Fender Supersonic 22

[koula901]

Does anyone have this amp, or tried it? How do you like it. Seems like a neat little package.

[DetroitBlues]

I have tried it in the store, I wasn't impressed at the time. I've heard it really is a fine amp. I know I love my SS60. From what I read on the Fender Forums, there are some reliability issues with the SS22.

[schundog]

Well, I guess I have HALF of one; I have a Fender Deluxe Reverb Re-Issue, which is the non-high gain side of the Super Sonic 22. While there are many ways to use it, lately I have turned the volume up high on the amp, and controlled the gain with the guitar volume. That was heavenly last night for a couple hours with my H-155 with Seth Lovers. Clean to super crunchy. A buddy was over later this afternoon, and got very different yet equally heavenly sounds out of my H-137 with the DRRI with the same set up. They look super cool, but I think I'm set for this type of amp. MAYBE a Princeton someday, if KBP810 comes out of retirement....

[koula901]

THAT would be nice, wouldn't it - if KBP810 ever comes out of retirement.

 

So, you push the volume up past 4 or 5, reduce your guitar volume way down for clean, up a little for crunchy, and higher still for higher gain?

[schundog]

Yeah, Katy; I've even dimed the volume on the DRRI, and brought the volume down even lower on the guitar. It's a great R&R sound, with Reverb on about 1. Very different from my KBP810 Tweed Deluxe, both awesome. Life is good!

[rockabilly69]

Yes, IMO Deluxe Reverbs need to be over 6 or 7 to get them were they give up the classic sounds. When mine is cranked, it is a thing to behold!

[JeffB]

Yes, IMO Deluxe Reverbs need to be over 6 or 7 to get them were they give up the classic sounds. When mine is cranked, it is a thing to behold!

That is the sound.! I love it. Its just too loud.....cant believe I just said that.

[t0aj15]

I've had a Super Sonic 100 on order for eight days now, and am currently anxiously awaiting it's arrival. I don't really need 100 watts but that model has several features the smaller ones don't, and it's switchable down to 25 watts. All the reviews I've read for the 100 are stellar & the sounds I've heard on the net are excellent so my anticipation for this amp is very high.

[MrB]

K/girl,

 

I was seriously looing at an SS22 a while back, to get a little of the sweet Fender overdrive at a lower volume than

my DRRI can do. But I found a lot of reviews saying the clean side of the SS is not the same as the DR, it doesn't

have a great clean Fender sound. And the clips I heard of the SS in overdrive mode sounded like too much

distortion, not the warm, compressed soft clipping I want.

So I'm still searching for the right amp.

 

Mr B

[JeffB]

Ive played the SS22 and the DRRI back to back along with my Fender Concert and Mesa LSC and neither the SS22 or DRRI found me exchanging cash for amp.

Out of the two I would take the DRRI and use a stomp or two. They are both good sounding amps no doubt. The DRRI just has something more that I like but nothing more than I have already. I had a similar problem with the SS60. It was almost a great amp for me but didnt seperate itself in an outstanding way from anything I already had or could achieve with stomps.

I like the size of those two amps and that really is the attraction for me.

[koula901]

Ive played the SS22 and the DRRI back to back along with my Fender Concert and Mesa LSC and neither the SS22 or DRRI found me exchanging cash for amp.

Out of the two I would take the DRRI and use a stomp or two. They are both good sounding amps no doubt. The DRRI just has something more that I like but nothing more than I have already. I had a similar problem with the SS60. It was almost a great amp for me but didnt seperate itself in an outstanding way from anything I already had or could achieve with stomps.

I like the size of those two amps and that really is the attraction for me.

 

You have a Concert, right? From what I can tell, those larger Fender amps like the Vibrolux and the Concert seem to have really great tone.

I guess you can't beat the tone of those larger amps with multiple 10's and 12" speakers.

 

Under consideration are Suepersonic 22, Toneking Imperal - 20 watts with a built-in attenuator, 2 channel, blackface tone. VSA, 20 watts with a 12" speaker, Princeton II or just a Princeton. These amps are light weight, have the blackface tone. I suppose I should revisit a DRRI and listen to it again.

[JeffB]

You have a Concert, right? From what I can tell, those larger Fender amps like the Vibrolux and the Concert seem to have really great tone.

I guess you can't beat the tone of those larger amps with multiple 10's and 12" speakers.

 

Under consideration are Suepersonic 22, Toneking Imperal - 20 watts with a built-in attenuator, 2 channel, blackface tone. VSA, 20 watts with a 12" speaker, Princeton II or just a Princeton. These amps are light weight, have the blackface tone. I suppose I should revisit a DRRI and listen to it again.

Yes, the Concert is a 112. But its heavy. That is why I was looking at the SS22 and the DRRI.

The concert and different stomps beat the SS22 at every point for me and shared some common ground with the DRRI. It will never get the on its own drive like the DRRi but it can get there with stomps.

It was the Mesa LSC that surprised me in the shoot out. It was able to mimic a lot of what I like about the DRRI and at much quieter volumes.

With the choice of 10/50/100w, tube rec or silicon diode, loop and master vol bypass, full power or tweed(variac) and a few other features it becomes quite configurable.

But its a rather large head and cab combination.

It was a disappointing shoot out tbh in that I was faced with the fact that I already had the sounds of the two amps (ss22 and drri) already well and truly happening in gear I already had. Just in gear that is heavier and less manageable.

Ive done shoot outs like this a few times with lots of different amps and am always slightly amused to find that I already have the sounds I want from the amps on trail in gear I already have. I think its because I pretty much try to get the same sounds out of every piece of gear.

[koula901]

I demo'd an S22 tonight and was not impressed.

 

Also demo'd a DRRI on which I liked the clean sound much better. I'd take that over the S22 any day and use it with stomps.

[Kuz]

I demo'd an S22 tonight and was not impressed.

 

Also demo'd a DRRI on which I liked the clean sound much better. I'd take that over the S22 any day and use it with stomps.

 

FWIW, I never turn up a Fender Blackface for distortion, I always use pedals. I think the blackface amps were meant to be clean amps that happen to sound great with an OD in front of them.

 

Now a Fender Tweed is all about crank it up distortion (it can take pedals, but they sound great cranked as well). Personally, I don't like the sound of how Blackface fenders break up, I would rather use a pedal. So really you get the best of both worlds. Perfect clean tones and with an OD pedal great blues-classic rock tones.

[rockabilly69]

Kuz, tommorow I wil record my Deluxe Reverb turned up and you tell me if it sounds good distorted. With the original Oxford it was flubby when you

hit the gas, but the Weber 12A150 holds tight with a great distortion tone. Think Michael Bloomfield fat LP distorted tone that still is clean enough

to mix well with other instruments, but punch and sustain with the best.

[guitarnorm]

I have 2 DRRI's that did the clean blackface thing great, as well as good breakup, once I changed out some tubes, and put an Eminence Texas Heat in them to hold up the low end when I cranked them. For most places I play, and even in the studio, I needed to use a THD Hotplate to get that sound manageable. I picked up a Supersonic 22 about a month ago, and I love it! It gets you close enough into Deluxe Reverb territory, plus with the Fat Switch, it gets some of it's own cool clean and pushed tones at a reasonable volume. The dirt side is very versatile as well, and you can run it from low gain to screamin' stoopid if you want. Dial it in for what it works for you and you're good. I also like that it has mid control, which the DRRI doesn't have. The Supersonic 22 has it's own sound, deep enough bass for a 22 watter, and the gain channel, but it's not a Tweed or a Marshall. After 5 gigs, I'm thinking about selling my 2 DRRI's, my Mesa Boogie Lonestar Classic (I could never dial out all the mids/lows on the gain channel), and my Tweed Blues Jr. and getting another one of these to keep at the practice spot! Other guitar players in the audience have been complementing me on my tone as well. It's taken my Catalinbread DLS MK II, and Fullton OCD off my pedalboard! Thinking about taking the Fulldrive off, and just using a TS9 for THAT tone on the clean channel, as well as to push the dirt side more if I want.

[Kuz]

Kuz, tommorow I wil record my Deluxe Reverb turned up and you tell me if it sounds good distorted. With the original Oxford it was flubby when you

hit the gas, but the Weber 12A150 holds tight with a great distortion tone. Think Michael Bloomfield fat LP distorted tone that still is clean enough

to mix well with other instruments, but punch and sustain with the best.

I am sorry if I gave the impression that a cranked DR doesn't give a good distorted tone. It is just a personal preference that I like to use OD pedals to simulate that cranked tone better. The great thing about these old amps is that you don't need to turn up the gain much at all on your OD pedal to get that great tone and you are playing at reasonable volumes.

 

FWIW, I never had an Oxford in my '67 DR, It had a Black & Tan Jensen in it but the seller offered me a choice of a vintage JBL K120 as well. I chose the JBL.

[rockabilly69]

I am sorry if I gave the impression that a cranked DR doesn't give a good distorted tone. It is just a personal preference that I like to use OD pedals to simulate that cranked tone better. The great thing about these old amps is that you don't need to turn up the gain much at all on your OD pedal to get that great tone and you are playing at reasonable volumes. (I use pedals with mine too)

 

FWIW, I never had an Oxford in my '67 DR, It had a Black & Tan Jensen in it but the seller offered me a choice of a vintage JBL K120 as well. I chose the JBL. (of those two speakers, I would have too)

 

I keep the Oxford that was in my amp in a box in storage:) The JBL that I heard in a Deluxe was a D120, but I bet that K120 sounds great. I thought you might like this...Today on the Les Paul forum Elliot East or the cars said this...

 

"Shake it Up" is a '64 Deluxe Reverb, dimed. 1st half of the solo is a '65 L-series Lake Placid Blue Tele and the second hald is the same rig but with my '75 355 mono. I wanted it to sound like 2 guys trading solos so the 1st is sort of Tele chicken pickin' and the 2nd half is some wailing Gibson tone. I hope!"

 

[jazzam]

Yes, I owned one for a short while. Sold it and got an Evans JE-200.

Best move I ever made......

[guitarnorm]

Rick Neilsen from Cheap Trick also uses Deluxe Reverbs as his main stage amps - although into Marshall cabs for the low end!

I love that sound too, but I love the versatility of having a Deluxe channel, as well as a gain channel to be able to do the SRV to AC/DC type gain, I'm loving the Supersonic 22!

[Blunote]

Kuz, tommorow I wil record my Deluxe Reverb turned up and you tell me if it sounds good distorted. With the original Oxford it was flubby when you

hit the gas, but the Weber 12A150 holds tight with a great distortion tone. Think Michael Bloomfield fat LP distorted tone that still is clean enough

to mix well with other instruments, but punch and sustain with the best.

Check one of these out. There's a couple of them for sale on TGP and you don't often see them come up. A friend loaned me one of these for about a month. I plugged my '65 DR into it and was able to get that sweet dialed up blackface distortion at room listening volumes.

 

They're definately not inexpensive, though.

 

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=1233308&highlight=Alex+Attenuator

[DetroitBlues]

Jet City keeps talking about one they're making, but I still haven't seen one yet... Very closes to that design Allen.

[koula901]

Aren't there many attenuators out there?

 

Tone king has started building them right into their amps.

[Blunote]

Not all attenuators are created equally. The Alex is a custom built unit that simulates the dynamic charactoristics of the the speakers contribution to tone as power to it increases.

 

I don't know the physics behind it but there are different kinds of loads an amp pushes. One is an "inductive" load which is created by the speaker and varies in a non-linear manner as volume is increased. The Alex (a a couple of other brands) mimics this dynamic. It also provides a knob to manually boost the high end at the highest levels of attenuation. This counters the "tone-suck" that some complain of when using an attenuator.

 

If you ever get a chance to see one in person it will be become evident by weight alone that there's some additional content in the attenuator that you won't find in others such as the Weber, or even the Dr. Z air brake I use (which I'm quite happy with, BTW). The thing must weigh 10 lbs.

 

I think it's a must-have for artists who want to record using higher powered amps in their studios. It would also provide a lot of vesatility to use those amps in smaller venues.

[koula901]

Thanks for the explanation. It seems like a useful thing to have around - especially for studio use.