Equipment I find useful

I should look into getting one again. I haven't had one since a teenager. There aren't many overdrive/fuzzes/distortion pedals I take too. I had wah-fuzz when I was in my 20's I liked, can't remember who made it - it had a switch for really deep metal like fuzz or normal. I used an Ibanez tube screamer for a while, I liked using it live as an extra boost type thing.
 
Drumoid said:
I should look into getting one again. I haven't had one since a teenager. There aren't many overdrive/fuzzes/distortion pedals I take too. I had wah-fuzz when I was in my 20's I liked, can't remember who made it - it had a switch for really deep metal like fuzz or normal. I used an Ibanez tube screamer for a while, I liked using it live as an extra boost type thing.
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I grabbed the muff because they just seem essential with a Fender amp.
 
ChasFred said:
Congrats on the new amp and pedal. Will be waiting to hear your review at the amp.
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So I spent quite a bit of time with it over the weekend. Without getting into a full-blown review, I'll mention that the amps are built to a very high standard, possibly higher than the originals they are based on. This was a nice surprise after owning some modern Fender stuff like Hot Rods, which are passable but not exactly impressive. It's not a cheap amp by any stretch but not terribly expensive either, so the attention to detail and fit-and-finish are really nice to see.

Switching it on is a trip back in time. As I mentioned, I haven't owned a "vintage style" Fender amp in many years and this little thing absolutely nails the tone and vibe of those amps. It's voiced a bit darker than the originals which is actually one of the reasons I wanted this model. It comes with a Celestion Ten 30 instead of a Jensen, which to me is an upgrade. I thought when I got it that I would probably drop a Greenback 10 into it but I have been pleasantly surprised by the stock speaker even with it being far from broken in, so it very likely will stay stock. Fender advertises the early breakup and they really tout the touch-sensitivity and they are spot on the money...with a humbucker guitar this thing starts to break up at 4 (and that's already getting really loud). But the touch-sensitivity is out of this world. Not kidding, it's one of the most reactive amps I have ever played; reminds me of how a Tone King responds. Don't know how they pulled off such a cool trick with an amp at this price point, but it definitely is more responsive than actual vintage Fender amps.

I'd forgotten how nice it can be to plug straight into a clean Fender amp (as long as you keep the volume pretty low or roll the guitar volume back it stays completely clean). The onboard reverb is pure Fender, so really as good as it gets, and the tremolo might be my favorite effect ever with a clean amp. Little sucker takes pedals like a beast too, and I spent half the day Saturday just trying different drive pedals in front of it to find out what flavors are there - it is really sensitive to whatever is feeding it, so every pedal gives the tone a dramatically different sound.

Anyway, I'm pretty thrilled with it, maybe moreso than I even expected. It's really a pro-level piece of gear and puts out classic Fender tones, very complex-sounding, full and dynamic. If anyone is on the fence about buying one of these I can wholly recommend it, definitely go try them out. You'd have to spend a lot more money to get a more complex tone, and even then I'm not sure you'd get any better dynamics than what this amp is offering.
 
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gball said:
So I spent quite a bit of time with it over the weekend. Without getting into a full-blown review, I'll mention that the amps are built to a very high standard, possibly higher than the originals they are based on. This was a nice surprise after owning some modern Fender stuff like Hot Rods, which are passable but not exactly impressive. It's not a cheap amp by any stretch but not terribly expensive either, so the attention to detail and fit-and-finish are really nice to see.

Switching it on is a trip back in time. As I mentioned, I haven't owned a "vintage style" Fender amp in many years and this little thing absolutely nails the tone and vibe of those amps. It's voiced a bit darker that the originals which is actually one of the reasons I wanted this model. It comes with a Celestion Ten 30 instead of a Jensen, which to me is an upgrade. I though when I got it that I would probably drop a Greenback 10 into it but I have been pleasantly surprised by the stock speaker even with it being far from broken in, so it very likely will stay stock. Fender advertises the early breakup and they really tout the touch-sensitivity and they are spot on the money...with a humbucker guitar this thing starts to break up at 4 (and that's already getting really loud). But the touch-sensitivity is out of this world. Not kidding, it's one of the most reactive amps I have ever played; reminds me of how a Tone King responds. Don't know how they pulled off such a cool trick with an amp at this price point, but it definitely is more responsive than actual vintage Fender amps.

I'd forgotten how nice it can be to plug straight into a clean Fender amp (as long as you keep the volume pretty low or roll the guitar volume back it stays completely clean). The onboard reverb is pure Fender, so really as good as it gets, and the tremolo might be my favorite effect ever with a clean amp. Little sucker takes pedals like a beast too, and I spent half the day Saturday just trying different drive pedals in front of it to find out what flavors are there - it is really sensitive to whatever is feeding it, so every pedal gives the tone a dramatically different sound.

Anyway, I'm pretty thrilled with it, maybe moreso than I even expected. It's really a pro-level piece of gear and puts out classic Fender tones, very complex-sounding, full and dynamic. If anyone is on the fence about buying one of these I can wholly recommend it, definitely go try them out. You'd have to spend a lot more money to get a more complex tone, and even then I'm not sure you'd get any better dynamics than what this amp is offering.
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This great news to hear. I am happy for you indeed, knowing your high standards in amps this is high praise indeed.
 
Vaguley related to @sessions find.
For practices in smaller spaces and as a backup, this Taurus SH-3 HG is a 60 watt pedal amplifier! It uees 1 x 12AX7 apparently half pre, half power. It is quite loud, analog, has a line out, loop, various power levels, etc. I really like it! It sounds remarkably good. High gain little bugger.
Highly recommended.

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I saw that one of the Eastern European companies was making drive pedals with built-in power amps too. They were supposed to sound pretty darn good.

I think high gain is probably the ideal format for that type of thing - less dependent on touch-sensitivity and volume knob cleanup.

Wouldn't be too surprised, though, if a pedal comes out pretty soon that'll prove me wrong about that. Drive circuits are becoming more amplike all the time.
 
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eclecticsynergy said:
I saw that one of the Eastern European companies was making drive pedals with built-in power amps too. They were supposed to sound pretty darn good.

I think high gain is probably the ideal format for that type of thing - less dependent on touch-sensitivity and volume knob cleanup.

Wouldn't be too surprised, though, if a pedal comes out pretty soon that'll prove me wrong about that. Drive circuits are becoming more amplike all the time.
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I suspect the regular version is quite touch sensitive given how this one works. It can clean up well on clean channel with high gain settings.
 
Cadorman said:
I've been looking at used Bassman heads from the late 60's to mid 70's today. They are really tempting me.
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One of the two Fenders I own is this early sixties Bandmaster. It satisfies my Fender fix. Especially with the NOS RCA and Sylvania bottles inside of it.

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Also got a nice '71 Deluxe Reverb, for when I need that itch scratched.

Again, that amp is also filled with old RCA, Raytheon, and Sylvania tubes. It's also got a Celestion Anniversary 30 speaker in it. Sounds great.
 
SG John said:
One of the two Fenders I own is this early sixties Bandmaster. It satisfies my Fender fix. Especially with the NOS RCA and Sylvania bottles inside of it.

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Also got a nice '71 Deluxe Reverb, for when I need that itch scratched.

Again, that amp is also filled with old RCA, Raytheon, and Sylvania tubes. It's also got a Celestion Anniversary 30 speaker in it. Sounds great.
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Is that about a 1962? Pretty sweet amp. I've owned one Fender amp and it was a mid '80s Stage Lead II. 100 watt solid state with 2 12 inch drivers. Cleans were fantastic and it was great with pedals. Unfortunately, it really didn't have any appreciable character.
 
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