Fender Acoustasonic SFX

Made in 1999. This solid state amp has two 80w channels and built in preset effects (chorus, flanger, reverb, delay). It has enough options in the preset effects to suit me. As well as the main 10" speaker, it has a 8" speaker facing sideways to project sound in all directions. The main drawback when playing in clubs is that this amp has no output to run a direct line to the mixer. The SFX surround sound is really cool in a small room, but makes no difference in a large club. I also agree with a previous critic, that this amp does not seem to perform as loud as an 80w amp should.

I play in an alternative country band. I play Takemine guitars and a variety of different mandolins, all with fishman bridge transducers. This amp accomodates the mandolin very well. It carries the high notes without any harshness or distortion. I do get some mild distortion at the mid level frequencies when I'm driving the amp at full volume in a club. In the home studio at lower volume, this amp is nothing but a pure joy all around.

It's a solid state amp, what can go wrong ???

5 year warranty. I've never had any problems with fender products in the past, so I have no experience with their customer support. I'm sure they are all nice folk.

I have been playing this amp on the club circuit for a couple of months. As far as acoustic amps go, the acoustasonic is pretty good. I prefer it to the Peavey ecoustic, which I also use. I just really wish it had an output.

Has all the features mentioned in the other reviews. I wish it had a line out for recording. You could use the effects insert, but then you lose your effects. It seems to me that Fender dropped the ball a little bit. Also, I wish the reverb was seperate from the other effects, and that there was a footswitch for the effects.

I am going to give an honest opinion here, none of that all 10 crap that's going on in here. THERE IS NO PERFECT PRODUCT. I use a Martin D-28 with Fishman Natural Matrix under the saddle pickup. I play contemporay christian, pop, country, and fingerpicking styles. Amp sounds great with effects, or without. Very clean and natural. The amp reproduces the sounds of my guitar very well. The 300 degree sound I think is kinda over-hyped also. The amp sounds "GREAT" straight on. Kinda sounds a little muffled from the sides. I am kinda leary of the 2x80 Watt claim though. I have played some 100W amps that would make you ears bleed. I have tried this one cranked up, and I just don't believe the power claim.

I would depend on it without a backup amp only because I can plug in to the main PA. I would never get caught without some kind of backup, no matter what product. But I can always use a mic if I had to, or plug into the lead players amp. It has never broken down. I would suspect it was just as reliable as an other Fender product.

The warranty is 5 years. I have never needed support for this amp, but I have other Fender Amps worked on in the past. All work was done under warranty and no problems. I do seem to remember that the guy who worked on it, only did so through the "piece of crap" music store that I bought it from (sorry to end in a preposition). On another subject, most music stores suck!!! It's kinda like playing Russian Roulette with the service you get, doesn't matter which store. They are real quick to sell you a product, but not too concerned about you after you fork over the money. Why is that??? You want to know what service is like? Try Fishman pickups, or Martin guitars. Those guys respond quick.

I've been playing for years and own other guitars and amps. If it were stolen, I don't know for sure I would replace it. It is a great amp for the money, better than anything else out there. I don't want to sound like I'm trashing it, but it could use some other very simple features that should have been thought out. I just can't believe that an everyday player designed this thing. Fender, get some opinions before you put a product out.

Made in 1999. The amp has 300 degree sound. It is the best sounding acoustic amp I ever played. And yes the sound fills every nook and crany of a big auditorium. It has two channels: both supply the DLP: 32 digitally preset reverbs, chorus, flanger, delay etc. The SFX (Stereo Field Expansion) sounds like everything its cracked up to be. It doesn't have foot switch cord, but that's ok for me, since the amp is never far from my reach. You can plug a mic via din connector or use second instrument or matrix sound for stereo effects. Doesn't have headphone jack, but I don't need one. I do wish it has a line out for recording straight into board. I use this amp in a Contemporary Christian service where we rock out including everything from heavy distortion affects to soft and mello acoustic. That's where this amp comes in. It has plenty of power 2 X 80 watts RMS. It's a solid state unit.

I'm playing a '73 Gibson Hummingbird through a Fishman Rare Earth humbucker sound hole pickup. I've owned all kinds of sound hole pickups before, but the Fishman takes the cake. Through this SFX amp...all I can say is WOW!!! There is no output noise with the amp that I can detect. I've had it cranked up to 8 on gain and 8 on master volume and playing full strums with NO distortion. It is brilliant and wonderfully bassy. The preset sound effects are wonderful. Can't say enough good about it.

I can't afford to run out an by a backup, over $600. But that's a very good price, the thing lists for $900. I'm going to take care of this one and hoefully won't have to use Fender 5 year warranty. I rated this category a 10, because I've only owned it for about 2 weeks. But I play through it almost every night into the night.

5 year warranty. I've not needed to depend on the warranty. I'm sure Fender stands by there stuff.

I've been playing for 35 years. I've always loved good acoustic sounding guitars. My two Hummingbirds have served me well for over 25 years. I also own a '77 Les Paul Custom Honeyburst finish. I own a Fender Mexican Strat and a Big Apple Strat (just bought). The strats I play through a Peavey Heritage tube amp 2x12(100 watts RMS). The LP stays detuned in the case. I was playing acoustic through the Peavey. Sorry Peavey, not built for that, but great strat amp. The sound alone of this SFX Acoustasonic amp convinced me that I needed to by it. I tried several out (Crates and Fenders) in a guitar store before purchasing.

This is an update to the review I posted a few months ago. I've had many guitarists contact me about the SFX since the review came out, and I wanted to add a few things about the amp. I'd like to refer readers to my previous review, along with the following items:
I now have two Acoustasonic SFX's. I currently play jazz guitar in a drums, bass, guitar trio. A single SFX has plenty of power for solo guitar, solo guitar & voice (channel two has an XLR mic & 1/4" guitar input), and when playing with a small combo. However, when the drummer and bassist get fired up, one SFX might not give you all the undistorted power needed to keep up with their volume level, particularly when you start playing chords with lots of low end. Any amp will distort if & when you push it beyond its design parameters, and the SFX is no exception. Keep in mind, this amp wasn't designed to compete with a Marshall triple stack. It will, however, do an excellent job amplifying an acoustic guitar and/or voice for small/medium sized venues. The SFX effect must be heard. I've compared the amp to many other acoustic amps, and for my money (and musical taste) there is no competition. My previous review listed a few things I'd like to see added. That remains true for this review.

See my earlier review.

No problems thus far.

Haven't had a need for service.

Once again, refer to my previous review for more details. As I said, I now use two SFX's. I bought the second amp to boost my sound coverage. It works, and it works beautifully. Two amps with SFX do an incredible job filling a room with sound, without massive volume. As far as using the SFX with a PA . . . remember, if you like the sound you get from the amp, but not the sound when it goes through a PA, the problem isn't with the amp. The most luscious sound from an amp can be defeated by cheap mic's, cheap cables, a cheap PA amp, cheap speakers, cheap mixer, or an inexperienced soundman. The same idea is true about an acoustic guitar. If you love the sound of your un-mic'd guitar, but hate the sound through the PA, guess what? It ain't the guitar. I'll be more than happy to pass on anything I can about the SFX. The amp does a tremendous job with both my electric and acoustic guitars. I think other guitarists should try it for themselves.

Amp is feature laden, DSP opens world of possibilities, SFX technology produces wonderful sound

I play a Parker FLy Deluxe thru this amp and the amp truly takes advantage of the Fly's capabilities in a live set up in small area where it is not necessary to mike the amp. HOWEVER, if you must mike it you've lost that SFX and it sounds thin and tinny. I play in praise band for church in large sanctuary, sounded terrible thru the sound board and no practical way to get around this limitation, so the amp went back after only 18 hours in my possession.

Since I only had it for 18 hours I can't really say.

N/A

I've been playing at playing for over 20 years, but only seriously playing with quality gear in the last 5 years. If I were looking for an amp for small venues or to plunk around on this would be a keeper. Only wish I could have overcome the shortfall and been able to keep it, I can't afford to have that much $ tied up in a set up for my den.

Fender's new amp for acoustic guitars. I'm using it with a Tacoma EM16CE4 acoustic/electric (Beauty, eh?), and a new model Danelectro single p/u (What a bargain!). Music style is instrumental Jazz (seeking ultra clean tone), with a blend of instrumental/vocal Pop. The amp has two channels; both work well for acoustic guitar. The second channel accomodates a mike, and has a better sound for a straight electric. The Dano sounds particularly good in the second channel. The Tacoma "sings" in channel one. No headphone jack. A real minus if you need to practice in an apartment! No footswitch for effects. Another minus. This would be a real plus for live performances. No external speaker. I'd like to see Fender offer an SFX enclosure. 80W per channel (160W RMS). Lots of power for rehearsal, small and medium size gigs. All the preset effects sound great. Everything you expect from a Fender amp. It would be nice to have a footswitch control, however. The Stereo Field Expansion has to be heard to be believed. This is THE major feature, and well worth the extra cost (less than $250.00 more than the Acoustasonic Jr.)

A slight feedback tendency (with the Tacoma) during practice and rehearsal, though the feedback notch works well to reduce/eliminate. Thus far, the SFX will deliver more clean power than I can use. The clean, Fender sound and effects, along with the SFX feature, are the basic reasons to own this amp. The sounds are beautiful. If you want a spacious, rich, pure sound, this is it. If you need some mud, keep looking . . .

I haven't owned it long enough to test its reliability (2 months), and even though it's obviously a high quality product, a guitarist is asking for trouble to gig without a backup. I intend to purchase a second SFX, split the guitar output for regular performances, and provide a backup at the same time.

No personal experience with Fender Customer Support.

I've been playing since the mid-60's (scary), and have owned lots of mainstream equipment. This amp is by far the best (for my needs) I've ever encountered. The fact that I'm buying a second SFX probably says it all. I'd replace this amp with another just like it (or maybe with the improvements I suggested above . . . ) in a heartbeat. The sound is the best I've heard, especially anywhere near this price. I wish it had an effects footswitch, headphone jack, and an external SFX speaker option. Wheels or casters would be nice, too.