Fender Blues Deluxe

Well I am new to the guitar market...and at 46 decided to learn the acoustic and electric, Bought a Line 6 spider valve to go with my Fender power strat HSS(Mexican), well the salesman said it was the best happy meduim between all tube and effects etc...well ater a week i was having great fun until i got bored with trying to sound like the 100 or so artists the pile of crap comes with so i decided to bypass the plastic effects and go straight through the tubes...my good i would have got a better sound plugging me axe into a half filled specimen tube...
Well as luck would have it the thing started popping and breaking down after a week...took it back and they asked if i wanted a replacement..after the salesman got back off the floor and spat out a couple of teeth he realised the error of his ways...dammit I thought got a fender guitar give me amp to go with it and i liked the retro look of the Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue.....yes I bought it on its retro looks....well i am new to this game....
No point telling you what its got just read below what other guys have said...I rate it a seven for features because being a novice what the hell would i know

Well loading into my car the salesman said plug it on and leave it to stand for a couple of hours on standby before you first play it otherwise it will sound to harse...then it will take about ten hours all together over a month to get the real musical sound out of the tubes.....i now had it about a week and have clocked up about 17 hours...the smell of warm tubes still fills the room like my grandfathers sweet smelling pipe tobacco....and the sound well everytime i turn the thing on i know its going to get just better and better...Ive heard its to loud to play it at home...well i have it turned down and i love it ........i dont want the thing cranked up...lets be honest most people only if they gig need to turn the volume up and i dont i bought it for fun.....and this will last me for years.....

havnt had it long enough to test realiabilty.....but reading other reviews this baby should live longer than me..so i am not going to test fate and give it a rating

never had to deal with them

Well i am still grinning from ear to ear....this amp CAN be used at home a give a lot of please for the hobby guitarist....however if Dave Gilmour does ring me for his next tour by any chance maybe i will have to consider a slightly bigger wattage but until then i am very happy.....
It goes to show whilst using this amp at home i know i am not cranking the valves up to ful potential...but frankly i dont care because i know the harder they are pushed the better they sound..but i would much rather potter along in the slow lane and replace tubes every 1000 years...but still grin from ear to ear..

Made in Mexico 2006?

1x12" combo in tweed

All valve (2 6L6 'groove tubes'and 3 preamp tubes)

2 channels, bright switch, presence, reverb, 40 watts...footswitch

At first i didn't think it had enough power but then i bought a gretsch copy and the amp seems to work well with single coils and lower output humbuckers (filtron etc.)

I use this amp live/practise/studio.

I use a eastwood classic 6 (gretsch copy) a indie two-tone (335 copy) and a modified squier tele thinline with seymour quarter pounder pups.

Sometimes my rhythm guitarist uses it with his lovely hagstrom viking.

If you have a les paul/335 or anything with humbuckers you will have to use input 2 as it'll break up almost immediately and you wont achieve a sparkling clean tone as it mentions in the manual. I didn't realize this at first. My favourite setting is clean at 3 with my eastwood classic 6 using the neck pickup. Its sounds reminiscent of the early rolling stones. real dirty. You need to keep the presence and treble back if you want to keep your hearing. Playing around with the EQ doesn't seem to do much. This amp is not responsive. The overdrive channel is good for blues but thats the limit. perhaps some alternative rock. I sometimes add a tubescreamer for more sustain.

From the moment i turned it on, the 2 power tubes were blue and in time the amp was behaving strange with the red light dimming and eventually going off completley. I took the amp back to fender where they repaired it apparently and it is exactly the same. they didn't even change the 2 blue valves. Also, they didn't screw the damn thing back together properly and it now rattles like a bitch!

Saying that, the amp has never died on me and i have been using it at high volumes at least 3 times a week for just under a year now.

I wouldn't buy another mexican made fender.

shite!....

i foned up and got nothing
I sent an email and it was sent back

unless you're trade i don't think they give a s**t.

I have spent almost a year trying to get this amp to work for me and if i had another 500 for a new amp i would buy a laney VC30 2X12". What i really need is a new vox AC30 or AC50. much more responsive. I will never buy another mexican made fender amp or any fender for that matter. There are so many better amps out there for less money and better reliability. I'm now saving up for a new Vox AC50 CPH and vox 2x12" cab that i'm putting in 2 alnico gold speakers. I might even buy a laney VC30 as they are only 400 and sound brilliant.

US made. I don't know how old it is, got it used, but it seems to have a few years on it. The serial number is 058578 if anyone cares to look up what that means, im too lazy.

As far as "features" goes, if you want to play Blues or even jazz this has all you need right out the gate. If you want to play Rock, get ready to buy a few pedals, but it's definitely worth it.

This amp completely fits in with my philosophy of "start with great tone and work everything else out later."

The sound is just great: smooth, warm, creamy tone. Dripping wet reverb, and if you play a strat like I do, it really compliments that twang.

However, this amp takes a little dialing in to tame. First of all: it's incredibly loud.

I'd say you're definitely going to want to add a compressor to your signal chain if only for volume control alone. The amp's very responsive, and has a huge dynamic range...but it's a bit much, and the sound gets alot less schizophrenic with a compressor to smooth it all out and add sustain.

Things get tricky when you want to get a dirtier sound. If you're looking for a right-out-the-box rock n roll amp that can give you more saturated gain, you might want a Marshall or Randall or something, but if you're willing to futz with a few pedals on this one, you WILL be rewarded. It really takes to tube screamers well, and when I plugged in my electro-harmonix Big Muff, I almost shit. It's just filthily distorted and fantastic. Still though: takes some tweaking.

I doubt you could get a more "modern" distortion sound out of this amp (I may be wrong), but if you're buying something covered in tweed, I assume you're into the same tones as me anyway and won't be disappointed.

My signal chain - Fender strat->Boss CS-3 Compressor->Snarling Dog Blues Bawls (wah pedal)->Ibanez TS-9->Big Muff->Ibanez AD-9->Amp

Sometimes I get the feeling this amp could benefit from a new speaker, and it's something I might consider in the future.

I'm giving this amp an 8 for that great tone and the distortion it's CAPABLE of.

I had to clean the pots when I first got it because I was getting alot of noise when adjusting them, and the "Bright" button wasn't working. I'm pretty sure this is because it was used though, and no fault in the design.

One complaint I have though, is sometimes when messing with the "Bright" button, I lose all sound and have to switch b/w the channels to get it back. Again, mine was used, so who knows, but I get the feeling this is more likely a design flaw, as I've read some similar sounding problems in reviews above.

I've had mine for about a year now and haven't had any problems aside from what I mentioned.

Haven't had to deal with them.

For me, this amp is a subjective 10, because it fits my tastes perfectly. But for recommending it to others, I'm gonna give it a 7 just because there are EASIER and more versatile amps to deal with out there.

I already know I'm keeping this amp as long as it's humming. I love the tone, love the retro look, love Fender in general. Just wish I didn't live an an apartment so I could really open her up more often.

Not a great variety of features if you're just playing straight through the amp, doesn't offer much distortion/overdrive for heavy metal but channels can be changed via a footswitch.

I have played my Les Paul straight through a JCM-800 and wish I could get that sound from this but it offers a beautiful warm sound that I would never change. I use Digitech GNX3000 effects and the amp makes EVERY sound perfect. Only problem is for home practice it's hard to get a quiet volume that won't upset the wife. At the lowest setting it's still quite loud but on the other hand, you'll never run out of volume, I've never had mine above 4!

I bought this amp second hand about 3 years ago and it worked fine for the first 2. It developed a problem that caused the amp to keep cutting out at higher volumes, it turned out to be a dry joint and was quickly repaired but it did cost ??50 for the repair. Has worked perfectly ever since.

Never dealt with Fender direct.

A great amp with a great clean sound. Will do your effects and playing great justice.

This is for a 1994 Fender Blues Deluxe made in the USA...NOT the current re-issues that are made in Mexico. This is a 2 channel amp that is basically a Clean channel, and an Overdrive channel. It is based off of Fender's answer in the early 90's to make a 1950's Deluxe or Bassman amp with channel switching and reverb. It is 40 watts with a single 12" Eminence Gold Label speaker. Mine came with 2 Sovtek 6L6GC power tubes and 3 Shuguang 12AX7 preamp tubes installed. After my first couple of days with the amp, I noticed that the preamp tubes had some microphonic feedback at higher volumes, so I replaced them with JJ Electronics ECC83S preamp tubes, and now my problem is solved!
This is NOT a High Gain amp like my Peavey 5150. BUT...this amp is a tone monster! And yes..a clean sounding amp can be full of luscious TONE!
It has 2 inputs, Volume knob and Bright switch for the Normal channel, and a Drive (preamp gain) and Master Volume for the Drive channel. Both channels share Treble, Bass, Presence and Reverb controls. It also has an effect loop (power amp in + preamp out), footswitch, standby and power switch.

As I said before, if you are after a high gain amp, there are plenty of buzzy, muddy amps out there for you. If you are looking for an amp that has a warm, clean tone on the clean channel, and a creamy, thick overdrive channel, then this amp is for you! This amp was based off of the original Fender Bassman, which was the amps that the old great Marshall's were based off of. This amp can get me crystal clear clean tones, and yes...if you want a great SRV or Eric Johnson tone, this one will get it for ya! The overdrive channel is very responsive, and you can EASILY dial in a "Sunshine of you Love" Clapton tone! It is a punchy, warm, creamy, crystal clear LOUD amp! I just cannot stop playing it! This amp is very responsive to your guitars pickups, volume knob and pick attack. It can capture every nuance of your playing...even if your playing is good or bad!

So far, so good. It doesn't appear to have that "Blues Deluxe Channel Limbo" switching problem that was on the 1993 models. Apparently Fender fixed this bug by then.

Purchased my amp used. I have never had any dealings with Fender's customer support.

I have a ton of guitars (Fender American Strat with Samarium Cobalt pickups, 1988 Gibson Les Paul Standard with Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates pickups, 1998 Peavey Wolfgang American Deluxe, various Kramers, Ibanez' and other homemade guitars) and I have played them all thru this amp, although the Strat and the Les Paul just SING on it!
I hate to just give out a perfect 10, but if you want a great sounding, clean amp with a creamy overdrive (not a buzzy, muddy high gain box), then this amp is it!

Not sure what year mine is, but it's not the Reissue. Not the most versatile amp, but if you want a great sounding amp at a reasonable price, this is it as far as I'm concerned. It's plenty loud for 40 watts, and the tones are smooth and creamy. It's got some bite when you need it too. I don't care for the overdrive channel, but I wouldn't use it anyway because I use pedals.

Great clean sound, not like glass, but that's not what this amp is supposed to be. It's a great bluesy sound and get the tone set right,and you can get awesome rock & country tones also. It's probably overall the best amp I've owned. I play mostly classic rock & 70's stuff. I've been playing pretty much the same stuff for 40 years! I've never had any issues with noise, or anything else actually. Just a a good, reliable machine.

Never had any problems, so no issues here.

N/A

I've been playing about 40+ years and owned more gear than I can remember. I love this amp and would probably buy another one if the deal was right. I play my 70's Japanese Strat most of the time, but I also have an Epi Les Paul Standard. I like the Strat with it the best. I highly reccomend this amp.

This is an update to my review of 7/8/2007

Shortly after writing the review, I was getting ready to play through the amp and could not get the red pilot light to come on. Turns out it was burned out. Now it's not that this is a big deal as you can get a replacement at Radio Shack for a couple of bucks, but after only three weeks???
Just last week I was playing it and in the middle of playing, the channel select switch quit functioning. It appears that it failed mechanically as you can feel the absence of the "click" which used to occur and still does on the reverb switch. Called the nearest authorized repair center (85 miles away) and was advised to send it to them. They said it would most likely be covered by warranty, except for shipping (around $5 each way)....let's hope so. This is now only after owning the amp for three months.
So, I've had three problems in three months: Tube rattling (mentioned in my initial review), a burned out pilot light, and a broken channel select switch.
I do still love the sound of this amp, although I have added a Boss Chorus, and an Ibanez TS-9 pedal, (plus a Boss tuner) in the signal chain for more diversity.....BUT Fender really does need to address these quality issues with the suppliers of their electronic parts!!!!! It has been annoying.

I think the discussion of how the company handles warranty issues is given too much attention in these reviews. The "need" to have warranty work performed is the better measure of worth. There shouldn't be more than one incident in a hundred or more for a quality product and Fender is doing poorly in this regard. I would rather have paid another $100 if it meant the product rarely had failures.

Great sound, plenty of volume, reasonable price, good looks, not too heavy (@ 45 lbs.), but three annoying failures (costing me $50-$55 out-of-pocket to correct). So how do you rate that?

I'll be brief since it's all been said. 40 watts, 2 12AX7 preamp tubes, 1 12AX7 tube phase inverter, 2 6L6 power tubes, solid state rectifier, solid state reverb circuit, 2 footswitchable channels, effects loop, single 12" Eminence Fender spec'd speaker, printed circuit board amp, tweed covered particle board cabinet.

This is where I'm tempted to say, it sounds great, "for a cheap amp".

But the thing is, it sounds great, period.

It strikes a perfect balance between Fender and Marshall vibe, having the top end slice of an old Deluxe Reverb, the bottom end of a Twin Reverb, only much warmer, like a vintage JTM45. In many good ways, this is a very un-Fender, Fender.

The Overdrive channel is mild, putting out nice, rich, old-school, pegged-non-master-volume amp tones at manageable volumes

Plus, with the clean channel, this is the best pedal platform I've ever used, putting out true boutique tones with a Jetter Gain Stage Red and Blue, Hermida Zendrive, Ibanez TS808 and a Voodoo Labs SparkleDrive.

I've used it with a Strat, Tele, Les Paul, SG, CS-336 and an Epi Emperor jazz hollowbody.

I gig with the amp regularly in a rock/funk, fusion & blues band, plus I've used it for sub and pickup work for straight blues, country and classic rock. It works well for all.

I am knocking off 2 points for the speaker, which while capable, is not as dynamic or sparkly as needed in some styles. FWIW, I replaced mine with a Celestion Vintage 30, a speaker well suited for the way this amp is voiced, and it just KILLS.

There is one problem these early Blues Deluxes were prone too (mine is a first year, '93 model). It is in the lower power circuit that causes the amp to sometimes lock up with the overdrive channel light on, but no sound. There were two Fender Technical Notes released to address this, one in '93 and one in '95. Google search for amp technical forums with "Blues Deluxe Channel Limbo" as the search criteria, print it out and either DIY if you're qualified, or take the amp and the notes to a good amp tech for some preventative repairs. This will make the amp as robust as anything out there, and beyond gig worthy. Since Fender recognized the problem early on, and addressed it, no points off - just do yourself a favor if you have an older one and get it checked out.

Never had to deal with Fender CS, so no opinion.

I have been gigging since the mid-to-late 70's. Have owned two other of these amps and would definitely replace mine if it were lost or stolen.

I have also bought, sold, re-bought and re-sold almost every blackface amp Fender ever made since 1976. Also owned a '59 Champ, a handfull of silverface era Fenders, a 50 watt, Plexi Marshall half-stack, some Peavy "Classic" series tube amps, a couple of old Music Mans, a Boogie Mk IIc, a couple Fender Blues Jr's, and I'm sure a few others I've forgotten about. This amp definitely rates. With certain pedals, this amp gives off a KILLER Marshall vibe. With others, this amp is square in "D" amp territory.

I've had my Blues Deluxe for about 11 or 12 years. I play a Tele and the tone is great. When I first bought this amp I was in Blues band and used no effects. I found the reverb and the overdive was all I really needed.

The clean channel is outstanding. The overdrive is also great if you are not looking for distortion. The overdrive has just enough bite, more sustain great for solos. Recently I've been playing through a DigiTech GNX3. After much tweeking mainly setting the GNX3 to direct instead of AMP models I'm quite pleased with the tone.

After about a month I needed to replace Tubes. I was playing out when the tubes went bad. That was bad. I did get a free replacement and those tubes work until last winter. I just replaced the whole set about a month ago from Tubeworks and my Amp never sounded better.

Overall I would I not get another Blues Deluxe. Mine was made in America. Why did Fender have to start making these in Mexico? I know they sold out on guitars along time ago and some of overseas models are good. But I would pay an extra 200 bucks or more if I new Fender products were made in the U.S.A.

Just bought used - the guy thought it was a '95 or something. It's the Made in USA model and NOT the Re-issue that is made in Mexico. Not gonna list the specs as they are listed her on other reviews. but it has only two channels (not 3 like the Hot Rod Dlx.

I also have a Hot Rod Dlx. that I had sent to Omega Amps to modify. I saw this and took a gamble as it needed tubes and was kinda dirty and messy on the control board. I have tons of guitars - 8 Strats and 3 Tele's and an original '73 Tele Dlx. Les Paul and more. What I like about this amp compared to the others . . . When you engage the overdrive channel, that's just what you get - overdrive. i.e. sounds the same as clean but as if you've cranked up the volume on the clean enough to distort. Sounds really creamy. Almost not enough overdrive with the single coils but with the Tele Dlx with Humbuckers, it's got plenty! Again, sounds like it's supposed to sound! Like Stevie Ray pushing his Fender amps. I am very impressed. Plus, it's loud as hell!

Just got it but I would think that it's better than my Hot Rod Dlx. as those have some weird things that can make them quit on you.

Haven't had that experience as yet and I have a Hot Rod Deville, Hot Rod Dlx. and this amp. So far so good.

When you get this thing dialed in right, it's amazing! Not sure what they did differntly with the Re-issues or the Dlx. but they don't compare to this one. If you can find one of these old US models, snag it like I did! Most people know that the overdrive channels on the Hot Rod Dlx. and Deville sort of suck. Putting JJ Tubes in my DeVille (and re-biasing the amp as per Euro-Tubes suggested settings) improved that quite a bit to say the least. My Omega mod is great but overdrives are more "Marshall" sounding. This one sounds really good. Plus, put some pedals in front for some really juicy sound! I just bought that Fender Bassman pedal from Boss. As much as I know there are pedal snobs out there that will only go with the botique pedals . . . check this one out. It nails it pretty good. Try it with the Deville 410. Turns it into a Bassman!