Can someone shed some light on Fender amps for me?

deefstes

I'd like to understand the range of Fender amps better but I'm a bit overwhelmed. Could someone distil things somewhat please?

If a noob had asked me, "What are the different types of Fender electric guitars?" I would have answered as follows:
There are quite a few different types but the most popular ones are Stratocasters and Telecasters. Then there are Jaguars, Jazzmasters and Mustangs which are not quite as common. You get different flavours of the above such as different pickup configurations, different fretboard woods, different body woods, different signature editions and a whole variety of different finishes but essentially, those 5 types of guitars pretty much comprise the range of Fender electric guitars. There are some discontinued models like the Starcaster, the Performer, the Stagemaster etc. but seeing as you're a noob, you don't have worry about those, rather focus your attention on the Stratocaster and the Telecaster.

So, would one of you have a similar answer if a noob (me) asked the questions, "What are the different types of Fender tube amps?" Can Fender tube amps be classified as concisely as Fender guitars? (You'll notice I specifically added the word "tube").

I'll even make it easier for you; I'll provide the answer and you just fill in the blanks ?

There are quite a few different types but the most popular ones are _______ and _______. Then there are _______, _______ and _______ which are not quite as common. You get different flavours of the above such as different power output, different _______, different ________ and different _______ but essentially, those ___ types of amps pretty much comprise the range of Fender tube amps. There are some discontinued models like the _______, the _______, the _______ etc. but seeing as you're a noob, you don't have worry about those, rather focus your attention on the _______ and the _______.

AlanRatcliffe

Look at the Hot Rod series and the Vintage Reissue series. The former are modern takes on the Fender amp sound and more affordable. The latter are fairly accurate versions of the classic amps but quite pricey. The Super Sonics are kind of half-half - classic cleans and modern high gain in one (although IMO, they don't pull off either particularly well). The rest of the valve amps they do are mostly niche products.

That work?

domhatch

short answer: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fender_amplifiers

shortest answer: don't get a blues junior. no, i jest. i had one, it just wasn't suited to me. the li'l vox i have now is much better suited to my purposes, and i much prefer the tone. that said, i sold my blues junior to free2rhyme, and it works for him. the problem with a manufacturer like fender is the extent of the range. there are so many options and, with that, will come at least double the amount of opinions. (not much of a 'shortest' answer this, is it?)

best thing, in my opinion, is to go ahead and do a bit of reading, look around, play around a bit, then make a decision. (once someone far more knowledgeable than i am has filled in your questionnaire, of course.)

g'luck.
dh

Bob-Dubery

domhatch wrote: the problem with a manufacturer like fender is the extent of the range. there are so many options and, with that, will come at least double the amount of opinions.

Ain't that the truth. If Deefste's hypothetical noob walks into a shop and says he wants to buy a "Stratocaster" then he's in for a long morning.

I like simple, traditional British pub grub when I go over there. But try and order "bangers and mash". In most pubs it will be "certainly, Sir. Would you like the cumberland wild boar sausage, or the otter and tarragon sausage, or the ostrich and basil sausage, or the South African boor-e-wars, or the badger and chilli sausage or ...."

Good old pork bangers are probably the last thing they're going to offer you.

And then you find out about the mash options. There will be watercress mash, dandelion mash, mustard mash, hand picked Galway murphy mash, EU standard potato mash blah blah blah....

Don't even think about touching on the subject of gravy.

And don't decide you'd rather have a ploughman's lunch to avoid the confusion because you will offered Siberian salmon ploughman's, Wensleydale ploughman's, genuine Swiss runny Camembert ploughman's, mixed fruit ploughman's, cream cheese and biltong ploughman's (very popular with our South African visitors), vegetarian ploughman's with a fine selection of soya nuggets and yeasts....

Buying a Fender is a bit like that these days.

Keira-WitherKay

Simple answer , is first do you like the distinctive tone, which is that clean , with slight hint of breakup , face it fender amps suck at heavy overdrive tones and any mesa or marshall do it better but one buys a fender amp for that magical clean and slightly dirty drive tones as heard in a million indie band recordings ?

ok so once you know what you want , then ask yourself what power you need ,

ok ... 1. Blues jnr is kinda the entry level fender tube amp , loved and hated ... You decide

2. Fender 65 reissue princeton, they serious fender tone , and classic , but at an effective 15w are not that loud for a rocker but easy to mic up , they expensive but worth it , its my personal favourite fender .....

Please note avoid the so called recording princeton its a hybrid and not liked and is not anything like the one above avoid it

then we step up to 3, the deluxe reverb , this is 22w and very versatile and a hot favourite , recommended

then we go up to 4... The fender twin lovely amp pure fender tone but 2x 12 and weighs a ton

then 5 the fender bassman is great but big and heavy and i think an aquired taste

the supersonics are not on the list not cos they not good but i feel they need to prove themselves first and the rest of the above above are all icons if you like fender tone

so there you have it

oh and the magic fender tone is a fender guitar direct into a fender tube amp

btw i looooove fender tone

deefstes

Alan Ratcliffe wrote: Look at the Hot Rod series and the Vintage Reissue series. The former are modern takes on the Fender amp sound and more affordable. The latter are fairly accurate versions of the classic amps but quite pricey. The Super Sonics are kind of half-half - classic cleans and modern high gain in one (although IMO, they don't pull off either particularly well). The rest of the valve amps they do are mostly niche products.

That work?

Thanks, but I'd have to confess that I'm still confused. While the names "Hot Rod" and "Vintage Reissue" sound vaguely familiar, I've heard the names "Princeton Reverb", "Super Champ", "Bassman", "Frontman" and "Twin Reverb" much more often. Where do all these fit into the picture? Are they all old discontinued amps that are now being reissued under the "Vintage Reissue" series?

X-rated Bob wrote:
domhatch wrote: the problem with a manufacturer like fender is the extent of the range. there are so many options and, with that, will come at least double the amount of opinions.
Ain't that the truth. If Deefste's hypothetical noob walks into a shop and says he wants to buy a "Stratocaster" then he's in for a long morning.

LOL, you're right, but I'm trying to find a way to cut through the clutter and I'm sure there must be a way. Before our noob walks into the shop wanting to buy a "Stratocaster" he must first understand the top level distinctions, ie. Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jaguar, Mustang and Jazzmaster. That shouldn't be too much for him to digest. Once he's familiar with those distinctions he can start getting to grips with the variations of the Stratocaster.

That is what I'm aiming at here, simply to understand the top level distinction of Fender amps? I suppose I could put it this way, making some broad generalisations of course:
What is the Strat of amps? You know, that amp that 60% of fender amp players own?
What is the Tele of amps? You know, that amp that 30% of fender amp players own?
What are the Mustangs, Jaguars and Jazzmasters of amps? You know, those amps that the remaining 10% of fender amp players own?

Bob-Dubery

deefstes wrote: LOL, you're right, but I'm trying to find a way to cut through the clutter and I'm sure there must be a way. Before our noob walks into the shop wanting to buy a "Stratocaster" he must first understand the top level distinctions, ie. Stratocaster, Telecaster, Jaguar, Mustang and Jazzmaster. That shouldn't be too much for him to digest. Once he's familiar with those distinctions he can start getting to grips with the variations of the Stratocaster.

There's this nifty Fender product to blur the difference between the cats and the pigeons....

chris77

O.K, I'll bite ? But there really is a plethora of choices out there and summing it up like this doesn't do the range justice. It will also probably just confuse you more (like it does me ???)

deefstes wrote: There are quite a few different types but the most popular ones are based upon the twin reverb (blackface) and bassman(tweed). They are grouped into the Hot Rod, Vintage Reissue and Solid state/hybrid amps ~~which are not quite as common~~. You get different flavours of the above such as different power output, different Circuits, different tubes and different livery but essentially, those 3 types of amps pretty much comprise the range of Fender tube amps. There are some ~~discontinued~~ models like the Machete, the Supersonic and the Pawn shop series etc. but seeing as you're a noob, you don't have worry about those, rather focus your attention on the Hot Rod and the vintage reissues.

domhatch

chris77 wrote: O.K, I'll bite ? But there really is a plethora of choices out there and summing it up like this doesn't do the range justice. It will also probably just confuse you more (like it does me ???)
deefstes wrote: There are quite a few different types but the most popular ones are based upon the twin reverb (blackface) and bassman(tweed). They are grouped into the Hot Rod, Vintage Reissue and Solid state/hybrid amps ~~which are not quite as common~~. You get different flavours of the above such as different power output, different Circuits, different tubes and different livery but essentially, those 3 types of amps pretty much comprise the range of Fender tube amps. There are some ~~discontinued~~ models like the Machete, the Supersonic and the Pawn shop series etc. but seeing as you're a noob, you don't have worry about those, rather focus your attention on the Hot Rod and the vintage reissues.

nicely done. make it a little less subjective. that makes it easy enough for even me to understand. plus, i think there's enough in there to get an idea of the variety of tone offered within the fender range.

:applause:

deefstes

chris77 wrote: O.K, I'll bite ? But there really is a plethora of choices out there and summing it up like this doesn't do the range justice. It will also probably just confuse you more (like it does me ???)
deefstes wrote: There are quite a few different types but the most popular ones are based upon the twin reverb (blackface) and bassman(tweed). They are grouped into the Hot Rod, Vintage Reissue and Solid state/hybrid amps ~~which are not quite as common~~. You get different flavours of the above such as different power output, different Circuits, different tubes and different livery but essentially, those 3 types of amps pretty much comprise the range of Fender tube amps. There are some ~~discontinued~~ models like the Machete, the Supersonic and the Pawn shop series etc. but seeing as you're a noob, you don't have worry about those, rather focus your attention on the Hot Rod and the vintage reissues.

Brilliant! Thanks, that certainly clarifies things for me.

AlanRatcliffe

deefstes wrote: Thanks, but I'd have to confess that I'm still confused. While the names "Hot Rod" and "Vintage Reissue" sound vaguely familiar, I've heard the names "Princeton Reverb", "Super Champ", "Bassman", "Frontman" and "Twin Reverb" much more often. Where do all these fit into the picture? Are they all old discontinued amps that are now being reissued under the "Vintage Reissue" series?

Those are the top two ranges of current production amps. Look within to find the amp that suits your needs. Frontman is a solid-state range (possibly soon to be discontinued due to the Mustangs) and the others you mention all fit into the Reissue series.

Classic Fender amps are best described by the years/series they fall into - that determines the look/tone. You choose the model in that series that has the right power rating for what you are doing. Historically you have:

Tweed - '50s. Tweed covering. Mid heavy, gritty drive, early breakup, beloved by blues players
Blondes - Very early '60s. Blonde Tolex covering. Slightly more refined version of the Tweed tone
Blackface - Early to mid '60s. Black faceplates, black tolex, Silver grillecloth. The archetypal Fender cleans and slightly driven tones
Silverface - Late '60s on. Same as Blackface , but with silver panels. Refined versions of the BF tones, but often refined to sterility. There is a lot of variation between models of the Silverfaces and between different years - some like the RIviera designed models are revered, some are hated.

You'll often hear Fender amp fans talking in circuit variation numbers to distinguish between them.

What is the Strat of amps? You know, that amp that 60% of fender amp players own?

Deluxe. Either the Hotrod or the Vintage Reissue version and a few original Blackfaces that the DRRI is based on.

What is the Tele of amps? You know, that amp that 30% of fender amp players own?

Twin Reverb (original Blackface, early silverface or Vintage reissue).

What are the Mustangs, Jaguars and Jazzmasters of amps? You know, those amps that the remaining 10% of fender amp players own?

Blackface, Silverface or Reissue Princeton Reverbs, Tweed Deluxe, Tweed Twin, any Bassman, tweed or BF Champ, Super, Vibrolux, etc., etc., etc..

deefstes

Excellent! Thanks, I don't think I could hope for a better answer.

Nicholas-L

Bloody great layout ?... never thought of it like that.

Tokai-SA

In other words.

Go into TOMS Sandton and Music Connection and play a Hot Rod Deluxe, a Deluxe Reverb and a Twin....then choose which one you like best. ?

Attila

Thanks guys that clears it up for me perfectly