Feel like a twerp ? (SS content) advice needed.

Big John · April 26th, 2008, 10:31 AM

So, after all that shouting and talking about how much i loved my Lightweight Jazzmaster and cab, how it sounded great, weighed nothing and was an all round joy to have it's finally snorted it's last !!
It stopped working last year and i have been having a bit of a wait (

) with Fender UK to get it either declared DOA or fixable, finally it has been deemed that the part i need to fix it has itself been deemed 'no good' so it looks like i will get a credit at the store to replace it.
I saw Johnny Hiland with a Fender SuperSonic combo and was floored with the sound he got from it, it's a single 12" spkr and would seem to fit the bill for me, any thoughts ?

I'm looking primarily 'clean' with a bit of 'grunt' if needed, lightweight to lift and load.

N.B. please, don't tell me what i should be buying, just thoughts on the SuperSonic - many thanks.

Ah well, here's one for the 'Bad luck stories' list ........

toadman · April 26th, 2008, 10:45 AM

i considered a SS when i was amp shopping. i found a number of cold reviews of them, though. lot's of folks were saying that it just didn't sound that great when pushed. that and the fact that i really wanted a DR is what steered me away from it. still, there are lots of guys who dig a SS. and surely if anyone can make that amp sound good 'tis you!

voided3 · April 26th, 2008, 11:13 AM

This concerns me a bit because I have a friend who has a Jazzmaster Ultralight as his only amp. That said though, those little amps can CRANK! They aren't kidding when they say 250 watts! I found that I am not so much a fan of the newer SS amps, but many of the older ones are quite nice. I have a Carvin SX-100 from '87 that sounds better than a Fender HRDlx's drive channel (unfortunately not as loud though) and two old Kustom K200 heads from the late 60's that sound excellent for guitar AND bass, depending on the speakers (they even break up pretty nice!).

I tried a Supersonic once and I was kind of disappointed. The clean channel on the Bassman mode yielded some good tones, but that was about it. I recall my impression of it's drive sound as being "scratchy" for lack of a better word. It would probably make a good pedal amp though since it has the pretty good Bassman mode (I didn't have a chance to crank it up though to see how it breaks up). It has been a while though, so I might have to give them another chance. They seem to have a mixed reputation, though.

Wally · April 26th, 2008, 12:29 PM

Big John, that is a beautiful ES-125TD on the wall. So, you are moving on from 250Watts of SS to ???? Why not a vintage SFTR or a new TRRI? with a good boost and/or OD pedal, you will have what you want....and maybe the best clean sonics of all time.

Big John · April 26th, 2008, 01:04 PM

Thanks guy's !
The Jazzmaster gave up in Oct '07 so i am a bit annoyed it has taken this long to finally resolve it but to be fair, Fender UK have been as helpful as they can but even so ............ it leaves a nasty taste after this long and the trade Fender has got from me over the years.
It started to fade away at the end of a gig and at first i didn't believe what i was hearing and put it down to too much volume onstage or something, when that thing worked it was LOUD, way louder than a Twin but at the next gig, turn 'on' and ppfffffttt, then nothing, fuse was fine and thats all i can check so back to the shop (who were reluctant to open it) and they sent it to Fender (who were even more reluctant to open it).
voided3, they are indeed a great amp, super on stage and records like no other, i did those video's with Dave the steelie and basically just threw a mic at it and it always sounded great, if it aint reliable then i can't afford to have it though.
Does your friend use his a lot ?, i got mine originaly to just use a couple of times a month with a very 'old timey' country band so wanted clean, loud and portable but fell in love with it and i started to play all my gigs with it and while it worked -- it didn't dissapoint but even at two or three a week that can't be 'flogging' an amp can it ?.
I'm thinking seriously about the SSnc but the reviews i have read are split very much down the middle, some love and equally some hate, a DR sounds good on paper but the ones i have tried just aren't loud enough and clean at the same time.

Wally, 'yes' the 125 is a honey, 'NO' my Twin toting days are behind me now i'm afraid, thats why i got the Jazzmaster in the first bl**dy place.

Jake Blues · April 26th, 2008, 03:36 PM

Big John-

Check out Greg Kocks website. He has a number of recordings on there using the SS. Check out the old Freedy King tune called The Stumble. He is using the SS with a really great slightly overdriven sound--delightful!

Before I bought my BMRI and DRRI I seriously considered the SS. However could not find one to test. Many serious professionals are using and loving them--Hiland/Kock etc...

studio1087 · April 26th, 2008, 04:37 PM

I've played two SuperSonics in stores and I thought the Clean and Dirty/Clean were fantastic. I don't play much dirtier than Dirty/Clean.

I thought it was a great amp. I did not hve the opportunity to turn one up very loud but what I heard (filling a room) was warm ans harmonic.

Big John · April 27th, 2008, 06:30 AM

OK, just as i was thinking "i must remain objective about this" Jake Blues tells me that Greg Koch uses a Ssnc, now i want one !!

No, i must find one to try first, thanks for the input thus far.

rhinocaster · April 27th, 2008, 11:41 AM

I spent quite a bit of time with the Super Sonic, and I'm just not a fan. I think that the key to getting the amp to sound good is to play it really loud. I've heard recordings and I've seen people like Beck and Koch use them where they sound good. In person, at a reasonable volume (Like the kind I would used at any gig) the amp is stiff, the overdrive is grainy and the whole package is not very musical.

I would buy a Hot Rod Deluxe before a Super Sonic, and I'm not a big fan of the Hot Rod.

I'm not a fan.

jgnov99 · May 12th, 2008, 01:55 AM

I just bought an SS 112 combo a couple of months ago. I understand some of the complaints but, for the tweakers out there, this is a wonderful amp. Most of them are shipped biased cold. Apparently Fender does that to all their amps now, for the purpose of extending tube life for the period it sits and is demoed in the shop.
First I played "musical tubes" with it for a while (Settling on a 5751 in V2, a couple of 12AT7's here and there, and TAD 6L6WGC STR short-bottles in the power section), biased by ear (the sweet spot jumped out at us like a jack-in-the-box!), installed an Eminence Swamp Thang (I'm really not a big celestion fan) and this thing is KILLER! The tubes allow a little more room to turn it up (which translates to better tone with this amp). A couple of hours playing with the controls and I think I have found something good! This thing is extremely versatile. In my experience that usually translates to a lot of tweaking needed. For me it was well worth the effort.
grace and peace,
Joey

April 26th, 2008, 10:31 AM	#1 (permalink)
Big John Friend of Leo's Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Suffolk UK Posts: 4,874 36 Photos	Feel like a twerp ? (SS content) advice needed. So, after all that shouting and talking about how much i loved my Lightweight Jazzmaster and cab, how it sounded great, weighed nothing and was an all round joy to have it's finally snorted it's last !! It stopped working last year and i have been having a bit of a wait ( ) with Fender UK to get it either declared DOA or fixable, finally it has been deemed that the part i need to fix it has itself been deemed 'no good' so it looks like i will get a credit at the store to replace it. I saw Johnny Hiland with a Fender SuperSonic combo and was floored with the sound he got from it, it's a single 12" spkr and would seem to fit the bill for me, any thoughts ? I'm looking primarily 'clean' with a bit of 'grunt' if needed, lightweight to lift and load. N.B. please, don't tell me what i should be buying, just thoughts on the SuperSonic - many thanks. Ah well, here's one for the 'Bad luck stories' list ........ __________________ If you are going to be a bear, be a grizzly !!

April 26th, 2008, 10:45 AM	#2 (permalink)
toadman Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: andoverandoverandover,ct Age: 46 Posts: 1,090	i considered a SS when i was amp shopping. i found a number of cold reviews of them, though. lot's of folks were saying that it just didn't sound that great when pushed. that and the fact that i really wanted a DR is what steered me away from it. still, there are lots of guys who dig a SS. and surely if anyone can make that amp sound good 'tis you! __________________ toadman the plank spanker www.slugnickel.com www.zydecohogs.com "The ultimate result of protecting man from folly is to fill the world with fools" Herbert Spencer

April 26th, 2008, 01:04 PM	#5 (permalink)
Big John Friend of Leo's Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Suffolk UK Posts: 4,874 36 Photos	Thanks guy's ! The Jazzmaster gave up in Oct '07 so i am a bit annoyed it has taken this long to finally resolve it but to be fair, Fender UK have been as helpful as they can but even so ............ it leaves a nasty taste after this long and the trade Fender has got from me over the years. It started to fade away at the end of a gig and at first i didn't believe what i was hearing and put it down to too much volume onstage or something, when that thing worked it was LOUD, way louder than a Twin but at the next gig, turn 'on' and ppfffffttt, then nothing, fuse was fine and thats all i can check so back to the shop (who were reluctant to open it) and they sent it to Fender (who were even more reluctant to open it). voided3, they are indeed a great amp, super on stage and records like no other, i did those video's with Dave the steelie and basically just threw a mic at it and it always sounded great, if it aint reliable then i can't afford to have it though. Does your friend use his a lot ?, i got mine originaly to just use a couple of times a month with a very 'old timey' country band so wanted clean, loud and portable but fell in love with it and i started to play all my gigs with it and while it worked -- it didn't dissapoint but even at two or three a week that can't be 'flogging' an amp can it ?. I'm thinking seriously about the SSnc but the reviews i have read are split very much down the middle, some love and equally some hate, a DR sounds good on paper but the ones i have tried just aren't loud enough and clean at the same time. Wally, 'yes' the 125 is a honey, 'NO' my Twin toting days are behind me now i'm afraid, thats why i got the Jazzmaster in the first bl**dy place. __________________ If you are going to be a bear, be a grizzly !!

April 26th, 2008, 04:37 PM	#7 (permalink)
studio1087 Friend of Leo's Join Date: May 2003 Location: Near Milwaukee Age: 44 Posts: 4,230 36 Photos	I've played two SuperSonics in stores and I thought the Clean and Dirty/Clean were fantastic. I don't play much dirtier than Dirty/Clean. I thought it was a great amp. I did not hve the opportunity to turn one up very loud but what I heard (filling a room) was warm ans harmonic. __________________ JLG Carry On

April 27th, 2008, 06:30 AM	#8 (permalink)
Big John Friend of Leo's Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Suffolk UK Posts: 4,874 36 Photos	OK, just as i was thinking "i must remain objective about this" Jake Blues tells me that Greg Koch uses a Ssnc, now i want one !! No, i must find one to try first, thanks for the input thus far. __________________ If you are going to be a bear, be a grizzly !!

April 26th, 2008, 11:13 AM	#3 (permalink)
voided3 Tele-Holic Join Date: May 2005 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 737	This concerns me a bit because I have a friend who has a Jazzmaster Ultralight as his only amp. That said though, those little amps can CRANK! They aren't kidding when they say 250 watts! I found that I am not so much a fan of the newer SS amps, but many of the older ones are quite nice. I have a Carvin SX-100 from '87 that sounds better than a Fender HRDlx's drive channel (unfortunately not as loud though) and two old Kustom K200 heads from the late 60's that sound excellent for guitar AND bass, depending on the speakers (they even break up pretty nice!). I tried a Supersonic once and I was kind of disappointed. The clean channel on the Bassman mode yielded some good tones, but that was about it. I recall my impression of it's drive sound as being "scratchy" for lack of a better word. It would probably make a good pedal amp though since it has the pretty good Bassman mode (I didn't have a chance to crank it up though to see how it breaks up). It has been a while though, so I might have to give them another chance. They seem to have a mixed reputation, though.

April 26th, 2008, 12:29 PM	#4 (permalink)
Wally Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Lubbock, TX Posts: 4,225	Big John, that is a beautiful ES-125TD on the wall. So, you are moving on from 250Watts of SS to ???? Why not a vintage SFTR or a new TRRI? with a good boost and/or OD pedal, you will have what you want....and maybe the best clean sonics of all time.

April 26th, 2008, 03:36 PM	#6 (permalink)
Jake Blues TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: ketchikan AK Age: 43 Posts: 95	Big John- Check out Greg Kocks website. He has a number of recordings on there using the SS. Check out the old Freedy King tune called The Stumble. He is using the SS with a really great slightly overdriven sound--delightful! Before I bought my BMRI and DRRI I seriously considered the SS. However could not find one to test. Many serious professionals are using and loving them--Hiland/Kock etc...

April 27th, 2008, 11:41 AM	#9 (permalink)
rhinocaster Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Oregon Age: 44 Posts: 1,509	I spent quite a bit of time with the Super Sonic, and I'm just not a fan. I think that the key to getting the amp to sound good is to play it really loud. I've heard recordings and I've seen people like Beck and Koch use them where they sound good. In person, at a reasonable volume (Like the kind I would used at any gig) the amp is stiff, the overdrive is grainy and the whole package is not very musical. I would buy a Hot Rod Deluxe before a Super Sonic, and I'm not a big fan of the Hot Rod. I'm not a fan. __________________ Just because I "Don't" get it doesn't mean I "Won't" get it!

May 12th, 2008, 01:55 AM	#10 (permalink)
jgnov99 NEW MEMBER! Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: deep south Posts: 4	I just bought an SS 112 combo a couple of months ago. I understand some of the complaints but, for the tweakers out there, this is a wonderful amp. Most of them are shipped biased cold. Apparently Fender does that to all their amps now, for the purpose of extending tube life for the period it sits and is demoed in the shop. First I played "musical tubes" with it for a while (Settling on a 5751 in V2, a couple of 12AT7's here and there, and TAD 6L6WGC STR short-bottles in the power section), biased by ear (the sweet spot jumped out at us like a jack-in-the-box!), installed an Eminence Swamp Thang (I'm really not a big celestion fan) and this thing is KILLER! The tubes allow a little more room to turn it up (which translates to better tone with this amp). A couple of hours playing with the controls and I think I have found something good! This thing is extremely versatile. In my experience that usually translates to a lot of tweaking needed. For me it was well worth the effort. grace and peace, Joey