Fender Concert II 112 Combo

My 82 is just like all the others so there's no need to go into detail

Here's where credit comes due, this amp is one the best sounding amps Fender has ever produced, I've owned and played through almost every amp Fender has ever made and the only one I ever owned that I would rate with this amp is the Fender Super Six. I know beauty is in the eye of the beholder or in my case ears.

I have never had any problems with this amp, it is now Nov. of 2009 and my amp blew its first fuse and I'm fixing to replace the power tubes.

I have never had to contact Fender

What can I say, when you have already given them all ten's where else can it go.

2 channels, fx loop , extension speaker jack, recording jack,,distortion reverb,,,,,,,mid boosts..

Sound is awesome I have also put a celestion gold speaker in it and It wails... parkling cleans and gritty leads.....

Hand wired Like the good old days....great

I give this amp a 10 cause I love it and it covers many different sounds,,,,and works with pedals great.....Put a good speaker in and away you go!!! These are starting to get expensive so buy one now before there 2000.!!

I recently purchased this amazing amp after searching for one in my price rnge for the last 2 years. this review applies to my specific amp only because i was incredibly lucky enough to score a 1983 Fender Concert 112 Combo that was personally hand modifed by Lee Jackson in 1984 while he was still working out of a music store here in Reseda CA and had just left Fender. I am only the 3rd owner - the gal I bought it from (thank you Maureen) bought it from the music store owner in 1986 and owned it for 22 years. This amp has ALL the standard Lee Jackson mods plus a 17" reverb pan and Rever circuit mod as well as what appears to be an additional knob added to the rear to provide on the fly Bias adjustment - all done by Lee himself. It also has a Celestion Black Shadow (Mesa) speaker that really opens up the voice at both ow and high volumes. The sound of this amp can only be described as Heavenly and awer inspiring. I am a very happy camper indeed. Oh BTW - I got an amazing deal (don't ask). This amp has every feature I could ever want - well documented in other reviews here - the most important being lots of volume and TONE TONE TONE.

Channelswitching provides an amazing array of tonal options - the clean is ure Fender gorgeous and the Reverb is great - and the drive channell makes me wonder why nobody is copying this kind of circuit - I'll be putting away my 2 overdirves and fuzz pedal for awhile that's for sure. I have 8 guitars and 7 samps - 6 all tube - and this is now by far my favorite (I have a Fender 65 Deluxe RI, a Harmony 304A combo, a Marshall Studio 15 (yes, I know) a late 70's Champ, a Fender 25R SS combo (don't ask) and a 1959 sound project 3 watt tube amp. All reat stuido and recording amps but this will be my go to live amp for years to come. Allthe tubes are GT's and they are at least 20 years old - one is wheezing a bit (probably the 12aT7) but I won't let my tecvh touch this til I've put another 20 hours on it. So far it loves my 84 Tele, MIJ Fotoflame strat and Mustang - but when I plugged in my Epiphone Korina Explorer I almost fell over. Dear God! What have I done to deserve this glory? I think I need to take some more lessons - I don't deserve this good of an amp.

I can't begin to guess what kind of things have been rerouted, caps replaced, resistors swapped or eliminated etc. But this is a hand wired PTP amp so whatever the new schematic must be - it works for me. Fender obviously can't even make an amp like this anymore - or don't want to. This thing is rock solid - weighs 60 lbs - and I'm already looking for a flight case - but it is built like a hand made amp. The back panels alone must be 1/2" thick birch - makes my DRRI look like Chinese crap by comparison - nd I like that amp. But I wouldn't trust this to anyone but my devoted tube guru (Bob Heman here in Reseda - AceAmps - he's amazing and is devoted to his craft) so I don't expect any problems we can't handle now or in future.

Fender USA?? Give me a break - I'd sooner take it to the local Guitar Center (freakin idiots).

I have an apartment full of vintage 60's furniture, stereo equipment and guitars and amps. I am only a middling guitarist at best but I really believe Leo Fender and Jim Marshall belong inthe Pantheon of the gods. I can now add Paul Rivera and Lee jackson to that short list. If you think you know tone - you'll love this amp. But Like I said mine is one in a million - so I can't speak for the others - but if this one is any indication, the potential is in there for a mind-blowing sonic experience. I've been to the top of the mountain.. now escuse me while I go bug the neighbors some more.

same as other reviews . NOTE if you need a footswitch for this amp go to tubeampparts.com and pick one up for $50.00 . your welcome.
My amp has a single 12" celestion gold. real nice!!

NIce cleans and reverb. Overdrive is smooth and real good for a fender. A compressor and or distortion pedal helps deliver endless sustain. I wish the gain could do it all so a nine!.

rock solid no problemo's.

I've had too many amps come and gone. This one is real nice and is versitle enough for me to play many gernes! I recomend trying one out
If you swap out the speaker you will be happy!

Early 80s Paul rivera designed Fender 1x12 Concert open back combo.
60 watts output from x2 6L6 tubes.
x2 12AT7s for reverb recovery and phase invertor and x5 12AX7s for the rest of the pre-amp.
Tube reverb. no tremelo. Channel switching to a complete 2nd channel with master and gain control.
Ist channel for very nice cleans.
I have found this amp not that heavy at all...some other reviewers say it is heavy.
Good foot-switch that comes with the amp for reverb and channel switching functions.
Oh....last but not least, this baby is hand wired and that does make a difference...!!

Hand wired amps have two advantages over pc board circuit amps.
Durability and maintenance of circuit are easy and functional.
2ndly...any hand wired tube amp i have ever played has better tone.!
There is better seperation and definition of the treble,mids and bass and a more 3d effect of the sound with a hand wired amp.
I`m not a snob on the subject, but have just found this to be true.
PC Board amps are ok for sure, but they just don`t have the same tone quality or circuit durability.

The single biggest/best improvement I feel that can be made to THIS AMP is to replace the loud speaker.
The EV is quality but is too focused for this amp and lacks warmth.
the Eminence stock speaker does not do the amp justice at all.

A 1x12 open back high gain combo requires a speaker that can perform several mechanical functions well...resulting in a broad spectrum of sonic balance and warmth.
The best choice for my ears to date are Celestions.
The models i think are VERY well suited are the G12-65 and the new G12T-100.
The G12T-100 is very good alround for this amp.
Cleans are georgous and the overdrive channel cooks nicely indeed.
The tones are fat and smooth and very complimentary to this amp.
The G12-65 has a little better tone for the overdriven mode (think Robben Ford)but the G12T-100 is nicer for the cleans.

Some other easy mods for this amp are really just changing out some of the preamp tubes for different sonic flavours.
Some good examples are...swapping
(V1)12AX7 for a 5751 for a really nice clean and well defined tone with a little more headroom available.
(V2)can be substituted with a 12AU7 for a warm toned overdrive channel if you like a little less grit and less gain.
With the mid-pull function activated..using a 12AU7 is a good choice if you like warm bluesy overdrive type tones.
The 12AU7 is helpful if you want more warmth in the tone,
the obvious pay-off is less gain available compared to the 12AX7 tube.
Once again the 5751 is a good choice in the(V2)position for a smooth overdrive with almost as much gain available as the 12AX7.
If you like the 12AX7 for its qualities...don`t overlook the 12AX7lps
(long plate spiral)for a more vintage type warm tone for both clean and high gain.

This amp is a real winner with the speaker change. It has absolute world class tone on tap and will suit you if you are into jazz or R&B
Blues etc.
I could well imagine Mr.Carlton happily using one of these amps if set up properly.
Without the speaker change it is a damn good amp with great potential.
Get the right speaker loaded in this baby and you`ve got a real sweet unit.
I should also add that both single coils and humbuckers are great through the Concert.
Very versatile and great reverb.I think one of the best reverbs I`ve heard.
Scores an (8) without speaker change and a glorious (10) with the right speaker loaded.

Best amp available for me and my budget. Hand wired amps are not so common anymore and these Concerts are a bargain if you can find one in good nic.
I do recommend the speaker change and even preamp yube changes if you wish to experiment a little.
I cannot afford one of the Dumble amps...this is a real blessing having this baby come along.

It's a 1982 to 1985 Concert Amp. This is the series that included a second Gain Channel for the first time in Fender history.
The amp has two channels, is all tube (also tube driven reverb) and has a line out as well as an effects loop that can be adjusted with two control knobs. Has ext. speaker jack. That's all I look for in an amp. It misses a mid control in the clean channel, but I can live with that. I play Rock and need clean as well as crunch and lead sounds. I depend on a effects loop for modulation effects and delay. All is there.
60W out of 2 6L6GC do the trick on most smaller gigs. If you crank this thing, you can skip the monitor. To really rock, you will need a 1x12 extension cabinet.
It has a footswitch and if you buy this amp make sure you get it with it. This footswitch has 2 LEDs (one bicolor) and two cables. Switches channel and Reverb. You can get replacement on the aftermarket (TAD has em) but they are darn expensive.

I use it with Fender Strat w/ Lace Sensors and Gibson Les Paul with 496/500T pus. The clean chanel is what you'd expect from a Fender. Nice and lush, good saturation at the upper end.
The gain channel starts to come alive at Mster Vol 3,5 before it lacks bottom and attack. It uses two cascading preamp tubes with seperate controls (vol and gain). You can overdrive the first, the second or both tubes. Typical Rivera feature, I guess. I have experimented, but for me it works best to set both at 7 and do the rst with the vol on the guitar. Gain channels needs experimenting, but with the midboost engaged it gets pretty mean. Not metal but pretty serious hi gain. You rub your eyes: This is a 1980ies Fender Amp? The tone control is pretty lame. Especially the mid and bass control don't do a lot. I'l have an amp tech check that.
I use the stock speaker right now. It has an aluminum calotte but still sounds surprisingly warm. I have connected to an EVoice and the stock Twin Amp speakers. I'll probably replace the speaker at some point but it seems to harmonize well with the amp.
Oh and it is extremly low noise. The hum balance seems very well adjusted. No noise. I thought it wasn't working when I first switched it on. A perfect ten but drawbacks are the less impressive lead sound on lower volume and the less effective tone control in this channel.

I have replaced the reverb drive tube. Was the stock tube, so no complaints after 20 years. Built like a tank. Handwired point to point.
This amp will not let you down if you treat it right.

I emailed for a manual and FMI emailed a pdf the next day! (Thanks, David!) Try and find that at another company for a product that has been discontinued 20 years ago.

For the price paid it's a steal! Handwired two-channel all tube amp for 350! I was looking for used Hot Rods but I'm glad I found this. This has more character and is built better than the contemporary stuff.
This is the little brother of my Twin and great for smaller gigs. Heavy but not back-breaking heavy. I love it. Lot or stolen? I'd start looking for one again.

Rivera designed, etc. - you know the specs. I sold my Mesa Blue Angel 4 x 10 to try something different. I went into everyone's favorite music mega store and saw this Concert, which had been there for several weeks. I threw out a low ball offer and they took it. I like the channel changing; I have come up with some great ways to get different tones out of this baby. It isn't missing anything from my standpoint.

I've had it for about a month now, and I replaced the stock Fender speaker with an Eminence Red Ryder. The speaker isn't broken in yet, but it alreaedy has made a huge difference in the sound. The speaker is rated at 120 watts, and belts out some serious bottom end, which was missing with the stock speaker. Also, since the speaker is rated so high, there is no speaker breakup, which I don't like. The result is a tight focused bottom end with smooth highs and an awesome silky overdrive. I play a G & L ASAT semi hollow through the following chain - Boss digital delay, Homebrew Germania, Analogman Chorus, Homebrew CPR compressor. I haven't expiramented with the effects loop, but I plan to. Using a few combinations of clean channel, clean channel with Germania on, Dirty channel, dirty channel with Germania on, and various guitar volume settings, I get anything from Fender clean (really), light grit, smooth light overdrive, and full on blast. This amp really loves the Germania. I would try any treble booster, and you will love the sound. This baby pumps 60 watts, and I tested all 60 of them the other day when my wife was out with the kids. Thumping bottom, signing highs, and I can't even figure how many levels of harmonics kicked in. I'll be honest, I don't love the dirty channel by itself. I sort of like it, but no love here. But when I kick in the Germania, man, it sounds so freakin' awesome. I used the Germain on the Mesa Blue Angel, and it sounded pretty good, maybe a little to trebly. But this amp seems to be a match made in heaven for a treble booster. Add in the superb sustain from the CPR compressor, and this is my favorite rig, EVER.

Point to point wiring. What else can you say? It's a tube amp, so it does require maintenence and such, but that's just part of the deal. You can live in paradise, but sometimes you have to deal with hurricanes or Tsunamis.

Your on your own with an older Fender. But any amp tech can fix a point to point amp, so don't sweat it.

Been playing for over twenty five years. Spent endless money on whims and changes in style, mood, underwear. You can't go wrong with this baby. Sure to gain more popularity in the ensuing years.

1982 Fender Concert II amp designed by Paul Rivera. Two channels & both are useable which is odd for Fender. Loads of clean headroom. Mid boost is a nice feature. Reverb is extremely lush. THIS IS A POINT TO POINT HAND WIRED AMP. Effects loop, line out for direct recording, external speaker jack, etc??..! I had no footswitch when I purchased this amp in 1994 but I have managed to find an aftermarket variac footswitch that switches channel and turns the reverb on and off. Two 6L6?s in the power stage and 12AX7?s everywhere else except for the phase inverter. This one has the EV speaker designed for Fender. Rivera should be commended for this exceptional design.

I use the amp on stage with a Keeley compressor, Keeley Katana Boost, Keeley modded TS9 and Maxon AD80 analog delay. My guitars are 2002 G&L ASAT semi-hollow, 1986 G&L ASAT, 2000 G&L Comanche and G&L Climax. I cover everything from ?Redneck? Jazz to Country to Blues. The EV speaker is unspectacular at bedroom volume??but when turned up beyond 5 the EV really shines. Beautiful, clear mids and shimmering highs. Loads of clean headroom. This amp/speaker combination is a real test for lead guitarists as it will expose any weakness in your playing. If you have good command of your guitar the combination of amp and EV speaker will reward you in superior dynamics??..but having said that, the stock speaker is quite capable and the Weber speakers are always good choices. This is a Class A set up and is VERY loud. You will have no problems keeping up with the most aggressive drummer. I agree with a previous poster that the on-board reverb is as good or better than any I?ve ever heard.

The amp is a workhorse. I have been using is live since 1995 and have the amp chassis ?cleaned? and the tubes tested regularly. I have only had to replace tubes??..but I play many hours every week.

I have never dealt directly with Fender.

At the moment these amps are a steal but I?m not sure how long that will last, as point to point wired boutique amps are getting extremely expensive. This was the best bang for the buck I could find in a used amp under $1200???period!!!!!!

1982 Fender Concert. 60 watts. Uses 2 6L6GC tubes and 12AX7 preamp tubes (except for the phase inverter which is a 12AT7 tube) POINT TO POINT WIRED! This is a crucial feature for folks who are looking to replace caps or modify the amp later. Two channels with reverb from a pan. Effects loop. Mid boost. Bright switch.

Awesome cleans with more headroom than a DeLuxe. Think of it as more than a DeLuxe and less than a twin. The reverb is better than my Deluxe Reverb reissue in that it is more usable at the lower settings (doesn't turn into a cavernous pit by the time you reach 2 on the dial.) This amp was purchased with the original 20 year old tubes in place and there was some noise as a result, especially when reverb was used heavy. The drive channels aren't very good (as usual for Fender) I think you'd be better off using a pedal for that.

It's 25 years old with all the original components...easily servicable with the ptp wiring.

There are a few mod kits out there for this amp. Torres Engineering makes one, and Lee Jackson has a video out showing how to modify the amp for better drive, and better a better mid range control. If you are looking for a point to point wired Fender amp with lots of power cheap...this is the one.

I have been using an early 80's Concert 2, as a part time pro for 15 years in an eight piece jump/blues band. I have never used the overdrive channel, effects loop, or line out features.

I believe that complaints regarding the high end are due solely to the EV speaker in some models. The high notes produced by the EV, while not as noticeable on stage, will drill holes in your head about 20 feet out. I have found that the Jensen C12N produces much warmer, thicker high notes with this amp. Especially if you're using a single coil pickup on the clean channel as I am. To my ear, the EV doesn't match this amp. It gets too brittle. The speaker choice makes a big difference.

A total tank. Not a problem in 15 years.

I love this amp. I'd recommend players get one now before the collectors catch on and spoil the party.

'80 Concert Amp. Options provide a range of clean, bright clean sound for one channel and a surprisingly wide range of gain channel distortion due to the mid boost option and more modern, yet classic Fender gain. Channels (2) and Reverb have foot switch. I wish mid boost and bright also had foot switch. Effects loop and line recording option present and work well. Extra speaker jack also. Only features I wish it had are Tremolo and Vibrato effects (but for these tube driven effects to be present the amp would be much more bulky (you can't have it all). I use all features that the amp has, but usually forego effects and play straight through the amp as it has possibly the best sound of any amp (and specifically any Fender amp) that I've played on. I use this amp for live gigs (on stage) and for recording and it is just light enough to not be too much of a hassle to move around. The 60 Watt head has plenty of power to compete with an aggressive drummer and also for playing out door venues. I have powered a 4x12 Fender cabinet easily with it. All tube design is the way to go and the classic Fender sound compliments my custom-shop telecaster.

I use a '92 Custom Telecaster (neck through) with custom wound DiMarzzio pickups and also a 1960 Telecaster which I had when I first bought the amp. Both guitars are complimented by the amp's sound. I am a diverse guitarist who borrows from Hendrix and Grateful Dead, Nirvana, Hank Williams Sr., Cracker, Muddy Waters, Stone Temple Pilots, and I have developed a unique style. However, since I have had the amp since 1989 (two years after picking up the guitar), I feel that the equipment I use has influenced me to a certain extent, the Concert amp being a big part of my development. The variety of clean, buttery, glassy, growling, fuzzy, feedback-laced sounds I can draw from the amp always surprises me when I crank the amp up past 5. The distortion is nowhere near as brutal as Mesa Boogie, Crate, etc. and I like it that way. It always gives me that classic rock & blues sound, Star spangled banner-like feedback that hums at the right pitch and sustains forever, distortion without the white noise sound. The reverb is the best I've EVER heard but can emit a niticable hiss at 7-10 range. Channel switching is quiet. Occasionally the amp will make some popping noises and this is attributable to the all-tube design. However, warming up the amp for a few minutes usually helps this and it is a small price to pay for the sound the tubes deliver. The Fender sound is as unique to this Fender amp as the Marshall sound is to a Marshall.

The chassis is solid, but I have needed to replace the power tubes once. I have use this amp for an average of 4 hours a week since 1989 when I bought it used and this is the only maintenance I have had to have done.

Since I bought the amp used I have not tried to deal with Fender on repairing the amp. I have found a Fender certified technician locally and the repairs were not too costly while the service was quick.

I have been playing 16 years (since high school 1986) and tried out many other amplifiers without being too impressed or persuaded to change. The sound I get from this amp and the amp's versatility are rivaled by none for the price I paid for it. The classics never go away, and this amp certainly lives up to the Fender name.

This is a ca. '84 vintage, that probably has spent most of its life in a studio or in someones living room. When I bought it 2? years ago, the cover was still in its plastic bag, and the amp looked brand new.
It is absolutly stock, except for the tubes, which now are Sovteks and Philips-JAN. The Concert has two channels, and they both work very well, in the clean channel delivering the crystal-clear sound I like from my JD-Tele, and in the drive channel it has plenty of grunt.
I play a mixed catalogue of rock from Beatles over John Hiatt to our own stuff, which is straight down to earth rock'n'roll.
The only complaint I have - if any - is that Fender's 60 watts are enough to make neighbours grab the phone and call the guys in blue, so maybe it is a little on the loud side - but I'm working on that.

As mentioned, I play a Jap-made Fender JD-Tele (Strat-p.u. in the neck pos., 5-way switch), and it really works well with this amp. The amp is very quiet, and it delivers the three basic sounds I need: Clean, Drive + Drive w/Middle pot switched to boost - the rest is taken care of by the Tele. I use a Schaller Volume pedal and Ibanez Chorus, and that's it.

It has only failed me once - right now, as a matter of fact, where it delivers a very loud and unpleasant "BURRRRPPP" when switched to the Drive-channel. I suspect a condenser has decided to call it quits, and a friend of mine is having a go at it. Unfortunately, I don't have a schematic for my amp, and earlier experience with Fender Corp. has shown me that before they get a sheet of schematics sent to me, I probably will be too old to play anyway - so any help will be much appreciated...

I am sorry to say this - being a Fender-holic and all - but living outside USA, you might as well be on Mars. Fender Corp. has extremely little interest in their overseas customers, and you have a very hard time getting any response, if you get response at all....

If my amp was stolen, I'd defefintely go out and buy another Fender amp - something with about 30-40 watts and 2X10, because in my humble opinion, nothing else sounds quite as good as the real thing: Fender...

From what I've been able to find this amp dates to 84', it's basically and two channel (footswitchable) amp with seperate eq's on both channels, plenty of knobs to tweek if your into that but on my amp they don't have extreme interactions so minor changes don't have a huge effect on tone. The amp has an effects loop with input and output level adjustments, a line out, hum cancelling adjustment and an extra AC outlet. It uses two 6L6's in the power section and five 12AX7s and two 12AT7's in the preamp section. It has a fender EV speaker, which is way huge and heavy, I've was thinking about changing the speaker but the more I play the amp the more I like it. I play classic rock and blues - I use a Heritage H150CM (les paul) and an SRV strat. The amp is rate at 60 watts and has plenty of power for most gigging situations. I play mostly in small clubs so the volume issue never comes up, if anything it's got significantly more power than I need. Finding one of these amps used with a footswitch is a challenge, they don't use standard footswitch configurations - I wound up making my own.

The amp sounds excellent, clean to mean it's got it all. The clean channel gets that great fender tone, the overdrive channel is more boogie sounding (this amp was designed by Paul Rivera). The amp is very quiet, the hum cancelling control on the back panel is a great addition allowing the user to clean up any noise. The clean channel breaks up nicely around 7 on the volume control, rolling off the guitar volume cleans it up without any loss. The overdrive channel gets me more drive than I will ever use, I have the drive setting on 5 and get plenty of crunch. The amp sound equally good with humbucking pickups and single coils, I have Seymour Duncan Antiquity pickups in my Heritage and Texas Hots in my Strat.

The guy I bought the amp from was an amp tech, he had completely gone through it before I bought it. He did perform a couple of mods (nothing huge) to clean up the bottom end (a problem on most fenders) and it is tighter than most of the other concerts I tried before buying this one. I think these old fender amps are very dependable, keep the tubes fresh and check the filter caps once a year and you won't have any problems with them.

I wouldn't call them if there was someting wrong, I don't think the amp techs have any idea of how these amps work so calling would be a waste of time. Find a good amp tech in your area and have them look at any problems, these amps are all point to point wired and trouble components are easily identified and replaced, all the transformers are replaceable with good quality after market parts so there really isn't anything that can't be fixed quickly if the amp goes south.

I've been playing off an on for years, I also own a Mesa Boogie Rocket 44. The mesa is a great sounding small combo amp but after playing through this amp for I find it much more musical. Before buying this amp I played every new model fender on the market, the only amp that came close was the Vibro King (over $2K out the door!!!). I can't say I dislike much about the amp, the eq is adequate for getting a good sound out of just about any guitar, if it were stolen I would definetly buy another one or I might try the deluxe Reverb II model. Some of the other reviewers didn't like the line out or the effects loop, I found both to be very useful. I wouldn't hesitate recommending this amp to anyone looking for a good, solid fender with the ability to kick some high gain sound out when needed.

All my research indicates this amp was mfg from 1982-87. It has a single 12" speaker, with two channels, clean and drive. The line out is worthless, hums. I use an FX processor so the FX loop comes in handy. The drive channel has a pull knob on the mid to boost the mids. It really increases the volume at the same time. I only wish the foot switch could be used to do the same thing.

The clean channel is tops, I have used it for recording and it comes out nice and warm. I experimented with some overdrive and distortion stomp boxes, but realized I liked the drive channel on the amp more. I use a strat, so I do get the normal hum when I am using one single coil P/U. If you have the time to play with the settings, you can get lots of useful sounds. I like to use the drive channel with the gain at about 5 and the master volume at about 6-7. This gives some cool slightly overdriven sounds for those of us who aren't head knockers.

All I can say here is that I have used the amp for about two years. I average about two gigs a month, and have never had any problems with the amp at all. (I actually dropped it on a concrete driveway once from about 2 feet up. It cranked right back up with no problems.)

n/a

I have been playing for 20 years, rock, jazz, country, you name it. If I had to replace it, I would probably try to get something not so heavy. It's a killer to move around.

I've still got the stock tubes and speakers in mine, which aren't great. The clean channel has the traditional Fender bite... maybe a little trebley. Leave the bright off. The dirty channel has never made me too happy... the weird thing is that it sounds okay live, but you put it in a studio and it goes totally ratty. Can't stand it. Maybe something besides the crappy EV speakers and stock tubes would help... that's my next project. I find the midrange boost helps a lot. It needs a footswitch (the oh-so-rare 007).

I play a low-end LP copy (which needs a lot of work) and a Hamer archtop that it handles okay. Not fantastic. I don't use the dirty channel, instead opting for a DanO Daddy-O overdrive pedal, which sounds great. Again, with some aftermarket mods, it would be a lot better (wider frequency response, more bite).

It hasn't broken since I've had it... very reliable.

Only experience I've had with Fender customer service is asking about the footswitch, which everyone knows is no longer being made... they referenced me to a custom shop in Chicago who'd build me one, but wouldn't respond to my requests for the schematics so I could make one myself. Go fig.

All in all, it's not a bad amp at all, decent sound. Once again, look into some aftermarket mods... a couple Celestions and loaded Groove Tubes would probably make this baby smoke, kind of a baby Twin.

You can read about all the features in other reviews or elsewhere at this site. The only reason I gave it an 8 here is because the clean channel does not have a midrange control.

I really like it. Some say the clean channel is too bright but it's nothing I couldn't handle with judicious adjustment of the tone knobs on the amp & my guitar and which pick up you use. I mainly play it with a Parker Nitefly that has 3 Dimarzio's set up like a Strat

Since it's at least 13 years old, it must be pretty dang reliable. Everything works great, no buzzes even at high SPL with the bass jacked up.

From the other reviews, looks like I shouldn't count on much from Fender if I need something but there's obviously a large following for this amp

I've only had it about a week and am no great guitar player but one of the guys in my band is awesome (blues & rock) and he put it thru it's paces this weekend and we were all very impressed. He typically plays a Fender Twin (1998 model)