Fender Super 60

This is an early 90's red knob all tube amp with a 12" speaker, reverb 3 band eq and two channels, switchable through panel or foot pedal. It is 60 watts. Has effects loop and speaker extension.

The tone is incredible. Unlike some fender amps, the red knob series has much more versatility on the gain. Clean to bluesy to hard rock are available on this amp. The sixty watts are plenty loud for small to medium venues. This amp is good for Blues clubs and Rock clubs. Might need a distortion pedal for some music styles but this amp will cut through for you. Clean channel was classic Fender. I use Strats, Ibanez strats, Kramers and Gibson LP and SG models and all sound great. I play mainly instrumental rock - Satriani, Vai, SRV and Eric Johnson.

I have had it for six years and I have had to replace the tubes three times with about 3 times a week playing for about 20 hours a week. Nothing else has gone wrong.

Talked with customer support and they were very helpful in the history of red know series. Some of the designers have gone on to assist on the design of the Mesa Rectifier series. Tone and grind are synonomous with Mesa and the Fender red knob series. Great to talk with.

Awesome amp with great sound, tone and versatility. I would definitely buy another if it were stolen. The original price was $599 new back in the early 90's. I would pay $500 for this amp even if it were used.

Everyone knows the deal already on this one ...

I have used a number of guitars on this amp, having had it since 1990. Most recent guitar is an EVH Wolfgang Signature w/Floyd-like gear which probably had given me the best tone out of them all. Had a few others on there as well, a Fender Strat SRV, a Fender Strat (Japan), Ibanez Steve Vai Sig, and a Jackson of some sort. The thing I like is that it adds character to your guitars tone without completely transforming it ... some amps I have messed around with destroy the nuances of particular guitars.

I play a bit of everything, just being a hobbyist more than a muso. Most commonly I play EVH-style riffs and plenty of blues and funk and it works well for it. With enough volume (and it has plenty of it), it goes a nice EVH brown and yet is tight enough to punch out some funk easily.

Not very noisy which is a good thing - and pedals don't add any significant buzz.

Don't use the clean channel much, I prefer to use the overdrive channel and guitar volume to get my "clean" tone. If I had a complaint about it, it is that the clean channel doesn't have enough volume.

The distortion is very good - a fairly classic tone without being overly sharp. Play with the EQ and you can get some good variety in your distortion. If you intend on using the gain on 6 or higher and the volume on 3 or higher, I suggest you don't sit anything on the top, make sure the feet are really steady and stand back - it's damn loud!

Happy with the tone, but I was raised on valves so it's no surprise.

Had it for 14 years. I have had a few minor glitches ... the second input jack fell in one day when a mate was screwing around with. Anyone who's played with one of these will know that the upsidedown electronics are a nightmare to get to. Replaced the tubes recently, fortunate to have a father in high end audio who gets me some great tubes. The original tubes lasted for 9 years ... can't complain too much there - although it wasn't being used for gigs and was a little brown at the end.

Broke down once ... but that was the tubes.

Never dealt with them.

I use a variety of effects ... but mostly stick to Digital Delay, Chorus and Wah nowadays ... and the occasional use of a Phase 90. I've been playing for 17 years now, but only with wired stuff since 1990. Remember finding an interesting trick a while back when I owned a Marshall Shredmaster ... if you don't like the overdrive just stick one of these babies into the effects loop and you have instant shred ... worked better than doing it DI.

Love it's tone ... hate the weight of the damn thing. It is seriously hernia inducing if you aren't careful. Struggle with it and watch roadie wannabe's or your mates laugh. Get them to lift it and watch them go pale and say something that starts with F and rhymes with Duck.

If it got pinched I'd probably use it as an excuse to buy a 5150Mk2 Head and Cabinet, but if I could find one in good condition for the right price I'd get it.

This is probably one of the better combo's I have messed around with ... if not the best. I have recommended it to a few budding kids looking for something other than Marshall grunt (and there ain't many kids who actually understand tone) and they have basically changed their style because of the tone you can get ... hell, they even discovered distortion WITHOUT a pedal!

Find one in good nick and buy it. Even if you get sick of it after a while, you can sell it again. It is worth a go, trust me.

I'd echo what others have said...I'd really like separate EQ sections for individual channels, but only because the Super 60's overdrive channel flavors the sound a bit. Maybe it's just a Fender thing.

I'm using a frankensteined Telecaster with a neck P90 and a bridge Quarter Pounder and I've been fairly impressed with the sound. Once you adjust for the brightness of the Tele, the Super 60 gives a nice smooth tone...in fact, almost too smooth. I'd like much more volume on the clean side--I've never been able to get the clean channel to break up, even dimed. The clean is a bit on the sterile side, and the gain channel doesn't really open up until you've hammered it for a while.

It just died on me! Fizzing pop, no sound. It's getting dropped off in the morning to be checked out. It seems fairly well built, although when I first received it (used off of Ebay) the jacks were dodgy and the reverb kept cutting in and out.

no comment

I've been playing for 15 years and this is only my second tube amp. If I had it to do over again, I'd get another Classic 30 because I think it's a bit more versatile. I'd wanted a Super 60 for years because I played on in a store once and loved it--back when I first got serious about guitar.

I bought this amp in the late 80's/early 90's used. It was probably a mid to late 80's model. It has 2 channels, foot switch, etc (see other reviews). I use this as a practice / jamming amp. It has 2 inputs - all the basics.

This amp has a nice melodic - but not very loud - clean channel. It has a reasonably loud and raspy distorted channel. It is a raspy, but not a harsh distortion, I guess that is what separates tubes from solid state.

Here is my main problem with the amp. After playing for an hour or two, the tone disintigrates into a muddy, bassy sounding tone. I tried replacing the tubes several times, I have tried Groove tubes, Fender tubes, to no avail. I added fan cooling - no improvement. I read on the internet that this may be a symptom of needing new capaciitors, but I'm reluctant to pay for that without being sure it will work. (This problem may be why the amp was sold in the first place.) One other small problem is that the tubes are seated upside down in the top of the chassis, and I've occasionally had them shake loose in transport, so if the amp has travelled I make sure the tubes are seated tight before I plug it in. Other than that the amp is solid and hasn't failed in the 12 or so years I've had it.

Never tried - no opinion.

It has a great sound on the lead channel, until it starts to get muddy. It's like a friend, it's got good and bad points but the good outweigh the bad.

Already described properly by other reviewers. Same EQs for both channels, but that's not a problem for me, since I only use the overdrive channel. This amp is small but it's so HEAVY it's hard to believe. It's extremely powerful...My band (punk r'n'r stuff) is very loud and I never needed to crank the volume of the amp to the max!

I mainly use Gibson guitar w/ P90s and the amp just sounds GREAT.
Also use a Telecaster and Gibsons with humbuckers and it's always a great sound.
The overdrive channel sounds very different from any other Fender amp.
It has tons of bass, and it's very full. Just beautiful sound.
Even if you use a lot of overdrive, the sound is still very clear and with plenty of attack. Not muddy at all.
Great amp for rock'n'roll, but it's also fantastic for blues, hard rock, punk.
The clean channel is okay, but nothing special compared to the overdrive channel. The reverb is okay too.

Bought it used, and never had a problem with it so far...

Been playin for over 12 years. Always been into Marshall amps. I have always liked Fender clean sound, but never managed to get a decent distorted sound with a Gibson through a Fender amp. Until I tried the Super60. This amp is really different from any other Fender. I also own a Marshall Plexi 50w head and a Marshall Silver Jubillee 50w head, and a few other amps. I like 'em a lot, but the Super60 sounds even better!!
It's really a fantastic amp. It's getting a bit hard to find in Europe, but it's not expensive at all.
If it were stolen or lost, I would absolutely try to buy another one.

Effects loop/reverb/clean/overdrive/speaker out/footswith/shared eq
Pretty much everything I want but not the kitchen sink.

RG220B and Fender Strat. Great sounds with both guitars screaming blues overdrive. Will only do Jazz/Blues/Classic Rock/country. No high gain. Extremely loud overdrive channel - pure SRV type tone. Accutronics spring reverb tank is huge - sounds good too.

Dropped it here and there - ten years old what can ya sa it was made in the USA

Never needed it. Although you got to like the fact that fender through the schematic in with the amp.

OVERALL GREAT!!! AMP for blues smokes. Pure fender clean and blues tones.

Already described comprehensively by other reviewers. My favorite feature is the effects loop. It's very quiet and transparent--even with a lot of digital rack stuff in the loop.

I've used this amp on a lot of club gigs w/ styles ranging from classic and hard-edged rock to jazz and fusion. The clean channel sounds somewhat period-specific, i.e., almost too dead-clean and compressed at times, but it's nice for those styles that call for a dead-clean sound. The distortion channel is more versatile. When I first bought the amp I was pairing it with an EMG-SA-loaded Strat in a classic/hard rock band that played stuff like Nugent, Ozzy, Halen, etc., and the amp performed more-than-adequately at gain settings of 7 or 8. Back off on the gain (4-6) and the amp produces more vintage-sounding distortion and nice "borderline" clipping when the guitar's volume is rolled back.

This amp has been one of the least reliable amps I've ever owned. I've spent WAY more money on repairs than the original cost of the amp. I've had to replace resistors, pots, and ALL the caps--despite regular maintenance. The amp tanked on me on a Motown/Soul/Funk/R&B gig once when a resistor failed. Fortunately, only a partial loss of power occurred, so I was able to make it through the night. NEVER gig with this thing without a backup!

N.A.

I've been playing for 32 years. I have many different sized rigs for different sized jobs. My setup for larger venues is a rack/component system which consists of a Marshall JMP-1 pre-amp, Lexicon MPX-1, Chandler Stereo Digital Echo, and a Soldano Super Lead Slave 105 all-tube power amp. As for the Super 60, I like its portability and relative versatility. I dislike the cheesy, printed circuit board construction and materials. If the amp were stolen or lost I doubt that I would look for another one.

This is a red-knob series fender. You know the features from other reviews. I don't think features are really that big of a deal in an amp (all that matters is tone) so i'm not going to give a rating for this category.

I'm using a godin with rio grande pickups. my style is blues, rock, and a little jazz. I like this amp. It has great clean tone on the clean channel (although that is balanced by the fact that the clean channel has no volume and is basically unusable in a live situation). The amp isn't extremely noisy but isn't really quiet either. The clean channel doesn't really distort at higher volumes, which makes me think that there might be a circuit flaw having to do with the clean channel and the power tubes that might also contribute to the lack of volume. The overdrive channel sounds very good at low volumes. As you turn up on the dirty channel, the treble becomes more pronounced. This leads to the dirty channel not having extreme versatility, but you can get low to medium gain blues sounds (think bb or albert king). So to sum up: great clean that is taken away from by lack of volume and a decent overdrive for bluesy, mid-rangey sounds that isn't very versatile and can sound like a trebley pile if you don't tweak it right. It has groove tubes in it now (most likely sovteks). I am going to put in some svetlana 6L6GCs, rumored to be very good tubes. hopefully that will improve the overdrive channel.

It's never broken down on me, but I haven't pushed it hard that often and the red knob series is notorious for its reliability. And i think there really is a flaw in the circuit that accounts for the lack of volume on the clean channel.

Never dealt with them, but it would help if i could find a manual or official information online.

i've been playing a while now. this is my only amp right now. if it were lost somehow, I would explore something different, but I still think this amp was worth it, especially for the low price tag (definitely beats most of the other amps anywhere near this price range. I love the clean tone and the bluesy tone on the overdrive channel, but don't like the lack of volume on that channel and the lack of versatility on the overdrive channel. My rating here is the same as in the sound category (no coincidence). An 8 equals a B on my scale.

I did a review of this amp on 03/28/2001, so I won't recount al of the features.

I had sold my other Super 60 when I picked up an '83 Princeton Reverb II amp. I didn't keep the PRII long as it just sounded too mid-rangey for my tastes after awhile. Probably great for gigging with a band, but not for practicing on my own.

I regretted selling my Super 60 and just recently bought another one that is in EXC condition inside and out. Like my old Super 60, my latest one is an '88-'89 vintage.

Unlike the last time I bought a Super 60, I have decided to keep the original speaker. It's an excellent speaker and has a massive magnet like you'd find on a Jensen ceramic. It's not a small magnet like Fender uses nowadays on the Ultimate Chorus amp.

What I did not notice with my first Super 60, is that the tube chart on my latest one says "Super 60 Bandmaster". I have never seen these amps referred to as anything but "Super 60"; never with the word "Bandmaster", but that's what my amp says on the tube chart.

This amp sports 2-6L6 power tubes (classic FEnder tube complement), 2x12AX7 preamp tubes, and 1x12AT7 phase inverter tube, pushing the Fedner-branded 12" speaker. The reverb is real spring reverb, but the reverb circuit is solid state.

The power transformer and the speaker/output tranny are massive - way bigger than anything you see on new Fenders. They contribute greatly to the amp's 58lb weight. Inside of the chassis is a tiny transformer-like thing which I assume is the choke: "a coil used to remove ripples or some types of AC from a circuit", for less hum, I suppose.

The EQ is shared between the 2 channels - clean and overdrive. Each channel has it's own volume and the channel switching is footswitchable via the single button "Channel Select" included with the amp.

The shared EQ bothers some folks, but not me. It's the same as Fender's Princeton Chorus and PC-DSP amps. Plus, I put a Digitech RP-3 mutli-FX pedal on the front-end of my Super 60 Bandmaster anyways.

This amp can get really loud - which is one reason I love it. 60 watts RMS (or so based on 2-6L6's) is plenty of power and all the mroe when it's tube power.

The outputs on the back include a mono effects loop, line out for recording or use with a PA (works great for recording!), and an 8ohm extension speaker cab output.


OK, OK. I'll give it a "9" since the EQ is shared, though I really wanted to give it a "10" :)

This amp does not do the sparkly Fender thing - thank God! I am so sick of that sound and everyone saying that this Fender or that one has the "typical Fender clean - bright and sparkly".

This amp's got muscle for low end through high end. On the clean/rhythm channel, I get nice, warm jazz tones with my sometimes exceedingly bright Gibson archtop.

The clean channel has less volume than the lead channel. Well, duh! Of course, the lead channel will blast your ears off your head!

Some folks complain that the rhythm/clean channel is not loud enough to gig with. I dunno, maybe they're right. Just LO it to your PA and dont' worry about it.

The reverb is solid stat, but real spring reverb. It is not the classic Fender reverb - boingy and bright. It is smoother, but no better or worse than any other Fender SS reverb.

I like the clean channel for jazz. Heck, I liek the OD channel for jazz!

I typically run my RP-3 through the clean channel and let the pedal add all the effects. Another thing that I really love about this amp is that it is pedal-friendly. No hissing! Pedals sound great thorugh it and it's got all the volume you need, believe me!

The OD channel has a GAIN knob for preamp gain. If you want power tube gain, you have to crank the amp to very loud volume. Even then, you won't get overly fuzz tone, but more a clean tube overdrive ala a non-master Fender Super Reverb, which shares the same power tube complement as the Super 60 Bandmaster. I like that sound as it sounds great for cleaner blues with an edge.

Still, I use my pedal to get the chorus, delay, OD, etc.

This is my second one. Both are built liek tanks. I took my recent one apart and cleaned the amp inside and out, lube'ing the pots and such, while vacuuming everywhere. I am as impressed with this one as I was with my original one for build quality. Just keep a spare set of tubes on-hand.

I've been playing about 8 years and own a Fender Acoustasonic JR amp as well as a BF cHamp amp, a Gibson ES-135 archtop, an Epi jazz archtop, and a Fender GA-45SCE flattop, and a couple of pedals.

I've owned dozens of amps from a Rivera Sedona down to an Alamo Capri and many in-betweeners, including a 70 watt Fender SR, PR-II, PC, PC-DSP, UC, UC-DSP, APro, AJR, GA5T, Hohner tubie, and more.

I purposely went looking for another Super 60 Bandmaster amp when I realized that I needed an amp capable of gigging in a band. Im' glad I got the one I did - perfect shape.

If I could change one thing about the amp, I'd knock 20 lbs off it, but hey, it's built liek a tank, so why shouldn't it weigh as much as one :)

This is a late 1980s/early 1990s Fender tube combo. It has two channels with a shared EQ. The shared EQ is kind of a pain in the ass, if you are switching between channels often. The reverb on this amp is decent, but not great. This amp puts out a very loud 60 watts, and it tips the scales at 60 pounds, which is massive for one 12 inch speaker.

I use a Squier Standard Strat (s/s/h) which is surprisingly decent for such a cheap guitar. Played through the Super 60, the guitar sounds thick and full. Sometimes I use a Crybaby Wah (think Hendrix or Cream sounds). The clean channel on this amp sounds great, everything that you would expect from a Fender. The distortion channel is one of the best I have ever heard, and certainly the best built-in on a Fender. It absolutely beats the shit out of the cheesy distortion on the HRD series amps.

No problems here - I haven't had this amp very long but it appears to be extremely solid, and it weighs a ton.

Haven't dealt with them.

I have been playing guitar for a while, and I shopped around quite a bit for this amp. For the price, you simply can't get a comparable tube sound, especially with this type of wattage. The bottom line is that, in the under $600 price range, you simply can't beat this sound.

This is a red knob combo, not sure of the year. It has two channels with footswitch jack. Volume for the clean channel, gain and volume for the overdrive channel, shared EQ, reverb, and presence. 2 inputs and a standby switch. I wish it had two EQs and maybe the bright switch from its close cousin Super 112. I purchased it with new Groove tubes so I can't comment on the orginals. Because of the shared EQ i give it an nine. Versatile enough for 95% of my stuff, the rest I use pedals for. I do not gig (yet) but use it for band practice and home practice (though my drummer's moving so...)

I am using a Godin SD (h/s/s) with it. I play classic and blues rock, as well as a little bit of jazz and a little folk-alt rock (I have recently made it a project to work up hopefully good-sounding electric, violin and sax free arrangements of Dave Matthews Band songs). This is my first tube amp, and I love it. It has Fender clean (not as sparkly, a more round tubey feel) and IMHO a great overdrive channel. i haven't had the chance yet to push it into full power tube saturation. The clean channel, with the right tweaking, helps give my Godin a much more Strat-like sound that I didn't think I could quite get, with that nice round hollow sound from two single coils together, and bright with my humbucker and the right EQ. The lead channel sounds kinda lifeless with no gain (a lead channel isn't meant to be used with no gain!) but push it to around 2 or 3 on the gain knob and you've got nice tone that bubbles over a bit (think Buddy Guy) if you hit the strings a bit harder. Around 4 and you've got some nice blues overdrive. push it to 6 and you've got creamy thick overdrive (think Cream, Led Zeppelin, or Hendrix without the Fuzz Face). Push it beyond that and you're pushing into, dare i say it, the lower fringes of metal with a humbucker. Humbuckers give great rock-out tones while single coils give a nice Strat-ish (again, with tweaking) if sometimes noisy (especially with a computer monitor on)sound. The distortion is not high-gain metal brutal but more gain than your average Fender, Boo-Boo. despite the shared EQ you can dial in decent SRV, Santana, or other tones. Great tube tone. I sometimes throw in a chorus, wah, or Boss OD-2 (the pedal's distortion is remarkably like the amp's, but with a little more gain available) but usually plug straight in. Reverb is good, nice and Fendery, and Presence is good and helps give it a wider palette of tones. No amp is perfect, but what the hey I'll give it a ten for my needs.

As with all equipment (especially tubes) there is always a risk, but I could depend on it and would probably gig without a backup. I haven't had it for very long but it hasn't broken down. I haven't owned it long enough or pushed it hard enough to give a rating, but it's built like a tank (Super 60 could be describing the weight in pounds instead of the wattage.)

Never dealt with em.

I have been playing not quite a year now. I also own a cheap Aria accoustic, assorted pedals, and still have my old peavey practice amp (looking to sell it). If it were stolen or lost, I would look for another one, but who knows. I love the tone, but wish there were two EQs and switcheable reverb (not that I'd really switch it that often). Blues and rock tone monster, great for pumping out my favorite sounds with good tube tone at bedroom to practice to what I estimate to be good gig levels. I think with the SD and this amp I have a great combination that I got for a little more than this amp would sell new. I would definitely reccomend it to any blues or rock player looking for classic tone.

Late 80's, black tolex, bought used and is a super amp for portability, ruggedness, and screaming blues. Like other owners, the eq being one for two channels is a bummer, the reverb is fine, and the ability to tweak a Santana sound or a SRV is in this amp. Mostly use the amp in blues clubs which are pretty bright, but the amp carries the low end fine. I've been through super reverbs, devilles, peavy classic 30's, 50's, etc. For portability, ruggedness, and clean sound or kick end distortion this is the best of all I've tried. I've played a friends for about 7 years prior to finally buying one myself. The weight is on the border line, but nothing like a twin.

Les Paul, HR Fusion, Parker Fly, and Gibson 180 all for blues, rock folk, or country. It has the classic Fender boom. Mine is a little noisy at first but then quiets down. I mostly play blues and this amp does fine, it carries slide with depth and holds sustain fine. Clean channel is clean but quite, can't comment on the distortion, my slide and LP Artist make enough distortion which it carries.

Like I referred to before, played a friends for 7 years or so and have thrown it into the trunk too many times for it not to crash. But they (3) never have.

Been playing a long time, own too much gear and have paired down to about 5 amps and 15 guitars. If this amp vanished I would get another one. Like the size, sound, weight. Dislike the reverb and no eq on both channels and wish it had a line out for recording. I have been looking for an amplifier that I could carry up and down stairs, travel the road without worring about a failure. If there was another tube amp with this power and sound that weighed less I'd go for a test drive, but none have the Fender sound this one does. I think it is under rated unless you are a person who plays distortion and not music.

This is a follow-up to my previous review. I musta been sick or something... the amp is GREAT!, don't get me wrong, but the reverb is solid state, not tube! Now, I know why I preferred the solid state reverb on my Polytone amp. Pretty chincey, though, to have al those tubes and then resort to using SS reverb...

I bought my Super 60 in 1991. It was a used model, but only three months old. Apparently the previous owner needed more volume (which is BTW the reason I am shopping for a larger Fender amp right now). It is equipped with vintage tubes and the standard speaker has been replaced by a Celestion. In comparison to the original speaker, it produces a warmer, more jazzy sound that fits the amp's tube sound very well.
A (minor) downside is the fact that both channels share the one set of tone controls, albeit that they are very sensitive and make it possible for the amp to produce a very wide range of different sounds.

I play an american standard Strat (three single coils) I bought a little earlier, in 1990. When I was looking for an amp to go with it, I soon discovered (and fell for) the Fender tube sound. The Super 60 makes the strat sound quite 'organic', with all the full, warm sound of the wood, but also the famous Fender-like metallic sparkle in the trebles. It always gives me the comforting feeling this is how a Strat was made to sound (considering the amp's price range ofcourse).
The distortion on the second channel is a real killer. It delivers a great chrunch at lowers gains, and a beautiful warm harmonic sound at higher settings. Because of the fullness of the sound, it is less appropriate for playing metal riffs though as it tends to get a little muddy at maximum gain. This might not be the case when using the original, brighter speaker though.

Short anecdote: when bringing the amp back home from a gig once, it fell to the ground from the back of my bike, where it was standing on top of a big speaker cabinet about 1.5 meters high. It made quite a smack and the reverb sounded like it exploded, but... the amp still works perfectly! Great job, I really love equipment that is built to last for ever.

The (small) shop I bought the amp had a very good service. They allowed me to test the amp with both the original speaker as the custom one, replacing one for the other as I waited.
After I bought it, I only had to have it repaired once, because the second input had broken of due to wear and tear. Did cost me about $70 though, mainly because of the labour involved.

The only major problem with this amp is the limited volume of the clean channel, which is the reason I am currently planning on buying a second, larger Fender amp. Mind you, I have absolutely no complaints about the sound; it's just that I when I use the clean channel, the guitar sound tends to get lost inbetween the drums and the bass. This is ofcourse the main tradeoff for keeping the sound so clean - there's nothing like cubic inches.

Mine is a '88-'89 vintage.

Price: (varies)
* about $300 used
* about $500 when new

Features:
* 60 watts RMS output
* Tubes:
2-6L6 power tubes
2-12AX7 preamp tubes
1-12AT7 reverb tube
* Tube reverb
* SS rectifier
* 12" heavy duty speaker (I saved it out and put in a Jensen reissue)
* mono effects loop
* line out
* external speaker out
* dual inputs
* dual channel (clean/overdrive)
* single set of EQ controls shared between 2 channels
* reverb intensity control
* small cabinet size equivalent to a SF Princeton Reverb amp
* very strong tube connectors (tubes do not move around at all - you can't even jiggle them)
* power tube retainers
* metal jacks
* stand-by switch to save on tubes
* massive power and output transformers (undoubtedly contribute to excessive weight, but they look like military issue!)

Downside:
* PCB mounted upside down in chassis (some techs complain that this makes the amp a little harder to service because you have to take the nuts off the input/output jacks and the nuts have a little rubber retainer on them to keep them from coming loose. Doesn't sem to be an impediment to me, you simply slice the little rubber retainer. No big deal.
* Fixed bias - must be re-biased with each new set of matched power tubes (or simply use similar matched tubes that are marked)
* weight equivalent to a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (you wouldn't believe it to see how small it is!)
* undersized reverb tank
* shared EQ controls between clean and OD channels, meaning that you may have to reset the EQ before switching channels (as compared to dual channel amps that have separate EQ controls for each channel)

I'd give it a 10 if it had dual sets of EQ for the clean and overdrive channels.

Tone:
* For jazz, the amp is excellent with extremely responsive 4 band EQ controls. You can get bright, dark and anything in-between. Lots of nice jazz "whoosh" when you slide down the neck. Very clean amp, but not squeaky, sterile tyupe of clean - think "tube clean". While not as convenient as having the dark/med/bright switch that Polys have in that you have to make small EQ changes on the Super 60, the jazz tone is still in there (all controls flat - not off - with the bass at 1-2pm).
* For blues - excellent also! You can do the clean blues thing very nicely with just a touch of gain! Really excellent!
* For R&R - great! Push up the gain for all sorts of o/d tones. Cut the mids for that classic hollowed out o/d tone; push the treble for an edgier o/d tone.

This thing convinced me that I don't need no stink' o/d pedal of any sort!

Reverb:
* For jazz, I like the Poly's SS 'verb better. For rock and blues, the Super 60's 'verb is better. The 'verb on the Super 60 is much better than the 'verb I tried out on a Fender DR RI last week. On the DR, doing a muted rhythm thing made the reverb sound boingy; not so on the Super 60. The Super 60's reverb does not get as deep as the DR RI, though, probably due to the small tank used on the Super 60, but at least the Super 60 isn't boingy. I swapped out the Made In India 12AT7 for a US NOS 12AT7, but it didn't make much of a change - less microphonic, though.

Volume:
* Now whattya think? 60 tube watts! Loud doesn't begin to describe it. The really nice thing is that you can crank up to 3-4 easily without making the amp go to 100% which is UNLIKE most newer Fender amps(a "feature" of the newer amps I detest)! Believe me folks, volume is not a problem. Your archtop will howl at the moon like a pack of wolves long before you tax this amps' volume capacity.

I am so impressed with the utter variety of tone this amp produces - dark/warm jazz, trebly clean country, BB King blues, Molly Hatchet southern R&R, SRV blues - it's all in there. Truly, this is the most versatile small tube amp single 12 combo I have ever used!

This thing is built like a tank! A power tranny and output tranny - each of which is way larger than my fist! I expect it to last another 12 trouble-free years easily!

Fender does not make this amp anymore, but they do have manuals and schematics on file and are very hlepful in getting me the docs.

Honestly, if I had this amp prior to the other amps I've purchased, I might have never bought those other amps.

For around $300, I don't think you can buy a better tube amp and I've had my share of $300-$500 tubies. The Super 60 absolutely kills the Fender HRD in tone, size, reverb, and components. So, if you like the HRD, you'll absolutely love the Super 60 (assuming you get one in as nice of shape as mine, that is). Even if you hate the HRD (which I grew to with mine), you'll love the Super 60. If you like the Fender Blues Junior, you'll love the Super 60 and so on...

This amp is truly a sleeper. It was made in a head style, 1-12 combo (mine) and was also called the Super 112 at one time.

Again, when buying any used tube amp, make sure you know what you are getting. 3/4 of the tube amps I've gotten over the last few years have needed a new speaker, new tubes, cap job, or all of the above. Similar things for SS amps, too.

My example is pristine inside and out and was the previous owner's personal favorite of the 2 he had. He sold the first one, but held on to this one; I know because I tried buying the first one but missed out by a few bucks on a private 'net sale. He contacted me later to see if I was stilll interested in buying the second one. I jumped on it and I'm glad I did!

One overlooked feature in other reviews below is that this amp has a
switching transformer, when you plug in an extension cab, I use a Fender 112 closed enclosure, the amp switches down to 4 ohm output impedance and for what it's worth, I think the sound improves greatly.
I use the effect loop for a Nanoverb, I'm a fan of digital reverb.
Almost never use the high gain channel, as the EQ changes too much for my tastes. 60 watts with a good, no excellent, classic Fender vibe. I play big band music with various acoustic and electric archtops and this fills the bill.

Good clean sound with that classic tube compression, and doesn't start to break up into brown sounds until above 5. Meets my needs, when I need distortion I'll use my H. & K. Cream Machine, or just go for the throat and gig with my Marshall Plexi.

Amp was checked by a tech and several cold solder joints were repaired. Also retubed with Mesa 6L6's and GE 12AX-7's. Was gigging on bass through this amp 2 weeks ago and it vibrated off a table, smashing both input jacks. Fell about 30 inches, I picked up replacement input jacks, and had a little trouble manouvering the front circuit board to a position to solder in the replacements. I didn't want to have to pull the main circuit board. Crossed my fingers as I powered it up after repair, but the thing worked just fine. I never broke any knobs, just kinda compressed the particle board upper corners of the amp. I'm impressed!! The particle board is also why this little puppy tips the scales at 58 lbs.

Fender will help you, I don't recall having used them for anything other than Internet info

Got a vintage Plexi, '79 Roland JC-120, Fender Super 60, Yamaha DG-100
and a Dano Nifty Fifty for practice. All of these have their own individual vibe, and there is NO one be all, end all amplifier!! I liked the affordability of the Fender as I bought it used, and have used it quite a bit, the tube thing and all. It's been dependable, portable (compared to 2X12 combos), and has met my expectations for a Fender product.

The same as all the other ones reviewed here...

I, for the most part, as running a Mexican-made Strat (w/Seymour Duncan Hot Rails in all three positions) through a variety of effects - I own a boatload of Boss stomp boxes and have both a Bud Wah & Dunlop 535Q Crybaby - and regardless of what I am using, this bad-boy SCREAMS for me. Especially w/the Metal Zone. WOW! PHAT CRUNCH. I must admit, the clean sound was a little disappointing, which sucks because that's why I bought it! BUT, I have only had the amp for two days and will be dropping it off to the local tech this week for inspection and upgrades - if needed. I have full confidence that after a "little" tweaking it'll sing for me, just like I originally expected!

Again - I've had it for two days. I can't say one way or another...

Never dealt with them...

I bought his amp on EBAY without ever having played on it (!) because of all the GREAT reviews that it got here at Harmoy Central. I thank all of you who took the time to rate this beast. Your reviews helped me make a great purchase. What can I say? I love this amp!!!!!!!!!!!

I bought my Super 60 new in 92'. Has a 12" Fender special design speaker, 2-channels (not a master volume amp), and weighs in at 58 lbs!

I play country, jazz, classic rock, and blues--I use my Super 60 with a 93' Strat, Epison (Epiphone w/Gibson 57 Classic pickups), and a Steinberger. Simply two words--great tone! I have had this amp for over 8 years now--and have done gigs with it in all types of environments--from malls to the Nebraska State Fair. The clean headroom is terrific--but can be awesome if you get it tweaked by a GOOD tube amp tech--overdrive has always been brutal and could only be improved my an Ibanez Tube Screamer--or something similar. The ultimate in clean tube amp tone!

For the first 6 years--no problems. Then a couple years ago a resistor burned out--had that taken care of then this year it happened again. I guess this is a $35.00 yearly maint cost I should get used to! I never had the amp let me down during a gig--but I will always have a backup handy--can u say Tech 21 Trademark 60? By the way--you should have this amp checked out at least every 2-years--I have re-tubed twice in 8-years but that could be a bit long...

I only use a local amp tech so I don't know how good Fender service really is--so I can't really comment about that. But I will rate this category a nine based on the local service I have received.

I have been playing for about 18 yrs--country, rock, jazz, blues, etc... I have a true love/hate relationship with my Super 60. I love the tone--but can never gig without a backup handy. It is a heavy amp to carry around but the tone is worth it's weight(!) when you get on stage. If you really care about the sound coming out of the amp then you know tubes are the shit--and I would highly recommend the Super 60 to anyone. If it were stolen I would be very upset and would immediately seek a replacement.

Small, versatile, but heavy. 2 input channels, w or w/o effects, effects pedal/loop. 12" Fender speaker. Wish it had chorus, but satisfied with what it has.

I use a '75 Les Paul. Has a great sound and matches up with the Super 60 fine. Some hum to amp, but acceptable. This amp gets a nice clean or classic crunch sound, depending on your preference - both are satisfactory. This little beast is no doubt loud!

Had to replace tubes, but has remained a very reliable friend. Takes a lot of "abuse" getting moved around several times a week.

I called Fender once wanting to know the speaker model in the "60". They immediately gave me the right part #. (I bought 2 more speakers to add to a cabinet because I really like the sound quality.

I been playing 25 years, I also own a Marshall setup (but only use the Fender! - go figure) Were my Super 60 lost or stolen, I would seek another one.

The amp has a clean and overdrive channel with built in foot switch. It also has reverb. There are 60 watts of tube power which make it very versatile for blues, ballad, and heavy metal. It is heavy, but not bulky and is easy to drag around compared to my other amps.

I play with a Paul Reed Smith, American Strat, or Les Paul Black beauty. I have a Mesa Boogie tremoverb and a 1969 Fender Super Reverb. The super 60 is by far my favorite amp of the three. It sounds great clean and with overdrive, plus it is much easier to carry around. I primarily use a vintage tube screamer for overdrive, boss sustain compression pedal, and a Danelectro chorus. I use the amp for Contemporary Christian Music and blues/rock and roll. It is great for all of these. I prefer to mike the amp and control all of the volumes through the PA. This amp will make some noise with the volume up however.

I have never had a problem with it. I bought it used and carry it around a lot.

If I only had one amp this would be it. I can not believe that it was only made for 4 years. It has a great tube sound and is not much to carry around. I am sure that in its era other louder amps were more popular, but today most amps are miked and run through the PA. Fender should definetly bring this one back. It may not be a vintage amp, but it is a great amp. I have a Mesaboogie tremoverb and a 1969 Super reverb, but this amp is without a doubt my favorite.

This is an all-valve 60w.amp.I don't know when mine was made, I bought it 2nd hand in 1994 for about #280.I haven't met anyone else who has one of these amps. I play in 2 bands and have had no problems getting a decent sound.I have used the effects send and return feature,mainly for chorus, but have recently used a 12 string through the clean channel, which sounds fantastic.I run a Marshall 1936 stereo cab from the back, and this feature is a big plus if you're thinking of buying an amp like this.As for the power of the thing,I've yet to turn it up past 4 on gain channel, even in larger clubs.The clean side is warm and mine begins to lose its cleanness at about 6--it's not noted for it's massive headroom in the clean channel.

With my Strat, with the guitar vol. on full and the gain on 7, it gives a great blues sound.I also have a Washburn which means the gain has to be backed off a bit more.Of course, I have been known to have everything turned up to 11. I have had many compliments about my sound, which almost makes up for the lack of compliments about my playing.This amp has a truly searing gain sound and it is loud.

Just replaced 3 valves(tubes).Louder than before.Would not need a backup, as I have total confidence in this one.Gets the usual treatment on gigs, knocks, falls over, and still does the biz.

Not applicable

Played for 10 years.I don't own another amp.I would be very upset to lose this amp and would have to look around for another.Other people have mentioned the weight of the Super 60-----------I always have a laugh when somebody picks it up for the first time!What I like about it most is the classy quality of the tones it puts out.With the Marshall cab you do get more of the same with added bass response.I'd like to hear from other people who've got one of these rascals.

This box has everything you need: OD channel, 3 band eq, effects loop (which I never use--I plug my Boss ME-30 right into the clean channel input), plenty of power. I've always played Fenders--I know what I'm going to get every time. Marshalls are good for one sound only--could never get them to work for me. The Fender is a very versatile amp. I play a lot of weddings, where you are going from techno crap to Sinatra. I also do a lot of funk, blues and R&B gigs. The Super 60 does it all. When I play weddings I only have the volume on about 2. Usually I'm mic'd for those situations so a lot of gain isn't neccesary. I've used this amp in fairly large bars and have had no problems filling up the room. In fact, the amp sounds best when you've got the clean channel at about 4 or 5. Nice and smooth. I remember one gig where I was playing with another guitarist who had some fancy schmancy Groove Tubes amp. The Super 60 smoked it. He kept trying to crank it up to get more gain, but couldn't match the sound of the Fender.

I'm using a 1991 American Standard Strat. It's a good match for the Super 60. I like to play a little bit of everything. Jazz, rock, funk, blues, r&b. I use clean sounds a lot--the Fender has a great clean sound--very important. This amp isn't the quietest amp ever. If you power it up in a quiet room at home, you'll hear some hiss and hum. However, on a gig where it's noisy anyway, that isn't a problem. Usually, with hi-gain settings or when you stomp on a distortion pedal, the noise is really bad with the single coil pick-ups. Like any guitarist who uses single coils, you learn how to switch to the out of phase settings when it has to be quiet between songs. If I played a lot of metal (which I don't) I don't think this amp would cut it for me. Although maybe if you used it with humbuckers it could produce that fat chunk a chunka thing. I've tried to emulate it with my strat on occaision and didn't have much luck. I've never pushed the clean channel so it distorted. Like I say above, I rarely turn it past 5. If your clean channel distorts, it's time to get a more powerful amp. This amp has tons of headroom. The distortion channel is nice. You can get a real smooth sustainy Santana vibe out of it. Again, it isn't really that gritty metal sounding distortion. I think of it as more of an overdrive. Perfect for blues and rock.

My Super 60 is very reliable. I do about 120 gigs per year and I've never had it just fry out on me. It's so reliable that I don't worry about a back-up. This thing weighs a ton for it's size--who would want to carry two? That being said, it's not perfect. Every three years or so, one of the screen resistors burns out and I have to take it to the shop. The guy I go to knows the exact problem and fixes it without any fuss. That is the only problem I've ever had with it. In fact, about a year after I bought my first one, I got a second one so I wouldn't have to go without it if it broke down. I'm that dependent on the sound.

I never had to deal with Fender support. I think the original warranty was 3 years--pretty good. I did have some minor repair work done when the amp was under warranty. No problems to report.

I've been playing for 32 years. I own a silver face Twin, a Polytone mini-brute and a Mouse. I have a '76 strat, a Mexican Strat, and an Ibanez Artist semi-hollow body. If my Super 60s were stolen I'd most definitely go out and buy replacements. I don't intend on ever using another amp for gigging. The biggest thing I love about it is it's compact size, that delivers a big amp sound. Also it has a great clean sound--close to a twin. I've used two of them in stereo and the sound was unbelievable. Go out and buy a couple! You won't be sorry.

SUper 60 Amp circa 1980 something bought used. Dual channel, red knobs, the only red knob Fender tube amo from this era where the distortion is actually pretty good. Dual 6l6GC tubes, dual 7025, 1-12AT7. All Groove tubes. Channels switched via button on amp or footswitch. If it had seperate tone controls for each channel, it would be a 10.

Use various strats, teles, and gibsons. Can dial in a good sound at ALL times. Clean channel not super powerful, I use the drive channel exclusively anyways. Nice that you can dial in either a nice "just before breakup" clean sound or super stauration. I use pedals for dirt on leads anyhow. Distortion is great! Had the TWIN from this era and distortion was horrible. Not much noise for live playing.

Amp over the years has never failed me yet!

Never had it serviced or had to!

How do you rate an amp overall anyways? The perfect amp would have to have maybe 5 switchable channels and be tube and solid state, weigh nothing and be 2500 watts with one speaker. (Impossible)
I rate an amp to be really great if I can get a happening sound within 10 seconds for the song I'm doing!

This is a 60 Watt all tube amp with 2 switchable channels (with footswitch or from the panel), Reverb, Presence, 2 inputs, aux speaker out, line out, power amp in and pre amp in. This amp was manufactured in the mid 80's through the early 90's. It would be nice if the reverb was switchable but it is not that big of deal. If it were switchable then I would give it a 10. More than enough power for what I've been using it for. I have never gigged with this amp, but it would be perfect for a small club. When I first bought this amp, the size kind of fooled me to the amount of power this thing really packs. When you pick it up, it feels like there is about 75 pounds of lead in the bottom of it. This thing is a tank!

I play a Fender Strat with an Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer and a DOD FX-65 Stereo Chorus. I play blues and classic rock and this amp meets these needs for me very well. This amp has more than enough gain on the overdrive channel and I only use that channel when I really want the amp to growl. Be careful to have the volumes on the 2 channels set properly or you'll blow the doors off of the house when you switch to the overdrive channel. This amp seems to be pretty quiet at the settings I've used it and the little noise it does produce is probably coming from my computer or the piece of crap chorus that I use. The clean channel stays relatively clean throughout the volume range, however it does distort a little at higher volumes. At high volumes on the overdrive channel this little baby really belts it out.

I've only had this amp for a few months, but like all fender amps it's built like a brick shit house. I've never had a problem with a Fender product, but from reading the other posts some people must have. I would not even think twice about playing through this thing without a backup. Would you tow a car behind you incase the one you were driving broke down? Of course not, this is a Fender, you don't need it!

Never talked to them

I have been playing the guitar for about 20 years now and have been playing music on one instrument or another for about 30 years. I also own a 1982 Ovation acoustic guitar, a Kawai synthesizer and too many other odds and ends to mention. If it were stolen (which it won't because I have 2 huge dogs that guard my stuff) I would be really pissed off (at the dogs for not taking a big chomp out of your ass). I bought this amp because I had been looking for a Fender tube amp to mess around the house with and this was the best deal that I found. I looked at other gear but I settled on the Fender cause they're the best.

Manufactured late 80's small cabinet 1x12 all tube combo amp. I play mostly punk, some alt, and some popular songs. The amp has two footswitchable channels: clean which has a very nice growl when turned up, and a wicked lead channel i.e. excellent distortion. It also has tube reverb, which is unswitched but sounds awesome, and an effects loop. Definitely wished the reverb was switched. For the rest this is a great amp. Good definition, clear and again, nasty lead channel. It has a pre amp section of two 7025/12AX7's, power section of two 6L6GC's and reverb with one 12AT7. I had mine retubed with Sovteks and the power amp tubes replaced with 5881's, they are hotter and define the lead channel even better.

I play mostly music which needs good distortion. I use a couple of stock Jag-Stangs, a reissue Jaguar with the hot Seymour Duncans for Jags, an Epiphone Les Paul with Razor Tribute + pickups, and a Washburn stock P2. They all sound very good through this amp through both channels. It can get really loud very easily and still maintain the great tube tone. I bought this amp because I was looking for a Fender amp with good distortion to get rid of the distortion pedals of my effects chain. I really found it in this amp. The distortion is very brutal and not noisy. The clean channel growls past 6 and if you want surf, althoug this is not a super reverb, we get a very good imitation with the Jaguar and the reverb at around 8.

It has been very good to me. Never let me down.

I did call Fender to find out how to purchase the footswitch and the cover they were very helpful in getting me the phone number of a parts supplier: Smart Parts: www.partssmart.com but they gave me the wrong damned part number. The people at Smart Parts were very helpful in correcting Fender's fuck-up.