Fender Deluxe Reverb — Gear Deep Dive — Trey Anastasio Rig Documentation

Overview

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The Deluxe Reverb was extensively modified by Vermont-based amp technician Bill Carruth, working in collaboration with amp tech Brian Brown. The two worked closely with Trey to dial in the specific modifications needed to make the combo amp work the way he wanted — a collaborative process that shaped the amp into one of the most distinctive-sounding Deluxe Reverbs ever built.

A stock blackface Deluxe Reverb is already a celebrated-sounding amp, but it has limitations for a player like Trey: both channels share circuitry in ways that tie their characters together, the voicing is optimized for a particular mid-scooped Fender clean, and the controls are relatively limited. The goal of the modifications was to give the amp more independent channel character, more midrange presence and touch sensitivity, greater harmonic complexity, and better stability at volume — transforming it from a great vintage combo into a purpose-built instrument for Trey's specific sound.

First public appearance Phish debuted "Farmhouse" on Conan O'Brien on November 7, 1997. Trey appeared with the modified Fender Deluxe Reverb combo amp — the first public appearance of what would become his primary amp for the Fall Tour. Six days later on 11/13/97 it became his primary amp at the first Fall Tour show.

Phish on Conan O'Brien — 11/7/97 — Farmhouse debut

Modifications

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Channel separation cathode resistor/cap split

Stock: both channels share a single 820Ω cathode resistor and 25mF cap on the second preamp stage. Modified: split into independent 1.5K/25mF per channel. Raising the cathode resistor from 820Ω to 1.5K reduces the gain of the second stage slightly but increases the cathode voltage, making the stage run differently — and crucially, changes to one channel no longer affect the other. The result is two genuinely independent voices with more clarity and less crosstalk between channels. This is the foundation that makes the rest of the modifications meaningful.
Normal channel coupling cap .047µF → .02µF

Stock: .047µF coupling cap passes a wide low-frequency range into the tone stack. Modified: .02µF Sprague Atom Orange Drop. The smaller cap value rolls off more bass before the tone controls, tightening the low end of the Normal channel and reducing low-frequency muddiness at volume. This gives the Normal channel a more focused, punchy character — less "woolly" in the low mids, more articulate. Essential for cutting through a live band mix without sounding boomy.
Normal channel bass & mid caps replaced with .02µF Orange Drops

Stock: original Fender capacitors set the tonestack voicing toward the classic mid-scooped Fender sound. Modified: .02µF Sprague Atom Orange Drops in Normal channel only — Vibrato channel retains original caps. The Orange Drop values shift the tonestack's center frequency and interaction, giving the Normal channel a more forward midrange character and more control range. The Vibrato channel is left stock here, preserving its original voicing as a contrast — the two channels now have genuinely different tonal personalities, not just gain differences.
Treble caps — MICA types 270pF Silver MICA ×2 (Normal), 270pF Simplex MICA (Vibrato)

Stock: standard ceramic disc or film caps. Modified: MICA caps in both channels — the "older" Fender tweed-era component type. MICA capacitors have a different dielectric character than modern film caps — they're highly stable, lower in loss, and have a slightly different high-frequency presentation. Using them for the treble caps moves the high-end character of both channels toward the earlier tweed Fender sound: smoother, less harsh, with a more complex harmonic content in the upper register. Two Russian Silver MICAs in the Normal channel vs one Simplex in the Vibrato gives each channel a slightly different treble character.
Filter & phase inverter caps Sprague Atoms throughout; Mallory/Ajax in PI

Stock: aging electrolytic filter caps that drift over time, affecting dynamics and feel. Modified: all filter caps replaced with Sprague Atom electrolytics at correct values; phase inverter fitted with original Mallory/Ajax blue molded .1mfd 400V film caps. Fresh, correctly-valued filter caps tighten the power supply and restore dynamic response — the amp reacts more immediately to pick attack. The Mallory/Ajax caps in the phase inverter are vintage NOS components with a specific sonic character, contributing to harmonic texture in the way the amp moves between clean and slightly pushed tones.
All resistors — carbon comp NOS Allen Bradley throughout

Stock: modern metal film resistors, which are precise and quiet but tonally "neutral." Modified: all resistors replaced with NOS Allen Bradley carbon composition units. Carbon comp resistors generate a small amount of thermal noise and have a slightly non-linear behavior under signal that many amp techs and players associate with a warmer, more "alive" character compared to metal film. They also tend to compress very slightly differently under dynamic playing. Replacing every resistor in the amp with matched NOS Allen Bradleys is a significant undertaking — this is a whole-amp tonal shift, not a targeted tweak.
Feedback resistor 820Ω → 12K

Stock: 820Ω feedback resistor applies significant negative feedback from the output transformer back into the phase inverter, tightening the amp and reducing harmonic distortion. Modified: raised to 12K. Dramatically reducing the amount of negative feedback fundamentally changes the amp's character — less feedback means more open, less damped, more harmonically complex behavior. The amp becomes more touch-sensitive, with a more complex breakup when pushed and a more three-dimensional clean tone. The output section feels "looser" in a musical way — more like a tweedy, organic amp and less like a tightly controlled hi-fi.
Additional phase inverter resistor second 220K added in parallel = 110K

Stock: single 220K resistor before the phase inverter. Modified: second 220K added in parallel, net value 110K. This affects the bias balance of the long-tailed pair phase inverter, changing how the amp moves into overdrive and how symmetrical the clipping is. At lower values the inverter's balance shifts slightly, altering the harmonic content of the amp's drive character — contributing to a more complex, less "perfect" overdrive texture that many players find more musical.
Normal channel slope resistor 100K → 56K

Stock: 100K slope resistor in the Normal channel tonestack determines the interaction between bass and treble controls and shapes the overall sensitivity of the tonestack to the input signal. Modified: 56K in the Normal channel. The lower value changes the loading on the tonestack, shifting its frequency response and making the controls interact differently — generally pulling more midrange presence into the channel and altering where the frequency curves peak and dip. Further differentiates the Normal and Vibrato channels.
Reverb tank cap removed 10pF cap across 3.3M reverb resistor

Stock: a small 10pF capacitor wired in parallel with the 3.3M reverb send resistor filters some high frequencies from the reverb signal. Modified: removed. Removing this cap allows more high-frequency content to pass through the reverb circuit, giving the reverb a slightly brighter, more open character — it trails off with more sparkle and air rather than the slightly darker stock sound.
Bright cap removed

Stock: a small capacitor bridges the volume pot on each channel, adding treble boost at lower volume settings (the "bright" effect that disappears as the pot is turned up). Modified: removed. Without the bright cap, the tonal character is more consistent across the volume range — no added harshness at lower volumes. For a player running the amp at higher settings into a PA, this makes the response more predictable and the tone more uniform.
Vibrato circuit disconnected

Stock: the Vibrato channel's tremolo/vibrato circuit is active and draws current from the power supply even when not engaged, adding some noise and loading the supply slightly. Modified: vibrato circuit disconnected by desoldering one wire at the intensity knob. Sonically equivalent to removing the vibrato entirely — the channel becomes cleaner and quieter, the power supply is less loaded, and the Vibrato channel is now available as a clean second channel with no oscillator interference.
Both channels carry reverb, in phase

Stock: reverb is only present on the Vibrato channel in a standard Deluxe Reverb. Modified: both channels revoiced to carry reverb and run in phase. This makes the amp more flexible as a two-channel instrument and ensures that Trey's reverb-dependent sound is available regardless of which channel is active. Running both channels in phase also affects how they interact sonically when blended.
Midrange pots — both channels 25K (Normal), 10K (Vibrato) via Input 2 jacks

Stock: no midrange control — the Deluxe Reverb tonestack has only bass and treble. Modified: dedicated midrange potentiometers installed via the Input 2 jacks — 25K on Normal, 10K on Vibrato. Adding a midrange control to a Fender tonestack transforms the amp's flexibility. The different pot values on each channel give each a different midrange sensitivity and range — the Normal channel's 25K sweeps a broader midrange, the Vibrato's 10K is more focused. This is arguably the most practically significant modification for a live player: the ability to cut or boost mids independently on each channel is a tool the stock amp simply doesn't have.
Power tubes — hot bias NOS RCA 6V6GTA clear glass, 30mA per tube

Stock: 6V6 tubes biased conservatively for longevity. Modified: NOS RCA 6V6GTA clear glass tubes, biased hot at 30mA per tube. Running the output tubes hotter increases their quiescent current, pushing them closer to Class A operation. The result is more harmonic richness in the clean tone and a more gradual, musical transition into overdrive — the amp compresses more naturally and sounds "fuller" at moderate volumes. Clear glass RCA 6V6GTAs are specified because they tolerate the hotter biasing better than grey glass variants. Bear Claw retainers on the sockets keep the tubes locked in place under vibration.
Preamp tubes 12AT7 at V9; 12AT7s (CV4024) at V4, V7

Stock: all preamp positions run 12AX7 (gain factor ~100). Modified: V9 (first position) replaced with NOS Mullard 12AT7/ECC81 (gain factor ~60); V4 and V7 run British Military CV4024 (a 12AT7 in military spec). Substituting lower-gain 12AT7s in key positions reduces the overall preamp gain and changes the character of the clipping — 12AT7s distort differently than 12AX7s, with a different harmonic signature. The result is an amp that is less aggressive in breakup, cleaner at moderate volume, and more touch-responsive. The Mullard NOS tubes bring their own sonic character to the equation — widely regarded as among the finest-sounding small-signal tubes ever made.

The sum of the parts Taken together, these modifications move the amp decisively away from the stock blackface voicing — which is designed around a scooped-mid Fender clean with a defined tonal character — toward something more open, more touch-sensitive, more harmonically complex, and more controllable. The independent channel voicing, midrange controls, reduced negative feedback, carbon comp resistors, and MICA treble caps all push in the same direction: an amp that responds to how hard you play, gives you more harmonic texture at all volumes, and offers significantly more tonal flexibility than the original design. For Trey's purposes — playing clean to lightly broken up with a very specific midrange presence and reverb character through a PA system — it's a purpose-built instrument rather than a modified vintage amp.

Visual identifier — the mid knobs From the outside, Trey's modified Deluxe Reverb looks stock. The only external tell is the pair of knobs occupying the two Input 2 jacks on the front panel — one per channel — which are the added midrange potentiometers. On a stock Deluxe Reverb those jacks are open. On this amp they're filled with pots, giving each channel a dedicated mid control that the original circuit entirely lacks.

Speaker History

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The specific speaker loaded in Trey's Deluxe Reverb at any given point across the 1997–2000 period is not fully documented — it changed multiple times and the exact dates of each swap are not confirmed. What is known is a sequence of speakers used across this era, painting a picture of an ongoing search for the right driver to match the modified circuit.

Original Utah speaker

The amp's stock speaker — a Utah, the original driver installed in the blackface Deluxe Reverb from the factory. The Utah would have been the starting point before any speaker swaps were made. Known for a relatively bright, mid-forward character typical of the era.
Alnico Blue speakers

At some point Trey moved to Alnico Blue speakers — the classic British driver associated with early Vox AC30s and regarded as one of the most musical and touch-sensitive guitar speakers ever made. He had Alnico Blues loaded in both his primary and backup Deluxe Reverbs. Over time he blew both speakers — not uncommon with Alnico Blues, which have a lower power handling rating and can be pushed to failure when an amp is run hard, particularly with the hot-biased output stage of this modified circuit.
Weber speakers

Following the blown Alnico Blues, Trey moved to Weber speakers — specifically units designed to replicate the character of the Alnico Blue. Weber's Blue Dog and similar models are built to capture the Alnico Blue's warmth, compression, and harmonic complexity while offering better reliability and power handling. A practical solution that kept the tonal direction of the Alnico Blue without the fragility.
Celestion Vintage 30 by ~2000

By around 2000, Trey had most likely settled on a Celestion Vintage 30 in the Deluxe Reverbs — the same speaker already loaded in his Languedoc 2×12 cabinets throughout the 1990s. The V30 offers a very different character from the Alnico Blue: more midrange presence, higher power handling, and a more aggressive, scooped-mid voicing. In a modified Deluxe Reverb with reduced negative feedback and independent channel voicing, the V30 would emphasize the amp's already-forward midrange character. Exact timing of this transition not confirmed.

Speaker — open research The precise sequence and dates of speaker changes across the 1997–2000 period have not been fully confirmed. The above reflects the known speakers used across this era in approximate order, but the exact show or tour at which each swap occurred is an open research question.

Miking

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Microphone technique Through the Languedoc 2×12 cabinet period, each cabinet's top speaker was miked with a Sennheiser MD409. When Trey switched to the Fender Deluxe Reverb for the Fall Tour, Paul moved to a pair of AKG C414B-ULS condensers — one set about 6" from the amp, the other at 12" — panned hard left and right. As Languedoc put it: "This makes the guitar sound really wide."

In Use — Year by Year

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1997 · Debut

Fall Tour Introduction

Debuted on Conan O'Brien on 11/7/97. Became primary amp at first Fall Tour show on 11/13/97, replacing the CAE SE 3+ / Groove Tubes Dual 75 as signal carrier. The CAE rack remained on stage as backup and visual presence.

1998 · Full Year

Island Tour & Beyond

Continued as primary amp all year through the Island Tour, Summer, and Fall tours. The Languedoc custom cabinets were retired after the Island Tour in April — the Deluxe Reverb's single 12" speaker did all the work from that point.

1999 · Complex Rig

Primary Through the Era

Remained primary amp through an increasingly complex rig — the Yamaha AN1x synthesizer and second Boomerang ran their own independent path, but the Deluxe Reverb remained the core guitar amp.

2000 · Final Year

Through Shoreline — Three Units on Stage

By 2000, three Deluxe Reverbs were on stage: the primary guitar amp, a second active unit dedicated to driving the Leslie cabinet head, and a third as backup. The Leslie 925 was replaced by a full-size Leslie 122 in September 2000 — the second Deluxe Reverb drove it. All three were present through the final Phish 1.0 show at Shoreline Amphitheatre on October 7, 2000.