Fender Stage 112SE

very versitle amp , good crunch , wonderfull clean . good for any style . It would be more so if it had chorous . I use this amp every where .

sounds great through my stratplus and 78 tele , not terribly noisy . this amp can make almost any sound . lotts of headroom before distortion on clean . great crunch .

Four weeks ago i took it to be serviced. I haven't gotten it back yet . Smoke has come from the amp on multiple occasions . I don't even think I'll get it back . Fender's head tech doesn't even know what's wrong with it .

good

I bought this amp new in June 1998. This review is an update to my previous review of this amp, now that the newness has worn off. I think I can be more subjective now.
The amp has all the simple features needed in a solid state amp: dual channel inputs, 160 watts, line out (great for recording, amp acts as a monitor), extension speaker cabinet jack, reverb, overdrive, efx loop, 1-12 speaker.
The only things I wish the amp had are: amp cover ($20 option), casters (installed myself), chorus or echo circuit.

I use the Stage 112 SE with a Gibson ES135 which has 2 hum-cancelling, single-coil like pickups. I play mostly jazz with some acoustic stuff.
The amp sounds better to me now than when I first bought it. I had an opportunity to open the amp up a bit this past weekend when my wife went out with her sister.
I cranked the drive side and just could not quit playing Hatchet-Skynyrd rhythms - and they sounded great! Hard rockin' ala 38 Special sounds. Thick, juicy power chords. I have forgotten all my R&R leads from 16 years ago, so I can really comment on the quality of the amp for single string, R&R distortion solos.
On the clean side, I loved the different tones I could get using the 3 position switch on my guitar - from country twang to 40's jazz (kind of acoustic) to darker, rounder tones.
Due to loudness of the amp, I can't get past 2 on the clean channel - and it is completely clean with the typical Fendery brightness. On the drive channel, you can crank the volume as long as you keep the overdrive knob at zero. In that way, you can use the "drive" side as a clean channel and push the volume up more. With the overdrive engaged, going past 2 on the master volume will blow the walls down.

This thing is built like a tank! I bought an amp cover for it - suggest that you do this no matter what amp you buy - and installed heavy duty casters this weekend. The amp weighs over 50lbs and I just got tired of carrying it. Now I roll it - much easier and I don't jostle the electronics everytime I set it down. Fender should include casters with any amp weighing over 45 lbs.
The plywood/particle board cabinet is a 3/4" thick on the bottom (I had to sue 3/4 wood screws to secure the casters). Prior to installing the casters, I could sit on the amp. With the casters, I won't do that as it would tip over mroe easily.
Though I have only had it for for a few months, there is not one indication that anything is wrong. This is unlike a new Roland that I bought that had circuit problems.

I have not had to deal with Fender, but the amp comes with a 5 year warranty on the cabinet and electronics and a one year warranty on the speaker. I bought the amp from a Fender authorized repair center, so if it ever needs work, I can just take it into the local shop.
I graded this category an "8" for the support I have gotten from the local dealer so far which has been pretty good.

I have been playing off and on for about 8 years. I own a Seagull acoustic which I also play through this amp - and it sounds good. If this amp were lost or stolen and I could get the same deal on this amp again, I'd buy it. If not, I'd opt for a smaller, lighter, less powerful amp since I don't gig, yet. Once I start gigging, I expect that the power, size, and presence of this amp will remove any ideas of me getting a "smaller" amp.
The grades on this review are higher than the grades on my original review. I am surprised by this because I thought once the newness wore off, I'd find all the things I did not like about the amp. As it turns out, I like the amp even more now.

Features include (1) line out - great for recording, (2) two inputs - great for vocals with guitar or 2 instruments, (3) FX loop, (4) 160 watt amplifier, (5) external speaker cabinet jack, (6) 2 channels - clean & dirty, (7) (Accutronics) reverb, (8) stompbox to switch clean to dirty and toggle reverb, (9) 1x12 speaker (probably Eminence), (10) 43 pounds, solidly built, (11) extra long power cable

I play a Gibson ES-135 with 2 P-100's (stacked humbuckers, single coil-like). I play mostly jazz and wanted a clean playing amp. The amp hums when it is on, but is only noticeable when you are right next to it. The amp draws up to 400 watts which is probably why it hums. The clean is REAL clean - you can't hide any mistakes, though this is preferable for playing an acoustic guitar or jazz. I can not turn up past 1 for practice. Even then, the amp is set between 0-1 and my guitar's volume is set to 5. This amp is loud. Outside for practice I can crank it all the way up to 1 . Beyond that and it is too loud. The distorion sounds OK to me, though I don't intend to use it. In fact, the distortion sounds better and is more flexible than Roland's Blues Cube 60 (which sounds pretty good). You can play Molly Hatchet with this amp, if you want.
If you want loud (and I mean REAL loud) and clean, I don't think you can do better. Varying the amp's settings with my guitar's and I can get a mroe acoustic sound out of my ES-135 - thinner, more 40's jazz sound. I can also fatten it up to get a rounder, darker sound, too.

I have only had the amp for a short while, so I can not comment on it's long-term reliability, but it is built solid. The amp and Accutronics reverb are all built in the USA. The cabinet seems real solid, too. The innards are clean. The amp is well sealed. There is plenty of room to store the power cable and stompbox. The only thing is that Fender mounted the reverb tank in the bottom corner. Sometimes the power cable gets hung up in the reverb leads coming from the amp. just something to watch for. They could have mounted the reverb unit on the side.

I have not had to deal with Fender, yet. The amp has a 5 year warranty (one year on the speaker). My local shop services what they sell, so I am not afraid if anything does go wrong.

I have been playing jazz for over a year, R&R longer but with a 15 year hiatus. If it were stolen, I *might* opt for a less loud amp if I could find one that played as clean as this one. I like the solid state cleanliness, the array of features (line out, etc), the Fender name, the 5 year warranty, abd the Fender look. The only thing that bugs me is that the amp is loud, I'll never be able to hear what it sounds like past 2 or 3. Then again, it has enough power to hook a mic for vocals and my guitar all at one time - I could not get that with a smaller/lesser amp.

Lots of fearures...but that's not why I"m getting rid of it !

This was my first, and last, experiment with solid state. After a year I've traded it in on a Bassman Re-Issue. Now in fairness I must say that MY situation changed and that was largely why the amp was OK before but not now.
When I bought it I realized the shortcomings of SS but I needed an amp that sounded great at low to medium "house" levels. That was because I had quit jamming and gigging and was playing by myself for pleasure. It did a great job under those circumstances. I play blues and with my TS9 Iwas happy with the sound.
Well, wouldn't you know, I got itchy and first started to jam again and now gig. Now I'm back into a higher volume situation and I came to HATE the Stage 112 SE. The louder it gets (and it gets real loud) the harsher it gets. Now that is pretty classic for a SS architecture. If I were playing punk or maybe metal it might have been ok. I even bought a Fender 1x12 extension cabinet to help. Duh, better dispersion..still harsh. The Tube Screamer helps a bit of course but not nearly enough. So, when I'm alone at low volume it's Ok. With the volume a band produces,even in a basement jam, it's HARSH, HARSH, HARSH !
So if you're into harsh distortion at loud volume..buy it. If you like smooth overdrive go back to tubes.
The worst part about this is my Bassman isn't in yet so I'm still playing the Stage.

I had one minor breakdown..fixed in 24 hours by my dealer.

Dealer was great. Also in buying the Bassman I talked to some Fender Customer Service types on theor 1-800 line in Arizona. Thet were very helpful.

For my current purposes... it's a 3. I play a Fender Lone Star Strat which I love to pieces and like I said a TS 9 Tube Screamer.I also have one of those Snarling Dogs Varitone units. It's pretty handy.

very versatile solid state amplifier
1 12" speaker, 130 watts (160 with extension cabinet), two channels
clean channel has volume, treble, mid, and bass knobs plus a "midshift" button which is great for smoothing out some of the natural brightness of a strat type guitar
drive channel has volume, gain, contour (to go from smoother to crunchier distortion), treble, and bass knobs
both channels share a reverb knob and there is a foot switch with LEDs for channel switching and reverb
also has an effects loop and a speaker out jack

this is the best solid-state amplifier I've ever played clean channel stays clean all the way up to 7 (I haven't dared to turn it up past that) works well for any style you would play with an electric guitar from blues to rock to pop to country to fusion to funk the drive channel is great for a solid state amp (doesn't compare to tubes), but you just can't use it at household volumes and even at gigs I've never turned the drive channel volume past 2 you can get a variety of drive sounds though (using the gain and contour knobs)
it gets a 5 though because that's the highest I would give any solid state amp, they just don't compete with tubes

no problems yet

never dealt with them

this was a steal of an amp on sale for $350 great solid state, and great if you want to start playing gigs but can't really afford a tube-amp right now I'm looking at a Fender Twin amp (I go for versatility and value and like to use pedals to get most of my distortion sounds, otherwise I'd buy a Mesa/Boogie Mark III, Vox AC-30, Fender Bassman, and Fender Twin Reverb, but then I'm not rich either) this is as good a solid-state amp as I've ever played or heard though, but only get it if you want volume, otherwise go with an inexpensive tube combo like a Fender Blues Jr. ($300) or a Mesa/Boogie Subway Rocket ($500), they have superior sounds but aren't as loud

What's the mid-shift button all about? Has anybody found a use for it? The line out socket is pretty cool though, as you can feed it into a desk/4 track and still use the amp as a monitor. This amp has many less knobs and buttons than many inferior amps - a very useful feature...and no valves to blow!

Lovely noises...I use Boss pedals and like my noise to sound somewhere between Steve Jones and Slash. Plenty loud enough, I've NEVER had the volume more than 4 at rehearsals or gigs. Has plenty of mid/bass to make the sound "reach out" to your audience. Also has more balls thru my old Marshall 4x12 (Serial no 1528). Clean channel is also CLEAN!

I've had this amp since August 1993, over 60 gigs and about the same number of rehearsals (studio - not bedroom!) and no problems. This amp has rocked many a pub in old London town.! If I were to use a backup, it would be another one of these.

I lost the manual, one call to Arbiter (UK Fender importers) and a copy was delivered to me the next day. Also very helpful and forthcoming with technical advice. Cannot comment on breakdowns so no full marks here..

Been playing with this amp for over 4 years. I went to a shop and tried out this, another Fender and 2 different Marshalls....the Stage 112SE was best so I bought it. Good enough size to carry from car to venue, mine has served me very well, would buy another. I wonder if it would be much different as a 2 speaker amp? P.S. I prefer to play on the distortion channel only with a little bit of gain (for "clean") and Boss pedals for distortion. Some shops 5 years ago were charging #400-#500 for this amp, too expensive compared to the competition so points lost there.

The amp has so far given me great sounds since I bought it. It's features have already been mentioned so I'll note what it's missing. There is no middle tone control on the drive channel, the FX loop has not level or wet/dry control though at the moment I wouldn't need them.

Good clean and drive sounds. The amp has quite a bit of low end which is good. If not on an insulated surface it can get fairly noisy (such as a cement floor) but normally sounds quite quiet. The gain control produces a wide variety of sounds.

I've owned it for five months and never had a problem, but I can't say my playing schedule is very rigorous. It does have a warranty though, should anything fail.

It's more or less the best I've heard. If I had to trade it up for a better combo I'd get a Fender Twin. The depth of sound is very good, though a stereo setup would be better. Loudness is not an issue.

Quite versatile, from country clean to the hardest licks. Two channels-footswitch-effects loop. I would have been nice to see two gain channels as in the performer series. The distortion is warm and plentiful; very tube-like, but a little too loose for my tastes. I use a processor instead. Power a plenty is this amps best virtue. At half power it will relieve the pictures from my walls without a rattle or a buzz from the amp. Very smooth

I play the hard licks loud on a strat, tele, and mockingbird. The clean sounds are wonderful and classic. Running an RP6 through the clean channel poses no problem for distortion. You could never turn this amp up loud enough to distort; your eardrums would go first. I purchased the companion 4x12 cabinet to go with it. Definitely a gig rig.

I had no problems until I added the 4x12 cabinet. Within four months the power amp fried. It was warranted but quit again within two days. The first repair took 6 days, the second took 8 WEEKS. There was a problem running the cabinet. I dont blame fender for the delay. They sent me a satisfaction report to send back and I gave the local jerks a bad rating. Im happy with the amp since. I would definitley have a backup.

Fender seemed on the up and up, but the local guy was incompetent.

Been playing 23 yrs. I would probably try something else if it were stolen. This amp produces a nice flat response with a little tweaking. I chose this over the performer series bcause it was tubeless, and as a result should be lower maintainence, and produce distortion at lower volumes for quieter practice sessions. I love the power of this combo and the warmth. It is so tube-like most would never be able to tell, and yet lacks the harshness of some tube amps.

This is an extermely versatile amp. It can do just about anything.Yeah, yeah,...for you tube purists it IS a solid state but it sure sounds great. The clean channel is classic Fender..beautiful! The drive channel is a nice surprise....it runs the gamut from light sustain to cruch to British Blues distortion.It 160 watts, so power will never be a problem. The single 12" speaker is more than adequate for medium to large size gigs. If you're going to play in an arena you can add an extension speaker and blow the roof down.A Fender 4x12 cabinet added to this thing would be awesome.

I'm a Blues player and use it with a Strat Lone Star with two Fender Texas Specials at the neck and mid and a Seymour Duncan Pearly Gates Humbucker at the bridge.I almost bought a Marshall 65 watt Valvestate but I wasn't happy with the Marshall clean channel. I figured that I can buy a million things to make a clean amp (like the Fender) dirty BUT I can't buy anything to make a dirty amp(like the Marshall) clean.Whatever sound shortcoming this SS amp has was fixed when I hooked up my Boss Blues Driver.

I don't gig anymore..but I would not worry about a backup if I did. It's pretty new still so I can't comment on reliability.

Same as above

Yeah, I would buy it again.Especially in that price range. If I were to spend another $400 CDN I would probably get the Fender Hot Rod Deville 60W w/ 4x10's.Having said that there is not $400 of extra value in the Hot Rod.

This is a very versatile amp. It has all the features you could possibly want, except for maybe tubes and chorus. As a solid state amp, it sounds really nice. The reverb sounds really good and deep when you turn it up. The distortion will blow your mind :) Its 160 watts with an extension speaker, 105 on its own. It has two channels, Drive, and Clean. The clean channel is kind of quiet, but the Drive makes up for it. It comes with a 2-button footswitch for channel and Reverb which is really nice.

I play a lot of classic rock and alternative, and this amp suits those styles very well. The Contour knob is the key. It will switch you from classic overdrive, all the way up to psycho-death metal distortion. The Clean channel sounds really nice and doesn't distort much (If at all), it is somewhat quiet though. I play it with a Fender Stratocaster and it works well with almost any kind of music. The EQ for each channel will let you customize your sound big time.

I would depend on this amp in a gig without a backup. It doesn't have tubes so you don't have to worry about blowing one. It hasn't broken down for me and it is very well made.

I haven't dealt with Fender, but I know that they have a 5 Year Amplifier Warranty.

I love this amp. It does everything I want it to do. I kind of wish it had chorus, but it's nothing that a pedal won't fix. I don't know if I would buy it again because I got it as a kind of intermediate amp before I moved onto tubes, heads, and cabinets, but as a combo, I think I probably would buy it again because I love the sounds it makes.