Fender amps, is it just me?

[Les H]

Hello, long time listener, first time caller.
I am trying to justify my feelings that fender amps just aren't for me and I was curious if I was alone?
I have a TRRI that I bought new 12 years ago because it was going to be my holy grail I thought. I play mostly classic country music and this amp was going to solidify my sound. 12 years into it I have pretty much worn out the tube sockets and stripped the speaker bolts trying to find a magical combination. Tube screamers, sparkle drives, super overdrives and ocd's, compressors and eq pedals, magic 6's (yuck!) the list goes on. Treble over 4 too harsh, bass goes from nonexistent to too much, midrange sounds like a rotary dial phone.
Why did I buy it you ask? Played a floor model at guitar center and seemed to like it and I talked them way down on price and out of sales tax for the floor model and the salesman went and got me a brand new one in the box from the back. A really sweet deal, I thought...

 

[tery]

Welcome to TDPRI

 

[Papa Joe]

Yeah, It's just you..

 

[MilwMark]

Yeah, It's just you..

No; it isn't.

Fenders are not my preferred amps. I can work with them if I need to. Other people sound brilliant through the SF/BF reissues. You probably just don't love that scooped sound. Are you playing at lower volumes? At higher volumes they thicken up some.

Don't feel guilty about moving on from it.

 

[ifallalot]

Sell it and buy an AC30

Similar size and loudness, completely different tones. Then you'll know

 

[Lef T]

I've played Fenders for many years,along with other brands.
In the last few years I've been playing Mesa amps.
I did play a Twin for a brief stint,but it was heavy as hell to haul,couldn't get any
gain out of it...duh...it's a Twin,and I found it a little fatiguing on my ears after a while.
Sounds like you should try out some new amps.
I always liked the Super Reverb over the Twin for sure.
You may like Fender amps,just not the TRRi.
Hit the shops and do some testing.
You'll know you found your amp when you can't stop smiling and lose track of time
when you're playing it.

 

[cousinpaul]

Where do you set the volume? The BF/SF Fenders sound better to me when turned up some. Maybe a Deluxe or Princeton would be a better fit.

 

[Danjabellza]

The only fender amps I’ve ever played and really liked were a drip edge bassman, the bass breaker 15, and a tweed reissue bassman. That’s it.

 

[LowCaster]

Playing the same guitar all the time?

 

[dannyh]

If they don’t do it for ya then they don’t do it for ya. Nothing wrong with that.

Is the TRRI the only Fender you’ve tried? Maybe the blackface thing isn’t for you, I like em, but I get it that the scooped mids and glassy treble can be off putting to some. Try a brown or a tweed Fender circuit, maybe a clone as the originals are usually pretty pricy. Try a Peavey Classic 50, or Vox as suggested earlier, or some other brand. There are a lot of great non-Fender options out there.

 

[Les H]

Yes I have other amps. You'll laugh but my favorite amp is a Carvin Belair and I believe I prefer el84 tones so a vox will most likely be my next purchase. Second favorite amp is Kustom 72 Coupe. That amp is what I wished my twin sounded like to be honest, has a great sparkly clean channel much more lively than my twin.
I also have a peavey classic 30 head that I carry as a back up.
The twin sees a lot of closet time but from time to time I'll see a video or live band and someone sounds good through one and I'll get it out to put it right back up again. Just not for me but some people sound fabulous through them.

 

[bftfender]

Free up..throw the pedals away and get an el34 Marshall and ride your vol & tone knob on guitar and watch your music come to life !! first time i dimed a marshall ..whoa...never looking back...

 

[Obsessed]

I didn't know that the amp made any difference playing, "country".

Ducking ...

BTW, welcome to TDPRI. Actually, one of our own famed celebrities here will be chiming in to agree with you.

 

[Les H]

I live in the country so I can turn it up. I've done the usual tricks and I do prefer running it with 2 of the power tubes pulled and one preamp tube pulled usually run it around 6 on the volume with a band. I run a 12au7 in the reverb slot to tame the reverb.

 

[LuthRavin]

I would have hated to have played an amp I didn't like for...12 years..Fender suits my playing just fine along with Vox..Marshall..Roland..I learned how to turn the knobs a long time ago..some people not so much..12 years..I truly hope you find the amp that gets you where your going..

 

[Chester Burnett]

I love the way black face amps sound with other people play them but they don’t give me the response to the mid range that I need when I play.

Dr Z Maz 18 or 38 might be worth a look. Mesa Lonestar as well. Lots of amp manufacturers out there besides Fender.

 

[Gibsonsmu]

So you have owned one Fender amp and you're giving up? Have you ever played a tweed or a brown face? If the answer is no you have more homework to do before stating your potential conclusion. I don't really dig black faces like the Twin but love Fender Amps.

 

[BWNadeau]

Marty Stuart plays through a cranked SF Princeton Reverb - sounds great.

I had similar issues, and went through countless other amps, including Mesa and Dr Z. Turns out, the tone I was after was in the Fender camp, but is the Brownface tone. I now have one being built - combo of Brownface and Tweed circuitry.

 

[CK Dexter Haven]

There is a concept known as "Confirmation Bias" where you belive something to be true so you look for evidence to support it.

Since you play "classic country" you must be at fault if you can't work with a Twin, after all...well pretty much every one used one in that style at one time or another.

Well the second part is true

But Magantone, Peavey, and Standell (and others) also had their day and many adherents, in CC so the evidence is for whatever reason, (sponsorship, avalibilty, affordability, personal choice) you can play the style with something else, so no you aren't at fault.

If you prefer the Carvin and /or the Kustom, then that's your rig, you may run into a leader/MD that want's "the Fender Sound" (often a product of the eyes more than the ears) and at that time you will need to work that out, but if you are getting push back for some one who isn't signing the check, smile, ignore and play on.

Those who have pointed out that there are many Fender amps also have a valid point, and while the RI series to my ears is for the most part a group of good workable amps, many prefer the "real thing" (i.e. a older handwired example of the circuit ) You might take a few for a spin if you are close to a good vintage shop, if nothing else it's a fun way to kill a afternoon.

The concept that the Twin may be too much amp for you setting is also valid, I have had a series of Rivera era Super Champs, trying to find the magic that many enjoy.

It should work in low volume settings right? after all it's small, has a master volume etc. well ..no to me it sounds thin and spiky, when others play them wound out in a bigger room, it's ah ha , but I have other amps I prefer for that so the SC dosen't work for me in the setting I wish to use it. no big deal, I have other amps I prefer for that.. doesn't make it a bad amp, just not the right tool for the job.

 

[Guitandanza]

Most melodic info is in the midrange. Scoop it not, unless you’re more into rhythm. That’s my twin cents.