Our resident Fender amp guru, Jens Mosbergvik, usually sings the praises of Fullerton’s classic offerings, but this time he switches sides to unpack his biggest gripes with the manufacturer’s legendary noisemakers.
Vintage Fender amps have a strong reputation among players in many genres. The brand is instantly associated with an endless list of great bands which created music that has stood the test of time. In terms of general tone, Fender’s original amplification strategy—which favors articulate, bright, transparent, and clean sounds—was a winning combination that myriad players still gravitate toward.
Through my previous columns in this magazine, I’ve shared the tips and tricks I’ve learned after playing, trading, and servicing old models from the California manufacturer. But today, it’s time for critical thinking. I’m switching sides to share the 10 most annoying things about vintage Fender amps. As usual, I will mostly refer to the black- and silver-panel amps.
“It breaks my heart that the original Deluxe Reverbs came with a weak and farty Oxford speaker, when it sounds so much better with a more punchy, clear-sounding C12N.”
Many of the critiques that I offer here ultimately advocate for simplification. All amp techs know that simple is good. Simple amps are lighter, smaller, cheaper, and have less things that can go wrong in the long run.
So, here is my list:
Two Jack Inputs
I’ve never met anyone who uses the second input. Back in the day, Fender thought we were going to swap guitars between songs without having to adjust the volume knob to compensate for the different pickups’ varied outputs. Wrong assumption.
Two Channels
I always use the reverb channel, even when using high distortion, at which point I simply turn the reverb down. Except for the Bassman, the normal channel is not needed at all. If all of the dual-channel amps were instead single-channel, like the Princeton Reverb, a lot of tubes and circuit components could be spared, leading to significant cost reduction and simplification of the production line. Even with the black- and silver-panel Bassman, I would prefer a single channel, as long as both the deep and bright switches were available. The only advantage with having a second preamp channel is the possibility to isolate the power amp section and the two preamp sections in diagnosis. But that still doesn’t make it worth it.
The Non-Reverb Amps
If I was Leo Fender, and I was looking to reduce costs, I would have trimmed my portfolio by eliminating the non-reverb Deluxe, Princeton, Vibrolux, and Pro amps. The rarer versions of these amps are no-frills, cool, and great value for the money. But there are reverb-equipped models that can do everything they do just as well and better. They’re not in as high demand, and they’re less profitable due to lower production numbers. Instead, I would have continued the Vibroverb after 1964, which would do the job as the only 1x15 combo amp in the portfolio. Just admit it: Everyone wants a Vibroverb.
Rectifiers
As another cost-cutting measure during my imaginary tenure as the founder of Fender, I would consider using a diode rectifier instead of a tube rectifier in all the bigger dual 6L6GC Fender amps. I like sag in tube amps, but I think very few players can really hear the difference between diode and tube rectifiers. Smaller amps intended for earlier breakup may have tube rectifiers, but they’re not essential there, either.
Glued and Stapled Baffles in Silver-Panel Amps
I wish Fender had continued the floating baffle in the early ’70s instead of the tightly glued and stapled-in baffles that are found in silver-panel amps post-1971. The screwed-in boards are much easier to repair and replace.
MDF Baffles
Medium-density fibreboard, or MDF, baffles are consistently the weakest point in Fender’s wooden cabinet construction, and eventually tear apart. I would much prefer a more dependable plywood pine baffle.
Small Output Transformers
These are found in both the Bandmaster head and the 1x15 Vibroverb—amps that deserve a firmer low end, and which should have the Super Reverb-class output transformer.
Lack of a Bright Switch
In my opinion, this is an essential EQ function that’s left off of Fender’s smaller amps, like the Princeton Reverb and Deluxe Reverb. Without it, these amps leave me no chance to enhance the details of fingerpicking on a clean tone setting.
Lack of Mid Control
This applies to many Fender amps. The bassy and flabby Pro Reverb would particularly benefit from a better mid EQ, with a much wider tone spectrum.
No Jensen C12N Speaker in Deluxe Reverbs
We all know how awesome the Jensens sound in the early black-panel amps, like the C10N in Princetons and Vibroluxes, the C10R in Supers, or the C12N in the Pros and Twins. It breaks my heart that the original Deluxe Reverbs came with a weak and farty Oxford speaker, when it sounds so much better with a more punchy, clear-sounding C12N.
So, there you have it: my list of 10 grievances with Fender. If you have more to add, please share your thoughts in our social media channels.
This EVM-15L focuses sound at longer distances, which is why it's known as an audience killer. But it can also provide killer tones. For the record, this 1964 Vibroverb powers a Jensen C15N speaker.
Your signature Fender sound could be just a tweak or twist away.
More personal, original-sounding guitar tones enable me to play differently or better, making my contributions to songs inspired and relevant. In my May 2020 column, titled “Like Peanut Butter and Chocolate," we talked about classic Fender amp and guitar pairings that have stood the tonal test of time. This time, I'll discuss finding more unique Fender amp sounds that can help you be inspired and stand out from the masses. Over the years, I've made some surprising tone discoveries trading and servicing vintage Fender amps.
Few amps are love at first sight—or listen—affairs, where you immediately and effortlessly nail great tone. Some really require struggle to find a balanced, sweet sound. An interesting fact is that several of my best tone discoveries have happened with such amps. So my advice is, don't give up too quickly on what might seem like a clunker. When an amp is dialed-in just right, paired with the right guitar, or equipped with the right speakers, you can find new lead and rhythm tones that you didn't even know you were looking for.
Consider the relatively rare black-panel amps with JBL speakers: Twin Reverbs, Super Reverbs, and Vibroverbs. Guitarists either love or hate the JBLs, because of their punch, attack, and treble. The 10" D110F, the 12" D120F, and the 15" D130F all have aluminum dust caps, which makes them quite bright. And the Twin Reverb and Vibroverb are the most difficult to tame, I think.
In my November 2020 column, “The Saga of the Linda Ronstadt Deluxe," I talked about curing that poor-sounding amp with a JBL D120F speaker. I have a similar story about a 1964 JBL-loaded Vibroverb that I bought in 2012 for $2,800 from a father who needed money to buy his son a car. Plugging a single-coil guitar into that amp was brutal. Even with an overdrive pedal, the amp had a dominating and edgy attack.
Frustrated, I eventually tried a Gibson Les Paul through that amp, having no hope or expectations. I pulled out all the stops with a clean volume setting, a high bass setting, low mids, high treble, and the bright switch enabled. Suddenly, I discovered a clean, cool, and funky rhythm tone that I immediately fell in love with.
The massive solidbody and Tune-o-matic bridge on the Les Paul provided great attack and sustain. The amp and speaker delivered clean, thumping bass notes with big air and that good, chunky feeling provided by tube rectifier sag. The smooth humbucker sound had clarity and transparency. The treble strings were clear, but not harsh. When my pick hit the bass strings, there was a metallic snap and sizzle, which I liked a lot. Playing those low strings for Stevie Wonder's “Superstition" had never been more fun. Now—thanks to some adventurous dial settings—I know how big a treat a humbucker-equipped Gibson through a black-panel Fender amp with JBL speakers can be for soul, blues, and funk guitarists. (And remember to replace strings regularly if you want extra clarity from your guitar's bass end.)
Next up: the famous narrow-panel Fender Tweed Deluxe 5E3-circuit from the late '50s. We know that amp can distort a lot and has a loose and farty low end. It can easily become too muddy, particularly with humbuckers or darker-sounding single-coils, in the neck position. I used to have a replica version of this amp that I decided to pair with an old Oxford 12" ceramic speaker. This speaker was bright and lacked a firm low end, so I had low expectations. Surprisingly, it turned out to be a fantastic match for this amp, paired with a Stratocaster. The bridge pickup tone was no longer thin and shrill. It became fat and creamy, and worked incredibly well as a vintage rock voice, for both rhythm and lead playing, with great balance between all six strings. All of which underlines how important the right speaker can be, even it if initially seems, well, kind of wrong.
My last example applies to the black-panel or silver-panel Fender Pro Reverb. This amp is famous for its big, warm tone, yet it can distort when cranked because of its relatively small output transformer. For those of you who want more of the good stuff, try inserting a 25k mid pot on the back. This is a well-known fat-boost trick for Fender amps that lack a mid pot. Increasing the lower mids provides much more distortion. Add a couple of Celestion Greenback speakers, preferably vintage models, and you'll have a roaring transatlantic beast that sonically bridges the best Marshall and Fender amps the world has never heard. Disengaging one of the speakers increases the distortion even more and lowers the amp's volume.
These are just a few examples. There are many more, so go experiment and find your own signature tones.
