Fenders Sleeper Amp - Grab A Bargain!
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- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
- In today's video, Paul Drew and James Ivey from The Studio Rats check out Fender's most underrated amp, the Fender Supersonic 22.
Here is what Fender say about the Supersonic 22
Super-Sonic amps are the favorites of pro guitarists in many genres who love glorious Fender clean tone and expressive modern high-gain from one no-nonsense tube amp. Like the combo model, the Super-Sonic 22 Head delivers this versatility with the organic feel and moderate power of the classic Deluxe Reverb® amp, pairing perfectly with the Super-Sonic 60 212 enclosure and other cabinets. The vintage channel delivers unmistakable Fender tone, and the awesome burn channel rocks overdrive from bluesy to flame-throwing - all without masking the tonal character of your guitar. Available in classic Black/Silver or 1961-style Blonde/Oxblood, both with ivory "radio" knobs and flowing 1960s Fender amp logo.
The Studio Rats are core band members Paul Drew on guitar/production/mixing, drummer James Ivey and Dan Hawkins on bass. They collaborate with singers and musicians to produce radio-ready songs.
Been gigging a supersonic 22 for 10 years now. Really great amp.
ME TOO,,,,
Such a killer amp. Definitely underrated.
This guy has got an excellent tone what ever he plays.
I've had a couple super sonics for about fifteen years. I'm strictly a blue's guy and these amps are great. They're the swiss army knives of amplifiers they'll do anything. Never had any issues with mine.
Noisiest amp I ever owned and reverb would squeal. Had the potential to be a great amp but Fender never did correct these issues.
Yep. Best to simply disconnect the reverb circuit and use a pedal. @@michaelmcwilliams4705
Do you have 22 watts? Is it loud enough for a loud gig situation?
@user-dr5tw7jc3n I have a sixty watt and a 22 watt. The 22 is perfect 99 percent of the time. I'm an old guy so i've had just about every fender amp including an original 59 bass man 4 10. That's the only one that I would say sounds a little better than the super sonics. They're amazing I highly recommend them.
I had one for a couple of years.
Absolutely loved the clean channel, nothing like it! Added a few NOS tubes, and a Alessandro speaker.
Still could never get a useful tone out of the dirty channel. it’s not horrible, just never sounded like I wanted it too.
I ended up buying a Mesa boogie Fillmore 50 and all my problems have gone away 😊
Having owned my share of 10s of vintage Fender amps in my timeline I’d say the SuperSonic is an amp for life, can do anything you’d ask for, and do it with character. This should be a legendary amp if it weren’t for the hoards of guitar-Karens, line6 nurtured babies complaining that it’s noisy.
I’ve had my Super Sonic 22 combo over 8 years with no problems and sounds great.
I own 2 Supersonic 60s (a combo & a head), both from 2005.
In the combo, I replaced the Celestion Vintage 30 with a Jensen N12 100W neo. I swapped the long tail reverb for the medium Accutronics tank. We adjusted the mid resistors on the Vintage side to match an actual 65 deluxe reverb. I run KT66s in both.
It's a good amp. I wish the pots weren't surface mounted to the board. I've had to replace 2.
The tube buffered effects loops is glorious.
Absolutely love the sound, when it works. The early 60 watt version needed some initial repairs, then the second generation was and is pretty reliable. The 22 watt is riddled with problems, but can all be fixed and upgraded to be reliable. If you can get one used and for a good price then put the repair work into it, it can be a great amp. If you really want something for pissing off the neighbors, get the Super Sonic Twin 100 which I have. It’s a beast, and the best garage amp I’ve ever owned. Not for bedroom users. Been using it off and on since new 2010 and only had the filter caps replaced due to a recall. Great tone guys!
LOL, so right. Bought a fender twin reverb from a friend about thirty years ago. Took it home, turned it up to 1 1/2, blasted out the neighborhood. Couldn't get it quiet enough to lay in the bedroom, even clean.
@@shelfstretcher People love to tell the "legend" of TRs.. Actual twin reverbs are not loud on 1,2 or really even 3. They have a great volume taper and are completely bedroom playable. Bsides, he was talking about the super sonic twin, completely different amp.
Yes, I am aware which amp he was speaking of. I was referring to MY personal amp, no one else’s and I don’t know about what legendary tale you speak of about Fender Twins. Perhaps I could take it to a shop and they could improve the sound since it still has the original speakers and tubes, both of which have the “Fender” logo on them. I only played it a couple of times because I don’t play in large venues, only jam with friends. I got it for $100 and couldn’t pass it up. It’s a 1975 model and was 20 years old when I got it, so I’m sure it has some issues. It’s been gathering dust for 30 years, along with a Hiwatt Custom 50 that I also got for a good deal on in the 70’s. My friend says I have G.A.S. But I bought most of what I have when I was young and single-like the box of old Electro Harmonix pedals that I’m sure have cold solder joints by now, lol. I don’t play as much as I used to but can’t bring myself to get rid of anything. Maybe I’m a closet instrument hoarder.
Been a bucket list amp for the past year or so. The wide variety of tones and beautiful dynamics is so difficult to find in many other amps in its pricepoint!
I have the 22w with a Celestion Creamback and it’s fantastic. I love the clean channel with the tone switching button the best.
I put a Creamback in my 22 as well. Definite upgrade.
I use the same combination. My creamback is in an closed back cabinet. Sounds awesome.
First came across a Fender Super Sonic in Cranes of Cardiff (at their Swansea store.) I plugged my MIJ Strat into the 22 watt version and it was an amazing amp to play. Sadly it was way out of my price range but I was very grateful to the staff for letting me tinker with it. Many many years later, Cranes closed down and I never forgot about the encounter.... Doing a search on eBay about 3 years ago I found a Super Sonic 60 watt for sale only 20 miles away from me. The 60 watt ( and it's sister 100 watt) are LOUD. I rarely play the 60 watt because of living in a flat with thin walls, but the times I have...it takes me back to that shop in Swansea and those moments. The Super Sonic is a great amp. Totally recommend it.
Ah, Cranes of Cardiff. I remember getting all excited as I crossed the old Severn bridge with £600 in my pocket to get a Boogie .22+ combo from there in 1987. I’ve still got it, works lovely but hasn’t seen a lot of action. The supersonic 22 combo was certainly on my more recent bucket list too but in the same shop (PMT Bristol) I swapped a tatty 1974 Les Paul Custom (too heavy!) for a faux aged Fender Custom Shop Tele instead. Funny how certain bits of gear really influence you. 🤟
I love that you're rocking the Krautster on most of your recent videos. I've got a Krautster 2 that I will never part with. It's the perfect guitar for gigs - light weight, versatile, gorgeous, holds a tune for an entire show. Also, it has the lightest hardshell case I've ever used
Woof, for that price it better
I owned the 60-watt head. I loved the 6L6 tubes, which gave a Mesa-esque experience, especially in the clean channel.
They are really great amps! I have the 100W 2x12" combo with Vintage 30s. It is ridiculously loud on the 100W (arena) setting and though it can be switched down to 25W (club mode) it is still really loud. Covers pretty much any sound you could ever need.
Thank you for making this video! I have two of the 22w Combos and I love them....Try blending one on clean and one on gain.....*chefs kiss*
Used it the last two years. Love it.
Have 2 of them. BEST amp fender makes. I use the live and always get compliments on my sound ...Not too cheap anymore. people know how good they are
Played through one for the past 10 years. The 60W combo block script. I only used the Bassman side. The Celestion speaker is great. The Vibrolux side is brighter than bright but super clean for sure. I just sold it for $50 less than I paid for it. It's a great sounding amp, but I had burned cap issues, arching across the board/burned transistors etc. My tech said it was a poor design and I should get rid of it. I don't want an amp that I have to have worked on constantly. I finally decided to move it on.
Switch a pre amp ATX 7 to an AU7 and it takes some harshness off the OD channel...sweet tones
I have the Super-Sonic 60, it’s a killer amp… changed the tubes and the speaker 🔈
I’ve owned a bunch of different blackface fender amps, vintage and newer, my ss22 has never been considered for the chopping block. This amp is incredible still.
What do you think about twin 65 reissue is it good?
@@petarzutic1165 I had the blonde/wheat 65 twin reverb reissue, I got rid of it pretty quickly. I never could get it dialed in right.
@@mkds7756 Would you recommend some of the reissue classics?
I had one of those, and sold it....
Yes, a good sounding amp when it works. Sadly the QC seemed to be a little dicey on these and they are just PCB based like the Hot Rod Deluxe and many others in the line nowadays, even the DR. So many relays!.. and still SS rectification so it isnt as chewy as the DR if thats the 'base' sound youre going for.
Mine had multiple trips back to Fender to try to solve issues.
Save your time and resources... and do not rely on this amp to gig with on its own!.... Just save a little longer and get a 'good' Deluxe Reverb.
A good amp!... But all of the builders and Techs I took mine to to have it fixed said it was badly designed. Im not sure I would call these 'sleeper amps' as I dont think many will still work.... But If you find a 'good one' more power to ya!.
Good sounding amp when it worked. I owned 3. Two 60w’s and a 22. All of them were fabulously unreliable. Shame really, they looked fantastic and when the worked sounded good. When being the factor….
Totally agree, But reading some of the other comments on here it seems there are folks who got 'good' reliable ones, that are still going. Its a shame. Just goes to show the importance of QC I guess.
@@daysleeper3910I'm going to call this phenomenon 'Pinocchio Syndrome,' when comment sections contain supposed experiences that are in direct contrast with what is the general consensus.
@@Da_Publick So we are all telling lies are we?.... You can call it whatever you want!... And we can call you a dick!.
@@Da_Publick I have a Supersonic 22, it was a bag of shit until I changed some components and followed the tech note released by fender themselves to fix the reverb that squealed like a dirty, corrupt, stuffed little shit filled new york pink piggy.
Wait.. no amp modeling???? I'll take it!
I've had a Super Sonic for about 15 years, I think, now. It's a great amp. I really like the cleans. And using the fat switch to get into Bassman types tones territory is great too. I'm not crazy about the overdrive, but luckily the clean takes pedals really well. It's funny that the handle is not connected because I had an issue with mine. The amp seemed to be too heavy for the handle and the handle snapped in half. I replaced the handle but then ran into another issue where the screw mounts inside seem to be coming loose or possibly even breaking. I bearhug it now when I need to move it. Hopefully yours doesn't have the same issue. A cool trick with the Super Sonic (if not using pedals in the loop) is that you can attach a small cable to the in and out of the FX loop and it works as a 2-4 dB boost. Combine this with the foot pedal having an FX loop switch and you have a nice volume boost at your feet. Definitely a flexible amp, and great for gigging with all the options on the foot pedal. It reminds me of the Mesa Nomad series, sounds are a bit different but features are similar. And I think they cam out around the same time. Funny enough, I owned a Nomad 45 as well :P. Thanks for the video!
I had both the Supersonic 60 watt combo and the Mesa Nomad 45 combo. I sold both too. The Nomad had a big problem with send and returns and the reverb not working. Went in for repair to Westside and came back with the same problems. It was also very sensitive to slight tonal changes. Very easy to accidentally get a crap sound. Sold it as too unreliable. I concur with you re the OD channel on the Supersonic. The clean channel sounded great but the OD I thought was naff. PX’d the Nomad for a Two Rock Sensor combo and the Supersonic for a Marshall TSL 100 combo. Sold both of those too, eventually. 🤣 Too much GAS. Now fed up with losing lots of dosh with trading gear and remain happy with a Marshall 20 watt Silver Jubilee 2525H, a 35 watt Carol Ann 35 watt OD3r head and a Blackstar HT20R combo. All are brilliant.
I find you really want to turn gain 2 all the way up. Gain 1 at about 10 or 11, 2 all the way up, bass full; rest to taste and you have a banging mid gain Marshall tone. Ps my handle snapped too😮
Yes, I have a gold and black Rolex combo custom with a v 30. Had no problems for years though I read that many guys had the switching system problems. Mine didn’t but suddenly two years ago at a recording session, it stopped input and went to a full volume hum, like you had the volume on 10 and touched the end of the guitar cord without ground. Had it looked at twice and no issues found. I had to leave it home. Then one day I said screw this. As being a tinkerer and semi repair skills, I pulled the chassis and messed with everything and then it did it. It was a sporadic tube. I replaced the tube, re soldered the socket tags and bingo, it worked but, then a resistor at r59 burnt. I replaced it and once again it worked fine. I knocked and tapped to no end and no problem. Then I put the chassis in and tried it before tightening the screws. Great, fine. Tight ended the screws and it stopped working. Frustrated, I put it away. Then a few months later pulled it out to try it again. Now there was only a hiss and the channel switching stopped working. It’s a great sounding amp, click on my pic and see my videos for a demo. Now, I had a really bad cold after a very late gig and didn’t feel like playing but loving the sound for what I do, I had to play it with my American deluxe telecaster. Listen how awesome this amp sounds. What’s nice is you can put you echo etc on the amp to reach it better for tweaking, you only have to use the amp foot switch to turn it on and off.
I also use the SS 60 head with a small box 4x12 Marshall loaded with V-30’s. Great sound
Used to see these commonly in my local big box store. I love the clean sounds and would be my go to amp for noodling in the store.
Ive had a SS 60 for the last few years and love it. I have the earlier version one with the different style typeface. It does everything. Very underrated and still cheap. Got the head and 2x12 cab for 600 total back in 2021.
I have the Ltd Edition combo version of this amp - the one that came fitted with Celestion V30 speaker, and the fancy black & gold tolex wrapper. It sounds pretty good to me, though can be a little noisy at times.
Its larger brother is indeed the Super Sonic 60 … Would love to hear you through a Vibro King soon. That three knob reverb circuit is just delicious.
That would be cool!
A great versatile amp, not a bargain in Ottawa, used $1000-$1400 for a 22 combo
I've had mine for ten years and it is a great amp even though I use Marshalls mainly.
I even put it through Marshall cabs.
The Gain 1 is classic, the Gain 2 is Modern so you can blend.
Bought mine in 2010, love it.
There's a local CT player that I see gigging now and then with that amp (22 combo) and a few pedals. He's got an amazing sound. I was surprised by how loud that amp can get too. Great gigging amp
Someone needs to explain to me how $1400 for an amp head is a "bargain"?
It got you to click, which made the creator more money; there's the bargain. 😂
I almost bought one years ago, I fancied the blond/oxblood as I had a blues Jr in that color. I ended up buying a Peavey Delta Blues 1x15 (accidentally while on a trip to Sam Ash, lol) and its kept me from feeling like I still need a Supersonic, maybe! lol
Its only disappointing feature is the variable voltage controlled footswitch... Can't control it with another midi or trs pedal. It would be absolutely perfect. Sounds killer ❤
I got one a couple years ago, love it ...I tend to use the clean channel with a medium overdrive
I have a 60watt one like that with no reverb amazing amp and great for live when you jump loop in the back and crank it still get the tone at the low volumes controlling the volume from the back :)
Just got a SS60 combo and it is glorious! I’ll never need another amp
Fender tone is the benchmark against which other amps are measured. I have a BDR that always puts a smile on my face, and which I've gigged with no pedals many times. That said, for underrated amps, I'd like to nominate the Laney LC30 II, one of which I picked up from eBay yesterday. Virtually no background noise, and a superb tonal range. I haven't yet compared it against my Fender, but by itself it's fantastic. I've never tried the Supersonic, but it too sounds very good in this video.
Nick Huber Guitar, you are a man of culture!
I think THE fender sleeper is the early custom vibrolux, which is in essence a 1963 Vibroverb (i know, it got pretty weird for a while). 90s Fender amps are kinda odd, I think it was a rennaissance for the company with their high end amps being some of the best amps the company ever produced; but even the "standard amp line" were amps that took very interesting steps toward a marshall/british voicing. I think after a solid 15 years of being considered "old timey" from most of the hard rock community, Fender took steps to voice their amps in a more british manner, this is one of these amps. Now I love that classic Fender sparkle/shimmer but for many the perfect amp is a combo of american and british sensibilities. None of the british amp lines took steps to the middle (to the best of my understanding) but here we have Fender doing just that. If ever you wanted a merging of a Marshall and Fender..consider some of these amps
I tried one of these Super Sonics out years ago at a music store. It sounded great and felt fantastic to play! I'm all modellers at the present time, but if I were to buy an amp ... this would be on the short list.
Try and get your hands on a Pro Sonic… I was hoping this would be a little closer to a new version of that amp.
The Super has a great clean channel, but the Pro drive channel was sooooo awesome!
And the 2x10 combo really mic’d up well. Great gigging amp.
The Fat switch on the Blues Junior has always been good for single coils. I don't think the circuit gets enough love.
Love mine. Play it thru 2x12 Jensen p12ns. Its, simple on the clean and versatile on the burn . And after 2 years no problems
I own the SuperSonic Twin combo (2x12), weighs a fucking ton!
That’s the big boy!
Im not sure if the new ones have it, but the ones from the early 00's have both a effects loop and a pre out and power in for slaving so you can both slave it and still have the loop which is super nice too.
Have owned the 22W & 60W versions of these. 60W was subject to lots of noise and the 22W was nice but sort fell into a no man’s land of tone IMO.
Ended up with a Deluxe Reverb and like that more for my needs.
Was wondering if you guys mic'd a cabinet for this and if not, what speaker sim were you using. Sounds great !
The supersonic rules ,all of the models especially the supersonic twin/bassman very rare
Had one of these for 6 years, only sold it because I got myself a Blug amp 1 and the rest is history. Highly recommend the supersonic though.
Are you 100% satisfied with the Amp 1?
I have the SS 60 head with twin 12 bottom, sounds are amazing, no problems with it at all. Good thing it is a head and cabinet because it is not for weak. Tend to gravitate towards my Mesa Mark 35 more now as size and weight become an issue with age.
There's also a 100w version of the supersonic that has a Twin/Bassman clean channel and a slightly different drive channel (has a midrange "notch" control). That one is really rare.
That's what I have, SuperSonic Twin 2x12" combo... BMT knobs on the clean and the aforementioned notch control....
I have the 100 head version of that!
What guitar are you playing? Very nice sound and restrained playing.
I had a 60 1-12 combo for years and gigged it regularly and really loved it a lot. The only problem is was heavy and hard on me to cover. That hard rubber handle didn't help a bit !
Converted my 60W 1x12 combo to 2x10 Jensens, that elevated the cleans big time. Sadly the baffle is glued in, which doesn't make it an "easy" conversion.
One of my faves. Coveted for a while. When did they become a bargain?
My question too! I have never seen one for cheap.
I had a 22W combo for several years, it was pretty noisey which always bothered me. Didn't get to crank it enough and wasn't super pleased with the whole deal. I have a Mark V 25W now and I'm not sad LOL But loved this video -- maybe I'd still have it if this came out a couple years ago!
Want to echo sentiments that the combo factory Fender instruments speaker is a limitation. Seriously lacked articulation IMO
And Effects Loop is mediocre. Did feel like I lost some clarity there.
You are sad about your clean sound. Be honest
@@deddiev1718 I play the clean and crunch channel 80% of the time. Very happy!
Still have mine . Was my main amp till my 10 year Band Broke up.
Great sounding amp. Owned an early one. Can't get a 60 watter passed 2 without a soundman meltdown. And self-destructs if you slap an attenuator on it.
I have the combo and it's a really nice amp.. the gain stages are a little compressed but not too badly.
Didnt Dave Murray use one of these a few years back? He dabbled with Victory amps too.
Burn channel 10,10 and 9 on the volume - how freakin' loud must that have been?!
My gigging amp is the SS22 with an Alessandro sig speaker and a 5751 in V1. I love it.
Never have it past 4 on the volumes to be honest.
I used a 1x12 Super Sonic combo for a few years. That thing rocked. Sexy orange and black FSR tolex, man wish I still had that one.
That’s the model i have lol, sounds great with the greenback. I believe only 17 in that colour made it to the uk.
@@emcg.9655 Yeah I regret selling it but oh well. it's the journey right?
I love mine have had no problems at all in 6 years of ownership
I'm selling one as we speak but the combo. I always found it best to back both gains down to between 2-3 and use pedals. Reverb's great too..
I had an OG Supersonic head, it was a monster! Loved it but at 60w I never put it past 2 at the gigs. Moved to a combo. Thought about the 22 but never got around to getting one. I'm on Fractal now so I don't need an actual amp.
I have the head version.Love it!What cab/speakers are you running through?I cannot get my burn channel to sound that good!
Great amp series. I have the 100w combo version and it would strip the paint off the walls if I could turn it up properly.
That guitar sounds extraordinary
I really wanted the Supersonic when they came out, but the Mesa Lonestar was my choice.
Awesome video gents! 🤘🤘
Cheers fella, hope you’re well!
The pedal looks like my mustang v pedal, very Fender looking
D**n, that guitar's pickups are Clear and Beautiful! Are they non-wax potted or lightly shellacked by chance?
I have one, it's fantastic and it's a fender with an effects loop! and mine is the proper color.
They’re great but I believe the 60w head is definitely the way to go. More or less a Mesa Dual Rec at a third the price.
After trying the whole Fender 68 line (Vibrochamp, Princeton, Deluxe Reverb..) each and every one had problems right out the box. The (2 out of 3) tubes failed in 2 days on the Vibrochamp, the Princeton had popping noises, tube and cab (impossible to fix ) rattle, the DR did not sit flush on the floor, had terrible hiss and hum, and rattled (tubes and cab).
So whatever happens, I'm done with Fender amps. It's just not acceptable for a brand to overprice its products for the name, and moreover crap on the quality. WTF.
This amp sounds good, but I have zero confidence in Fender now.
How can it be possible to find comments like "it's hit or miss", "mine was ok after some tech work" , " it stopped working after a couple of years" and so on?
You see guys saying it works fine.. but after my experience with the 68 line, for my part it's a 100% big MISS. And they didn't sound even that "good"
Just FYI.
Great amp. I have one since 10 years.
I've been wondering if this is an amp for me. the drive is good, cleans beautiful. i like the mids, which lots of fenders seem to lack.
Gain 2 fattens up the gain. Together you have wider gain more frequencies. They each pass different frequencies but also overlap a bit. I use both at about 6 for modern high gain with a tube screamer. Fat Marshall sound from a Fender.
Dammit. Now I need a Supersonic. Fab video. I enjoyed it as much for the playing as the tones and amp nerdery. :)
I own 2 22watt. A combo and head. I run the head through a 2x12 vintage 30s.
Had mine for 15 years now let me down twice and still the best amp ever ;0) all tube amps will let you down at some point.
Studio Rats (James/Paul), it is awesome that y’all are capturing amps, but is there any chance y’all could use the Mooer’s GE Labs to capture your amp collect, which could then be used on the Moore multi-effects units and their Preamp pedal. The Mooer GE Lab software is free, so your only cost would probably just be time.
Best Fender amp I have ever owned!
The Super Sonic has the best cleans, and the midrange sounds like bacon smells. I love these.
A fender tube amp with usable distortion. That is a good thing. Most have kinda a tinny bright sound that isn’t great.
Sorry if i missed it, but what cab are you playing through? Sounds great!
Beautiful guitar - what is it?
I was just scrolling the comments myself to see if this had been asked.. gorgeous isn’t it !
@@attillal4821 We wait with baited breath 😊
It’s a NIK HUBER Krautster2
@@TheStudioRats Kraut$ter II much. Beautiful and out of reach, such a tasteful-looking guitar. Love that body/pups with the 25.5” scale too
First time I tried a Super Sonic, I plugged in, played about 5 minutes, and smelled something burning. Then smoke starts coming out of the amp. Decided to forego that purchase.
I have a supersonic 60 combo and its very good!
i gigged my super sonic over 3 years and i sold it to buy a handwired fender brownface / blackface amp.. reason is they buzz really much, the cleans have a certain staleness to it that is quite thin compared to a super reverb.. one good thing was that the gain channel sounds quite british, iw ould rather save up the money and buy a supro
I remember when these came out and Greg Koch demoing them at Namm for Fender. Sounded so huge and awesome!
Then when i got to try one myself a few years later it sounded soooo awefull and brittle and thinny i lost all love for the series. A few weeks ago i saw a video by The Guitologist and he said the Super Sonic amps series were (surprise surprise) designed around floating stock at Fender from the Rivera Designed amplifiers.. They were basically repurposed parts from Fender leftover Rivera stock redesigned into the Super Sonic series.
Also, they are quite the drama when it comes to repair and mods
Nope that was the prosonic series. The Supersonic 22 was a redesigned circuit. The Guitologist is a scruffy helmet cunt bag.
Gregory kochery has a video on it
I’ll check that out.
the more i learn about fender amps the more surprised i am.sounds great and versatile.bye for now.
The Amp of my dreams. Sadly could never afford one.
5 seconds in and interested in the amp.
I’m sixty eight years young and all the amps and gear I have owned and flipped over the years I should have held on to I could have some great assets . Oh well .
Sounds like EL84 power tubes? Could be easier to get a Harley Benton/Stage right/ Mono Price/ Laney Cub, circuit amp and swap out some better tubes and speakers etc, and because those amps are similar sounding but simpler they are more reliable ( and cheaper) so as the guy says, if you got one for cheap and did the work on it it could work with eq and volume adjustment in the loop, but their is some good quality, better finished amps out there that are cheaper and more reliable than probably only a few versions of the Super Sonic that spoil the brand, but they're probably still priced in Fender's imagination, in the quality/ price equation.