Fender Blues Deville Loud.

[NLD09]

I've got a Fender blues deville 4x10 and it's ridiculously loud. i turn it up to maybe 4 and it's deafening. problem is if i go any lower the sound coming out of it, though soft enough to keep my ears from bleeding, is weak and lackluster. played loud this amp is awesome, but it's too much.  is there anything i can do to quiet it down? maybe switch out the tubes or something? i'm not a big amp guy so i don't know a whole lot about them.

or would it be better to get into the market for a new amp? This amp is HEAVY and the volume blows away just about any band that i try and play with. if switching amps is the solution what are your recommendations?

 

[GoDrex]

an attenuator might help

 

[bbl4ck]

an attenuator might help

Check out this web page:

http://www.tedweber.com/atten.htm

:rock-on:

 

[Who?]

If you like Fender look at the Blues Jr..  It is a lighter amp, and will probably give you the sound you are looking for at lower volumes.  I have one I use just because it is easier than hauling around my Super Reverb.

 

[bbl4ck]

If you like Fender look at the Blues Jr..  It is a lighter amp, and will probably give you the sound you are looking for at lower volumes.  I have one I use just because it is easier than hauling around my Super Reverb.

Yea, I have a Blue Jr. also and love it.  It has great sound at low volumes.  If it doesn't have enough volume for you, there are lot's of mods that can be done to give it some more juice for quite cheap.
Highly recommend  :headbang1:

 

[metalman22105]

Dude, I would keep that amp for sure, and I highly recommend a Dr. Z airbrake, you'll be able to crank that amp and get awesome tone, but not make your ears bleed.

http://www.drzamps.com/airbrake.html

It really is the most transparent, awesome attenuator I've used, and I've tried 'em all

 

[Tonar8352]

I know this little trick works on vintage Fender amps so give it try on yours and see if it helps. I’m not sure about modern amps but I would think it works. 

Turn all of your tone knobs to 0 and set you volume at the normal level you use.  Plug your guitar in and on the neck pickup start popping your low E string and slowly turn up the bass tone knob.  As soon as the bass becomes muddy and blats at you turn it back just a hair.  Now add mid and treble to your liking.  It should help tame the beast and your tubes will be getting hit enough to break up.

I hopes that helps it sure works with vintage Fender amps.

 

[smavridis]

thats fenders problem. their amps get really loud at a low number then dont get louder. my amp went as loud as it would get at 5 and went from soft to loud at 2. i loved it though.

 

[NLD09]

It seems like it makes more sense to shop around for a used blues junior than buy the airbrake. portability would more than justify the price difference.

 

[bbl4ck]

I would not get rid of your Deville.  Definitely a great rockin' amp.  :headbang1:
However, the Blues Junior is great when you just don't need all the decibels...
I picked mine up on Craig's List with an upgraded speaker for $325.

This link is for Billm Audio.  He specializes in mods for the Blues Junior.  Sells all the parts for the do it yourself or installs if you don't feel like messing with it.

http://billmaudio.com/wp/

Good luck what ever you decide...
:rock-on:

 

[Patrick from Davis]

You've got a good amp, but Fender did a number of odd ideas when they put that one together.  There is no master volume on the clean channel, and on the distorted channel the master volume knob is a linear taper pot not an audio taper pot.  It makes a big difference.  To make my Hotrod workable I went the attenuation route.  And this is after spending hours of time modding and unmodding the amp.  There are small differences to the Blues and hotrod amps, mainly to the tone stack and the reverb circuit, but more or less the same amp.  Since it is a PCB amp, the mod route is not pretty or all that great of a fix.  One other option that you can try is the THD Yellow jackets for a significant drop in output wattage.  This makes the amp Class A and the output tubes EL84's for more of a Marshall-y/Vox sound.  It is not bad at all, but I will say, the attenuator was required for playing in my apartment.  Good luck.
Patrick

 

[NLD09]

I have no intention of selling the deville. lol there's no reason for me to sell it.

 

[mayfly]

A buddy of mine used to have one of those.  He gigs a lot and it was too loud even for bar gigs.

He tamed it by using inefficient speakers.  Eventually he sold it and got one of my amps.

 

[NLD09]

A buddy of mine used to have one of those.  He gigs a lot and it was too loud even for bar gigs.

He tamed it by using inefficient speakers.  Eventually he sold it and got one of my amps.

so you can see my frustration.

what kind of smaller amps would ya'll recommend? the blues junior seems like a good deal. any others? i prefer combo amps.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

I love the sound of the small Mesa combos.  Good luck finding one though.  They are pricey and maintain their resale value, so a used one is still pricey.

 

[blue313]

Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb.  22 Watts with a single 12.  Plenty loud for most small gigs.

 

[mayfly]

Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb.  22 Watts with a single 12.  Plenty loud for most small gigs.

+1.  I've got a re-issue.  Hard to beat this amp.

 

[Superlizard]

Like others have mentioned, the 2 main things you can do to lower the volume while retaining good tone are:

- attenuator (myself, I use a THD HotPlate)
- tube adapters (I also use THD YellowJackets in one of my amps; however, 18 watts is still pretty loud for an apartment)

 

[jackthehack]

For playing at home or at small gigs where the volume is an issue, you can always use a set of YellowJackets or Substi-tubes with a set of EL84's, will take the output down to 15-20 watts, but will make it sound it bit more "Marshally"; I'm use a set that way in my Blues Deluxe.