Back in June, I bought a Deluxe55 amp-in-a-box pedal by Origin Effects.
What do I think of it? Here are my first impressions.
Table of Contents
- What Did You Buy?
- Why Did You Buy It?
- No Sounds Today
- There Are Some Important Things That I Really Like
- I Have Some Initial Disappointments
- Things I Need To Revisit With Side-by-Side Audio Demos
- Final Thoughts
What Did You Buy?
I bought an Origin Effects Deluxe55 Tweed Recreation pedal.
- “Origin Effects” is the manufacturer,
- “Deluxe55” is the name of the pedal
- “Tweed Recreation” indicates that this pedal is from Origin Effects’ Amp Recreation series of pedals, and that it aims to recreate tones from a tweed amp
I bought mine second hand.
Why Did You Buy It?
Quite simply, because of this demo:
The YouTube video above demonstrates that the Deluxe55 can do a very convincing imitation of a real Tweed Deluxe amp. The moment I saw that, I was sold.
No Sounds Today
I haven’t made any audio demos for this blog post. We’re currently experiencing our fourth heatwave of the summer (so far!), and it’s just too hot here to record anything worth sharing.
I will post a more detailed look – with audio – soon.
For the last three weeks, I’ve been playing the Deluxe55 side-by-side with my modern Fender reissue Tweed Deluxe amp. I think I’m about there on getting the signal chain dialled in to where I’m happy with what I’m hearing.
There Are Some Important Things That I Really Like
Yes, It Does Sound Like A 5e3 Tweed Deluxe Amp
With my 52 Reissue Telecaster and Origin Effects’ fantastic (and FREE!) impulse responses, this pedal definitely sounds like a Tweed Deluxe amp.
If you’re looking for the Tweed Deluxe sound, it’s definitely an option.
Heatwave? This’ll Sub So Your Amp Doesn’t Overheat
I’ve really enjoyed spending so much time with my real Tweed Deluxe amp, while comparing it to the Deluxe55. Alas, outside temperatures have shot up again, and it’s currently too warm to run the amp for very long.
Thankfully, I’ve been able to get my Tweed Deluxe fix by playing through the Deluxe55 instead. It’s close enough that I haven’t really felt the need to risk overheating my real amp (and my home studio!) during this latest heatwave.
A Lot Cheaper Than A Real Tweed Deluxe Amp
If you want recorded Tweed Deluxe amp tones, the Deluxe55 is going to be much cheaper than a real Tweed Deluxe amp.
Yes, it’s a pricey pedal if you buy new; all Origin Effects pedals are. (Is it me, or have they gotten more expensive recently too?)
While I haven’t seen many second-hand examples, the ones I have seen have sold for a lot less than retail price. (It’s the same with the UAFX Woodrow; tweed amp-in-a-box pedals just don’t seem to hold their value.)
A Lot Easier For Home Use Than A Real Tweed Deluxe Amp
Tweed Deluxe amps are loud; far too loud for home use here in the UK. You really do need an attenuator of some kind to bring the volume down.
This is one area where the Deluxe55 has a big advantage over a real Tweed Deluxe amp. You can just plug it straight into your audio interface, apply impulse responses in your DAW, and you’re sorted.
IR Choice Matters
I’m getting the best sounds out of this pedal when I pair it with the kind of impulse responses that I’d use with my real Tweed Deluxe amp:
- Celestion A-Type + Celestion Blue combination,
- Celestion Gold speaker impulse responses, or
- Origin Effects’ own Tweed Combo impulse responses.
By “best sounds”, I don’t just mean the most convincing sounds. That’s a given: if you want something to sound tweed-like, it (normally*) helps to use the right kind of speakers.
I mean: my Tweed Deluxe doesn’t sound good through a Celestion V30, and neither does this pedal, in my opinion. I think they’ve (largely) gotten the impedance curve emulation right on this one.
(*normally, but not always. I’ve been getting some great tweed tones by running a Honey Bee OD through the Imperial MKII Synergy preamp and Celestion V30s. Not something I ever expected to do!)
It Takes Some Pedals Well
I say “some” only because I don’t use my Tweed Deluxe amp as a pedal platform. I just use a couple of different pedals as boosts instead.
So far, I’ve tried:
- Arc Effects Klone v2
- Lazy J Cruiser Deuce (specifically designed for boosting tweed amps)
into the Deluxe55, and it seems to react pretty similarly to how my Tweed Deluxe amp reacts.
In particular, I’m very pleased with how well it works with the Cruiser Deuce. I’m really falling in love with the sound of my Tweed Deluxe boosted by the Cruiser Deuce, and I’m very happy that I can get a similar sound using the Deluxe55.
It’s Made Me Improve My Signal Chain
Sonically, it’s a little different to my real Tweed Deluxe amp. I think a couple of those differences are negatives; I’ll cover them later on in this blog post.
To find and tackle those negatives, I had to go through my entire signal chain and pretty much redo everything. I’m talking about input levels into the pedal; choice of boost pedal in front of the pedal; amp, cab, EQ and channel strip preamp emulations in the Axe-FX 3.
That took me about three weeks (a mix of evenings after work and larger blocks of time on the weekends). And it was well worth the effort.
Regular readers will have seen me make multiple attempts at capturing the sound of my Tweed Deluxe amp over years – including the latest attempt earlier this year. I keep revisiting this topic because I don’t think that my results age very well.
With this new signal chain that I’ve built for the Deluxe55 – which also works for my Tweed Deluxe amp – I think I’m getting closer to what I’m trying to achieve. Am I finally there? Only time will tell.
I Have Some Initial Disappointments
I’m Uncomfortable With The Marketing Claims
At the time of writing, Origin Effects uses the following phrases in their marketing of the Deluxe55:
- “a complete valve amp signal path recreated in miniature”
- “recreates everything that’s great about the Tweed Deluxe amp circuit”
- “Get the whole experience of playing one of the most unique vintage amps”
I own a Fender Tweed Deluxe amp. Not a vintage one (like the Deluxe55 is based on), but Fender’s modern reissue (mine was made in 2021). They’re going to sound a bit different, but they do have the same features.
Thing is, the Deluxe55 doesn’t … have the same features, that is. (I’ll get into the detail in a moment.) As a result, I’m not very comfortable with the marketing claims that I’ve listed above.
No, It Doesn’t Fully Recreate A Tweed Deluxe Amp
A real Tweed Deluxe amp has two, interactive channels. You can plug into one channel, and the volume control of the other channel (the one you’re not plugged into) can still affect the overall tone and gain.
For me, the magic (the “whole experience” if you like) of my Tweed Deluxe amp comes from the way the two channels interact. That’s where I live on my real amp.
The Deluxe55 pedal doesn’t give us two channel controls to play against each other. There’s just the single Gain control to work with. It recreates the sounds of a Tweed Deluxe amp, but not the controls or operating experience.
At the moment, I’m not sure if the Deluxe55 is recreating just the INST channel, if it is recreating a jumpered amp, or if it switches between the two as I turn up the Gain control. I haven’t seen this documented anywhere. If you have, please let me know in the comments below.
My initial experience is that this does seem to matter. Not so much for dirty tones, but for clean tones.
I think that Tweed Deluxe cleans can be amazing with the right Strat, and I find them by blending the two channels together. I haven’t (yet!) managed to find these clean tones in the Deluxe55. The pedal seems a bit lifeless when I dial the Gain back into true clean territory.
Haven’t given up yet on this; hopefully I will find the sweet spot for Strat cleans by the time I publish the side-by-side comparison with audio demos.
Second Input Per Channel Also Missing
A real Tweed Deluxe amp has two input jacks per channel. As a rough rule of thumb, input 1 is the full experience, while input 2 normally has a -6 dB reduction on it.
I make use of both input 1 and input 2:
- my Telecaster (with its early 50s low-output pickups) goes into input 1
- my Les Paul (with its late 50s-style humbuckers) goes into input 2
This is another feature that’s missing from the Deluxe55 pedal.
Other than debating the accuracy of their marketing, how much does it really matter in practice? Especially to a home hobbyist who isn’t in a recording studio or on a live stage?
I’m playing at home, where it’s no trouble to just reach over and adjust the pedal’s Gain control to compensate. I don’t have to do this on my real amp; when I switch between my Les Paul and my Telecaster, all I need to do is plug into the other input on the same channel.
I’d prefer not having to touch the settings on the pedal once I’ve found the sweet spot that I’m after. Thankfully, the Deluxe55 is quite easy to dial in. It’s not like some pedals, where the sweet spot is incredibly narrow and hard to return to.
I also run a hybrid rig, so I can throw on a -6 dB pad between my guitar and the Deluxe55 when I want to switch guitars. This is what I’ve done, and I’m happy with it as a solution.
Realistically, a compact pedal like this isn’t going to have room for two different input jacks. And I only know that this feature is missing because I own a real Tweed Deluxe amp. If I didn’t have the amp, I wouldn’t be any the wiser.
Moving away from marketing claims vs pedal features, let’s look at a couple of tone challenges that I’ve faced with this pedal …
The Raspiness Is A Bit (Too?) Strong
A real 5e3 Tweed Deluxe amp has a characteristic raspiness quality to the tone. The Deluxe55 has it in spades.
When I first plugged in the Deluxe55, the raspiness was overwhelming. There was far too much of it, and it was affecting note clarity and my overall enjoyment. If I’d bought this pedal from a store, I probably would have sent it back because of this. It’s that dominant!
To make sure it wasn’t me, I A/B’d against my Tweed Deluxe amp. (Again, not a vintage amp, so not a true apples-to-apples comparison!) Sure enough, the raspiness from the Deluxe55 was far stronger than I get from my amp through the exact same signal chain.
As best as I can describe it, the difference is that the raspiness kind-of sits under the note on my real amp, while it can overwhelm the note on the Deluxe55.
I’ve managed to reduce it by a combination of the following:
- I’ve reduced channel strip preamp drive and saturation further down my signal chain.
- I’ve reduced the Gain setting on the pedal, and introduced a low-gain boost in front of the pedal to make up the difference.
- I’ve introduced a -6 dB pad before the Deluxe55 when playing my Les Paul.
- I’ve gone through the entire signal chain, re-EQ’d it, and redone the IR blends too.
I probably spent a week (evenings after work) just on getting this tamed.
If Origin Effects ever release a Deluxe55 v2 (or a large box Deluxe55), I’d love to see them add a control (maybe an internal trim pot?) just for dialling back this raspy character.
I think this is one area where 100% vintage accuracy isn’t for everyone, and arguably comes at the expense of usability.
I’m Getting Low-End Boom; It Shouldn’t Be There?
The Deluxe55 puts out a lot more low-end than my Tweed Deluxe amp does.
While it’s easy to fix, I do wish I hadn’t had to waste the time it took to track this down and figure out where the EQ cut sounded best to me in my signal chain.
I’ve had to apply a low cut at around 100 Hz after my virtual cab to clean this up. Because I run a hybrid rig, it’s very easy for me to do. If you’re just using an IR loader in your DAW, you might need to throw on a channel strip plugin to do the same thing.
Another way to solve this is to use Origin Effects’ free Tweed Combo impulse responses. They seem to have been EQ’d to cut out this low-end. (They’re fantastic!)
I do feel that Origin Effects missed a trick here. The Post-EQ dial is inactive when the pedal’s in preamp mode. How I wish that the Post-EQ dial acted as a high-pass filter in preamp mode. Then I’d be able to clean up the low-end on the pedal itself.
Things I Need To Revisit With Side-by-Side Audio Demos
Does It Sound Like A Tweed Deluxe When Used As An Overdrive Pedal?
The Deluxe55 can run in two different modes:
- preamp mode (where you run it straight into your IRs of choice), or
- overdrive pedal mode (where you run it into the front of a guitar amp)
I think preamp mode really nails that 5e3 Tweed Deluxe sound. Overdrive pedal mode? So far, I haven’t managed to get it to sound like a Tweed Deluxe amp, even when running it into my 57 Vintage Axe-FX 3 preset (the one designed for tweed-tone pedals).
Also, the two Post-EQ modes don’t seem to match the pedal’s manual? Mode 1 (to the left) is for running into a Fender amp (according to the manual), but I find it needs to be in Mode 2 for that.
Definitely something I need to revisit when I can sit down and record some audio demos.
The Tone Control Doesn’t Behave Like The One On My Tweed Deluxe Amp?
During my first week with the pedal, I was convinced that the tone control on the Deluxe55 doesn’t behave like the one on my Tweed Deluxe amp.
Several weeks in, I’m not so confident in that first impression. That’s partly because I’ve found a sweet spot that I’m happy with, and I just haven’t tweaked the Tone control for the past couple of weeks.
Maybe this is one of those differences between a vintage Tweed Deluxe and the modern reissues?
How Different Is The 12AX7 Mode On The Deluxe55?
When I sit down to do the side-by-side comparison, I’ll try the Deluxe55 in the 12AX7 mode too. This mode simulates changing out one of the preamp valves for one that’s got higher gain.
I’ve never tried swapping out the 12AY7 in my Tweed Deluxe for a 12AX7 valve. My Tweed Deluxe has so much gain and saturation, I don’t think it needs it!
I might see if I can borrow a 12AX7 from someone (I am a little curious to hear the difference) – but no promises there.
Final Thoughts
The Deluxe55 wasn’t the plug-and-play pedal that I was hoping it would be. Even though I already had a signal chain for my Tweed Deluxe amp, when I dropped in the Deluxe55, the initial results weren’t great.
And – largely – that’s because my signal chain simply wasn’t good enough.
I don’t mind admitting that I’ve been somewhat begrudging about putting in the effort required to build a better signal chain for the Deluxe55. As with the UAFX Woodrow, I’m definitely a bit grumpy when firms don’t give us 100% of a Tweed Deluxe’s unique (and magical!) amp topology.
For me, it was definitely worth the effort – because my Tweed Deluxe amp is sounding better than ever through this improved signal chain. I’ve really been enjoying my Deluxe55 too, but I do feel that’s more of a bonus.
I guess the problem is that I already have the real amp, and – as good as the Deluxe55 is – it hasn’t yet convinced me that it should be first choice. I didn’t have this problem with ToneX One or the UAFX Woodrow. I have used both of those in preference over using my real amp.
I can’t put my finger on why I do feel like this with the Deluxe55. (I’ve had a similar reaction to the Origin Effects Halcyon Gold …) The longer I spend with the Deluxe55, the more it’s growing on me. Maybe I just need to spend more time with it?
Both ToneX One and UAFX Woodrow deliver great Tweed Deluxe tones with very little effort (and less cost too?). How does the Deluxe55 compare to those?
I’ll try to answer that before the end of the year. First, I want to make some audio demos to show you how the Deluxe55 compares to my Tweed Deluxe amp.