Fender MIJ Studio Valve Combo

Amp was made in 1998, sold only in Japan, bought on Ebay and it was professionally converted to 110V. Has 2-8" Celestion speakers, 1 channel with switchable boost, spring reverb, about 30watts. Kind of looks like a mini-Stage 112SE or similar. Headphone output, footswitch in, and loop in/out on back. Clean setting appears to bypass the 12ax7 preamp tube, drive setting uses the tube and you can dial in "contour" which is kind of like tone, and then use the preamp/drive setting to drive the tube itself. If you ever see one of these amps on Ebay BUY IT. It is a great small amp for recording or lower level rehearsal etc. Can get pretty loud for its size. Definitely one of the rarest amps Fender made which is why it caught my interest.

I play a 1973 Fender Strat (stock) and Rickenbacker 6 and 12 string guitars. They all sound good through this amp. It has a decent mid-range and balanced treble sound, not a lot of bass but as it has 8" speakers that is to be expected. The clean sound is typically Fender, warm, not brittle and inviting. The overdrive is also pretty good, so if you don't have an overdrive pedal, etc., you could use the drive setting to pretend you are Hendrix. It will feedback pretty easily if you start cranking the puppy. I prefer the clean and slightly crunchy tone settings myself. Reverb is also pretty good - I haven't taken the amp apart but as it sounds like it has a spring reverb rather than a digital circuit, my expectation is that the reverb tunnel is very small and short, which would explain why the reverb howls a little when cranked up past 5.

The amp is light-weight and packs a pretty good punch for it's size and I like it. I also replaced the stock Sovtek 12ax7 tube with a vintage tube which smoothed out the overdrive and took away some of the raspiness.

My main amps are two Fender Stage 112SEs (100 watts/1-12" spkr, 160 Watts with extension cab) and they are LOUD and have a great tone circuit and are all solid state. I wanted another small Fender amp for the recording room and this Studio Valve is perfect for the job.

Built like a tank.

Fender has no issues - no as this amp was built in Japan and I couldn't find a schematic or almost no info on the web, you may have issues.

I've been playing since the 1960s, used to be pro, now just hobbyist. I've had every amp I've ever wanted over the years. I use a Vox Tonelab through two Fender 112SE amps for a stage/live rig, and use the Tonelab through this Studio Valve for recording. However, it also sounds good by itself. Nice little amp, good tone, super rare, buy one if you get the opportunity.

Here's a review for one of the rarest Fender amps in existance. Almost no info on the web. It is a Fender Studio Valve 2-8" combo, manufactured in Japan in 1998. Has 2 switchable channels, first channel is clean signal, classic warm Fender tone, and a second channel with gain/overdrive, and powered by a 12AX7 tube for "contour." It has preamp out/in, headphone output and footswitch input. Open back cabinet with 2-8" CELESTION speakers. Light-weight, about the size of two Vibrochamp amps.

I use a 73 stock Strat, and Rickenbacker 330-6 and 330-12 guitars. Play typically old-school r/r, mostly as hobby now. Used to play professionall in the 1960s-1980s. Amp is quite a gem, if you have an opportunity to buy one, do so. My amp was professionally converted from 220V to 110V and bought on Ebay for $200. It has a great range of tone and gain, the clean channel sound very good but isn't very loud, but usable. The gain channel, on the other hand, is LOUD when cranked up, and the tube circuit basically functions as a tone enhancement to the degree of gain you dial in. In fact, I like the 2nd gain channel more than the clean channel, just turn up the amp volume to 10, place the tube contour control around 12-2 o'clock, and then raise the gain (input volume) knob and the amp will BARK at you. Turning up the gain adds thickness, crunch, and finally distortion/sustain. Works well for practice and low-level band work, I don't think it's loud enough for a band playing at full volume as it only puts out around 30 watts, but for recording and rehearsals it works just fine. Amp also has reverb which howls a little when cranked up, but has a nice Fender sound to it. The Celestion 8" speakers hold up well except when the amp is cranked full blast, then they break up/buzz a little. Overall, the amp has great tone and gain, and I like it.

Fender builds them like a tank, other than changing the tube (it comes with a Sovtek 12ax7) for something with a little more warmth and compression, I would think it would last and last, unless you blow one of the speakers.

Should be no issues, however I was unable to locate any schematic for this amp on the web or rat the Fender website, so service may be a problem if the amp ever fries.

I think this little puppy is a superb recording and low level rehearsal amp, and is certainly rare in all respects (never available in the US). If you get the chance to buy a Fender Studio Valve, do so. I also own two Fender Stage 112SE combos which have a great tone and gain, both on the clean channel and on the gain channels, and put out 100-160Watts RMS respectively, this smaller Studio Valve combo follows in their footsteps as a kind of "little brother." A great amp and an undiscovered gem from Fender, at least in the US.