View other reviews for this product:
Audiofanzine FR
Published on 03/14/09 at 16:37
(Originally written by SlapKid/translated from Audiofanzine FR)
Very comprehensive feature set: good-sounding compressor, rear tuner output, RCA aux input, mute with flashing LED, very low noise operation.
Serial loop, pre/post EQ XLR output with very high output level (for passive DI boxes).
150 small watts, cheap 12" speaker (4 ohms), adjustable tweeter.
Wedge design a bit bulky and not convenient except for small stages.
It's rather light but the shape makes transport very uncomfortable.
UTILIZATION
Easy to use after you install a good speaker (the 12" Eminence Gamma provides wonderful lows and a very clear sound). Even though it's an 8-ohm speaker you'll get much more acoustic power than with the original 4-ohm speaker...
Don't mess with the EQ, just adjust the compression, the tweeter and start playing.
You can get lost with the EQ and its two semi-parametric mids. The EQ sounds cold and narrow.
So it's easy to use because you won't touch it.
SOUNDS
The original speaker has a very bad dynamic response, no punch, weak low frequencies and a nicely shaped frequency response. Hats off Fender. And I didn't mention the lack of acoustic power, similar to a 60-watt amp! Everything gets better after you upgrade the speaker (12" Gamma): acoustic power, low frequencies, dynamic response. Now the amp delivers about 100 watts of power but it sounds much louder than the 150 watts of the original speaker.
But it's still a small amp and its older brother (Bassman 100 with a 15" speaker) produces a much higher sound power.
I connected the 150 to my HughesKettner stack (4x10" + 1x15", 4 ohm total impedance) and it disappointed me: no depth nor punch, no lows but good mids (however cold)... And no 150 watts!
OVERALL OPINION
I've owned it for two years and I'm fed up. In spite of the speaker upgrade it sounds cold, has a bad dynamic response and no punch. Regardless of the speaker connected.
This applies to my 5-string fretless bass. With my 4-string fretted bass it sounds even more metallic and colder... Awful!
It's bulky and not easy to transport... It's hard to find any pros!
The 150 watts rating is clearly unreal. The amp provides about 90 watts and my Bassman 100 provides much more acoustic power and sounds much better.
Fender makes a lot of money with this amp. For the same price you can get a 500 watt Hartke head plus a home-made speaker cabinet...
I don't recommend this product (not even if you have an unused Gamma 12). Fender just couldn't deliver (and it's not the first time I hear that!).
Very comprehensive feature set: good-sounding compressor, rear tuner output, RCA aux input, mute with flashing LED, very low noise operation.
Serial loop, pre/post EQ XLR output with very high output level (for passive DI boxes).
150 small watts, cheap 12" speaker (4 ohms), adjustable tweeter.
Wedge design a bit bulky and not convenient except for small stages.
It's rather light but the shape makes transport very uncomfortable.
UTILIZATION
Easy to use after you install a good speaker (the 12" Eminence Gamma provides wonderful lows and a very clear sound). Even though it's an 8-ohm speaker you'll get much more acoustic power than with the original 4-ohm speaker...
Don't mess with the EQ, just adjust the compression, the tweeter and start playing.
You can get lost with the EQ and its two semi-parametric mids. The EQ sounds cold and narrow.
So it's easy to use because you won't touch it.
SOUNDS
The original speaker has a very bad dynamic response, no punch, weak low frequencies and a nicely shaped frequency response. Hats off Fender. And I didn't mention the lack of acoustic power, similar to a 60-watt amp! Everything gets better after you upgrade the speaker (12" Gamma): acoustic power, low frequencies, dynamic response. Now the amp delivers about 100 watts of power but it sounds much louder than the 150 watts of the original speaker.
But it's still a small amp and its older brother (Bassman 100 with a 15" speaker) produces a much higher sound power.
I connected the 150 to my HughesKettner stack (4x10" + 1x15", 4 ohm total impedance) and it disappointed me: no depth nor punch, no lows but good mids (however cold)... And no 150 watts!
OVERALL OPINION
I've owned it for two years and I'm fed up. In spite of the speaker upgrade it sounds cold, has a bad dynamic response and no punch. Regardless of the speaker connected.
This applies to my 5-string fretless bass. With my 4-string fretted bass it sounds even more metallic and colder... Awful!
It's bulky and not easy to transport... It's hard to find any pros!
The 150 watts rating is clearly unreal. The amp provides about 90 watts and my Bassman 100 provides much more acoustic power and sounds much better.
Fender makes a lot of money with this amp. For the same price you can get a 500 watt Hartke head plus a home-made speaker cabinet...
I don't recommend this product (not even if you have an unused Gamma 12). Fender just couldn't deliver (and it's not the first time I hear that!).