Fender Deluxe
The Fender Deluxe guitar amplifier by Fender was produced from early 1948 to 1966. Its predecessor was the Fender Model 26 Woodie, which was produced from 1946 to 1948.
Tweed Deluxe
The Fender Deluxe Amp of the 1950s was a "medium-powered" device designed for guitarists in small groups. As blues , western , and rockabilly bands began to get louder and louder, the overdriven sound of a "ripped open" deluxe found its way into countless live performances and recordings. For the past several decades, players of all styles have used this tone machine for its unmistakably rich tube sound.
The earliest version of the Deluxe was the 5A3 and it is often mentioned that it has similarities with the front of a television set (TV Front) due to the wide bezels around the grill panel, which corresponded to the appearance of the televisions of the 1950s. This also applied to the smaller student and studio amplifier Fender Princeton, which was introduced in 1946 and modernized in 1948. Later versions of the Deluxe were the Wide Panel Cabinet Design 5B3, 5C3 and 5D3, followed by the Narrow Panel Cabinet 5E3. The Deluxe was the most popular of the tweed amplifiers made by Fender.
It is relatively small with a 12 inch speaker. It has four inputs and two channels. Each channel has a volume control. Both channels share a tone control. The inputs and controls are located on the top of the amplifier. It is often referred to as the Tweed Deluxe because of its paneling - a light brown material that is actually a cotton twill and is often lacquered.
At the time, Leo Fender manufactured amplifiers with the intention that the amplifier would keep the sound clean even at high volumes. The Tweed Deluxe is not known to deliver a clean tone at high volume levels, so it was seen as a repeater. Ironically, however, the very saturated tone this amp produces at higher volume levels is what made it one of the most famous amps Fender has ever made. It's part of the signature tone of many musicians, a few notable examples being Larry Carlton , Don Felder , Billy Gibbons, and Neil Young .
Unusually for a Fender amplifier, the Deluxe (models 5D3 and 5E3) has both a feedback-reduced and a cathode-switched output stage (a distinctive combination that it shares with the Vox AC30). Most push-pull Fender amplifiers use feedback tapped from the speaker winding of the output transformer to allow more headroom before the power amp starts to distort, and when looking for more volume they use negative voltage biasing (which is also the more efficient Tubes of the power stage operates at a lower temperature). These aspects of the circuit contribute significantly to the complex, wild, and shredded sound of an overdriven 5E3 Deluxe, especially when compared to other Fender amplifiers. The earlier 5C3 model used feedback, although it was also cathode-biased.
The amplifier has a 5Y3 rectifier, two 6V6GT power tubes that operate in push / pull mode, and a 12AY7 and a 12AX7 in the preamp. The output is rated at around 15 watts.
There are companies that make copies or variants of the amplifier; either as kits or as a finished amplifier.
Brown Deluxe
Between 1959 and 1961, Fender began "redesigning" several of their existing amp models by clad them in a light brown material known as Tolex. In addition, the control surfaces have been moved from the upper rear of the case to the front. These amplifiers are known as the Brown or Brownface Fender Amps. The Deluxe was one such model that made this transition in 1961. The circuit has also been modified to add a tremolo effect and the output has been increased to around 20 watts. The preamp tube combination was changed to a trio of 12AX7, and the rectifier was changed to a potent GZ34 tube. The pair of 6V6GT tubes remained the same, although the circuit architecture was changed from "cathode" to "non-adjustable solid state". The circuit number was changed to 6G3 and Fender continued to build and dress the Deluxe with this circuit and presentation until 1963.
Blackface Deluxe
.jpg)
Between 1963 and 1964, Fender changed the appearance of its amplifiers again. The color of the Tolex coating has been changed to black and the control buttons with pointers and numbers on the front panel have been changed to control buttons with the numbers on the dials. This type is known as the "blackface" amplifier. The Deluxe was given its new look in 1963 and once again the circuit name has changed; to "AA763". The preamp for the re-labeled normal and vibrato channels was given a full 12AX7 as well as the oscillator for the tremolo effect, a 12AT7 tube as a phase inverter, and individual treble and bass controls instead of individual tone controls for each channel. The output circuit remained, but a potentiometer was added to make setting the bias easier. The output was also increased to 22 watts.
When Fender redesigned the Deluxe in 1963, a side model was developed that had an integrated spring reverb, which is how the Fender Deluxe Reverb was born. While the Deluxe Reverb continued to expand for many years, Fender discontinued the basic Deluxe model in 1966.
Reissues
From 2007 to 2012, Fender's Custom Shop department reissued the 5E3 Deluxe in its original tweed look under the name Fender '57 Deluxe Amp.
In 2012 Fender launched an Artist Signature model with a circuit based on that of the 5E3, but with the addition of a tremolo effect. The model is called Fender Eric Clapton (or EC) Tremolux.
In 2014, Fender's Custom Shop listed a top-of-the-line version of the 5E3 Deluxe in their lineup, called the Fender '57 Deluxe Head.
Individual evidence
- ↑ http://ampwares.com/amplifiers/fender-woodie-deluxe-model-26/
- ↑ http://www.ggjaguar.com/50dlx.htm
- ↑ http://www.ggjaguar.com/prince.htm
- ↑ http://ampwares.com/amplifiers/fender-wide-panel-tweed-deluxe/
- ↑ http://ampwares.com/amplifiers/fender-narrow-panel-tweed-deluxe/
- ↑ cf. Weber, p.38
- ↑ http://www.tubeampdoctor.com/de/shop_Amp_Kits_Cabinets_AMP_Kits_TWEED/Tweed_Deluxe_5E3_Style_Amp_Kit_3365
- ↑ http://www.tubeampdoctor.com/de/shop_Amp_Kits_Cabinets_AMP_Kit_Blackface/Blackface_Deluxe_Rev_AB763_Style_Amp_Kit_3406
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from February 1, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://ampwares.com/amplifiers/fender-brownface-deluxe/
- ↑ http://ampwares.com/amplifiers/fender-blackface-deluxe/
- ↑ http://ampwares.com/amplifiers/fender-blackface-deluxe/
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original dated August 29, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ http://www.premierguitar.com/blogs/5-daily-news/post/20150-fender-introduces-65-deluxe-reverb-head-and-57-deluxe-head
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from January 10, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
