Fender 65 Deluxe vs Fender 68 Custom Deluxe Reverb Review
Fender 65 Deluxe vs Fender 68 Custom Deluxe Reverb Review
I am the proud new owner of a brand spanking new Fender ’68 Deluxe Reverb amplifier. These new silver-face amps are quite different to the regular ’65 Deluxe Reverb and not only in cosmetics but design too. They do both feature the same size cabinet, power rating and selection of tubes, but that’s where it ends. If you’re a fan of the ’65 deluxe but you wished it broke up earlier or had a little more character, then the ’68 Deluxe Reverb is a perfect choice.
The main differences between them both are:
- The ’68 Deluxe has a Bassman tone-stack on the custom channel which totally kicks ass and has a fuller and warmer sound in the mids
- The ’68 has a Celestion G12V70 speaker while the ’65 has a Jesnsen C-12k speaker
- The ’68 breaks up quite a bit earlier
- The ’68 also shares the reverb and tremolo on both channels which is awesome
- The ’68 Deluxe’s reverb sound is not quite as washy as the ’65
- The ’65 stays cleaner longer
- The ’65 is a smoother sort of sound
- The ’68 has more of a raunchy tone
- The ’68 is made in Mexico while the ’65 is made in the USA
- The build quality is awesome on both
- Both totally rock and have their own unique sound
- The taper on the volume is different. I found the ’65 get’s louder faster early on.
This video below shows the difference between the two mic’d up with Rode M3 microphones at the same audible volume in the room.
All in all both amplifiers are awesome and it all comes down to personal choice. I love both of them for different reasons but for me the 68 has more of the sort of Blues tone I really love when it starts to compress and overdrive and it does it at a less ear bleeding level which suits the pub/club gigs I do with my band.
If you have any questions just let me know.
I returned two 68 custom deluxe reverbs before I found a keeper. The first amps had hiss and various noise problems. I persisted because the 68 deluxe Reverb may be the best all round Fender amp I have ever played. I own and have owned lots of vintage Fender amps but was blown away by the 68. I like the 65 Deluxe but felt it was a bit flat sounding without modifications. You won’t find yourself rolling off the bass to keep the 68 Deluxe from crapping out at high volume. Sure, the old amps had the crystal clear sound quality and the tweeds had the vintage lo-fi mojo but the 68 Deluxe can do it all. The 68 does it all at a volume that won’t constantly force you use to use dirt pedals. The Bassman voiced channel really does make this a swiss army knife amp and it does love pedals. I won’t get into the PCB vs point to point debate because a new PTP 68 deluxe would cost $3000 and no working musician could afford one. I live in Canada and vintage Fender amps are uber expensive and most need at least a few hundred dollars work to run reliably. We mostly had Traynor and Garnet amps back in the day. Maybe these new amps won’t last like the old ones but when you play the 68 Deluxe at your next gig you’ll have a hard time getting the smile off your face. I’d also buy a 68 Vibrolux or a 68 Princeton in a heart beat if some spare cash comes my way.
Thanks for this comment, this is helpful. I just got my ’68 custom in two days ago, and without a doubt, a genuinely distinctive touch and sound jumped out at from the moment I turned it on and played. So responsive, so FUN to plan. The kind of sound that inspires playing, writing, and calling your buddies to say, “you gotta come over and hear this.” … That said, when I turn it on with guitar and amp volume on zero, there’s huge HUM. Big time. If anyone’s reading this and they experienced that hum and then returned the amp and eventually found a ’68 custom that did NOT have that hum, I’d really appreciate hearing about it. I’ve got about 25 days left in my 30 day range to return it. The tubes all have metal casings protecting them – I may go in and make sure they’re all tight, but something tells me the hiss is beyond tube seatings. Any thoughts out there?