Fender prosonic vs. Fender pro tube pro reverb vs. fender supersonic

[potaetoes]

anyone like or hate that clip? i think a touch more treble is in order.

[Loghead]

 

Originally posted by potaetoes here's another short clip at super low volume. you can hear the pick hitting the strings and the mic cable get bumped a couple times... anyway it gives an idea about how much gain is available. clip

 

 

Hairy!

[Deuterium]

Originally posted by potaetoes anyone like or hate that clip? i think a touch more treble is in order.

 

Nice clip, Potaetoes. Sounds just like my Supersonic. We must have similar taste in tones and EQ

[Jack Straw]

Bump for a great amp, You should hear what they sound like with an Eminence Cannabis Rex and TAD 6l6 tubes.An extension cab with a Greenback and a g12h30 would kill. Is the lowend flatulent with the Vintage 30?

[Mikeo]

 

Originally posted by woodsmandan I did a bit of research, and those are 3 finalists... I'm looking for a do it all combo, fender clean to high gain...50-60 watts is enough.... Pros: Prosonic: Dual cascading gain, overall great reviews everywhere Pro reverb: 1/4 power switch, 50 watts is enough Supersonic: Like the prosonic but with separate EQ for each channel Cons: Prosonic: Hard to find, shared EQ Pro reverb: No dual cascading gain Supersonic : Well, not all reviews are great... So, what do you guys think ? Anything else I should consider ?... My ideal amp would be a mix of the 3 above : Dual cascading gain (prosonic), 1/4 power switch (pro reverb) and separate EQ (supersonic) Thanks

 

 

Insead of a Fender, have you looked into a Mesa Mark series amp or maybe a F series amp. The nomands although not big sellers, pull off a nice Fender black face tone.

[woodsmandan]

I'm shamefully not familiar with the Mesa's clean tones...I innocently believe they excell at the high gain they are well known for, but i also thought that I needed a Fender for that sparkling clean to early bassman like breakup...I sincerly did not think of the Mesa's for that...I will try to find a Nomad to give it a spin.

 

The supersonic seems to get high praise around here ! I will check it out very soon. It might just be THE amp a was looking for ( i wish ) ...Now if I can be lucky enough to find a used Prosonic somewhere to try out also...

 

Thanks all for the replies !

[potaetoes]

 

Originally posted by woodsmandan I'm shamefully not familiar with the Mesa's clean tones...I innocently believe they excell at the high gain they are well known for, but i also thought that I needed a Fender for that sparkling clean to early bassman like breakup...I sincerly did not think of the Mesa's for that...I will try to find a Nomad to give it a spin. The supersonic seems to get high praise around here ! I will check it out very soon. It might just be THE amp a was looking for ( i wish ) ...Now if I can be lucky enough to find a used Prosonic somewhere to try out also... Thanks all for the replies !

 

 

nomads are bleh - not a shining example of anything, really. none of mesa's high-gain amps have cleans that compete with fender's good amps. the mark iv is close, but still not quite there. the lone stars have great cleans, but the high gain isn't quite there. the f-series again are most often compared to the supersonic.

 

i went from mark iv to supersonic and i'm pretty happy with the move.

[Deuterium]

Potaetoes:

 

I am getting, every once in awhile, a high pitched squeal, like feedback, except it won't go away even if I turn down my guitar volume. I figured it is a preamp tube that is doing it.

 

Sure enough, when this phenomena starts, all I have to do is tap one of the silver shields which are around one of the 12AX7 preamp tubes, and it goes away.

 

Question: Is this a microphonic tube?

 

It only happens every once in awhile...and goes away if I tap or jiggle the silver shield around the tube.

 

Will this just get worse, and should I expect on just replacing the tube...or is this just something that happens now and then?

[Mikeo]

 

Originally posted by potaetoes nomads are bleh - not a shining example of anything, really. none of mesa's high-gain amps have cleans that compete with fender's good amps. the mark iv is close, but still not quite there. the lone stars have great cleans, but the high gain isn't quite there. the f-series again are most often compared to the supersonic. i went from mark iv to supersonic and i'm pretty happy with the move.

 

 

that's cool.

 

I like the Mesa stuff is constructed. With Fender stuff these days the input jacks are soldered right to the pc board using input jacks sold through only Fender. It's kinda the way many amps are made today. Mesa stuff has a PC board but is still kinda old school in many ways, a bit better construction all around, but ya pay for it.

[Deuterium]

Originally posted by Mikeo that's cool. I like the Mesa stuff is constructed. With Fender stuff these days the input jacks are soldered right to the pc board using input jacks sold through only Fender. It's kinda the way many amps are made today. Mesa stuff has a PC board but is still kinda old school in many ways, a bit better construction all around, but ya pay for it.

 

 

Hey Mikeo, I'm in Belchertown MA :wave:

[potaetoes]

 

Originally posted by Deuterium Potaetoes: I am getting, every once in awhile, a high pitched squeal, like feedback, except it won't go away even if I turn down my guitar volume. I figured it is a preamp tube that is doing it. Sure enough, when this phenomena starts, all I have to do is tap one of the silver shields which are around one of the 12AX7 preamp tubes, and it goes away. Question: Is this a microphonic tube? It only happens every once in awhile...and goes away if I tap or jiggle the silver shield around the tube. Will this just get worse, and should I expect on just replacing the tube...or is this just something that happens now and then?

 

 

yes, microphonic tube. they're groove tubes, so it's not surprising. i'm entirely unimpressed with their ability to adequately test and screen preamp tubes.

 

their business model of "charge triple, replace half" still = more money in the long run.

[Mikeo]

Originally posted by Deuterium Hey Mikeo, I'm in Belchertown MA :wave:

 

cool, I kinda know the area abit, I dated a chick in Palmer some 20 years ago.

 

I go to the Iron Horse now and then, sometimes do the open mic on Modays at the basement.

 

I like the area a lot, it's small town, like this side of western MA.

 

Amherst has a nice summer fest thing, last year Sarah Lee Guthrie Johnny Irion, put of a goiod show. I have been going to the River Fest the past couple of years, this year it's John Hiatt.

I'll be attending if it doesn't rain

 

 

oh and check out the Fretted Instrument works shop guitar store if you haven't. Msotly acoustic, but sweet stuff

[Deuterium]

 

Originally posted by Mikeo cool, I kinda know the area abit, I dated a chick in Palmer some 20 years ago. I go to the Iron Horse now and then, sometimes do the open mic on Modays at the basement. I like the area a lot, it's small town, like this side of western MA. Amherst has a nice summer fest thing, last year Sarah Lee Guthrie Johnny Irion, put of a goiod show. I have been going to the River Fest the past couple of years, this year it's John Hiatt. I'll be attending if it doesn't rain oh and check out the Fretted Instrument works shop guitar store if you haven't. Msotly acoustic, but sweet stuff

 

 

Indeed, I will be certain to check out Fretted Instrument works shop. I've never been there. I often go to "Downtown Sounds" in NoHo (Northampton).

 

The Iron Horse is a great club...been there many times.

 

In Downtown Springfield there is Theodore's, which has an open Blues Jam every Thursday night. Another great pub.

 

Cheers,

John

[Deuterium]

 

Originally posted by potaetoes yes, microphonic tube. they're groove tubes, so it's not surprising. i'm entirely unimpressed with their ability to adequately test and screen preamp tubes. their business model of "charge triple, replace half" still = more money in the long run.

 

 

Thanks. Do you know off hand if Fender covers something like this under warranty?

[Mikeo]

 

Originally posted by Deuterium Thanks. Do you know off hand if Fender covers something like this under warranty?

 

 

I think the waranty on tubes is maybe 90 days

[Deuterium]

 

Originally posted by Mikeo I think the waranty on tubes is maybe 90 days

 

 

Cool, thanks. I will of course check my manual and owner's info., but the amp is only a week old, so I'm sure its covered, if they do indeed warrant microphonic preamp tube(s).

[woodsmandan]

Ok...all this got me pretty much set on the Supersonic...

 

Except for one detail: it has been said that it lacked bass in the burn channel, and that it is not well suited for heavey rythm chuga chuga stuff.

 

Well, i'm not a really big fan of chuga chuga stuff, but it is part of what I play in one of my bands ( hard rock/heavey metal cover band...some old stuff, some new stuff).

 

I need a do it all amp. I do not want to buy an amp exlusively on chuga chuga power, as it represents maybe 15% of what I play. But I do need a little of that in the mix.

 

For the lion's share of my playing, the SS seems to be the perfect amp....heck, a RI Bassman would be fine for 75% of my guitar playing.

 

So, what's the lowdown on the SS ability to bring me on my seldom metal excursions???

[LaXu]

 

Originally posted by woodsmandan Ok...all this got me pretty much set on the Supersonic... Except for one detail: it has been said that it lacked bass in the burn channel, and that it is not well suited for heavey rythm chuga chuga stuff. Well, i'm not a really big fan of chuga chuga stuff, but it is part of what I play in one of my bands ( hard rock/heavey metal cover band...some old stuff, some new stuff). I need a do it all amp. I do not want to buy an amp exlusively on chuga chuga power, as it represents maybe 15% of what I play. But I do need a little of that in the mix. For the lion's share of my playing, the SS seems to be the perfect amp....heck, a RI Bassman would be fine for 75% of my guitar playing. So, what's the lowdown on the SS ability to bring me on my seldom metal excursions???

 

 

I tried the Supersonic combo a few days ago and never felt that there was too little bottom end. But then again I never use any "deep switches" on amps that have 'em and generally would rather leave the bottom end to the bass. While some combos can lack bottom end, I didn't feel that with the SS.

 

The Vibrolux mode on the amp was worthless though, must be one of the weakest clean tones I've ever heard..just no body at all. Very thin. However, the Bassman mode sounded pretty good to me. Not the best clean I've heard but I can't think of any real complaints about it. I found it pretty interesting that the amp could have such opposites in one channel.

 

The distorted channel was not my favorite, but I didn't get to crank the amp but when I turned it up a bit for a while it definitely got more balls and less fuzz. Didn't seem to have

[buddastrat]

 

Originally posted by woodsmandan Ok...all this got me pretty much set on the Supersonic... Except for one detail: it has been said that it lacked bass in the burn channel, and that it is not well suited for heavey rythm chuga chuga stuff. Well, i'm not a really big fan of chuga chuga stuff, but it is part of what I play in one of my bands ( hard rock/heavey metal cover band...some old stuff, some new stuff). I need a do it all amp. I do not want to buy an amp exlusively on chuga chuga power, as it represents maybe 15% of what I play. But I do need a little of that in the mix. For the lion's share of my playing, the SS seems to be the perfect amp....heck, a RI Bassman would be fine for 75% of my guitar playing. So, what's the lowdown on the SS ability to bring me on my seldom metal excursions???

 

 

 

I don't think it lacked low end at all, except on the vibrolux clean. That is pretty spanky and thin. That's what those reviews could've meant by lacking lows.

 

Then they also could've tried a combo 1x12 expecting to get a full closed back 4x12 sound. An open back, 1x12 v30 is NOT going to have a huge low end. But the amp itself has plenty of lows for any kind of rock.

 

It's always easy to add low end to an amp if you want super chugga tone. A simple EQ can do that very well in this amp because it has and extremely good effects loop. You can get ridiculously heavy with this amp.

[potaetoes]

 

Originally posted by LaXu   I tried the Supersonic combo a few days ago and never felt that there was too little bottom end. But then again I never use any "deep switches" on amps that have 'em and generally would rather leave the bottom end to the bass. While some combos can lack bottom end, I didn't feel that with the SS.   The Vibrolux mode on the amp was worthless though, must be one of the weakest clean tones I've ever heard..just no body at all. Very thin. However, the Bassman mode sounded pretty good to me. Not the best clean I've heard but I can't think of any real complaints about it. I found it pretty interesting that the amp could have such opposites in one channel.   The distorted channel was not my favorite, but I didn't get to crank the amp but when I turned it up a bit for a while it definitely got more balls and less fuzz. Didn't seem to have

[woodsmandan]

The deeper I search for opinions on the Supersonic, the more I stumble into bad reviews...especially in the Fender Forum...why are poeple refering to it as being "thin " sounding??? does it lack balls? I doubt a Fender amp that imitates a Bassman would lack balls , of all things...

 

As I live very far from any Fender dealer, I try to gather as much info before i make the trip to the city to try out as many amps in one day and buy the perfect amp at the end...

 

so...why the hate for the SS ??? I so want it to be THE amp....

[Deuterium]

 

Originally posted by woodsmandan The deeper I search for opinions on the Supersonic, the more I stumble into bad reviews...especially in the Fender Forum...why are poeple refering to it as being "thin " sounding??? does it lack balls? I doubt a Fender amp that imitates a Bassman would lack balls , of all things... As I live very far from any Fender dealer, I try to gather as much info before i make the trip to the city to try out as many amps in one day and buy the perfect amp at the end... so...why the hate for the SS ??? I so want it to be THE amp....

 

 

Because the Fender Forum has a hard on for the Prosonic...and all of Fender's "older" amps. The Supersonic is a threat to the established mythos, and "old school" mentality that pervades that forum.

 

The Supersonic RULES !!!

[buddastrat]

I've read a lot of good stuff about it on Fender's forums.

 

 

I'll say it again, you have to try this amp yourself. It sounds like the player. It's very honest like an old Marshall. At the local shop, everyone sounds very different through it. It's got a cleaner type of distortion, and a pretty quick attack. Every nuance tends to show through.

 

Crank up a recto and everyone that plays through it sounds pretty similar with that darker compressed type gain. It has a signature. This amp tends to let the player make it sound good. Again, like an older Marshall. The same amp can sound like {censored} or tremendous depending on who's playing it.

[potaetoes]

fender forum impressions all started out super positive, but then faded. some guys are saying things like "this amp is the noisiest thing ever" and other things i know aren't true, probably just tube issues. mine is quiet, so obviously it's not an inherently noisy circuit.

 

it's the same thing that happened when GT released their us-made 6L6. at first they were amazingly awesome, then a few old stinkers started calling them crap, and eventually they settled into acceptance as a pretty good tube.

 

there are two kinds of people at FDP. those who are really interested in getting the most from their amps, and those who are really interested in maintaining the idea that everything old > anything new. usually the latter ones are slower to respond, because they have to imagine up some arguments to support their agenda.

 

i don't think the SS is the best amp ever, but for around a grand it's a pretty kick-ass piece of equipment. same with the prosonic, it's a great amp too. but notice how everyone there gushes about the prosonic, while they all constantly try to figure out how to overcome its obvious faults. i love prosonics too, but the faults are a fact that can't be denied. the SS doesn't have those faults, and sounds different, so... cool, it's a different amp. i will be a fan of both amps, and not make a big deal out of it.

[potaetoes]

 

Originally posted by macmax Because the Prosonic sounds better

 

 

nah, it just sounds different. there are things the prosonic can do that the SS can't, and vice versa.