Re: Need help with my amplifier (Fender 75 Combo)
I owned a Fender 75 head a 112 cab and used it for many years. I now use Mesa Boogie amps, mostly for the reasons and symptoms you describe.
Sorry to tell you this but you are stuck with a crappy sounding LEAD channel, and all the tube swapping, biasing, and speaker jacking ain't gonna fix the problem. You CAN get a good tone from the amp in the studio, but it's not the best channel switching LIVE amp around. Fact.
Here's how I handled the problem. Set the amp up for good, fat clean tone. No crunch--just nice and clean. Switch to the LEAD Channel; use the Lead gain control on about 2-3, maximum, and adjust the LEAD MASTER to give just a slight volume boost. If you were using a Strat, for example, you should be getting a SRV "pushed amp" tone--just a little bit of dirt and grit. Be careful about running your CLEAN GAIN too high--you may notice some interaction on the LEAD CHANNEL. The sound on your LEAD CHANNEL probably won't have a lot of "singing tone" like a Mesa, but it SHOULD sound like a nasty, ratty ol' Fender amp cranked on 6-7. If you can, avoid using the PULL BOOSTs on the tone controls. Fender's LEAD channels have never been this company's strong suit, but too many people all too often have unrealistic expectations of what they can get from these designs.
I really don't think you're going to find the lead tone you want from a POD; but to get a really good singing tone, you're going to have to step into a GOOD pedal. Ideally, try before you buy--with YOUR guitar and YOUR cables into YOUR amp. I wound up using a Real Tube 901 modified with a 12AU7 (instead of the 12AX7)--and it was a match made in heaven. That pedal has enough gain, even with the lower gain 12AU7, and that amp would get as close to Boogie tone (without being a Boogie) as I'd ever heard. The low gain setting of the LEAD Channel found plenty of use, essentially giving me that channel's best tone--and with the Real Tube, I had a three channel amp.
I would think most of the Tube Screamer clones would work well--the OCD--the Mesa V-Twin or the Bottle Rocket, and certainly I would recommend the Real Tube, especially with the 12AU7. Find the pedal that gives you your ideal lead tone.
Now, you should have your amp serviced and regularly checked. I would probably load at least one Groove Tubes 12AX7-M in the V1 socket; and for power tubes, I'd go with either the Groove Tube GE clones or a pair of the Winged C/SED 6L6s. I would NOT use the JJ 6L6 in that combo.
The Fender 75 is Paul Rivera design, and is one of the most under-valued Fender tube amps in today's market. You have a good, professional quality amplifier, that will give great tones and many years of service with proper maintainance and care. (And don't let anyone tell you differently!) True, it won't sound like a Mesa Boogie....,
...and certainly NOT like Slash's Marshalls...LOL!...,
...but it will sound like a very good Fender amp, and that's a very good thing, indeed!
Bill
