Congratulations, nothing like a happy ending!Originally Posted by Ferociousj
Congratulations, nothing like a happy ending!
Well, you seem to have made a good and satisfactory swap, so my thoughts might be a little off topic now.
But, my guitarist had a little problem with his Blues DeVille; while it was in the shop we put in new JJ's tubes, a new output transformer, and new speaker wires (and I think a couple other small things the tech new about).
Serious difference in tone and quality, but then we spent $250 to do it.
Yeah - so like $600 for the BDRI and then $250 more? You could buy a new DRRI and a couple of nice pedals for about the same...FerJ, you made the right decision!
"I'm gonna find myself a girl
that can show me what laughter means
And we'll fill in the missing colors
In each other's paint-by-number dreams..."
apparently not because the tubes in the DRRI are microphonic. Vibrato doesnt work. Foot pedal doesnt work.
EDITED BY MODERATOR
Last edited by pc; 02-11-2008 at 12:48 PM.
Okay, first of all, take it easy.
Second of all, Fender doesn't install broken tubes, so they were clearly damaged at the store or in transit to your place. If the tubes are microphonic, there's a good chance the vibrato driver tube is bad, which would be what stops the foot pedal from turning it on.
You tried the DRRI at the store obviously. Did you make sure the footswitch and vibrato worked before you bought it?
Cheap tubes are Fender's fault. Damaged tubes are not.
PC's right as ever.
Did you buy it new? Take it back and get another.
Tommy.
Just damn.
At this point you may want to find a new shop..
I am very sorry to know that the DRRI you bought seems to be deffective. Tube combo amps are more susceptible to generate tuble rattle due to the vibration. I hope that you will fix this with just new tubes. Did you buy it used? Because if it´s brand new you must ask for your rights and get another one.
The good thing: You have just gotten some more hours to test drive more amps and hopefully get one that sounds perfect to you.
Please update us as soon as possible.
Seriously engaged in playing the Blues!!!
www.myspace.com/bigalexblues
Yes I'm swapping it back as soon as they get a new one in. I really wouldn't be this upset if I didn't have to drive all the way across Jacksonville to get to the place. Sorry that I took my frustration out on you Fender, I still love you.
Once you get a good one, you ought to be happy with it. I have a friend with one, and while it's not his tone, I certainly love the amp. It sounds phenomenal. (Mostly because I chose the tubes for it and biased it and everything... :))
"Yeah - so like $600 for the BDRI and then $250 more? You could buy a new DRRI and a couple of nice pedals for about the same..."
Well, we bought the amp used for $450, in absolutely like-new condition (except pre-amp had a minor problem after just three months!) - but your point is taken.
EXCEPT, after the upgrades I'd put this amp up against any factory Fender amp under $1000. The Blues DeVille may not suit everyone, but most everyone would agree that, with the upgrades, it is as smokin' an amp as you will ever find in its price range. I'm actually glad it had the $25 problem, as I was itchin' to do these upgrades anyway.
I will agree, the original poster did the right thing by taking his apparently defective amp back.
"It sounds phenomenal. (Mostly because I chose the tubes for it and biased it and everything... :))"
I'll second the motion.
My advice to anyone wanting an articulate amp with killer tone (and not on a budget, and therefore seriously needing the warranty): buy used and upgrade the tubes, transformer, and speaker wires. Unbelievable difference; you'll never regret it.
Man havin a hard time.
ones too many and a hundred is not enough!
I sold my BD for $200 and almost felt guilty. I could never recommend one again after seeing how crappy the PCB was on that thing.
How does one find an amp that works and then it doesnt work ???
ones too many and a hundred is not enough!
Hmm. All their guitars worked fine.. Mine didn't. That amps sucks.
"...pray do not imagine that those who make the noise are the only inhabitants of the field;
that, of course, they are many in number; or that, after all, they are other than the little,
shriveled, meagre, hopping, though loud and troublesome, insects of the hour."
-Edmund Burke
strange but it´s true...yikes!
Seriously engaged in playing the Blues!!!
www.myspace.com/bigalexblues
The DRRIs go on my local craigslist for $600 to $650 on a pretty regular basis. If you're paying cash, you might want to consider picking one up used.
Also, I used to have a Spider Valve 112 that I took back to get my Les Paul. It was a cool amp. I've heard rumors of Guitar Center no longer haggling, but I was able to get the SV112 and the FBV Shortboard for a little over 850. I was never impressed with Line 6 amps in the past, but it was a great little amp for the money. There are some people on another board that I post on that are good players and are quite impressed with it.
I think the DRRI has a great tone. Just not as loud as I expected. My line 6 spider II is much louder. Is there a way to boost this volume through pedals? Also has anyone played the crate palomino V32? 30 watts compared to the DRRI's 22. Seemed to have a nice tone too. Plus much cheaper.
I recently traded out of a Palomino V32. 8w isn't going to make that big of a difference, and my old palomino didn't have the same clean sound that a DRRI sounds.
I have a possible trade in the works for a DRRI and if I get it, I plan on picking up a decent 2x12 extension cab. Yeah, it's more money than a palomino and an extension cab, but doesn't have the same issues.
I've owned two palominos (the V32 and V16). Both them developed a rattle in the reverb tank once you got the volume up around 10 or 11 o clock. I even switched out the reverb tank in my V32 and it did the same thing. I spoke with the previous owner of the V32 (an older guy that works at Guitar Center) and he confirmed the issue. He explained that it was a design flaw with how the reverb tank was situation. He said it didn't come through on any recordings and you couldn't hear it when you weren't right up on the amp, but I could. I traded it for a Peavey Classic 50.
The Palomino is a nice amp, don't get me wrong, but I, and I'm sure that others here, say that it'd be a step back, sound and construction wise. The DRRI is a great amp. I've been through a few of the tube amps in the price range that you're looking at. I've liked 2 of them enough to go back, that being the Vox AC30CC 2x12 and the Spider Valve 112 w/ FBV shortboard. When I was buying amps, I extensive tried the following:
Vox AC15CC, Vox AC30CC, Fender DRRI, Fender Blues Deville Reissue, Fender Hot Rod Deville/Deluxe, Peavey Classic 30, 1978 handwired Marshall 18w amp of some kind (bluesbreaker perhaps), Fender Vibrolux, and Spider Valve 112.
I've also owned a Made in USA Fender Hot Rod Deville, Marshall JTM60 3x10, and Crate Palomino V32 in addition to the Vox AC30 and Spider Valve.
So, I've been in and around that price range you're looking at...from the $399 Classic 30 (was the price at the time) to the $1000 AC30CC 2x12. As I said, the DRRI held up REALLY well against all of them. The AC30 had a lot of cool features, and the Spider Valve was definitely more versatile than either amp. I think it really depends on what you want out an amp.
Sorry that this got long, but I wanted to cover my bases. Typing all of that REALLY made me want this deal for the DRRI to go through.
Pedals won't make a DRRI louder. It will get more overdriven, but not real loud clean.
If you're under 30, it won't be loud enough.
Wilko, I've got a T-shirt that I like to wear when I'm playing on Sundays with the church band - it has a picture of a guitar and says "If it's too loud, you're too old."
I think the extension cab is the way to go - 22 watts is pretty loud for most clubs - but spreading the sound around would be a way to get more perceived volume out of a DRRI.
If the DRRI isn't loud enough, a SRRI might be another way to go. My recommendation - and a lot of people don't like to hear this, and the original post might have stated that this isn't a possibility - but if your DRRI isn't loud enough, the cheapest and simplest option is to get an SM57, a cable, and a small mic stand - or one of those Sennheiser mics that are made to hang over the amp - and mic the amp.
I can't stress enough, too - if you are playing the DRRI at volumes where it's giving up and getting mushy, and it still can't compete with the drums and bass - and you can't put it through the PA - everyone needs to turn down or play softer. AND perhaps the singer will actually be able to hear what he's singing and not have to rely on Aural Imaging... AND WEAR FREAKING EARPLUGS in that situation - if you're standing in front of a DRRI that's loud enough to break up, and the drummer is pounding on the crash cymbal near your left ear - you WILL experience hearing loss.
"I'm gonna find myself a girl
that can show me what laughter means
And we'll fill in the missing colors
In each other's paint-by-number dreams..."
If the DRRI isn't loud enough for you, you bought the wrong amp. If you are seriously thinking for one minute of swapping the DRRI for a Crate amp, you bought the wrong amp.
I'll second what Fezz parka said.
I gig regularly with a stock Blues Jr ( with JJ's high gain) in a loud Blues Rock band and have enough headroom to do the rythm. When I go solo I just roll up the guitar volume knob and the tone is freaking awesome.
Regarding the DRRI, If you want something louder try the Deville in good condition (not the one you bought first)!!
Seriously engaged in playing the Blues!!!
www.myspace.com/bigalexblues
Sorry, can't agree with that at all. Please check out all the threads about the problems with these amps before recommending one based on 40 watts vs. 22.
If he likes the DRRI tone, he won't find it in a HRD. These amps sound nothing alike.
However, like I said, it isn't for everyone. He may have just gotten the wrong amp for his needs.
I forgot the smilies in previous post. Just meant to be ironic. The guy had a 60W tube amp and then goes for a 22W and find it lacks volume.
IMHO, if any guitar sound good but his, I guess he needs another guitar.
Seriously engaged in playing the Blues!!!
www.myspace.com/bigalexblues
learning to play a tube amp can take years.
For some its just an amp, for others it's an instrument.
Based on the questions asked, It's safe to assume this guy is in the first group. Logic also says that his guitar needs attention.
A vox 50 watt should do him well. Loud enough and more than enough sounds. It has a tube in there somewhere.
I quite agree with Fezz, Wilko and PC. Lower powered amps are a great thing. Learning to use them is just one step closer to being a real guitarist!
If something like a DRRI is too quiet, your band is too loud, take it from someone with chronic hearing problems.
Wilko, i'm 22 and I looooooove my 5E3!
Best,
Tommy.
Sorry for my generalization about the age thing. You are the exception.
S'cool man, I was jes' funnin'.
Tommy.
I had a similar problem, I bought my HRDx, got it on a gig and cranked it and UGH!! Harsh, crackling beastly sound, I rolled back my strat vol and a clear tone was not going to happen, it was dull and lifeless. After trying out new tubes and even THD yellow jackets I just couldnt get that sweet fender chime and clarity from it. It wasnt until I connected my line 6 celestion cab speakers to it that I realised that it was the speaker, the ones in the HRDx are eminence, and probably the cheapest.
I am pleased to say that after installing a Fane AXA 12 Blue Alnico speaker I FINALLY have my tone, what a difference, I am now a proud HRDx owner, this is the best sounding amp I have had, but what a headache getting there. I am soon to try some mods from http://studentweb.eku.edu/justin_holton/. Has anyone tried these mods and if so what was the result.
Fezz made a great point that I practice but forgot to mention. Get the DRRI up off of the ground. I use another amp as a stand to get my Peavey Classic 50 off of the ground.
I forget where I read it...on here or on another board, but someone spoke about a single speaker amplifier sending a portion of it's sound waves directly into the floor, muffling the sound. But once you get it up off of the floor, you get some of that sound back and it projects better.
A 4x10 deville, on the other hand, has 2 speakers already up off of the floor. So, if the above paragraph has some truth to it, the deville, by default, already has an advantage in sound projection...which makes it seem that much louder.
Ah, gotcha. Yes, those smilies are very important sometimes. Really seemed like you were serious, and I was all proud of myself for not completely losing my mind at your suggestion and calling you aI forgot the smilies in previous post. Just meant to be ironic. The guy had a 60W tube amp and then goes for a 22W and find it lacks volume.
IMHO, if any guitar sound good but his, I guess he needs another guitar.
(Sorry!)
Obviously not every guitar sounds good with the deville, judging by the countless number of posters who experienced the same problem. Perhaps the amp just happened to sound good with the guitar the guys at Guitar Center tested it out with. I would imagine it doesn't have this problem with every guitar. I am NEVER getting a new guitar. The guitar I have right now is the best guitar I have ever had and ever will have. It is better than my telecaster, my Epiphone, its better than my friends' strat, its better than my friends SG. It looks badass and I constantly get comments on how awesome it sounds. It works perfectly for my line 6 and it works perfectly for the DRRI (even if the tubes are microphonic.)
IMHO, if any guitar sound good but his, I guess he needs another guitar.
I'm considering taking the 12 out of the line 6 and building a cabinet.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote