Quality check please !

[hebaton]

I am considering buying this Deluxe reverb clone. Would appreciate your cooments on workemanship and parts choices. IT would not be expensive so I may decide to make it an upgrede project and replace parts with better quwlity ones over time... if nneded ?

Thank you !

[Stevem]

Its build and quality looks fine to me.
It just needs a owner who will not screw with it in hopes of making into something it’s not!

[hebaton]

Hey, cannot miss that you find my questions anoying. That's o.k., we don't all see life, or music, a or amplifiers the same way.
One thing you could choose to do is... nothing, as in not responding !
I am very grateful for the hekp I have been getting her. I am a neofite, I may be somewhat out of context to some, others have chosen to o along with where I am and try to help.

One thing I can tell you is if it can help you understand where I am coming from, is that I have very limited finacial means, and AM trying po get the most out of what I have. SO, swaping tube types, for example, 6v6 in a Super Reverb is aimed at having fun playing with firends and enjoying good tone while not playing so loud everyone is hearting... and telling me to turn it down !
You may think, it is pointless to want to change things, but nothing new ever came out of status quo !

Thank you for you help Man !

Best to you and the ones you love !

[LOUDthud]

Does it come with a reverb tank, cabinet and speaker ? Parts selection is above average with many 1% resistors. A couple of missing tubes shouldn't be a deal breaker.

[Mullardnerd]

If I was going to be critical of the build , just to be extra careful i wohld say:
-replace all the tube sockets with belton. The cheaper white ceramic ones can cause issues,. That could be why you see one belton in there all ready.
-Looks like a cap is missing in the tremolo circuit, you may need to take it to a tech to have things sorted out.
- also , to be honest, the lead dress looks sloppy. Too much extra legnth, which can cause noises , squeels etc. If it were mine I would want to spend a bunch of time sorting it out, shortening leads , cleaning up solder joints ( they dont look great). Cold joints can be a nightmare to sort out if you're not experienced.
Compare your pic with a 60s fender gut shot, you'll see much neater wiring.
Some of the resistors look a little brown/burnt so it makes me suspicious...
All in all , unless you are into building, when you buy a clone , you should bank on spending some money taking it to a tech and possibly spending some cash on repairs. If it's listed at a good price , it's not always a good deal. I would take.a lot more pride in a build..

I don't want to come off negative. I just don't think this looks like a top quality build, it frankly gives me a bad feeling... When the wiring looks sloppy it puts up red flags for me.. it could cost a lot of time and money to sort out...
Just offering a critique , hoping it helps.
-

[hebaton]

Thank you very much for those comments. I am getting this, Head and cab with 2 x 10 for about 900$ US
I am ready to spend time and a bit of money upgrading it, sloowly over time. The seller says there is no noise but did say the Tremolo is not working ( that tube has been oulled for some reason )
I ad pics of the actual look !

I think this beats Fender's current DRRI any day no ?

[dragonbat13]

If it has a decent speaker in it I would say 900. I agree that the construction is rather sloppy, although the components are quality, and the cabs seem nice, that looks like a CBS clone to me, and not in a good way.

It probably works, and it can be a nice amp. But if you don't do some work on it yourself don't be surprised if you spend 500 more in repairs.

However, if you do your own work, and I suggest you do for the general issues I see, you would end up with a great amplifier.

The main issues were mentioned above, cold solder joints and ceramic tube sockets. The tremolo shouldn't be too hard to fix either.

I learned the hard way that ceramics are not all they are cracked up to be. My Princeton reverb I built has the same lonely Belton, and I intend on changing the rest some day.

When you get it, drop a thread into the fender sub forum. You'll get the help you need.

[hebaton]

If it has a decent speaker in it I would say 900. I agree that the construction is rather sloppy, although the components are quality, and the cabs seem nice, that looks like a CBS clone to me, and not in a good way.

It probably works, and it can be a nice amp. But if you don't do some work on it yourself don't be surprised if you spend 500 more in repairs.

However, if you do your own work, and I suggest you do for the general issues I see, you would end up with a great amplifier.

The main issues were mentioned above, cold solder joints and ceramic tube sockets. The tremolo shouldn't be too hard to fix either.

I learned the hard way that ceramics are not all they are cracked up to be. My Princeton reverb I built has the same lonely Belton, and I intend on changing the rest some day.

When you get it, drop a thread into the fender sub forum. You'll get the help you need.

Thanks ! I think I'm going to push the button

[didit]

Hello --

I think I'm going to push the button

There are issues with the grounding. A few are a bit shocking in both senses of the word. Sadly I'm less than shocked. The "A/C service" ground along wth all the others that are currently tied to power transformer bolt points should be relocated to proper chassis discrete attachment and primary B+ ground at earliest opportunity. If you have good understanding of what's required DIY could be OK, but if not hire someone that has basic knowledge and clear expertise to make these changes. There are several threads here, even quite recent posts so necessary knowledge readily available here on TAG.

There are also the more minor issues pointed out already by others. You would do well to take those on, perhaps one at a time as funds and attention allow.

..

[Mullardnerd]

I'm no fan of pcb fenders , but for the same price the pcb would be much more problem free , and you could easily buy an eyelet board and cheaply convert it.