VINTAGE - 65 Deluxe Reverb VS 64 Super Reverb

[Earplayer]

Hi there.

If you could choose one amp of the two which one would you prefer..........?

I am between a pre CBS 64 Super Reverb and a 65 Deluxe Reverb - both all original and in stunning condition price is the same.

From an investment standpoint it is probably the Deluxe Reverb as it is a wonderful little amp and stands for warm and fine Fender tones in spades an amp that almost everybody loves.
On the other hand the pre CBS Super Reverb is a pure SRV Blues machine with a solid tone and not as thin as the Deluxe that is also a true classic.

I am really confused. I love both but i can afford only one. Will get one for sure but dunno which one. I would use them at home live and for recordings too. The Super is heavy and loud but Attenuated it would be all good or as solid clean platform with a Tubescreamer it sounds really SRV which is very cool.

My OD and Leadsounds are 100% in the Marshall veign so i would use the new Fender as a Clean and Blues amp and would not crank them full to get crunch sounds.


Opinions please...

 

[Pedro58]

For your stated use: the Super Reverb. It sounds like you want the headroom.

 

[Stratnic]

64 Super does look like your bag dude.

The differences are slight, the Super can really deliver where the Deluxe can't power wise. So I think if you have the room to run with volume, then go Super.

 

[ozspawn]

For Fenders - I have a:

'66 Deluxe Reverb
'72 Super Reverb
'70 Vibrolux Reverb
'69 Princeton Reverb
'64 Champ

I play blues and classic rock.
I play at home, jam twice a week
with a band and gig occasionally.

The Deluxe Reverb and the Vibrolux Reverb
get the most play time, and the Super Reverb
gets the least.

The Super is just too loud.
I have an Ultimate Attenuator but
it makes the SR fizzy.

My point is - the DR is more versatile.

Just my $.02.

 

[mortatort]

I would likely go insane trying to make such a decision, good luck and godspeed.

 

[fender753]

Both are wonderful amps so I understand why this is such a hard decision. In my opinion the amp to get would be the deluxe. Volume wise, if you are played small-medium venues, the sweet spot on the deluxe is at a perfect volume, and it would also be a better investment for the future. That being said, if loudness (and weight!) is not a problem for you, then the Super is what your looking for. Both sound great and is more what your needs are in volume.

 

[Tomo]

It's interesting about these amps. Vintage Fender amps. Each is so great on many things. but all depends on each amp's condition, speakers, tubes! (HUGE difference!!!!!). You can make Super a bit quiet by different tubes. Other way around, you can make a Deluxe Reverb a bit louder.

If you had a chance to bring both home.... you would say yes to both! Enjoy!

Tomo

 

[riffmeister]

Neither........get a Pro Reverb!!

 

[Earplayer]

Thank you guys. Some very helpful answers so far.

What pisses me off the Super Reverb is actually the weight and the loudness. No one needs huge volume on stage or at rehersals or in a studio nowadays. But a bigger amp will always sound fuller in a lack of better words.
Lately i had lots of small amps looking for some good Marshallesque tones at managable volumes but in the end i found out that a JMP50 is just the ideal amp for me with pedals, attenuated or just dimed. The tone and character is just there of course with tubes, cabs, etc. you can make a small difference but in the end the amps character just shines through.

I played both for a short time and i can say both shine on their own way.

The Deluxe is indeed a flexible and classy sounding amp. What i do not like about the Deluxe is that the amp sounds sometimes a bit small and thin - the amp has lots of character and i like the warm and Reverb drenched tones of the Deluxe Reverb and the dynamic break up sounds.

Oh yeah he said he will get a nice Vibrolux Reverb too i think an early Silverface... dunno maybe i should check out the Vibrolux too.

 

[soldersucker]

Owning multiples blackfaces of SR,VR,and DR's myself your statement "I would use them at home live and for recordings too" leads me to believe the DR would be the one.

 

[Ocelot]

Thank you guys. Some very helpful answers so far.

What pisses me off the Super Reverb is actually the weight and the loudness. No one needs huge volume on stage or at rehersals or in a studio nowadays. But a bigger amp will always sound fuller in a lack of better words.
Lately i had lots of small amps looking for some good Marshallesque tones at managable volumes but in the end i found out that a JMP50 is just the ideal amp for me with pedals, attenuated or just dimed. The tone and character is just there of course with tubes, cabs, etc. you can make a small difference but in the end the amps character just shines through.

I played both for a short time and i can say both shine on their own way.

The Deluxe is indeed a flexible and classy sounding amp. What i do not like about the Deluxe is that the amp sounds sometimes a bit small and thin - the amp has lots of character and i like the warm and Reverb drenched tones of the Deluxe Reverb and the dynamic break up sounds.

Oh yeah he said he will get a nice Vibrolux Reverb too i think an early Silverface... dunno maybe i should check out the Vibrolux too.

A Vibrolux is a nice middle ground between the smaller Fender amps (Deluxe, Princeton, Champ) and the large ones (Twin, Pro, Super).

 

[Morgan24]

I dont know what gigs you are playing? But for gigs I go with the super....
For studio and home recording Deluxe...

 

[Guitar Dave T]

Thank you guys. Some very helpful answers so far.

What pisses me off the Super Reverb is actually the weight and the loudness. No one needs huge volume on stage or at rehersals or in a studio nowadays. But a bigger amp will always sound fuller in a lack of better words.
Lately i had lots of small amps looking for some good Marshallesque tones at managable volumes but in the end i found out that a JMP50 is just the ideal amp for me with pedals, attenuated or just dimed. The tone and character is just there of course with tubes, cabs, etc. you can make a small difference but in the end the amps character just shines through.

I played both for a short time and i can say both shine on their own way.

The Deluxe is indeed a flexible and classy sounding amp. What i do not like about the Deluxe is that the amp sounds sometimes a bit small and thin - the amp has lots of character and i like the warm and Reverb drenched tones of the Deluxe Reverb and the dynamic break up sounds.

Oh yeah he said he will get a nice Vibrolux Reverb too i think an early Silverface... dunno maybe i should check out the Vibrolux too.

As others have pointed out, the Super Reverb is just way too much amp for home and recording use, and attenuators aren't a valid solution since they're designed to only drop volume a little - You'd need to drop it a LOT to get from where a Super sounds its best to where you can manage its volume at home.

And even with a Tubescreamer or other OD pedal, you can't get a Super Reverb kickin' enough to really sound good at lower, living-room levels.

And the Vibrolux Reverb is still too much amp for home use in my experience, which includes owning almost every vintage blackface amp model Fender ever made, including 5 vintage blackface Super Reverbs over the past 35 years. The Super Reverb is one of my favorite sounding 'band level' Fender amps, but it's also been my least used home amps.

You'll find the Deluxe Reverb has much more tube-sponginess and touch-sensitivity at manageable volumes than either Super or Vibrolux. It will also sound much more full on clean settings at lower volumes, and is the only Fender amp in this range that can also work with a band in small to medium clubs.

 

[smolder]

Both!

Great choices to have.

I don't get to play loud much these days... yet I still have 35, 40 and 45 watt bf/sf fenders. If I had to chose one, it would be the one I gig with, and at the moment it looks more like a deluxe. I have no idea what you should or what you'll choose ; )

 

[2hanz]

well, I've own a 75 bf'd super. And borrowed for a good long time a 74 deluxe reverb. I hear what your saying with the deluxe sounding thin. I tour, rehearse, and sometimes record with my super. Even in rooms where I have to turn down it just sounds BIG, and I use pedals too get most of the dirt. You cant get that out of the deluxe. Miked up you need to be careful about the treble as it cuts more through the PA with the tens. I always wish my tweed deluxe had the headroom. Better to have enough, than too little..

 

[Earplayer]

Thank you guys!

At the moment the Deluxe Reverb would be the "reasonable choice" because most of the gigs are indoor gigs and the Super Reverb is very loud. On the other hand my Plexi is loud too.... lol.

 

[Earplayer]

anyone tried a faustine phantom with a super reverb???

 

[jrubakon]

I own a Vibrolux and if I was doing it again, I would probably get the Deluxe. As others have mentioned the Vibrolux is way too loud for home use.( at least in my neighborhood it is)

 

[shark_bite]

Without a doubt, Deluxe Reverb all the way. Who wants to sound like SRV anyway? Aren't there already 4 dudes built into every guitar store in every town across America who do that already? Plus, weight/volume makes the Super a cool amp I have absolutely zero desire to own. Of course, your mileage may vary.

 

[saltydogg]

That IS a tough decision, but considering your circumstances, I'd grab the Deluxe and put a nice 2x12 cab together for larger gigs or times when you can run at higher volumes...