The shielded wire goes to pin 7 of V2. In the video I said pin 2 because I was thinking V2. Sorry about that.

Love watching your videos. I don't know why it's so fascinating watching an amp being repaired. You definitely know what you are talking about.

The reissues are pretty much always around $1500 second hand in Australia. You can get Twin Reverbs of various eras for less most of the time.

As of 3/1/2023 a '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue sells new in the USA for $1,599.99 at all the online retailers. The special edition ones are even more expensive. A DRRi is not a cheap amp.

I might be crazy but I love the C12K... biggest improvement in tone for me was chasing down old US made preamp tubes and power tubes... huge boost in clarity. I was shocked at the audio difference between older tubes and the current productions.

Well, I bought a Blues Deluxe Reissue 10 yrs (2012) ago for upper $500. After a month and playing loud I knew something was wrong…farty lows, ice pick highs and very loud on 3. Got a Weber Vintage speaker, replaced some parts and easily broken ribbon wire. Wow! Clean up to 7 then begins to break up and the Drive (dirt) channel is amazing. Less than $200 spent and yeah it’s more than worth the price and work.

Mine served me quite well for dozens of indoor and outdoor gigs. I upgraded to a Swart Atomic Space Tone which is voiced differently than the scooped mids of a BF Fender.

I wouldn't say DRRIs and SFDRs are in the same price category anymore. SFDRs have skyrocketed in value. It's common to see them trading in the $1700 - $2200 price range nowadays. Drip edge SFDRs can go for even more.

As far as construction of vintage verses new, I would say the vintage PTP construction will last long enough to make it worth the extra cost. I purchased my first "real" amplifier back in 1976, I saved up and bought myself a brand new Fender Twin Reverb. 45 years later I am still using that very same amplifier! So robust is the PTP/Hand-Wired construction that my Fender Twin has survived my Teenage years of abuse, early adulthood years of neglect and the early years of my Son's use and abuse. I don't believe I personally own anything older that has been used so often. I paid $400 brand new when I purchased that amplifier, I can say it was a good investment and I'm still getting my money's worth. Nothing against modern amplifiers like this Deluxe Reverb, I just can't imagine them fairing as well as my old Twin has. Great content.

Wish the current prices matched the prices mentioned in this video.

You are very calm and knowledgeable. Thank you for sharing your knowledge and wisdom. I really appreciate it. Don’t let the fools adversely affect you. The world is full of them. Please keep doing what you do.

I have a '77 Deluxe Reverb which I had the OT changed out to a smaller Blackface, and IT IS INCREDIBLE!! Handwired amps are worth the investment of a good repair tech.

I'm surprised more folks don't install a bypass switch for the bright cap instead of completely cutting it off. I have a push-pull treble pot on mine, which functions as a "pull bright" switch. Sometimes I want it on, sometimes not. Agree on the reissue speaker, swapped it for a greenback it it is quite a bit better. That said, top Nashville session man Tom Bukovac called out the stock reissue speaker as one that he likes. To each their own!

this is strangely calming and satisfying to watch... sub'dya.

I like mine…I put a Weber Grey Wolf speaker in it. Working on the upgrades in the chassis as per your suggestions.

I love the detailed information imparted in videos like this. It helped by making me aware of fundamental characteristics or specs for different levels of PCB build grades. With that knowledge I'd just gained, I immediately and quickly researched what spec or type of PCB is in my bass amp head; a Mesa Boogie. Cool stuff. Subbed.

Thank You for showing the inside of the Amp and you are correct that PCB is CHEAP...When I goto my local shop...Flashlight in hand to look what's under the hood (This will tell "me" what kind of Love or Bean Counter) got into this. As someone who "Slings Solder" with 70's Audio gear and DIY Kits (not that I need another project)....I am convinced to purchase a MojoTone ‘65 Blackface 22W D-Reverb Amp Kit and give this a Parts Upgrade it deserves!!!. Films, Caps, Resistors and Speaker. I do have on order an Rivera Stage IV 1x12" 25-watt Tube Combo Amp. One way to keep the economy running. Solder On!!!!

Where are you finding used DR reissues for $400-$600? . . . and the days of inexpensive silverface DR's are gone, sadly.

Thank you for verifying that the modern PC versions of these amps are still very good. I have 2 reissues, a 68 Customer DLX, and a 68 Vibrolux. As of right now, June, 2025, US price for '65 Deluxe Reverb $1700 shipping included. Very good condition used versions are around $950-$1100. Shipping can be high at $100 + for a used amp. I bought a '68 Custom DLX Reverb in 2014 for $1000 new, shipping included. The 65 DLX Reverb was $1100 at the time. I like the Custom more so as I like the more response feel of the Custom. Around that same time I also bought a new 68 Custom Vibrolux for $900. Fender doesn't make that amp now. The price of DLX and Custom DLX is a $100 difference, more for the DLX. The speakers, as you said, are not the best in modern Fender amps. Yet still the sounds and tone are very good Fender amp sound. Put in better speaker/s and the overall tone can change dramatically.

Your videos are wonderful. Thanks for sharing this

I got a 2019 mint used tweed SE for a grand- came with a cover and a G1265 - been a great amp so far, play on it all the time

Thanks for for your thoughts and insights about this ddri as I want to be able to work on mine as needed.. Subbed!

I did a speaker shootout with my 2002 board DRRI, and I was surprised, but I thought the stock 100 watt Italian Jensen was the best choice. If you know where there are $400-500 DRRI for sale, dude let me know. I will flip them and get rich. I have ripped the guts out of two of these and built up AB763 style full stop. I kept the stock Jensen in both times to rave reviews. I am also responsible for Hammond now having an upgrade drop in replacement PT for these. I have the first one made. Both of these sound as good as most 60's versions, and are quieter.

No, it's not junk. Is it a handwired boutique amp? No. Is it a good mass produced tube amp? Yes. And at $1399 new, it's not exactly cheap but definitely more affordable than the boutique amps.

Upvote. Thank you for your valued service.

800 for a new 65 deluxe reverb ?.? .. best price i can find for a fender 65 deluxe is €1740

BEAUTIFUL WORK!

i would have liked to hear the switching of the few different speakers you mentioned

I like these cream colored early 90s fender circuit boards, I have a bunch of these in solid state that have performed great, a few Princeton chorus amps. Some of the resistors need re-soldering. Don’t know about C12k speakers. I just got a C12r from ‘63 that looks re-coned. And I think that speaker is phenomenal!

My problem with Fender, especially the hot rods, is that if you spend a grand or more on the amp you have to decide, do I take the amp to a qualified tech and have the work done that will void the warranty in order to be something worthy of what I paid that will last longer than a couple years, or do I just play and rely on the warranty? My experience when my amp started its issues was, Fender sent it to two techs that were not qualified to do the work it needed. They then claimed there was nothing wrong with it and refused to honor said warranty since the techs couldn't fix what was very obviously wrong with it, (Deafening pop whenever you switch channels). So, in my experience your options are, have it fixed before it starts its problems, an additional 4 Benjamins easy, if you have all the subpar stuff fixed, and go on without any warranty. Or rely on the warranty and get shafted.

I have one of the older DRRIs which came with a totally cosmetic, non-functional ground switch. I guess it was there to make it look just like the original 65s. Anyway it was not wired from the factory but it is a real switch. I had my amp guy wire that switch so that it turned the bright cap off and on on the vibrato channel ( I don't think there is one on the Normal Channel). I always have it off which gets rid of some of the natural brittleness at low volumes. For what it's worth I've also put some old USA made GE 6V6s in, swapped the 12AX7 in the Vibrato channel for a 12AY7 which gets rid of some more brittleness (at the cost of a little power), and finally swapped the stock speaker for a Celestion Vintage 30. My amp has also over the years had the caps upgraded as the stock ones died. My amp is virtually silent when at rest, is warm sounding and has a smooth hi-end, probably the best sounding amp I've every had and I've had many amps, mostly hand-wired Fenders from the 60's and 70's. It is definitely NOT JUNK. I am an old guy, play mostly jazz, some oldies from 60s' and 70's, a little recording. Rarely do I play very loud, sometimes use a Tube Screamer for a little crunch. That said, this amp can get very loud with a nice breakup starting at 4 or 5. It's a very nice amp.

I got mine for 900€ in mint condition off eBay, got it serviced by an amp guru in my province and equipped with Tung Sols and the amp sound really good. It’s a bit noisy tough in terms of recording floor noise but it’s not build with military grade components anyway. Rather than to let building it up from scratch handwired I ll save my money and order a handwired Ceriatone Dumble replica from Malaysia, made from top notch components and incredible sounding.

SF has gone way up, cheapest you going to find is about 1300 if your amazingly lucky, Mesa is known for double sided through hole but to me this looks easier to work on

Good day Lyle, thanks for all your great videos. I am doing some of your basic improvements on my 65 Deluxe Reverb RI. So far I have: Replaced caps with F&Ts, moved heater wires to sockets, jumped the fuse resistor, removed the bright cap, and added the shielded wire to the volume pot on the reverb channel. It sounds great now, but I would like to also slow the tremolo a bit. Can you advise which of the capacitors on the PCB and what value to replace that would slow it down a little? I have seen you do this on 60s deluxe reverbs, (replacing one of the ceramic disk caps) but not on the PCB versions. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

My first '65 DRRI sounded like a blanket was thrown over it during A/B'ing it with an original 1964. Couldn't figure it out and then suspected the bright cap mod. Opened it up and yes, but luckily they cut the trace. I bridged the cut with a 100k resistor, and I think that was the sweet spot. The C12K speaker was acceptible for me, but the black frame Eminence is dull. Guitar players are weird, they complain about piercing highs but never, ever, use their tone and volume controls on their guitars. Always full on at 10.

Is it crap? Cut to the chase love it. I'm a guitar tech Amps are a foreign country ,learning a lot thank you. On I side note as as Brit I've realized you can place a North American by how they pronounce Amp

Can you show how to replace the digital tremolo in the recent ones? Awesome vids, thanks!

Thank you for your amazing videos and sharing the info! I have a Custom Deluxe Reverb 68 and there's crackling when it heats up. Can you please tell me what could be the problem? My amp guy is great and he helped a bit but there's still some crackling in the sound when the amp starts working and then it's mostly gone - it was completely opposite before the service. Thank you very much, your videos are a breath of fresh air!

Thank you! You do great work

ramble on. 2 cents: it's hard for people to pickup on if your channel is a class, a hangout or a show. i like that key clues come out across videos.

I learn so much from your videos! I didn’t know that Deoxit should not be used in tube sockets. Thankfully, I don’t think I ever have used it that way, but it’s good to know for the future. I would be interested to see a review of the ‘64 Custom Deluxe Reverb! I have always wondered how the build quality compares to an original ‘64.

When I get the Deluxe Reverb, I put in a Celestron vintage 30 speaker.

Instead of buying a mojotone kit deluxe reverb ,what if I bought a pre 72 fender thats inexpensive head like a dual showman or bandmaster reverb head and change the circuit to vibroverb or deluxe.. Would it make sense ? Thanks. Really enjoy the channel as a intermediate solderer.

You're right about the speaker. I recently tried my DRRI into a 2x12 with one G12H 75 and one Vintage 30 and it sounds so much better than the stock Jensen speaker. Before that, the Jensen sounded fine to me, but there's really no going back now.

Speakers are half the amp. It's too bad one doesn't have the capability to keep many different speakers on hand to determine which is best for each amp. Cheers

Got a old mesa boogie subway rocket. It's a little tank 👍

The '65 reissue is $1399 new

The basic 68 and 65 Deluxe reverb reissues new are $1400 and $1600

Yes. Cheaply made. Best to get a clean amp with no reverb or tremolo onboard. Less hum and buzz issues this way. Grab some true bypass pedals for those things and be happier.

Gotta agree with the crex, I tried to like it, it’s just not a good match for a fender amp imo, that after about 40 hours of break in, the ceramic Alessandro However, is much better, sounds like a well worn oxford. Yet does not have the new Jensen ice pick thing. Only have about 15 hours on that, already liking that speaker in deluxe or Princeton reverbs. Something about hemp cones I just don’t like. Especially in a mix.

Brake cleaner is an excellent board/flux cleaner in most situations

One of the most reliable amps I have owned is an old pcb orange.

I had a one it was a piece of junk I got from GC. The best thing about it was the color.

Good idea to reduce noise by running that wire. :)

I'd rather wait and buy a CBS Princeton Reverb for $1200-$1400 used. $2K+ is the going rate now, but those $1200-$1400 deals are out there, and I have been blackening electrical outlets for over 50 years now. I still have most of my old Fender Marshall, Supro/Valco etc. amps. Some have been in the family forever (1940s) and I have rebuilt those 5 or 6x or maybe 7x by now. I sold a lot of amps that I wish I still had. The new Sica Jensens are not at all like the old ones.

When you mentioned the age of the Fender you were working on (1993), it suddenly clicked in my mind that my 1994 Peavey Classic 50 212 is a '94. I'm sure it could use a look, but have you ever had to deal with one of those? And if so, what are some issues you've come across? Great series, by the way. I just subbed. I enjoy your work.

My '68 DRRI worked fine for the first 18 months. It's now a paper weight- it's gotten to a point to where even my well respected amp tech has given up on it. Have a '65 PRRI also, again 18 months flawless then total recap and a several resistor changes. For two brand new amps that just sit in a studio 24/7 that's pretty much a shit-show for Fender. Avoid at all costs.

What?? Where'd you get the new price? I just got a new FDRRI and so far am loving it stock... I'm sure that in time I'll be doing mods 😉

If GW can say "Nucyooler" instead of "Nuclear", you can say silicone any way you want to. I just found your site, as, at the age of 67, I am finally interested in getting my own amp. Previously, I always used whatever the house (or garage) had on hand. This is great stuff.

Why in the world does my 68 deluxe reissue make such a LOUD pop when I put it on standby? Nothing is plugged in and all the volumes are down'

I have about a 2004 or 7 Fender Super Reverb that I bought used. When I turn the reverb up to 2 1/2 or more, the amp gets super distorted, breaks up bad, and volume goes down to barely anything. Any idea as to what would cause that?

Just get the special edition with the p12 q jensen blue alnico. Its a great speaker. Have tried many speakers its one of the best. I did change the caps to high end caps and did the heater fix. Still one of my fave amps yo play on. I was thinking of coverting it to point to point and mercury magnetics transformers and chokes , but why bother. For the same price i can get a rivera amp

Hey Lyle, I've been watching all your videos on the reissues and appreciated your time! Can I ask your opinion for my use case? I'm interested in buying a Super Reverb. I have have a very clean 2004 Reissue at a fair price (

In 2022 DR's are $1600 new, they can be found for $900 used but $1000-$1200 used is more common. Not sure what a great tech costs but tubes are way more expensive now that the war started. With all that being said I have never heard these are junk as the tone of a well running DR is something to strive for.

Glad I bought all my guitars and Amps in 1970

When removing the bright cap: I see you de-soldered, then re-flowed solder into the holes, then cut the circuit trace. What are the merits of doing that vs. clipping the cap off (but leaving the legs intact) vs. de-soldering the cap and leaving the holes empty (no solder)?

Sold my fender blues JR. Special design Jenson speaker. Wish I had not

what's good hand wired Deluxe Reverb style amp do you recommend me.

I had one for years. Uh. I've had issues...clean side not as loud ...still got it. Uh. It's ok. But for the money it's too costly ..

These are 1699 USD now!!!

I'm all of a sudden getting distortion with the volume on 5. My tech says to switch to the factory tubes (Groove Tubes)? The existing tubes (JJ's) check good. The amp distorts the same through a different speaker. This amp has a clestion G70. Filter caps look ok. Thanks!

Are you aware of radio interference coming through the reverb? I just bought a new Deluxe Reverb and that's the problem. I returned it, they sent me another one, and it has the same problem. Nothing is plugged in.

Ok here's from personal experience. Circuit boards. Predominantly those green ones do NOT take the voltage for 15 years. They burn out. And if you use it a lot then the die rate is quicker. Now that 70's fender? Er well it's already double that.. I have a 1976 twin and it's damn fine it's the ultra linear that everyone hates but er no... It's a fine amp. Now as you say PCB. Unfortunately you look at an old Marshall and then that and I'm sorry but they are utterly different things. As is that beige board... So please don't tell people that's the same as a vintage Marshall or vox or any such... That's daft. Look at the board on a Peavy classic 30.. my god what did they do!!!

Awesome videos. Do you think I'm better off buying a 65 reissue and getting a tech to apply these mods rather than forking out for the 64 custom deluxe?

Disagree on PCB's; my take is Single-Side is more survivable to owner eff-ups.

Kind of off the topic, but what’s your opinion of the design and quality of the 2000-2003 “Pro Tube” series amps, the 112 Pro Reverb in particular?

Hi there. Love these videos on the DR 65 reissues. I have one from 1990. I changed the speaker (to a Weber150f) and installed NOS tubes and the improvement was HUGE. Recently it started to develop a bit more hiss than before. Any ideas what could be the issue ? Thanks again for your great videos.

People who hate these amps don't understand what they're for or how to use them. Objective truth

I'm thinking of buying a Deluxe Reverb RI, I agree completely about the stock speaker. When speaker would you recommend for a replacement?

9:43 - You use WHAT on the board?!

i sprayed deoxit in a tube socket. I let it dry and the amp works fine. I thought it evaporates with no residue?

At the 15:00 mark you advise against using DeoxIT in tube sockets. I can understand why I'm just curious what should be used. To be honest I'm pretty confused by most of the DeoxIT recommended applications as much of their literature seems to have marketing mixed in. Any advice would be appreciated. I'm a new subscriber, I received my electronics training in the Air Force back in the 1980s. I worked as an FAA Certified Instrument Repair Technician for many years as well. All of that is helpful however I'm not a current technician and lack re-world experience. I can most certainly admit I don't know what I don't know. Add to that I usually don't know what I need to know until long after the time I needed to know it! Ugh, sorry for the poor articulation. Great channel and your honest pragmatism is very much welcome.

Oh got a Swartz Atomic space tone

"....And lf someone spills a beer on it.".....although it's somewhat unlikely that the beer will get inside a Fender or other top-mounted combo amplifier, I can tell you from my experiences as a repair tech that beer, soda, and coffee are *extremely corrosive* to circuit boards; they'll start a corrosion process that eventually eats through copper foils. The copper foils can be repaired with jumpers, but as also happens with capacitor-leakage fluids, the corrosive liquid can seep into the tiny holes in the circuit board where the component legs pass through and get soldered, and can cause corrosion in-between the component lead and the solder joint, and actually disconnect the component from the circuit in a way you cannot see. And, if it's a double-sided board with plated-rivet thru-the-board connections, the "rivets" can corrode open where you can't see the damage; verifying the bad rivets (there's always more than just one) with an ohmmeter is a pain, and repairing those open connections is very difficult. I don't care that Marshall and other expensive, well thought of amplifiers use double sided boards; it's a bad idea reliability-wise for this type of professional application, and greatly increases the difficulty of troubleshooting and repairing such an amp. My advice is, never pop open a soda or beer can, or drink coffee, within 6 feet of any electronic device with vent holes in it; and if someone asks you to fix a fancy kitchen radio, like a Bose, that appears to have even the slightest bit of what looks to be relatively "confined" corrosion from a few drops of something getting inside of the device, and especially if it has a double-sided PC board, SAY NO! Been there, done that....

They’re $1500 new now

You mentioned that deoxit is bad for clean tube sockets. What do you recommend using to clean tube sockets?

What do you think about ditching the pot board and rewiring the front panel old school?

Thanks for the great information. Do you have any recommendations for where to buy the electronic components in order to replace caps and service an amp?

I give up, haha. The Tone Master gets poor marks due to its inability to be repaired. The reissues are cheaply made and need work prior to calling them reliable and worthwhile. I guess the only right answer is to pony up the $5k for a legit Deluxe Reverb.

Is the F2AL fuse in the back of the amp, just a Fast Blow 2a 6x30m ?

Hi, those videos are really enjoyable! But one thing I wonder.. Do you use lead-free solder? Do Fender use lead-free solder? How do you know whether to use lead-free solder or lets say Sn60Pb40? Or do you simply remove all the previous solder before re-soldering? Because particularly in this video, it seems that you occasionally don't clean the solder points beforehand.

So you need the amp plus exactly how much investment is needed please ?

Do you have a list of all your recommended changes for a drri? I have a very noisy drri, and would love to be able to take mine to a local tech to have it improved. Thanks for your informative videos

Subs. request: (Providing you get one in) Ampeg V-4B

Just discovered your channel; great video. What brand of silicone do you use?

In my mind,,, those just look like the classic amps. They do sound great though and are generally very reliable! As a hobbyist,, I prefer just building one just like they used to be built. Or getting a run out used reissue ,gut it and build it to 64' 65' spec. In my mind,,, tinned mil grade stranded wire equals solid core wire,,,, am I wrong??

The 68 Deluxe Reverb is awful in my opinion, these are OK. Do you have any opinion on the Supro reissues? I have 2 different models and absolutely love them, lots of character.

Mine is a late 90s

So what is the ideal rocknroll speaker for this amp in your opinion ? I'm always interested in optimal speakers for silverfaces ....my 70 champ has an oxford.....not crazy about it

So what should we buy instead?