Fender Deluxe Reverb Speaker Upgrade

[dtheguitarman]

Hi All,

I wanted to get your thoughts on upgrading my Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue stock speaker with one of the Weber 12F150 speakers. I have perused some older forum topics regarding this speaker and most everyone as well as most FDRR discussions like this speaker. I recognize this is a very subjective topic, but I wanted to get some feedback from some G&L players and the difference they noticed in this particular amp.

I am particularly interested in the effect it had on the first channel's tone as well as the second channel's sound. To me each channel's tone is very different and I use them both depending on the music I am playing. To me the first channel sounds a little like having a blanket over the amp. I am curious if that improves with the speaker swap?

Also any thoughts on how the amp sounded cranked vs throwing a mild overdrive pedal in the mix.

BTW, I've already upgraded all the tubes, which was a plus.

All thoughts appreciated!

[NickHorne]

I can't comment on the Weber speaker, I've not played one yet, but I did change the speaker in my DRRI, as the stock one was too brittle for me; as if someone at Fender said "the Deluxe Reverb is supposed to be a bright amp, we've got to give it a bright speaker!" and went too far.
It wasn't terrible, not at all, just lacking in warmth and also rather uneven; a bit of a hole-in-the-middle sort of sound and bright with it, plus some spikes.

After some research, I finally replaced it with an Eminence "Red White & Blues", and I'm very happy with it. It's very even, not harsh but not too dark either. But don't take one guy's experience as advice! This sort of description is very personal, and I'm uneasy with "name-dropping" descriptions of "tone". But it would be true to say that my DRRI now sounds very comfortable for my idea of both Clarence White and Bill Frisell amplifier characters. The RWB can rock good and chunky too.

The DRRI's normal channel circuit is very similar to the vibrato channel apart from the "bright" cap which is permanently across the volume pot on the vibrato channel, and two other slight voicing tweaks. The bright cap makes a considerable difference. It's fantastic with P-90s, and shiny with a Fender (but can be adjusted out if needed).

The DR is really versatile, and a great circuit / volume / size / sound / value in my reckoning.

[louis cyfer]

i really like the cannabis rex with the deluxe reverb.

[NickHorne]

The C Rex is often rated as a great match in the DR and I can well believe it.
My reissue amp already had its Bright cap removed, and a couple of other minor tweaks to soothe the high end. The RWB suits very well. But if the amp was stock, I reckon the Rex would have been every bit as good. Perhaps a bit more Louis' rock than my Chet. I'm sure that will be a really excellent sounding amp with the Rex in it.
I really fancy one. With a P-90-ish Asat like Louis's to go with it, of course. Nice!

[louis cyfer]

The C Rex is often rated as a great match in the DR and I can well believe it.
My reissue amp already had its Bright cap removed, and a couple of other minor tweaks to soothe the high end. The RWB suits very well. But if the amp was stock, I reckon the Rex would have been every bit as good. Perhaps a bit more Louis' rock than my Chet. I'm sure that will be a really excellent sounding amp with the Rex in it.
I really fancy one. With a P-90-ish Asat like Louis's to go with it, of course. Nice!

i have my ampeg reverberocket with the cannabis rex as well, and the 57 tweed deluxe. works really nice. it also gives a bit more headroom as the speaker sensitivity is rated at 102dB. i am also using a cannabis rex 1X12 cab with the two rock on top of its own eminence speaker.

[NickHorne]

Interesting. It is tempting to make a C Rex 1x12 cab for general use, perhaps also to help develop a DIY combo of a VibroChamp type circuit.

[dtheguitarman]

On most forums It seems about 50/50 mix on people who like the C-Rex vs Weber. I have found some examples on YouTube but unless you can A/B the two speakers hard to tell which one I would prefer. I don't think I could go wrong either way. I might just have to purchase both and sell the one I like the least. Maybe worth posting a video side-by-side.

Thanks for everyone's input.

-dtheguitarman

[Dave_P]

Fwiw I just put a weber 10f150 in my vibrolux reverb (paired with a weber sig 10s until I can afford to upgrade) and it sounds fantastic. It replaced a RI Jensen c10q. Also tried it with my 5e3 deluxe with the same results, not sure how it compares with the 12f150 or cannibus Rex but thought it may be helpful since they are in the same series (f150). The version I have is 25w light dope and broken in by weber. Good luck, let us know how you make out.

-Dave

[darwinohm]

I personally think that it is easy to improve the sound of most of the Fender reissues. I had a custom 15 with a 15 and it is essentially an Eminence Commonwealth designed after the JBL. I also like the Eminence Red Coat Big Ben that was in my Vibrasonic Reverb. Most Fender speakers sound too crisp to me and don't have a lot of warmth. I think you would do well with either a Weber or a C-Rex, either being an improvement. -- Darwin