1964 Fender Deluxe Reverb

mkt3000 · Post by **mkt3000** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 1:28 am

I've been looking for a a small or medium tube amp lately. I was considering buying the 5 watt Kustom 1x12 stack, but have been kinda scared at shipping a tube amp here, since there's no local Kustom dealer.

Well, as I left work, I logged into the classifieds and the very first ad was "FENDER TUBE AMP" followed by "$200"

WTF I said... I thought it was a Champ 600 or something of the sort. Either way, it was on my way from home to San Juan (this weekends party destination), so I didn't lose anything just check it out. I call the guy, and we agree to meet at his church.

It was a 1964 Fender Deluxe Reverb (I checked the serial number on the chassis afterward). Since I left in a hurry, I didn't bring a guitar... neither did he. So I took a $200 gamble once I saw it power up and the tubes starting to glow. I didn't even haggle.

I'll give it a proper test on Monday or Sunday when I return home. Either way, I'm stoked... I own a vintage Fender tube amp!

holyCATS1415 · Post by **holyCATS1415** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 1:42 am

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU. You seriously lucked out. Even if its half broken. Nice score

gaybear · Post by **gaybear** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 1:42 am

oh hell yea!

weed_killer · Post by **weed_killer** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 2:38 am

wow, congrats man, hope everything works properly!

mkt3000 · Post by **mkt3000** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 2:45 am

I spoke to my friend who's a tech and a manager at a local music shop. He told me to bring it in tomorrow to test it out. It appears I'm lugging that amp down the stairs in the morning.

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 3:39 am

Good lord... this is probably a story you're going to tell every electric guitarist you ever meet again for the rest of your life, haha

Lucamo · Post by **Lucamo** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 3:53 am

That is my dream amp you dirty bastard! Nice find!

mkt3000 · Post by **mkt3000** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 3:54 am

Just plugged her in. Bitch shocked me, and there's a bit of crackle from the speakers.

Lucamo · Post by **Lucamo** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 4:00 am

Bah, be careful my friend. Toobs make me nervous.

mkt3000 · Post by **mkt3000** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 4:01 am

There's a good tube amp repair guy between San Juan and where I live. I'm gonna give him a call tomorrow. Hopefully it's something simple.

taylornutt · Post by **taylornutt** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 4:06 am

I tried to turn on a Silverface Super Reverb the other day and the switch had current running through it. Though I actually think the plug didn't have a ground that worked.

Get an amp tech to go through it for you. Does it have a 3 pronged plug?

JohnnyTheBoy · Post by **JohnnyTheBoy** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 11:41 am

Good find old lad! Give it some love, and a new handle

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 1:20 pm

Yeah, bring it to a tech, WARN HIM ABOUT THE SHOCK, and just tell him to fix the damn thing. I've never had a vintage tube amp repair cost a fortune, and considering the amp was $200 to you, if you can afford to drop another $50-$100 getting it fixed (I doubt it will be more than that), you're still ahead of the game by like $800 at least.

Awesome score though, dream amp right there!

mkt3000 · Post by **mkt3000** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 2:34 pm

Alrighty... so updates.

I spoke to the amp tech today, and I have an appointment scheduled for next month, after I return from vacation. We were able to solve the shock situation. It ended up being that the ground switch was in the wrong position (oops!). We went through the parts, the tubes, etc, and we found out that the tubes are all original, but the speaker was replaced at some point.

Two of the pots are acting up. The bass knob on the normal channel is too loose, and the treble knob on the vibrato channel requires major force for it to move- but it does move. Obviously, I'll know more once I plug in an instrument.

Also, I misread the serial number. It's a 1967, not a 64. Still vintage, still cool, and still a ridiculous bargain.

Right now the only things I plan on doing are retubing it, replacing the speaker with something closer to correct, replacing the handle, and just a minor cleanup.

kypdurron · Post by **kypdurron** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 2:35 pm

yep, this is the kind of stuff that never happens here.congrats. give it a nice work over and you have a great vintage amp at the cost of a chinese modeling amp.

mkt3000 · Post by **mkt3000** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 3:57 pm

So.. any tube nuts here care to comment or advise on the selection of replacement tubes I made?

2x EHX 6V6GT

4x Tung-Sol 12AX7

2x JAN-Philips 12AT7

1x Sovtek 5AR4

kypdurron · Post by **kypdurron** » Sat Mar 17, 2012 4:34 pm

As 6V6, among the currently made 6V6s JJs imho are far better than EHX/Sovtek tubes. Better means, they are far more reliable and accept higher voltages. Which is a good thing as these old Fenders tend to be a little rude to the output power tubes. When these amps were made the tubes available simply had better quality than today, so Fender drove them harder as he would today.

I've yet to find a current production 5AR4 that doesn't rattle in my Ampeg, maybe you're lucky and it works out in your amp. The Sovteks seem to be better quality than the chinese TAD rectifier tubes. Didn't notice any differences soundwise.

When it comes to preamp tubes, I can't say anything bad about the standard Sovtek ones. I wouldn't think the russian tung sol reissues are better or worse, I'd even guess the would be the same tubes with a different Label.

But speaking in general, you may still have a lot of old fine working, american or european made preamp tubes in your amp that don't need replacement. So don't fix it if it ain't broken

If you have the possibility, check them one by one, and see if the amp sounds or performs better with that specific tube replaced. If it doesn't leave the old preamp tubes where they are.

mkt3000 · Post by **mkt3000** » Sun Mar 18, 2012 9:30 pm

Another update.... I finally got it plugged in... AND IT WORKS!

Not 100%, but it works. The regular channel works wonderful, but the reverb/vibrato channel is.. meh. Great clean tones... seriously good. I've never played an amp that was so easy to distort.

So far, after an hour or so of jamming and back and forth, the minimum this amp needs is a new reverb tank/bag/cables, new preamp tubes, and a new speaker.

If my tax return comes in this week, I'll order the parts (as well as the new handle and full retube kit), and have them waiting for when my appointment comes up.

But so far, for what I paid, it's still amazing.

NickS · Post by **NickS** » Mon Mar 19, 2012 2:19 pm

Before you order, check whether the reverb tank is actually broken or whether it's just corrosion on the connectors - I've seen that on a Marshall only a few years old, it killed the reverb completely and my son got Â£50 knocked off the amp.

71Smallbox · Post by **71Smallbox** » Tue Mar 20, 2012 3:31 pm

That's a SERIOUS bargain my friend. Deluxe Reverbs in super demand and can fetch upwards of 2K for a blackface one, so $200 plus whatever you need to get in proper working condition is still a sweet deal for you. NICE FIND.