Fender ultimate chorus a good amp??

woody961 · May 5th, 2008, 08:01 PM

I got a chance to get an earlier USA made Fender ultimate chorus for a good price....100 watts or so I think and 2x12 Fender blue label (Eminence I think) speakers......are these good amps? Good clean tone and good chorus? Thanks!

markinlondon · May 5th, 2008, 09:56 PM

One of the guys round here uses one. It's very loud, sounds OK but not stunning clean (I like a bit of warmth on my "clean" tones) and takes pedals nicely. I can't comment on the chorus.

giantslayer · May 5th, 2008, 10:29 PM

I had a chance to have a shootout of Fender amps at a store once. I tried out an Ultimate Chorus, a Deluxe 900 dsp, a Hot Rod Deluxe, a DRRI, and a Vibrolux. I was just using clean tones with a random tele I picked off the wall. I played them all at about the same volume. It was just me and my guitar buddy there, so we got to turn them up to a decent volume. The tube amps just plain sounded better. Not "apples and oranges" better - "hotdogs vs bratwursts" better or "McDonalds vs Red Robin" better. They had a richer, warmer, clearer, less muddy/distant, higher quality tone. Walking into that store, i really wanted to believe that a SS amp could sound about as good as a tube amp, but my ears told me otherwise.

That said, I don't think this was intended as a tube vs SS thread. I think I remember the clean on the UC sounding a little better than the other SS fender I tried. It sounded good until I plugged into a nicer amp. The chorus on there sounded good to me (I'm not really a chorus person, though). The upside is the chorus is created more naturally by sending different signals to the two speakers rather than by whatever they do to get chorus on a single speaker. If that's what you can afford, I think it will probably serve your purposes adequately.

Wardpike · May 5th, 2008, 10:35 PM

I've tried them. They don't like me or any of my guitars.

petebradt · May 6th, 2008, 01:34 AM

May 5th, 2008, 08:01 PM	#1 (permalink)
woody961 NEW MEMBER! Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: chapin, south carolina Age: 52 Posts: 5	Fender ultimate chorus a good amp?? I got a chance to get an earlier USA made Fender ultimate chorus for a good price....100 watts or so I think and 2x12 Fender blue label (Eminence I think) speakers......are these good amps? Good clean tone and good chorus? Thanks!

May 5th, 2008, 09:56 PM	#2 (permalink)
markinlondon Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Wellington, NZ Age: 48 Posts: 426	One of the guys round here uses one. It's very loud, sounds OK but not stunning clean (I like a bit of warmth on my "clean" tones) and takes pedals nicely. I can't comment on the chorus. __________________ Helping to invent english country dance guitar since 1981.

May 6th, 2008, 01:34 AM	#5 (permalink)
petebradt Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Niner Country Posts: 3,243 12 Photos	No.

May 5th, 2008, 10:29 PM	#3 (permalink)
giantslayer Tele-Meister Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Colorado Springs, CO Age: 22 Posts: 234	I had a chance to have a shootout of Fender amps at a store once. I tried out an Ultimate Chorus, a Deluxe 900 dsp, a Hot Rod Deluxe, a DRRI, and a Vibrolux. I was just using clean tones with a random tele I picked off the wall. I played them all at about the same volume. It was just me and my guitar buddy there, so we got to turn them up to a decent volume. The tube amps just plain sounded better. Not "apples and oranges" better - "hotdogs vs bratwursts" better or "McDonalds vs Red Robin" better. They had a richer, warmer, clearer, less muddy/distant, higher quality tone. Walking into that store, i really wanted to believe that a SS amp could sound about as good as a tube amp, but my ears told me otherwise. That said, I don't think this was intended as a tube vs SS thread. I think I remember the clean on the UC sounding a little better than the other SS fender I tried. It sounded good until I plugged into a nicer amp. The chorus on there sounded good to me (I'm not really a chorus person, though). The upside is the chorus is created more naturally by sending different signals to the two speakers rather than by whatever they do to get chorus on a single speaker. If that's what you can afford, I think it will probably serve your purposes adequately.

May 5th, 2008, 10:35 PM	#4 (permalink)
Wardpike Tele-Holic Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: St. John's, Newfoundland Age: 43 Posts: 585	I've tried them. They don't like me or any of my guitars.