Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue

'65 Super Reverb reissue made in March 2001. All tube including tube rectifier, 2 - channels, footswitchable reverb and tremelo. Fairly accurate repro of original '65 Super Reverb, the differences are plywood case (original was pine), printed circuit board (original was handwired), resistors and caps are going to be modern style but with same values. The reissue also uses six 12AX7's (the original had four 12AX7's and two lower gain 12AT's).

Overall tone is excelent. The reverb on this amp is fantastic! At full gallop, the reverb is very wet making this amp applicable for surf music. I also have the '65 Twin reissue which doesn't have as wet a reverb. A Guitar Player magazine article comparing the '65 reissue to a '64 original Super Reverb (Google it) found the reverb on the original max'd out at 10 only approached the level of reverb on the reissue set at 5. The tremelo is also excellent on the reissue with wider range in depth and speed than the original (see GP comparison).
I compared the '65 Super Reverb reissue to a mid '90's Fender Super Amp (4 - 10's, similar tube layout but solid state rectifier). the '65 RI has a wider range of tone sounding more present than the Super Amp (neither amp has a presence knob) and again the reverb on the '65 RI smoked the reverb on the Super Amp. Both amps had very good bass response.

Too soon t'say. I got it recently.

This is one great all around amp. I play primarily Fender strats through it.

Blackface vintage amp features. nothing too fancy. Basic stuff. I'll rate it a ten because this is a vintage amp, not some lame new digital terd of an amp.

I use my special strat with this amp, and it SOUNDS AWESOME!!! I love it! My setup is: Strat>Crybaby classic wah>Robert keeley modded Tubescreamer>Keeley modded Ds-1 distortion. This setup kills! I am a blues player with a wide range ability to play other styles. I needed a versatile tube amp. Sooo I got the Super. It has the best clean sound i have ever heard, great for jazz, country, blues, and many others. I also occasionally play some shred, and some 80's metal (van halen, etc.) and suprisingly this amp does that great too! If you use a good, high quality distortion pedals like the Keeley ds-1, and ts-9, it sounds great.

In that setup i use the ts-9 somewhat as a pickup/volume boost so i turn the gain on the ts-9 to 9 o'clock and the volume all the way up (it's not horribly loud UNLESS you turned of the ds-1.) And the ds-1 is at its normal setting with its volume anywhere and it's gain all the way up. This thing does it all!

This thing is a rock!

This is the last amp i will ever buy...EVER...

Classic black face Super Reverb.If you don't know what that is you have been living under a rock for the pass 40 year's

I got this amp on a Friday and gig on Sunday .It was an outside gig. The power from the house I think was not a full 120volts so all amps were distorting early.I used a nashvill Tele and a 335.I found that you control the distortion buy your pick attack and volume on the guitar. The tone is sweet I started my volume between 3&4 then turn it up to 5 and back off on my volume pedal then press down for leads .I only used my MI Audio Blues Pro (TS808 clone) for more distortion that was set for clean boost.My Fulltone Soulbender was to much at times .The 335 was a rock'roll dream come true.There was feadback with my blues pro and soul bender on but only when you got in front of the amp to do so.The sustain was unreal with the 335.The Tele was very much at home.I got great blues tones from Albert Collins,Roy Buchanan,and SRV.I also got all the classic Twangy Country tones.The reverb held up to it's name and was able to hear it at a distanes and the tremlo was very nice to.The volume of the amp did not over power the group but was very full sounding.

I did have aback but it was the first gig with this amp and I was 50 miles out of town.It did great!!!!

?????

I like this amp it is different from what I was useing befor a Carvin Nomade with 4-EL84s for power and two channels one 12" speaker so it will take some getting use to. But, the tone is what I've all ways wanted Classic Blues & Country and old scholl Rock'Roll. I'm thinkig about change the speakers out for less speaker distortion and also the power tubes for more head room but that is down road and it may not happen. I have been playing for 20 years and I have always wanted a Super Reverb.

This is a new 2006 Fender Super Reverb Reissue. Features that are all a great amp needs. Great EQ, reverb and tremolo. Never thought I would have any use for tremolo...boy was I wrong. This amp , as most will tell you, will do just about anything but heavy rock or metal. From jazz to classic rock, it has it all in spades.

I use a 1992 Strat, 1995 Tele, 1977 Ibanez "lawsuit" Destroyer, 1975 Ibanez "lawsuit" Les Paul, Carvin Bolt. Single coils on the Fenders, humbuckers on the rest. It does both types of pickups justice. I can't believe that the HB guitars are just as clean and clear as the SC guitars. Some EQ adjustment is necessary between the two types of pickups, but the generous EQ section lets you get darn near any sound you want from either type. Quiet as a mouse, even when cranked. The cleans are to DIE for. No need for a chorus with this amp, it has the magic built in. Starts to distort at about 5-6 with normal output single coils, and at about 4 1/2 with medium output hum buckers. Damn it is sweet. You can even get that spanky crunch like Pete Townshend got on Live at Leeds...not exactly HiWatt, but close enough to fool alot of people. Notes ring true even at max settings...what I've been looking for all my life.

Don't know yet

Don't know yet
Fenders gaurantee is for 5 years, hope I never have to talk to them.

Not for any heavy rockers, unless they want a heavenly clean to go with their hellish distortion (I mean that in a good way, I am an ex metalhead). Amp switching is cool, I even like to go between my Super Reverb and a Carvin X60B...the Carvin for blistering leads, Fender for everything else. Lost or stolen? Buy another and hope it matched up to this one. Been playing since the summer of 1963, but beleive it or not, this is what I would consider the first top notch amp I have ever owned...played quite a few, but never could muster up enough cash to buy one. I played the Mesa Lonestar...too flat and one dimensional sounding for me. The other Fenders sounded great, but the 4x10 configuration of the SR gives it a 3 dimensional tone, more than words can describe. The current crop of Crate tube amps sound really good, but not like a Fender...if Fender is your bag. Great amp...I can't say enough about it. Wish I had bought one many, many years ago.

I'm simply updating an older review. In the review, I had the amp approximately one day, and was trying to use a Squier Fat Tele through a Big Muff on this thing. Not the greatest idea. It took me until about a year ago to really see what this amp works good for. The features are just right for what I'm using it for.

I'm still into the many types of rock-based music, usually bluesy and heavy, but not into the metal range.

Well, on a whim about a year ago, I bought a cheapo Epiphone Les Paul JR for $100. It had a humbucker in the back. It was when I used this with the Super Reverb that I realized that the humbucker makes the amp break up a lot more than single-coils, which is what I was using then. I was also using a Boss DS-1, since the Big Muff took away too much of the clean tone when it was off (damn non-true-bypass switch). And using a Telecaster. This was not a good combination: it was too trebly, and when I turned the treble down on the guitar, the pedal, or the amp, it made it sound too muffled.

I then bought a Jay Turser JT-55C, and I took the humbucker out of the Epi LP JR and put it in the bridge position. All of a sudden: beautiful rock tone!

Humbuckers through a Super Reverb cause it to become a growling *monster*. It's ridiculous. Turn the amp's treble to about 8, the rest of the EQs all the way up, plug into the #1 input on the 2nd channel, and keep the Bright switch off. Turn the volume to about 6 or 7 (anything above that just sounds like pulp) and stand back. It's a solid wall of guitar, and when you kick on the DS-1... Jesus Christ. I can't imagine a more powerful rock tone.
It's also kinda cool to have three levels of volume and distortion - half-volume clean (turn down the guitar to back off the tubes), full-volume breakup, and DS-1 distortion.

A couple drawbacks. Feedback can be kinda annoying, but when the DS-1 is off, it's not too bad. Secondly, the DS-1 is just too damn noisy. Backing the distortion amount off to about 2 or 3 o'clock helps, but there's still a steady hummmmmmmm whenever it's on, just not so loud. I might try an Tubescreamer.

Reliability... this amp is indestructable. My friends have made feedback noises on it for hours at a time, I've driven it to the max, and it has yet to show me any signs of breaking down. I like the 10" speakers, they're tight and they push more signal than 12"s (like I said in the first review, this thing can drown out a 100-watt solid-state amp with a 4X12" cab... I've done it a few times).

Probably the last kind of amp I'll ever buy. In my opinion, it's the best amp Fender makes.

No breakdowns yet. I'll just get it serviced locally.

I love this damn thing. Solid and loud. With humbuckers, it's a force to be reckoned with.

This is a basic but brilliant vintage amp; it doesn't need features nor frills, just reverb, vibrato and great tone which it has in spades! I give it 10 because it has all you need.

Use mine with an SRV signature strat to play blues/blues rock. It has everything you could wish for in the tone department. Shimmering highs, rich full sound with tight bottom end and plenty of crunch!

Had it for 6 years and it's never let me down, in fact it sounds better as it gets more and more broken in

What customer support? Have never needed it.

Have owned all of the classic Fender amps, including an original '64 Vibroverb. Nothing can beat this amp! Been playing for 20 years, professionally for 9 years. Would never be without this amp - in fact I have two. Buy one and you will never want to part with it. It would be a toss-up between the amp and the wife!

This is the reissue. Don't know exactly what year it was made, but I bought it new about a month ago at my favorite revolving door amp store, Guitar Center. Say what you want about Guitar Center, but I have exchanged about ten amps in the past several months, and they couldn't care less.

Everyone knows the features so I won't belabor them. Some people question whether the amp is 40 or 45 watts. I don't know either. The manual says one thing, and the specs at Fender say another. Either way, it is loud enough and with the 4x10, it is has good sound dispersion.

Note that Channel 1 does not have a midrange control; just bass and treble. Channel 2 has treble, mid, bass, the reverb and vibrato (tremolo really). Both channels have a bright switch, which is more noticable at low volumes, and adds a nice glassy sound.

I used the amp with an Ibanez Artcore, Les Paul, and a Strat. Although some people swear by the 10 inch speakers for blues, I found them less versatile than 12 inch speakers, or maybe I just like the sound of 12 inch speakers betters. I had a very hard time finding a satisfactory sound for the Artcore (a jazz box), and although some reviews below stated that this amp was great for everything, including jazz (that is, a traditional fat, dull, mids-heavy jazz sound), I cannot agree with them as for jazz sounds. It may just be that 10 inch speakers do not put out that jazz sound (the one in my head), and I don't really think that is something to fault the amp for, I just don't think it's made for it.

I had a hard time getting good midrange sounds out of the midrange knob. For the Les Paul and Strat, I think most people would be quite happy. I did a lot of research on the difference between 10 inch and 12 inch speakers, and the most I really came up with was that 10 inch speakers, because they have to move less, respond quicker to pick attack, etc., and that 10 inch speakers had a "tighter" sound. All in all, it just depends on what you like, and the 10 inch speakers (or something about the Super Reverb) was just not for me. I like the Twin Reverb better.

Did not have the amp long enough to test its reliability (one month approx).

Did not need.

I have been playing for 26 years, on and off. If I still had it, and it was lost or stolen, I would buy something else. I liked the full sound of the 4x10s; did not like hauling it, not just the weight, but it's taller than a 2x12. I have had a Blues Jr. (great but not loud enough), Evil Twin, Twin Reverb (my favorite of all); Deluxe Reverb (beautiful sound, nice breakup, but not loud enough with drummer and another guitarist); Vibrolux (loud noise floor and also 10 inch speakers) and a Hot Rod (1x12)(didn't care for it). The Super Reverb, because of the 10 inch speakers, just has a different sound that some people swear by, but it just was not for me. You have to test 'em all.

This is a relatively new '65 reissue. I can play everything from Iron Maiden to Grateful Dead to Phish on this amp, it's amazing. There are four channels total, two vibroto and two normal. The only feature it's really missing in my opinion is a MIDRANGE potentiometer on the normal channel. I just always play on the vibrato channel with the vibrato off. The reverb is incredible.... even on 2-3 it is very potent, which is where I leave it. Reverb and Vibrato are tube powered. This amp in my room shakes the house on 2.5 out of 10. It breaks up pretty early, but not too early. It is a 45 watter, much MUCH better power value than the deluxe. May require miking onstage to avoid breakup. It has four speakers, which are 10 instead of 12 inches, making the amp not TOO large/heavy. An overlooked feature is the ALNICO magnets in the speakers, a huge improvement over the ceramics in the twin and deluxe. This is the only one of the three that is ALL tube. The reverb, vibrato, all four channels, and the rectifier are all tube.

My sound is a blend between Jerry Garcia and Trey Anastasio, sort of, with a more bluesy, heavy feel. I play more metal and blues riffs than they do. It suits my many styles all very well. It is essential with this amp to have the right pedals, though! I have tons of Analogman pedals (Beano Boost, both compressors, SD-9 mod, TS-9/808 Silver, etc.), they work best. I could probably use it fine without my NS-2, but I use the NS-2 to keep it really quiet. Very high quality, no noise to speak of (I'm using humbuckers, though). This amp excels with the T/M/B at 6/10/5 with very bright pickups. Tube screamer works great. The clean does break up relatively early, which is awesome. nothing some miking can't fix. It can get PRETTY NASTY if you want it to!

Very very tough. Tubes obivously last awhile. I gig without a backup, and it've never broken. It hasn't really been challenged hard yet.

I've been playing since I was 7, and I am now 16. I use a boss NS-2, Tonejam Sniper modded Boss GE-7, Analogman Juicer, Analogman Beano Boost, Analogman Maxon SD-9 SUPER mod, Analogman Ibanez TS-9/808 Silver, Teese RMC-2 wah. I would get another in a heartbeat, great they are. Only a little heavy. This one is better than the deluxe and twin for reasons above. Only the mid control on the normal channels I wish it had.

This is a new reissue, and everyone knows about the features. Good tone shaping potential, plenty of power. Only one channel, but thats ok

Well, its simply the best amp I have heard since my old dear departed 1967 Bandmaster. I know its a reissue and not handwired etc., but it still sounds great. Its so full and rich, to my ears it is much better sounding than any of the other Fender reissues. Lots of bass without being muddy, great mids and highs, and the bright switch for addded sparkle. Extremely quiet, great reverb. I have no negatives at all. Gets very loud. The thing I like about the Fender reissue series is that being one channel "clean" amps, they let you hear how your guitar/pickups really sound, and bring out the best in them. Your tone isnt disguised. and they do this better than any other amp.

They have probably made a million of them, so I would hope they have the bugs out. I dont play in a band, so I dont push it very hard.

Dont know.

I have wanted a Super Reverb since about 1965. I dont know how a vintage model could sound any better, and I could not be more pleased. Its got the great Fender tone and reverb, and I use it with a Strat, Tele, and an ES-335; they have never sounded so good. I have used a lot of amps, and tended to look down my nose at the Fender reissues until a friend of mine at the guitar shop got me to try a Super Reverb one afternoon. As soon as I heard it, I knew I would buy one. I like to play older rock and the blues, and this amp is the one for me.

Just an update on my LEMON.......


I guess we can dispell all the bad-mouthing about Fender's customer support.
(Maybe they DO actually read these reviews?) Anyway, they did replace my Super with a new one, and it's perfect!

Mike