Fender Excelsior - $299

honeyiscool · Post by **honeyiscool** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 7:00 pm

http://www.americanmusical.com/Item--i-FEN-2303010-LIST

Fender Pawn Shop Special Excelsior Tube Combo Amplifier Specifications

Amplifier Type: Tube
Speaker: 15 inch special design speaker
Impedance: 8 ohms
Power Tubes: 2 x 6V6
Inputs:
GTR input
MIC input
Accordion input
Controls:
Volume
Tremolo
Bright/Dark switch
Height: 21 inches, 53.34 centimeters
Width: 19.5 inches, 49.5 centimeters
Depth: 9 inches, 22.9 centimeters
Weight: 33 pounds, 15 kilograms

Is it just me or is everything about this amp amazing?

laterallateral · Post by **laterallateral** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 7:13 pm

As much as I like the two-tier chassis, I can't really see the point of it beyond teh old school vibez.

I think the idea of running a low wattage amp trough a 15 inch is super cool, though.

Thom · Post by **Thom** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 7:14 pm

http://www.shortscale.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=44520

honeyiscool · Post by **honeyiscool** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 7:18 pm

laterallateral wrote:As much as I like the two-tier chassis, I can't really see the point of it beyond teh old school vibez.

I think the idea of running a low wattage amp trough a 15 inch is super cool, though.

I think it makes a lot of sense. Combo amps are usually way too wide to be truly portable, so much that you have 112s that can't fit through a door easily. With the two tier chassis, you can have a 15" speaker and still fit through doors easily.

Freddy V-C · Post by **Freddy V-C** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 7:19 pm

laterallateral wrote:I think the idea of running a low wattage amp trough a 15 inch is super cool, though.

Tiny Terror + 1x15 = sex

I'd gig with it a lot more often if my 1x12 wasn't so much lighter.

laterallateral · Post by **laterallateral** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 7:22 pm

honeyiscool wrote:
laterallateral wrote:As much as I like the two-tier chassis, I can't really see the point of it beyond teh old school vibez.

I think the idea of running a low wattage amp trough a 15 inch is super cool, though.
I think it makes a lot of sense. Combo amps are usually way too wide to be truly portable, so much that you have 112s that can't fit through a door easily. With the two tier chassis, you can have a 15" speaker and still fit through doors easily.

Not having seen what the actual guts look like, It's kinda hard for me to say for sure but given it's feature set and the fact that it's probably all surface mounted PCB, I can easily imagine both amplification stages being included in the hanging chassis with plenty of room left over for the speaker.

honeyiscool · Post by **honeyiscool** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 7:26 pm

Look at the picture of the backside. I really don't see how it would all fit without making the amp bigger.

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 8:41 pm

I want it.

But I despise that handle (the actual handle, not it's name).

Stuart · Post by **Stuart** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 8:45 pm

I'd rather have a Selmer Little Giant, which this seems to be based on to some extent and go for a couple of hundred pounds on ebay.

GreenKnee · Post by **GreenKnee** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 9:09 pm

honeyiscool wrote:
laterallateral wrote:As much as I like the two-tier chassis, I can't really see the point of it beyond teh old school vibez.

I think the idea of running a low wattage amp trough a 15 inch is super cool, though.
I think it makes a lot of sense. Combo amps are usually way too wide to be truly portable, so much that you have 112s that can't fit through a door easily. With the two tier chassis, you can have a 15" speaker and still fit through doors easily.

Because walking through a door side-ways causes me so much pain and grief?

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 9:21 pm

hahaha for a second I was like "that thing should really have tremolo, then I realized what I thought was a tone knob was a tremolo knob.

I've had similar minimalist 60's tube amps, and I always kept the tone knob cranked or almost cranked anyway because they're usually just passive filters like on a guitar.

I also like the split chassis, seems like it'd be more even and less top heavy. Don't see anything wrong with the handle, looks like it folds down, and if it's a dealbreaker I'm sure it could easily be replaced.

I really want to like this thing, but it still kind of says gimmick. There's enough legit vintage silvertones and such that can be had for the same price. My Hilgen is quite light and does everything this does, and is probably louder and has a tone control and built in reverb. I paid about $300 for that

honeyiscool · Post by **honeyiscool** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 9:21 pm

If you have two gig bags on your back, it sucks to turn sideways!

These are first world problems, I realize, but I like having gear that's no bigger than necessary.

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 9:22 pm

Yeah, if you can't make it through a door while holding a 1x12 combo, you need to stop, take a deep breath, swivel 90 degrees to one side and try again. My Marshall 4x12 wheels through with no probs.

honeyiscool · Post by **honeyiscool** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 9:31 pm

Pssh. I like to be able to make it to rehearsal from my car in one trip. Amp in one hand, guitar in another hand, pedal board on a strap.

benecol · Post by **benecol** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 9:38 pm

Took me a while to realise that was the actual level of finish on the back; initially thought they'd removed a back panel to show of the gubbins. Disappointing.

laterallateral · Post by **laterallateral** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 9:51 pm

honeyiscool wrote:Look at the picture of the backside. I really don't see how it would all fit without making the amp bigger.

Really? You really can't see how this

could fit in there?

Thanks for the tip, though. I'll try to remember to look at things before I try to figure out how big they are.

Sloan · Post by **Sloan** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 10:18 pm

I honestly think the 15" is dumb. Should have just been a 12" for easy swapability. 2x10"s will push more air than a 15" anyway, so there's really no reason for 15" to me.

Also for that price you could buy a real vintage piece.
For example, here's my pal Bobby's National amp that sold for maybe $400 at Dayton, Ohio HAMVENTION 2010

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 10:26 pm

honeyiscool wrote:Pssh. I like to be able to make it to rehearsal from my car in one trip. Amp in one hand, guitar in another hand, pedal board on a strap.

It's trickier to carry a 1x15 amp + two gig bags on your back through a narrow door frame than it is to push a 4x12 on casters with the same bags on your back through the same door frame. You aren't straining as much and make more deliberate, careful movements. I move my entire rig in one trip all the time.

gaybear · Post by **gaybear** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 10:27 pm

paul_ wrote:I want it.

But I despise that handle (the actual handle, not it's name).

haha, people find the weirdest things to hate.

honeyiscool · Post by **honeyiscool** » Mon Jan 16, 2012 11:57 pm

paul_ wrote:
honeyiscool wrote:Pssh. I like to be able to make it to rehearsal from my car in one trip. Amp in one hand, guitar in another hand, pedal board on a strap.
It's trickier to carry a 1x15 amp + two gig bags on your back through a narrow door frame than it is to push a 4x12 on casters with the same bags on your back through the same door frame. You aren't straining as much and make more deliberate, careful movements. I move my entire rig in one trip all the time.

I'm gonna guess that you don't like stairs.

gaybear wrote:haha, people find the weirdest things to hate.

This is the standard response when I complain about Strat jacks on offsets.