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Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue Combo £599
It’s a warm welcome back for a not-so-old favourite from Fender’s back catalogue
The MusicRadar Team, Tue 23 Oct 2007, 12:09 pm UTC
In use
Hear the Blues Deluxe reissue here in combination with a Gretsch Billy-Bo and old Ibanez Tube Screamer:
Fender Blues.mp3
Switched on, one very encouraging characteristic is that the amp is virtually hum- and hiss-free. For several years now, all Fender valve products have been fitted with matched output valves supplied by Groove Tubes, and we’re in no doubt this has been a major step forward in improving consistency and reliability, as well as tone.
Lack of noise is one sure sign of a happy circuit that’s going to sound good, and the Bluies Deluxe dosen't disappoint – the clean channel is pure classic Fender, with sweet highs that can cut through without sounding shrill. The mid-range is warm but not overly peaky, and the bass is round and full.
Plug in your favourite Fender guitar and you’ve got the full-on experience of what a great clean sound is all about. Use this channel with the volume control over the halfway mark and you get that classic characteristic Fender bite which demands that you dig in and hit the strings harder. It’s a great tone which players used to controlling an amp from the guitar will make the most of.
The lead channel is also superb. The lack of the modern ‘more drive’ feature should not be seen as a drawback, as the smooth overdrive this amp generates is still plenty for most tastes. The best approach to wringing the hottest lead tones is to run the master volume as high as possible: this helps achieve an ideal balance between preamp distortion and power amp drive.
Use a Stratocaster or Telecaster with this set-up, and you’ll get a singing solo voice with plenty of punch and sustain – without the somewhat fizzy tone the Hot Rod’s ‘more drive’ feature can sometimes tend towards. The EQ defnitely favours single-coil guitars – the clang of a Telecaster’s bridge pickup is faithfully captured, as is the ‘quack’ from the Strat’s two and four switch positions.
Verdict
A reissue that improves on the original with bags of classic Fender tonality. Recommended.
MusicRadar rating:
Where to buy
Buy product from Thomann
Buy similar products from Andertons Music Company
Buy product from Wood Brass
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User comments (8)
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I own this amp for a year now and I love it. The clean sound is wonderful, warm and sparkly at the same time. The second channel is just crunch, no high-gain distortion, but perfect for blues or classic rock. The amp takes pedals very well. Most of the time I use a T-Rex Dr. Swamp (Tube Sreamer like) in front of the clean channel and it sounds great. Reverb is good as well. Be aware: This amp is loud. I never gigged it more than 3 1/2 out of 12 on the volume knob.
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I have this amp for about a year now. It is so great I cannot believe it. The bass is deep and powerful, feels like velvet. Only problem IT IS FAR TOO LOUD FOR MY SPACE!!!! I use a THD but it really reduces level only beyond the 16db setting and then, the sound is like a transistor amp. Still, this amp looks so great and sounds so great ......
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I have this amp for about a year now. It is so great I cannot believe it. The bass is deep and powerful, feels like velvet. Only problem IT IS FAR TOO LOUD FOR MY SPACE!!!! I use a THD but it really reduces level only beyond the 16db setting and then, the sound is like a transistor amp. Still, this amp looks so great and sounds so great ......
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This is a great amp, I have had mine for a couple of years and the tone still blows me away!
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The best amp out of the 5 I have...
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oops! meant to give it a 4 star rating
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A reaslistic and accurate review, i liked the comment about being able to relic the tweed. Great idea!
I found the Fender Eminence speaker a little muddy at times, so i replaced it with a Celestion Gold Alnico, Tone Heaven.
Have just ordered a 1X12 extn speaker cab from Fender new this year at NAMM delivery i think in May.
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MusicRadar rating
Pros
Chock-full of classic Fender tone. Excellent build standard. Low noise.
Cons
The backwards writing on the control panel.
Verdict
A reissue that improves on the original with bags of classic Fender tonality. Recommended.
Review Policy
All MusicRadar's reviews are by independent product specialists, who are not aligned to any gear manufacturer or retailer. Our experts also write for renowned magazines such as Guitarist, Total Guitar, Computer Music, Future Music and Rhythm. All are part of Future PLC, the biggest publisher of music making magazines in the world.
User rating
Where to buy
Buy product from Thomann
Buy similar products from Andertons Music Company
Buy product from Wood Brass
Specification
Blues Deluxe Reissue Combo
- Price:
- £599
- Additional Features:
- Spring reverb, dual sensitivity inputs, extension speaker jack, preamp out/power amp in sockets
- Amplifier Type:
- All valve, two channel combo with solid-state rectification
- Audio Output Power (w):
- 40
- Available Controls:
- Bass, Bright Switch, channel volume, Master Presence, Mid, Overdrive Channel Drive, Reverb, Treble
- Cabinet Material:
- Birch Ply
- Channels:
- 2
- Country of Origin:
- USA
- Depth (mm) (mm):
- 267
- Height (mm) (mm):
- 476
- Loudspeaker Type:
- 1 x 12 inch Fender Reissue Gold Label
- Weight (kg) (kg):
- 22.5
- Weight (lb) (lb):
- 45
- Width (mm) (mm):
- 597
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