Nice
A quick and dirty run through my new 1976 Fender Deluxe Reverb with my 1979 Tokai strat and a few pedals. It's the end of the day so please excuse the talking and the playing. I love how the rig sounds. On the floor I have a Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive MOD, Wampler Tumnus and Mini Ego Compressor, MXR phase 90 and an MXR Carbon Copy delay
Nice.
I've been repairing guitars for about a decade now, been building/moding and servicing amps and pedals for a few years less. Working in a guitar repair shop is a lot like running an auto repair garage: after a while, you find that all of a sudden you own a ton of guitars and gear and you can't remember were half of them came from.
Over the years I've seen a LOT of popular pieces of gear and found that many of them are all hype, but on the other end I've come across of a lot of things that for one reason or another don't get the attention they deserve (the Sparkle Drive being one; with how ubiquitous the tube screamer is, especially the 808 circuit, you'd think one that allows you to blend in your clean tone with the driven one would appeal to more people).
Those old Greco,Burny, Tokai, Edwards copies are some of the best "sleepers" out there. This is especially true with the Gibson copies, in as much as the real ones can get absurdly expensive, with decades at a time being mediocre at best, and even current ones being very inconsistent. I've owned at least a half dozen Gibson Les Pauls, as well as a few ES models (currently have an ES345). IMO,the late 70s early 80's Les Paul copies are absolute gems. I've owned a couple (one I've had for 8 years, and all still have long after Gibsons have come and gone. Are they as good as a new Gibson? no, of course not, but they're pretty damn close. Without a doubt they're better built than the Gibsons from the 70s and early 80s though.
I actually just received an 81 Greco as payment for a bunch of work I did die someone (this is how they pile up). I was planning on shaving th neck down to the Gibson 30/60 profile, but have decided to do a whole project. The finish has been mostly removed (the back and neck are done, doing the top this week. The order for the nitro laquer has been placed (going to be a Copper Top with transparent black for the back and neck (thin skin, so it will have only a few coats of undercoat,with one extra of clear on the top, back is staying matte). Ordered a replacement stoptail and bridge that's machined, Wagner Crossroads for the neck pup, Darkburst for the bridge, 50's wiring, black plastic for th pick guard, selector switch,etc. Basically it's going to be a Duracell battery.
As for the Deluxe Reverb. Anyone who talks about wanting to learnhow to modify, repair or build amps, I tell to buy a DRRI. They're SO easy to work on (relatively speaking). Removing the chassis, bleeding the power from the filter caps takes longerthat many of the moDs themselves. It's the first amp I ever took a soldering iron to. They practically beg to be modified.
I've had enough of the new 68 Silverface Custom Deluxe Reverb come in for rattling and buzzing when the vol is up past 4 to recommend buying a used, USA built Blackface reissues and changing it over to custom deluxe specs. The 68 is a GREAT sounding amp, maybe the best they've made in 30 years, but the Mexican build can be. ... inconsistent.
Anyways, your rig is definitely one that someone can play for the rest of their lives, and never feel like they need something better.
