Fender '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb Guitar Amplifier
Small, light and moderately powered.
1968 was a transitional year for Fender amps with tone that was still pure Fender but a look that was brand new. With a silver-and-turquoise front panel and classy aluminum "drip edge" grille cloth trim, the... read more
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Reviews
Trusted musician and artist reviews for Fender '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb Guitar Amplifier
Based on 6 Reviews

Awesome tone but a couple of issues
First of all, I just bough this amp and have only had it for a few days, but right out of the box it sounds FUCKING FANTASTIC! You can just look at it the wrong way and it breaks up. The "classic" channel is nice and has that classic blackface Deluxe tone and is a bit cleaner and "Fendery" than the "custom" channel. But to me the real treat is the "custom" channel with the Bassman tone stack. It breaks up sooner and has a darker, angrier tone than the other channel. It is thick, creamy and just beautiful. I have a ton of dirt pedals, but why mess with perfection? If you're looking for clean headroom, look elsewhere. But at 22 watts,. it's perfect for what I do and just loud enough to play in practice settings with my band. However, I haven't tried it yet., but I don't suspect that it's loud enough to play clubs with and will require mic'ing. It doesn't channel switch, but I use a Morley ABY box to switch channels and also run both together with no phasing issues whatsoever.
A lot of people have complained that this amp is noisy and hissy, but mine is dead quiet. It was manufactured in August 2015, so maybe Fender has fixed this problem I do have a noise that is either tube or cabinet rattle that I haven't located yet, but it's probably not going to be an issue when playing with the band. Also, the reverb to me just isn't that classic Fender sound. It has a very long decay time and is basically unusable past a very minimal level. I'm just turning mine off and going with either the spring or plate verb from my Hall of Fame.
I still highly recommend this amp because the tone is so good that it outweighs the minor issue. If you are purchasing one I would make sure you try it first and make sure it doesn't have the noise issues others have had.

it should be plenty loud for club use, then again, a real deluxe reverb has a lot of headroom for its conservative 22 watt rating.... good review

and what you're describing is exactly what a vintage fender reverb does.... long pan with a long decay, sounds best low unless you are in a surf band.... only the outboard reverb from the 50s and 60s sounds different and that's because it has more controls and a different driver tube... I never understood why guys go nuts for the fender reverb amps, I've owned a few from the 60s, the reverb is overbearing compared to ampeg's reverb.... on the other hand the fender reverb seems to record really well, sounds completely different on tape... cheers!

Great observation about the reverb. Maybe a reverb tube change would improve the sound, but it's just not THAT spring sound. Sort of so-so
Just this morning I played it in a small room with a loud drummer friend, and it was plenty loud. Definitely loud enough to sit nicely over the drummer, but I worry about how well it would project in a decent-sized club with people in it.

Perfect and Portable
This was a HUGE step up from my Line 6 Spider IV . My good friend Mo hooked me up with a great deal on this amp. The clean tones alone on this amp are unbeatable, and really improved my sound as a whole.
edited over 2 years ago
Pure Fender tone with custom improvements
Lots of tone, manageable wattage, 2 tone stacks and reverb and vibro on both channels with separate volume. Ideal for jumped connections with differential equing on both channels.

Drippy twangy dipping sauce
When I plug my Jazzmaster into this, I weep at the beauty. My wife weeps at the beauty. My neighbors weep at the beauty. It is too beautiful.
Gretsch into this is pretty nice too.
My go to live and recording amp
Can't replace the wonderful tones form this amp, hits all of the right notes for my taste!
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Details
Description
Small, light and moderately powered.
1968 was a transitional year for Fender amps with tone that was still pure Fender but a look that was brand new. With a silver-and-turquoise front panel and classy aluminum "drip edge" grille cloth trim, the Deluxe Reverb received a fresh new face as it remained the ideal recording and performing amp. Small, light and moderately powered, it produced big tube tone, with world-class Fender reverb and vibrato effects. For countless guitarists ever since, the Deluxe Reverb has been the go-to amp for classic Fender sound.
The '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb Amp pays tribute to the classic look, sound and performance of Fender's late-'60s "silverface" amps. In a special twist, both channels boast reverb and tremolo, and the "custom" channel has a modified Bassman tone stack that gives modern players greater tonal flexibility with pedals. The amp also features quicker gain onset and reduced negative feedback for greater touch sensitivity. The '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb's single 12" Celestion G12V-70 speaker also delivers a more distinctively rock ˜n' roll flavor.
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.
Specifications
- 22 watts into 8 ohms of all-tube power
- Both channels with reverb and tremolo
- Custom channel with modified Bassman tone stack
- Quick gain onset and reduced negative feedback
edited 8 months ago
You will love the Bassman tone stack
Indeed when everybody likes this amp because it is pedal friendly, saturates the tone early and has some upgrades, you will love the Bassman tone stack for sure. Probably, I'm more used to the Vox AC15C1 grit; however, the Fender Custom Deluxe Reverb '68 can bring a sound contrast to compensate the EQ.
For a full potencial, you have to turn up the volume up to 3-5, getting a clean boost. The amp begins to overdrive until 6-7, and distort on 8-10.
From Gear Setup:
After one day using this amp, I've tried with some of my pedals. My fiesta recommend is to use an EP Booster to improve the smoothness provided by the mid push of this pedal, on the custom channel it will feel like a real Deluxe Reverb '65. For overdrive, the TubeScreamer ir anything alike is a good one to test. I've been pairing the Vox AC15C1 and this amp, and sometimes I can't notice any difference in sound, but for a good thing.
if you like the EP preamp sound then an xotic, or better yet a real echoplex, will always improve every amp LOL... if you don't like it (some crazy people don't) then it ruins everything. The deluxe and ac15 are a great pairing for gigs where you can get away with some volume.
Both amps plays really good, Jim! I have been trying to check many configurations (Vox or Fender as lead, on stereo with balanced volume and others). The Fender is not totally clean but it is compared to the Vox tone.
The only cons that I found is that if you want to play this setup as clean tones in a big scenario, you have to mic the amps.
The Vox maybe can still be clean until some point... thought.
Finally found a way to merge the sounds of these amps but in pedals terms. Say, you can put an overdrive pedal for the Vox and it sounds incredible good for your taste but maybe doesn't goes well at all with the other amp. So, the TS Mini has a good taste for both amps, but I need something more flexible on tap like the Fulltone FullDrive 2 Mosfet. On the next step, I was trying to make a setup with two chains, but that resulted in a more complex pedalboard with dynamics losing. Then, I put the plug in the Vintage Channel and voilá! This way the overdrive pedals paired well on both amps.
Just some hours ago, I had another session to test the setup. I ended figuring out that I like better the Vox with a little more volume, the Fender just a bit behind so in a strong strumming, the Fender pushes its mids with a volume at the same level like Vox.
This night I have tried a real Wet-Dry setup, using the Comp and drives pedals through the Vox AC15C1, for a dry setup. Then, I micked the amp using the Behringer UMD404HD and I sent that processed signal via 1/4" plug through the Echosystem and Hall of Fame 2, to finally reach the Fender Custom Deluxe Reverb '68... It's awesome!!! It's a whole different experience than splitting the signal with the Echosystem, which is a good and easy setup but a real Wet-Dry setup rocks! I would like to hear this as Wet-Dry-Wet. My thoughts about using a tube amp for wet is that when the tone is saturated, the amp brings warmness to the tone, sounding attenuated rather than rigid or "cold".
Some minutes ago, I turned out the beast up to Vol 10... Whoa... Fantastic! The Custom channel, with Bassman tone stack, does that "Bzzz" fuzzy sound that rock players will love. Recently, I'm more into the Fender CDR '68 than the Vox AC15C1, but definitely, I love both amps.
My guitar have been customized to magnetic induce less electrical current within the coil (I put off tje poles a little), so the guitar sounds more acoustic, and this amp can do vintage and modern music. The reverb, depending your guitar can work for any style, but depends the amount used for every one.
Turn it up to 6-7 on the amp, then turn down to 1-3 in your volume guitar pot, you will notice the dynamics of the amp at a low audible volume. Or you can do it on inverse for a classic sound.
Common FAQs for Vox AC15C1 (AC15C1 from here) and Fender CDR '68 (CDR68 from here).
1) The CDR68 has more volumen than the AC15C1. 2) Both amp overdrives on differently flavor. The AC15C1 is more metallic (listen to Kings of Leon's Black Thumbnail song) and the CDR68 more cristalline (on youtube search this demo https://youtu.be/7HWlGsNB_p4) 3) If you will pair both amps, try to get pedals that match for both amps, or you should think on split the signal for them. 4) It is more easy to do rhythms on the AC15C1 than the CDR68 (from what I have been played). 5) If you're into classic rock like ACDC, Led Zeppelin and so, probably you will want to get the CDR68, sometimes it gets into the Vox range. 6) The CDR68's custom channel does on mid range. And the vintage channel is mid-scoped. 7) Boost pedals on CDR68 is volumen boost, but an overdrive pusher for the AC15C1 (a really good thing). 8) The AC15C1 can go clean on loud volumes if you turn up the master and you keep low the Channel Volumen (Normal or Top Boost). Probably even on higher volumen than the CDR68, but lacks on bassy tones. 9) AC15C1's clean tones are 'thin' and the CDR68's are 'bold'. 10) Both amps do a good contrast in the mix.