You got to do what ultimately is right for the tone one DRRI is enough for any situation. it's huge!
You got to do what ultimately is right for the tone one DRRI is enough for any situation. it's huge!
No, BJ won't ever sound like a BF Fender. Totally different animal. BJ does one thing and one thing only, well - the full tilt singing, compressed lead thang.
I would suggest you demo a Princeton Reverb before springing for another Deluxe. You can also get a great twangy verby low volume clean from a PR, but... it has a different (and some think better) cranked lead tone that the BF Deluxe.
IMHO, the Deluxe is best for medium volume clean - really excels at that. Takes pedals well too. But, there is something about a cranked Princeton that beats pedals, for me at least.
I'll be in that spot in about 12 years. Ugh...Originally Posted by Totally bored
I have 2 teenage Daughters. You don't don't know what a real problem is
SF Fender Reverbs go for less than $1K all day long on fleaBay. Try to snatch up a DR or PR.
"...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
You can do several things to improve the sound of your BJ, but why? It's never going to sound as good as your DRRI and now that you know how good the DRRI sounds you aren't ever going to be happy with the BJ. Sell the BJ and take the money you would spend on the speaker upgrade and other mods and either buy a second DRRI or a PRRI.
Totally bored I had 1 teenage daughter but now she be 20.I dont envy you having TWO at the same time
How long for speaker break in
Last edited by gooman; 01-10-2009 at 11:02 AM.
It depends on the speaker. I like to plug my mp3 player into an input turn the amp to 5 or 6 pack pillows and blankets around the amp to deaden the sound and let it run for 6 to 8 hour. after doing this for a couple of days the speaker really starts to sound a lot better.
was checking out the Laney site,sound samples of the lionheart sound pretty impressive,5 watt class a, tons of features made in UK.Anybody ever check one out.Seen them for 850.00-1050.00 price range......................Gary
Mine BJr sounds a little thin now too but I do like how it overdrives.
Jerry
OK not to bring this subject up again,I think I have the 2 best amps for under a 1000.00 The first being the drri and my latest find a laney lionheart 5 watt that sounds like a fully cranked marshall,hiwatt or vox,but it wont rip your face off at home volumes.Not near the in your face headroom punch of the drri.Glad I bought one recently because Ive seen sites wanting 1200.00 for a deluxe reverb.Once again thank you for the advise..
Twelve hunnert bucks for a DRRI???
I don' have a grand in my Spankmaster Reverb conversion.
An' it'll smoke any DRRI ever made, no contest!
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
The Lionheart seems a lot like something I would build.
Oh, wait...
I already have!
Cygnus you have built a amp like the Laney?
Good low wattage valve amps are the Orange Tiny Terror or Blackstar HT-5 both come as a head or combo.
If you want something a bit more classic but on a budget have a look at some clone amps from Metro or Ceriatone.
Ceriatone does Fender, Marshall, HiWatt, Matchless and Dumble clones within your price range in either a kit form or fully assembled.
Nairbr checked that site out nice amps
This subject seems to keep coming up. IMO, unless you care about looks, by FAR the most economical way to get great 'bedroom' volume tone is to buy a little old pre-1965 SE 1x8 or 1x10 beater combo amp for $50, working or non working, and then bring it back to life for the cost of whatever parts are needed. You will have as good a small amp as can be had for under $100.
Alternatively, you can buy my bass player's '50s Champ for $1,500.
Phantomman check out sweetwater.com the DRRI are 1200.00
Gris what is a se amp?
Single ended, only one output tube.
If I may intrude, do the DRRI's have a better PCB quality wise than the Blues Juniors? I'm referring to the infamous Hot Rod issues of humming, cold solder joints, questionable caps, ect. that fender does not charge extra for nor acknowledges exists. In summary, is the build quality and components of the RI's the same or better than the Hot Rod line, leaving sound and tone out of the equation.
Thanks!
I hope so, but I don't think they have been around long enough to tell for sure. Even if they weren't how would we know, it isn't like Fender is going to publicise the fact that they have issues.
I've had a 1999 TRRI for eight years now this month. Not one burp, glitch, fart, or other reportable audio anomoly or maintenance/repair issue to date. An' this is a working amp -- not somethin' that sets around in a bedroom or a garage. It's been bumped, knocked, loaded an' unloaded from a piggup, rained on, rolled across gravel parking lots, dumped -- hard -- on bandstands an' stage risers......jus' like all the rest of the Fender amps I've owned over four+ decades (excepting the HRDlx I once owned). Aside from changin' out the OEM Eminence speakers for a pair of K-120s about five years ago, I've never taken so much as a screwdriver to the amp.
YMMV
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
Glad to hear that PH and I wish you continued good luck with the TRRI, but there is probably someone out there that can say the same thing about their HRD.
Anecdotally, I have heared that the older (original MIA) editions had none of the durability/reliability issues of the newer imported models.
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
I didn't mean to step on any toes here, I know how the Fender cultists like their equipment!!
With all the input here regarding the Hot Rod series and the comparisons to the DRRI/PRRI amps, I thought I would drop in and see if anyone here had the hood up and compared the two lines for build quality. People do like to tinker, not to mention the occasional amp builder or tech that may happen by!
Thanks for the info!
Carry on.
My toes are fine, Billco. An' I doubt you've pissed off anybody else either.
But hey, it's early yet......there is still hope.
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
I've heard TJ (NTBluesguitar) discuss this same issue and if I recall correctly, he said the pcb quality is about the same. The big difference is that on the Hot Rod series amps, components are arranged differently.....that caps, resistors and things are located too close to heat sources and that factor is responsible for most of the HR series amp's problems. That rearranging the components would probably improve the amps in he HR series.
My DRRI (2002) top right, has been absolutely reliable since purchased in 2004 and I prefer gigging it as opposed to my 74 DR, or 78 PR. I've never heard of very many probs at all with any of Fender's reissue amps.
(ymmv)
Then Play On
Ayup. The only "horror story" that springs to mind is Curt's TRRI Custom 15, which I am certain is some type of weird anomaly. And in any case, TJ is re-building it into the mother of all PTP-wired repros. When finished, I'm certain that amp will still be honkin' along when we finally git back to the moon in 2069 (or whenever)......
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
Strange how every other thread always seems to end up talking about Fender PCBs... :-0
It's not that PCB's are bad in themselves, I was curious as to whether Fender used the same quality throughout all their amp series. IOW, there well made PCB circuits, and there are not so well made PCB's. Nothing more was implied.
I've heard TJ (NTBluesguitar) discuss this same issue and if I recall correctly, he said the pcb quality is about the same. The big difference is that on the Hot Rod series amps, components are arranged differently.....that caps, resistors and things are located too close to heat sources and that factor is responsible for most of the HR series amp's problems. That rearranging the components would probably improve the amps in he HR series.
My DRRI (2002) top right, has been absolutely reliable since purchased in 2004 and I prefer gigging it as opposed to my 74 DR, or 78 PR. I've never heard of very many probs at all with any of Fender's reissue amps.
(ymmv)
I just received an email from an amp tech who basically mirrored your response. He did say, however, that the design and quality of the parts Fender uses for their circuits across their entire line leaves a lot to be desired. Penny wise, dollar foolish, so to speak. Take that as you may.
Thanks!
Okay, I tried out an Egnater Rebel 20 and all I have to say is wow.
Single channel and you can blend between 6v6 and EL84 power tubes with the twist of a dial. It also goes from 1 watt to 20 watts. I played with this thing for an hour and a half. The tonal possibilities seem to be endless. The head and 1x12 cab are real light and portable too. It could be pushing the Ampeg J20 I like so much down a notch.
I don't think I'll be buying another new Fender amp anytime in the near future, cheap parts at high prices just don't fly with me anymore. I got burned twice. Once with the HRDlx and just recently with my Gdec that I got for a gift last year. The Gdec's in the shop now.
I was going to mention the Rebel too.
I know a guy with one. He's trying some NOS preamp tubes to cut back some on the gain.
I've heard some nice stuff he's recorded with it.
"Well, I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused..."
Elvis Costello
Oh well, the old days are gone and nothing in the world is made like it used to be. I agree with the amp tech that Fender parts aren't the greatest in the world, but then again, they aren't in the boutique amp business either.
IMO, the Fender RIs are a little overpriced for what they are, and I usually buy them used. Decent enough at the under $1000 price point, though.
There are other less expensive tube amps, but then one has to open up the sound and tone discussions as well as the quality of build and components used.
Then Play On
Stratcat I checked one of those out at GC last weekend,cool little amp and not cheap
Wingnut,so single ended class a is the ideal amp design?
This thread got real busy, real fast!
I wouldn't know about the Laney.
Or the Orange Tiny Terror, or a lot of other amps that seem to follow a similar design. I have to trip on out to the music stores to see what is going on lately. I've played the Two Rock's, Matchless Spitfire, Tweed Deluxe, Champs. I love the tube response!
Unfortunately, most of what I see moving is modeller amps.
I have played too many of those, pods, Line 6's, etc.
What I have found is low wattage bedroom tone is achieved best through SE low watt designs, and just going ahead and pushing the preamp. My little ones have come out quite well.
Cranked Marshall gain is available, as well as clean chimey tone. It's a compromise, but it works ok.
The ideal amp design is the one that gives you the tone you want at the volume you need.
One problem I consistently seen about the reissues on the board is that the PRRI has a mechanical buzz from where the baffle meets the chassis.
Not cheap, but it seems reasonable to me for all that flexibility. It's like the best of both worlds. The whole rig comes in around 800 bucks or so. I figure maybe if I'm lucky, I'll get the sales tax money on a trade in for my HRdlx to get me started.Stratcat I checked one of those out at GC last weekend,cool little amp and not cheap
You can get either a metro or ceriatone jtm45 for under 1 grand.
IMHO thats about as you can do period.
Mitch Mitchell talking about Jimi and strats in general.
If the walrus is Paul then who is Carmen Sandiego?
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote
