Deluxe Reverb II - can they be 'blackfaced' and how big a job is it?

fretfinder

As per thread title, just wondering if a Deluxe Reverb II can effectively be modded to more or less the same circuit as a blackface DR, and how much work does that require? Thanks.

ICBM

No. You'd have to totally rebuild it - even without trying to fit a valve rectifier. Cheaper to sell it and buy a '65 Reissue.

Also, although the DRII isn't the most valuable vintage amp, don't wreck it by trying to turn it into something it's not.

fretfinder

ICBM said:

No. You'd have to totally rebuild it - even without trying to fit a valve rectifier. Cheaper to sell it and buy a '65 Reissue.

Also, although the DRII isn't the most valuable vintage amp, don't wreck it by trying to turn it into something it's not.

Ok thanks for that. Good job I hadn't bought one before I posted this! 

I once had a Princeton Reverb II that I was told had been blackfaced by Brinsley Schwartz. Was that nonsense then?

professorben

fretfinder said:

ICBM said:

No. You'd have to totally rebuild it - even without trying to fit a valve rectifier. Cheaper to sell it and buy a '65 Reissue.

Also, although the DRII isn't the most valuable vintage amp, don't wreck it by trying to turn it into something it's not.

Ok thanks for that. Good job I hadn't bought one before I posted this! 

I once had a Princeton Reverb II that I was told had been blackfaced by Brinsley Schwartz. Was that nonsense then?

That's a lot of black.......


black!!!!



Black like my heart!!!!!!


BLACCCCCKKKK!!!!


no Johnny!!!!

fretfinder

You should make a film noir...

Dodge

fretfinder said:

ICBM said:

No. You'd have to totally rebuild it - even without trying to fit a valve rectifier. Cheaper to sell it and buy a '65 Reissue.

Also, although the DRII isn't the most valuable vintage amp, don't wreck it by trying to turn it into something it's not.

Ok thanks for that. Good job I hadn't bought one before I posted this! 

I once had a Princeton Reverb II that I was told had been blackfaced by Brinsley Schwartz. Was that nonsense then?

The clean channel isn't a million miles away from a BF-type amp, but as @ICBM says you'd need to change an awful lot to turn it into a 60's Princeton Reverb / Deluxe Reverb.

On the whole, those 'Rivera-era' (yes I know he didn't design them) amp are pretty good.  They're nicely put together, unless you get the EV speaker upgrade the stock speakers are a bit crap and the overdrive channel is an acquired taste but cleans are good.

I've had a PRII, DRII, Superchamp and a Champ II.  All have been great amps, but beyond the clean channel I think they're not particularly interesting.  My favourite was the Champ II with the 10" speaker, closely followed by the PRII.  DRII having EQ on the overdrive channel made it a bit more usable, but it was still a bit average for dirt.

The Superchamp was fun too, but the weirdo 3 triode in one valve was proving more and more expensive to find and I didn't use the OD channel anyway, so I changed it for the PRII.

ICBM

Dodge said:

On the whole, those 'Rivera-era' (yes I know he didn't design them) amp are pretty good.  They're nicely put together, unless you get the EV speaker upgrade the stock speakers are a bit crap and the overdrive channel is an acquired taste but cleans are good.

The overdrive channel can be massively improved on the Deluxe II and upwards by moving the tone stack to post-distortion rather than pre. This is non-destructive and doesn't need any new components or even (if I remember rightly) wire! You can do it just be re-arranging what's already there.

That doesn't apply to the Super Champ and Princeton II which have a circuit more akin to the 'pull-distortion' on the 70s Twin, using the reverb drive stage.

Dodge said:

The Superchamp was fun too, but the weirdo 3 triode in one valve was proving more and more expensive to find and I didn't use the OD channel anyway, so I changed it for the PRII.

I've owned four Super Champs - three at the same time, I used two as a stereo pair and had a spare one - and I never really liked the distortion mode. I modded them so it was a simple volume boost, but I've forgotten exactly how…

The 6C10 problem is easy to fix - you replace it with a 12AX7 holder, and then recover the third valve section by splitting the reverb driver and using half of that for the reverb recovery, instead of the rather unnecessary paralleled drive stage.

I also had a Concert which was a really mighty amp, which I'd done the overdrive channel mod on and fitted a V30, but in the end I replaced it with a Mesa DC-5 - which was (rather surprisingly for a Mesa) also lighter!

JayGee

ICBM said:

I've owned four Super Champs - three at the same time, I used two as a stereo pair and had a spare one - and I never really liked the distortion mode. I modded them so it was a simple volume boost, but I've forgotten exactly how…

The 6C10 problem is easy to fix - you replace it with a 12AX7 holder, and then recover the third valve section by splitting the reverb driver and using half of that for the reverb recovery, instead of the rather unnecessary paralleled drive stage.

Is that something any half-decent amp tech would know(or be able to come up with after a few minutes of head-scratching) or should I print it out and put it in the bottom of the cab just in case?

My Super Champ lives a very quiet life these days but I'm very fond of it, sooner or later it is going to need attention and that valve is a source of constant worry...

ICBM

JayGee said:

Is that something any half-decent amp tech would know(or be able to come up with after a few minutes of head-scratching) or should I print it out and put it in the bottom of the cab just in case?

Any half-decent tech should be able to work it out if you simply mention that it can be done like that.