Stratocaster-Henriksen-Barb-Eq-Deluxe Reverb-TEST

**Jazz_175** · 07-20-2015, 06:01 AM

Here is a short comparison test I did playing a 63 Custom Shop Stratocaster, neck pickup, tone control wide open through a Henriksen 112 and a Fender Deluxe Reverb.
Settings are as follows:

1) Strato -> Xotic RC -> Neunaber Wet reverb -> JazzAmp
2) Strato -> Xotic RC -> Neunaber Wet reverb -> Barb E.Q. -> JazzAmp
3) Strato -> Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue, Treble 3, Bass 5

Please leave comments, if you like:

**Klatu** · 07-20-2015, 08:36 AM

I listened to it a few times over for the playing. Very tasty.

As for the tone, I liked the first clip best, but all three were wonderful.

**dmorash** · 07-20-2015, 09:28 AM

Preferred the second clip. Great.

**SamBooka** · 07-20-2015, 10:11 AM

hard to say.. 2 and 3 are different beasts. I would say 2 BUT if I could fiddle with the DR knobs I would.

**Cunamara** · 07-20-2015, 10:21 AM

Perhaps knowing which was which in advance skewed me, but I preferred #1. I don't usually care for the deep mids cut of Fender amps. In order of preference I preferred 1, 2 then 3. The first two had a sort of liquid quality to the high end that I liked. The DR high end sounded a bit harsh (I think most people hear that as "sparkle" but to me it sounds a bit harsh).

**Jazz_175** · 07-20-2015, 11:37 AM

Originally Posted by Cunamara

Perhaps knowing which was which in advance skewed me, but I preferred #1. I don't usually care for the deep mids cut of Fender amps. In order of preference I preferred 1, 2 then 3. The first two had a sort of liquid quality to the high end that I liked. The DR high end sounded a bit harsh (I think most people hear that as "sparkle" but to me it sounds a bit harsh).

Yes, the warm and fat quality of the high B and E strings is lost when playing through a Deluxe Reverb.
In 2) you can hear which direction the tone is taking, because the Barb Eq was set in Blackface mode.
Chords sound clearer in 3)

BTW I used D'Andrea Pro Plecs 1.5 picks, dark sounding picks to my ears.

**monkmiles** · 07-20-2015, 12:07 PM

Seemed like the DRRI clip was at a lower recording level maybe to my ears, which made it sound a little thinner, which I don't think it would at the same level.

**feet** · 07-20-2015, 08:45 PM

i'd take three first, and either one or two second. they were different in way that doesn't matter much once you get into the playing. i'd love to give a barb-eq a shot. how are you using the rc booster? i have one that i use with the highs slightly cut and the lows slightly boosted for a more "jazz" sound on the fly. sounds alright, i guess, depending on the guitar. limits the amount of fiddling i have to do with the amp and guitar knobs.

**Headshot** · 07-21-2015, 12:03 AM

For me as a Strat player for jazz, I liked #1 most, but #3 could have been a little better with the Barb EQ used and tweaked.

**Jazz_175** · 07-21-2015, 01:26 AM

Originally Posted by hallpass

Seemed like the DRRI clip was at a lower recording level maybe to my ears, which made it sound a little thinner, which I don't think it would at the same level.

You might be right. I shouldn't have switched off the RC booster when going to the DRRI.
@feet: RC was set with no gain, treble and bass at noon. I just turned up the volume.

**LtKojak** · 07-21-2015, 01:43 AM

#1 ftw.

Hth,

**srs** · 07-21-2015, 08:49 PM

Was the Barb E.Q. set to blackface and cabled into front end of amp or effects loop?
What gauge string used on Strat?
Strat tremolo blocked or not?

QUOTE=Jazz_175;551164]Here is a short comparison test I did playing a 63 Custom Shop Stratocaster, neck pickup, tone control wide open through a Henriksen 112 and a Fender Deluxe Reverb.
Settings are as follows:

1) Strato -> Xotic RC -> Neunaber Wet reverb -> JazzAmp
2) Strato -> Xotic RC -> Neunaber Wet reverb -> Barb E.Q. -> JazzAmp
3) Strato -> Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue, Treble 3, Bass 5

Please leave comments, if you like:

[/QUOTE]

**mr. beaumont** · 07-21-2015, 09:34 PM

Liked the cleanliness of 3, but not the twang.

If you could clean up 1 or 2, they'd be downright perfect.

I like a little "hair" on the tone, but not when playing softly.

**feet** · 07-21-2015, 11:55 PM

listening again, i'd still say 3, 2, 1 for my tastes. the problem, as noted above is that with #3, you can tell you are playing a strat. so for your purposes, i'd say 2 is the best. i should not that i'm pleasantly surprised by the quality of tone in any case, given the strat in this context. its a fine instrument, otherwise.

**blues442** · 07-22-2015, 11:59 PM

stock pickups? nice sound

**Jazz_175** · 07-23-2015, 02:18 AM

Originally Posted by srs

Was the Barb E.Q. set to blackface and cabled into front end of amp or effects loop?
What gauge string used on Strat?
Strat tremolo blocked or not?

Yes, the Barb E.Q. was set to blackface mode into front end. The Deluxe Reverb does not have an effects loop.

String gauge is 10-46 (D'Addario)
Strat tremolo makes a small angle with the top, but is not completely blocked.
As for the pickups, according to the specifications I received at the moment of purchasing, they are handwound 69 Strat relic.

**srs** · 07-23-2015, 09:58 AM

Originally Posted by Jazz_175

Yes, the Barb E.Q. was set to blackface mode into front end. The Deluxe Reverb does not have an effects loop.

String gauge is 10-46 (D'Addario)
Strat tremolo makes a small angle with the top, but is not completely blocked.
As for the pickups, according to the specifications I received at the moment of purchasing, they are handwound 69 Strat relic.

I thought the point of your post was to A/B a solid state amp with a blackface eq pedal to a real Fender blackface amp. Are you saying the last sound clip is the Barb E.Q. into the front end of a Deluxe Reverb (Fender squared)?

**Jazz_175** · 07-23-2015, 10:25 AM

Originally Posted by srs

I thought the point of your post was to A/B a solid state amp with a blackface eq pedal to a real Fender blackface amp. Are you saying the last sound clip is the Barb E.Q. into the front end of a Deluxe Reverb (Fender squared)?

Sorry, I made a mistake.
Of course the Barb E.Q. was ON only with the Henriksen,
no Barb E.Q. with the Fender amp.

**Woody Sound** · 07-23-2015, 10:30 AM

2,3,1. With 1 being a distant 3rd.

**srs** · 07-23-2015, 11:39 AM

Originally Posted by Jazz_175

Sorry, I made a mistake.
Of course the Barb E.Q. was ON only with the Henriksen,
no Barb E.Q. with the Fender amp.

Thanks for posting your recording and answering questions. I've been looking for aural changes to warm up the tone when I plug my Strat into my Acoustic Image Clarus head. You've provided to my ears a possible solution.