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sunshiner · Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 5:06 am Post subject: Deluxe Reverb '64 Custom

New DR from Fender. Now it's all handwired. I don't know how much more mojo extra points this adds, but it seemed that the fact that '65 reissue was a PCB amp pissed a great many of people on the internet. Has two channels with two different preamp sections. Reverb is available on both channels

Link

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sunshiner · Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 7:40 am Post subject:

Well, it appeared to be not that new. Was shown at summer namm and it costs $2500... yeah
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Concretebadger · Posted: Thu Sep 14, 2017 7:22 pm Post subject:

I wouldn't say the PCB construction is the worst thing about the standard DRRI...the circuitry for the tremolo isn't authentic iirc, the speaker is grossly over-powered (100 watts for a 22 watt amp: why?) and the build quality leaves a little to be desired for something that costs over a grand when new. By which I mean: the speaker connector jack is flimsy and the baffle board across the back feels like less-than-5mm fibreboard instead of the plywood that the rest of the cabinet is made from. It just felt like they'd cut corners while still selling it at a fairly high price, because it didn't feel nearly as solid as my Boogie F-50. Don't get me wrong: it's a great-sounding amp, and I still miss mine sometimes. I was just a little disappointed with how...insubstantial the workmanship was.

So yeah. I'm sure that point-to-point or some similar type of non-PCB wiring wouldn't be a bad thing, but on its own it's only going to make an already-overpriced bit of (admittedly very nice) piece of kit even more expensive.

EDIT: the video here does say that the reverb and trem operate on both channels, which is nice. I don't think the 65RI has that from what I remember. Also: the C-12Q speaker is sounds like a more suitable choice than the C-12K, so in some ways this is an improvement.

sunshiner · Posted: Fri Sep 15, 2017 4:14 pm Post subject:

Yes, Fender amps are way overpriced in Europe. However for Americans the situation is better, they can always buy a used 65 or 68 Custom in great condition for $650-700. In general, I think all manufacturers cut corners nowadays to make a 30-50 watt tube amp under $1000. I guess it's just a trend of global economy - materials and components that were traditionally used are getting more expensive and manual labor even in developing countries is becoming more expensive. Manufacturers start using mdf boards instead of plywood for cabinets and don't mention that in specifications, which makes me wonder if plywood costs that much more expensive than mdf or they just pick the latter because it is much easier to work with.
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