Fender 75 Combo

this amp was made in 1982. It has a 12" speaker, not the 15" as in some of the other reviews.this amp seems more versatile than some other amps i had, notably a '93 de ville 212 which had a beautiful clean sound, but didnt seem to bring out the best in any effects hooked up to it. This one does though.
i dont want any "add ons" other than a good line out & reverb - simple seems to work best, and too many knobs look stupid & cluttered.The rear panel is a treat, and if u drop the chassis, you'll die of pleasure - not a single PCB to be seen, so a blind lunatic could fix it, or perhaps even me.

I use it with a L.P STD. This amp is excellent quality and therefore will be good for any guitar application. It is not restricted to a one dimensional characteristic, it will do whatever u know how to make it do. The clean tone is the best of any amp ive had, including a twin reverb & blues de ville.its more usable at lower volume than either of those two. A big call, but i feel its true. It has the usual slight hiss. I can get a decent slight overdrive with the lead & volume, but not much of a distortion. That is ok cos i really only need a slight breakup on anything i play. the speaker is said to be cheap & inferior, but its sounds good to me - and i know bad tone. when it dies, ill upgrade it. The sound did not break up even when fully cranked on 75w. it seems to work well with effects and brings out the best in them.I get a vast contrast of tones when changing between pickups - one mark of a good amp i think. This amp is a keeper.

An amp of this vintage & make will last for as long as you are prepared to maintain it, which is more than can be said for the new pcb mounted CRAP the big boys are ripping us off with now.My former main amp (JCM 2000) is unlikely to survive 5 years with even a moderate amount of raod work (take a look inside the chassis).Anyhow, the tubes on the 75 need changing cos they are the originals and are starting to crap out - not a problem.

Played for 12 years. l.p. std. with a few fenders & one marshall.The only thing i dont like about it is the dull clean sound i get when the channel vol. is full and the main vol. is low. - but thats the only way to get a good O/D sound with the "lead" control i think. too much fiddling, so ill use a stompbox.This amp is in such good condition that it is truly "unmmarked". i could not tell it apart form the other new fenders in the shop, condition-wise. I believe it has been stored for all these years.I know it is a true "find" and im going to be guarding it with my life.

Mine is a 1980 or '81 by the transformer codes. You all know the features by now. My use for this is a home practice amp and it absolutely excels at that! The 15 watt switch, 15" speaker and the treble and bass boost make it perfect for low volume playing.

I play with an Am Std Strat with a Dimarzio HB at the bridge. This amp's clean channel with the singles OR the HB is just incredible. The boost switches and master volume make it extremely usable. The lead channel takes some getting used to, but certainly offers a lot of gain. This amp goes from jazzy bass to screaming bite! The 15" speaker probably helps this amp a lot.

Point to point on a breadboard, hand soldered...should last forever

Started playing again after a long absence and have already been through 4 amps looking for the right one. 3 of them were all tube, 2 have been Fenders, and this one is a keeper for certain. I love the features, the vintage and the tone is fantastic for what I do with it!

Everyone below has done a great job describing the features of this amp. Mine has the 15" ceramic speaker. (stock I believe). I must say that this must be one of Fender's best overlooked amps and I'm glad. It has lots of great usable features. My faves: an effects look, the deep spring reverb and the groovy low power switch. The knob layout is not at all intuitive but once you get it good tones will happen.

The amps clean tone alone was well worth the price. With 15" and reverb the tone is like a cross between a Vibroverb and Super Reverb. Smooth highs, punchy mids, tight bass. The reverb is great for blues and is excellent for surf. The lower power switch gets the clean channel screaming. The lead channel is great for cloning the clean and for adding dirt. The leadcan get really dirty like the Skynard or AC/DC. If you adjust the channel right you can get it be a great lead channel but it takes a little fiddlin' around. It would also work great for heavier type of music. I was totally surprised at how versatile and how good this amp actually sounds for the price.

Its built on a bread board and it's point to point and it's lastly since around 82. Spare tubes, fuses and a good amp tech will keep this amp going strong. I'm going to gig with it extensively with above spare items in tow.

n/a.

I hope I can find another one someday. It's not vintage but really, really sounds like a 60's blackface. This amp was recommended to me by my amp tech after searching for an alternative to a Pro Reverb or Super Reverb. I'm so glad he did.

I bought this amp new in 1981. This was one of Fender's first attempts at a foot-switchable channel switching amp, designed to compete with the Mesa Mark II. It has 2-6L6's, 3-12AX7's and 2-12AT7's. It has an external speaker jack, a line out (doesn't disable the speaker, though), reverb (weakens on the lead channel) and an effects loop (doesn't work w/lead channel). Also a hum balance trim pot and a tube matching pot. For a 1x12 combo, this amp is HEAVY and LOUD!

I use a 1994 American Standard Strat and a new Steinberger Spirit GU Deluxe, both stock. This amp is very versatile...all levels of pretty decent distortion at all volumes from the lead channel -- and nice clean Fender tone from the normal channel. The lead channel takes some time to fine tune, dialing in the right amount of gain, but once you're there, it sounds pretty awesome. It works well with both guitars, but I am partial to that classic Fender sound of the Strat through the clean channel...aaah...yesssssss...

I usually take excellent care of my instruments...I bought an anvil ATA case for this amp when it was new (I thought I would one day become a professional musician...I didn't, but I'm still glad I got the case)-- this amp looks like it did the day I bought it. I had to replace the on/off switch after about three years - a warranty replacement. No problems since. I just replaced the original Fender tubes with JJ's....nice...I use a Zoom 505II for some simple effects, so if this amp crapped out at a gig I would use some amp modeling and connect to the board.

Any reputable amp tech can repair a Fender...

I've been playing 35 years...this is about the only real amp I've ever owned. To replace it might be difficult...not many of them out there...but I would certainly look before I committed to something else. This amp is a pretty complete package. It's worth checking out if you ever come across one.

I think my amp is made in 80, but i'm not sure. I think it's a great amp. I play Blues/rock and I never gonna sell it. I'm a 15 year old boy, it was alot of money (it took me a half year to get the money) but it's worth it.
The amp has a singel EQ for both channels, it's a little difficult to get a good setup. I wish it had a standard 12" ( electro-voice???) speaker. I have now a 15" Fender speaker, but that's junk.
The switching between 75/15 watts is - i think- broken.
I use the amp for gigs and practise.

I only have 1 guitar: a Epiphone Les Paul Junior with a P90 pickup.
However it's not a real Gibson P90 it has great sounds.With gigs I play somethimes on a '76 Gibson Firebird III with 2 Bill Lawrence L-500 humbuckers. If i play i'm crying, lovely lovely.
The amp is very, very noisy.
The clean channel is distorded at about 4-5.
The distortion is very brutal, if you don't watch out you have too much dist. and that's not nice.

It's a very relialible amp. It's about 20 years old and it's doing well. (never been broken before).

Never.

I play 5 years now, and i have the Fender for about a year. I have found another one and i'm gonna buy it too (for about 3-400 Dutch guilders--that's about $160). I have a Boss Dimension C (Chorus) and it has a stereo socket. Magnificent.

Early 80's. Never checked Serial#. 75/15 Watts power switch. Nice feature. I think this amp sounds best driven hard. The low power allows the driven sound without the loud volume. Great for practice. High power for gigs. This is the first and only amp I've owned. I bought it in 1989. I hated the amp for years. I was green and couldn't quite get the right sound out of it. Probably not a good amp for a beginner, but I had hoped I could grow into it. For some reason I stuck with it. I slowly figured out how to best set the amp controls. I am a 'no pedals' guitar to amp very straight forward player. In 2000 I gave it an overhaul: new tubes and I replaced the stock 15 inch speaker(Eminence) with 2 10's (WeberVST C10N's) OH MY GOD. I need no other amp. I can get the Fender clean and a beautiful driven sound. I do have to give some credit to my 76 Guild S100. The 2 make a great pair. EQ boost for treb/mid and high. I only use the mid on occasion. The lead is an interesting setup. Its not actually a different channel, its like a built in pedal. This also took me awhile to figure out. Of course it has that excellent Fender reverb. Good guts and features. Difficult to master the amp. Bad stock speakers. I highly reccomend new(NOS)tubes and high end speakers for any unit to match the fine Fender tube engineering. If I could change one thing, I would like have vibrato in the amp. Back panel is nice, too. Line out and ext. speaker. I also added wheels. Amp is quite hefty.

1976 Guild S100 with 2 Guild humbuckers. I play clean and dirty. Rock with highlights of Folk, Punk, and Pop. I had noise problems before I replace the tubes and speakers. Amp is quite versatile. It tends to break at high clean volumes in a fenderesque way and depending on the volume settings. With the Lead on, there are actually 4 volume knobs to adjust. Distortion is best when the amp is driven hard. This allows for a more "True' distortion in that the tubes and speakers are actully reaching a natural breakup/overdrive state. (rating reflects mods)

I've been playing this amp pracically daily since 1989. Since then, 1 recone on original speaker. 1 tube overhaul. 2 new 10" speakers. Ate about a dozen fuses. Nuff said.(9/29/01)(rating reflects mods)

I've moved alot and have never needed alot of sevice, so hard to answer, but I think a well trained chimp could work on a fender. Parts and extras are a plenty.

12 years. 2 Guild electric guitars. Epiphone acoustic.
Replacement would be a 75 head or Fender Showman type or Musicman.
Wish it had vibrato.
With a 15" bass speaker, this amps sound very good for recording bass!
(rating reflects mods)

made between 80 and 82. 75 watts/ you can switch to low power which will give you 15 watts - great for recording! all tube, the features are simple and good. i don't use
the gain on the amp. however, if you do turn the volume up
on the clean channel (all the way to the left of the amp face),
and keep the master volume down, you get a pretty good
overdriven sound. but i use this amp primarily for the clean sound.

i use a fender telecaster plus, with the lace pickups.
the amp gets a warm, fat, full tone that i am very happy
with. it fills up a club no problem. i owned a twin
reverb '65 reissue that i sold because i did not like
the sound all that much. i think this amp sounds much
better!

no problems so far.

NA

i've been playing for 15 years now. i have played
in a couple of bands which performed at several
clubs in NYC and San Francisco. i have previously
owned a mesa boogie mark II and a fender twin reverb
'65 reissue. the boogie was nice, but too unidirectional
sounding. it screamed right at you, instead of filling
up the room nicely. the reissue didn't do it for me.
you can tell the difference between the reissues and older
fender amps if you really listen. this amp sounds great!
i do not need to look any further. they are hard to come
by, but if you see one, pick it up. it will be a lot
cheaper than an old twin and might even sound as good.

This amp was made by CBS musical instrument from 80 'till 82. I bought this one second hand. The amp was in a real good shape. There were no damages, just some scratches on the faceplate. At first I thought I'd mistaken by buying such an old amp. But now I'm glad.
The styles I play on it are country and blues. For these styles this amp can do the job. Mostly I use reverb for my country sound. But I?m sure this amp can handle any kind of music. All the features are mentioned in other reviews.

I have a squier fender telecaster and a yamaha 302s also telecaster model. The combination is outstanding. Although it works for me. It has a real Fender sound.
From pure country to heavy blues. It's all possible and sounds clean.
At first your impression can be wrong, but after some tuning you?ll be surprised. I use this amp at home, so it's impossible to pull the pedal through the metal. But even with a low volume this amp really makes a perfect sound.

It looks reliable enough to me. For a 20 years old amp, it's a rock.

I don't have any experience on customer support. If something is wrong I ussually go to my local dealer.

I once had a fender frontman 25 before this one. If compare these amps, there's a whole difference. It was always my wish to have a fender tube amp of my own. Second hand I paid a lot for it, but it's worth it. Pre CBS (fender) amps ar much more expensive, so I think this is sure a deal. If you ever get the chance to try one, you'll know what I mean.
Tip: I put some black shoeshine on the tolex and rubbed this out. The tolex looks like new.

On the website www.ampwares.com you'll find a lot on fender tube amps. There I found out my amp was made in the years 80-81 and 82.
I recently bought this (second hand) amp. It was in a very good shape. I bought this one for 1150 gulders. But it's sure worth is. I mostly like to play country music but lately the blues comes around. It has a lot of power. In comparisson to the more expensive fender amps (at the store I tested a few) this one sure can do the job.
A feature I use al lot for my country music is the Reverb option, very good sound. Further on it has a lead channel. A footswitch is included to change channels reverb/lead or both.

I play on it with my fender %. There were no great damages, just some scratches on the faceplate. Until now nothing bad has happened. I'm very sure you can gig with it without backup.

I don't now if I do have customer support on this 20 years old produkt. If I have a problem, I first go to my local

I now play for a month on this amp. It was always a great whish of mine to have a tube amp of my own. It was very expensive for me but I can go on with it (I hope so) for the next few years.
For myself I can say, I'm a fender freak. A don't have the money to buy the ones before CBS era. But this amp is sure a rare one and besides of it's good sound quality I believe it's a nice collectors item.
Tip: The tolex on it first looked dirty. I put black shoe-shine on it. Lookes like new.

I played a Peavey Transtube series amp for years, and swore by it. That has since changed. Used (1981), but still original speaker (2 tubes changed recently) Dual-channel all-tube sound, solid state just cant compete with that. Beautifully resonating clean sound -- although sometimes a tad overbearing on the bass end, though, despite dialing it down a good deal. Lead channel offers a nice crunch, though not quite enough higher harmonics for a metal-head. Use a stomp for that fast-and-furious sound. All around, solid amp for small/medium size gigs (350 people).

Unorthodox as it may be, I pump a 94 Les Paul Studio through it, mounted with P90's. Result is outstanding: the amp can pump out everything from dirty blues to teeth-clenching 60's brit-rock tones. The lead distortion leaves a little something to be desired for certain genres, but that's a small shortcoming. Clean channel distorts mildly if the amp is pushed, but it's a light crunch that doesnt take away from the tone.

Excellent condition for an amp 20 years old. Good service history, no problems at all -- can definitely use with no backup. Model discontinued in 1982, so expect an amp that may be a little beat-up esthetically, but no matter that.

Doubtful you'll find a warranty, but in 18 months of steady gigs, nothing was needed but some straightforward regular maintenance.

My ONLY issue with this amplifier is the lead channel distortion -- sounds get a little lost pushing it all the way. For the metal-head within, I complement it with a Boss Metal Zone, no big deal. Being more a bluesman though, I have to love the warm sound and rich harmonics offered -- you probably dont want to just dial everything to 10 and play, but it's powerful enough not to need that, even at medium venues (up to 500 is all I've tried...).