From time to time, I see beat up silverface Deluxe Reverbs reasonable - there were so many of them made that they have a good performance/price ratio for a SF amp. Best is to find one with some problems but a commensurately low price - ideally fried transformers and speaker. If you get a good example and you just have to mod it, put the parts away in case you want to restore it later. You can sell them - and they bring good money in the vintage market - but on reflection, I just wouldn't do it - they'll probably be worth more in a few years than they are now. The later versions with the push-pull knobs are still great amps - they never really messed with the Deluxe Reverb like they did some of the bigger amps, and these later examples are worth less money - great candidates for a mod.

Now get yourself beefed up retrofit power and output transformers designed for 6L6 tubes at around 40 watts - they are available many places for reasonable money - one example is Allen Amplification, but there are others. Make sure the power supply filter capacitors are fresh. You may want to add some additional filtering - if you do, follow the schematic for something like a Vibrolux, Super, or Pro Reverb. Put a switching pot on the tremelo intensity and wire it up to switch the tremelo out of the circuit at "0" - this gives the preamp signal more beef. Save the original pot. Then set up the bias for 2-6L6 output tubes - you may need to change the bias circuit. Then put in an EV SRO, JBL D/K-120, one of the high-power, high-efficiency Weber or Eminence speakers, or something like a Black Widow 12". Do the mod that puts reverb on both channels. That's it.

There are no doubt other mods to give a DR more juice, but as long as you don't throw away any parts like good transformers or a speaker, these changes are reversible. Whether or not it's loud and clean enough for you depends on how loud and clean you need, and also on the stage volume you have to deal with. For me, this makes a great, compact rig for low to moderate volume steel gigs, or a moderately loud guitar gig. I've done this before, and I'm about to make one, so I'm not tempted to take my blackface DR out.

Leo Fender was a manuf. genius. The next step up was a LITTLE more power and more money. There was an amp for every need it seemed. Basically the pre section is the same in most of the amp. Beefier voltages and tformers and such get you more vol. Just get a more powerful model and don't waste your time and money on messing with the smaller amp.

If you want a Deluxe that will play cleaner, do some web searches on the use of 6L6 tubes with the stock transformer and a different rectifier. Pete Anderson has played one like that - increases headroom, but not power.

------------------
http://home.comcast.net/~steves_garage

The 6L6 setup on a DR is a non-invasive, reversible mod. It's worth trying to make the amp more usable for small clubs. Dr's are loved by guitarists for their low headroom, but for steel you usually want just the opposite. Stock ones work great in the studio though - listen to Lloyd Green on the Byrd's "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" - that's a DR. I have mine set up as my main practice amp with my GFI and Fender 400.

[This message was edited by Jim Sliff on 13 September 2006 at 05:10 AM.]

Don't get me wrong - I wouldn't do this to a real clean DR - even a silverface one. But I do see beater DRs from time to time that are good candidates for this type of mod - as I said, that's what I'm looking for. Plus, as long as one uses retrofit transformers that don't require drilling into the chassis, one can always go back to a stock setup.

I also love the 2-6V6 setup for guitar, but even with the tremelo intensity pot mod and heavy speaker, it's still too weak for anything but the most quiet live gig for clean steel, for me anyway.

I have also rebiased stock DRs for 2-6L6. Of course, it does clean things up somewhat, but that is not completely without risk. 6L6 tubes draw more filament current, and there is a risk (probably not a huge one) that the filament windings of the power transformer could overheat. I admit though - it's never happened to me or anyone I know.

There's another issue with using a higher-capacity rectifier tube - e.g., 5AR4 instead of 5U4 - with 6V6 tubes. This tends to increase the plate voltage. Even a stock DR pushes 6V6 tubes way over their design center. Pushing that up even further stresses these tubes even more, not a good idea these days as really great NOS 6V6 tubes get even more scarce and pricey, IMO. The design center on 6L6 is quite a bit higher and I have found new tube options on 6L6 are better than 6V6. I still haven't found anything besides good NOS 6V6 that will hold up in a DR. IMO, every extra 10 volts of increased plate voltage just wears the tubes down sooner.

The other aspect of this is that, tonally, I prefer a modded DR - with the heavier transformers and heavier-duty speaker - to a stock Pro Reverb, at least for steel. IMO, to get that kind of clean sound with the Pro requires replacing the stock speakers with something beefier - by the time you do that, you're looking at something close to the weight of a stock Twin Reverb. For the applications I'm thinking about - where I don't need a big-a$$ed steel amp - I'd prefer the modded Deluxe.

[This message was edited by Pete Burak on 13 September 2006 at 01:22 PM.]

Back in the day before there were all these small powerful Boogies and such Rhodes and others did a lot of these small Fenders.

Now with so much to pick from, it is just not feasible. That would be a VERY expensive mod today that your amp has and the Delux Reverb is so much more valuable on the vintage market. Back in the 70s they were $75 used everywhere.

[This message was edited by Bill Hatcher on 13 September 2006 at 11:03 AM.]

Another option is to get a SF Vibrolux and put the stock chassis in a custom 1x12 or 1x15 cabinet. No further mods are needed for the chassis, and you can always slip it right back in the stock cab for resale.

------------------
Student of the Steel: Zum uni, Fender tube amps, squareneck and roundneck resos, tenor sax, keyboards

[This message was edited by David Doggett on 13 September 2006 at 11:21 AM.]

My '71 twin reverb in a head cab weighs 50lbs. So you have to ask yourself, what are you trying to accomplish?

I don't mind carring one or two speaker cabs for the 100 watts and headroom and tone of my twin. When you mod an amp, You do not keep your original tone when you change out so much stuff to make it loud--at least in our experience. We ended up changing it back.

[This message was edited by James Morehead on 13 September 2006 at 11:37 AM.]

Seriously, if your amp is in good semi-original shape I'd leave it alone. If you hack it up you will regret it someday.

The only things I'd do would be:
1) Have it checked out by a tech for the usual stuff like filter caps, correct speaker ohmage, good tubes, etc.
2) Maybe do the 6L6 swap for the 6V6s, but have a good tech do it for you. There may be a difference in the heater current draw that could cause a problem. This tube swap may change the tone a little.
3) Get a more efficient speaker. However, this will probably change the tone somewhat.
4) Buy another Deluxe Reverb or similar small amp and run them together. It'll still be a portable lightweight set up, just with more lightweight pieces.

------------------
Student of the Steel: Zum uni, Fender tube amps, squareneck and roundneck resos, tenor sax, keyboards

Is the Nashville 112 a realistic alternative to modifying a Deluxe Reverb?

[This message was edited by Mitch Druckman on 14 September 2006 at 09:47 PM.]

The BF should have been the "Pro Reverb" - the BF Pro was a 1x15 amp. and the brownie should have been the "Super Reverb", the Super-Amp being a 2x10.

Brad

[This message was edited by Brad Sarno on 17 September 2006 at 12:29 AM.]

Thanks,
Brad