I
innogator
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Background: I want to preface this by saying I don't consider myself a high gain player which most people associate with Fryette amps in general. I have always taken inspiration from the major names; Hendrix, SRV, Rhoads, Hetfield/Hammet so my influences are a wide range from 60's to 90's rock for the most part. As such, I've gravitated heavily towards Marshall sounds and Marshall style amps. Lately I've been branching out more to explore other types of amps like Mesas, Oranges, Soldanos, the venerable 5150s. With all that, what I've figured out is that I really love dynamic amps, like the way the old Marshalls clean up. So in searching "most dynamic high gain amp" one amp was prevalent in nearly every thread - the Fryette Deliverance.
Features: The Deliverance is known to be the slimmed down single channel offering from Fryette. I have amps with tons of options (Mesa Mark V, Friedman BE 100 Deluxe) and, as much as I love the idea of the versatility they offer, I just usually find the sounds I like best in those amps and end up leaving them there. So for me, a no frills, minimalistic approach really fits how I use my equipment.
Breaking down the controls, you have two gain knobs, Gain I and Gain II. The interesting thing is Gain I actually controls the overall feel of the amp, from crisp to full and thick. This also seems to shift the mid focus a bit, sitting it with lower mids than say a Marshall but higher than an Orange typically. Gain II adds pure saturation. There are 3 gain stages by default, but the More switch brings in a 4th gain stage. In the Less mode there's still enough gain to cover hard rock and 80s metal. Flipping it into more and now you can chug to more modern metal. Above the More switch is a Bright switch. As I mentioned, I'm a Marshall guy at heart so the bright switch stays on, it just adds a nice top end bite and sizzle that I expect to here when I strum through an overdrives chord. Next is two volume controls Vol I and Vol II (Solo), accessing Vol II requires a footswitch. What's nice about the switching is you can set the Bright and More mods to be on or off all the time, or to engage with the footswitch with Solo volume. A perfect configuration for kicking into a heavy chorus or solo. Then you get your typical Treble, Middle, Bass EQ controls in addition to Presence and Depth controls which play into the EQ of the power amp section.
On back there is an FX loop but I run my amps through a switcher that has a shared loop so I'm not a good judge of loop quality. It can output 4Ohm, 8Ohm, or 16Ohm to power one or two cabinets as well.
The amp gets its power from a quintet of 12AX7 type preamp tubes and 2 Sovtek KT88 power tubes (more on this later).
As far as features go, this may be no frills but may be just the right amount for someone wanting a versatile but minimalist setup. If you wanted more features you'd be looking at the Ultra Lead instead. // 8
Sound and Feel: This has a very distinctive voicing compared to other amps I've played through. Very full and powerful, but not a loose bottom end like a SLO for example. Tight and articulate, but not as dry as I was expecting from reviews. It does maintain really good articulation and never feels oversaturated and it tracks really well, but I say it's not dry because it depends on how you play it. It has the ability to go from clean arpeggios to hard rock crunch just from changing the pick attack. I can't believe I may have found a more dynamic amp than a NMV Marshall. That is exactly what I was hoping for in buying this amp. I love the sound of the SLO 100 for example but on the overdrive channel it never did the chimey cleanup I wanted, but the Deliverance can easily. However, the Deliverance never goes into full "Liquid Lead" saturation like the SLO can, even with a boost in my experience. It's fine for lead work but I think it excels in rhythm tones or percussive type playing and requires a disciplined picking hand to get the most out of it.
The clean tones are great as well, not Fender Blackface style, bolder but still chimey with plenty of high end. Cleaning up with the volume knob yields these tones as well. This is the primary reason I went with the Series II and not the Series II+. I wanted the ability to cleanup with the volume knob, but have a great mid gain sound that can be kicked into overdrive. This amp can do all of that better than most 2+ channel amps. The Series II+ removes the Gain II from the circuit entirely unless the More mode is activated, making it more of a true two channel amp with more dedicated cleans than I need and less flexibility between mid and higher gain.
So how does the amp sit in the mix? I expected slightly better to be honest. I have it dialed in on the bright side; Treble at 2:00, Mids at 2:00, Presence at 1:00, which it never gets piercing, thin, or shrill. However, it does feel a little darker in a mix. The mids are focused a little lower than I'm used to, and I'm sure I'll adjust to that, it's just different and not quite as prominent as say a JCM800.
As far as cabs, I've been primarily playing it through a Friedman 412 with Greenbacks up top and V30s on bottom. Of the cabs I have this one does sound the best with the head. I don't think Greenbacks are the best fit and speakers with more open bottom ends help give it a fuller sound, V30s and T75s for example.
Overall, an amazingly dynamic amp with a unique and complex voicing, although I do miss a little more aggressive bite and the higher mids in a mix // 8
Reliability and Durability: I mentioned I'd talk about the KT88s later. Well I received the amp about a week ago, played it for a couple days and the DC Fuse blew. I'd checked all the tubes to make sure they were seated and it was playing great for a couple days. Got a replacement fuse put in and played great for another day, then the next day when I turned the amp on, the fuse blew again. Most likely an indication of power tubes going bad. Not necessarily a fault of the amp, at least it seems at this point, but seems like KT88s have a reputation of not being reliable. So I guess that's something I'll have to continue to deal with or worry about. It does make me feel like I wouldn't trust this for a gig at this point. // 6
Final Thoughts: Extremely fun amp to play. Pretty unique voicing, I guess this would be considered the "Fryette" sound. Close enough to Marshall tones to feel familiar but much more gain and tightness that allow much more flexibility. One of my favorite amps to play due to the dynamics. Doesn't exactly nail classic tones but is helping me reach outside my typical box a little more. Highly recommend this amp to dynamic players who love to ride the guitar volume and who prefer single channel amps. Extremely simple to dial in with a wide range of tones and none seem too extreme to be usable. // 8
Features: The Deliverance is known to be the slimmed down single channel offering from Fryette. I have amps with tons of options (Mesa Mark V, Friedman BE 100 Deluxe) and, as much as I love the idea of the versatility they offer, I just usually find the sounds I like best in those amps and end up leaving them there. So for me, a no frills, minimalistic approach really fits how I use my equipment.
Breaking down the controls, you have two gain knobs, Gain I and Gain II. The interesting thing is Gain I actually controls the overall feel of the amp, from crisp to full and thick. This also seems to shift the mid focus a bit, sitting it with lower mids than say a Marshall but higher than an Orange typically. Gain II adds pure saturation. There are 3 gain stages by default, but the More switch brings in a 4th gain stage. In the Less mode there's still enough gain to cover hard rock and 80s metal. Flipping it into more and now you can chug to more modern metal. Above the More switch is a Bright switch. As I mentioned, I'm a Marshall guy at heart so the bright switch stays on, it just adds a nice top end bite and sizzle that I expect to here when I strum through an overdrives chord. Next is two volume controls Vol I and Vol II (Solo), accessing Vol II requires a footswitch. What's nice about the switching is you can set the Bright and More mods to be on or off all the time, or to engage with the footswitch with Solo volume. A perfect configuration for kicking into a heavy chorus or solo. Then you get your typical Treble, Middle, Bass EQ controls in addition to Presence and Depth controls which play into the EQ of the power amp section.
On back there is an FX loop but I run my amps through a switcher that has a shared loop so I'm not a good judge of loop quality. It can output 4Ohm, 8Ohm, or 16Ohm to power one or two cabinets as well.
The amp gets its power from a quintet of 12AX7 type preamp tubes and 2 Sovtek KT88 power tubes (more on this later).
As far as features go, this may be no frills but may be just the right amount for someone wanting a versatile but minimalist setup. If you wanted more features you'd be looking at the Ultra Lead instead. // 8
Sound and Feel: This has a very distinctive voicing compared to other amps I've played through. Very full and powerful, but not a loose bottom end like a SLO for example. Tight and articulate, but not as dry as I was expecting from reviews. It does maintain really good articulation and never feels oversaturated and it tracks really well, but I say it's not dry because it depends on how you play it. It has the ability to go from clean arpeggios to hard rock crunch just from changing the pick attack. I can't believe I may have found a more dynamic amp than a NMV Marshall. That is exactly what I was hoping for in buying this amp. I love the sound of the SLO 100 for example but on the overdrive channel it never did the chimey cleanup I wanted, but the Deliverance can easily. However, the Deliverance never goes into full "Liquid Lead" saturation like the SLO can, even with a boost in my experience. It's fine for lead work but I think it excels in rhythm tones or percussive type playing and requires a disciplined picking hand to get the most out of it.
The clean tones are great as well, not Fender Blackface style, bolder but still chimey with plenty of high end. Cleaning up with the volume knob yields these tones as well. This is the primary reason I went with the Series II and not the Series II+. I wanted the ability to cleanup with the volume knob, but have a great mid gain sound that can be kicked into overdrive. This amp can do all of that better than most 2+ channel amps. The Series II+ removes the Gain II from the circuit entirely unless the More mode is activated, making it more of a true two channel amp with more dedicated cleans than I need and less flexibility between mid and higher gain.
So how does the amp sit in the mix? I expected slightly better to be honest. I have it dialed in on the bright side; Treble at 2:00, Mids at 2:00, Presence at 1:00, which it never gets piercing, thin, or shrill. However, it does feel a little darker in a mix. The mids are focused a little lower than I'm used to, and I'm sure I'll adjust to that, it's just different and not quite as prominent as say a JCM800.
As far as cabs, I've been primarily playing it through a Friedman 412 with Greenbacks up top and V30s on bottom. Of the cabs I have this one does sound the best with the head. I don't think Greenbacks are the best fit and speakers with more open bottom ends help give it a fuller sound, V30s and T75s for example.
Overall, an amazingly dynamic amp with a unique and complex voicing, although I do miss a little more aggressive bite and the higher mids in a mix // 8
Reliability and Durability: I mentioned I'd talk about the KT88s later. Well I received the amp about a week ago, played it for a couple days and the DC Fuse blew. I'd checked all the tubes to make sure they were seated and it was playing great for a couple days. Got a replacement fuse put in and played great for another day, then the next day when I turned the amp on, the fuse blew again. Most likely an indication of power tubes going bad. Not necessarily a fault of the amp, at least it seems at this point, but seems like KT88s have a reputation of not being reliable. So I guess that's something I'll have to continue to deal with or worry about. It does make me feel like I wouldn't trust this for a gig at this point. // 6
Final Thoughts: Extremely fun amp to play. Pretty unique voicing, I guess this would be considered the "Fryette" sound. Close enough to Marshall tones to feel familiar but much more gain and tightness that allow much more flexibility. One of my favorite amps to play due to the dynamics. Doesn't exactly nail classic tones but is helping me reach outside my typical box a little more. Highly recommend this amp to dynamic players who love to ride the guitar volume and who prefer single channel amps. Extremely simple to dial in with a wide range of tones and none seem too extreme to be usable. // 8
