Dear Fender - can you please make this range?????

newi123

So I was thinking after reading the mention of Chappers getting his cohorts to have a hand in saying what they want in the design of new gear, that there are enough linked peeps on here that perhaps we could also influence what we get in the future. So here goes, version 1.......

`dear fender`,

I love your amps, but like most other players buy them for the clean sound as a pedal base, not for bells and whistles. I love the idea of the new ML HRD amp, but even that is premium priced, has two levels and a boost, and I`m tied to having a 2x12 combo.

What I`d love you to do is produce a small range of a couple of heads an maybe 3 cabs, to cater for today`s gigging musician who wants a base for pedals.

Head 1 - small gig - 2 6v6, 15 - 20w. All we need is volume, tone controls and maybe a digital reverb. No effects loops, no switching, no boost. In fact, much like the straight (non digital) side of the super champ x2 HD. Maybe 2 speaker outs rather than 1. Voice it like a princeton / deluxe, but with a mid control to add flexibility. Perfect for small gigs.

Head 2 - larger gig - 2 6L6 - same small size and controls as above. No need for added features, just the same thing but louder. In fact, much like the clean side of a HRD. Perfect for larger gigs.

Cabs - you need to make three. 1x12, 2x12 and a 4x10 - spec them from nice ply and use 1/2 decent speakers. The new Celestion V type might be perfect

Price.

Don`t make this as a budget range, but manufacture it to be gig worthy for years to come. People will pay for quality. No need to be handwired, just finish it well. Charge maybe £350 for the small head and £500 for the larger one? You`ll sell bucket loads.

I genuinely can`t think of another range that covers this really basic need. Sure Two Rock have the Studio heads, but they cater for a very different market place.

Please, please give this consideration! Maybe note below if this would appeal to you, or how you would change it.

Marshall request to come............

ecc83

Err" You can have 6V6 fitted to an HT-20.

Dave.

newi123

Cheers Dave,

But the HT20 has all the stuff I don`t want - 2 channels, fx loop, ISF control etc.......

:-( 

meltedbuzzbox

not to mention its a blackstar

Hertz32

You want an amp as a base for pedals.

But you dont want an FX loop? Seriously, just jumper it with a patch cable if its that annoying.

ecc83

Hertz32 said:

You want an amp as a base for pedals.

But you dont want an FX loop? Seriously, just jumper it with a patch cable if its that annoying.

Even better, put in an EQ pedal with a bit of boost at 2-3kHz. Cures the Blackstar "darkness" a treat I am told!

Dave.

ICBM

Here's another one… I was trying to find something like this for the guitarist in my band, with no success:

An AC30-like amp, in a head, that doesn't cost a lot. (ie Jet City prices, or close.) Doesn't need the Vib/Trem channel but does need to sound passably like an AC30. So no suggestions that are either underpowered, fixed-bias, too complex, too poorly-built or too expensive please…

Short of building him one - which still wouldn't work out cheap enough in fact - I can't actually think of anything.

Fretwired

I don't understand why Fender don't make a modern Champ - a simple 5 watt Tweed valve amp with the same controls as a Pro Junior. They'd sell loads of them .. real Fender tube tone for practice.

EricTheWeary

It is an oddity that to get a guitar amp/ combo that basically makes you louder but not a lot else you either have to go very cheap (£50 Chinese practice amp stuff) or vintage, vintage reissue or boutique or, failing those, aimed at the jazz market . The powers that be seem to have said a nice sounding, reasonably priced, giggable amp must have at least two channels, reverb, something footswitchable and some feature you didn't know you needed. Wither the stripped back HRD with clean only channel?
I don't know if there's money to be made on it but it's a gap in the market.

not_the_dj

A head version of the Hot Rod Deluxe. I would certainly buy one of those.

newi123

Hertz32 said:

You want an amp as a base for pedals.

But you dont want an FX loop? Seriously, just jumper it with a patch cable if its that annoying.

Not that I don`t want an fx loop, more that for my ideal amp I wouldn`t need one - if it was designed purely for that nice clean sound........... happy to have one if the rest of the spec stands up!

EricTheWeary said:

It is an oddity that to get a guitar amp/ combo that basically makes you louder but not a lot else you either have to go very cheap (£50 Chinese practice amp stuff) or vintage, vintage reissue or boutique or, failing those, aimed at the jazz market . The powers that be seem to have said a nice sounding, reasonably priced, giggable amp must have at least two channels, reverb, something footswitchable and some feature you didn't know you needed. Wither the stripped back HRD with clean only channel?
I don't know if there's money to be made on it but it's a gap in the market.

This really sums up what I was trying to say. :-) cheers!

Dave_Mc

ICBM said:

Here's another one… I was trying to find something like this for the guitarist in my band, with no success:

An AC30-like amp, in a head, that doesn't cost a lot. (ie Jet City prices, or close.) Doesn't need the Vib/Trem channel but does need to sound passably like an AC30. So no suggestions that are either underpowered, fixed-bias, too complex, too poorly-built or too expensive please…

Short of building him one - which still wouldn't work out cheap enough in fact - I can't actually think of anything.

Genz Benz Black Pearl might have worked, at least back when they were blowing them out just before they discontinued them. I think they were blowing the head version out for £400.

Though a fair few people (including me) had to return faulty examples (combo in my case), so not sure if it'd pass the "not too poorly-built" thing )

It sounds vox-ish to me, though I admit I don't have that much experience with voxes. Not sure how Vox-ish it'd sound if you had a real one sitting next to it.

Sassafras

Head options for all amps would be my choice.

monquixote

Fender actually have you pretty sorted for low wattage heads. 

They have the: 57 Deluxe Head, Deluxe Reverb Head and Supersonic 22 Head.

They are all fairly expensive (especially the 57 Deluxe which is stupid expensive for a basic amp)

In terms of bigger heads they only really have the Supersonic 60. The fact that they don't do an HRD head must be one of the most baffling things in music.

ICBM

monquixote said:

The fact that they don't do an HRD head must be one of the most baffling things in music.

The problem is that they would need to completely redesign the chassis, because the valves being vertically below it mean that a head without a redesign would end up almost as tall as the combo, or if turned so the controls faced forward like a Marshall head it would end up too deep.

It could be done, but it isn't a straightforward conversion like a Deluxe Reverb is (for example).

hugbot

I would never want to use a 15-20watter as a pedal amp tbh. Pedal amp to me means a decent amount of headroom.

Jeremiah

Isn't the VHT Special 12/20 meant to be something like the OP was suggesting. It even has a built in 9v power supply for pedals (though I guess this might come under "extra features you don't need" if you already have a good pedal power supply.) If you need more headroom there's also the Special 44.

digitalscream

I'm amazed that nobody's summoned @MattFGBI thus far.

monquixote

ICBM said:

monquixote said:

The fact that they don't do an HRD head must be one of the most baffling things in music.

The problem is that they would need to completely redesign the chassis, because the valves being vertically below it mean that a head without a redesign would end up almost as tall as the combo, or if turned so the controls faced forward like a Marshall head it would end up too deep.

It could be done, but it isn't a straightforward conversion like a Deluxe Reverb is (for example).

Considering it is IIRC the worlds most popular amp and it's been redesigned twice it doesn't seem like too much to ask though.

thecolourbox

newi123;34474" said:

In fact, much like the straight (non digital) side of the super champ x2.

They do a head version of that, though I'm pretty sure the "straight" side of that amp is not as valve as they would have you believe from the marketing

ICBM

thecolourbox said:

They do a head version of that, though I'm pretty sure the "straight" side of that amp is not as valve as they would have you believe from the marketing

It's not valve at all.

The valves are purely in the power amp.