Fender '65 Super Reverb

The '65 Fender Super Reverb reissue carries on the tradition of great remakes of classic "blackface" Fender amps, which many consider to be the company's finest hour of tone crafting. This amp takes a cue from the original Bassman amplifier and used 4 10" Jensens. It puts out about 45 watts of power, making it about medium wattage when compared to Fender's other amps in this series. It has the standard Fender layout of two channels. The normal channel has the volume, bass, and treble setup, and the vibrato channel (accessed by a separate input) has those same controls, but augmented by a middle control in the tonestack, as well as controls for reverb, and vibrato (speed and intensity). Otherwise there is no other channel switching or effects. Just like the classics.

UTILIZATION

Getting a good sound out of this amp is pretty simple. It's a bit of a middle ground between the Deluxe and Twin. It doesn't require the ear splitting volumes of the Twin, but it's also not going to be nearly as quiet as the Deluxe reissue either. It's a great amp for gigging or jamming, but you still should take into account the need for at least a bit of volume. The tonestack responds like you would expect a Fender to (very simple control layout = simple tonal tweaking) so there's no surprises there. The onboard reverb and vibrato sound killer as with all the Vintage Reissue amps that use these features.

SOUNDS

The Super Reverb offers a bit of a different twist on the classic Fender tone to my ears. Since most of the classic blackface amps of a higher wattage are using two 12s you're really only getting variations on that sound. However, the 4 10" drivers really offer something different to my ears. The core tone is still the typical Fender sound, but it's a bit sweeter sounding overall (not quite as bright as something like a Twin) and has a bit more natural compression. Also, having the 4 ten inch speakers really offer a little more of a thicker sound that projects out a little bit better to my ears because you're getting more height and lift from the speakers. Definitely an excellent compliment to the line.

OVERALL OPINION

All in all I think the Fender Super Reverb '65 is a killer buy for someone looking for a bit of a different take on the blackface Fender sound. It's definitely got that classic tone all there, but the 4x10 setup definitely has its own thing going on, which might really appeal to some players who love Fender tones, but want something different from the pack. They are about $1,400 new for the reissue which isn't a bad deal considering the quality. Definitely worth a look if you're in the market!

One of the most classic sounding amplifiers in the world. This thing has such a lush and warm tone that make blues playing a joy. It has a very bluesy feel and tone to it that is hard to dial out. Of course you can play just about any pop or rock song with this amp. All you need is a solid distortion and delay pedals. These amps take pedals extremely well.



UTILIZATION

Details
Type Tube
Number of Channels 2
Power 45W
Speakers 4 x 10" Jensen P10R
no Effects
Reverb Yes
EQ Channel 1: Treble, Bass; Channel 2: Treble, Middle, Bass
No Amp Modling
Preamp Tubes 4 x 12AX7, 2 X 12AT7
Power Tubes 2 x 6L6, 1 x 5AR4 (Rectifier)
Inputs 2 x Instrument (Ch 1), 2 x Instrument (Ch 2)
Outputs 2 x Speaker
Footswitch I/O
Effects Loop Reverb In/Out
Height 24.88"
Width 25.13"
Depth 10.5"
Weight 65 lbs.

SOUNDS

This amp has a lush reverb with a huge control of tone. This is a very basic amp compared to an lot of amps today with multiple switches for voicing and channel to which most amps do one thing well and that is about it. This thing is a no frills amp with very few bells and no whistles. This is a two channel amp with a normal channle and a vibrarto channel. Add a reverb spring onto it and you have a very classic rock sounding amplifier.

I like this amp with just about any guitar you throw at it. My personal favorite is a Fender Telecaster or a Gibson Les Paul. All you need to do is ad a tubescreamer or nice Fulltone OCD and you'll get a fantastic sounding rock or pop tone.

OVERALL OPINION

This is one of the best amps that Fender or any manufacturer has ever created. This thing has a blossoming tone that fills the air with warm guitar. It is easy to create music with an amp like this.

At new these amps come in at around $1500, which might be a little high for a lot of people to purchase. However, if you get the opportunity to play and amp like this you won't be disappointed.

The Fender Super Reverb '65 is a classic guitar amplifier, coming in both it's original form and in a reissue. I've only used the original, so that's what this review is for. Either way, the amplifier seems to have pretty much the exact same make up. It's got two channels, one for a clean sound and one with the options for reverb and and vibrato. It is a tube based amplifier, consisting of four 10" speakers. Each channel has two 1/4" inputs.

UTILIZATION

The configuration of the Fender Super Reverb '65 in terms of it's setting controls is pretty standard for a Fender amplifier. In fact, this same exact make up is found on a number of different Fender amplifiers, so those with experience with Fender amps will be able to recognize this make up right off the bat. Either way, it's an easy set up to get used to. The first channel has parameters for a bright switch, and knobs for volume, treble, and bass. The second channel is made up of those same parameters, but in addition has a middle EQ knob as well as those for reverb, speed, and intensity, the latter two control the vibrato. A manual shouldn't be necessary for most users.

SOUNDS

The overall sound of the Fender Super Reverb '65 is absolutely outstanding. If you've ever used a Fender guitar amp before, you probably have a good idea of what I'm talking about. It really doesn't get too much better than this amp - although there are a number of other Fender amplifiers that definitely will give it a run for it's money. It's got a good amount of control available over your sound, and the built in spring reverb and vibrato are some of the best effects of it's kind available. I've used the amp with a Fender Jazzmaster and a Fender Stratocaster, as nothing beats the sound of Fender on Fender in my opinion. I don't know how well the reissue of this amplifier would stand up to the original since I haven't tried the reissue.

OVERALL OPINION

The Fender Super Reverb '65 is definitley one of the biggest Fender amplifiers out there, as most do not have four 10" speakers. While most Fender amps with two speakers are loud enough, the Super Reverb definitley packs more punch than most, while still maintaining a very clean sound quality. The cost of getting one of these isn't cheap, which is rightfully so as this amp is almost a half century old. If you do ever get the chance to try one out in the studio like I did, or even purchase one for yourself, I'd recommend taking advantage in whatever way you're able to...

The Super Reverb '65 is a reissue of Fender's legendary 4x10 blackface combo, often considered the mid-sixties to the legendary late-fifties Bassman. It is an all-tube amplifier, running a bunch of pre-amp tubes (mostly 12AX7s) a pair of 6L6GCs in the power section, and a single 5AR4 rectifier tube. It's rated at 45 watts.

There are two non-switchable channels: "normal" and "vibrato." The normal channel features a bright switch, a volume control, and treble and bass controls. The more elaborate vibrato channel also has the bright switch and volume knobs, but it steps up to three band eq (treble, middle, and bass). It also features reverb (with one knob) and vibrato (with controls for speed and depth), both of which are accessible only when using channel two. Each channel has two inputs, with the second one being padded a bit, allowing you to get a cleaner sound when using high-output pickups. There is a retro-style two-button foot switch which controls reverb and vibrato.

The one major difference between this reissue and the original blackface Super Reverb is that the reissue uses a printed circuit board, while the original used a hand-soldered tag board. The latter allows for much easier repairs and mods, and many people argue that it sounds better, too.

UTILIZATION

This is a classic non-master-volume amp. The three-band eq on the vibrato channel is extremely easy to use, allowing more flexibility than many more complicated eqs because the three bands cover the entire sonic spectrum. With all three knobs at zero no sound gets through; with all three knobs at ten you get a significant boost in signal being passed from the pre-amp to the power amp. With all three knobs at five you get a lush and detailed picture of what your guitar actually sounds like. Usually the best way to get the sound you want is to put all the knobs on five and then turn one of them down a notch or two. The bright switch is there essentially to compensate for the differences in tone between single coil and humbucking pickups.

SOUNDS

The clean sound on this amp is heavenly! Extremely well suited to jazz or clean-guitar rock. Maybe country, too. The clean sound of a Fender blackface is desirable enough that other companies make pedals emulating it, and this amp delivers exactly what those pedals try, and usually fail, to approximate.

One thing to consider, though, is that the amp only stays clean until the volume knob reaches about four, after which you get a distortion sound that is great for blues and classic rock, but less great for other types of music (I play indie rock). The amp is loud enough that in practice, or in a small room, or with a quiet drummer, the clean sound is more than loud enough. But if your drummer is loud, or you're playing a medium-sized club, you will get significant distortion before you get loud enough. This might be a problem, because the clean sound is where this amp really shines. I give it a perfect 10 for clean, a 6 for distorted tone, and a point off for failing to deliver the clean tone at big-club volume levels.

OVERALL OPINION

I used this amp for about five years, and only parted with it to trade up to a real early-seventies Super. It was my only amp during that time and I used it at practice, club gigs, and recording. It was great in every one of those situations as long as 1) I got my distortion tone primarily from a good pedal, and 2) the drummer was not so loud that I had to turn the thing up past four to be heard.

In spite of these limitations, I'd recommend this amp to anyone who wanted to buy a Fender amp currently in production. The clean sound and the reverb are as good as any I have ever heard anywhere, and it's rare that you face a situation where the amp is too quiet and yet can't be mic'd. Most places that are big enough to overpower this amp assume they're going to be micing the guitar amps anyway.

If you play jazz this is a great amp, because you don't need to play loud and the clean tone is great. If you play blues this is a great amp because it's got awesome blues/classic rock overdrive tone and real tube sag. If you want clean, modern rock tone, you may be better off with a Twin.