Product: Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue Price Paid: GBP 700.00 USED
Submitted 07/29/2009
at 06:03am
by Nige Haynes
Features
:10
This is a 2004 model bought on Ebay from a guy who had upgraded to a mega-bucks boutique amp. You know the features of this amp already. Mine is a USA market model imported to the UK and had a transformer fitted for UK voltage by non-other than Denis Cornell, Mr Clapton's amp guru. The standard Fender Groove Tube valves are still installed. The main reason for buying this amp was sound quality - see below, but the two things I had to have were the fabulous tube reverb and tube vibrato - so because that's the features I absolutely wanted I have to give top marks.
Sound Quality
:10
I play in a 50s rock & roll band and I use an Ibanez Artcore semi-acoustic fitted with low output humbuckers. My effects are pretty stripped down, Boss Tuner, Keeley modified TS9DX Tubescreamer for added warmth and solo boosts and a Carl Martin Red Repeat for those beautifully warm slap-back echo moments. The amp has a lush reverb which I use in the band situation to go between ambient room reverb right through to reverb-drenched surf, think of The Ventures and you'll be in the right ball-park.
I have only had the amp for a few weeks and I wanted to try it at a band rehearsal and a gig before writing a review. I always buy on the strength of my own ears and the more discerning comments in Harmony Central Reviews, so I alwayus make the effort to put my own opinion in too. At rehearsal I got brilliant comments from every member of the band. My first gig with the Super Reverb coincided with half of my company's workforce turning up. I've had no end of e-mails saying about the fabulous sound. You have to take into account that they turned up halfway through the gig as they had gone out for a meal first, so they missed the bits with me tweaking settings to get things balanced out. Still it's great to get such positive things said about the quality of your sound by the people that count - the audience.
Reliability
:No Opinion
Too soon to tell. This is not a cheap amp, it retails in the UK for ??1250.00 and is Fender's 3rd most expensive amp so far as I am aware. So why the hell they put such a flimsy piece of particle board to protect the vulnerable valves beats the crap out of me. Surely an amp of this quality deserves something better than that. Shame on you Fender. My Laney amp costs considerably less and is built like a steam train - rock solid. I did over 200 gigs with it and it still lokks brand new and has a strong metal mesh cage over the vulnerable bits - Fender please take note and do something about this because you have a wonderful product other than this one weak area. I have a back up amp because valves are unreliable by their very nature - in my experience anything beautiful, fast or desirable is almost invariably apt to let you down somewhere along the line.
The back-up amp is a Fender FM212R and it's just about as fab as a solid state amp can be and is probably the best value for money on the planet.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Never dealt with them, but hey why don't we petition them to stop saving the costs on the cabinet making in an otherwise perfect example of the amp manufacturers craft?
Overall Rating
:10
Other than the cabinet building it's just such a wonderful sounding beast. I've made up some dolly wheels to move the amp around, it's lighter than my Laney but it's a bigger cabinet so it feels huge if you try to carry it - one sheet of MDF, 4 holes and 4 wheels, job done.
I have pro gear and all the usual Fender and Gibson guitars, recording gear, effects pedals etc. I have been playing for around 36 years. The one thing I didn't mention is that although the amp is rated at 40 watts or 45 watts depending on who you believe, it is relatively quiet compared to other Class A amps, not a big issue for me becuase it is loud enough to compete with the drummer in full flight, but worth mentioning for anyone thinking about buying a Super Reverb that needs LOUD, so you might consider some sort of pre-amp pedal to boost it.
I checked this amp against a Twin Reverb and was quite disappointed. I couldn't get the sound I wanted. I went back on to Fender's own website and checked the video feeds on there for both amps. Check out the first one where the guy plays a Rory Gallagher Strat with SRV's signature tone and I challenge you to tell me that you don't want one of these amps!
I'm totally besotted with this amp now and if I lost it then I would replace it with the same model in a heartbeat. I have a theory that once you sort your tone out then the extra boost that sound gives to your confidence increases your enthusiasm for playing, makes you sound a better player and you become a better player. It's just my theory. But I believe that if you put as much effort into your tone as you do into your technique then you will be rewarded by being a better player, but what do I know?
Product: Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 07/11/2009
at 10:40pm
by Bob S
Features
:No Opinion
You know what it does..
Sound Quality
:No Opinion
Here's the real question, isn't it? About a year ago, after 15 years of living with craptacular hybrids, and being a less-serious guitarist, I decided to become a man and get a real amp.
I thought back to my favorite that I'd ever played through, and it was a 70's era Super.
I thought (mistakenly) that this reissue was just the same amp again.
Well, it's made with a printed circuit board, not a point-to-point handwired one. Also, apparently, the transformers are cheapo. But, all that is only academic compared to the sound.
Basically, it's really close to pretty cool. But if you're after one of these, you want "Warm, natural, musical" right? Well, it's just QUITE what you know it should be.
It took me about 4 months of playing it to really mentally go "Yeah, this isn't as warm and musical as it should be." Then, I looked into the Mercury Magnetics tranny swaps. There's another review on here about 2 or 3 years ago from a guy who swears it "resolved" the tone issue, and now he has no concern about it any more. That's about a $300 swap! Geez, I paid $700 used for the thing!
I did a JJ tube swap, and that was the end of it for me. $150 for tubes plus labor, and it was a little warmer, but for some reason quieter. (the power tubes WERE going out, and this was a big improvement over THAT)
But I love the 4x10 thing, and I'm trying to figure out how to get "the real deal" My concern with upgrading the reissue was that it I was going to be investing in something that wasn't going to be able to go "all the way up to true '65 form." But, apparently, now guys sell the circuit board for $150, and so, I could get that dropped in there, and I could've. Had I known that, I might have stuck with it.
Anyway, it simply is NOT the real deal in stock form. It's good, you could go into an amp store and play one, and you'd think it was cool. But I've definitely learned that the "gee whiz" factor that you get in the first 15 minutes of playing something doesn't tell you much compared to playing for hours and hours at home.
What you want, or at least what I want, is pleasing, wholesome tone.
This was a little too harsh, but it was close to pretty darn good.
Since bumping up my standards on amps, I feel like the Hot Rod Deluxe is the lowest fender tube amp that qualifies as one. Next is this SR Reissue. I actually got a HRD to replace the SRRI - it was a step down, but I sort knew that going in. The HRD is a little more user-friendly, I did feel that the SRRI only work when I had the knobs (especially volume) just right. The HRD is pretty good at all volumes (except way distorted and loud.)
And, yes, as all the forums will tell ya - the HRD's distortion channel is worthless. It really, really is.
Reliability
:No Opinion
Seemed fine.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
No opinion. I think it was a five year warranty, but I bought it when it was 5 years old.
Overall Rating
:No Opinion
Decent
Product: Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 05/19/2009
at 05:14am
by Chris Todd
Features
:10
Bought just a few months ago (Feb 09 to be exact) new from Dawson's in Bangor Northern Ireland. 4x10" Jensen Speakers, 2x6L6 output tubes, tube rectifier, about 40 to 45 watts, Normal and Vibrato channels as per what we all know, the Vibrato channel has Middle control, Reverb and Vibrato (Tremolo in reality). Normal channel just Vol, Bass and Treble. No channel switching, effects loops, headphone jacks or any of that kind of stuff, this is a vintage style amp. This has become my main gigging amp for any stage or venue, I consider myself to be a 'Roots' player i.e. real Blues, Rockabilly/Rock and Roll, Country, Roadhouse Rock with experience of other styles of music like Jazz, Fusion, Funk, Reggae/Ska, Hard Rock etc. At the moment i've been working with a multicultural group with members from Slovakia, Zimbabwe and Poland (i'm the only Irish one) that leans toward Funk, Reggae, African traditional and Jazzy Prog type stuff and a Ska band who play really loud, this amp fits my style like a glove, i'm going to give it a 10 because for my range it's perfection, it's the right output level married to the very efficient sound radiator of four 10 inch speakers.
Sound Quality
:10
My three gigging guitars are all "Partsocasters". I mainly use two strats, one alder, one light swamp ash; both with very big D/U profile custom built slab board necks and both with Van Zandt pickups and traditional Strat wiring although the alder body guitar has a RW/RP middle pickup. I also use an alder body early 60's style Telecaster with rosewood board and Bare Knuckle Brown Sugar pickups. A while ago when I bought this amp I was also using an ash body strat with one-piece maple neck and Fender US Reissue pickups. Even with single coils this amp stays very quiet on stage in terms of hum or buzzing although my experience with Fender amps has helped in this way i.e. bring EQ up very slowly and gradually in conjunction with the vol control to dial in your sound. There really should be no need to have any of the EQ controls past 5 (or 6 at a push) because the sound is naturally there and increasing the volume will increase the depth and sonic content of the sound anyway, if you over EQ the thing it'll sound noisier, same as any valve amp i've ever tried except Marshalls, where the EQ does almost nothing anyway. Effects wise I use two modded Dunlop wahs, Roger Mayer Octavia, Boss TU-2 Tuner, Fulltone FD-2, Roger Mayer Voodoo-Vibe and Boss DD-20 Delay. I use effects sparingly and have gigged with the Super and just the footswitch for the Tremolo and Reverb, the clean sounds available from the Super are to die for, think of a far spunkier livelier Twin and your almost there, much cleaner than the Bassman combos but with that same juicy character where your note is just right there with you even at moderate levels (3 or 4 on volume), possibly as it shares the same tube layout and rectifier tube (not to mention 4x10 speakers) as the Bassman, but with first class Reverb and Tremolo. This amp really starts to come into it's own though when you wind the volume up to around 6 and 7, then it's the realm of the magical fat, mostly clean but dirty note and the amp becomes extremely Super responsive (pun intended) to pick attack around this point, we're talking very pricey boutique amp standards here, the thing is though that it's very responsive at any volume past about 2 and a half and always sits well in the mix both on stage and out front, it's also a great recording amp, the Twin on the other hand is a terrible amp in the studio and sometimes can be overbearing on stage, bear in mind that at this stage the speakers still aren't fully broken in (I reckon it takes a full year or so) and it's still got the stock Groove Tubes (red label) in it and things can only get better, i've two pairs of Phillips 7581a Tubes waiting to go into this amp, then things are going to be something else. The Super amp sounds great with any of my pedals and guitars although i prefer the out-and-out overdriven sound of the Telecaster with FD-2 (boost channel on)through a Twin Reverb but maybe another booster pedal like a Maxon OD-9 or FlynnAmps booster will help this. Just try one if you liked the swirl of a Bassman and poke of a Deluxe but need cleaner headroom.
Reliability
:No Opinion
Can't comment since it's still pretty new but the '65 reissue Twin i also have has had a good track record for the last 9 years. The cabinet feels more solid to me than my Twin did new although they've still got that flimsy baffle and back panel, i'd pay extra if Fender would stop doing this and use hardboard like the old ones, Leo's thing was all about functionality and practicality after all.....
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Hope I don't need to.
Overall Rating
:10
I love this amp, I've never played an amp that suited me better than this for the styles I play and the bands i'm in. For me, most important thing is that sonically it sits perfectly in live mixes and records extremely well and responds brilliantly even relatively low on the volume. Thing is although some people think 40 or 45 watts isn't enough, the 4x10 speakers spread that sound so well, you'll be heard really clear but your band mates and soundman will still love you! It's still pretty heavy but easier to move around than Twins or Marshall cabs. Although i'm certain i've found my soul mate in an amplifier, i'd still love to try out a Vibrolux Reverb (2x10) as an extra amp, which i've never been lucky enough to play through.
Product: Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue Price Paid: USD 1300
Submitted 10/09/2008
at 11:15pm
by Old Lar
Email: everettsorb at aol<dot>com
Features
:8
Speaker out is only 2ohm. Good luck finding a cab with that rateing, but you could build one. It has a "Normal" chan and a "Vibrato" chan. Reverb sounds pretty good as does the vibrato, (after tube upgrade!) but only works on the vibrato chan. Can only access vibrato, (which is really tremolo) and reverb with the supplied footswitch. It IS a very good looking amp!
Sound Quality
:5
Over all a good amp, but... Be prepaired to upgrade your tubes to quiet down the all too aggravateing Fender hiss. When it comes to this tube upgrade, cheap replacements just dont do as much as more expensive preamp tubes. Be prepaired to swap your OT and PT with a Mercury Mag rig. They also offer a choke and reverb trany, but at a minimum, replace the output and power trany. That will set you back 3 to 4 hundred bucks. Add another 1 to 2 hundred for a "cap" job and you'll have a sweet sounding Super! It's a shame they skimped on the wood for the cab. You can find a good replacement at Allen Amplification. This makes a pretty noticeable difference in tone! Don't get me wrong, it's not too bad right out of the box, but it could, and should (SHAME ON YOU FENDER!)sound better though for the ammount of cheese paid!
Reliability
:7
Fender amps are like old VW's, you either get a good one or you dont. If you don't, it will nickel and dime you till you sell it. I wish the folks at fender would pay attention to what people are saying about thier product and get back to what Leo did- put out a quality product AND NOT CHARGE AN ARM AND A LEG! Fender tube amps from "back in the day" are still working and sound GREAT,(although they are CRAZY expensive-they were'nt back then though!!). I wonder if this reissue will be around in 20 years?
Customer Support
:1
Good luck on this. If you have a problem, do yourself a favor and just find the nearest Fender authorized repair shop, or if your warranty has expired, a good amp tech, or even better, start reading up on amps and take care of stuff yourself,(always remember that there's LETHAL voltage present inside your amp, even if it's been unplugged for awhile, BE CAREFUL!!!) There's ALOT of good books out there that will get you on your way,(check out JK Lutherie). Of course, doing stuff yourself voids your warranty, but you'll end up with a better product!!
Overall Rating
:6
I was lucky that mine sounded just ok out of the box. A good friend of mine who ordered his the same day from the same place as me was not so lucky. First one went back, just didnt work. Second one worked but was insanely loud, (snap crackle pop), it went back. Third time was the charm sort of. While it didn't sound as "good" as mine right out of the box, I was able to show him what he needed to do to get it right and he decided not to send that one back. After the afforementioned "upgrades", this amp will sound fantastic. You just gotta ask yourself if it's worth the hassle, or fun, depending on how you look at it. In closeing, I again say, COME ON FENDER!!! YOU REPRESENT A SLICE OF AMERICANA!!! GET YOUR S@#T TOGETHER!!!!!
Product: Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 05/13/2008
at 12:23am
by Rob (Proximitybutterfly.com)
Email: cromarty707<at>yahoo dot com
Features
:No Opinion
bought it in 06 in hong kong. 220V. dont know what difference it makes compared to 110V around here. first channel is useless. why even have it without verb or vibrato? one channel would definately suffice. the 4x10 jensen setup is a great thing. not necessarily knocking the first channel's sound, etc, but it doesnt enhance anything. sounds identical to channel 2 w/out reverb/vibrato
Sound Quality
:8
when i was in china with this amp, i used a 92 SG Special. just some off the rack deal. no mods. seems only zappa bragged about the Specials. quite underappreciated guitar if yoou ask me. wish i had an older one. Anyhow, the band in china (we're all 'westerners' though) was kind of early pink floyd sounding stuff...mixed with a bit of janes addiction, and some heavy moments. (jeez i hate describing bands like this, but in this forum, there aint really another way is there?)
soundwise......absolutely fantastic. i really lucked out, cuz i just picked it out of a catalogue, and didnt try it out in any shop. VERY sensitive to how hard or soft you play (eg. just listen to the Meters' Cissy Strut). good sound at almost any EG setting, although the bass was kind of flubby. if you like the sound of fender amps and what they are all about, this is a great example.
as for the effects, whats been said about fender reverb has already been said. just beautiful. vibrato- same, except it makes a loud pop when you turn it on at high volumes with the reverb on as well.
exceptionally bright, gorgeous clean sound. nice amp to sculpt. can spend hours just sitting in front of it experimenting with its voicings. cant make it not sound like a fender though. which is of coourse why you buy a fender in the first place.
not to be a negative nacy, but it rattles a lot. some say its the stand, but it defiately comes from inside the thing. sounds like if you shake a blown light bulb. its loud sometimes, but at other times, it doesnt show up. it was a bit of a headache during recording.
i would have given it a 9 if it wasnt for the rattle.
Reliability
:5
unfortunately, it blew up a month after i got it. i didnt trust the guy at the shop, so i really dont know whats wrong with it. so he changed the tubes and the transformer and got it working again. it never sounded the same though. the bass was almost 'bad'. stick with the tubes that fender puts in. groove tubes i think. i have no idea whats in there now. but its not the same. anyone who says tubes dont make a difference is lying. i wont give it a terribly low score, cuz A0 i dont know what perils this amp went through in hong kong, or at shipping, and B) i wasnt the one who blew it up. i was not present when it blew up. some damn wannabe probably dropped it or whatever.....
Customer Support
:No Opinion
china has no support there at all. you go with what the shady sales man says or else you got nothing.
Overall Rating
:8
not much to add here. it captures the Fender vibe if its working and not rattling. dunno...maybe i just got a lemon. Fender makes some kickass stuff, to be sure. I LOVE the sound when its behaving. and yes, i am in the market for a new one. had to leave it behind when i came back to canada. if you want a fender amp, save your money and get this one, or the other 'vintage' tube amps. dont waste your bread on their cheap generic crap. i personally recommend this one cuz of the 4x10 jensen setup. nice and punchy. cuts nice at gigs and practice. dont have to hassle when recording. only mic placement of course. except for that darn rattle. if you like the fender sound, give this one a try. maybe youre luck can be better than mine. after all, fender didnt get this good reputation building bad amps, now did they?
Product: Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 04/22/2008
at 05:17pm
by Cretan
Features
:No Opinion
'07 Super. Very versatile. Everyone knows the details.
Sound Quality
:9
Careful on the mods on this one boys and girls - you might be chasing a tone ghost. I mean this unit is great out of the box. Tubes are fine - big, rich, wide tone with a slight "in between" clip that's great for rhythm (especially blues or raw funk). It also yields a nice Stones raunch when you really crank it. However, it won't be liquid molten leads with endles sustain (enter your pair of Rat pedals) - just raunchy. So, does swapping out preamp tubes, etc. to lower the gain work? Why not plug into the low input for less gain first to see if that gets you there. Maybe your pickups are way too hot to begin with. Some folks think hotter pickups give more tone then are bummed when they can't get a good laid back sound that is clean enough - not the amp's fault. Also, the speakers will break in over time and smooth the tone too. Point is - spend some time with this amp (or any amp) before you start swapping stuff out. I'd suggest maybe six months with a few gigs under your belt to see what works. Think about it - if after a gig you think the amp really let you down - you probably bought the wrong amp! Change around the EQ alot to see what works. If you dime this amp's volume (or any amp), you will lose a little articulation on your notes as you push the speakers out hard. Maybe try micing through the PA to get that balance of "fillin' out the amp" with volume, but not maxing it out into the fart zone. I don't believe this amps sweet spot is at 10 from what I've heard - probably 5-7 is peak for tone and is a nice place to sit using your guitar volume for different textures. In my opinion, Fender built a good amp here and you can save yourself time and money having a little patience before you launch into the mod zone. Believe me, I totally respect the quest for the tone you're "hearing in your head", but I see too many people rush out and swap speakers, tubes, and have circuitry modded before they get a chance to REALLY know their amps. The ultimate joke is ripping out the printed circuit board for old time point-to-point wiring - talk about $$ down the toilet!! (LOL). ;) This amp is great native! I highly recommend it!
Reliability
:No Opinion
Customer Support
:8
Fender actually picks up the phone now - very nice.
Overall Rating
:9
Solid
Product: Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 04/15/2008
at 08:57pm
by David
Email: telestrat335<at>att dot net
Features
:No Opinion
Review update . I have had this amp for 2 years now.
Sound Quality
:10
I love this amp ! I have lowerd the first gain stage by changing the 12AX7 to a 5751 . I also change the reverb recovery tube to a 5751 this soften the tone and gain in the Vibrato channel. I use a Nashvill Tele , a 335 with Seth lovers and a Schecter Banshee it is like a strat with a humbucker in the bridge and a lipstick pickup in the neck. I had alot of pedals (all true bypass) from delay to different OD/distortion/fuzz/treble boosters pedals and a wah I think I had 14 pedals in all . But, over all the amp sounds best with just a guitar and a volume pedal to control gain and volume . I ended up selling all the pedals. When I play live and run the volume at 6 ,treble at 5, mid's at 7 and bass at 5. I have also rewierd the speakers all in parallel for 2 ohm's .Fender has it set up parallel/ seriers so all the power goes to one speaker then it drives the other three. which makes the speakers sound flaby in the bass and treble ice pick in the ear. Now she is so sweet !
Reliability
:6
O.K. I like it loud and I have gig alot with this amp. The cabnit back pannels that protect the tubes and reverb pan had losen up they rattle so bad I thought I had blown my speakers . I fix that with weather stripping at poits of contact of cab. One of the legs had got bent and I took those off they would rattle when I played also. Power tubes and recterfier tube all went bad around the same time. And also most of the preamp tubes were microphonic at the time of purchase. So if I bought it agian I would take to a tech after I left the store. Also the bright switch's were bad when I bought it.But the warranty fix that.
Customer Support
:10
They back that warranty 100% !
Overall Rating
:10
I have been playing for over 20 years and this is my favorit amp . I play Blues ,Surf, Country , Rock and Jazz. Loud or quit this amp sound nice . I would buy it again.
Product: Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue Price Paid: USD 1200
Submitted 04/03/2008
at 12:28am
by N. Cozadd
Features
:9
I played an '08 model.
The amp was amazing for my style of music. Mostly blues and modern acoustic rock type stuff.
2 channels. 1 regular with only treble, bass, and volume control. The other with Reverb, Tremolo (speed and intensity control), bass, mid, treble and volume. Bright switch for extra treble/transparency.
I used all the features and they were all great.
Perfect for home jam sessions with small bands.
No drive channel but that's not really important. Most amps have shitty built in drive channels anyway. No channel switching, but I can't think of a reason to ever use the first channel. You can turn the reverb/tremolo off and its basically the first channel but with a mid control.
Sound Quality
:10
I used a Fender American Standard Strat with stock pickups.
Fits perfectly with styles where you want TONE! No heavy metal or emo ****.
The amp was surprisingly quiet even with noisy single coil Strat pickups.
The amp responds really well to the EQ. I was able to quickly dial in various amazing tones simply with the EQ. The tremolo/reverb really gave alot of new options as well. The bright switch is AMAZING. It adds some treble/transparency and sounds unreal.
I played it in local shop so I didn't push the hell out of it. I did get the volume up to about 5-6 and 10 on the guitar and it was loud and had TONES of amazing tone.
AMAZING sounding amp. As the volume increases, its sounds better and better. I stood and played into it for an hour. I almost made the music store owner stay a while and let me play longer.
Reliability
:No Opinion
I don't know how dependable it is.
But I would 100% gig with it. SOUNDS SOOOO GOOD!
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Overall Rating
:10
I've been playing for 7 years. 19 years old. My other guitar is a Gibson Chet Atkins SST and a crappy Behringer ACX1000 Acoustic amp.
I will be buying this amp very soon. I CAN'T WAIT!
I compared this amp to the Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and Deville, the Blues Deville Reissue, the Custom Vibrolux Reverb, and the Twin Reverb.
The Hot Rod series is a decent value, but has 1/4 the tone of this amp. The Blues deville has some shrill tones and bad OD channel. The Vibrolux has alot of noise and terrible bass response. The Twin Reverb is way too much power and too twangy.
I chose this one because it has the best tone and is the perfect size. I play in a basement/garage band.
BUY THIS AMP! You won't be sorry.
Product: Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 03/02/2008
at 06:05am
by jones929Ebay
Email: georgej00 at earthlink<dot>net
Features
:10
Most everyone already know what the features of this great amp are, If not go to Fender web page and read!!
Sound Quality
:10
I have a SRV signature strat and an Eric Clapton Signature Strat. I read a lot of reviews that everyone had written in this form on many different subjects. But let me tell you one thing!! If you have not changed the sorry,crappy, no good tubes in your Super Reverb, you don't have any Idea what your missing in "TONE"!! It will be like you just went out and bought a new amp!! That is no kidding, that much of a difference, night vs day!! I can't stress just how important it is for any of you that has not change your stock tube to do it ASAP. I just bought my amp this week played it 2 days, then I ordered a set of JJ tubes, gold pin tubes for the pre-amp section..and this amp went from being boring to WOW!! I have a 1965 Deluxe Reverb, no reissue..my only point bring that up is when I first brought the Super Reverb home and played my Deluxe then the Super..I was sick, my Deluxe sounded better...no kidding, yes I have made some mods..but still, I was expecting so much more out of the Super Reverb and I just wouldn't deliver...When I put the full Set of JJ tube in her "WOW" is all I can say!! I played for 2 hrs straight not even taking a break..it sounded that damn good...Now I know why this is the best amp and Stevie used them, one damn good sounding amp if you replace the tubes!! Expensive yes, but well, well worth the investment..and I am 150% happy with the JJ tubes...when you pull the old ones out just compair the quality of the gold pin tubes and the pre amp tubes rectifier tube is a Ruby, and they suck....anyway just put then in tonight so guess just blown away by the difference and had to write this to let everyone know, that changing the stock tube is not an option it is a must!! The longer you wait, you don't have a clue what your missing!!!! Glad I listened to what some of you had to say in the reviews...Thanks Guy's....wouldn't have done it with out your advise....Sound Quality rating stock tubes..I give it a 4 to 5, with JJ tubes I give it a 10 to a 12, simple math guys...
Reliability
:10
No problems, never had problems with Fender products yet, hope I don't...5yr warranty!! Most of them in the past were built tough!
Customer Support
:No Opinion
No contact
Overall Rating
:10
If this amp were stolen, I would go out the next day buy another one pull the sorry ass tubes out of her and put in a new set of JJ gold pin tubes before I ever even pluged the amp up!! Playing guitar too long..30yrs..damn getting old...lol.
Product: Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 02/25/2008
at 07:29pm
by Ted N.
Features
:7
Basic. Would like Channel switching on the pedal, reverb on both channels, Channel one to have a gain control. I know, I know, this is a reissue. but a guy can dream can't he? I guess an A/B switch, reverb, and distortion pedals would cure my griping.
Sound Quality
:10
I've been playing since I was 8 and grew up hearing my uncle play a '72 tele. through a vintage twin with 12" JBL's. Over the years, I've tried many lower priced amps, even rackmount tube preamps, trying to get that "sound" in my head. Admittedly, spent 26 years, and much more money than if I'd just saved for a great sounding amp in the first place. I know I'd have played it more, and that is what we're all about isn't it! Great tone, lots of pop and twang, sweet reverb and vibrato, plenty powerful on stage with bass and drums!
Reliability
:10
This amp takes my banging it around, (in and out of the back of my truck) just as fender tube amps have for years. The tubes don't take 20 min. to warm up and I've taken this thing from below freezing temperatures to playing in just the time it takes to warm my fingers.
Customer Support
:10
My Fender dealer in Churubusco, NY. takes great care of me. I buy my equipment locally and get the personallized service that comes with it.
Overall Rating
:7
Kind of heavy, but that's the price to pay for the great tone of 4 10" jensens at 2ohms. for the price, it should have came with removable casters and a cover. My dealer would have thrown in the cover had I pressed the issue, but it's fenders fault, not his. One more thing, I get an annoying rattle on stage with the tilt back legs, havng to keep moving the amp around a little until it quits. I've thought about taking them off and puting the amp on a chair.
Were it stolen I'd definitely buy another one!
Product: Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue Price Paid: USD 1200
Submitted 01/24/2008
at 05:08pm
by Marty
Features
:10
'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).
Sound Quality
:10
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.
Reliability
:No Opinion
Too soon t'say. I got it recently.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Overall Rating
:10
This is one great all around amp. I play primarily Fender strats through it.
Product: Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted 07/26/2006
at 11:37am
by Blues_Master
Email: colindeibert at yahoo<dot>com
Features
:10
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.
Sound Quality
:10
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!
Reliability
:9
This thing is a rock!
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Overall Rating
:10
This is the last amp i will ever buy...EVER...
Product: Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue Price Paid: US $1100
Submitted 06/12/2006
at 11:48am
by David
Email: telestrat335 at att<dot>net
Features
:10
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
Sound Quality
:10
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.
Reliability
:8
I did have aback but it was the first gig with this amp and I was 50 miles out of town.It did great!!!!
Customer Support
:No Opinion
?????
Overall Rating
:10
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.
Product: Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue Price Paid: US $1189.00
Submitted 05/18/2006
at 07:35pm
by RockinRobert
Email: uriahheep1957 at hotmail<dot>com
Features
:9
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.
Sound Quality
:10
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.
Reliability
:No Opinion
Don't know yet
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Don't know yet
Fenders gaurantee is for 5 years, hope I never have to talk to them.
Overall Rating
:10
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.
Product: Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue Price Paid: US $825
Submitted 03/12/2006
at 04:39pm
by Shane G.
Email: tsge65 at yahoo<dot>com
Features
:No Opinion
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.
Sound Quality
:No Opinion
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
:No Opinion
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.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
No breakdowns yet. I'll just get it serviced locally.
Overall Rating
:No Opinion
I love this damn thing. Solid and loud. With humbuckers, it's a force to be reckoned with.
Product: Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue Price Paid: 1,100 (GBP)
Submitted 02/09/2006
at 01:23pm
by Bluesman50
Features
:10
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.
Sound Quality
:10
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!
Reliability
:10
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
Customer Support
:No Opinion
What customer support? Have never needed it.
Overall Rating
:10
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!
Product: Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue Price Paid: US $1100
Submitted 02/04/2006
at 09:53pm
by guitar mike
Features
:7
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.
Sound Quality
:7
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.
Reliability
:No Opinion
Did not have the amp long enough to test its reliability (one month approx).
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Did not need.
Overall Rating
:7
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.
Product: Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue Price Paid: US $699.99 used
Submitted 01/12/2006
at 09:18pm
by Z.M. Elie
Email: Elliottrzz<at>aol dot com
Features
:9
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.
Sound Quality
:10
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!
Reliability
:No Opinion
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.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Overall Rating
:10
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.
Product: Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue Price Paid: US $900
Submitted 12/05/2005
at 11:39pm
by Superboy
Features
:10
This is a new reissue, and everyone knows about the features. Good tone shaping potential, plenty of power. Only one channel, but thats ok
Sound Quality
:10
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.
Reliability
:No Opinion
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.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Dont know.
Overall Rating
:No Opinion
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.
Product: Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue Price Paid: N/A
Submitted 11/09/2005
at 04:56am
by Anonymous
Features
:No Opinion
Sound Quality
:No Opinion
Reliability
:No Opinion
Customer Support
:9
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
Overall Rating
:No Opinion
Product: Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue Price Paid: N/A
Submitted 10/01/2005
at 06:36am
by Mike K.
Features
:10
2001 model, bought new in 2005 Has all the features you need
Sound Quality
:10
Just what I was looking for
Reliability
:1
Well, someone has to get the occational LEMON once in a while, and I guess it was my turn. Ive been playing Fender equipment for over 30 years, and Ive never had anything major to complain about. (untill now) Mine has roughly 30 minutes playing time on it so far, and its making all kinds of crackling and buzzing noises. Well, off to the "certified Fender repair shop (and theres only ONE in Rhode Island). Bob Fenton, of "Providence Music" said he replaced PLATE VOLTAGE RESISTORS, and then proceeded to change EVERY tube in the amp with tubes that do not belong in the amp (stock), and this was after determining that EVERY tube that was in it from the factory was GOOD! The amp is TOTALLY USELESS!
Customer Support
:1
Jesus, in "81" when Fender became Fender again, I was tickled! How many of you actually remember CBS? Start humming the tune to "Welcome Back Kotter" Im getting more corporate bullshit now about replacing the damn thing than its worth.
I will NEVER understand why musical companies hire people who dont know their asses from a hole in the ground about ANYTHING to do with musical equipment!
Overall Rating
:10
This is a great amp, and dont let this review sway you from buying this particular amp. As I said, this is a first for me, and for the most part, Ive never had a major problem with a Fender amp.
What you DO need to know, is that Fender Customer Support needs to re-think what the hell the're doing!
I would NEVER say this normally, but buy the damn thing at Guitar Center, as even THEY have a better guaranty.......
Product: Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue Price Paid: US $1189
Submitted 08/21/2005
at 07:50pm
by Keith
Email: k_hasper<at>skidmore dot edu
Features
:No Opinion
brand new 2005.
Sound Quality
:9
i use a 2003 american ash body telecaster. Have had this amp for about two months now. Finally got it after saving for about a year. My ultimate dream tone is that of the late Jeff Buckley on live at sin-e and I can say that for a a brand new amp, this one really does sound beautiful. When I think of the tone in the super, I think of its fullness. It's beautifully clear and thick and even when not hitting the bass you can feel this depth. However, the treble doesnt quite sparkle as I had hoped, but this was true on my old amp to so it might just be my tele, which tends to sound thin at times. But this amp is hard to fault as a starting point equipped with what Ive read are pretty weak tubes. To me, it sounds every bit as beautiful as i had hoped, but theres still some room for improvement--it just doesnt sparkle and shimmer quite like buckley's real blackface twin.
One thing i cant fault is the reverb, its a 10. I also compared this to a new twin, which from playing in the store, seemed alot less bright and with, for me, more power than necessary and utimatelyless character. I think the bright switch is actually a little too muchwith my tele and i almost never use it. Anyway, i have to search hard for criticisms because it ultimately has a sound that when i play it in my living room has stopped everyone who has heard it in their tracks. A really great sound that only falls short of amazing!
Reliability
:No Opinion
in two months, no problems--for whatever thats worth
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Overall Rating
:9
been playing for 6 years--not a genius, just an average joe. But i know good tone, and this has it. It's also awesome looking and has no cheap effects. If you want good tone, this is a great amp. If it were lost or stolen I'd definitely buy anothr one. Hope to work on this amp a lot because I'd rather improve it than spend money on other amps. Maybe better speakers, definitely better tubes, and possibly the blackface surgery someday. But for now, I'm one happy camper--its such a pleasure to flip it on and jam. It won't make you better, but you'll sound as good as possible with what you do know.
Product: Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue Price Paid: 3895.00 (Austrialian)
Submitted 06/28/2005
at 02:24am
by Marty
Features
:9
Made in 2003 reissue vintage model. Possibly the most versatile guitar amp available due to styles it will cover with ease.
Some amps have great tone but can be one trick ponies. Not this baby, Classic Clean Fender tones,..just beautiful. And it naturally over drives beautifully when cranked a little.
Two 6l6s power tubes, two channels non-switchable. The GZ34 Tube rectifier adds even more tube tone to the circuit and adds touch sensitive dynamics when digging in. This amp is compatable with most pedals put in-front of it and suits humbuckers and single coils equally.
A strat sounds amazing,.335 suits this amp perfectly.
Jensen reissue P10R alnico magnet speakers sound great.
Nice and deep tube driven reverb and trem too.
Sound Quality
:10
I play reggae gigs with this amp. Heaps of clarity and tone to die for. It`ll do classic and modern rock, R&B, jazz, pop, funk, blues and country!!!
She`s a real winner. It has more tone character and useful gain than a twin. Twin reverbs are nice but don`t have the tone character of the super reverbs. Twins are often too loud and can blow your ears out. The 10 inch alnico speakers/45 watt fender tube combination of the super is really good and balanced.
H/buckers sound full,warm and have good clarity. Single coils too sound just fantastic.....(We`ve all heard Stevie Ray).
Reverb is particulary nice and is generaly enough for most applications about 2.5 or 3 on the dial. Anything more tends to approach surf territory.
O/Drive Pedals in front of it sound very good and seem really compatable with the amp.
Also You can substitute a 12au7 or 12ay7 in preamp section instead of 12ax7. This will achieve more twin reverb like head-room due to the lesser gain factor of these 2 pre-amp tubes,..and in turn allowing this classic Fender amp to be even more versatile!!! Well worth experimenting with if you are after good headroom at volume and they are cheap to purchase too.
Reliability
:10
All good so far 2 years down the track and plenty of gigs. Fenders are usually reliable from my experiance.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Has never been required.
Overall Rating
:9
For myself and any guitarist into classic routes music and jazz, this amp really shines through as the correct amp of choice. It`s very usable and fun to play and i wish i had looked at a super 25 years ago when i started out in bands. No wonder steve cropper and countless other very tasty players use them. I`ve owned Twin reverbs in the past and they are really good amps but i feel the super is a just a better amp alround.
I tried a Mesa blue-angle 4x10 combo before getting this and was impressed, but it just didn`t have that classic fender tone which is what i was looking for.
The super reverb is a winner and a true classic amp with tone that is well balanced and hard to beat. This is not a metal amp,..and most should have worked that out for themselves.
Highly recommended.
Product: Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue Price Paid: US $1149
Submitted 04/01/2005
at 10:33pm
by Rick P.
Email: rkkpinwa<at>comcast dot net
Features
:10
The last time I looked it had everything that came with the original: Two channel, one with tremalo and reverb - one without. Fourty-five watts, five more than the original, but I can forgive Fender for that. It doesn't have the AC outlet in the back, oh well too bad. You can footswitch the reverb and tremalo, cool. It has everything that it was supposed to have and everything I wanted.
Sound Quality
:10
My wife bought this amp for me for Christmas. Literally made me cry . God I love her. For the first couple of weeks I was completely satisfied with the sound of this amp, but after the newness wore off, I found there were a few things I was not totally happy with, so I made some mods. The first thing I did was to go on ebay and I started buying NOS tubes. After some trial and error (there is a huge difference in tone depending on the tubes), I ended up using nothing but Mullards in the preamp and a Mullard GZ34 in the rectifier. I got rid of the Groove Tube 6l6gc's and replaced then with used, but well matched RCA black plates. Total cost, about $275 but the difference in the tone is nothing short of amazing. It is truly incredible how bad the stock tubes are, except the GT 6l6's, they were actually pretty close to the blackplates.
Next came the speakers. At about 3 on the volume the RI Jensens sounded great. At 2 they sounded dead and they started breaking up at about 4.5 with my strat and 4 with my Les Paul: Much too early for my taste and I did not like the sound of the breakup, too harsh. I wanted this amp for it's clean. If I want to overdrive it I'll use a pedal, thank you. So I replaced the speakers with two Weber 10A125 alnico's (old P10Q), and two 10F150 ceramics (old C10N. Right away they sounded better than the Jensens. Especially in the bottom end, loud and tight with a fine articulate top end. I have had them in for about 6 weeks now and they are just now really starting to break in and oh my God the tone!!! Absolutely incredible. I wasn't looking for the SRV tone so many people are looking for, but I've got it in spades if I want it. It is now absolutely the sweetest sounding amplifier I have ever heard. The tone is great for Blues, Jazz, and Rock. I have now spent about $1775 or so on this amp and many will ask, "Whay didn't you just buy an original?" Well, I looked and played and found that what I have now, with the mods, sounds better than the original, and I don't have to worry about 40 year old speakers, that most likely need to be replaced anyway, and other components that are going to give out someday. Now I don't have to worry about "keeping it original." I got it to play, not put in an museum.
Many say that it treats single coils better than humbuckers, but I don't think that is true. I use a stock Fender American Standard strat, a Les Paul Custom, a SG, and an es-335. I think that what it is, is the strat just sounds so incredibly beautiful that it is hard for anything else to keep up. The tone is almost other-worldly its so good. My humbuckers sound really fine too, just not as fine as the strat. There is just something about a Fender with a Fender. This amp takes well to pedals too, if they are good one's. I use an Analog man modded SDF-1 and an Analog man pro mod DS-1. Both sound fantastic, especially with the humbuckers. That is where humbuckers shine.
I am kind of stuck on a rating to give the sound. I have seen many raters give such amps as the Hot Rod Deluxes and Devilles 9's and 10's. Compared to a stock Super Reverb their sound is not in the same league let alone the same ball park. I think it is probibly the finest sounding stock amp of its kind out there so I will give it a 10, but with the mods it is easily a 12.
Reliability
:No Opinion
Great so far. Who knows, but I do have the 5 year warrenty. Another reason to but the reissue over the original.
Customer Support
:No Opinion
Haven't needed them so far, but from what I've heard, they are not very responsive. I don't care, my the local shop I bought it from will take care of me.
Overall Rating
:10
I have seen where several people here complain about the price. I look at their guitars and see thay have spent probibly $2500-3000 on a Gibson Les Paul that is not worth more than $1200, considering their current workmanship, and want to get this amp for the price of a Hot Rod Deville. Well, I think they got it the other way around. I have some fine guitars, but I plugged in my 6 year-old son's 3/4 Squire strat with one year old strings on it and it sounded better than my strat in my Marshall AVT 275. If you want this kind of tone, it costs money. The $1775 dollars I've spent on this amp is more than worth the money and if it were stolen I would replace it with the same mods and not blink an eye. It sounds that good!!!
Product: Fender '65 Super Reverb Reissue Price Paid: US Rupiah
Submitted 03/27/2005
at 08:33pm
by Rama Claproth
Email: sok_kidal at yahoo<dot>com
Features
:10
Very simple. Treble, bass, mids, volume, reverb, bright swith, and that's it!
Sound Quality
:10
A lot of people say that none of us can get that SRV tone, but guess what..., I got it and a friend of mine was at the El Mocambo gig when SRV played. He took pictures of Stevie's amp and pedals and the settings are so clear. I copied it and man what a tone!!! I used my SRV strat, stock TX special pu's. I set the amp (Stevie set like this too at the El Mocambo), Bright switch OFF, Input one at the vibrato channel, volume at 4-6, reverb at 2.5, treble at 4.5, bass at 3 and mids at 4. Very clean and warm! I play Hendrix and SRV A LOT. My effects chain are Vox Clyde McCoy original, RM octavia, Dallas Arbiter Fuzz Face original, TS9, TS808, Jim Dunlop Univibe, Boss TU12 Tuner, Boss DD3 Digital Delay, Amp. Set the TS9 DRIVE 9 o'clock, LEVEL 1 o'clock, TONE 3 o'clock.
TS808 DRIVE 10 o'clock, LEVEL 2 o'clock or FULL, TONE 2 o'clock. The TS808 is the one that stays ON all the time, use the TS9 for leads and it boosts the 808 perfectly!