Fender Deluxe Reverb II

[vds5000]

How does the Deluxe Reverb II compare with the Concert II?

I'm guessing the cleans are great, but would you say that the gain tones from the Deluxe Reverb II is less harsh than what you'd get from the Concert II?

 

[merkaba22]

I have a PR II and just picked up a Concert (II) -- the 6V6's of the PRII and DR II have an effect on the tone compared to the 6L6s used in the Concert (II) -- the harshness that some report is more a result of the speaker and tubes that are used than anything else -- on an amp that old, a cap job would be a wise investement and better caps exist now to further improve the sound; at the time of the cap job, small tweaks can be made to tailor your tone -- imho, neither the PRII, DR II or the Concert (II) are inherently harsh -- just don't tell anyone

 

[vds5000]

I have a PR II and just picked up a Concert (II) -- the 6V6's of the PRII and DR II have an effect on the tone compared to the 6L6s used in the Concert (II) -- the harshness that some report is more a result of the speaker and tubes that are used than anything else -- on an amp that old, a cap job would be a wise investement and better caps exist now to further improve the sound; at the time of the cap job, small tweaks can be made to tailor your tone -- imho, neither the PRII, DR II or the Concert (II) are inherently harsh -- just don't tell anyone

When I had my Concert II, I took the advice of some wise members on here and swapped out the speaker for an Eminence RWB - it made a world of difference in the gain tones (for the better).

I guess I should have worded my questioning differently, so let me have another crack at it:

How would the gain tones of the Deluxe Reverb II compare to the gain tones of the Concert II?

 

[merkaba22]

When I had my Concert II, I took the advice of some wise members on here and swapped out the speaker for an Eminence RWB - it made a world of difference in the gain tones (for the better).

I guess I should have worded my questioning differently, so let me have another crack at it:

How would the gain tones of the Deluxe Reverb II compare to the gain tones of the Concert II?

Well, I wold love to add more but my experience is with the PRII, a close sibling of the DRII -- fwiw, where all things are similar/the same, ie tubes, caps, values, speakers and iron, the tone of the 6V6 will make the biggest difference compared to the 6L6, providing a smoother transition into breakup, a bit more compression and bottom end, IIRC

I run JJ 6V6's in my PRII which are closer to 6L6's and am considering doing the same in my Concert when I get it back from a recap/tweak. I expect they will be similar where the Concert II has true channel switching and a buffered effects loop, etc. compared to my PRII.

Hope that helps

 

[darkbluemurder]

How does the Deluxe Reverb II compare with the Concert II?

I'm guessing the cleans are great, but would you say that the gain tones from the Deluxe Reverb II is less harsh than what you'd get from the Concert II?

I have both and indeed the Deluxe II is a bit smoother than the Concert. Apart from the power tube type the Deluxe II runs on lower voltages, especially in the preamp.

 

[vds5000]

I have both and indeed the Deluxe II is a bit smoother than the Concert. Apart from the power tube type the Deluxe II runs on lower voltages, especially in the preamp.

A bit smoother than the Concert is what I wanted to hear. Ok, couple more questions:

Can I get decent levels of gain (think Zeppelin/Aerosmith/Van Halen) at civilized volumes?

What's the market value for one of these? I know that the Concerts sell for around $500-600.