Fender BXR 100 115 Combo

1995 - features are already mentioned everywhere - built-in Delta compression with no control over the said compression device???. I use it for small location gigs (folk style) and for rehearsals.

To my taste it does nothing right but rather treat your instrument in deadliest neutral way I have ever listened to. What I mean is that neither my RIC or my Americam Fretless Jazz Bass will shine or be able to show their "personalities" with the BXR. EQ lacks caracter, bottom is muddy and higher frequencies are plain lifeless. Maybe a horn would have help here. No extension speaker jack, so you're stuck with that no caracter 15" Eminence speaker which driven by the dullest amp section you can imagine. Won't cut through when playing with a confident drummer. Raising volume and master volume only amplifies and accentuate the bad sides of this amp.

No complaint here. This amp has been in the cold, in the snow, in high humidity and ultra dry places but it has never let down. The most dependable amp I ever owned.

no idea

Well all I can say here is that find this amp useless for serious gigs and to bulky,heavy for reheasing. Tone wise I would never by another one. Reliablity wise, I sincerely hope my new Ampeg rig will be as trouble-free as that BXR has been so far.

For features see above (chorus, delta comp limiter, 7 band eq...)
This amp can be (by using the equalizer and the high/low tone shelving) very versatile. However as this is a cheap amp (haven't bought it but if it was over 300euros (same amount in dollars), I would laugh and thank the seller for this joke.

It has enough power for me, I can rehearse without problem with it and my drummer is not a weak guy (don't understand the people that need 2943754W for rehearsals).

I use a Tune TB5 (5 strings) with a Proco Vintage Rat and a Big Muff Pi. I play everything from doom metal to rock and fusion, this amp can cope with this. However, the sound will be far from perfect, without punch, colour or anything you could want for your sound. Very neutral and without personality. But this is not the worst amp I've tried: I also played on an old Peavey TNT 160 which is even worse.

The Delta comp is a real pure evil f*cking sh*t, you'd better open the box and burn it with a flamethrower. I hate this limiter and it's not possible to turn it off.

The chorus is not that bad, I use it quite often.

You can throw this amp from the third floor on a concrete ground, pour gallons of beer on it and it will still work perfectly.

It's been 3 years since I began playing bass guitar, I tried this amp, a Peavey TNT 160, a Trace Eliott combo (model?), a Warwick (the current combo model 60 or 100W), one of the Hartke kickback line, a Peavey TNT 115s and my little Roland Bass Cube30 (I love it), It's the worse of these (except for the Peavey I would have chopped with an axe, burnt and thrown in the river with a sadistic grin)

If reliability rather than sound is your No1 priority, buy it without hesitation otherwise, find something better (easy).

However if you play somewhere with many people playing many different kinds of music on the same amp its reliability and relative versatility are a precious advantage.

1994 or 1995 Model with 100W rms, 15" speaker, Delta Comp limiter, 7-band eq, high/low shelving, deep/notch/bright enhance switches, headphone jack, effects loop and line out jack. Two input jacks.

The 7 band and shelving EQ are useful for getting a variety of "useable" tones. The enhance buttons would probably be useful when switching from fingerstyle to slap, but have little other use. The worst feature on this amp is the built-in Delta Comp limiter/compressor. It's fully automatice; the user has no control over the settings and I suspect it's what gives this amp it's boxy, nasally sound. If redesigning this amp, I would definitely add casters (it's a little on the heavy side, tho' the side handles are a nice touch) as well as a full featured compression.

I use this amp as a stage monitor and as a practice amp. The tone is not good enough to mike -- live or in the studio -- so I go through a DI in those situations. 100W is loud enough for the band I'm currently in (an indie-pop band with one guitar and drums) but it does not have enough headroom to work in most other live situations.

I am currently using an Ampeg AMB1 (Dan Armstrong re-issue) and have used a Japanese Fender Precision and an Ernie Ball MusicMan Sterling with this amp and have to say that this amp's tone is lacking. Bass Player magazine described the BXR as "boxy" and I'd have to say that I agree with them. Of the three basses, the P-Bass sounded best with this amp (surprise, surpise) but both the Ampeg and the MusicMan sound nasally and confined. The Ampeg and the MusicMan both sound best when you bypass the pre-amp and by plug straight in through the effects loop, but this sacrifices volume for tone.

Fortunately, this amp has ALOT of EQ controls, and after fiddling around with it for awhile you can find several "useable" (not great, but useable) tones. I find the EQ works best when you use it to cut frequencies rather than boost them, but maybe that's just the AMB1. By cutting the 300 Hz band I've been able to get rid of some of the boxiness and open the sound up a bit.

As far as tone goes, this amp is solid-state and it sounds it; there is no warmth in there (as I mentioned, this is not an amp you would ever mike) but it does stay relatively clean sounding even at its highest volumes. I've noticed a hissing at higher volumes which can be removed by cutting the highest band on the EQ. Otherwise it's pretty quiet.

This is where this amp really shines. It's built like the proverbial brick sh*thouse. I've had it for 8 years and it's suffered through pretty much everything -- it's had drinks spilt on it, it's been dropped off a loading dock, it's slid around the back of several different vans and it's been shared as a bass amp at rehearsal spaces.
This thing will not die. In all that use and abuse, I have lost the plastic tip of one of the EQ sliders (still works fine) and the nut on one input jack (cost me $14 CDN to get a new one installed). There's been more than one occasion where the bass player for the other band has had to use my humble little BXR-100 because their SVT has crapped out.

Never needed it (see Reliability).

I've been playing bass for 12 years and have played in a number of different bands. The BXR-100 is the only bass amp I've owned because I'm still waiting for it to die. If the BXR were stolen or lost I would definitely get another amp (the BXR is off the market, but even if it were still available I would buy a better sounding combo). I would not recommend this amp to anyone unless they got a great deal (< $200) and were looking to only use it as a practice amp and stage monitor.

GREAT FEATURES. IT WAS BOUGHT IN THE YEAR 1999 RIGHT BEFORE THEY DISCONTUNED THE BXR SERIES. GREAT AMP

VERY WELL AND MAINTAINED SOUND. DOES BUZZ A LITTLE WHEN AT VERY HIGH VOLUMES BUT YOU CAN FIX THAT WITH MESSING WITH THE 7 BAND EQ

SO FAR SO GOOD. IT IS STILL GOING STRONG AND LOUD!

HAVENT NEEDED ANY COSTUMER SERVICE BUT IT IS A WELL BUILT AMP AND I RECOMMENED BUYING IT OR AT LEAST THE NEW FENDER BASSMAN 100

A GREAT AMP. NOTHING WRONG WITH IT AT ALL. VERY LOUD. CAN BE USED AT PRACTICE OR AT SMALL BAR/CLUBS GIGS. VERY VERSITLE AND ACTUALLY FITS IN THE CAR. SO NO MORE LUGGING HUGE AMPS AROUND!

I paid just under $300 for this at the beginning of 2000, and it's still going fine. I play both country and rock, and for it's weight and size, it has the power I need. I do wish Fender would have placed an Aux. speaker line to it. I believe the newer models have them now.

I use a GSR series Ibanez when playing thru this amp. The only thing I've added is a foot pedal EQ that has a volume control on it. This has expanded both the lows and highs with this amp. Have no rattle/vibration noise from amp.

So far, no breakdowns!!!!! i do have an Acoustic back up amp, but feel comfortable that the Fender 100 will be there for me.

This is where most companies fail. I have not had to test the waters with Fender and I hope that my Irish luck continues!!!

Have been playing for 20 odd years. If lost, i would be looking for a kickback style amp. 100/200 watt and one that does have an speaker aux. out. Decided on this one for monetary reasons. Fender BXR and HK kickback model were two choices.

This amp features a 7 switch EQ, seperate high and low switches, deep notch and bright booster switches, 15 inch speaker..50 pounds of fun transport weight

I am using a yahmama jazz bass with a Bass octave pedal and a Boss bass chorus pedal..this amp showcases these pedals excellently, you get full sound high and low...on the odd ocasion the highs dont go through ..but thats when you just turn up the gain or the volume(especially if your guitarists have not as high grade amps as you (pignose, DOD juice it)...

no problems ever with this amp

never had to use it

i have been playing for 2 years and a year and a half practicing intensely with my band. i would buy a diff amp cause its kinda old now....i love the deep tone i get...especially with my pedals,

1997: active/passive inputs-> volume pot-> delta comp limiter-> three contour switches (low, notch, high)-> low and high shelving-> seven-band EQ-> headphone jack, effects loop and line out jack-> master gain; 100W rms; 15" driver

This amp has a very narrow range of tone adjustment. It makes for a great practice-at-home-amp when working on technique (where volume isn't needed, and you are not worried about tone), but I would never gig with it. All in all, the quality of components is so low, I can't justify a rating over 5.

It could use a compressor. but then again, I would be hesitant to buy it if it did have it -- they might compromise quality to get features in for such a cheap price.

I use a Fender Prodigy 4-string and a Pedulla Thunderbass 5-string through this amp for practice. I quickly recognized the limits in tone (no punch, no sizzle, no warmth) and versatility (the controls are very low-quality, so they don't provide much depth to the tone) of this amp, so I have it only for home practice.

I've never had a problem with this amp. I would never use it for a gig, but for home use, it has been fine.

N/A

I have been playing for about 10 years. The other amps I have are a Carvin R1000 stack, and an Eden DC-210XLT Metro. For effects and processing I have an Oberhiem EDP, a Roadkill distortion, and a Lovetone Meatball.

I would not buy this amp again if it were stolen. I would get a super-cheap combo from some other brand, just for variety.

I don't really like this amp, but I also don't dislike it. It produces sounds at decent levels for when I want to practice technique, or just hear an idea from more than just the string noise.

This amp has some nice features; I like the individual Gain and Volume Controlls, the graphic EQ is a nice touch too. Effects loop at the front, the usual. I have since replaced this amp with a hartke 3500 and cab, but I still use to as a back up.

This thing just doesnt cut it. I run against two 100 watt marshall amps, and it just doesnt break through. It sounds extremeley twangy, and turning up the lows just blurs everything together. It does not have enough power for simple gigs and club dates. Go for more power, plus the tone is really almost noexistent without an extention cab.

this thing will not give up. Its a monster. I have dropped this thing just about every sort of stair imaginable... its dented and scratched, but sound quality has not decreased.

never had to use customer support.

Five is an average grade to me. I wouldnt buy this amp again, because I have my Hartke 3500 which I love dearly, it succeeds everywhere this one fails-the tone is great, it has power to go around, and it doesnt muddle up the guitars when I play-these are all places where the BXR 100 fails at. But if you dont have to fight with two power hungry guitarrists and a psychotic drummer, go for it...

Solid state bass combo, 100 hundred watts, effects loop, line out, headphone jack, three contour switches (low, high, notch), low and high shelving eq, 8 band graphic eq

I play a Washburn XB-400 active bass through a Sans amp bass driver and a Boss Bass Chorus pedal. the Tone through the Sans amp is great!! Buy ONE! But I digress - I'm supposed to be reviewing the BXR. Ok - it has plenty of EQ options, but definitely not a "warm" amp, but not noisy or harsh. I play mostly at a church that seats about 400, and it is more than enough for Sunday worship, but not enough for jamming with the guitarist/drummer at other times. All in all a great deal of power/performance for the money.

SOLID STATE reliability. Never had a problem with it.

Never had a need to talk with Fender.

I've been playing for two and a half years, and own more gear than I care to mention (gear monger). It it were stolen, I'd spend a lot more money and get something higher scale (perhaps a 4 X 10 combo.)
But I still love the fact that I got it cheap, and I can hear myself when I play (running through the church sound system means no low end)
All in all, I really like it - but I think it is time to move on up.

The amp has basically all the features I needed. I wanted a Hardke but this one filled the bill, tho I quickly ADDED wheels and an effects pedal. It has about enough power for the 3 piece classic rock band with not a whole lot to spare.

Using a 5-string Samick with active pickups and Fender J-bass with Carvin humbuckers. It is like a piece of studio gear... if you set it up wrong and push it too much, it sounds lousy. If you get familiar enough with it, it sounds pretty good. The bottom with the 5-string on the low B string is tight and clean if you don't push it too much.

The knobs on the front break off if you bash it around too much (I even have the optional Fender nylon cover). After a year of use, the amp smoked in normal use. A local store in Michigan gave me the run around for 2 months before it was fixed. Only reason it was finally fixed is because I called Fender for help.

Fender is the BEST in customer service! Just make sure you buy it from a reputable dealer.

Been playing bass and guitar for over 20 years. I don't feel any great loyalty to Fender bass products, tho I do have a Twin Reverb I've owned and maintained since '79. I would probably still lean toward Hardke, but if Fender had the right price and the right sound on a comparable product, I'd consider it.