Fender solid state amps? (OLD ones)

[jagermeister]

I'm the only person in the world who enjoys playing through solid state amps. I like the sparkly clean tone you can get from them, and the harsh distorted tone, though admittedly inbetween tones don't quite work with SS...

Anyway, I think this is the coolest looking amp. Ever.



Anyone have experience with these? I have a (slightly) newer Fender Libra solid state made in the early 70s, that currently has no speakers... Sounds amazing.



A bit transparent as you can see. Alligator skin tolex, 100 watt... I used to plug it into two speakers of my singer's Mesa cab with who knows what speakers, sounded AMAZING that way, nice bright, classic fender clean tone... tremolo didn't work though More headroom than anything I've ever played, on 10 my jag wouldn't break up and it was LOUD.

Never seen another. If I did I'd buy it.

Anyone else ever even seen these before?

[eggwheat]

no you're not only person who likes transistor..see I was lucky I got into amps and guitars pretty much on my own at a young age..I was oblivious to the hype surrounding tube amps..My ears decided that the best sound I have ever acheived is with two transistor amps I use a roland JC160 circa '76 and a peavey musician head and 4x12 together I have never achieved a sound that I am happier with and I have owned(and still own) some of the most (supposedly) revered tube amplifiers you can buy today..I've had 2x Black face '64 Super Reverbs...Vintage marshall stacks Hiwatt stacks, Fender Super Six reverbs x2 in stereo,  fender concerts and so on...and none of them bettered my transistor rigs..

tube has an inherent sound that is cool obviously but not for me..I use it in the studio for certain sounds when recording still..but nearly all my recorded guitar work is through transistor amps.

That's not to say I'm close minded..if i did find a valve amp that sounded better of course I would use it...

I use pedal distortions so this probably has something to do with it too...

[jagermeister]

Solid state. Love the hell out of it.



Sparkle. Contrary to what most people say about SS being bright and harsh, that amp is almost uncomfortably warm and really only works with the treble maxed out... No one's ever heard of/seen any of them too, but apparently it was built as a bass amp. I REALLY don't see how that could have worked, especially as it's only 60 watts and warm as hell, but that's loud enough with a guitar to nearly keep up with my old Vox modeling amp (30 watts) Won't break up without a pedal either...

Has the trippiest tremolo ever 

[zhivago]

I play a solid state amp live too...




it's a 70s HH amp.

[mjet]

Separated at birth?

[RumorsOFsurF]

Looks like this to me......



I still think it looks cool, though.

[luau]

I played through quite a few Fender SS's in my grandparents store in the mid to late 80s. London, Montreux, Yale, Harvard, etc.. All the early 80s stuff that never sold. When it was time for me to take an amp home I was in the same general situation as Eggwheat. I didn't know tubes from transistors. My ears decided on the TRII that I have.

[northern_dirt]

Best Solid State Ive ever heard or owned... sold it a couple months
back, and got more than what a used combo goes for..
Supposedly the head alone is rarer.. anyways.. if and when I get a bigger
place again, id get a JC 120 combo..

[blacktiger]

I've been playing tube amps for the last 15 years or so, but I've heard amazing tones from 60s Vox SS amps, as well as HHs and Rolands.  Also, Greg Ginn played only SS amps after a bad experience with a Sound City tube amp, and he's pretty much the bechmark for punk rock tone (if that's not an oxymoron).

[fuzzking]

We have an older Novanex (dutch company) 75W SS amp in our rehearsal space, it looks a bit like this one.
And I think it sounds pretty good.

[JJ Gabor]

I love Solid State amps.  I have the same HH as in Zhivago's post. 

I use it live frequently with great results.  I agree that they can sound warm.  One of my favourite amps is the good 'ol peavey bandit ( I hear you cry!). I like everything that people say is bad about that amp  

[northern_dirt]

I love Solid State amps.  I have the same HH as in Zhivago's post. 

I use it live frequently with great results.  I agree that they can sound warm.  One of my favourite amps is the good 'ol peavey bandit ( I hear you cry!). I like everything that people say is bad about that amp  

haha.. I have one.. going to sell it soon, but dont think ill get more than $50 for it

[Pacafeliz]

a friend in mexico city is selling his old Fender Scorpio 2x12 (JBL's!!!) for years now and i've been THIS close... but something holds me back.
but i NEED a lighter combo than the '68 twin i normally use... right?

it looks killer and sounds great too. can't be THAT bad.
MUST... RESIST...

man i'm broke now. we'll see what happens in january. he hasn't been able to sell it in YEARS.
and i think $300 for it still isn't too much.
patience.

Pat.

[jetset]

There's nothing wrong with SS amps as long as you are not expecting to get warm crunchy overdrive out of them.  I love the clean sounds of the Rolands, and the Thomas Vox stuff with their built in Beatle effects are tres cool.  I always wondered how those 60's SS fender amps sounded. They do have a cool lava lamp vibe going on.
-j

[vcr_hijackerz]

I started off with cheap solid state amps and once i got my first tube, a blues junior, i pretty much thought i would never go back to solid state. it sounded amazing to my ears.

though, a while back, i got a jc-120 for a good price and now i can easily say that solid state can easily be just as good. def dont need tubes to get a good sound. using pedals can get a rly good distortion sound with a jazz chorus (the onboard distortion SUCKS) . The chorus and vibrato are amazing though. The jazz chorus hype is def warranted.

And if i see any other nice solid states around like in this thread, will def be giving them a look in.