Fender Super 60

[dmlail]

Is anyone using a Super 60 amp? If so, I would appreciate your opinion of it. I recently bought one in really great shape. I first had hopes that it would work for pedal steel, but it just doesn't do it in that application.

But it really sounds warm, sweet, and powerful with a Tele or Strat as well as a couple of humbuclker guitars I have.

Any opinions about these amps?

Thanks.

[Bluedawg]

back in the early 90's and have always regretted getting rid of it.
I thought it was a great amp,but I traded it for a Marshall half-stack.

I really wish I had that amp back.

Is it loud enough for ya??

[Tremo]

Those "red-knob" series amps were very cheaply made and are a nightmare to service. They do not have the classic Fender clean tone, they're more of a buzz machine. I personally do not care for the tone of those things. If you like them, more power to ya, you can get them cheap.

[Cam]

I have one. As stated it is a service nightmare, that being said, I have had no problems with mine. The input jack and controls are mounted right on to a circuit board as are many current pcboard amps. If your jack or a control knob gets bashed, this can be a pain to repair. The redknob series have been known for this problem. The cabinet seems to be a touch small for the design and hence a more compressed boxy sound is evident, compared to other open backed fender combos with a slightly large box. I think it is better for rock tones than for country twang. I don't generally like fender distortion channels but I don't mind this one too much. (It is a loud little sucker which my son occasionally plugs his 412 speaker cab into.) I like the stock speaker in it. I opened up its guts and noticed the pc board does have some slight heat darkening. I will keep an eye on this. If the amp ever craps out permanently, I will keep the 12 in it and remove the chassis and use it as an ext speaker box. In spite of some of the negative things I have said, I do like this combo for its convenience of portability, even though it is rather heavy for its size.

[sean001]

I had, well, still have a Super 60 red-knob combo. I gigged mine about 80 - 100 shows a year for about 5 years with no problems other than to re-tube once. I repeat, NO problems at all. I have heard the maintenance on these things is terrible but I just have not seen it. This is no longer my #1 amp as I am doing other things now that a different amp serves better. Only just recently has the input jack become sort of loose so if I the move the chord the wrong way, you loose your signal. I do not consider this unusual wear. I have just been to lazy to open it up and crimp the contacts down a little.

I also think my Super 60 sounded pretty good for Fender Clean, the reverb fairly good. I also think that the distortion was pretty good BUT to get good distortion you had to crank the amp pretty loud. This amp also got very good reviews in Guitar Player when the amp came out. Was my BFSR better, yeah but this ain't bad at all.

I dunno, I think it is more fashionable to dis red-knob amps than anything else with these amps.

When I go to blues jams I still take my Super 60. Put the OD drive on about 4, dial in a little reverb and crank to taste...instant Albert Collins....what's not to like?

[buglecorps]

I had a Champ 12 in primo condition (with book and Fender cover) that I got rid of simply because it "wasn't cool", and "poorly made" according to "those in the know"...It was perfect for what I do and selling it was a BIG mistake. If I would have spent some time REALLY learning what it could do I probably would have kept it..and saved mysely alot of time and $$. No it didn't have "that tone" (however you define it) but it did sound nice..it too could have use a larger box, but it was kinda cool having a little amp with a big speaker. In all fairness the red knobs did look a bit ..um..odd, but black replacements are now easly obtained

[dmlail]

Thanks fellas for your replies. I bought this amp really cheap and was pleasantly surprised with the sound quality (though I am far from being an expert).

It does seem that "RED KNOB" has some negative connotation for some people and I don't really like the look of the red knobs myself. As was mentioned, black ones are available and I think I will invest in a set of them just for looks. I'm also pondering what some silver grille cloth would look like too.

Anyhow, I think I'll keep it a while and if it blows up, I'll use it for an extension speaker. If I blow that, I'll sit on it while I play thru something else.

Thanks again.
Don

[eggman]

Howdy,

Being a Super 112 owner, I wanted to revive this thread. Mine is essentially a Super 60 in a larger cabinet and yes, it's got red knobs.
I bought this amp new in the Spring of '92 and it's been babied, true. It's also been quite reliable, needing a repair back in Nov '05. It cost $40 and took 30 minutes. The tech told me that my Super 112 was no more difficult to fix than any other modern PCB amp. He retensioned a tube socket and resoldered a bad joint, I believe.
My Super 112 has a pleasant, clean sparkle quite suitable for Jazz, C&W et al. Where it falls short is that cursed "gain" channel. Pre-amp tube buzz just isn't my cup of tea. As for overdriving the 6L6's, it's possible, but difficult with a Fender guitar. This is, IMHO a "Clean" amp; sort of a Twin lite. Of course it weighs 60 lbs!
While many dismiss the Super 60/112/210 as "unreliable", or lacking for tone, IMHO the Super 60/112/210 gets an unfair bum rap. As usual, YMMV :)

Eggman

[jaybee001]

had one when they first came out, and I just got one again, a 91 or 93 in mint condition (don't think it's been out of the house much!) that sounds just great - I use the lead channel only, drive about 4, volume depends on our drummer and go from clean to OD with the guitar volume 95% of the time

the other 5%: the clean channel is for the REALLY clean, a BOSS SD-1 for more drive if needed