I'm expecting this amp to be the one I finally stick with for a long time. I really hope to leave the effects stash at home and simply enjoy the sounds of my guitar through the amp. It definately has that potential. Time will tell, but it's looking good at this point.

Sound
Inspiring!! It's been a long time since I just sat and played for hours unaccompanied. The reverb is lush. Usually when you dial in a lot of verb it doesn't sound good at all. This verb is different. At 5 it's solo heaven. Even at full bore it's a usable effect - sure, maybe not very often, but still in the realm of possibilities. So I sit and try different pickup options and different channels on the amp and play and play and play. Find a groove, embelish it.... It's great! Can't wait to get home tonight and play some more.

Features
Best features include the three flavors, Vibrolux, Bassman and cascading gain. Before this amp, the Strat S1 options with the button in were too boomy, too bassy. Now I select the Vibrolux channel on the amp and have discovered some very enjoyabe and unique sounds. Too bright? punch on the Bassman channel and it warms right up. The gain channel is sweet, too. In fact, I traded a Mesa Lonestar Special (talk about cascading gain!) for this amp and I don't regret it a bit. It's plenty loud, if not too loud. For fun I threw in a set of Substitubes with EL84's and it sounds very good at the lower output.… read more My preference is the 6L6's though. Every dynamic nuance is captured by this machine. Like I said, inspiring!

Ease of Use
Straight forward. The footswitch has two channel switching buttons and an effects on/off switch. The latter can be used as a "solo" button (just like the Mesa) when a cable is connected between the "send" and "return" jacks. Ahh! Everything I need, 30 pounds lighter AND tilt-back legs! Sweet!

Quality
Everything looks real good, all the corners are tucked in perfectly, metal amp corners on the bottom four corners. The grill cloth has just a bit of a wave in it near the bottom, but because it's dark it doesn't stand out. The blonde tolex looks great. I wish they had put a nice leather handle on it - the Mesa spoiled me.

Value
Dollar for dollar, this baby's a lotta bang for the buck!

Manufacturer Support
Can't say, haven't ever had to deal with Fender support, and this is about the 10th Fender amp I've had in about 15 years.

The Wow Factor
Again, the Mesa Lonestar Special spoiled me - it was a looker. I do like the blonde/oxblood look better than the typical Fender black and silver and better than the Fender tweed (except for the lacquered tweed). So, it's better than most Fenders. I've had some positive comments on the Super-Sonic's looks alone. So, yeah, it's a good lookin amp. The best thing about it, though, is the three distinct tonal flavors, the all-in-one aspect.

Musical Background:
36 years at the guitar, some home recording of late, some bass, piano, etc.

Musical Style:
Rock, jazz, alternatice, gospel and recently dabbling with rockabilly (?) read less