Fender Blues Deluxe

Basic features for a two channel amp. Shares EQ which is a drawback.

Typical Fender sound in this price range. Actually very good. My biggest complaint is that there is no range on the volume. In fact that is why I am returning it tomorrow. I was going to use this as a second amp as a delay amp and to get a more fendery sound but it goes from off to full volume from 1-2 on the volume knob. It blew away (volume wise only) my Dr Z Maz 18 which is a loud amp for 18 watts. This is a VERY loud amp. This is coming from a guy who played out with a "evil" twin and a tomemaster. Both 100 WATT AMPS! If that aint loud I don't know what is. This amp could keep up with those for sure. Also the EQ doesn't do much for the tone. Presence does little too. I might be spoiled from my Dr Z amp.

For $650.00 this is not a bad amp or a bad buy. Out of the box it sounds good and has the quality of sound you expect from Fender. I am returning it because I traded in an "evil" twin that is 100 watts and is far easier to control the volume on than this amp. For me this is a HUGE FLAW in this product and Fender really needs to address it if they want to have a truely great amp for this price range. Still if you don't mind the volume (and theres a LOT) this did have some usable sounds even with the EQ.

The amp is new with one gig but I got a good feel for it. It suites vintage rock blues and R&B very well. the second channel is very sweet sounding with both channels having very smooth mids. Plenty loud even outside..had it on 4..stays clean longer as you raise volume
better than I thought..true fender vibe better than my dad's 65 twin.
chanel and verb switch....plenty power.

This amp takes pedals well as needed if you want vintage distortion on through to Black Crows...At about 5 with a PRS Hollow body 2 (strong buckers)it starts to breakup sweetly. Channel 2 live is far different than bedroom volumes of course. I get the VERY strong hunch this amp would benefit greatly from anew speaker..perhaps the Jensen some of the other reviewers mentioned...or tone tubby. I only use high end pedals because they have come so far..Keeley BD2..Sd1..Fulltone OCD....very quiet amp..just a nice round smooth sound...this is far from a metal amp..but woulddo it if fed the right stuff...I could probably use some tube research to see what can beat the Ruby's...but they sound good...It beats the Devilles by a mile and the bassman...Actually playing most Fenders in a very large music store huge high ceiling room this amp blew the others away. I find it very very helpful to go befor closing and have a fair player play my guitar through it and walk around the room..I do not recommend a smokin' player...

With the EXTREME exception of the new Fender Supersonic which has been a nightmare for my Dad who still plays at 75 Fender has a Boogie topnotch track record..But DO NOT touch the SUPERSONIC piece of garbage...great amp..just won't make sound.

always had fair support..but nottop notch based on my Dad
's sad 1200$ nightmare boat anchor...please spread the word..Fender dealers I have talked to do their best to stear customers away from it..but the 5 year warranty with Dad's supersonic..NOPE!!!!!!!

been playing for 40 years..I'd probably buy again..naaahhh I wouldn't either..I'd get a VHT because of the raves and friends I have heard..But for the money this is a great sounding Fender..I have learned that with the exception of low wattage botique amps..Maz 38 comes to mind..40 to 50 watts is just right as I have owned 15 or so amps or rack setups. being a Boogie guy from Mark 4 (awful amp) through many others to my now best fo show the Rectoverb (got 9.3 on sound) I am suprised how well the Fender holds up for half the $.. I will say that with an extension speaker..celestion...it really sounds huge fat but NOT muddy at all..lows are fairly tight...mids very smooth if you back them way down...very nice reverb IMUO...probably one of the best amps at $529..Another awsomw feature it weighs probably 15 to 10lbs less than the Recto.

Tube Combo
40 Watt
2 Chanels (Clean + Chrunch)
Fender Spring Reverb
Made in Mexico

This is a blues amp and I will not complain about his low gain as so many other.
If you??re looking for a high gain amp get something else!!!
Because this amp is called Blues Deluxe!!!
So I??m more a vinatage kind a guy. I only got one guitar a Gibson Les Paul and I play rock from Stones to Guns n Roses to... Whatever...
If I need more gain for maybe Guns n Roses kind of stuff, I put a distortion pedal between and it sounds amazing.
I??ve tried many amps over the years and I??ve owned a Boogie before.
This amp has the best chrunch sound I??ve ever get!!!
The clean channel is also very beautifull, nice reverb. Everything bluesy sounds amazing...
But if you put the reverb over 4 then it gets gets useless in my opinion, just to much...
My only complaint is the loudness of this amp.
If you set the amp??s controls as quiet as possible which is volumecontroll 1,5 then you got max volume for homeplaying..
2 is about three times as loud and i doubt you will ever turn it over 2,5. I??ve once gigged with a lokal rock-coverband i had the volume on 2 I was definetly the loudest. I know tube amps are loud and I ain??t a sissy man I had a Mesa before! But the volumecontrol is poor!
Ok this category is called sound so I give it a 10

Got this amp for over 6 months no, still love it, no problems at all

Never needed

I??m playing for 20 years now. If youre looking for a tube amp with a great sounding clean channel, a Stones to ACDC sounding crunch then you will love this amp.
But be carefull this amp will may be to loud...

This amp is very old, however it sounds amazing. The tubes give it a warm bluesy sound. This amp is quintessential for any blues player. I, however do not play blues, I play metal. This amp does not have much distortion, but when rigged with a distortion pedal it sounds killer.

it sounds most excelllent for blus and clean, and goes very loud but has little disortion

i bought this amp used in horrible condition with ciggarette burns all over it, i thinks its from the early 80's. however it still sounds awesome and has never let me down.

this is good

July 1995 as the serial number next to the speaker says FG
Blonde tolex,which was offered only in 1995,features Fender Blues Deluxe logo on front instead of Fender on the tweed version bought from a private seller who never took it outside his room
Still has the original set of tubes
440 euro was a good price (i am italian)considering that we can actually pay more than 700 euro for a mexican Blues Deluxe reissue
I give it a 7,would have been a 10 if an external speaker output was installed but u get what u need
Put it on the stage,turn it on and start to play

Guitars: 2xStrat Am.Standrad 2005 rosewood,Strat Vintage 62 maple,Tele Am.Series 2005 rosewood,Gibson Les Paul Standard 1999 -none of these guitar have been modified in the elctronics
0.10 mostly Ernie ball on every guitar
My fx chain is: Boss SD1- JH1 Dunlop wah- E.H. metal muff- Danelectro coolcat chorus- Boss DD6 - Vox volume pedal
George L'S cables and a warwick pedalboard with internal power supply
If u want to hear the real sound of a Fender guitar,no matter if Strat,Tele,Cyclone or Jaguar ... and u have a budget of 300-500 euro...no choice but this amp
Beautiful clean channel even at high volume,lots of bass and definition
I read about a useless overdrive channel...not true
Stop complaining about the drive,and start understand how to use the equalisation on a amp and how to set your guitar
Drive:7 Master:6 Bass:6 Middle:7 High:3 Presence:2
Try this on the neck pu of a Strat...rock it
Sounds real good on the Les Paul also,obviously more round but that's the Gibson and his humbucker
Tried it with many guitars...when it was sounding bad it was the guitar,not the amp :d
Reverb is nice and not noisy at all,after 4-5 is useless in my opinion
My speaker is a gold label Eminence,and it's very loud and clear
I don't use fx loop a lot,when i tried it sounded cool and not noisy even though i think is -2/3 dB on the output
When it comes to using your stomp boxes...surprise is coming...this amp with a good equalisation on the clean channel turns a good pedal into an awesome pedal
With the Metal Muff i can have from a nice 70's classic rock tone to a 80's hard rock and when pushed to limits u get the tallica with a bridge single coil am.st. pu believe it or not
With a nice overdrive u get anything in the between...from SRV to Eric Johnson
Try different settings on the drive channel and the overdrive will perform real good,keeping dynamics
For those of you complaing about noise...change power supply for ur pedals and buy good cables...and switch off ur mobile phones when playing (and old tvs :d)

12 years so far,stock tubes,never had a problem,built like a tank,never let me down
If it ever will,i would spend 2x to get another one

Never contact Fender,no need

For those of you guys out there playing old school metal...can u read it?It says Blues not Metal Deluxe...BUT...withthe right pedal u can do it!For classic rock and blues this is the combo
Been playing for 15 years,29 years old now...lots of gigs...they will hear u,for sure,and the drummer will kick your ass if u wont turn the volume down to at least 5-4
No need to use a microphone in small clubs
Not an amp to buy if you practise at home,40w tube amp is loud
It will become a classic

2 channel tone machine.

I'm a bassman guy & this amp is killer.

For 2 channel amp this thing cooks!
I play Hard Rock/Punk Rock.
The Clean channel is nice. Not Bassman or Bandmaster tone, but
very good for a 2 channel amp.
The Dirt Channel is Killer. I usually can't deal with Master Volume
Amps. I have owned a Hot Rod Deluxe & for great tone the Blues Deluxe
Kicks Ass all over the Hot Rod series amps. The Gain is smooth & the low-end doesn't fart out.

Well built!

Fender could have much better customer service.

It doesn't suck, yet it could be better.

If you're looking for an amp to nail down some Classic Rock tones,
look No further! This amp my have the best (Low-Gain) Drive channel I've ever heard. It will not do New Metal without a pedal.
In fact, unless you're playing Blues, Rock, Hard Rock or Country don't buy this amp. Fender should have spent more time dialing this amp in & less on the Hot Rod series. Is it the perfect combo? Nothing's perfect! Is it a great amp to take to rehearsal & to live shows? Hell Yes! The Overdrive on this Amp Rules. I'm not going to take a Matchless combo out to play in clubs. This amp has nice big transparent tone that you won't find in most combo amplifiers.

I would buy it again. I wish it had only One Kick Ass channel.
Still a Killer Amp!

The only channel I use on the amp is the clean channel so I don't have much use for all sorts of other features. It's got two channels with independent volume controls for each channel. Reverb, bright switch, effects loop, etc. The amp I own was made in 1997 and came with an Emminence Speaker (not the fender special design made by emminence although it did sound rather simmilar). 40w

Anyone who owns this amp should do themselves a favor and put a Jensen P12Q speak in this amp. It turns the amp from an ok amp into a GREAT amp. I can use this amp for ANYTHING. Some of my other main amps are are a 65 Twin Reverb RI, Marshall JCM 800 combo, Mesa Dual Rec Head w/ 1x12 Mesa Cab, and a notable competitor of the Blues Deluxe, a Peavel Delta Blues 2x10. I might get some localized shining moments out of these other amps, but they're nowhere near as diverse as the Blues Deluxe with the Jensen speaker. Blues, country, classic rock, hard rock, jazz, even Metallica. I'm not kidding, this amp is good for anything. Only reason I bring a different amp out to a show is just to get the cobwebs out of the ones that are sitting.

Also, the amp's distortion is now worth of using with the new speaker and its actually quite a good overdrive.

I had to have it repaired one time which cost me about $150. Apparently there's a known problem with some of these amps and Fender had gotten a shipment of some bad capacitors and maybe some other parts. Sound cuts out and the overdrive channel light comes on. No problems since the parts were replaced (about 2 years ago).

Been playing 17 years and I'm a bit of a guitar gear junkie. I have some decent overdrive pedals and primarly play a PRS McCarty and a 1989 Fender Strat (my first guitar). Les Paul sounds great through this thing as well.

My is a Blues deluxe Tweed from 1994.I Paly mostly Stones/Berry style old rock&roll and for it it??s a very good amp I think.It have 2 well balanced channels you can swithc by panel or a 1 button footswitch included with the amp.I would like that it have a switchable reverb but i don??t use it often.For me it have enough power to use with a rock&roll band in any situation

Clean channels is a nice classic fender type channel.I also like the drive channel it??s perfect for the drive i want "ala Richards".I play with a mexican Tele Custom 72 with SD Broadcaster pickup on bridge and I get the sound i was looking for years

I would use it without backup cause i??m not rich and only have this amp....it broke down but only one preamp tube...it??s not related with amp only with use...

Never deal with them...i changed it from other guitarist for a Marshall JCM2000 DSL401

I been playing now for 4 years.I used Peavey Clasic 30(great amp for money),Marshall JCM 2000,Valvestate,JCM900...and i think that Fender gives me vintage sound similar to old Tweeds

This is a typical two channel amp - clean channel and a drive channel. Both channels share the EQ, Reverb and Presence controls, but have seperate volume controls. Comes with a footswitch to control the channel switching (can also be done on the amp itself via a button) and a reverb on/off. Also has an effects loop and a bright switch and two inputs (hi and lo).

The amps has 40 watts of pure tube power, which is more than enough for gigging even large halls if you mic the amp. This is an ideal club amp for country, rock or blues...

This amp really has two distinct channels.

First the clean channel. This channel has a rich, beautiful clean tone with a shimmering high end and a warm. tight low end. When you push the volume you get a great smooth tube breakup. This channel also works incredibly well with pedals to get a tube breakup at a lower volume. I usethis channel almost exclusively.

The drive channel I am less than thrilled with. When you switch channels the EQ of the amp totally changes and you get less low end and more high end. The drive channel is great for the SRV'ish blues, and does some good rock with humbuckers, but it sounds too thin and anemic as compared to the clean channel to my ears. I rarely use this channel at all. Since I use single coil guitars 90% of the time, the OD is not to my liking. It does work better with humbuckers..

The amp is really quiet, which is a major plus! I play modern country in the band I'm in (ie - 70's rock with a twang), and I play a wide variety of music when I play at church (folk to near metal...). The Blues Deluxe works well with everything up to metal stuff, and you would be looking at this amp if you wanted to play metal anyway.

Guitar wise, I play a Robin Ranger Pro (Tele, Strat, and Humbucker pups) and a Fender Strat. Both sound great through the BD...

So - a 9 for the clean channel and a 7 for the OD - overall 8..

I've had it for a few months an no problems yet. Usually any manufacturing issues would have surfaced by now. I may gig with this w/out a backup, but only because I don't have one right now. I need to get a backup option because this is a tube amp...

My only dealings with Fender were with a different amp, and they got the problem taken care of with no hassles at all...

I've been playing for quite awhile. I've owned dozens of amps from well respected (Dr Z), to fairly obsure (Lab Series). I love this amp. The drive channel isn't the greatest, but I don't need to use it. I use pedals and use the Bluyes Deluxe as a one channel amp. Killer cleans, takes pedals very well, fairly light (45 lbs). Everything I wanted in an amp at a very resonable price.

I play mainly my Robin Ranger Pro and a Fender Strat through this amp and it shines with single coils and humbuckers. I played a bunch of amps prior to buying this one, and it really stood out in my mind. I would not hesitate to buy this amp again...

Basic features - it is what it is. Two channels, but if you're looking for the Gain channel to give you anything other than "mildly overdriven", keep shopping. Personally, I use only the clean channel and step on a pedal for overdrive.

I bought this amp used and baddly-beaten at a guitar show. It sounded awful, but I've owned these amps before and gambled that with a little TLC, she could be brought back to life. I replaced the power tubes with Winged-C, formerly Svetlana (The Svetlana name is currently owned by a different company - if you liked the old Svetlanas, you want Winged-Cs now.) I replaced the preamp tubes with some NOS JAN Sylvanias.

Next I pulled out the POS Eminence speaker and dropped in a Celestion Vintage 30. Finally, I had a local amp tech go through her. While he was giving her a checkout, I shellac'd and laquered the tweed cabinet.

Price breakdown: $300 for the amp, $60 for tubes (good source for those NOS Sylvanias), $80 for the amp tech, and I had the Celestion Vintage 30 in the garage and had already taken full depreciation on the amp it originally came with. Total price: $440.

Result: Boutique tone for 1/4 the price of the lowest priced comparable new boutique amp on the market, or less than 1/3 the price of that same boutique amp used.

Holy S**t, I use this amp for all kinds of tones, with all kinds of guitars, and a combination of Voodoo Sparkle Drive and Ibanez TS808 Tubescreamer. I regularly gig with it, and it's never let me down once (knock on particle board).

See for yourself if you'd like. There are MP3s at guitardavetaylor.com and also at myspace.com/guitardavetaylor.

The one downside the amp has that I've found is it is NOT A GOOD HOME PRACTICE AMP, unless your home practices regularly involve a full live band. This amp is for live playing, either in studio, rehearsal or onstage, all of which it does an amazingly good job at a great price point.

Had some issues that a good tech and I addressed when I first purchased. Since then, it goes in for a checkup once a year, and has been 100% reliable.

Have owned 9 older Fender blackface era amps, a couple of Fender silver faces, a 1959 Champ, a handfull of newer Fender circuit board amps like this one, and have never once had any need to or interest in calling the factory for support.