OK, I admit it; I love Fender valve combo amplifiers. I choose the right volume for the gig or setting. This means that I use the same two or three amps most of the time depending on the type of work.
1. High Volume on Stage.
If I need to play clean and loud on stage it’s got to be a “Fender Twin Reverb”. Because it has 2X12 inch speakers and a 100-watt amp, the Twin is loud, clean and thin sounding so it suits funk, RnB or country tones. If I need it fatter I just add a Tube Screamer. This one is really beat up but it has been serviced and it sounds good.
2. Moderate Volume on Stage.
The Fender Concert II on the other hand is only 60 Watts but has an Electro Voice 1X12 fitted so it is quite like an old ‘Boogie’ in tone, loud and fat and sounds good at any volume. (It’s very heavy though). I had this one serviced in LA by Paul Riviera himself just before I flew back to UK.
3. Low Volume in the Studio.
My favourite amp for low volume work has got to be a “Fender Princeton Reverb”. It’s only an 18-watt amplifier but the ratio between the cabinet size and the 10” ceramic speaker produces a bright sound with a really smooth bass response that is great for every thing I do. The reverb is sweet and the vibrato is really retro. This is the amp I use all the time for recording.
That’s all for this section although I would love to add a Vox AC30CCX, a Marshall 18 watt combo or an Ampeg Reverb Rocket to this page.