Fender SS. Is this the Fender sound?

[benjaturner]

Hello to all,
Got a show to play on Saturday and my amp blew. Borrowed an amp from a guy my brother knows and I'm going to have to use it because I haven't got anything else. It's a pretty new Fender Ultimate Chorus, he's only had it about (from new) about a year.

It's horrible, really really horrible. Honestly the worst guitar amp sound I think I've heard for a long while, maybe ever. The cleans are acceptable, nothing very special but okay. I can't get anything from the drive channel what-so-ever. And it makes all my pedals suck. I've got some fairly high-end pedals but they sound offensive through this amp.

I was hoping that anyone who's used this amp, or heard one, could tell me how close they are to the 'real' fender sound. SS, nothing compared to valve amps, I know! But I figured surely a company as big in amps as Fender would try to voice their SS amps so they sound similiar to their valve amps. I'm intent on buying a new amp in the coming weeks and Fender were the fore-runners.

Maybe it is not so far away and Fender just aren't the company for me.

Please Help!
Benja

 

[flank]

Re: Fender SS. Is this the Fender sound?

ive never played that amp, but 95% of fender amps ive played sound really good, even if they are not exactly what im looking for, but ive basically only played fender tube amps

 

[bungalowbill]

Re: Fender SS. Is this the Fender sound?

They are about as close to a vintage Fender tone as I am to Mars. The Ultimate chorus amps IMHO are cold, sterile, brittle sounding amps, vintage fenders have a nice warm tone.

 

[benjaturner]

Re: Fender SS. Is this the Fender sound?

I must confess, I hope this doesn't sound snobby, but if I did get a Fender I'd get a valve amp. I didn't really specify that in my first previous thread. I just thought if this is what the SS amps sound like then the Valve amps must be in the same ballpark, and if they are, I don't think Fender are for me.

 

[bungalowbill]

Re: Fender SS. Is this the Fender sound?

I must confess, I hope this doesn't sound snobby, but if I did get a Fender I'd get a valve amp. I didn't really specify that in my first previous thread. I just thought if this is what the SS amps sound like then the Valve amps must be in the same ballpark, and if they are, I don't think Fender are for me.

The new Cyber amps are a whole other beast......they sound good, although I missed the "feel" that a tube amp has.

 

[Mewmender]

Re: Fender SS. Is this the Fender sound?

I must confess, I hope this doesn't sound snobby, but if I did get a Fender I'd get a valve amp. I didn't really specify that in my first previous thread. I just thought if this is what the SS amps sound like then the Valve amps must be in the same ballpark, and if they are, I don't think Fender are for me.

I have a small fender broco combo, a SS in tweed covering and I think its pretty "ok" a practice amp although I have to agree most Fender amps arent voiced for high gain.

 

[JB_From_Hell]

Re: Fender SS. Is this the Fender sound?

The new Cyber amps are a whole other beast......they sound good, although I missed the "feel" that a tube amp has.

+1... I had a blast earlier tonight with an American Strat through a Cyber Deluxe (I think... it was the $500 job). Great bang for your buck, and light years beyond Fender's non-modeling solid state stuff.

Don't the Cybers have a 12AX7 preamp tube?

 

[benjaturner]

Re: Fender SS. Is this the Fender sound?

So I shouldn't rule out Fender as an option for my new amp (any day now, I can feel it!) based on the performance of the Ultimate Chorus? Is it that the Ultimate Chorus is a really bad impersonation of real Fender tone or is it just entirely unrelated.

I can't believe that a company with Fender's heritage would design an amp that completely ignored everything they had done previously, but then I can't believe that a professional amp builder thought this thing sounds good enough to release!

 

[benjaturner]

Re: Fender SS. Is this the Fender sound?

So I shouldn't rule out Fender as an option for my new amp (any day now, I can feel it!) based on the performance of the Ultimate Chorus? Is it that the Ultimate Chorus is a really bad impersonation of real Fender tone or is it just entirely unrelated.

I can't believe that a company with Fender's heritage would design an amp that completely ignored everything they had done previously, but then I can't believe that a professional amp builder thought this thing sounds good enough to release!

 

[SoCalSteve]

Re: Fender SS. Is this the Fender sound?

Ted Nugent's early stuff was through Fender Twins and Bassmans. Killer!

 

[Dangerine49]

Re: Fender SS. Is this the Fender sound?

+1... I had a blast earlier tonight with an American Strat through a Cyber Deluxe (I think... it was the $500 job). Great bang for your buck, and light years beyond Fender's non-modeling solid state stuff.

Don't the Cybers have a 12AX7 preamp tube?

The CyberTwin has two 12AX7 preamp tubes. The Cyber Deluxe does not.