new amp for me!

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 2:14 pm

picked up a new amp today (second hand)- a mid 90s solid state fender deluxe 112 plus. i was getting sick of carting my roland JC120 about to gigs, and though it wasn't responsible for my recent spell in hospital, i was aware that one day it might do me a mischief. i don't want to be a martyr for music, and the thought of a herniated disc from hauling that fucker up and down stairs does not appeal to me in the least. so, out with the HUGE and in with the dinky.

i've been using 2 amps live for the past 18 months or so- a tube amp for my gritty, trebbly sounds and a solid state for the clean and bassies. the tube amp (a fender deluxe hot rod) runs overdriven most of the time, and i needed something loud, punchy and with a lot of headroom for the cleans. this thing is LOUD. i've been playing it with the volume set at 1 and it's pretty blaring. if the neighbours next door weren't such a pain in the arse i might have been a wee bit worried about it.

i like basic features on amps, i don't go in for virtual nonsense or DSP effects, so, this thing is about as basic as it comes. clean channel, distorted channel, reverb, thank you very much. the clean channel is as you'd expect from fender, i'm sure you all have experience with such things so i don't have to twitter on about it. it's clean, and it's got 3 tone knobs, nuff said. i'd read up on this on harmony central etc before opting for it, and the general (not total) consensus was that the distortion channel is shit. i always use pedals for my dirt, but thought i'd try it just out of interest. for a solid state distortion it's really good! i did an A/B test with the channel switch and my fulltone (OCD clone and distortion-pro) pedals cascaded and if i'm being honest, the fender wasn't bad at all, much better than i'd expected. i might even use it!

as always, the problem with harmony central gear reviews etc is the amount of idiots going "i play blues, blues rock, jazzy blues, funk rock blues, pub blooze cock snooze rock and this amp is terrible with my les paul".

er, yes, that's right. it's a SOLID STATE FENDER. what the fuck did you expect??

it suits me perfectly (so far- i'll see how it holds up at gig volume), small, light and loud. plus, it made me remember when i was a teenager into 'the bends', thinking "hmm, vox AC30 and a solid state fender 85? good thinking, greenwood!" ok, so i don't have either, but you get the general idea.

Post by **Mike** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 2:18 pm

Nice one, looks like a fun box.

dawnofzion · Post by **dawnofzion** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 2:24 pm

I used to have the same amp. It is really loud. The volume from 7-10 is about the same. so anything past 7 is pointless. I hated how sensitive the volume knob was on that thing. But it served me well for a long time. I sold it recently for like $125.

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 4:01 pm

dawnofzion wrote:I used to have the same amp. It is really loud. The volume from 7-10 is about the same. so anything past 7 is pointless. I hated how sensitive the volume knob was on that thing. But it served me well for a long time. I sold it recently for like $125.

yeah, the sensitivity at lower settings is a bit annoying, but i'll only ever play it at rehearsal/gig volume. i've got a practice amp for pissing about on at home.

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 4:10 pm

i just remembered, the guy i bought it from tried to sell me his guitar too. clearly not the most observant type (i brought the duo-sonic along to try it, and specifically said "i need an amp that sounds bright, crisp and clean"- so you'd think he'd realise humbuckers probably aren't my bag)

it was one of the most hideous pieces of wood i've ever seen, he said it was a chinese copy of a 1983 les paul studio. it had all gold hardware, including an enormous bigsby type thing he'd fitted himself. absolutely disgusting. a bit like this, but with a flamed top-

he wanted Â£475 for it!! i politely declined. what a gimp!

astro · Post by **astro** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 10:47 pm

I think solid state amps are under appreciated. For truly clean cleans, they can't be beat. And I've heard quite a few solid state amps give a great distorted sound.

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 10:58 pm

astro wrote:I think solid state amps are under appreciated. For truly clean cleans, they can't be beat. And I've heard quite a few solid state amps give a great distorted sound.

i was shocked at how good the distortion sounded on this. obviously if you want hard rock or metal then it'll be piss, but for punk type stuff it sounds surprisingly good. i doubt i'll use it much (if at all), but it's nice having the option. and it's two fingers to those bores on HC. if i was using this amp on its own (as i used to the JC120) i'd put a mild overdrive in front of it to take the bright edge off, but clean in conjuction with the other amp it sounds immense.

Sloan · Post by **Sloan** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 11:09 pm

This is what that guy I play bass with uses. I've played through it a few times, it's hard to use at low volumes.

Skip · Post by **Skip** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 12:47 am

i have one of those-- your right-- it is loud as hell
i call mine the rattlesnake
never had a problem with it

Jesse · Post by **Jesse** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 1:01 am

It's close to the Princeton 112 that I have. Yeah, the big problem I have with it is the sensitive volume knob, as well. Plus, I get a really loud pop when I turn the amp off, because it instantaneously switches to the distortion channel at that moment. Weird.

purplehaze19x · Post by **purplehaze19x** » Wed Oct 01, 2008 1:45 am

I have an old Fender amp that does that also, its a late 80's? M-80 Chorus.

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Sat Oct 11, 2008 8:08 am

I have an old M-80 too (red knob/black tolex version) They were actually supposed to be Metal amps, tho the clean sound is glass clear and it's a beast too. The OD channel switch died on mine (not that I used it often)

Will · Post by **Will** » Sat Oct 11, 2008 8:17 am

purplehaze19x wrote:I have an old Fender amp that does that also, its a late 80's? M-80 Chorus.

The channel switching is a weird system - it switches using a 3xSPST IC that responds to a voltage drop. Since the voltage drop when you turn it off, it automatically changes the channel and turns any effects on.

Thomas · Post by **Thomas** » Sat Oct 11, 2008 8:28 am

I don't remember mine doing that.... weird.

purplehaze19x · Post by **purplehaze19x** » Sat Oct 11, 2008 3:32 pm

Yep, doesnt every time. it even sounds like the volume rises also.
Its a weird amp, i never use it.
Oh this is the red knob, grey carpet version.
Im really suprised everything still works on it, even the footswitch.