It would be very expensive to replace this amp with all of the amps that it sounds like. Distortion wise, it has a "Mesa" sharp, modern/new metal sound; A "Marshall" plexi-sound and a hot-tubed Vox AC-30 sound.

Sound
This amp really captures the warmth and crisp smoothness I desire on the "Bassman" clean setting. I was even more amazed to see that a tube amp that had the name "Fender" on it could sound so versatile in several high gain situations. The cascading gains really help you get four different distortions. The effects loop was a little noisy at very high volume.

Features
I was skeptical about using effect loops and the fact that this amp had independent send and return levels made me a believer. I use my delay (Boss DD-20) and reverb (Boss RV-5) in the effects loop and everything else (volume pedal, wah, Q-Tron, Rotovibe, etc.) in line from my guitar to the input on the front of the amp. The pre-amp out also let me slave my 5150 head to my Mesa 4x12 which has the same speakers as the matching 4x12 Fender cabinet. What a sound!

Ease of Use
First you have to have a decent guitar. The amp does the rest. Try using a dual humbucker solid-body or a nice semi-hollowbody guitar. My Strat sounds great through it, but it's a Custom Shop piece and could be biased by high output pickups.

Quality
Built like a brick wall. No reverb for better high… read more gain distortion without ambient noises. Everything is cut and dry without a lot of bells and whistles that I don't use anyway.

Value
I got it half price used and in mint condition. I would have definetly payed more for the head and the cab. The amount of personalities this amp has is amazing.

Manufacturer Support
Alan Pitter, sales rep. for Fender, is a man I always respected when I used to sell Fender products at a local mom and pop store in Florida. They have always gone a step further to reconcile any turmoil between customer and manufacturer. Good people!

The Wow Factor
People keep asking me if that's a vintage amp because of the '63 Cream/Oxblood cosmetic appeal. I like vintage looking equipment that sounds better than modern equipment!

Musical Background:
Active Musician

Musical Style:
Jazz, Funk, Reggae, Rock, Blues, Classical, Country and Western, Folk, Flamenco, Latin Jazz, Afro-Cuban etc. read less