Guitar Amps

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Q: Do you guys think a small fender guitar amp is decent or do you advise something else?
I need a guitar amp, and I don’t know much about them, personally I want a small/practice one, and i was wondering if the fender ones would be okay. Thanks:)

A: I’ve had a Fender Twin Reverb, and I have a Roland JC-120, both of which weigh a good 65 lbs each!

I now use a Fender Blonde Blues Junior, which has a 12″ Jensen speaker, spring reverb, and 15 watts of tube power..about 5 bills for this little amp.

I love it, and now I can have a guitar case in one hand, my gig bag over my shoulder, my amp in the same hand as my guitar, and still open a door without any help!

Of course, I do mic my amp through the bands PA system using an SM-57. But I will never lug around another 65 lb amp again.

Q: Why does my Fender guitar amp have a maximum volume of 12 rather than 10? Does it have a 12 step attenuator?
I have been asked about why my Fender Hot Rod Deluxe goes up to 12 and I’m sure it has nothing to do with Spinal Tap!

A: It’s just the knob. You could put 1 to 100 on there and it wouldn’t change anything.

Q: frontman fender guitar amp hook up to a guitar pedal?
I have a frontman fender guitar amp, can I hook up a pedal to this amp…if so how?

A: turn the amp on clean, no od. plug your guitar into the pedal, and plug the pedal into the guitar input on the amp. . . .. oh yeah, turn it down first so you don’t blow your amp… post how many watts it is…

Q: Where could I find a dealer for replacement switches for a Fender Guitar Amp?
I have a Fender Guitar amp (Model: Frontman 25R Type: PR 498). The power switch for this amp has gone bad. Normally I would replace it with any switch I could find, however, the wiring is not “normal”; it has two black wires and two white wires to deal with. I suppose I could bypass all that, but I am just to worried about shorting something out. I would like an exact replacement. Does anyone know of online dealers that would probably have said switch?

A: Talk to Garry (correct spelling) at Catalina Guitars. Don’t let the name fool you, he does mostly electronic repairs.
(520) 886 0799
Garry@CatalinaGuitars.com

http://CatalinaGuitars.com

Q: where can i find a replacement rca part for a fender frontman guitar amp?
i was playing music through the amp when one of my friends more or less stood on the cable and the prongs snapped off inside, i have managed to get the prongs out but now it doesn’t work. I have tried ebay, with no luck and i can’t really find anywhere on the internet. Does anyone know where i can find the replacement part?

A: Check the local music stores,
ot Radio Shack

Q: I have a question about a Fender Princeton Reverb electric guitar amp?
I was just wondering what this amp would be worth if i were to sell it. Everything on it is completely vintage except for one of the 7 tubes in the back. Yes, that is right, it is a vintage Fender tube amp with the original tubes, and i believe it is a ‘62 or ‘63. It sounds amazing. Buy, yeah. I was just wondering if anyone had any idea what it would be worth. So, thanks for your help!

A: I’ve heard of them going for anywhere between $80 and $800, depending on the shape of the original components and the year it was made.

Fender Princeton’s go back to the 40s, but the Princeton Reverb models only go back to 64. The early models of Princeton Reverb were blackface and they later introduced the silverface version in the early 70s.

The blackface models are more desirable. If yours is a blackface model and in great shape with all the original parts, it could go for close to $1,000 to a buyer who really likes vintage Fender stuff.

At a local music store, I don’t think they would put any higher than $800 on the tag.

Q: Is it possible for a Fender Electric Guitar amp to break if you play too loud?
I was just playing with it on almost as loud as it goes and it stopped working.. I checked the connections everywhere and everything is where it should be. Now I’m just wondering if I really screwed my amp up…

A: You probably blew out the speaker but it is possible that something shook loose inside of it. Take in to a guitar shop and have them look at it and see if it can be fixed. You’re probably going to need the speaker replaced.

Q: Can you use a Fender bass with a guitar amp?
Can you use a Fender bass with a Randall 30 watt amp? What will happen?
Can you use an Ovation Acoustic-Electric guitar with a Fender 60 watt amp? What will happen?

Thanks

A: Playing bass through a guitar amp is bad. They are not designed the same, and you run the risk of blowing speakers. If you must, don’t crank it, keep it quiet and it should be ok. Not good, just ok.

Playing that acoustic through an amp… eh. An acoustic amp (an oxymoron if I ever heard one) is best, closely followed by a P.A. system. It’s not bad for your equipment, but look out for feedback. Standard electric guitar amps, I find, are a bit too trebley for acoustics.

Q: I Need Help Finding Info On My Fender Guitar Amp?
Just need info on my fender amp i picked up second hand, the model says its a H.O.T. but i cant find anything online at all, its roughly 15i x 15i in size, its a 75 watt, From Left to Right the face controls aree as follows, two guitar lead inputs Hi and Lo, then 4 push buttons controls Bright/Clean Crunch/Lead, then three dials, Contour/Volume/Reverb, then a over and under in put headphone size holes saying Tape Input, then three inputs next to that, Preamp Output, Preamp Output, Head Phones and next to that thePower Switch

A: Try going to Fender.com you might see your model there or you give them a call Telephone: (480) 596-7195

Q: how do you get the best sound out of a fender guitar amp?
i got a fender 85 guitar amp which is really cool and i got a gibson SG and i would love to know how to get the best sound out of each of them, i use pedals with the guitar these can be boss distortion and a korg pedal of various types, overdrive, chorus, blues etc. i want to play it loud and any help wld be gratefully appreciated…..keep rockin`

A: Fender 85 is cool, but if you really want to get the best out of your SG, get a Marshall 100 watt master volume.

You can sell the pedals and still have a monster sound!

Q: How do i fix a 15r fender frontman guitar amp’s drive?
i opened it up to see if i can find out what was wrong with it and i saw that the out cable was unplugged so i plugged it in and it still didn’t work.i also checked to see if anything else was unplugged and nothing else was. what problems can my amp have that wont let it work

A: Check the fuse in the plug, it might need to be replaced. If that isn’t the problem or you have no idea what you are doing, take it to Guitar Center and they can fix it for less than $10. Also check the warranty: You might be able to get a completely new amp.

Q: How do I change and match(bias) the tubes in my fender super twin reverb guitar amp?
I have bought a new full set of tubes/valves for my 1979 fender super twin reverb guitar amplifier. I can switch the tubes easily enough, but don’t know a thing about matching them. I see an adjustable screw at the back saying “output tubes matching”, but how do I do this correctly to achieve the best tone from my amp, and to ensure that the tubes won’t cut or blow. I know very little about electronics. I also live in Dubai, and there are no tube amp specialists whom I can take my amp to.

A: Take it to someone who knows what they are doing. some older amps still hold a charge big enough to kill you unplugged. good luck

Q: What do i need to use the rocktron banshee talkbox. I have a fender amp and guitar. how is a mic used with it?
i know the actual thing comes with ports for a power chord, guitar chord and amp chord. but the machine i heard is not loud since it has its own pre amp. so how would i go about hooking up a mic to it

A: The talkbox effect is probably one of the most misunderstood effects out there. It’s an acoustic effect, not an electronic one.

You don’t hook a mic into the Rocktron Banshee (or most any other talk box). If you’re going to use a talk box effective at a high volume, you have to have a PA system. Period.

The Banshee is much simpler to use than most other talk boxes in that it has it’s own power amp built it. Most if them require another amp to drive them, or have to loop between the output of a guitar head and a cabinet.

To use the Banshee, hook it up like you would any other guitar effect pedal. (Personally, I would put it first in the effects chain, but that’s just me). Then, you’ll need to attach the tube to your vocal mic. I actually use a couple of hair ties to do my, but the velcro straps they sell at Fry’s for bundling cables works well too.

That’s it. Step on the button on the Banshee, the sound shuts off from your guitar amp and starts coming out of the tube. From here on, you have to practice using it, especially if you’re actually going to try to talk with it.

Just to recap, when you’re using a talk box, the effect DOES NOT come out of the guitar amp. It comes out of the end of the tube, and requires a PA system to be usable in a band enviroment.

Good luck.

Greetings from Austin, TX

Ken

Q: If I were to purchase a Fender guitar, would I be required to purchase a Fender amp or any brand of amp?
I’m about to take up playing the electric guitar.

A: its cool that you want to take up the guitar now you just need to figure out where you want to go with it. The unfortunate thing about guitar gear, is that it is expensive. And in the guitar world, you definitely get what you pay for.

so have you decided how much you want to spend?

Personally i recommend spending 300 on the guitar at least. at this level you get a very solid mid level guitar. the law of diminishing returns comes into play. anything above this threshold will be using the same wood types, etc. so ultimately you begin paying for better fancier finishes, pickups, and craftsmanship.

and for amps, used is a great way to go. I bought a Fender Hot Rod deluxe for 400, they run for 800 now. decent savings for an amp that only had a year of use. the only catch is, the buyer needs to know what to look for. signs of wear that a beginner wouldn’t know to look for.

certain guitars traditionally sound better through specific amps. Gibson to a marshall. Fender to a fender amp. this is of course not always the case, but they just sound really good together. That and the fact that we learned to like that sound, from hearing it so much.

I personally recommend holding off on the amp for now. as you will learn guitar players are a fickle bunch. If you can already play great go test some amps at your local guitar shop. otherwise wait till you get some songs under your belt and then see which amp you like the most with your particular instrument. Also if you ever plan to play louder than bedroom levels anticipate buying at lest 50 watts for a tube amp, or 75 to 100 for a solid state. If you cannot tell the difference between the type of amps, just take it as a sign that you have more learning to do. practice amps really are a waste of money as you will learn.

Q: I have a little fender 15 guitar amp, it turns on , but when I plug in guitar, it just buzzes, no sound??what?
The amp lights up, the buzzing gets louder when I turn up volume, but other than buzzing, no sound, guitar cord is fine, amp is a little fender frontline 5 solid state amp, what could cause this?
it is not guitar or the cord.. It is definitely the amp, it lights up, it buzzes, but it the guitar does not come thru at all. the buzzing gets louder with volume switch..

A: You said that the cord is fine. How did you verify this? You can either measure continuity on the wires with a digital multimeter (and every electronic musician should be able to do this), or try the cord with another amp and guitar.

We’ll assume that the cord is functioning as you say. That leaves the amp or the guitar. With everything hooked up, does the buzzing go away when you turn the volume control on the guitar down? If so, then it’s probably the guitar itself. From what you describe, it sounds like a ground wire in the guitar control cavity has come loose and will require resoldering.

If it stays the same, then it’s likely the amp. Again, this could be a ground wire that has come loose. But unfortunately, there are several other things that can go wrong in an amp that would cause this as well. Without having the amp in front of me, I can’t pin it down anymore than that.

Good luck.

Greetings from Austin, TX

Ken