Fuchs Audio Technology Modded Bandmaster

Not sure of vinage, not old. this is the modded bandmaster shown on the fuchs website. I've had it a couple months and still getting to know it. I play blues, classic rock, surf and a little danny gatton along with originals. this amp is fantastic on everything i've thrown at it, so I'd say tonally VERSATILE. Two channels, normal and gain, that act more like three or four depending on how the first gain level is set, nice effect loop, reverb, two speaker jacks, triode/pentode mode, rock/jazz mode, low boost, high boost, midboost, and a studio/live mode that affects power stage breakup characteristics. Have gigged with it outdoors, indoors. It's more than enough, and if ever not, mic's well. very reminiscent of Fender with the 6l6 output stage and original Bandmaster output tranny. But a lot nicer.

Sound! YES!! Andy Fuchs is praised for going in and beyond the dumble direction. I can tell you that this amp is the soulmate of my 335 - the singing sustaining harmonics and controlled feedback are amazing, and the chiming clarity of the clean channel borders is spiritual. The fuchs sounds great with my Strats too, it's just something uniquely well-matched with the 335 (with bill lawrence pickups).
The distortion can get pretty heavy, but it's not metal. It's more of a richly harmonic drive that just locks on to your notes and holds, giving some extra fluidity that I never experienced with stock Fender amps, even though they sounded great. The headroom is great but not as huge as a 4x6L6, but having the wonderful breakup without blowing out your ears is not unwelcome. The clean channel dimed is like a giant hot fudge sundae- really rich. You could go on and on about the tone palette Andy gives, because each switch (low, mid and high boosts, jazz/rock eq, triode/pentode output, studio/live mode all have unique influences on eq and when/how breakup occurs. I'm sure I'll still be learning and enjoying this amp's nuances for many months to come. Oh, it's also very quiet even with gain up. The reverb seems to contribute a little noise, but if you're playing surf no one will notice.

Built like a tank. started with a bandmaster chassis and cabinet, and all the other hardware and componentry is first-rate. the reverb tank broke from being bounced around in shipment, but you can't hold that against fuchs. Reverbs are weak links, but easy to replace or fix. I've accidentally turned the amp on without a speaker load, and I'm super relieved to report no damage. That will fry some amps. Doh!

Even though I bought this used from a private party, Andy Fuchs graciously and quickly answered some questions by email. That's really great.

This is my main amp. I have a tweaked Crate vc20r that's fantastic for practices and small venues, but the Fuchs is all-around outstanding, the finest amp I've had the pleasure of playing with. If you are a fan of guitar artistry a la Ford, Carlton, Gatton, you will really appreciate the contribution of a Fuchs to your sound. But it's also got plenty of balls, and's a lot of fun to crank up as well. Oh, yeah!

Recent rebuild of Bandmaster head to Fuchs OD configuration. All tube, 2 channels with solid state reverb, effects loop, gain and midboost. Reverb, channels and boosts are footswitchable. Loop is series or parallel with input and output level adjustment. Pentode/triode and low power modes. It's all there, compares favorably to a Mesa Mk III in features.

I play with a wide variety of guitars, have tried the amp with P90s (61 LP Jr), single coils (57 strat), humbuckers (PRS C24)-the amp sounds very different with each-really brings out the personality of the guitar. It has an incredible range of tones-warm clean (more Boogie than Fender), sustain, crunch and massive overdrive. There's lots of adjustments here (4 knobs to control lead gain and volume alone) but, unlike the Boogie Mk III and Mk IV, they all sound good (I really found I had to dial in my Boogie very carefully). The high gain mode is as quiet as any I've heard-compare very favorably to Egnator, Marshall 6100 etc.

Not sure, I've only had it 3 days. I've heard good things about Fuchs.

Not sure, I'll update this if I have any problems.

I've owned a LOT of amps, from vintage thru modern. Most of the channel switching monsters are long gone-they did a lot of things OK, but nothing really well. I think the Fuchs is an exception. It's not going to sound like a Fender or a Marshall (or both :-) but the sounds it does have are very musical and useable and there're a LOT of different sounds in this box. Seems well made and the physical vibe (tolex removed from the Bandmaster box, stained and varnished) is pretty cool in a cigarette burned, bar hopping way. I rarely buy stuff new, but if another Fuchs came along, I'd grab it.