Hi,

I asked myself the same question 3 years ago.
I decided to go with a Super Reverb amp size.
Why? Because it has 45W. Compared to the 22W of the Deluxe it stays clean longer and has a stronger low end responde. Both you need for surf imho.
I do not regret my decision.
I used to play with lower wattage amps and experienced each time that they get dirty to soon and lack bass punch when hitting the low E string...

If you don´t like the big and heavy Super Reverb with it´s built in 4x10" speakers you can maybe try a bassman or bandmaster head with a dual 10" or 12" cabinet or a single 15"

just my 2ct
LoeD

here comes the WEST SAMOA SURFER LEAGUE

It does depend on the playing situation you're using it in but a Deluxe Reverb can be a great sounding amp for surf. If you want portability and Fender tone at lower volume levels it's an excellent choice...in which case I'd say go with the '65 Reissue. Obviously, it's not a closed cabinet and not as much power (as a Super, Bassman, Showman, etc) and therefore some guys might say it's not a true "surf amp". If you're playing loud clubs, outdoor gigs, and / or your band relies on maximum sound pressure levels as part of the show then it's probably not a good choice and you will need a bigger rig.

In Superwave, Rick and I use both use vintage Deluxe Reverbs for rehearsals and smaller gigs and it's probably my favorite go-to amp.

Last edited: Jul 14, 2015 11:18:20

2x10s with 35watts would work better for surf than 22watts with a 1x12. 2x10s move more air than a 1x12.

Super Reverbs are really heavy, I hate moving them by the hand. I usually lift with two hands, bear hug style, and it is incredibly easier. But... amazing amps. The 4x10s are perfect for surf/playing live.

The 68 Vibrolux does breakup earlier than a 65 reissue due to Celestion speakers and circuitry in the 68 vibrolux silverface. 22 watts vs 35 watts is only a few db (decibels) different. The 65 deluxe can hang using an efficient speaker. The stock Jensen C12K is 99 dbl where as an Emminence Swampthang is 102 dbl - that's quite a difference.

The question is (1) if playing live what's the venue/club size normally and (2) how loud is your drummer/band? BTW stage/club volumes have come down quite a bit. I've never played anywhere where they said to TURN UP

For a smaller indoor, unmic'ed situation, a 2x10 '68 Custom Vibrolux Reverb would likely need to be turned up to 3.5. About 4.5~5 is where that warm grit is starting to be part of the tone. At that point, you are likely causing ringing ears anywhere within 15'-20' in front of it.
Unless it was going to be mic'ed, a Dlx Reverb ('65 or '68) would not be my first choice as a smaller surf amp.
If playing outdoors, unmic'ed, honestly, I think for combos that a Super Rvb or a Twin would be the way to go. I have not yet used my 68 Vibrolux for an unmic'ed outdoor gig. I think it would start pushing that headroom point at that volume.

Lorne
The Surf Shakers: https://www.facebook.com/TheSurfShakers
Vancouver BC Canada

JakeDobner wrote:

I havent played one seriously, but I believe there is a normal and a 'hot rod' circuit in the '68 series amps. One is a traditional circuit and the other breaks up easily.

I have the 68 CVR & love it. The circuits aren't really hot-rodded. One channel ("Vintage") should really be called "classic BF tone-stack Princeton-on-steroids". The other Custom channel should be called Bandmaster or Bassman tone stack. I knew I was going to ditch the Celestions when buying it and got from my shop a new pair of reissue Jensens instead which are quite adequate. I use the Custom channel more than the classic scooped-mids BF sound by a ratio of about 8:1. It gets much better low-end response and you can get some 'girth' out of it.

It gets seriously loud above 4; fine trem and a big reverb pan in it (usually use my tank though).

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

Yea, thanks Badger! Interesting. I probably won't be able to purchase this amp for a few months, so I've got some time and a lot of thinking to do!!

@Badger I tried the 68 Deluxe Reverb (w/Celestions) and on the bassman side the bass was overwhelming/boomy so I wrote the amp off on the spot. So sounds like you're liking Jensen's in your 68 vibrolux(?) What was your experience with the bass on that one with Celestions?

derekirving wrote:

@Badger I tried the 68 Deluxe Reverb (w/Celestions) and on the bassman side the bass was overwhelming/boomy so I wrote the amp off on the spot. So sounds like you're liking Jensen's in your 68 vibrolux(?) What was your experience with the bass on that one with Celestions?

The only thing that kept drawing me to the CVR was the total package, bang for the buck. I initially thought, and still do, the Celestions were the wrong speaker in that amp. I thought they were extremely shallow in terms of bass response, no firm drive, just yuck, and they couldn't react to what the tonestack was intended to do. Which is doubly disappointing, because you still want good punchy bass response on the so-called Vintage channel, with its scoopy-mids Princeton-like sound (and it is lovely for that kind of thing). I kept going back to the amp though & hauled it into the shop's "drum room" so I could really turn it up & it was just louder disappointment. My amp guy had a little cab with a couple of Jensen JET series 10's in it (who knows why) and it was like, suddenly, what the amp should've been. So he had another pair NIB and we swapped. I'm sure any decent speaker (Eminence, WGS) could help it because the Celestion model that was in it should've been (maybe) in a Marshall bedroom amp.

My plugged nickel on the 2 smaller amps below in those 2 "series" is that for the Deluxe and the Princeton size, the "BF" DRRI & PRRI are much better than their 'Custom' Silverface counterparts. That's just to my ear. Might be the difference in the warmth & punch one actually gets from a pair of 6L6's in my CVR vs. the smaller tubes, might be the speaker choice.

For those who pick nits, they did a nice job with the drip-edge on the CVR too.

Edit to add, seeing shake_n_stomp's reply: That's cool it works for you. Maybe it was just the ones in my amp. We all hear different stuff.
And, FTR, I don't think the Jensens are remarkable; just a notable improvement in my amp. Again, everyone's ear is different and the Jensens were what was handy, like, right there.

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

Last edited: Jul 14, 2015 17:27:23

I think the 6L6 (Vibrolux) is a much better tube for traditional Surf as it's defined around here and this coming from a guy who has played mostly 6V6's (Deluxe and Princeton) the last ten years.
That being said - I don't care for 2x10's much. When playing through 10's I much prefer the 4x10 Super Reverb.
I don't know if any of that helps your search, especially since I'd be perfectly happy with a Deluxe Reverb - unless I had to play onstage along with you Showman guys, LOL

Cheers,
Jeff

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