anyone know much about the fender super sonic twin?

[jeremy]

i got the badcat cougar 50 a while ago and while there is tons of stuff i like about it, the gain channel is just too modern flavored for the classic rock and blues i play. it has made me fall back in love with a channel switching amp though. there is a used super sonic twin near me for a fair price in good shape but ive never tried one before. im assuming its more along the lines of something ill like but havent tried one. anyone got knowledge or opinions on this beast?

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: anyone know much about the fender super sonic twin?

The gain channel sounds more solid than the 22W Super Sonics, of course due to 4 6L6's headroom.
The clean channel is everything we love about Fenders. If I had one, I'd see about biasing it for 5881's, just because they sound like sweeter 6L6's.

Overall, it may be a more suitable amp for you than the Cougar, and luckily you can cash out of the Cougar for possibly more than you paid new.

I think the Cougar, being a highgain EL-34 shred machine, is what a lot of players are looking for, and don't even know it. Like you, I'm mostly a blues and bluesrock player, so the Cougar is reserved for heavier styles, but I do love it. I really should contact the designer, James Brown, and get his input on dialing the gain channel way down so it has a more useable sweep.

 

[SlyFoxx]

Re: anyone know much about the fender super sonic twin?

GJ...if you do please post it here. I went for the cougar a while back and the only thing that really bugs me about it is the gain knob going from 0 to almost full chat in the first 15 or so percent of its sweep.

 

[jeremy]

Re: anyone know much about the fender super sonic twin?

i fixed that gain issue by swapping the 12ax7 for a lower gain tube. i put a 12au7 in there but that might be too much of a reduction for you. a 5751 would be a good place to start.

joe, i think you are right about the cougar. if people tried it, theyd fall in love with it. its a great freakin amp just too modern voiced for me

 

[Matt42]

Re: anyone know much about the fender super sonic twin?

I actually just got one (NAD post coming tomorrow). I've been really impressed with the Burn Channel in the limited play time I've had with it. If I keep Gain 1 down, I can get a nice fairly clean sound, and it only goes up from there. I can get into Warren Haynes ish territory very easily.

 

[jeremy]

Re: anyone know much about the fender super sonic twin?

that sounds very promising. warren doesnt actually use all that much gain but its a big thick sound. i think the gain channel is sorta modeled after the prosonic which was a cool sounding amp

 

[Diminished Triad]

Re: anyone know much about the fender super sonic twin?

I bought the 100w model.....actually like it so much I bought a second for our band. Super head room.....tried a clean channel and tested it during sound check half way up the distance on a major league baseball field. I don't play at those levels but couldn't resist checking it out at that distance. We do play in parks and at beach events and it can stay super clean or make great use of the two gain controls. Gain 1 and Gain 2 will do more for you because of your great experience than they ever would for me.....and they've done wonders for me! I'd buy it and enjoy.

 

[jeremy]

Re: anyone know much about the fender super sonic twin?

checked it out briefly but didnt have one of my guitars with me. sounded pretty damn good. the two clean channels are great and it seems like i should be able to dial in the burn channel to something ill get along with. also saw an old green prosonic so might check that out too.

didnt mess with the damping switch... any insight there?

 

[Matt42]

Re: anyone know much about the fender super sonic twin?

The dampening switch is really cool, but for my purposes, I doubt it will ever get moved from "Loose" which is the more vintage sound. The "Tight" seemed like it would be good if I were running a ton of gain, but the "Loose" seeing responded better to my style (country, blues and some rock).

I played it out at a blues jam last night and loved it. To be honest, I'm going to be a touch sad when it gets relegated to being a pedal steel amp primarily.

 

[GAS-a-holic]

Re: anyone know much about the fender super sonic twin?

i fixed that gain issue by swapping the 12ax7 for a lower gain tube. i put a 12au7 in there but that might be too much of a reduction for you. a 5751 would be a good place to start.

joe, i think you are right about the cougar. if people tried it, theyd fall in love with it. its a great freakin amp just too modern voiced for me

+1

I replaced the 12AX7 in V2 with a 5751 and I'm really digging it (Thanks for the idea, BTW).

FWIW, I'm using the clean channel for blues and blues/rock - goosing it with a BB preamp for leads. I use the gain channel on the amp for when I need something heavier.