Fender FM-212R

It is a 100W 2x12 solid-state amp. It's quite versatile, the knobs respond very well so you can definitely shape your sound. I play metal and post-rock/hardcore, and this amp satisfies me with both genres. It has plenty of power, it's good for practicing and gigs as well.

I'm using it with a Les Paul Studio, the clean is great, it has a lot of dynamics and it's really bright, a typical Fender clean. Sure, it doesn't compete with tube amps or high level transistor amps, but it's damn good. The distortion is not bad, but the more you raise the gain, the worse it gets. If you keep it at 7-8 it's good for blues or classic rock. Add an overdrive pedal if you want to play metal, otherwise use pedals like I do. I use a ProCo deucetone RAT and a tubescreamer-like OD pedal, and they sound great with this amp as long as I keep the highs low (about 4). It's not noisy at all, and it stays clean until almost the maximum level (which I don't recommend testing as it is EXTREMELY loud).

It's built in China, so maybe it isn't as sturdy as USA made ones, but I think it's pretty solid. You can hear no parts moving inside when you move it (like my valvestate did). I had a single problem with it: it buzzed like hell when i brought it home, but then I found out it was a loose screw. I bought it used, so I guess it's the previous owner's fault.

I didn't have to contact Fender. I'll give this an 8 because of the problem I had (explained before)

I don't know if I'd buy it again. I'd probably try out another Fender amp, they're all good... I need only the clean channel after all.
I love its clean and responsiveness (and loudness too). The reverb is standard, neat and absolutely not useless like someone said before. It's a good Accutronics reverb. The effects loop works great and it has all the features I need. I'd give this amp an 8.

I believe that the one I owned,was a 2005 model,made in China with 2 Fender special design speakers,rated at 100 watts.It's a 2 channel amp with a mid contour switch,affects loop,etc.Oh,it is a solid state amp.

I used,at the time,a 2006 MIM sunburst strat(which I still have)and a 2005 Epiphone Cherry Red G-400,which I've since gotten rid of.I noticed no matter how you set the clean channel,it always has a very trebly tone to it,and the distortion on this amp is just plain horrible.Very muddy and not clear at all.The only good thing about this amp is,when I did use it on gigs,the loudest I had to turn it,was on 2.

Here's where it scores a high point.This amp is durable for a Chinese made product,and I did not have any problems with it breaking down when I owned it.I have used this on over 50 gigs with no worries at all.

Fender is always good to deal with,but I feel that they made a mistake by having this made in China.I used to own a Frontman 25 with the Black grille cover,which was made in Mexico,that would blow this amp away.I feel that this amp could've been made in Mexico if Fender wanted to produce a low cost but effective amp for those on a limited budget.

I've been playing for over 35 years and this has to be one of the worst sounding amps that I have ever played through.I've since gotten rid of this amp and have traded it for a 1997 American made,Peavey Studio Pro 112,which I feel,is a far superior sounding amp and is much more durable,and it is easier on my back.Those FM212's weigh a fricking ton.Besides my Peavey,I own a 2006 MIM Fender Strat,a 2006 Squier Telecaster Custom,Digitech RP 50 effects unit.

100 watts
2 Channels (Clean & Drive)
3 Band EQ for both Channels
Spring Reverb
Send/Return
Has everything you would need if you're a beginner or a veteran.

Has a good clean channel. The drive channel is probably best not to be used on stage (I've never actually used the drive channel). The clean channel stays clean at decent volumes. I use a Strat with Tex-Mex pickups through a TS-9/Compression/Katana/BD-2/Crybaby and that gets me close enough to all of the tones I need. Suits my style well for a practice amp. Doesn't seem to be noisy at all.

Seems to be pretty reliable. I've never gigged with it, but if I had to I would. I've never had any problems with it at all.

Haven't had to deal with Customer Support.

I've only been seriously playing for two years. I've owned a few other solid state amps for practice purposes and haven't been as pleased with them. If it were stolen/lost and I could buy another for the same price I paid, I would probably buy another. I love that it's a dependable practice amp that gets me the tones I need instead of having to transport nicer gear around. There's really nothing I hate about it or anything I wish it had, just a good practice amp that I am very pleased with.

My amp was manufactured in March, 2006.
2 channels (clean & drive), 3 band eq for both channels, more drive & contour (less mid) buttons, spring reverb, send/return, footswitch. It has 100W, much more than I need. Solid State.
It's a pretty versatile amp.

The clean channel is real clean, until almost the full volume. I think it's good to use with pedals.
The drive channel is 'usable', with some interesting options, but not good at all. You can achieve from light drives to hi-gain distortions.
I use a stock Fender Mexican strat, into Cry Baby - Boss SD-1 - Onner Carbon-x overdrive - Fuhrmann booster - Boss DC-3. Playing from blues to classic rock stuff, and some things of 90's.
Very silent amp. One of the best SS amp you can look at.

This amp is strong like a rock. If you are using it, don't need nothing else for backup.
I never had any problems with.

I never had any problems with. Don't know yet.

I'm playin for about 8 years, if I lost it somehow, I'd probably try an 30-60W all tube ampl.
I like very much the clean channel, very brilliant and very usefull.
I recommend it if you need an strong SS amp, with good clean, much power and pretty versatile.
Sorry about the English... I'm from Brazil.

O.K. here's is the gist of this whole review - picked one of these up last summer from $350 at a second hand shop. I traded my Peavey Studio Chorus 210, plus a pedal & Mini Marshall. The FM212 sounded great at the shop. Once I got it home & cranked it to more gig comparable volumes, I couldn't figure out what was bothering me about it. I had my brother in law come over & play it, and I finally clued in - the clean channel , while clean to absurd volumes, give you the same irritating highs that the first CDs had when they came out in the 80s. Not quite natural, sterile & hard on the ears.

Kept it for a week, then got my Peavey Studio chorus 210 back (alas the pedal & the mini Marshall were gone). Read the reviews for the Peavey. Then wonder why I preferred the it to the FM212r.

Again, if you've heard it, you know it. Oh, & I don't do mods. If I need to spend a few hundred dollars to make something sound good, I'll pay more in the first place for quality.

good features solid state i play most styles of music .worship heavy matal clasic rock. blues .sherding ect.

distrotion is better than i thought it would be .but a small problem with a fuzz noise that cuts in and out.i use a jackson dinky with duncan design pickup sounds good .but when i use my other gtr a sx strat style with single coil pickups it screaches an a low volune /NOT good with cheeper guitars

about a week after i got the amp a fuzz noise that cuts in and out became an anoying problem .so i sent it back .and when i got the amp back the problem was still there .its just about spent just as much time in the shop repair room as i have owned it .and i look after all my music geer with respect cos this sort of stuff costs a lot of money

havent payed 4 any thng yet

ive been playing guitar 4 about 5 years .i own 2 acoustics not sure wot brand but ones 12 string and the other 6.2 eletrics a jackson dinky and a sx strat style .a boss ds1 ,digitech rp200a .peavy rage 158 but to be honest my 15 watt practice amp sounds better than the fender FM212r

This amp is made in China and the date of manaufacturig is January 2007. I found this amp very simple as far as its features is concerned but I always believe in simplicity as it tends to make you able to shape your sound in least time and without any confusion. This amp is quite versatile enough as far as clean and overdrive sounds are concerned. I wish it may have a Presence control and a large spring reverb unit as the former one can give you more sharpness and cut through sound and later one can give you more depth/quality reverb sound. However it is still sound very good without these features. I use this amp for jam and live performances and it has enough power to handle the big shows with overloading. I like the big cones of its speakers as this property gives extra boost and punch to the overall sound of amp. I like its Mid contour switch which is a very useful feature with which you can get a superb beefy and punchy sound both for clean and overdrive modes. I am rather surprised that this amp does not have a heat sink plate for its power transistors for cooling purpose and it is a Must during hot season. I like the storage places nominated at the back of amp for tighten up the power cable and foot switch with provided straps.

This amp makes very good sound. In clean channel the souund is transparent and bright and if you add a graphic equalizer and a compressor than you will get some most wonderful/powerful sound out of it. Yes clean channel get somewhat distorted at high volumes but it is still very clean and I again suggest to use a compressor for that reason. However I find the slight distortion on clean channel very pretty at full volume. On overdrive channels the distortion is very brutal with bundle of sustain especially at more drive channel. I like the Mid contour mode very useful and I always engage it all the time. It is somewhat noisey at more drive mode but it is common with every amp at very high gain settings and again I suggest to use good quality pickups and proper sheilding of your guitar. I used both humbucking and single coil pickups guitars on it and they sound excellent. I play Metal, rock , blues and country and found this amp fulfilling my requirements. I found it slightly noisey from it main power side but it is acceptable and I recommend to use good quality guitar cable and proper grounding/earthing of your amp at power outlet.

Though I own it for the last one month so I can't exactly tell regarding its reliability but nevertheless I found this amp quite reliable and of course it has a Fender name plate so I am pretty sure that it won't let me down. Yes I have full faith in Fender products so I will not use a backup while using it in a live performance.

I found Fender people quite helpful. It has a five years warrnaty. As I live Pakistan and we have no authorized dealer of Fender here so in case it get faulty I have to get it repair at some local workshop. One of the reason of choosing simple amp by me is that it can be repaired easily and cheaply.

I have been playing for last 27 years and I have lot gears including two Yamaha amps JX50, G50 112 III, Yamaha les paul copy SL400S, Yamaha AES 620, Yamaha Pacifica 412V, Epiphone les paul black beauty, Fender 12 string acoustic D6, Ovation electric acoustic CS257, Yamaha acoustic guitar FG470S, Zoom G1, Korg & Tohshiba guitar tuners and lot of Boss, Ibanez and MXR effects pedals. If this amp is stolen I would buy the same one if my budget falls in this range. I love about it is its simplicity and beautiful front pannel. I hate about it for the very ordinary speakers magnets labels which looks more like home-made ones. Fender should replace them with sober looking labels. I choose it because it is simple and has a Fender name plate and also due to Fender clean sound history.

This amp is made in China and the manufacturing time is January 2007. This is a very basic amp as far as features is concerned. I always liked the simple amps set ups as it requires least time to shape your desired sound. I liked the storage place provided at the back of amp for foot switch and power cable. I also like the plastic back side pannel plate for noise dampening and prevention from electric shock. I like the front power indication light which is bright and fades away in very cool way when you swithch off the amp. The reverb is good and the mid contour mode is very useful. The indication lights on the foot switch are very bright. The foot switch cable and power supply cord are of very high quality. I wish this amp should have a Presence control and a large size spring reverb. I also wish it should have a second speaker output at the back of amp in case you want to connect it with external speaker. I also wish it should have heat sink plate at the back of amp in order to cool down the power tranistors especially during hot season as I heard that it gets overheated so I guess that Fender should reconsider this point.

The sound quality of this amp is great. The clean channel sound very good. The drive and more drive channels are equally great but require a bit of tube like compression. Overall the sound quality of this amp is fantastic. The amp really comes to its own when you use effect pedals especially compressor and a graphic equalizer. The over drive channels works great when you use the effect loop though it reduce its overall power output but the sound of the drive becomes very sweet with a little bit compression and of course the solo notes starts to swell beautifully. The amp is very quite indeed but makes a little bit noise at more drive channel but this normal with every amp at very high gain settings. I used both humbuckers and single coil guitars with this amp and they sound great all the way up. I heard that this amp produces feedback but I have not noticed it as long as you stay at a apporiate distance from amp and futhermore you should have a good quality pickups installed on your guitar. The speakers are brillant with large size cones which makes them sound amazing. The amp stays quite noise free at high volume and the drive channel speaks brillant at medium to high volumes. This amp has got lot of head room for high power signals for metal type stuff. At more drive settings you get screaming solo sounds with bundle of sustain. I mostly use mid contour switch engaged with treble at 7, Mid at 5 , Bass at 8 & reverb at 5. The clean channel stays clean at full volume but distorts a little bit when you hit the strings hard but again it is very interesting to hear such a nice sound.

I have been using it for one month but I am pretty sure it will give me a trouble free service as the quality of this amp what I have observed is great. No would not use a back up as this amp is Fender not a unknown brand.

Fender people are quite helpful.

I have been playing for the last 27 years. I have got Yamaha AES620, Yamaha Pacifica 412V, Epiphone les paul black beauty 3PU, Yamaha SL400S les paul copy, Ovation electric acoustic CS257, Fender 12 string DG6 and Yamaha FG470S. I have two Yamaha amps JX50 & G50 112 III. I have lot of Boss effect pedals and few Ibanez/MXR ones. I found the overall quality of this amp very satisfying and I am very much happy with it. I wish it might have chrome corners on it front top end as it looks a bit incomplete without them. I basically choose it because it has a Fender name plate and secondly I need a low price and Loud clean sounding amp. If this amp is stolen I would like to experiment with some other amp like Behringer GMX212 or Yamaha DG60 if my pocket allows me to do so otherwise I will buy it again.

I recently bought it and it is made in China. It has standard features very basic ones and I always like the simple set up of amp as it is very easy to shape your sound in shortest possible time. It has a very good clean channel. The speakers are very loud and clear. The newly designed speakers from Fender has very large cones which enhances it tonal character. The amp is surely very versatile if you use your effect pedals. I always believe in simple amp layout and this amp just reflects my vision. It has three channels i.e. clean, drive and more drive. The clean channel is not that much loud and if you use your graphic equalizer and compressor then it gives you tons of power output. However it still gives a very good sound. The drive and more drive is very useful distortion effects which I found very impressive if you use them through the effects loop. Though the effect loop tends to make the output and sound a little muddy or slightly weak but the quality of sound I found is very impressive indeed. The drive effect really comes to it own while using the effect loop as the distortion starts to swells beautifuly if you hold the note and let it sustain. The best features are the power light which starts to fade away gradually as you turn off the amp which I found it very cool. I like the feature that it have straps for tighten up the provided foot switch and the power cord securly at the back of the amp's compartment. I rather did not like the stickers or monogram at the back side of the speakers magnents which are somewhat makes the speakers overall out look a bit like cheap amps with no name. It is a mono output amp and a solid state circuit. The power cord is of very high quality and the foot switch is also very well build with very clear and brightly lit indication lights. On the drive channels this amp has a hell lot of power. The spring reverb is also quite nice and useable one. I use this amp for jam sessions and also medium size performaces and I am sure it can very easily handle the large venues as well. I like the plastic back side pannel which is also prevents against electric shock and tends to make the amp quite lighter as far as weight is concerned. Futhermore it also provides damping/insulation effect against nosies. I wonder that Fender did not provided any heat sink plate for cooling down the power transistors at the back side of amp. I suspect that it could might gets overheated in summer season while using it at high output for longer time and neither it has ventilation slots nor fan at the back of the pannel. Overall my observation is quite satisfactory for this amp.

The sound quality is great for the clean channel and of course the drive & more drive channel works wonderfully if you use the effect loop for that purpose. The amp is well sheilded and makes very little noise and that depends how good quality guitar and cable you are using. The control knobs are very smooth and very effective as well. I found the mid contour switch at the drive channel very useful. The more drive produces some of the most powerful and screeming solo sounds with bundle of sustain. The amp does not produces unecessary feedback but then again it depends upon how much good quality guitar pickups you are using. If you add digital delay and compressor at the drive and more drive channel through effect loop you will get some most interesting solo sounds. I wonder how some people did not like the drive channels sounds. These are probably one of the best overdrive sounds you can get but you have to find it out for yourself how to tweak them. I suggest you to use the effect loop if you are looking for good sound and do use a compressor at low setting and add a delay effect and you will love it. This amp is operated quiet enough but it produces some nosie at more drive channel but this is normal with every amp. The amp has a very punchy sound and can handle both bright crystal and bassy sounds very well. I have not noticed any rattling sounds from the amps cabinet or speakers. I have checked this amp both for humbucking and single coil pickups and found it very good. If you need a good amp with simple set up and bundle of power and pretty sound quality then you should not wait for any longer and try to get this thing as early as possibe before you get double minded.

Oh yes it is quite reliable but let me first use it in hot weather with full volume then I would be pretty sure regarding its reliablity. Nevertheless I am confident that it is a Fender and not a no name company so I am least worry about this aspect. No I will never think to use this amp with a back up because it seems to me very tough in every way.

Yes Fender people and dealers are quite helpful. I happenned to dealt with some of them and they extended their cooperation to me all the time. But some dealers do not reply my emails which is disappointing. This amp has a 5 years warranty but I would not get its beneifit as I lives in Pakistan and we do not have any authorized dealer of Fender here so I would probably get it repair from local workshop.

I have been playing for the last 27 years. I have lot of gears including Yamaha, fender, ovation, epiphone, Boss, Ibanez, MXR & Seymour duncan. If this amp is being stolen I would probably buy the same one if my budget does not allow me to get some other one. But may be I give a second thought and try to buy Behringer GMX212 just due to more features and with back pannel's more options. I wish it should have a bigger spring reverb unit with more sound depth and with some more sober speakers magnets stickers probably grey or black color. I choose it because I heard that it has a very nice clean channel sound and if you have a very good clean channel then you can do anything by using your own effect pedals. I wish the depth of this amp should be around 11 inch for a more hefty look. Lastly I wish this amp has chrome corners at the front top side which I find not there.

Purchased amp in Australia for $550 new from Allans Feb 2007. Has 2 channels. A clean channel, a drive and a more drive channel. Amp also has a spring reverb. 100watts

I purchased this amp as a back up for my Hot Rod Deville 410. For a transistor amp it is fantastic. Has a beautiful clean sound. I play in a duo and the amp is great for jazz with Hollow Body Guitars. I have used it with a Gretch, Ibanez Artcore and Epiphone casino. The distortion is not bad for a transistor amp. It is useable.

The reverb unit in this amp sucks. It is so weak that on 10 you can just barely notice it. The reverb unit sits at the base of the amp and is connected by 2 RCA cables. I contacted Fender Australia and emailed Fender USA to see if this unit could be replaced. Fender Australia said no and I received no answer from Fender USA. The reverb unit is Accutronics. I did a web seach and emailed the distributor. He recommended that I replace the reverb unit with an Accutronics 8DB2C1B 3 spring reverb. I ordered one from Electric Factory in Australia for $94 . It is a substantial improvement making a cheap amp sound awesome. FENDER if you are reading this, I suggest you replace the reverb unit in this amp. I am sure that buyers would pay extra money for a better quality reverb. Your existing reverb is CRAP.

The amp is bare basics. It has a wonderful clean tone which is ideal for jazz. I love the distortion as well. Remember, it is not a tube amp. If you play metal, you will have to use a pedal. The reverb is useless. I have tried using spring reverb effects from pedals. Placing a guitar through effects unit changes your sound that it sounds artificial as a result of the processor. There is nothing like a good spring reverb. Change the reverb unit as stated above and you will have a great amp.

I use it mainly with hollow body guitars. Really clean. Sounds great with Les Paul and Strats as well. The 2X 12 inch speakers give it a full sound.

Purchased it as back up. However, may use it all the time. It is more than enough power for a gig, it is 1/4 of the weight of my Hot Rod Deville and I do not have to worry about valves needing replacement.

Only had the amp for 3 months and have done 5 gigs with it. Have not yet had any problems.

AS above

I have been playing for 20 years and I would rate this as one of the best transistor amps (after replacing the reverb unit) that I have ever owned. The sound is traditional Fender. Do not buy Transistor amps with amp simulations. I also own a Roland Cube 60. It is a heap of CRAP. Had I seen this amp first, I would not have purchased the Roland Cube. A natural clean pure tone is far better than an unnatural simulated tone.