Fender '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb 1x12" 22-watt Tube Combo Amp Reviews

This really is a great amp.

I read a lot of reviews complaining about this being a noisy amp. Perhaps the earliest versions had issues but judging by my amp this appears to no longer be a problem. This amp is simply stunning. Absolutely gorgeous lush tones with amazing touch sensitivity and response. Both channels sound great in their own right or you can jumper them together for a real treat. The reverb sounds wonderful- much better than the last 2-3 Fender tube amps I've owned. The vibrato sounds nice and swampy. On top of that it is just a beautiful looking amp. I've been playing for almost 30 years and I'm that time I've owned some fine amps and guitars. This '68 Deluxe Reverb has made me forget about any of the previous amps I've owned- it's that good.

I had the good fortune of being able to A/B this amp with the Sweetwater wine red '65 Deluxe Reverb. I found both were absolutely killer amps. I went back and forth between them for days, multiple guitars, multiple effects chains, no effects chains, different rooms, etc.

I discovered the '68 liked my guitars and pedals more than the '65 did by just enough to lean me towards the '68. However, there was a certain resonance to the '65 that was extremely pleasing to the ear. The amps use different speakers between them, the '65 with a Jensen P12Q and the '68 with a Celestion V type.
I went ahead and ran the '68 through the '65s Jensen and there was the sound I was looking for. Eureka!
So, I sent the '65 back, lovingly, and bought myself a Jensen P12Q for the '68. I've broken it in over the last few months and I could not be happier. Keeping the Celestion around for when I may need it though.

Also, I've not experienced any of the problems regarding noise or noises from this amp.

It responds to touch dynamics in such a charming way!

One more thing, jumping the Custom and Vintage channels is absolute tone-Heaven!

Thanks, Sweetwater! Keep on keeping on.

There's a new review saying he's going to run a 16 ohm internal speaker to another 16-ohm cab to attain 8 ohms. WRONG!!

I've had this amp for a few years now, bought new from Sweetwater. Although I've written a long review back then, I wanted to clear up the External Cab OHM/ Impedance mix up. I thought the same thing to put a 16 ohm in and run a 16 ohm extension cab, but emailed Fender support first before doing so.
What they said:
The amp wants another 8 ohm cab. (Which is very confusing). The amp then runs at 4 ohms, but that's how it's designed. The "8 OHM MIN" simply put means, USE ANOTHER 8 OHM Cab with the internal speaker. That's it. Now this is the same on my Supersonic 22, and also confirmed OK with the Princeton which I was going to get (RUN AN 8 OHM external cab only). I was told from FENDER that if you run a 16-ohm load, you will FRY the transformer. True or not, don't do it.

I've been running my 68 Custom Deluxe Reverb with a second 8-OHM external cab with another V type (my favorite speaker btw) since new (about 3 years) and it really opens up the amp.

Hope that clears things up!

Best OD I've found with this amp is the JHS Andy Timmons Plus (2 button version) for heavy od/distortion and a V4 Morning Glory for mild grit. I've found this amp doesn't really need Delay since the verb is great. I have no noise issues with the tremolo, but don't use it often unless going CCR style.

I've had my 68 Deluxe Reverb for about a week. It's been great so far. Love the sounds. It's so good that I really don't want to use a lot of effect pedals, but the amp handles those well too. Thanks to Brook Floyd for helping me through a lot of questions about amps. He was very patient. Because of his help, I decided to buy from Sweetwater rather than another company.

Been upgrading gear. Working musician. Custom channel tone is amazing and vintage channel is just that. I use a DOD FX100 on custom channel to break it up at lower volume without losing tone. Use an AB box to channel switch. Reverb and vibrato on BOTH channels. Great amp. Sounds great with single coil strat and my custom P-90 strat. Very very pleased!

December 2021. The reviews here on Sweetwater are glowing, and after my perusing of YouTube I was a bit perplexed. There were great reviews of course, but there were some concerning reviews as well, especially involving hiss, noise floor, and tremolo. So I made this order on faith, the other good reviews I saw, and a flexible return policy :). Well I am happy to say this amp is a dream. Everything that others have said is true. It has beautiful touch sensitivity, the fender deluxe sound you expect, with the added bassman custom thick tone stack. The reverb and tremolo are lush and wonderful. I was on the fence about this amp, especially with the rave reviews I was hearing around the Tonemaster, but I am so glad that I chose this amp instead. I did not experience any issues with hiss or noise, any more than other tube amps I have. The tremolo does have a light ticking sound (not the loud racket I heard on a few YouTube videos) when engaged and not playing, but I solve that by having it off when not playing. I know….fancy LOL. One last thing, the standby switch. I heard about issues around this as well. There is no mistake, standby makes a loud pop when the amp is already on and you go to engage it. But that's not a big deal to me with everything else this amp has to offer.

I am very pleased with this amp. Although I am a newer player, I have owned many amplifiers and guitars, I currently own a Fender Princeton with a 12" speaker (through Sweetwater)which is great. I take lessons and my mentor uses a Fender 65 Deluxe Reverb which I really like which is the whole reason I got the new bug and then after doing a lot of research I found myself in a pickle and having a tough time deciding. Well with Tomir Denton's patience and 20 minutes on the phone explaining the differences I went for the the 68 Deluxe Reverb and could not be happier! It is really like two amps in one. The VINTAGE channel is very similar to the 65 Deluxe Reverb, and the CUSTOM channel has a nice hot rod fat tone. Very pleased! Thank you Tomir for your time and patience helping me make the best decision.

I demoed the 65 and the 68 at Sweetwater in January to make up my mind once and for all what amp I would be buying. It took a little time to bring up the 65 from the warehouse so I played the 68 for a little while and was loving the tones. Then the 65 came up. I played two chords on the 65 and turned off went right back to the 68. And the bass man stack! Warm American tweed heaven. This is an amazing amp and as usual the service from Sweetwater was amazing as well. If you're thinking about buying the 68, do it! You will not regret it.

If you did your research, you can believe the hype and all of the reviews. It is what they claim it to be. The only thing I can add is it not a "really sweet practic amp"! This is professional audio equipment!
IT'S A FENDER. IT'S LOUD!
As for Sweetwater, ordered sunday afternoon, delivered Tuesday before I got home from work in 100% condition! What more do you want?

Amazing cleans, works well with pedals, I'm coming from a mini silver jubilee half stack and to be completely honest I prefer this amp.

Couldn't find an old pre-master volume Super Reverb locally last week, (like the one I had years ago that I'm having remorse and nostalgia for), so.. I bought this instead. First chord I played through it on the neck pickup of a demo Strat Professional had me sold.. very touch responsive.. like my old Super Reverb.. clean is very ver sweet and clean, slightly bright and somehow it has 'grit' . The bridge pickup actually quacked. Have not cranked volume past 2-3.. but it's got beautiful tone, reverb, and sustain I'm sure it will hold up in clubs after the current pandemic. The stock 70 watt Celestion G12 speaker looks similar to the Celestion 60 watt Vintage 30. They use different speakers in their Limited Edition amp models and I'd like to hear those too, but the stock G12 seems heavy duty and I don't think I would have to replace it anytime soon, other than a fix for the relentless pursuit of tone. (I changed the amp jewel light to green, now it sounds even better)

Classic Tones at your finger tips well built w/plywood & hi end transformers make this a faithful reproduction of a Classic Bassman trem / verb on both chns. Reg chn is great for petals or classic Fender twang. It was this circuit that Marshall's started w/ the Fender Bassman circuit it lile a Blules Breaker Pexi 4 input w/master vol.

This is simply genius.
It has absolutely fabulous circuits on both channels.
All the mods that many people dreamed of in a deluxe reverb. The versatility of 2 different circuits, the removal of the bright cap, the efficient not too bright speaker, both channels to have vibrato and reverb.
I own it and love it. It kills the 65 Deluxe reverb reissue.
Two things i want to highlight:
1) The vibrato is a little noisy. but as soon as you start playing you can not hear it. I still rate the amp 5stars!
2) I am also using it at home with volume at 3 and it is a perfect amp for home volumes that are a little bit on the loud side but very very usable and not disturbing for the neighbors. It still sings and very touch sensitive with gorgeous harmonics at such relatively low volumes.

This is by far the best amp I've ever bought, and the clean tone is next level. It is an incredible pedal platform, and the drive is a perfect blend when you turn it up. I have to say this is Fender's best reissue amp, and they couldn't have done a better job. Buy this amp NOW!

Go to amp.

This amp is everything it"s touted to be and more. Great process buying through Sweetwater, prompt shipping and great communication with my sales engineer James. The positive reviews don"t lie, this is one of if not the best amp I"ve ever played through.

I've been using a Marshall DSL40C, which is fantastic for that classic Marshall OD brown sound. The cleans on the DSL are not bad, but the reverb leaves a great deal to be desired. When I unpacked and plugged my Strat into the Deluxe Reverb, that warm, lush, Fender crispness was better than I expected. The reverb on this amp is incredibly deep, better than a Twin (it really is). My wife even commented on the amp saying that she understands why I bought it. The notes are articulate and the presence of the amp is enveloping. It's THAT sound which has been heard on countless recording. This amp is plenty loud for any gig, particularly if you can mic it up. I turned it to 5 and it was ludicrously loud and still clean with only a slight breakup The Deluxe takes pedal well, I have several OD pedals and the amp responds well to all of them. Buy this amp, you'll be glad you did!

Let me preface this review by admitting I'm not a great guitar player. Matter of fact you might say I play with my guitars as opposed to playing them. But I love when I can make them sound just right producing the tones that are in my head. This amp does it magnificently! Every time I turn it on and pick my first note I ascend to tone paradise for the rest of the session. I have waited 8 months to do this review since I bought the amp. I wanted to see if I would appreciate it as much as I did the first time I turned it on, which was an amazing experience. I don't appreciate it as much, I actually appreciate it much more as time goes on. It's the third amp I've owned and will probably be the last I'll ever buy. I'm so grateful to my Sweetwater rep, Ian McGhee for his knowledge and help in choosing this amp. I had done countless hours of researching online and found this amp to be the one for me. Ian agreed I would love it for what I was looking for and took the order. It sounded great online, but so much better in my house in person. Count me as another very happy Sweetwater customer.

I"ve been playing and repairing guitars and amps for decades. I used to gig and tour with (2) Fender Supersonic 22s. I"m a pedal guy and play Rock N Roll.
Out of the Box, this amp was perfect. I was a huge fan of the SuperSonics Bassman side but it was kind of limited as the SS22 had this huge behemoth footpedal that was a huge PITA.
It feels and plays like the listing says it does.
And it is light.
I"m sure with age, it will get better.
Poor me.
I just May have to get another one for stereo goodness.

First off I ordered this amp around 2:30pm in the afternoon and it was shockingly delivered 11:00am the next day. This is a very versatile amp sound wise. The fact that the custom channel is a bassman makes it like I have two amps in one cabinet. I"m now considering get an A/B switch so I won"t have to manually move my input jack from one channel to the other. Also it"s $50 cheaper than the "65 and I feel like I got more amp for less money.

I was stuck for a while trying to decide between this and the '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue. What ultimately swayed me, after listening, reading, and watching dozens of reviews and comparisons, is that the most common complaint about the '65 DRRI is the bright cap not playing well with some pedals--especially overdrive. The '68 Custom doesn't suffer from those problems, and, among other differences, the bright cap is removed on the 68 allowing it to really respond well to all different pedals.

Also, integral in the sound (and my decision) was the Bassman tone stack. The Custom channel is designed to replicate that Bassman sound, and it really fattens things up. Play with some single coils and you have a rich, even palate that starts to break-up nicely around 5.5-6 on the volume dial. Run humbuckers through it, and you can get that edge-of-break-up a little earlier (about 4.5) with an incredible vintage-sounding overdriven sag when you really push it (think Neil Young).

The vintage channel is certainly voice much closer to the standard 65 DRRI, sounds great--it can be bright and chimey with single coils or fat and even with humbuckers. Also, you can channel jump this amp (running a cable from channel one of the unused channel to the input of channel two on the channel you're using) to create even more sounds.

Also, both channels have vibrato (tremolo) and reverb. No dancing between channels to find which one you need for whatever sound you're looking for.

Honestly, it's been incredible. It's loud and handles some of my heavy-handed drummers without issue. it checks all the boxes for me, and I couldn't recommend it enough.

Having purchased this amp over a year ago from Sweetwater I've had ample time to get over the new gear honeymoon phase and I can say that it's a joy to plug in each and every time I play. Having spent hours researching my options online before buying I was most weary of the reported reliability issues, and secondly component quality that seemed to come up in most negative reviews. However, I have not experienced any problems whatsoever in either regard. My Les Paul through the #2 input on the custom channel is just incredible- and capable of a great clean foundation tone in a band setting. Add an overdrive or two and you can really cover a ton of ground stylistically (and yes, it's handles pedals very well as advertised). I tried swapping the stock speaker with a vintage Altec 417C, but ended up switching back as the stock speaker handles the highs with humbuckers incredibly well. There is slight hiss at idle as some have reported, but completely within the realm of most every 20+ watt tube amp I've played over the past 30 years. Great tones at lower volumes/practice levels and a wall rattler at higher volumes. I absolutely love this amp, and you will too.

I don't know that I can say a whole lot about this amp that hasn't been said already. I have had many amps and always seem that the Fender amp cleans are to spiky and I have had many Fender amps BJ, Hot Rod Deluxe,65 DRRI,which they are all exceptional amps and I have had Blackstar,Orange, Roland JC 40 great amp, which I use quite often, So I wanted a larger tube amp, other than my Fender Vibro Champ XD. I bought the Marshall DSL40CR,amazing amp, going from nice cleans too metal levels. I always wanted the 68CDR,but got alot of mixed reviews from other sources and Youtube, that said the amp is Noisy and unreliable. I true find the opposite too be true, my JC40 solid state is more noisy at just on than the 68CDR. Who sits in a room turns there amp on turns the volume up and sits there and listens too the white noise? Not me!!! I hear three things, my guitar, great tones and my mistakes, the 2 channels are great the custom and vintage, with 2 inputs on each channel you can loop the channels together or loop them as I call the poor mans FX loop for delay really is all I need, the overdrive and compressor sound best in front of the amp, but really not needed, which can be done with any 2 channel amp that has 4 inputs,all tones are available with this amp Fender cleans,Blues,Country, Classic Rock. I bought this amp as a demo $100 off full retail, when I called my sales Rep. James Shilliday and asked about the amp, he said they were selling as a demo because the factory box was damaged on arrival, what an awesome deal. I will be very happy with amp for many years too come, probably one one the greatest amps in this price range. Thanks again Sweetwater

I've only owned a couple of amps...Blues Junior Tweed with Jensen speaker and a Roland Cube 30. I liked both a lot, but for me there the sound I wanted just wasn't there. I swapped out the Jensen for Texas Heat and it got a little better, but still not what I wanted.

I've tried this amp in a few stores, but having time to dial it in and then use my pedals with it made all the difference. This thing a monster of sound. Anything from vintage to blues to rock. My Fulltone OCD 2.0 sounds amazing. I doubt I'll ever buy another amp. I can get great tones at home without cranking it. It is LOUD if you want it. The Celestial speaker sounds so good. My guitar is a 2017 Fender Stratocaster Pro.

Sweetwater is THE place to buy. Nobody comes close their customer service. Dennis K. was awesome to work with during my purchase. Shipping was fast. No need for me to shop elsewhere.

This is. A GREAT AMP. Everyone knows the Deluxe Reverb. Some versions have been better than others. This is, hands down, the most useful version Fender has produced since the original . This review assumes that the reader has some knowledge of Fender guitar amps past, present and historic, and some experience with using a Tube amp. So, it is totally, all Deluxe amp.There are no "onboard effects" or clipping circuits or any of that junk. There is no modeling or "digital emulation" . The only thing that separates this circuit from the 65 DRRI is a couple of changes of value of coupling caps, cathode resistor and bypass cap in the first stage....Fender has simply implemented the simple "boutique" style mods marvelously. Best thing I can say about a guitar or an amp is "im keeping this one", and Im definitely keeping this one.

Geweldige versterker,
Goed met pedaaltjes, prachtig clean geluid.

I have too many amps. But not a "Fender" amp. I should have bought this a long time ago, I would have saved a bunch of $$$$

Jump the channels.....Grin from ear to ear!!! Love this amp!!!!!

I have only had this for a few days but am astonished with this amp. I tried a couple of less expensive amps and wound up returning them. I believe the "you get what you pay for" phrase applies here. Very happy with the sound and feel of this amp. True Fender tone.

Awesome amp! Probably one of the best deluxe reverbs I've had

This amp was a big surprise. I got it for the clean tone but then with playing it with my hx effects this thing is the most versatile amp I own. Anything from buddy holly to metal tones I can get out of it. If the 68 twin is as good as this amp I may be interested in that one as well

I bought this amp as an alternative to my tweed blues jr. (which has been great for me). I was a little nervous given that some early reviewers complained about a louder than normal hiss, mine is dead silent at idle. I played gigs on it immediately from 6 pm until 2am with no issues. For me the breakup starts around 4.5 on the volume dial, (using single coils) which for my needs is plenty of clean headroom. I used an ABY switch box using the vintage side for rhythm and the custom channel for leads and solos. Each channel feels like an extension of the other, the tones compliment each side of the amp. Amp is relatively light, and loud perfect for the small clubs and bars that I usually play in. I play a blend of blues, jazz, funk, soul and rhythm and blues. So for my tone needs Steve Cropper and Roy Buchannon type tones are what I aim for and this amp serves up easily. The amp I received was in perfect condition, packed very securely and professionally. I play around 300 nights a year so I will find out about its ability to withstand a high workload, my blues jr. has been great with only tubes needing replacement so I suspect this amp will also but built to last. All in all I would recommend this amp for anyone seeking the famous Fender tone in an easy to use,light weight amp. I will update this review if I run into issues farther down the road

If you love vintage fenders, do yourself a favor and sell yours... and buy one of these. My vintage twin is heavy and unreliable. All tube to me just means more expense. The tone on this guy is fantastic, loud enough for almost any setting, it's light enough to be able to carry in one hand, and it looks killer with the green pilot. Quit focusing on your amp and start focusing on your playing.

I have a 1966 Fender Pro Reverb that I love and use regularly to gig with. If you are not familiar with the Pro Reverb..... Wikipedia it. Some believe it is not only the best amp not only made by Fender, but by anyone anywhere. And for good reason. This amp is all hand wired, 40 watts and really has great tone. One gig it blew a fuse and talking with my amp tech, he encouraged me to not use it until it was serviced, as the amp is somewhat irreplaceable. So that left me without an amp with no backline provided. So I ran down to the local guitar center to grab an amp to get me though the gig, fully intending on returning it.
Well.........that never happened. I was so impressed with this little amp that I decided to keep it. Both channels are really tonefull, it takes pedals great, is loud enough for any gig and it is just so transportable. Cosmetically it looks fantastic. And.........people were coming up to me asking about my tone. It was strange to say, oh it's just this Fender Deluxe Reverb I just bought. As the advertisement states, it's not a reissue but a hot rodded Deluxe with appointments made from the suggestion of players. Comes equipped with Celestion Speakers (V Type) for a more modern, punchy sound that breaks up nicely when pushed. Reduced negative feedback lends a more "touch-sensitive" feel, quicker break up and added harmonic richness. The shared tremolo on both channels adds to its versatility. Because of this the '68 channels are wired in phase and can be blended for more tonal options, via A/B/Y box. "Custom" channel features a 50s Tweed "Bassman" tone circuit for more low mids and sooner breakup. The Deluxe Reverb has the bright cap removed on the "Vintage" side to make the amp more pedal-friendly. It also has the original transformers that are found in my 1966 Pro Reverb. At the end of the day is is simply a great sounding, reasonably priced, portable box of tone. Highly recommend

The FENDER '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb is a very good guitar amplifier. I owned a '65 Twin Reverb Reissue, but found it to be too loud at anything above "3" for recording work. Also, the "65 Twin is very heavy at 70 lbs. The FENDER '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb solved these issues. It sounds beautiful, looks nice, and only weighs 40 lbs. The reverb and vibrato is slightly better on the '65 Twin Reverb Reissue, nevertheless, I prefer this amp over the Twin for the reasons I mentioned. Get yours today. I'm a happy customer. You should be too.

This is the first gear review i have ever written. I felt i needed to, because of other reviews i had read about hissing, and quality control issues. My amp arrived, and i was already prepared to accept a little noise if the tone was as good as i had been hearing. Too my surprize, my amp is DEAD QUIET!! This is the best tone i have experienced in many years.This amp actually sounds better than my mid 60s blackface original Deluxe, that i have since sold. This amp has all the vintage tone, and because of the celestion speaker, it does not flub out in the low end. Just finished my first gig tonight with it. I am blown away!! I am awaiting the arrival of a 68 custom twin for larger venues. Figure if it sounds half this good i will be very happy. Of course i bought these amps taking a chance, knowing that Jeff Barnett always takes amazing care of me. Love Sweetwater!!!

Well I'm sure my sales representative, mr AJ Becerra, doesn't want to hear this but, this may be the last amp I will ever need to own. (Don't worry dude, there are plenty Of other items I need) Like many people, I have always wanted a Fender deluxe reverb. When the the 68 custom came out, I knew one day, she would be mine. But like most people I wanted to wait around and read reviews and watch videos before I decided to drop the thousand dollars plus money on it. I read a lot of reviews where people were talking about a static hiss noise that they heard even when the amp was in idol. For those of you worried about it it is 100% completely normal for this amp to hiss. It's part of the wiring, it's part of the hot Rod circuitry, it's what gives it its tone, and sounds as amazing as it does. People complain about the hiss when they record, that really hasn't given me any issues and if it does there are plenty of plug-ins to clean that right up.
When I use it my Byam's in about 4 1/2 I keep a little bit of tremolo and reverb on at all times, and the results is one of the fullest tones I've ever heard from any of my other guitar amps. And yes, if you crank it to 10, you're going to get that 1970s Neil Young and crazy horse sound. Thank you to AJ Becerra my sweet water engineer for helping me out

Okay first two things - I'm using a Rockcrusher, and also my 68 DR is a modified version with hand wiring and new tubes, pots, no PCB's, etc. Still I'd like to review my experience based especially on the so called big boys in the amp world which turn out not to be that great. I had a dr. z amp. supposed to be boutique but those EL84s got really old after a while and you know I had to rethink my guitar rig. I also had gone through numerous tube amps as well never being satisfied. Well, I managed to be very lucky and scored a higher priced 68 DR but it was modified by a rather famous guy who modifies famous musician's amps. It has been nothing short of blissful sound whether it be the clean channel or breaking it with overdrive. I could write all night about how great this amp is but I just rather tell you that this is the FIRST time I've been satisfied and not only that but euphoric and very happy having this amp. True I may get a 2x12 cab so I can mic two speakers but everything about this amp is absolutely wonderful.

I was torn between this one and The limited edition DRRI with the wine colored tolex. I went with this one because of the Bassman tonestack on the custom channel. I read a lot of blogs and reviews about QC issues and loud hissing/vibrato noise. I must have gotten one of the lucky ones because mine is quiet and works perfect. There is a little "pop" when you turn off the standby, but I kind of like the way it sounds. It has character and lets me know it's off. The two channels on this one are in phase so you can jumper them and play both channels at the same time. I jumper them and use the Bassman side like an effects loop(plug your guitar into input 1 on the vintage channel, run a cable from input 2 on the vintage channel to your effects pedal board, and return your board to channel 1 on the custom channel of the amp. viola! effects loop!) and leave the vintage side clean. Pedals (especially dirt) sound way better looped like this rather than in the front end. Not a wah though. It sounds better right behind the guitar. The two channels Blended together clean sound big and thick!

Pros: Two different voiced Channels
In phase
Loopable
Blue power indicator
Great sounding celestion speaker
sounds good right out of the box
Reverb and Trem on both channels
Comes with a cover

Cons: Made In Mexico
No bright cap( I'm not sure if this is a + or -, I would have liked to compare one with a bright cap)
(would like to hear it with a Jensen P12Q like in the Red DRRI) I might build a cab with one just to switch off.


Thanks to Aric Brennar at sweet water for recommending this one.

Okay Caveat first - my 68 Deluxe Reverb had a complete makeover I mean the pots, wiring, tubes, tube sockets, speaker, everything was changed by a famous guy who works with famous musicians. That being said, this is by far the BEST amp I have ever owned. Its incredible. I cannot overstate how amazing the 68 DR is. Now another Caveat - I'm using quiet a bit, the Rivera Rockcrusher and I would suggest ANY and ALL bedroom or recording level dB's should get one because they are invaluable and sound great. They also have an XLR output for direct line out on your amp if you choose not to mic the speaker. Anyway, first off, this amp is so much more quieter than any amp I mean ANY amp I've had or tried. Vox, Dr. Z, Orange, Morgan, Marshall I could go on. And the amp's that I've owned are or rather were boutique or vintage or high end. This fender amp blows them all away. I get absolutely no noise, the breakup comes at about 6 or so which is great. You have the bassman tone stack on channel one and you get that classic fender tube reverb and tube vibrato on both channels (custom/vintage - which both have EQ settings). It takes pedals extremely well but with the drive at level 10, you won't need an overdrive pedal. I suggest that you get an A/B box, that way you can have channel A be lets say overdrive and channel B can be clean whatever you get the point. This amp just sounds really great. I cannot put my finger on it. And I'm using like 10k dollar guitars on it. Very high end custom and vintage guitars, pedals, etc. I would like to get a 2x12 cab so I could record using one ribbon and one tube condenser mic into a stereo pre. Still its great just using the custom built speaker in it anyway. I just want to say you have these so called high end boutique amps like Dr. Z and what not. Well Dr. Z is crap compared to this amp. Do NOT pay a fortune on some so called boutique amp when with this baby, you get a great sound. Personally, I got tired of the EL84 power tube sound from Dr. Z (sort of like a Vox) and now with the 6V6 power tubes, I got a rock solid sound. Plus this amp comes with a tube rectifier. As far as bias is concerned, when you change the tubes, get a professional. Its not cathode biased and please don't risk getting fried, (I almost did one time 120 volts almost went straight into my heart) get professional help like Sweetwater and GET THIS AMP!

I received this amp almost a week ago and I've found time to play every day since as I can't get over how fantastic it is. There isn't a sound I can't get with it for my needs. I play classic rock, pop and blues and with just the amp alone I can make the sound be what I want it to be. Both channels have their own voicing that can be tweaked easily. The Custom channel with the Bassman tone stack is more "round" or beefier sounding and it breaks up nicely when the volume is around 5 and up. This all-tube distortion is really incredible, not harsh and it can distort plenty when pushed. The Vintage channel is brighter and typical Fender chime that also sounds great when pushed. Either channel will work pretty much for what you need with minimal knob turning. The controls really do have an effect on the sound and the smallest turn of a knob makes a difference so you can get the sound you want. Also, the touch sensitivity is amazing!! You can dig in when you have to and the sound shapes to what you're doing and how you're "hitting" the guitar.

I'd read some reviews about white noise being an issue but not with mine. I play a Stratocaster mostly and so long as you're not sitting right in front of the amp it is very quiet. I'll be trying out some pedals with it soon and from what I've read and heard online, I'm under the impression that the amp will only show me more of what it can do. I'm looking forward to getting back to playing it as commenting about my experience so far puts a smile on my face. If you're looking for an amp that is plenty loud and can do many things tone-wise, you should try this one. It works great!

This is my 3rd Fender amp...I had a Blues Jr NOS tweed that I loved, but felt limited with it....and now this one...Just unreal in every way - THIS is the tone I have been looking for forever. After selling the Blues Jr I purchased (from Sweetwater) an EVH 5250III 50 watt head and matching cab,,,,another beauty, but it wasn't the best pairing for my musical taste/style (classic rock and gritty blues)...this '68....I can't express enough how versatile this thing is. It starts to break up sweetly at ~5 and has the true Fender clean chime and shine. I've opened it up just for fun by diming the volume and it is LOUD and has the gnashing, smashing snarl that I sought. It can totally scale and has surprisingly great headroom for a 22 watt amp. In my house I play it comfortably loud at about 4 driving it with a Maxon OD-9 running into an OCD (using a Strat with Fat 50s) Best sounds I have ever produced in my home without hurting my ears. Nothing else to say...

I love that I have the 5 year warranty from Fender AND Sweetwater's 2 year warranty on top of that.

Special mention to my sales engineer Ed Needler - You rock, my main. Thx.

After many years of playing and many (too many) amps, I finally purchased a real Fender and have no idea why I waited so long. This amp sounds great and is beautiful to look at. Love the Celestion V-Type speaker. I've recently put this speaker in several cabs and am really happy with it in all locations.

The Deluxe Reverb really shines around 3 on the volume and has splendid tones above and below.

Looking forward to tracking with this amp, too. Fractal Audio FX8 straight into it opens Pandora's tonal box.

I recall reading numerous interviews with guitarist where the argument was made that tone is all in the fingers, or some such thing. I used to wonder how true that was until I bought this amp. Of course, Jimi, Jimmy, or Eddie are going to make anything sound pretty fantastic, but there's a reason they don't just play anything when it's up to them. I'm not them, of course, but for me, this is in many respects a holy grail sort of find, at least in this price range. I've been through a number of amps over the last thirty years, but nothing compares to this one. The tone on the custom channel, with a modified bassman tone stack, is a thing of beauty--it's fat, but it has sparkle and chime, and a good amount of responsive inherent compression that's divine. I've messed with the vintage channel a bit, which is fine, but I keep going back to the custom.

As for pedals, mine have never sounded this good. Whatever I throw at it sounds superb, and the dynamic responsiveness of the amp never gives way. However, I did take a couple out because, to be honest, I don't need them anymore--I think I was adding pedals to compensate for the lack of tone in my previous amps.

There is a bit more hiss in this amp than others, such as my Vox AC151c or Blues Jr, which some argue is a function of its design, but nothing that bothers me. I was pretty worried about this, but Brandon at Sweetwater was excellent about checking the amp before shipping. Now that it's here, all I hear is that unbelievable sound that makes me just want to keep playing. Which I have. In fact, I'm going to end right here and go back to the bloody thing.

This amp is incredible! It is everything that I had hoped that it would be. I really like the classic fender sound. Sounds amazing when the amp is cranked. Really punchy. However, if you are planning on playing at quieter bedroom volumes, you aren't going to want to turn it much past 2, which still sounds great to me. I run a pretty good sized pedalboard most of the time too and this amp handles the pedals just fine in either circuit.

The Custom Deluxe is so good, I sold my old amp and trimmed down my pedal board significantly. One nice drive pedal in front of the Custom channel, and you're good for anything from crunchy dad rock to rolled off volume clean stuff. And this is even with Volume in the 2-3 range.

Run straight in, with the Custom volume on 5-6, and it's exactly where I've always wanted to be. Run a strat this way. Trust me. It's inspiring enough to keep you playing well after your wife asked for help with the dog.

The reverb is present, but not overbearing at all. In fact, I find myself just throwing it on tracks because it sounds like it's supposed to be there. Tremolo was a pleasant surprise. It's a really sweet modulation on the lower intensity settings, and pretty usable up high, too. It sounds very 'musical', to use an overused term.

There's hiss, but you only notice it until you realize it's so very worth it. Dimmable lights, though. Turn them off.

The amp looks very classy, too, if that kind of thing matters to you. Also, I thought there was no way a private equity held lifestyle brand could come correct with an amp. I was wrong. I have to think this is one of the best amps available before you start hitting the hand wired price range.

Pros: The versatility on this amp is amazing. The two channels really are unique. Not to mention, the ability to jumper the two channels takes it even a step further and gives you more tonal choices. Admittedly, I spend most of my time either on the Custom channel or jumpered, however, the Vintage side has the classic Fender cleans. The Custom channel does take pedals well, too. A big plus is the Vibrato and Reverb operating on both sides of the amp. Great tone at a reasonable volume.

Cons: There is an audible hiss especially after I biased the tubes slightly hotter than the factory settings. This does not bother me, but I could see where some players could have a problem with it especially if you're expecting dead quiet. Plus, the reverb is noisy past 3. I'm replacing the reverb cable this week and possibly the whole reverb tank in hopes to tame that issue. Once again, a trade-off I'm willing to accept for such great tone.

This amp is thick full and chimey and the vibrato adds an awesome dimensionality to the sound. It just loves my overdrive pedal!! I run an American Deluxe Stratocaster into it, and man is it a blast to play.!!

The Fender '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb. What else can you say that hasn't already been said? This is the amp I am looking for. Thanks again to Scott A. and Randy for all the help in the decision making process, great service and FAST-FREE shipping that has become the Sweetwater trademark! Now it's time to break in this baby with my new Gretsch Tennessee Rose (From SW)! CAAAAN YOUUU DIG IT!

This Amp has that classic Fender Clean tube tone. Let me start by saying I have been playing guitar for almost 40 years, I've played in bands, in clubs. Back in the day out band played Sabbath to Zeppelin and of course I played a Marshall and Les Paul or SG. As i got older I started to appreciate different styles of music, the Marshall as great as it is has a very hard clean tone. So I sold my Marshal Stack and first purchased the Fender Super Sonic which is a great amp and and gets amazing overdrive sounds direct from the AMP. However going to the Custom Deluxe Reverb something about having a tube rectifier makes ALL the difference, it give the amp depth and sublet nuances. So if you are looking for a Tube AMP, if the amp does not have a TUBE rectifier then its not really a Tube Amp in my opinion. Today if I want to play Sabbath on the Custom Deluxe no Problem, the OCD overdrive pedal brings this baby to the Marshall lands, you can play Jazz, to SRV to Zeppelin this baby does it all. If you are a SRV fan you probably know that Stevie ONLY played Fender Amps.

Just got her today form the awesomeness that is Sweetwater. Haven't put a lot of time in but I gotta say the tone is fantastic. Vintage channel is great, well... Vintage tone not exceedingly bright as you might expect very chimey and sweet BUT the Custom channel is where this baby shines it is still chimey but the edge of brightness is sliced right off and she is smooth and buttery. I too was hesitant about the Celestion but it seems to be sweet sounding after only a very short time playing, I'm sure it will sound really great after it is broken in which I will give it time to do before swapping around. No problems I can foresee, I was worried about the hiss and pops everyone complains about but while there is a bit of hiss I did a side by side with my 1971 Bandmaster and it's a little louder than this amp so I am chalking it up to normal, same goes for the pop when switching the standby on and off, Bandmaster makes the exact same sound so I am saying normal here as well, in fact this baby is kind of like a"mini Bandmaster" sounds great I recommend it

I've been playing guitar now almost 40 years, I've owned many AMP, Marshall, Boogie, Fender. There is something about this amp, maybe is the tube rectifier but this is The Best sounding AMP, the feel is incredible very touch dynamic. The amp is so good your pedals will not get any use, I either use no pedals or a way, tube screamer and delay.

Don't take my word for it try one out, you will not regret it. Only wish I had bought one sooner.

I have a Strat and a Paul, and both sound amazing through this amp, but dang it sounds good with the Seymour Duncan Antiquity PAFs in my Gibson! Custom channel gets nasty and starts singing around 5. I goose it with a dirt pedal with the gain turned all the way down and it makes a perfect rock and roll sound. Both channels sound great, and don't worry about the hiss unless you are recording really quiet music. In the real world, the noise floor will make it go away. Plenty loud enough for club gigs, but not so loud that you can't break up the power tubes without going deaf. I also have a Mesa Boogie and a Vox AC30, but this sound better than either of those amps. The stock tubes are J.J.'s rebranded as Groove Tubes, and they sound fantastic, no need to replace these. Get it, you won't be disappointed!

What a freaking fiasco! I was sprouting grey hairs getting this amp to me. Shipped it to the wrong place, FedEx wasnt sure where it was, i had a gig the night it was delivered. It all ended up being just fine. The first time i played this baby was AT THE GIG, unboxed it during soundcheck praying everything was ok. I bought a Gator G112 and Ryan had it packed into it and shipped that way. EXCELLENT SERVICE! This sucker is AWESOME! It clean peaks at about 4.5-4.7 and from 5.5+ it just GETS NASTY AWESOME! Talking bout real SRV tones and a relatively decent volume. Excellent amp. This amp just kicks. Its great, its fat and sparkly, its that Fender tone. Dig it.

This is my second review of this amp, now that the honeymoon is over, I wanted to update. I've had the amp about a year now, and can't say enough about it. The amp makes your guitar tone just plain better period. I have a vintage Vibrolux Reverb, also a DR Reissue. I also had a Blues jr that I sold ( not sure what all the hype about that amp) This is the go to amp for me. I primarily play two guitars, an Eric Johnson Strat and a PRS Custom 24.

I've been playing for 45 years, although not a professional musician, I have been in and out of gigging bands for years, and feel I can comment on good tone. This amp nails it. The change Fender made to this amp really makes it shine; custom channel with the bassman tone stack is the tone I was looking for. And the amp loves pedals. Because the clean is so nice, putting an overdrive in front of it is the tone that is just sweet. I use a Full Drive II for lead work and the combo with this amp is too good to pass up. I was never a fan of Celestion speakers, but the V12 in this amp just works. Also, I have a Full Tone Fat Boost for the strat and it takes advantage of the amp as well. Enough comments about the reverb and trem; one note is the the reverb is not as "surf lush" as the DR Reissue, but there is plenty there.
I bought an open box originally that was noisy; sent it back and negotiated for a new amp and I couldn't be happier. As noted, had it a year now, and it gets better and better. Thanks Sweetwater and Ian Angle.

If you are looking for perfect Fender amp, don't want to break your back or your wallet, buy this amp, period.

This amp delivers the "Fender Sound" from the fifties through the seventies. I got to admit I was a bit apprehensive when reading reviews on line about noise issues but this is not the case with mine. This amp is normal in background noise for an amp with modern Russian / East Europe tubes. The tone is what this amp is all about, creamy, jelly, clean or dirty its Fender all the way. The Celestion is great, got to give it five stars. Again thanks Norb, and the Team.

My dream amp has long been the Fender 65 DRRI and I was planning on buying one, but when I started researching I found that the 68 had some killer features like reverb and tremelo on both channels, and two channels that aren't the same. The left side uses a Bassman tone stack and the right side is basically a 65 DRRI. So I could get the 65 DRRI I wanted plus the other cool new features. So I went for the 68. I'm glad I did, because I find myself using the left side 90% of the time. That side really takes pedals well. I still plug into the right side for songs that need the Fender jangly clean. But most of the time, I'm using the Bassman side with pedals. Speaking of pedals, I found I needed to make an important change from the pedal setup I was using with my previous amp, the Blues Deluxe. I had been using a PlimSoul for distortion, but I found the tone somewhat off with the DRRI. The PlimSoul still worked for songs like I Love Rock and Roll, but for a more Marshall like tone, I picked up a Boss OD-3. This gives me the heavy overdrive I was looking for for songs like Eye of the Tiger, Paris Ooh La La, Heaven Knows, and others. For blues, the Boss BD2 Blues Driver provides a beautiful bluesy breakup while keeping the stage noise low. So I'm in tone heaven from clean, to blues, to heavy overdrive, to growling over-the-top distortion. I need it all because my band plays extreme variety. The deluxe reverb can get it all done, and not break the bank. The Mesa 5:25 Plus is another do it all amp, but with the right pedals, the 68 DRRI gets it done for a little less -- plus it's a Fender.

I new this was a full body amp. I'm impressed, my compliments to you and Fender!

Might be the nicest sounding Fender amp I've ever heard especially for an amp that won't break your back. Plenty of headroom.
I'd put it between the Princeton silverface and the twin (but more creamier). You can
AB/Y the 2 channels for vintage and custom sounds. Great Amp!

Get an ABY box to switch channels and run both sides at the same time. Reverb and Vibe are Rich.

I looked at so many varieties of the amp. The home work paid-off. It does exactly what I wanted to do. Clean classic tones, with the ability to change it up if I want. The 22 watt is plenty of power to play with a band. Whether you use it to be a monitor or the final output, in a small venue it does very well. The videos on Youtube are accurate. I have even played this with my Taylor accoustic, what a pleasant surprise. Derek, (Sweetwater) you are batting a thousand my friend.
.

It's been said before, but it's worth saying again: this amp is perfect. It actually is like owning a Deluxe Reverb and a Bassman in the same amp. I'll pick up my proverbial jaw off the floor and try to organize my appreciation for this amp in a few categories...

1) The clean headroom provided by the 22w of all-tube lusciousness is breathtaking. There's ZERO "harsh/tinny/over-bright" sound to this amp... PERIOD. In either channel. I was worried that I'd only want to stay on the Custom side (Bassman tone stack) due to the Vintage channel being to bright. WRONG! It's buttery smooth through both channels, but the Custom channel has that "Oomph" in the low end that makes my Fender American Strat SING on single note runs... I'll put it this way- until this amp, I was really craving a Les Paul or a Jazzmaster to contrast the inherent brightness of my single coils (I have custom shop fat 50's in my strat). But after plugging my strat into the Custom channel, that's all gone. HUGE tonal versatility available.

2) I have NOT noticed any noise/hissing issues whatsoever. And if anyone ever has that problem, you need to buy a Hum Debugger pedal from Electro Harmonix. Killer pedal.

3) The vibrato and reverb are tube driven and they sound like angels laughing. It's that amazing.

4) It handles pedals flawlessly. And the amp's EQ allows you to drastically alter your tone to your liking.

In summary? Buy this amp. And use Ben Porter at Sweetwater- he's the best!

Guitars and amps come and go.. like dating... but occasionally you find the amp you want to take home to mom.

Hiss - a bit - if you love touch sensitive amp you're going to get a little white noise. My experience was that after breaking in the hiss seemed reduced -- I don't notice it at 5 anymore ...

Tone.. The Custom Channel and the Vintage Channel each deliver with their own voice.. BUT ABY these and jump the two ... Incredible...Tone a little sand in the transmission and fantastic grit.

Reverb.. The Reverb was initially an issue and the case of a lot of noise. All I did was reverse the reverb pan so that the connectors faced the front of the amp and Voila that noise was gone.. Don't ask me how .. but it worked. The Reverb in the 68 is far less aggressive than the 65 Ri Blackface. Mine stays around 4 with the term set at 3 and 3 --- Just a murmur

I Fretted about choosing between a Ri Blackface Deluxe and the 68 Custom... Played them both back to back. I worried that the Silverface would be Ice Picky...and I worried about its resale value.

I'm not selling it -- So there goes the resale value issue

I liked that features and tone better in the 68 over the 65 RI -- and Both Channels having Trem and reverb are a must.

I hate the Italian Jensen speakers these days adn wondered why fender would chose a British Speaker but the speaker matches up with the amp very well.

Yes I have fallen in love with my 68 Custom. Amps that I have now include a 59 Ampeg Jet and a 57 Vibrolux clone. The Fender 68 is my primary amp and gets 80% of the playing time .

I have replaced the Groove tubes with Eclectic NOS tubes and will suggest that that helped reduce the white noise a bit as well. Other than that I have no interest in Modding this amp at all.. not even an urge to do so. THAT says a lot ... I really really like this amp.

I'm happy with everything about this amp. I bought it for its vintage sound and size (it is more portable than my other amps). It is great for recording and sounds very warm. You really can't go wrong with this amp in your arsenal. Also, I have to add that I never have any problems with any piece of gear I buy from Sweetwater and I will continue to buy from them exclusively.

Absolutely love this amp! I've played through older vintage ones over the years and honestly I think this sounds better than any I've heard. Both channels are so good. I'm a little partial to the Custom channel which I'm told is voiced like a Bassman. But I love both channels. This is my favorite recording amp!

This amp is probably the best fender has come out with. I had a deluxe reverb about 4 years ago that had been gigged with pretty heavily but well taken care of, sounded amazing. This one sounds even better... right out of the box, not even close to being broke in yet. It takes pedals better, not that it didn't take them well before. The left side now has the reverb and vibrato, which is a huge plus. I didn't even use the side much before because I love reverb. I think I might like the left side better now, because it has way more *****. This is the ultimate blues amp, hands down.

I am a professional player who's played for years and has used every amp imaginable including a lot of fenders....my style is roots, blues rock and beyond and I can honestly say I've never been happier with an amp. I use this with the straight clean sound which is gorgeous fender sparkle, and I put a tube screamer through for mild grit and a vox satchurator pedal for more serious ooomph. The amp handles the pedals just beautifully producing a lead sound with my strat's treble pickup that has become one of the alltime favorites that I have achieved.All the modifications to this amp, removing the bright caps, reduced negative feedback, accelerated picking response, celestion speaker, the bassman tone stack on the custom channel, and both channels having access to the vibrato are all worth they're weight in gold.
This is a gem of a club and recording amp and the price is in the real world. I got this on my sweetwater
card and the payments were great and when the first one arrived and I found the reverb cut out only on gigs, Sweetwater asap replaced it with another that has been great. You can't go wrong with this amp and Sweetwater,

Have been using a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe III for several years now and was very satisfied with it. It is a solid performer. But after reading so many reviews of the 68 Deluxe Reverb amp reissue -- including high praise from Joe Bonamassa — I thought I would try it out since there were some classic Fender amp tones I could not quite get out of the Hot Rod. I've only had the amp now for about a month but I've already ditched use of a compressor pedal because the touch sensitivity of this amp is so well-defined — and useful — that I no longer wanted the compressor getting in the way. The tones on this amp are top notch and I'm using both channels for my current solo gig -- using the Vintage channel for my archtop and the Custom (Bassman style circuit) for my Stratocaster. I thought the use of those channels would be the reverse of how I'm actually using them with those two types of guitars, but was so surprised by the tones I got with that setup that my mind was changed. Definitely recommend checking this amp out. I can't think of any other amp on the market that provides this level of tone and flexibility for this price.

I bought this beauty (And it truly is beautiful in looks!) in August and could not be happier with the amp. Fender has really done a great job with this amp! I really don't have a lot to add that others haven't already said, I can just agree...Takes pedals very well, (My favorite overdrive is Boss "Wazacraft" BD 2 ) So heres where my review gets a little different.

I'm an amateur guitar player, although I've owned a lot of guitars and played some since I was 19 years old. I have a dear friend who is 5 years older than me who is a PHENOM guitar player with over 40 years of playing under his belt. He is a Fender guy through and through which is probably why I am. I've got a Custom shop Strat, and 3 different Tele's. He has two Strats and Two G&L's from the '80s and another 11 guitars. This friend of mine is a Tube FREAKazoid he collects tubes and plays through two vintage Deluxe Reverbs both from the early '60's. He is one of those tube tone guys who says that vintage is better than new.....UNTIL he saw and played through my '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb! He was very impressed! He is gonna sell his '63 but he said he would consider getting this amp for himself 'cause he wouldn't have keep fixing things on his vintage stuff! Point is it is a wonderful mix of Fender "something old something new, something borrowed something BLUE" when it comes to this amp you will be in 22 watt tube heaven. Don't wait, but it now. When I can afford it I'll probably buy the '68 Custom Princeton Reverb next!

This is the best sounding amp I've had the pleasure of playing since keeping a 65 super reverb amp for a friend 30 years ago. The early breakup on this makes it an even sweeter experience. The reverb is splendidly fender, and the tremolo melts my heart. This is, for me, the sound of electric guitar.

I recently started looking for a new amp in hopes of simplifying my rig and making it easier to setup & transport. The '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb fit the criteria of all-tube and light weight. I tested one out locally and was blown away at how great the cleans were on the Vintage channel with a standard Mexican Telecaster. The other positive feature was that the Custom channel had been tweaked to work better with pedals.
I currently have 4 pedals for overdrive & gain on my board (Xotic EP booster, Xotic BB Preamp, Fulltone Fulldrive2, Wampler Plexi-Drive) and all sound awesome with the amp. I play a Baja Telecaster & a Music Man LIII. Guitars with hot humbuckers sound better through this amp if you use overdrives that have higher gain. I highly recommend the Wampler Plexi-Drive!!
I used to not even consider buying an amp unless it had an effects loop (for delay/modulation effects); in fact, the last 5 amps I owned all had one. This amp doesn't have one and I'm not missing it at all. Since I'm relying on pedals for my overdrive tones, the delays/reverbs sound just fine when running through the front of the amp. Don't let the lack of an effects loop keep you from considering this amp. Plus, the absence of the loop makes set up much easier; with my previous amp I needed 5 instrument cables for the effects loop, channel switching, and guitar. I only need 2 with this amp.

This amp is simply amazing. I cannot express the amount of gear I have been through in the last 40 years and coming back to this amplifier was the right choice. Nothing beats a Fender clean tone in my opinion and it takes my pedal board with ease as well.

The older I get the more I long for low wattage that breaks up quicker. This amp however is LOUD at 22 watts. I have yet to crank it to 6 because I just blow myself out of my practice room. All in all, its one of the best Fender amps you will ever own.

Absolutely loving this amp. Nothing beats a Fender clean sound, nothing. On top of that, it takes my full size pedaltrain Pro board like champ. Creamy, thick goodness in every bend and pluck. 22 watts is massively loud if you desire crank it but the older I get the more I desire lower wattage that breaks up easier. I simply love this amp and as others have said Fender knocked it out of the park yet again.

Top Notch! Fender nailed the design of this amp. The two channels are very distinct and very Fender. The response is amazing. Single coils, P90, and hums react very differently (as they should) and the amp handles them all well. Pedals through it (Wampler Velvet fuzz, keeley bd-2) sound awesome. Waited several months until Sweetwater had it in stock again as there is no way you can seriously think about buying gear from anyone else.

I have always been a big fan of the "fender twin" sound. Pure, clean, clear and with all the sparkle. This lil guy will push it out with authority in spite of the size (wattage). Not real heavy, easy to move from gig to gig, enough power to keep the drummer at bay, and after 5 on the custom side, the breakup is warm and rich. I would not trade this amp , too versatile and recordable. tried a few pedals and was also very happy, clean headroom on vintage is great! cover and footswitch as well. Get it and don't look back. if you need a metal player setup, move along, but anything else it's up for the task. did not get any tube rattle when played at stage volume. Seems well built, like the ol' skool were. Tone, weight, volume and size all equal a great gigging amp, that will record great too!

I've had this amp for a while, and it has probably become my favorite. I also have a '65 reissue Deluxe and this seems to have a much richer sound - the highs sparkle more and the lows are more powerful - especially in the Custom channel; it almost sounds like a stereo with the 'loudness' switch on. The reverb sounds great, it is brighter, but not as deep as the '65's. Besides guitar, I play vintage keyboards, and this amp is incredible with a Wurlitzer electric piano or a Hohner Clavinet! The first of these amps had lots of problems, and I had to return a few, but luckily, a place like Sweetwater will work with you until you get an amp that works great. And, it looks beautiful - exactly like the late '60's Fenders (except the pilot light is a very cool blue, easily replaced with the traditional red). I love it!

The first impressive thing, taking this out of the box, is the beauty of the amp. It looks like it was the real thing.

Using my Telecaster or Strat was a real treat. Both sounded like I had never hard them before. Both sounded so full and rich. This amp I could play without any additional effects. It has so much natural compression. This is the best amp I have ever owned. I have had several 1964, 1968 and early 70's Fender amplifiers, but this is definitely my dream amp.

Honeymoon review, so take it in context.

But this is the tone I have been hearing in my head for years. There is nothing like Fender tube reverb. Nothing. It is rich, full, and covers your ears in its liquid goodness, rather just sounding like an effect. Makes real spring reverb in my Delta Blues sound cheap and flat, makes my pedals sound inadequate. Likewise for the tremolo. It has a depth that my Voodoo Labs trem (a very good tremolo pedal by the way) can not match. My Delta Blues reverb has no chance against it. Note that there is some intermittent clicking when the reverb is engaged. I have read that this is not unusual for Fender tube tremolo, and it has not been an issue when playing. It may present an issue for recording.

The highs in the custom channel are more restrained than on the normal channel. But it is not dull. It offers up plenty of clarity with my Stratocasters and Telecasters. It starts to get some hair around 4 on the volume, which is perfect for my gigging situation. The normal channel has the traditional brightness, but it is easy to tame with the EQ. Clean tones on both channels, whether hairless or not, have a roundness that seems unique to Fender vintage circuits. When turned up to 8 (as high as I've taken it so far), you get nice low gain crunch. Sweet.

I have put a Way Huge Green Rhino (Tue Screamer style OD) in front and it sounds great. It's a good sign. Will try my Whiteface Rat and others soon but my guess is that this amplifier will just nhale pedals.

Cosmetics are outstanding. I love the silverface cosmetics, as they SCREAM 1970's to me. It is one of the main reasons I took this plunge, without amtest drive.

So, for gigging in small to medium clubs with clean headroom, for insane reverb and tremolo, peal-friendliness and te round cleans that only Vintage-style Fender can give, this amplifier is an outstanding choice. I may have to consider the Twin equivalent at a future date.

These days it seems that Fender is offering almost as many "Deluxe" amps models as Strats, and each new seems more exciting than the last. I received the latest offering, the '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb, yesterday and have been playing it non-stop. For comparison, I set it next to a '74 mint Deluxe Reverb (Weber C12N speaker) and a Supersonic 22.

The '68 Custom is a beautiful amp, rockin the bright, cheerful 1st year silverface look that, IMHO, is dazzyling compared to the more sober blackface style. The "custom" aspects of the amp include tube reverb and vibrato on BOTH channels, a Bassman-like tone stack on what used to be the NORMAL channel and is now called the "CUSTOM" channel, slightly earlier gain onset, a Celestion speaker and (arguable)better touch sensitivity.

Except for cosmetics, the Silverface Deluxe Reverbs up until '76, changed very little compared to the Blackface models (2 capacitors) and are phenomenally good amps.

So, how does the '68 Custom compare to the original? First of all, there will be no argument that the CUSTOM channel is far more usable and exciting than the old NORMAL channel. Turn it up and listen to its tighter, tougher bass response and add on reverb and vibrato for great tones. On the '74, the NORMAL channel had less presence and gain compared to the VIBRATO channel and most players simply didn't use it (I take the V1 tube out).

On the '74, the VIBRATO channel has more lush reverb and sounds brighter than the '68 reissue. The '68 reissue has a tighter bass response compared to the '74. The '74 has a softer, compressed, bass attack with a clanky edge that gets flubbier with power chords as you turn up the volume. Most players reduce the bass to compensate for this, which is unneccessary on the '68 Custom.

While both channels on the '68 sound great, this is not a channel -switching amp and an A-B box will be needed if you want to switch channels (one clean, one dirty) during a gig. Remember, that in a non-master amp like this, more gain also means the amp will also be significantly louder so instead of channel switching, an overdrive pedal with a minimal volume boost might be more workable.

The Celestion speaker is excellent. Switching the speaker leads suggested that the speaker choices worked best in their respective models.

An alternative to both the '65 Blackface Reissue and the '68 Custom is the Supersonic 22 which is based on the DR. The Clean channel has 2 modes, Deluxe Reverb and Bassman, both of which sound great. The Gain channel sounds like the world's best Tube Screamer in a Deluxe Reverb, with dual cascading Gain controls and four band EQ. (IMHO, the Supersonic 22 because of its all tube build and versatility is the best DR- type amp tha Fender offers.)

PROS: The '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb offers TWO distinct and exceptionally good vibrato and reverb channels compared to the original and has a tighter bass response. Its a little less bright with less luster to the reverb compared to the original Silverface. It is an outstanding amp!

CONS: You can still find good condition, hand wired, USA made, original Silverface amps for a few hundred dollars more than this reissue.

I bought this amp to have a Fender in my collection. I was about to sell it after a few years of barely using it and decided to take it to a gig. Boy am I glad I did. I recently bought a Gristel King pedal and this amp LOVES it! First time in years I did a gig with one amp and one pedal and could not have been happier. I have lots of amps and pedals and I have a favorite OD for each. A DS-1 sounds like garbage and a TS10 is good but the GK is insane with this amp. I have Dr Z amps, Friedman, Marshall, (had Boogies) and this just fits the bill and saves my back to boot! I can now play at a VERY reasonable volume and get killer tones, clean to mean.
Some noise but nothing worse than other amps.

I went to Sweetwater to replace my old Fender Blues Deluxe (which had issues when turned up) with an amp that was slightly less powerful with quicker break-up. I tried the Fender Deluxe 65, the Mesa Fillmore, the Blackstar St. James, the Vox AC30, multiple Supros in the 50 watt or less range. NOTHING competed with the clean sound I was getting with this 68 Deluxe Reverb using an ES-335 style guitar, specifically the Custom channel (Bassman tone-stack). It is warmer sounding (more bass and lower mids) than the 65 Deluxe Reverb. The spring reverb and tremolo are both tube driven, and only made the amp sound better. Compared to my old Fender Blues Deluxe, it has smoother highs, prettier mids and less overpowering bass. Way more touch responsive. It has that desired slight break-up on a clean sound that Fenders are so famous for. My biggest fear was that it would NOT keep up with band volume at rehearsal or gigs, but it is plenty loud for what I need. Unless you are playing large venues without a PA, you should be fine. It is perfect for blues, rock, jazz, country, funk, etc. NOT Metal. If you only want clean headroom with absolutely no hint of break-up, get the 65 Deluxe. The only gripe is a slight ticking sound on the tremolo, but only when you're not playing.

I've never been a Fender guy, but I am now.

I wanted an amp that sounded good with high-gain overdrive pedals in front of it, as well as other effect pedals. This amp delivers. The custom channel is supposed to be based on a Bassman and it really shows. Good low-end with a lot of resonance. Sounds great with my Mesa Boogie-inspired distortion, my crunchy Marshall-ish overdrive, and all my modulation and time-based effects. Coming from a Quilter, I'm very impressed. I play a lot of punk, metal, indie, and other rock and this amp can really do it all. I'm playing everything from Built to Spill, to Fugazi, to Bane.

It's not perfect. While I have nothing but praise for how my modulation and time-based effects sound in front of it, gain pedals were hit or miss. Some sound shockingly good, others were very dark. It didn't matter which channel or which EQ settings I was using. That's a pretty mild complaint, because no amp is going is going to be a perfect match for every pedal. The reverb is good, but the tremolo is noisy, so I don't use it at all. Using the DRRI strictly as a clean amp, the volume sweep is very low. Two notches on the volume and it's very loud and distorting, even on the quieter input of the custom channel - it's not as bad on the vintage channel.

My biggest annoyance with the amp is how the external speaker works. Apparently, it really wants an 8 ohm load. Makes it tough to use an extra 112 to move a little more air, which I'd like the option to easily do. I would have to swap out the stock speaker to a 16 ohm one and always use the amp with the external cabinet.

My only other gripe with the amp is one I absolutely knew going in - 22 watts is loud, but it runs out of headroom a little quicker than I would like. Still, pretty good for the wattage. Much better than my 15 watt Orange Terror. It will keep up or possibly overpower with the average rock drummer, but might struggle with the loudest of them.

Ultimately, very happy with the amp. I can't really comment on longevity, because I've only had it for a couple of months. Strongly considering another for a stereo option, but I'm going to see if there are other viable cheaper, lighter options.

I had been watching this amp for a few years hoping I could eventually muster up the money to own one of these. But as my playing evolved and my musical tastes changed I had my mind set on owning a Marshall, in particular the new SV20H as I was hoping to go towards a more Hendrix inspired tone. Anyways, paying well over 2 grand on an amp and cab before going off to college was not reasonable. So I went back and looked into the '68 Deluxe reissue and decided to go for it. At the time I felt like I was settling a little bit as my heart had been set on the Marshall for the longest time, however after spending some time with this amp, I have no regrets. Out of the box this amp is stunning. I always preferred the classic look of the blackface fender amps but there is something about the silver panel and grill cloth, along with the turquoise lettering and light that is so appealing. Sonically, the amp performs as advertised -- drippy reverb, scoopy-mids, beautiful cleans, as well as being very dynamic and responsive to pick attack. And for context I mostly use a classic player 60's fender Strat with custom 69 pickups. In regards to the vintage and custom channels, I find myself using the custom channel more often as it has more mids and body to the sound. This reasoning also goes back to my desire to get more of a Hendrix tone (after all early Marshalls were based off of tweed Bassmans). Anyways, it's not so much of a complaint as I should have expected this, but as a mostly bedroom player myself, I could not get this amp to break up on its own without losing my hearing. The loudest I can set the amp without pedals is around 5 which is still fairly loud. However, I was able to counter this by pairing the amp up with the right overdrive pedal to get an awesome overdriven sound at reasonable volumes. The pedal I have had luck with is the Catalinbread formula 5F6 which gives a thick, saturated , blues/rock tone while still being fairly transparent. Another point worth mentioning is that both channels pair with pedals very well whether it's overdrive and/or modulation. Overall, this is a fantastic amp and very versatile, and considering this was the biggest purchase I have ever made, I can definitely say this amplifier was well worth it.

Don't believe the bad reviews here, this is a great amp. And it looks GREAT! It has minimal idle noise. If you are getting more than that, it's most likely your power source. Replacing Tubes 3 times within the warranty period??? That's just nonsense, and if true, SW would take care of that. The amp will exemplify any dirty power including grounding errors that exist where you plug in. With that, this is one sweet amp. I thought I'd be all over the Custom channel, but found myself in pure clean bliss on the Vintage. Was going for a SS 22, but owned an old '71 Silverface Bassman 100 head long ago, and this just brought old good memories back seeing the Silverface re-issue, so went for it. I messed around with the patching, and even an AYB pedal. That's not for me. Less is more, and the amp is more fun just plugging straight in and not convoluting everything with what channel is blending what. A TS 808 sounded pretty good in the Custom side, and not quite as tasty on the Vintage, but I find playing this amp more clean than overdriven (for now at least!!). If I had one pet peeve, it would be that this amp should have some actual rubber feet on it. I've always disliked the sliders on any Fender amp, and this one actually has mediocre slides glued on, which is a bit of a pain since I'll be installing rubber feet next to the stock glue-ons. I've only played this with an EJ strat and a RW 60s strat, and both sounded very 'alive' and 3 Dimensional. The Tremolo is very tasty on the low speed settings (no ticking or artefactual noise). There is the aforementioned "POP" when either - going to standby (which is not recommended after the amp is on) and also when turning "off" without engaging the standby. This is normal from what I've read, but found my own solution by shutting the amp off at the power strip (then put the switches in off position after 30 seconds to let the power bleed out). Again, a very small nuisance. One big heads up- According to Fender Support, you can run an extension cab accompanied with the internal speaker, but it MUST be an 8 OHM cab (which drops the load to 4 OHM total). This is OK so go for it if you choose (Never use only 16 ohm stand alone with this amp). Would be cool if they re-issued a matching 1x12 cab like they did a while ago for the Bandmaster VM. But- The amp sound very full by itself. If you are considering this amp, I'd suggest to click the buy button now and have some fun!

I finally understand the meaning of "pedal platform amp" fully. I've had a Hot Rod Deluxe III, Bassbreaker 45, and Blues Junior IV in the last few years, two of which I still own. Those amps are great for what they do, but the Blues Junior was always missing the low end response, while the other two have such high headroom that my overdrives always sounded inorganic to my ears. The "custom" channel on this thing is awesome. I run a Boss Angry Driver in the J/B toggle mode into a JRAD Archer for boost into this thing, and the tones could not be more heavenly. I finally understand why these modern reissues are so much more expensive than the others. The thing is beautiful, easy on the back, and delivers in every way.

Took it out of the box and went to a gig with it. Sounded great and very simple to dial in tones. It was nice to get away from the more elaborate setting of my last amplifier and much easier to see the settings on stage. It would be cool to have an indicator light for when your reverb or tremolo is on. Maybe I'm missing something with the light indicator. It seems obvious this amp should have one.

I was in the market for a year for an amp that was (broad adjective) versatile. Over the last two weeks, I recorded at earth rumbling volume, practiced with pure tone, and worked on songs with someone playing an ACOUSTIC bass...but I almost took it back before all this. For me, if someone didn't show me to use a patch cable between the custom and vintage channel I wouldn't be writing this...This might be a MAJOR flaw in this 4.5 star review. I literally almost put it on reverb. Go use one of your pedal cables to patch the channels though and you'll have the amp you bought. It's definitely poor form on Fender though that without it, this $1,000 amp sounds uncontrollable and bassy even with all treble engaged.

I play gigs with a Mesa Express Plus 5:25, which is a phenomenal amp in a lot of ways. The only thing it doesn't give me is that old school traditional Fender sound, so I bought the Custom Deluxe.
We play mainly 60s-70s pop, classic rock, r&b, and blues, and this amp gives me access to all those great sounds from the classic years. It has that snappy Fendery brightness and chime without the ice picks. I think the stock speaker is great with this amp, and don't see any reason to swap it unless I just get curious.
My main guitar has two lower output humbuckers and one single coil, and they all sound really good with just a tweak of a tone or volume knob.
I only use a few basic pedals: Compressor, boost, drives, delay, and this amp takes them all very well. It loves any drive pedal with a bit of mid boost. A TS variant sounds great.
Volume range is great for the small gigs I play at bars. It begins to break up at 4 or 5 on the volume but still retains clarity, and to me only sounds better as the volume gets higher. I just back off a bit on the bass and lower the gain settings on my drive pedals and its beautiful.
As others have mentioned, there is an audible hiss that gets louder as you turn the amp up, which is the only reason it gets 4.5 stars. It may bother some that its not a totally silent running amp. I think a bit of hiss normal for these and Deluxe Reverbs because I played two others locally and they both did the same thing. Playing live it doesn't bother me at all.
For a player who likes using pedals, and loves the classic Fender sounds, this is a great amp to consider. One way that I use it is with an ABY box to switch between the custom and vintage side or both, which only makes it more versatile. You can use one as a great rhythm sound and one turned up for more drive but not a hugely different character. Sweet.
Others have mentioned that some drive pedals sound fizzy. That may be true of some but mine sound great. I use a Keeley Red Dirt, a Jetter GS124, or a Keeley Phat Mod. They all fit this amp really well. Also, I don't know about other fuzzes but an EQD Hoof is epic. Totally happy with a huge range of gain flavors that sound so good through this amp. I haven't really tried any super high gain stuff.
I'm really pleased with the stock tones too. The character plugged straight in is totally Fender and it can cop the sounds of roughly two billion recordings. I can't speak to the reliability yet but hope it has no issues because I really love it.
One final note: This amp is very responsive and dynamic. Everything you play will be heard, and I mean everything, which to me is an awesome thing and makes me a better player, but may initially annoy some. Not much forgiveness in this amp, but thats what practice is for.

I have had this amp for a few months now and this is what I have experienced. First, the amp had an annoying hum coming from the reverb. Fixed this by simply rotating the reverb tank 180* in the back of the amp. Not sure why this works, or why Fender had or has this issue. Just glad I found a solution. Also, was not 100% happy with the tone coming from it. The V Type ceramic speaker is not bad, but it sounds a little flat or low fidelity. Decided to try a Jensen Vintage P12R8 Alnico speaker. Big improvement to my ears. Now it sounds like a crystal clear Fender Amp. Alnicos at lower volumes by themselves just sound so much more musical than ceramics in my opinion. If you have bought one of these amps and are unsatisfied with the tone, try an Alnico speaker, you might be surprised. Lastly, the Amp does sound Vintage, especially without a Mid Range control. You ears can get used to it, but once you put an EQ in the tone chain, it becomes very noticeable how Vintage this sounds without a midrange tone control. By being able to pull the mids out a bit with an EQ, the sound becomes a little more even and full. This is of course on its own at bedroom volumes, not on a stage with background sound where you would need a midrange hump to blend in better in loud live performance. So, not a perfect amp, but a amp with a lot of potential if you are willing to work with it. Biggest strength is the fullness of the clean sound. Every electric guitarist should own at least one Deluxe Reverb amp in their life. Vibrato and Reverb are excellent of course. Just kind of a low fidelity stock ceramic speaker IMHO.

I bought a demo model from Sweetwater so I expected wear. There was no damage found on the amp at all. I did notice it had a loud noise when turned up - not a crackle but something odd. I found that when I lightly tapped one output tube it crackled loudly. At first I purchased new Output tubes. After I installed them the sound went away. Just for fun, I put the original output tubes back in and it too went away. It seems that one of the output tubes just needed to be re-seated. I also swapped some of the pre-amp tubes.

I am still trying various pre-amp tubs out. Right now I have a vintage Mullard in the V1 for the vintage channel and a re-issue Mullard in the V2 for the custom channel. I'm still testing them out so I don't want to review them right now. I will say if you want to slightly change the sound of either channel then you should try swapping out some pre-amp tubes. I think a Tungsol 12ax7 in the vintage may be a winner as it just might darken the sound just a bit. Perhaps I should put the vintage Mullard in the V2 custom to slightly brighten it up.

This thing is awesome! I bought it after comparing it to the 65 Deluxe Reissue. The main selling point for me was the Vintage channel. I have waited years for the opportunity to buy a new Fender deluxe that shimmers like this. So far Ive gigged with it 3 times and evey gig Ive had folks comment on how great my tone is. The only reason I didnt give 5 stars is because the reverb tube was bad and I had to replace it but Matt Emick sent me a new one. As usual, great service from Sweetwater! I use a little compression and a Timmy overdrive as a dirty/boost for leads and it wails the way you would expect it to. Something magical happens when you get it turned up to around 5-6. That is the sound Ive been hearing in my head and waiting for all my life. Thanks to Fender for building it and to Sweetwater for awesome sales/service!

I've been playing professionally...making money at this since '72. My first "good" amp was a 73 Twin Reverb with the new master volume. I've had 'em all, Peavey (still have a couple of those), Gallien Krueger which I use for my solo or small band shows thru the PA. I've also had Sound City, Music Man, the 65w 210, Ampeg, i even have a Marshall combo....BUT to really get "that" tone you gotta have "that" amp, meaning a Fender, you can't fool Mother Nature. I've been working with the band I'm in for 7 years now, trad country, but I also play a lot of other stuff, wanted something versatile. I wanted the tone and be able to carry it easily. Played the Custom Deluxe at a steel show in Wi. Rapids.....blown away. I just bought mine early July '16, it arrived the day I had a show in Wi. Dells. Absolutely the same round full tone I wanted from my guitars. I play Teles but I don't do the "thin tone" I like a more jazzy sound, I play a friend's '71 ES-340 Gibson, too. This amp is it. My only complaint if it is one, is when you get it warmed up it will crunch out, but in a good way. This is in left (Bassman) channel, at 4.

I've been playing guitar for nearly 40 years. Not professionally, but playing routinely. I have owned many amps, including various Fenders, and must say this is the best. Very happy with the two different channels and am always surprised by the difference I get from each, with the various guitars I pay. I have read about many folks complaining about the feedback from the reverb. I had the same issue so I took it to an amp tech who put it up on his bench and tested it thoroughly. Interestingly the problem would not happen while in his shop. So when I brought it home and fired it up, I was not happy to hear the problem returned. After careful examination it occurred to me the problem was not the amp, but that it was the floor (concrete) it was sitting on. Once I put a small piece of foam between it and the floor, PROBLEM SOLVED. I now live in a different place, with the same concrete floor below the carpeting. I put the foam in place and once again the feedback problem is gone. If you are experiencing this issue, try the foam. It works.

I played this amp while trying out a new American Strat at Sam Ash last fall. The sound was amazing! I bought the strat that day and had been considering buying a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe III for quite some time. The Hot Rod has multiple drive selections , 40 watts of power and sweet reverb. However, the tone of this amp is richer. It has THE FENDER SOUND, even better than the 65. The 65 is great also but you should play them side by side to hear the difference yourself. Now for the bad experience; I purchased this from Sweetwater because they had better payment options. The first amp I received was extremely noisy (loud hissing even with the volume turned to 0), also a very loud hum when the reverb was engaged. I had read reviews from all of the music retailers' sites about similar and other quality issues with this amp. Anyway, I rolled the dice. Sweetwater was happy to provide me with a replacement. After all they didn't make the amp. So I took it upon myself to drive from Bloomington Indiana to Terre Haute , a 2 1/2 hour drive each way. I picked up the amp and drove home, excited to play through and enjoy my new purchase. Upon opening the box it was apparent that the amp had been repacked, having different packing materials, an obviously used footswitch and a light covering of dust. So, they shipped me another amp. This one was factory new with no signs of use and so on. I was excited again! Then I plugged in the amp and was happy to find there was no surprising noise or other problems, until I turned on the reverb, NOTHING! I first swapped tubes , NOTHING! Then I decided to make sure the rca connector to reverb tub was properly connected. Removing the reverb unit I heard rattling and opened the unit. The springs were rolling around inside not even connected. So then I swapped the unit with the one from amp #2. Turning it on there was a loud squeal. Determined to not have to wait for yet another amp I sought the next possible problem might be the rca connector cable, so I swapped the cable from amp #2. Voila! Now I finally had a working amp. I am a HUGE Fender fan. I have owned 2 other Fender amps and never had a problem. I have owned 9 different fender guitars. Even though a Fender rep contacted me and heard my story, I cannot understand how Fender can let so many pieces of shiit roll out of any factory. Absolutely unbelievable. I hope that Rick Hines ( Fender Amp Product Specialist ) and Fender Corporation understand what their lack of quality control and greed has done to harm their reputation. Consumers buy most of your products, not Famous Musicians. They deserve quality the first time not the third or fourth or fifth. I wont tell anyone how much I love this amp without telling them the horror story as well. Also, when I bought this amp it was $1000, now it's going for $1049. Why the price increase with questionable quality? GREED! The 65 vintage reissue is still $1099, and it's made in America not Mexico. I had no problem with buying my amp because it was made in Mexico. I had hoped that I would receive a quality product from a reputable brand that I once had confidence in.

I have been waiting for a few weeks to finally get my hands on this amp. I was debating between the '65 RI and this one. I went with the '68. It finally showed up on my doorstep Sat morning. I have owned a lot of amps, a couple fenders, custom shop pieces, matchless, etc. This is a solid piece of equipment. A couple of the issues first off, there is a loud pop that occurs when the stand by switch is engaged. Nothing terrible but noticeable definitely. After some research, it seems that this is normal, annoying but normal. I think I might bring the amp to my tech and see if there isn't a fix. Here's the second issue, after the amp warms up, there is a decent amount of background noise/hiss present. The good news is that once you start playing, it's non existent or at least not as noticeable. The custom channel was a bit muddy for me and a little too dark. The vintage was a much better fit. I haven't had the opportunity to really crank the amp up but at low levels, it sounds great. I really like the simple design, not too much to mess up. I'm running a keeley modded TS9 for distortion and it sounds great with 2 different les pauls. I play blues type stuff, Mule, Allmans, Crowes, etc. I'm thinking about buying a THD Hotplate to see how this sounds when cranked up. Overall, a great piece of equipment with a couple minor flaws. A good buy in my opinion.

Fender did a good job designing the sound of this amp. When it's working properly, it really does sound fantastic. But...they commonly have problems caused by bad solder joints as mine did. The capacitors and other components are low quality. You may also have a problem with the reverb not working. Also, many have come from the factory with the reverb tank mounted backwards, causing extra noise. There is also extra hiss because of the increased negative feedback that is designed into the amp that is supposed to lower the headroom. But mine doesn't break up at all and others have reported the same. These are CIRCUIT BOARD amps. These amps are reportedly built in China. Although I buy frequently buy from Sweetwater, I did not buy my amp from them. But I think potential buyers should be aware of the common problems with this amp.

Tried three new one and all are very noisy with white noise and low hum. Pilot lamp not working or shorting out on one.
Not really sure if having reverb and tremolo on both channels is necessary for me anyway and probably adds xtra noise because of.
I would rather have the 65 blackface with a Celestion V12 Neo .

Really requires a dark sounding guitar, unless you want your ears to bleed with overdrive. good clean, but would sound better with an alnico speaker. too too bright for my '66 strat w/ maple neck. drive pedals sound a little fizzy, even with the tone rolled. the high wattage ceramic speaker is too efficient, making for ear splitting highs. if you have a bright guitar with this amp, your band will stop telling you where the gig is. '65 DRRI is much sweeter, especially the sweetwater limited edition with the alnico speaker

I have mixed feelings about this amp. It has a great clean tone, and takes pedals ok, however I ended up returning two for the same issue. The spring reverb is a big reason I got this amp in the first place, however anytime the reverb was up past 4 or 5 there would be a slow swelling of feedback that would eventually build so loud that the only way to stop it was to turn the reverb all the way down. It even did this with the amp's volume all the way down. Once the reverb was turned up, the feedback swell began. Sweetwater was very nice about sending a replacement; however, the replacement had the exact same issue. I've since seen that it's a common problem for this amp. It's a shame, too, because the specs and circuit on these amps are great, but the build quality just isn't there. After I returned the second one I got a Mesa Express 5:50 and have zero complaints.

I thought this would be the amp for me, and I was wrong. Less than two years later and on the 3rd set of power tubes I am disappointed. Sounds decent when new tubes are in but gradually gets louder in the hiss and standby. I do not play out or keep amp on for very long in my home studio. Even Sweetwater says that power tubes should last much longer. ...your money would be better spent elsewhere. Sent back to Sweetwater twice and only issue they said was tubes. I have since bought another amp and discovered what I was missing. What a major disappointment!

this is a piece of junk, wish I had never bought it. too much treble even with bass cranked up. pop pop pop when turned on or off speed is as fast on 1 as my twin is on 7 or 8 and if I try to play an acoustic electric through it forget it. massive feed back with a 20 foot cord. all I can tell you as fpr me it is a junk amp and when I hook m peddle steel to it the amp is pure crap

Had one for 3 weeks then it started hissing and crackling even when nothing was plugged in. Returned it, got a replacement and it crackled when played thru right out of the box. Returned it for a full refund.

I actually went through three of these amps: all had to be returned for the following reasons - too much background hum/noise, large crack inside cabinet, and radio/like buzzing when bringing the volume up past 5. I want to love this amp - the tone is very, very good. However, due to QC problems I don't recommend it. I suggest looking at one of Fender's made in the USA amp offerings.

Way too noisy and I just couldn't keep it. I do know that this takes pedals well but there must be quality control problems with fender. At any rate, go with hand wired and boutique amps. Don't make the mistake I did. Fender IMHO is passé though 40 years ago they were great but now I question the company. Too bad.....