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Willis Music Oxmoor Product Profile
Fender Super Sonic Tube Combo
60 watts output, 10 tube operation (6- 12AX7, 2- 12AT7, 2- 6L6GC), 2 individually voiced clean channels, dual cascading gain channel, Celestion 12” Vintage 30 speaker, spring reverb tank, effects loop, Birch/Maple wood construction, heavy duty metal footswitch
I must admit surprise at this amp. I had an entirely different array of sounds in my head prior to plugging it in and was quite shocked at what I was hearing. Without a doubt the 2 clean channels are the stars here. Uniquely configured to allow the player to choose between either a ’65 Vibrolux tone or a ’66 Bassman tone, this amp absolutely floored me.
Stevie Ray fans will all but weep over the hollow sheen the Vibrolux voice offers, and classic Clapton lovers will be grinning ear to ear over the Bassman voice. Remember; these aren’t “modeled” sounds, they’re made with real tubes and real control potentiometers. Whether I used a classic Strat, a hot-rod Ibanez or an acoustic/electric, the clean channels nearly hypnotized everyone listening, and when adding the stunning reverb in even the metal heads began giving compliments.
I literally had to force myself to stop playing with the clean channels to try the gain, and that too proved to be a complete surprise. Set up as a true cascading gain channel, the player can add as much preamp as desired by using both gains together. Normally this leads to a mushy mess, but designer Shane Nicholas obviously spent considerable time tweaking both gains to offer you possibilities ranging from a 60’s snap to a smooth, creamy layer of distortion that many of us spend years trying to create but cannot.
The tone of the gain channel never loses the legendary clarity Fender has become synonymous with; an achievement that will surely put this in the running for amp of the year. Another great benefit to this new design is that the player can use the effects loop as a footswitchable boost by running a standard guitar cable between the 2 jacks a/la Jimi Hendrix. This works on all channel configurations, and since it’s in the chain of sounds after the preamp, another tone option becomes available. I especially liked using this with the gain side of the amp for a very authentic 70’s distortion.
Speaking of the footswitch, this is how they should all be built- the case made of thick metal with durable rubber sides. This switch could survive Ozzfest.
Hands down the coolest combo I’ve ever played or heard. Using only old-school designs, Fender has raised the stakes in tube amps yet again. An absolute “must hear” for every guitar player.
Reviewed by: Mike McAfee
Contact reviewer at: oxmoorstore@willis-music.com
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Product:
Deluxe Power Stratocaster
Manufacturer: Fender
Website: www.fender.com
About the Contributor:
Manager Mike McAfee is a 13 year plus Willis veteran who has hand picked each employee on his floor because they excel in providing a superior experience to every customer. The confidence, knowledge and courtesy you encounter lives up to an environment tailored for each department of their store. The home-like piano experience alone is worth a visit, and no other store in town carries the stock or selection of Willis’ Oxmoor location. Please accept Mike’s personal invitation to see first hand how hard we’ll work to make sure you’ll always come back home to Willis Music at Oxmoor Center.
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