The ONE Fender Amp to Own

[petebradt]

Tweed Deluxe. I love my Super but it's not a practice amp or a club gig amp. It's a bigger gig amp. I don't need or want reverb, only pedal I use is a Bad Bob.

[fezz parka]

Ditto on the 5e3. I've got four amps, but this is the one that gets played the most.

[Flashback]

5E3 or a low power tweed twin (with a cascade switch for awesome overdrive!)

[Wally]

Originally Posted by DMace

One man's Swiss Army knife is another's steak knife. I like simple- with reverb.

DMace, as I noted, the DR is a fave of mine, also. IT just isn't a Swiss army knife of amps. Swiss army knives have many more blades/tools than one or two.
Simple and Swiss army knife are not synonymous.

REferencing the OP's self-suggestion: "Maybe I could get a twin to be able to cover all bases, and get an RC booster or something to make it do the "warm" thing that the PRRI does around 5 on the volume knob."
So, he is looking for some versatility. IF one doesn't mind putting a SS device in front of a good tube amp, then all of the suggestions for the vintage Fender reverb amps work. IF one doesn't want reverb as his PRRI has, then all of the tweed suggestions are good. If one wants tube cleans, tube reverb and tube OD, then the Rivera-era Fenders or the Supersonic are really the only Fenders that go there. The Rivera amps definitely get there...but aren't Fender. They just do FEnder clean and reverb better than any other non-Fender switching amp to my ear.

[Tidepoolbay]

Bassman!
Man!

[fezz parka]

When I need a little more I'll add my '66 BFVR running Yellowjackets daisychaining them together.

[Sterling Indigo]

I've never played or carried one but how about 72 pounds of all-in-one Vibro-King Custom? 60 watts, FAT switch, Custom Shop PTP, 63 Tube Reverb and Trem: MSRP $5 Gorilla's.

It's supposed to be a desert island amp akin to having a handwired 59 Bassman with a 63 Reverb and trem to boot. Assuming that FAT switch will get you low volume crunch and you have the cash and back, this may be it.

[Wally]

So, rereading all of this thread, I see that MarkESquire has two of FEnder's better amps...the PRinceton REverb in RI form and a DR. Those are two distinctly different amps, imho...the PR being much closer to a tweed than the DR. So, what he is really wanting to know is which Fender he should get next...right? LOL
Hard choices, Mark. Good luck.

[Flashback]

I take back what I said. 5E3 would be all I would need. I can always hook it up to a 4x12 Marshall if I need more volume.

[tele0053]

Around and around we go again...sorry to sound so cynical but all of these amps are different, they sound different because we all have different tastes and requirements.
I quess my point is... there really is no perfect amp or sound universally for everyone, it's what suits your individual needs, Chris S.'s is the Super Reverb (about 5th on my list for Fender Amps) my personal 2 favorite's for the old stuff are the 1966ish Blackface Vibrolux Reverbs Dimed up with the old blue Fender Designed 2x10 Jensen Speakers in the back, preferably kind of floppy and worn out sounding (ya' know what I mean? if you do, you do, enough said) also the 50's Fender Champ Amps Sound great turned up to 11 (actually I think they really did go up to 11 or 12) in a cinderblock, naturally reverby sounding basement playing a tele or a strat....
If you've ever tried that one, in that situation......... I'm pretty sure you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.
Hey......as always........ this is IMHO of course.

[MeanGreenBlues]

Built me a BF Vibroverb clone, put in the Bias Vary Tremolo circuit from the Brown VV, and set it up with transformers that allow me to run 6L6s or 6V6s with a re-bias and rectifier swap.

Of course, the correct answer to the original question is ONE OF EACH.

[eggman]

Howdy,

Twin. In this order: Low power tweed, Red knob, Tie between SF and BF. Great cleans and with a tweed clone-killer raunch at medium to high volume. Good luck!

Eggman

[xjazzy]

It's funny. I've started a poll last year with BF or tweed and the BF win. Now I thing the tweed has a lot more fans!
I would love to try the Princeton Reverb and the 5E3 to make my mind between those and the DR.

[tomfarnan]

Originally Posted by xjazzy

It's funny. I've started a poll last year with BF or tweed and the BF win. Now I thing the tweed has a lot more fans!
I would love to try the Princeton Reverb and the 5E3 to make my mind between those and the DR.

I'm really warming to these as my two of choice - if I can have two - which kills the point of the thread.

I'm just worried about not having enough gigging volume, but maybe I should just get some Peavey ss **** to fill in that gap for now? ... or a higher watt lunchbox from Lil Dawg to piggyback on the 5E3 cabinet as required.

[maestrovert]

Originally Posted by tomfarnan

I'm really warming to these as my two of choice - if I can have two - which kills the point of the thread.

I'm just worried about not having enough gigging volume.../...

try a 2x12 cab of the proper impedence, it'll help.

[Rick J]

Princeton Reverb, (BF, SF, doesn't matter!) with the kicker that it should have been modded to take a 12" speaker. Stick a decent efficient speaker in there (there are several out there with different flavours according to your requirements) and you've got pretty much all the volume you need, - and if you haven't you can always mike it.

Rick J

[Single-coil]

My money would have to be on the BFDR. As the owner of 3 hand-wired Fender amps (TR, DR, PR), the DR is the one that I can use for any gig and it will sound great. Funk band with my pedalboard and Strat, R&B gig with the Strat or my 335 plugged straight in, jazz gig with my 335 and the amp makes the guitar have such depth. After all these hours of gigging and practicing with it, it is still breathtaking to hear the depth and clarity of its sound.

[maestrovert]

Originally Posted by xjazzy

It's funny. I've started a poll last year with BF or tweed and the BF win. Now I thing the tweed has a lot more fans!

i would think that the results of such a poll would naturally vary here on the forum, depending on the ratio of country pickers to blues players logged in and voting.

[fezz parka]

Check the end of the video for what Don Rich is playing through. And Tom Brumley...

[backalleyblues]

Hmmm, decisions, decisions...

I guess my vote would be a BFVR, I've owned a BFSR (best amp I ever had! Just too big and heavy!) original 59 tweed bassman with original '63 reverb (nice, but brutally loud-liked the BFSR better!) I've played Deluxe reverbs that nearly got swallowed up by the drummer (and my drummer isn't that loud!) when played clean. Buddy of mine has had several BFVR, and I liked every one of them...

Second place would be a non-master volume Bandmaster Reverb, a cross between a Vibrolux and Super, in a head format-just add the cab you need for the gig... real sleeper of a Fender amp... wish I still had mine...

Franc Robert

[JohnnyCrash]

Heck if OD pedals are the help... go for a dual 6L6 BF Fender (any one of them). Use the OD pedal for dirt.

5E3's are nice, but if you use P-90s/humbuckers they can get farty. If you play gigs where you need that snappy reverb'ed country sound, they can't do it. If you play hard rock or metal, its not capable (bottom end mush).

I'd say a dual 6L6 BF Reverb for most clean stuff, a 5E3 for raunchy blues, and a 50w MV Marshall for rock - again, not a one-size-fits-all type of Awiss army approach. I've got over a dozen amps and these three are the most used on a repeated basis.

[Del Pickup]

57 Tweed Twin. All the amp you'd ever need in my book.

[teleman55]

I got several amps including a couple of Fenders, and have owned more than a few more. If forced down to one, I 'd have to go with my sweet sounding silverface Deluxe Reverb. Nothing quite sounds like one, not even a blackface, which is pretty much the same. Except...must be the sag from the 5u4gb.

[Big John]

Originally Posted by Sterling Indigo

I've never played or carried one but how about 72 pounds of all-in-one Vibro-King Custom? 60 watts, FAT switch, Custom Shop PTP, 63 Tube Reverb and Trem: MSRP $5 Gorilla's.

I'm with Sterling on this one +1 !!, if this is an 'only one amp' thread you are going to need to be as versatile as possible no ?, i'm willing to bet you could get most of what you want out of the V-King, "tweed this" and "BF that" are all fine and dandy for one sound but ............

[muchxs]

5E3 tweed Deluxe. You don't need reverb except to make a mids-sucked tone tolerable. The little tweed is big enough to get the job done and small enough that you won't get tired of carrying it around. Great cleans from the "normal" channel, hairy overdrive from the "bright" channel.

Think it's a one trick pony? Just when I think I've found everything that's in there someone else plugs into mine and gets tones I don't.

[beep.click]

Originally Posted by JohnnyCrash

No one amp EVER "does it all."

Yep; absolutely.

I wouldn't want to make do with one amp, but to play the game of this thread -- I'd go with my Twin Reverb reissue. Gorgeous cleans; loud enough, and enough headroom, that you can still do those gigs where you can't mic the amp; sounds great at living room volume; takes pedals well.

[stevieboy]

I do have an amp that for me does it all, but it doesn't say Fender.

Fender, I'd probably get a tweed pro. Or a BFVR. Deluxes tweed and bf are IMO the "best" Fender amps. Just not quite enough to do everything.

[dan1952]

Pre-master volume DR for me, please.

[jh45gun]

Check the end of the video for what Don Rich is playing through. And Tom Brumley..

Yea on later videos he is playing a twin reverb

[umasstele]

My votes for the '64 Tremolux

Not unuseably loud, but still has volume

good crunch when cranked

[Chris Clemens]

Originally Posted by mad dog

Lo power tweed twin, tweed pro right behind.

Yes sir! For me it's the other way around though... Pro's first ;)

[bluesjuke]

I have a Tweed Deluxe, TweedPro,and aBassbreaker,(CS '59 Bassman).
I love them all and the Tweed Pro can do it all.

If I had to choose only one amp, Fender or not, it would be the Tweed Deluxe.
It's got magic.

[Capn Rory]

I vote for the Dual Professional Custom shop amp. Although I love my Allen Accomplice with a 15" Legend, an amp that's in the Deluxe Reverb camp, I just picked up a Dual Professional and with a three knob reverb front end and Fat switches for dual volume controls, plus bias vary tremelo, it is the one Fender I like the best of all I've tried.
Some users report it is like the best twin reverb ever made, I concur.

[SnidelyWhiplash]

Originally Posted by Wally

I love a good DR. HOwever, I can't consider it a 'swiss army knife' of amplifiers. IT just doesn't have the versatility to warrant that description, imho. None of the non-Rivera FEnders have that kind of versatility.
And...the Rivera amps are much more versatile than the amps that he designed for Fender.
Ex: a Rivera R-55 with the footswitch can access 6 levels of gain if you know how to set it up....all at the stomp of the buttons. I had a CHris Duarte LTd Edition Rivera that had 10 levels of gain...from clean to extreme scream....with the use of the footswitch board. That is getting to the 'swixx army' knife type of versatility.
Mark seem to want versatility. IT is a hard thing to find in one amp. Yes, one can use pedals, but hten you get outside of the tube domain to get your OD and gain. I prefer tube gain.

With all due respect,in terms of " versatility ";it usually means every tone
but the right one. Give me a great single channel amp any day of the week.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Originally Posted by jeremyb

Tweed bassman 4x10

Of course! Next question!

[Charlie Bernstein]

Originally Posted by Flashback

I take back what I said. 5E3 would be all I would need. I can always hook it up to a 4x12 Marshall if I need more volume.

VERY lawyerly! He asked what Fender amp you'd want, but he never said anything about the cabinet brand.

If I'm ever up on murder-one, I know who to call!

[singlecoil]

I have to go with Wally on this one. Rivera era Fender Concert is an extremely versatile amp with channel switching and point to point wiring, two 6l6 powered 60watts and come in a one 12", two 10" and there's even a combo 4 speaker version. There are aftermarket kits from a couple of companies and a 600 plus page mod thread on the the gear page. I've ended up using a Torres mod kit on mine and am using two 10" Red Fang speakers. This is the most versatile amp I've ever owned and trust me or just ask my wife LOL, I've been thru a ton of them. BF cleans w/reverb on one channel and everything else on the other, from mild to wild, chime w/hair to major crunch and SLO style tone. I've never been this happy with anyother amp I've ever owned. Major amps(very partial list) I've owned before Twin reverbs, Marshall JCM 800's, Mesa Boogies Mark II and III, MusicMan 112 RD a very good amp BTW and SF princeton Reverb. Also had a Great sounding Deluxe reverb that was a friends that i used for over 6 months. Outstanding tone but nowhere near as versatile as my Concert.

[petebradt]

Originally Posted by SnidelyWhiplash

With all due respect,in terms of " versatility ";it usually means every tone
but the right one. Give me a great single channel amp any day of the week.

THANK YOU!

[Dan German]

Originally Posted by markesquire

If you could only have one amp, and it had to be a Fender, what would it be?

So, noting that the OP is asking me what one Fender amp I would have...

Originally Posted by Wally

... find you a Rivera-era Fender amp of appropriate wattage.

Originally Posted by Bill

If I couldn't use a pedal, and didn't need lots of volume, I'd take a Super Champ.

I suppose the bigger River-era Fender amps would be similarly versatile but with more volume.

Yup. And nobody said nothin' 'bout not usin' no pedal...

Originally Posted by Rick J

Princeton Reverb, (BF, SF, doesn't matter!) with the kicker that it should have been modded to take a 12" speaker. Stick a decent efficient speaker in there (there are several out there with different flavours according to your requirements) and you've got pretty much all the volume you need, - and if you haven't you can always mike it.

Rick J

Rick J's solution is a good one, and Fender has already done it for me. Princeton Reverb II (slightly modified.) More than a PR, less than a DR, just what I need. If I have to dirty it up at lower volumes, a pedal will do the trick. The big flaw to me is the lack of trem, but I have that covered with a pedal too. I'm sure it's not the right amp for a lot of other people, but I can't think of a better one for me.

[surfoverb]

just a regular old boring twin reverb. You can play anywhere with one and a few pedals.