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mooseherman « Cheap, ok Amp »
Published on 11/10/10 at 12:54This amp is a Fender Solid-State guitar amplifier. This amp has two inputs. There are three channels (clean, drive, more drive). The amp has built-in spring reverb, which is a master control (it applies to both channels). There is a simple, one-knob control for this reverb. There are seperate volume knobs and EQ knobs for each channel (the EQ is three-way, bass, middle, and treble). The drive channel also has a gain knob. There is a footswitch capability as well.
UTILIZATION
The more drive channel of this amp is really just a boost for the drive channel. It is good if you want to use it to boost solos or leads, as it is louder and has a little more fuzz on it. This helps a lot and is useful, but unfortunately, there aren't many other useful things about this amp. For one, it has a typical solid-state problem of not providing any natural distortion. Also, the EQ controls are pretty weak, and they don't go very far at all in shaping the tone. Thus the guitar has very little variation in tones. If you aren't extremely happy with the tone you've got, this amp is going to be tough to get a good sound out of.
SOUNDS
I have tried this amp with a couple different guitars. I like it best with my Strat and my Tele, but I wouldn't say that any guitar sounded particularly good with it. I didn't have particularly high expectations considering the price, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. The clean tones are very precise, and don't color the sound at all. However, that's not a good thing, as I like to have a little bit of breakup in the sound. A true clean channel isn't interesting for those of us who play blues, rock, or other similar styles, unless they want to sound really tame. The drive channel is likewise pretty weak. It will certainly inspire those of us who play more light, smooth music, though. One of the benefits is that there is almost no noise with this amp, so if noise drives you crazy, this might be something to look into.
OVERALL OPINION
The price of this amp is without a doubt its salient feature. It's not that great sounding of an amp, but who expects it to be at 300 dollars? I don't regret having it, if one of my amps were to die or something, and I needed a quick replacement, I'd use this, but I don't think I'd ever prefer it to a tube amp.
UTILIZATION
The more drive channel of this amp is really just a boost for the drive channel. It is good if you want to use it to boost solos or leads, as it is louder and has a little more fuzz on it. This helps a lot and is useful, but unfortunately, there aren't many other useful things about this amp. For one, it has a typical solid-state problem of not providing any natural distortion. Also, the EQ controls are pretty weak, and they don't go very far at all in shaping the tone. Thus the guitar has very little variation in tones. If you aren't extremely happy with the tone you've got, this amp is going to be tough to get a good sound out of.
SOUNDS
I have tried this amp with a couple different guitars. I like it best with my Strat and my Tele, but I wouldn't say that any guitar sounded particularly good with it. I didn't have particularly high expectations considering the price, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. The clean tones are very precise, and don't color the sound at all. However, that's not a good thing, as I like to have a little bit of breakup in the sound. A true clean channel isn't interesting for those of us who play blues, rock, or other similar styles, unless they want to sound really tame. The drive channel is likewise pretty weak. It will certainly inspire those of us who play more light, smooth music, though. One of the benefits is that there is almost no noise with this amp, so if noise drives you crazy, this might be something to look into.
OVERALL OPINION
The price of this amp is without a doubt its salient feature. It's not that great sounding of an amp, but who expects it to be at 300 dollars? I don't regret having it, if one of my amps were to die or something, and I needed a quick replacement, I'd use this, but I don't think I'd ever prefer it to a tube amp.