150 watts. (Not conservative at all, trust me.) Open back 1x12 with stock “blue” Fender speaker . This is a “red knob” model so my understanding is that it’s considered vintage. Two channels – Clean and Overdrive/Distortion with a “boost option”. Clean has Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass and Mid-cut switch. Overdrive/distortion has Gain, Boost, Treble, Mid, Mid-Boost switch, Bass, Contour with “tilt” switch, presence. The amp also has a master volume and reverb. Two inputs, one for channel switching, one for parallel channel mode. The amp also has switches for channel switching, or you can plug into the footswitch jack (which was included) to switch between channel 1 and 2 as well as to select reverb and/or the boost function. Effects loop and speaker out jack on the back panel of the amp as well. UTILIZATION The controls on the front are many, but it's fairly straightforward, especially if you are familiar with Fender amps. The "presence" and "mid-cut" controls are particularly useful. The only drawback is that I don't understand the purpose of the "tilt" control. I usually put the treble on 9 or 10, the mid on 0 and the bass anywhere from 2 to 9, and get great clean sounds, or great distorted sounds with a pedal. The amp is fairly heavy. As with all Fender amps, this is built like a tank. You could probably drop it from a skyscraper and it would keep on ticking. I did have to get the rear input jacks fixed for $20 about 3 days after receiving the amp from Guitar Center. But hey, it was used. SOUNDS This thing is LOUD ! I don’t think 150 watts is an overstatement ! If you go anymore than 1, you’ve got band-mates and sound engineers sneering at you! Also great for out-competing your annoying rhythm guitarist in the volume department! Clean channel is the typical “glassy” Fender clean that many of us have come to love. The treble can be a little harsh, but hey, it’s a solid state! Overdrive channel is OK, but no one usually gets a Fender for the overdrive/distortion. (See my comments under “overall rating.”) I use the “boost” function on the distortion channel via foot-switch as it provides a great volume boost for solos ! OVERALL OPINION This is a great investment for a total outlay of about $190. You can’t go wrong with Fender, in my opinion. I am more concerned with clean sounds than I am with distortion. You can’t buy too many “clean pedals” but distortion pedals abound. So if the clean sound is amazing, as it is on most Fender amps, then all you have to do is put a good distortion pedal through the clean channel, and you’ve got a great clean AND distorted sounding amp !
One of those simple amps from Fender. This is an amp that was onto the market for a while and then ultimately replaced by the Fender Stage 100 DSP. The DSP has multi effects based right into the amp that makes this an all in one amplifier. This model is more stripped than the DSP. You get a three channel amp that has a clean, drive, channel, and then a boosted drive channel. You also get an effects loop to run you effects pedals and units. You can also run a wet/dry setup if you don't want the effects loop by using the line out function and run another speaker cabinet. UTILIZATION Fender Stage 100 Features: Three channel operation (Normal, Drive, More Drive), Normal channel- Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass, Reverb, Drive channel- gain, Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass, Reverb, EFX Loop, balanced line out, external speaker out, 2-bttn. 3-function footswitch included. SOUNDS The amp is functionally pretty easy to use and get a decent tone out of within a few minutes. The clean tone is just like any other clean channel from Fender. It is great with a nice chimy tone that sparkles on the high end. The distortion channels are not that great. They are pretty bland and uninspiring. Just like most Fender amps the overdrive is just not that pleasing to the ears. The only amp from Fender where the distortion is nice is the Super-sonic and the new Hot Rod's. The second boost helps out a little more but still comes up short. OVERALL OPINION These amps have been discontinued now and only the used market can you find then. I have seen them for right around $300. Not a bad price for a three channel amp. NOt the best amp to come out of Fender but its average to pickup for that price. I wouldn't recommend this amp to anyone. there are a lot better amps out there that can do the things this can do and much better. I would suggest getting a Supersonic if you can afford it. That amp is far more superior to this one.
