DRRI Head

[lpdeluxe]

Here's something I've been considering: I recently got a Fender Deluxe Reverb reissue that I love, except that I'd like to turn one into a head-only version to plug into my Weber California Ceramic 15 cab. Any advice/comments/pointers/warnings? Thanks

[sumgai]

lpd,

At this point, it's all a woodworking exercise, nothing going on here that's electrical or electronic in nature.

Me, I'd make a separate cabinet to house the new head, and leave the original cab/speaker setup alone. That lets you put it all back together, should you decide to sell the thing later on down the road.

I don't know your location, or if you play outdoor venues during the summer "heat" season, but if so, then you might consider building in a fan to blow fresh air over the power tubes....


HTH




sumgai

[lpdeluxe]

Thanks, sumgai. I didn't think it'd be too complicated -- and I see that several makers build DRRI head cabs that have the correct look. Now it's time to find out if the combination I have in mind sounds good enough to spend the money. ;D

[sumgai]

Well, I knew you could buy such cab already built, but I didn't mention it because it sounded to me like you were headed towards a full-blown case of Nutz-ness.... damned if I was gonna spoil your fun! ;D

[lpdeluxe]

Spoken like a true GuitarNutz denizen!

Now, after playing though my Band-Master cum Weber 15 last night, I'm thinking maybe a DRRI in a combo with a 15....

[sumgai]

luxer,

Observe that the Bandmaster has about twice the power of a Deluxe Reverb, old or new. This might make a difference, large or small, or it might not, that'd be up to you. But before you go clumping downstairs to your woodshop, you really do need to plug your cabinet into the back of a DRRI first, and experiment until the neighbors call the gendarmes.

It behooves me to ask, if you already have a head, and a Bandmaster at that, then why do you want to step down to a DRRI? Is it that you want less power? Or is it that you want that gen-u-wine Fender Reverb™? In the latter case, I'd say go out and find yourself a Fender Reverb Unit (the outboard thingie, ala Dick Dale and other surfers), or else check out the new Boss FRV-1, a stomp-box clone of said FRU. Much cheaper either way, or so I'd think.

HTH



sumgai

[lpdeluxe]

As usual on this forum, I'm chasing the tone dragon. Yesterday I lined up all my four Fender amps and A/B/C/D'd them (using a switch) with my 335. I'm looking for an elusive "sweet" tone, with some of the presence of the DRRI and a lot of the warmth of the Weber 15.

Here's a recap (you'll note that these are not "vintage," or rare, or anything other than readily available Fender guitar amps, with the exception of the Weber rig):

DRRI: bright, ringing, present, candy tone. The real deal on a circuit board -- great reverb, small and relatively light. I'd gig anywhere with it.

Blues Jr NOS: next to smallest and lightest, good tone, Ruby Reverb, this goes with me when the Baptist Blues Band performs at our small church, good fit in the living room and at local jams, but recessed with a rounded off top end. The first to go if need arises.

Jazzmaster Ultralight: if I suddenly turn into Jim Hall, this is the first thing I'd plug into. Sweet top end, lots of power, jazzy tone, super light and small -- great when I want an unobtrusive amp.

Band-Master VM/Weber California Ceramic 15: this one has the potential to kill. It's too laid back on the clean (solid state) channel, comes to life in drive, sounds similar to the DRRI but speaks with a deeper and warmer voice. A lotta stuff to drag around in my Toyota, but nearly worth it.

Last night I plugged the DRRI into the Weber and had at it. This is what led me to think that a DRRI head/Weber or a DRRI 1x15 combo would be the one. The combo appeals because the head/cab would be as unwieldy as the current BM/W rig, with half the power -- but marginally better tone. It would probably be as close as I'll get to a good blackface 1x15 Fender Pro, at much less cost; more importantly, given my experience with the jury-rig setup, it may be exactly what I want, at a sustainable expense.

The Deluxe and the Band-Master are still set up side by side in the living room, I have no close neighbors, so I guess it's time to stop typing and get back to playing. More no doubt to follow.

[sumgai]

Wait, you just said "Band-master VM"..... everything I said before is now null and void.

Both that and the DRRI have reverb and effects, so that's a wash. They share the same tone stack design, so that's also out of the consideration. About all that really differentiates the two is power, about 22 watts versus 40 watts.

I don't see where either of them is really a "better" amp than the other. And for the record, I'd sell the rest and just use the Blues Jr. for everything. Maybe pick up another one as a backup, just in case.....

Me? I have an FTR, the original thing. I also have newer Fender amps, and other stuff too. Know what I use almost exclusively? My VG-88 through my PA. Along with my synth (both through a mixer and then a looper), I can sound like just about anthing you care to name, for a lot less money out of pocket, and a helluva lot less effort shlepping this stuff from the car to the stage. All of my regular guitar and bass amps have been sitting unused for so long I should just sell them, but I keep thinking "one of these days.....".

If nothing else, I suppose they're investments now.


<advice mode on>

Listen and learn, grasshopper!

Like everything else in life, playing guitar is a series of compromises. As you learn to accept 'good enough' in one area, you will have more time to devote to finding a better way in another area of your life (or in the guitar-playing part of your life). The secret is to keep rotating through each part of the whole. Doing that keeps you challenged without wearing you out.

It also tends to keep you from getting on your friends' nerves as you obsess over minutae.

<end of advice mode>

HTH



sumgai

[lpdeluxe]

Advice noted. This grasshopper is retired and having a great time messing with his Fender amps and basses and Gibson guitars, and he likes the Jazzmaster. At least you didn't lecture me that "it's not a REAL Bandmaster, you know." Because, yes, I know. Old Bandmaster are pretty thin on the ground around here, and I prefer to buy amps with warranties and modern features.

As a matter of fact, I'm not an old-school guy on electric at all. I like amps that sound like me, not like [fill in name here], and at this point, I expect to continue down that path. I don't feel like there's much reason for me to try to sound like anybody else, so I'm exploring what I have with a view toward getting the sound I want.

Given that, you go play with your old toys and I'll play with my new ones. ;D

[sumgai]

Well, that's about as polite a "correction" as I've received in many a moon.

Like you, I've been retired for some time now. In particular, I also favor the Jazzmaster, just for the feel if nothing else, but almost without exception, they have the tone I'm looking for. (There have been a few that were poorly setup, and should've not escaped the factory until that was done.)

The funny part is, the VG-88 is new, by comparison to the old-school Fender stuff, but right out of the box, it has patches that sound like everything from Chuck Berry's 1956 ES-350 to Darude's talking organ. Duane Eddy? Check. Richie Blackmore? Check. Django Reinhardt? Check. Andre Segovia? Check. Care to name a personality - I'll either have a patch for it already installed, or I can modify a patch to suit. I can even make 'em up outta whole cloth - howzabout an Auditorium-sized acoustic with Danelectro's lipstick-tube pickups? Easy.

Hey wait, it even does amplifiers. Want a MesaBoogie with 4x12's, and the mic is 12" out front and 20° off axis? No sweat. 1956 Tweed Deluxe? Covered. Mix and match, like an FDR paired with a DualShowman 15" cab (the one with the tone ring)? Piece o' cake! And those can be done with your standard mag pickups on your own axe, you needn't use the special pickup and the built-in guitar patches for this feature. Talk about testing things out before shelling out one's shekels.......

I tell you, this thing is, no matter if it's new or old in terms of years of production, it's the most versatile device ever made in terms of "finding" one's unique tone. You can modify absolutely every aspect of a guitars tone (the VariGuitar model), even down to what kind of wood is used (Resonance and Filter). I've forgotten more licks while playing with this thing, it's so..... so..... compelling, that's it, it just keeps your attention glued to it, making your forget just about all else. You have to wrench yourself away and say "Good Enough", and get back to making music, not just outrageous tones! ;D

Bar none, the best $400 (USD) I ever spent on a piece of musical gear.



sumgai