
your seems to be a june ´65 amp and (most probably) from the 2nd production run of princeton amps.
i once had a pristine condition pro reverb from the first production-run (mai 1965) – wish i´d kept it
best
carsten
thanks carsten for your info..i’m getting this one ready to sell it has been serviced and is ready but i need to put a new baffle in someone has taken the original out..other than that it still has the factory ac plug on it and works and sounds beautifully.. thanks again
What a great site you have! I just wanted to share my amp(s) stories:
I had a love/hate relationship with an early 90′s red knob Super 112. I decided to try my luck with different Mesa Boogies, but they left me unsatisfied, which I won’t get into here. Then a couple of friends cornered me after a gig and said “knowing the type of player you are, you should be playing through a small blackface Fender….. Being that I highly regard their opinions I decided to follow their advice.
I got a ’65 Deluxe Reverb RI…. That started turning me around in the right direction. The amp, however has always been too tight so I’m gonna first apply your V1 mod advice and then maybe go for some of the others you enlightened me to.
I feel the love for old Fender amps now. Recently I did a straight trade of a 1 year old Mesa Boogie TransAtlantic TA-15 lunchbox head and matching 1×12 cab for an early ’68 Super Reverb with original speakers. My amp tech confirmed it to be a real blackface AB763. He also pointed out that the silverface plate has black vertical stencil lines between the amp’s control sections which further supports its uniqueness as a true blackface in very early silverface “clothing”.
He restored the normal channel that was once modded to be a Bassman, resolved some microphonic noise and made the amp whole again emphatically telling me the trade I made for this SR was brilliant and that I now have a really amazing amp.
I am so in love with this SR, the physical and tonal response is unbelievable whether I’m playing my ’64 Strat or my ’09 Gibson ES-339. I front it with either a GIG-FX VOD (variable overdrive) or a Maxon OD-9 so nobody’s ears start to bleed. I also lightly use an MXR Carbon Copy delay just for a hint of it.
I will also try your V1 mod advice on my SR!
I’m more of a Robben Ford type of player than a SRV player and I just read your piece on Matt Schofield which further confirms what I gravitate towards.
So…… Again, thank you so much for your dedicated efforts with this superb site! I will follow-up my appreciation with a much deserved donation!!!!!! Sorry for being so long-winded here.
Eric