| Features: | Fender Deluxe Reverb ‘65 | Fender 68 Custom Vibrolux Reverb |
|---|---|---|
| Cost: | £1500+ ($1780) | £1400+ ($1657) |
| Max Wattage: | 50W | 30W |
| Type: | Valve | Valve |
| Weight: | 42 lbs | 42 lbs |
Fender Deluxe Reverb ‘65
If you’re looking for a classic Fender sound without trying your luck at a pawnshop, then Fender’s Reissue ’65 Deluxe Reverb would be well worth the cost of admission.
Fender’s Deluxe Reverb is one of the most recorded amps in musical history. Whether it’s country, blues, rock or jazz, the Deluxe Reverb has long been favoured for its rich tones and relative portability. As it’s getting harder and harder to find an original Deluxe Reverb that doesn’t require serious restoration, the people at Fender have been kind enough to reissue their ’65 Deluxe Reverb so us mere mortals can have a shot at these classic tones.
Design
Fender’s Deluxe Reverb 65 is essentially a reissue of the classic Deluxe Reverb originally from the mid-60s (hence the name).
It’s a clean amp through and through, giving chimney Fender clean tones with some breakup as you get toward the top of the amps volume range.
Sound Quality
If you got the chance to try the amp, the first thing that you’ll likely notice is that this amp is very loud. Its 22W power rating doesn’t really do it justice. Unless you’re opening in an outdoor festival, you could use the amp in a small to medium club and be just fine. As it’s an easy amp to mic, making it a versatile amp for a wide variety of situations. The normal channel on the amp only has controls for volume, treble, and bass, although you shouldn’t find it lacking. The Deluxe Reverb 65 channel can be turned up pretty loud before getting any hint of breaking up.
Overall
If you’re looking for a classic Fender sound without having to try your luck at a pawnshop, then the Fender Reissue ’65 Deluxe Reverb is a great option. While it may lack such contemporary appointments as effects loops and channel switching, it does, however, offer two pedal-friendly clean sounds in a classic package. Neither the weight nor the price of this little beauty is enough to break you. So, if you need a club or studio amp workhorse, then the Deluxe Reverb reissue would be a good buy.
Fender 68 Custom Vibrolux Reverb
1968 is considered as being a transitional year from a design perspective for Fender, with its new ‘Silverface’ amps taking on a new and futuristic (for the time) look with a silver and turquoise front panel and an aluminium grille cloth front. This classic design period was revived for their new ’68 Custom Vibrolux Reverb amplifier, which is a 2×10 combo reissue based on the original 1968 model with some cool new features and the beautiful aesthetic appeal of the original and sits between ’68 custom versions of the 1×12 ‘68 Custom Deluxe Reverb and 2×12 ’68 Custom Twin Reverb amps.
Fender’s 68 Custom Vibrolux Reverb has slightly changed the circuit, with reduced negative feedback for a more touch-sensitive response and an earlier onset of gain from the pre-amp tubes. While you still get that classic Fender chime and jangle, you get more of a hand-wired amp feel and touch response that will be greatly appreciated by more dynamic players. The Vibrolux Reverb is extremely easy to dial in because of the simple, two-band EQ, producing a design that makes it hard to dial a bad tone once you’ve gotten used to the role of each channel.
Design
Its “Vintage” channel is very closely designed after the original drip-edge Vibrolux. Its “Custom” channel, according to Fender, is a modified Bassman channel that gives more fatness in the low mids and is designed to be a better pedal platform. Each channel has high and low input, treble and bass controls, volume, and a “bright” switch.
On the back of the amp, things are fairly scarce with power and standby switches, a fuse, footswitch connection, power cord jack, and a pair of speaker-out connections.
Sound Quality
Its custom channel definitely sounds more modern, with a suitable shift in the midrange that’s much more friendly for using pedals than the mid-scooped sound of classic Fender amps. Drive pedals have a much more natural sound and with the bright switch disengaged and you can successfully get nice overdriven tones with a boost pedal.
The low end never gets overpowering with the amps 2×10 combos with an open back design and the Vibrolux gives just enough low-end thump to make itself known with a full sound, without ever being overpowering in the way that a Twin can in the wrong environment. The spring reverb sounds great, with a long and smooth tail that never impedes your playing, no matter how complex your style is. At higher settings, it can be used for some lovely textural effects, while more subtle settings are just as useful. The Vibrolux Reverb has all of the warmth you would expect from a Fender amp, and being able to share it across both channels adds the perfect touch that many users will appreciate, especially if they plan to use pedals for the front end.
Overall
If you need some more clean headroom than the Deluxe Reverb offers or you’re planning on playing bigger club stages, then the ‘68 Custom Vibrolux Reverb looks like a solid choice. You should expect prices for this amp to be around £1100.
Conclusion
This one’s a tough one to give a definite verdict on as the Vibrolux Reverb seems to offer better value for money, handles pedals better, has some seriously grunty drive, and allows you to use both effects on either channel.
The Deluxe Reverb, on the other hand, gives the classic Fender Blackface clean sound the justice it deserves.
Unless the main sound that you’re aiming for is that of the Blackface, then you may want to consider going for the Fender 68 Custom Deluxe Reverb.