Tried a Fender Super Sonic today

[Simon Garlick]

Stock Super Sonic through an oversized Fender Super Sonic 2x12 with Vintage 30s, using a couple of American Deluxe Strats.

 

I was MASSIVELY underwhelmed.

 

Channel 1 on "Vibrolux" was icepick treble city but without the beautiful depth and shimmer of a real Vibrolux.

 

Channel 1 on "Bassman" was, all things considered, an OK warm tube sound. Nothing to write home about, but I would have been satisfied to use it at a gig with a Tube Screamer or similar.

 

Channel 2 was your standard Fender trying-and-failing-to-be-metal distortion sound. Buzzy, undefined, and gutless.

 

I so wanted to love this amp, but it was a real disappointment.

[batotman]

Pretty much my exact observations while I had my SS combo.

 

However I did like the SS head and cab quite a bit better. It couldn't run with the big name amps like Bogner or anything but it wasn't as disappointing as the combo was. The cab I played through was a Marshall Mode 4.

[Big Hair]

Originally posted by Simon Garlick Stock Super Sonic through an oversized Fender Super Sonic 2x12 with Vintage 30s, using a couple of American Deluxe Strats. I was MASSIVELY underwhelmed. Channel 1 on "Vibrolux" was icepick treble city but without the beautiful depth and shimmer of a real Vibrolux. Channel 1 on "Bassman" was, all things considered, an OK warm tube sound. Nothing to write home about, but I would have been satisfied to use it at a gig with a Tube Screamer or similar. Channel 2 was your standard Fender trying-and-failing-to-be-metal distortion sound. Buzzy, undefined, and gutless. I so wanted to love this amp, but it was a real disappointment.

 

I want to like those amps too - not heard or played one yet though

[jds22]

Agreeing with the above posters.

 

Got excited when I found one in a store.

 

Left really bummed.

[metalcore]

 

Originally posted by Simon Garlick Stock Super Sonic through an oversized Fender Super Sonic 2x12 with Vintage 30s, using a couple of American Deluxe Strats. I was MASSIVELY underwhelmed. Channel 1 on "Vibrolux" was icepick treble city but without the beautiful depth and shimmer of a real Vibrolux. Channel 1 on "Bassman" was, all things considered, an OK warm tube sound. Nothing to write home about, but I would have been satisfied to use it at a gig with a Tube Screamer or similar. Channel 2 was your standard Fender trying-and-failing-to-be-metal distortion sound. Buzzy, undefined, and gutless. I so wanted to love this amp, but it was a real disappointment.

 

 

Totally agree.

 

My Classic 50 smokes it in every way possible.

[GCDEF]

Couldn't disagree more. Mine's one of the best sounding amps I've ever owned. Sold my Fuchs and kept the Fender. Seems like there's a lot of inconsistency.

[RoboPimp]

yeap, I wasn't impressed.

[Tubesteakfortone]

 

Originally posted by GCDEF Couldn't disagree more. Mine's one of the best sounding amps I've ever owned. Sold my Fuchs and kept the Fender. Seems like there's a lot of inconsistency.

 

 

I hear that I played a combo and was really gassing....played a head and another combo and left glad I didnt buy one!

[buddastrat]

I played a combo and it had a great smooth lead tone. No it's not a standard metal tone. More of a compressed, silky lead tone. I was impressed that it was not buzzy/fizzy in the least like a Soldano type overdrive. Notes were very clean around the edges. Chords were very defined and chunky, but again not tight metal stuff.

 

But that combo had little low end and the cleans were lacking fullness. Didn't have the signature sparkle either.

 

It was also cursed with what all other 1x12's seem to be cursed with, that honky, boxy cabinet sound. I think it's a bad idea to put a v30 in a 1x12. The speaker is kinda boxy sounding too.

[Mikeo]

 

Originally posted by Simon Garlick Stock Super Sonic through an oversized Fender Super Sonic 2x12 with Vintage 30s, using a couple of American Deluxe Strats. I was MASSIVELY underwhelmed. Channel 1 on "Vibrolux" was icepick treble city but without the beautiful depth and shimmer of a real Vibrolux. Channel 1 on "Bassman" was, all things considered, an OK warm tube sound. Nothing to write home about, but I would have been satisfied to use it at a gig with a Tube Screamer or similar. Channel 2 was your standard Fender trying-and-failing-to-be-metal distortion sound. Buzzy, undefined, and gutless. I so wanted to love this amp, but it was a real disappointment.

 

 

It's a decent amp. I the Vibrolux channel is close enough, but dosen't nail the tone of the original. How could it with the 12 in speakers.

 

The bassman channel is decent, but once agian if you are looking for the exact Bassman tone, it's close, but does not nail it.

 

 

Decent gains.

 

 

It's an all around decent amp, but for a grand you can do better.

 

I would expect that like all of the new Fender stuff the input switches and the the volume /tone/gain controls are mount to the PC board, just don't break somthing on the amp or else you're going back to Fender for the propritary parts. and they get some decent $$$ for parts.

[Surfcaster]

The thing that bummed me most about the amp was the reverb...very sproingy on the attack...almost like someone bumped into the amp.

 

I actually thought the lead channel had the best high gain sound I've heard in a Fender, though still not on par with my Mesa F50.

 

All in all, it offered me nothing over my F50. If I was in the market today, I might have considered it more, but am guessing I would still pass it by in the end.

[Andre XXX]

I use the supersonic head occassionaly and as a backup. I will tell you you need to play with this amp to get a good sound, but you can get great sounds out of it.

 

I had the head and 2x12 cab - but i sold the cab and kept the head. I didn't like the head and cab together. I dont think the v30 is the best choice of speaker for this. Now i use the head ( on occassion ) with my open back 2x12 mesa cab.

 

It sounds much better with the mesa speakers and cab.

 

Overall, I think the supersonic is a great head but I didn't love it at the store either. Just like a Mesa MK IV can sound like {censored} if you try one softly at a store so can the supersonic. YOu need to work with it a bit. You cant try it for 10 minutes at a noisy GC and pass judgement.

 

But get one home crank it a bit and play with the knobs and you can get great sounds out of the lead and rythmn cnannels.

 

Also - set it up by ear. The knobs will end up like no other amp you use. Do not put the knobs where you think they should go - close your eyes and turn them. You get great sounds using drastic settings on the tone knobs.

 

Also the two different gain structers seem to affect the treble and bass differently - once i figured this out I got a great lead and crunch rythmn sound. Gain one adds low end - gain two seems to add sparkle.

 

This being all said - overall I still dig my lone start special more - but I have gigged with the supersonic and was very happy with the results. I could be very happy if it was my only amp.

[Dr.Love]

I got one some weeks ago (Combo).

 

First of all I have to say that mine is VERSION 2.

 

As said before, you have to work with it to get the sounds you want.

 

I'm having good results.

 

The footswitchable loop used as a booster is great!

 

Every channel sounds good to me. It's very clear and sensible and you can hear every detail of your playing.

 

I've heard better reverbs but this one sounds good enought for me.

 

I think it's a good amp. Yes, there are better, more expensive and more exclusive amps out there, I know.

 

It's a little noisy (And a little more with the loop "On"), but I think it's becouse of the not very good tubes. Anyway I got it for rehearsal and playing live, so a little noise is not a big problem.

[MattACaster]

Wow, I figured more people would like this amp. I've pretty much decided that the SS head will be my next amp.

[potaetoes]

 

Originally posted by Simon Garlick Channel 2 was your standard Fender trying-and-failing-to-be-metal distortion sound.

 

 

nothing about the supersonic tries to be metal, in any way. how can it fail at something it's not even intended to try? it excels at verge-of-breakup tones up through liquid high-gain leads, old-school crunch, boosted bassman tones, etc... it's NOT an amp for palm-muted modern metal rhythms, and you'd have to be a moron to think that's what they had in mind when they designed it. you might as well complain that the blonde/oxblood color option or the tilt-back legs aren't "metal", or whine that open-back combos suck for metal, and are therefore entirely lame.

 

anyway, throw the burn channel's master up to 6 or 7 to get the power tubes going, then start adding in some gain (some, like maybe half), and it's a pretty awesome sounding high gainer. or, turn it way down, stick a mic in front of it, and it records great at really low volumes.

 

it's not an amp you can get to know in a few minutes, or even a few days, but if you go in expecting "metal" tones from an amp that's not built for it, you'll can thank yourself for the disappointment.

 

as for the clean channels - the vibrolux channel is absolutely brilliant with humbuckers. yes, it's bright! surprise! what did you expect, a vibrolux channel that sounds like a tweed? how redundant would that be with the tweed bassman circuit in the same amp? and with single coils, that brightness... see that treble knob? you know it turns counterclockwise, right? by the way, that also applies to the treble knob on channel 2. boosting the vib channel takes you straight to texas, and boosting the bassman channel is meaty and mean.

 

there's nothing "wrong" with the amp, except that it's probably too damn loud, the reverb is a tad strong, and too many people presumptively expect channel 2 to sound like a 5150/engl/uber/gainmonster, which it ain't.

[potaetoes]

 

Originally posted by Dr.Love I got one some weeks ago (Combo). First of all I have to say that mine is VERSION 2.

 

 

care to elaborate a bit on the "version 2" thing?

[Dr.Love]

 

Originally posted by potaetoes care to elaborate a bit on the "version 2" thing?

 

 

In the plastic bag that contains the Manual, there is also a big schematics of the amp. It says "FENDER SUPER SONIC VERSION 2"

 

I'm not sure but I think the schematics have some marks pointing the changed areas. I'll check this tomorrow.

 

Visually, the only external difference is that the Version 2 has a "Grill" protecting the power tubes. Like in the Hot Rod. I think the first ones had no grill... But I'm not sure.

[potaetoes]

 

Originally posted by Dr.Love In the plastic bag that contains the Manual, there is also a big schematics of the amp. It says "FENDER SUPER SONIC VERSION 2" I'm not sure but I think the schematics have some marks pointing the changed areas. I'll check this tomorrow. Visually, the only external difference is that the Version 2 has a "Grill" protecting the power tubes. Like in the Hot Rod. I think the first ones had no grill... But I'm not sure.

 

 

interesting. i noticed the grill in the pictures on the fender site recently. i never could find a schematic for this amp... do you think you could possibly scan it, or take a high-res picture of it? if you could, i'd be super grateful...

[RoboPimp]

Originally posted by potaetoes how redundant would that be with the tweed bassman circuit in the same amp?

 

it's supposed to based on a '66 bassman

[potaetoes]

Originally posted by RoboPimp it's supposed to based on a '66 bassman

 

well, whatever... still redundant having two dark/bassy cleans.

[wanky]

 

Originally posted by Simon Garlick Stock Super Sonic through an oversized Fender Super Sonic 2x12 with Vintage 30s, using a couple of American Deluxe Strats. I was MASSIVELY underwhelmed. Channel 1 on "Vibrolux" was icepick treble city but without the beautiful depth and shimmer of a real Vibrolux. Channel 1 on "Bassman" was, all things considered, an OK warm tube sound. Nothing to write home about, but I would have been satisfied to use it at a gig with a Tube Screamer or similar. Channel 2 was your standard Fender trying-and-failing-to-be-metal distortion sound. Buzzy, undefined, and gutless. I so wanted to love this amp, but it was a real disappointment.

 

 

i agree, i don't know what their whole deal of being fenders first good hi-gain amp is all about. The vintage channels were pretty good, but the hi-gain was a dissapointment when i tried it

 

i expected something maybe that was more aggresive and crunchy, but it was just really muddy and flat sounding and gain barely qualified it as a "hi-gain" amp, weakest in any hi-gain ive played

[DonK]

Absolutely love mine. It seems to me that a lot of the critics keep expecting Fender to put a VHT or a 5150 in one of their amps. If they did, it wouldn't be a Fender I'd be interested in.

 

I've owned quite a few Fender tube amps over the past 30 years. Best was the VibroKing and Twin (I still have one). Vibroverb, Deluxe and Bassman are up there too. Worst were the ProSonic and HR Deluxe, but even those had good cleans, they just didn't deliver on the overdrive channel. I found the ProSonic shrill; the HR Deluxe had so-so reverb and a ridiculous taper on the overdrive channel volume pot (and the "moredrive" was a waste IMO).

 

To me the SS delivers. Mine is version 2, like the poster above. Don't know if it makes a difference, since I never played a version 1.

 

One issue may be that you can't effectively switch bewtween the Bassman and Vibrolux sounds on the clean channel on the fly. They require very different EQ's to sound good. That doesn't bother me: if I wanted that feature I'd get a modelling amp - actually, I've had a bunch of those, starting with the original AxSys, and always ended up going back to Fender (what good's a modelling amp if you're not using the different amp sounds?).

 

I LOVE the lead channel on the SS; I think Fender finally got it right. Again, if you're a 5150 guy you're looking in the wrong place. But for blues, country and classic rock, I think it's excellent.