Better Guitar

player opinions

Name: Simon Holmes
Band: Rehersing, not giging yet.
Model Year: -----
Price Paid: £155
Performance
Plays how I need it to. Footswitch works well in sync with distortion and fuzz pedals, bass however becomes distorted to easily, and if you turn it up, it turns into a bass amp, so to speak! Good amp though, s’loud!
Performance Rating: 8
Sound Quality
It makes my s.d’s sound sweet as no other.
Sound Quality Rating: 9
Construction
Solid, and hasn’t blown yet! Another good thing I’ve found about Fender is, unlike Marshall who’ve changed the majority of their parts after 1980, especially in valve amps, thus far Fender stuff has all stayed the same or compatible to modern designs, so replacement for broken, burned out, blown or faulty equipment can be bought cheap as there is loads of it around (if you don’t mind it being second hand),unlike Marshalls etc. So even when it does go wrong, I’m not bothered about it like I would be with a Marshall or Vox.
Construction Rating: 9

Name: Matt (Jose Whiteguy of NWD)
Band: NWD
Model Year: ??? (Used)
Price Paid: $240
Performance
This thing is loud!!! I needed a quick solution to my drummer’s loud playing habits at small venues, and this thing kicked out the sound like nobody’s business. I got it used, and was hesitant about the dated looking controls, but this thing only gets better with time. My only complaint is when I really pushed it, just to see how loud it would go, the high end wasn’t much different than the mid high. Keep the gain up high, and the volume about 7 and you will get the power without the amp vibrating against the floor.
Performance Rating: 9
Sound Quality
I am a newbie to Fender amps, but coming off a Drive 30 watt, this thing is crystal. I don’t know much about the chorus effect, I don’t really use it, but it seems to be a cool tremolo type effect with moderate backing high and low. I suggest using a distortion pedal, plus the driven channel to get some loudness out of this amp. I have played it very loud, and never has it even thought about failing me. I love it.
Sound Quality Rating: 10
Construction
The amp is very heavy, my guess is about 60 lbs. That is pretty bad compared to some 125 watters at 50 lbs. If price is not an issue, go for a newer Fender, but for overall solid build, for a practical price, this is an amazing amp. Oh yeah, and the footswitch is really cool too!
Construction Rating: 9

Name: Larry Cugini
Band: Flash, Idle Hands
Model Year: -----
Price Paid: $299
Performance
The controls are very touchy, except for the clean-channel volume, which needs to be fairly cranked — after 6 or so it hasn’t got much pedal left. The bass control is extremely powerful, however, and almost needs to be totally rolled off or else it gets muddy fast. The chorus knobs are fairly standard (rate and depth) and simple. The limiter in the distortion controls is touchy and greatly affects the quality of the snarl. It is otherwise a very intuitive control panel.
Performance Rating: 7
Sound Quality
It sounds nice at reasonably loud volume, but it has its limitations. I almost have to roll the bass control completely off, otherwise it wants to vibrate the cab to pieces. And the distortion is very noisy, I have to be very light-handed on the highly sensitive controls. The overall EQ can be either muddy or very bright, the user has to be especially careful when setting it up. The chorus sounds nice. The amp is best miked, it can’t really compete in a live band environment.
Sound Quality Rating: 7
Construction
The construction of the amp is great. It’s solid as rock. It’s very much a Fender cabinet.
Construction Rating: 10

Name: Adwoa Spencer
Band: Oktbrwrld
Model Year: -----
Price Paid: $365
Performance
You can’t really go wrong with Fender. They have been making amps for so long that they have it done. The Princeton Chorus is a good practice amp and great for small to mid sized venues but when you add live drums and a guitarist with a louder amp, you’re stuck. Though this amp is a little dynamo, you WILL get drowned out. The knobs are intuitive and you should be able to get the tone that you want by fiddling with them but the volume does not change much after about 7.
Performance Rating: 9
Sound Quality
The clean sound on this amp is nice and full and it does not change the tone of your guitar. The distortion however is VERY noisy and a bit disappointing. I have been disappointed. I added a Tubeworks Blue Tube to get that round tube sound and that helped considerably. Still, I ended up going out and buying a Vintage Rat pedal, I just like it more. The chorus however is a dream.
Sound Quality Rating: 7
Construction
I have had the amp for a year and it is ridden around in the trunk of my car through streets that look like Beruit without any problems whatsoever. Like I said, it’s a Fender!
Construction Rating: 10