FDR-1 Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb Review

The second in the new Legend Series is the FDR-1, based on the Fender 1965-era Deluxe Reverb, a coveted tube amp known for its natural touch-responsive and distinctive snappy overdriven sound. In conjunction with Fender, BOSS designed this stompbox to recreate the legendary tone of the 1965 Fender Deluxe Reverb amp. Features include the same controls on the original Deluxe Reverb: Level, Gain, Treble, Bass, Vibrato and Reverb. The FDR-1 also functions perfectly as a “pre-gain pedal� placed before an already overdriven amp to add the tone character of the Deluxe Reverb.

Ease of Use:	7.5
Sound:	8.5
Reliability:	8.5
Impression:	8
Overall rating:	8.1
Users rating:	8.1
Comments:	25

overall: 7.5

Featured review by: UG Team, on march 23, 2007

Ease of Use: The Boss Fender Deluxe Reverb pedal is laid out pretty simply: Level and Gain on a concentric pot, Treble, Bass, then Vibrato and Reverb on another concentric pot. The Vibrato control is for depth only. The only way to control vibrato speed is with the Tap function: hold the foot switch down for 2 seconds to enter Tap mode, tap in the vibrato speed, then hold it down for two more seconds to lock in the speed. It adds some versatility to the pedal, but I found the programming cumbersome. You're talking about several seconds of playing with the footswitch to get your speed set. For stage use, I want to be able to do as much with only one tap of my foot as possible. I think I would have put a vibrato speed knob on another pot at the top of the unit with the others. // 7

Sound: Just like with my recent Boss Fender Bassman pedal review, I must state that Fender amps have never been a part of my setup. The Deluxe Reverb and Twin are the king for clean tones, but I am not a big fan of their distorted tones. With the Drive set pretty low, you've got the quintessential Fender tone: bright, crisp and clear, with just a bit of hair on it when you dig in. Turning the Gain knob up gets you into the Fender classic rock tone -- saturated, edgy and thin. I prefer a thicker, more Marshall/Bogner distorted tone, but Fender lovers will feel right at home. The vibrato, as mentioned before, was a bit difficult to use, but can do anything from a slow, subtle sweep to a chaotic stutter. The reverb was a pretty good approximation of spring reverb that sounded best when used sparingly. Any setting above 12 o'clock drowned the tone in a wash of ambience. // 7

Reliability & Durability: Boss effect pedals haven't changed much in 30 years or so, and with good reason -- they never break! Boss is smart enough to know a good thing when they have it, and their pedals are legendary for being able to take tons of abuse and keep working without a whimper. // 9

Impression: I don't think the FDR-1 is something I would incorporate into my Live setup, but it would be great to beef up a lackluster clean tone, or to Drive the front end of your tube amp harder. Even if you already have gobs of gain, hitting it with a bit harder signal will make it brighter and more responsive. It would also be useful in the studio for an instant clean tone without having to wheel out an 80+ pound amp. For blues and classic rock players looking for that classic Fender tone, Boss has come up with a clear winner. // 7

overall: 8.8

Reviewed by: leondb, on may 08, 2007

Price paid: $ 149

Purchased from: American Musical

Ease of Use: This is a pretty simple pedal to use. I looked briefly through the book on the ride home, but pedals don't really need instructions. I kept getting mixed up with which was volume/gain, and which was reverb/vibrato. I'd prefer extra knobs instead of knobs on top of each other. I don't have much use for vibrato, but adjusting the tap tempo wasn't too bad for me. // 8

Sound: I play it on a Line 6 Spider II amp. I don't use it on the Clean channel. I like how the Twang channel sounds with the gain off on the amp. This pedal sounds very nice! The gain is wonderful! I personally love playing the Cult and AC/DC with this pedal. It's amazing how it makes a solid state amp sound! But I haven't found a very big difference in sound when adjusting the bass and treble. The reverb sounds nice and usable at low levels. // 10

Reliability & Durability: I owned a Boss Metal Zone years back, and have mostly owned DigiTech pedals. I was surprised how light the FDR-1 is. It feels like plastic, compared to the metal casing of DigiTech pedals. I think it would last, but it just doesn't feel as sturdy as what I'm used to. // 8

Impression: I play a good combination of '70s, '80s, '90s, and current rock. This pedal is perfect for the classic rock tunes my band covers. Love Removal Machine, Wild Flower, Dirty Deeds, Rock and Roll, this pedal really shines! My other pedals are a DigiTech Grunge, and Hyper Phaser. I recently sold my DigiTech Screaming Blues, because it didn't have the sound I was looking for. I love the Overdrive this pedal can put out, and how it sounds, even through a solid state amp. The reverb is ok. It's better then the reverb built into my amp. Give this pedal a try! I've owned it for a few hours now, but I love it! // 9

Comments

[fastmguy]

personally i hated the pedal....but then again i hate fender amps so...

[chiliwillifreak]

I like these new fender emulating pedals. If i had a studio they would definately be around. Great for experimenting different tones through single amps. But i don't see the use of one for playing live.

[fenderstratboy2]

hmmm sounds interesting. they need a tremolux pedal too cuz i have a 63 tremolux and im afraid to play it.... but they pedals sound cool

[fcolbert]

Marshall sounds are so boring, hopefully this gets more kids into Fender tube amps

[Shib]

^^ sales men for fender (person above me)???

[Element182]

This pedal is for cleans. No one really plays Fenders for the Distortion anyway.I'm getting this for my Peavey Vlave King to add a little personality to the average clean channel on my amp.

[Spartan 117]

ill have to at leats try this.

[Zomboo]

I really like playing fender amps when i get bored with my other stuff. So this pedal looks like fun but not too practical.

[Psychedelic1969]

how much does it cost, does anyone know?

[jhall]

I have one and it is one of the best overdrives I've used. I'll quakify that by saying I also have a real DRRI too. I got the FDR-1 to run into the front of a Custom Built 1950s ish clone ish of a tweed twin but wired for 4 6V6s instead of 6L6s. It has massive iron so it has plenty of thump and whump but also has delicious natural distortion (If you sytand 2 miles away from it ; SO the FDR-1 fit the bill tremendousely for me it does what it's designed to do. The Reverb is a little cheezy but I usually use it sparingly anyway. I have two Twin Reverbs too (both 1972 Silverfaces) The FDR-1 is a good pedal

[schrec]

this thing has a great clean sound. it will give you some distortion but not a cranked thick overdrive fenders aren't known for that. it makes a nice improvement on a solid state amps clean channel.reverb is ok as long as you don't go past noon on the control.vibro takes a bit to get used to it. but in a live situation i don't see it being used for more than a nice enhancer to your clean / drive channels ,or for some reverb. just too complicated to adjust vibro on the fly.

[schrec]

with the wall plug i got it for $180.00

[drop kick]

This is just a great pedal. I have a collection of vintage Fender tube amps and this unit is a killer. If I was still playing gigs, this little unit would beat lugging a super reverb up three flights of stairs at 40AM anyday. I am totally into home recording now and can't wait to use it and the bassman unit in conjunction with my Line 6 XT Live. Amp modelling has really advanced during the past few years. I challenge anyone to close their eyes and tell the difference between this and the "real thing".

[leondb]

Interesting... I'll try this on my Line 6 Spider II.

[leondb]

I really like this pedal! I would have liked more of a change in sound when adjusting the bass and treble.

[jamescc]

i wanna use this with a dd3 a bluesdriver.....
anyone know if its anygood??

[metalfishy]

im running a matshall and lookin for a good reverb pedal is this the best i they got i havent tried it out yet but does anyone reccomend a diff pedal instead?

[lespaul#1]

Is this good for Surf?????

[Haemoglobin]

^ I bet it is.

[rocknblues6]

this think looks sweet... def. getting one

[rocknblues6]

*thing

[rfawarchild]

Element182 wrote:

This pedal is for cleans. No one really plays Fenders for the Distortion anyway.I'm getting this for my Peavey Vlave King to add a little personality to the average clean channel on my amp.

Yep, I did the same and it worked out exactly as you said on the rather lackluster clean channel. It also did some interesting tonal shaping to the gain channel keeping the gain low but the level high. Awesome pedal...

[ehsteve]

im running a matshall and lookin for a good reverb pedal is this the best i they got i havent tried it out yet but does anyone reccomend a diff pedal instead?

I'll agree with the reviewers and say the reverb sounds best at lower levels. If you're looking for more than just a hint of reverb there are plenty of pedals in the price range that have a lot more options in that vein.

[Rendy]

is this good for jazz? will i get that nice clean, warm, and slightly distorted tone? e.g. for swing?

[mrmatt1972]

I own this one and like it a lot! The thing about the tremolo speed is that, like most amp tremolo, once you set the speed/depth, you leave it there. So yes, it takes about 4 seconds to change the tempo, but it's no big deal. FWIW it is one of the best sounding tremolo pedals around. The pedal has gobs of gain/overdrive so it is a very versatile overdrive pedal, and in front of an amp like a Blackheart, it can fool you into thinking there is a real DRRI being played! Amazing versatility.