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Fender Deluxe 5E3 vs Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue
Circuit differences, stage by stage, from Gridleak’s verified redraws of both schematics: 34 differences, 14 the same.
What’s different, and why it matters
Both run two 6V6GTs, and the likeness mostly ends there. The '65 Deluxe Reverb reissue uses fixed bias instead of cathode bias, a 5AR4 rectifier instead of a 5Y3GT, a long-tail-pair phase inverter with negative feedback instead of a cathodyne without it, and a treble/bass stack on each channel instead of one tone control, plus spring reverb and vibrato.
- Both use a tube rectifier, but different ones: 5Y3GT in the 5E3 Deluxe, 5AR4 in the '65 Deluxe Reverb RI.
- The 5E3 Deluxe puts up to two triode gain stages in series before the phase inverter; the '65 Deluxe Reverb RI, three. Each stage multiplies the signal, so the '65 Deluxe Reverb RI has more gain available before the power amp.
- The 5E3 Deluxe's output tubes are cathode-biased; the '65 Deluxe Reverb RI's are fixed-biased. Cathode bias lets the operating point shift as the tubes are driven harder, which compresses and softens the breakup; fixed bias holds it steady, for more headroom and a firmer response.
- Tone controls: single tone control on the 5E3 Deluxe, treble / bass stack with a slope resistor (fixed middle) on the '65 Deluxe Reverb RI.
- The '65 Deluxe Reverb RI uses negative feedback around the power amp and the 5E3 Deluxe uses none; no feedback means more gain, a rawer, more forward midrange and an earlier, looser breakup.
- Phase inverter: cathodyne (split load) in the 5E3 Deluxe, long-tail pair in the '65 Deluxe Reverb RI. A long-tail pair has gain of its own and a larger output swing to drive the power tubes; a cathodyne has no gain of its own and a smaller swing.
- Features one has and the other doesn't: reverb ('65 Deluxe Reverb RI only), vibrato/tremolo ('65 Deluxe Reverb RI only).
What they share: the same output tubes (2 × 6V6GT).
At a glance
| Fender Deluxe 5E3 | Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue |
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| Years | 1955–1960 | 1993–present |
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| Origin | USA | USA |
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| Rated power | 15 W | 22 W |
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| Channels | 2 | 2 |
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| Preamp tubes | 1 × 12AY7 + 1 × 12AX7 | 4 × 12AX7A + 2 × 12AT7 |
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| Power tubes | 2 × 6V6GT | 2 × 6V6GT |
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| Rectifier | Tube (5Y3GT) | Tube (5AR4) |
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| Phase inverter | Cathodyne (split load) | Long-tail pair |
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| Master volume | none | none |
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| Effects loop | no | no |
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| Reverb | no | yes (spring) |
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| Notable players | Neil Young | — |
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Stage by stage
Inputs and channels
| Fender Deluxe 5E3 | Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue |
|---|
| Inputs | 4 | 4 |
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| Channel switching | front panel only / none | front panel only / none |
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| Voicing / power switches | none | none |
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Preamp
| Fender Deluxe 5E3 | Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue |
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| Preamp tubes | 1 × 12AY7 + 1 × 12AX7 | 4 × 12AX7A + 2 × 12AT7 |
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| Triode gain stages (all channels) | 3 | 5 |
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| Most gain stages in series | 2 | 3 |
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| Gain stage 1 | 12AY7 · plate 100 kΩ · cathode 820 Ω, 25 µF bypass (shared) (×2: Instrument channel, Microphone channel) | 12AX7A · plate 100 kΩ · cathode 1.5 kΩ, 22 µF bypass (×2: Normal first stage, Vibrato first stage) |
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| Gain stage 2 | 12AX7 · plate 100 kΩ · cathode 1.5 kΩ, 25 µF bypass | 12AX7A · plate 100 kΩ · cathode 820 Ω, 22 µF bypass (shared) (×2: Normal second stage, Vibrato second stage) |
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| Gain stage 3 | — | 12AX7A · plate 100 kΩ · cathode 820 Ω, 22 µF bypass (shared) |
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| Cold-biased stage (clipper) | none | none |
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| Cathode follower | no | no |
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| Bright cap(s) | none | 47 pF |
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| Coupling caps (preamp) | 0.1 µF | 0.047 µF / 0.1 µF |
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| Diode clipping | no | no |
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Tone stack
| Fender Deluxe 5E3 | Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue |
|---|
| Type | Single tone control | Treble / bass stack with a slope resistor (fixed middle) |
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| Position | after gain stage 1, driven by a plate; 1 gain stage after it | after gain stage 1, driven by a plate; up to 2 gain stages after it (2 stacks, one per channel) |
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| Slope resistor | not on the drawing | 100 kΩ |
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| Treble cap | not on the drawing | 250 pF |
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| Bass cap | not on the drawing | 0.1 µF |
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| Middle cap | not on the drawing | 0.047 µF |
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| Pots | tone 1 MΩ | treble 250 kΩ · bass 250 kΩ · middle fixed 6.8 kΩ |
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| Master volume | none | none |
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Effects
| Fender Deluxe 5E3 | Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue |
|---|
| Effects loop | no | no |
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| Reverb | no | yes (spring) |
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| Tremolo / vibrato | no | yes (vibrato, as labelled) |
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Phase inverter
| Fender Deluxe 5E3 | Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue |
|---|
| Type | Cathodyne (split load) | Long-tail pair |
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| Tube | 12AX7 | 12AT7 |
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| Plate loads | 56 kΩ | 82 kΩ / 100 kΩ |
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| Tail / cathode load | 56 kΩ | 22 kΩ |
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| Cathode bias resistor | 1.5 kΩ | 470 Ω |
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| Input coupling cap | 0.02 µF | 0.001 µF |
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| Coupling to power tubes | 0.1 µF | 0.1 µF |
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Feedback
| Fender Deluxe 5E3 | Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue |
|---|
| Negative feedback | no | yes |
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| Feedback resistor | not on the drawing | 820 Ω |
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| Feedback taken from | not on the drawing | speaker output |
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| Presence | no | no |
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| Resonance / depth | no | no |
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Power amp
| Fender Deluxe 5E3 | Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue |
|---|
| Power tubes | 2 × 6V6GT | 2 × 6V6GT |
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| Configuration | Push-pull | Push-pull |
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| Bias | Cathode bias (250 Ω) | Fixed bias |
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| Screen resistors | none (screens straight from the supply) | 470 Ω |
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| Grid stoppers | 1.5 kΩ | 1.5 kΩ |
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Power supply
| Fender Deluxe 5E3 | Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue |
|---|
| Rectifier | Tube (5Y3GT) | Tube (5AR4) |
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| First filter (reservoir) | 16 µF | 220 µF + 47 µF in series |
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| Filter nodes, in order | 16 µF → 16 µF → 16 µF | 220 µF + 47 µF in series → 22 µF → 22 µF → 22 µF |
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| Filter choke | no | yes |
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| Highest DC voltage printed on the drawing | not printed | 396 V |
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| Printed bias voltage | not printed | -49 V |
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Presets and schematics
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