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Post subject: Opinions on the Frontman 212 R
Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 1:04 pm
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I am researching amps....any feed back on the Frontman 212R?? Thanks


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Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 10:17 pm
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It's an okay amp for a solid state. Clean tone is pretty good, drive channels could sound better. Seems to be pretty reliable, too. I owned a close relative of this amp (the FM 212 DSP) for about a year and had no maintenance issues with it.

The problem with the Frontman 212R is that it's really too loud (100 Watts) for home use. If that's where you're going to be using it most of the time, I would probably go for a smaller tube amp (like the Champ 600 or a Super Champ XD).

If you're planning on playing regularly with a band, this amp will have more than enough volume. Just don't expect the world's greatest tone out of it. You may find yourself eventually upgrading to something else.


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Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 12:58 pm
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Thanks for the input...I am still weighing the pros and cons of this or a Deluxe vm....


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Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 2:37 pm
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Good luck with your decision! I guess the best thing to do is to try them both out in the store and see which one you like best. In my experience, it's usually best to spend a little more money now and get exactly what you want. If you settle for something merely because it's less expensive, you'll often find yourself upgrading further down the road.

So long as you're considering a solid state, you might also want to try out the FM 212 DSP. It's pretty much the same amp as the Frontman, but it has a lot of the extra effects and amp settings that can be found on the Deluxe VM.


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Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 2:54 pm
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I plan on trying both out...only problem...not sure how much amp I need for the future...:)...so I am in a quandry. But I do appreciate the advice.


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Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 12:03 pm
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I'm currently trying out the Frontman 212r. I recently sold my HRD and am looking to replace it with a cleaner sounding amp as I am doing a lot of reggae and funk sounds.

For the price, the 212r's clean channel is excellent. I use pedals for the rest and they work really good with this amp. The 212r stays very clean at high volumes. The amp looks great as well.

I wasn't too impressed with the clean on the VM, there was something about it that did not sound right. The effects on the VM were great though.

The only thing missing on the 212r as it is a solid state amp is that natural overdrive sound, unless a pedal can generate that.

For the price, I would recommend the 212 r.


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Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 12:33 pm
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I'd go with either the Frontman 212R or maybe a DRRI. I'm not a big fan of the VM series. You might like them though. The Frontman is rated at 100 watts but it's solid state it won't get anywhere near as loud as my Twin that's also rated at 100 watts. The FM is not a horrible sounding amp. I tried one and actually like it better than the VM. Tone wise I like the DRRI much better than both of them. It's 22 watts but it's still pretty loud. It's a rock solid amp. You can always mic it for bigger gigs. I've done outside festival gigs with a Deluxe Reverb.
You don't want an overly loud stage volume anyway.


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Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 1:19 pm
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Hello Airbornestrat,

Frontman212 good value for you buck and
packs a lot of horsepower, frankly too much for me.

Bit on the combersome side so I opted for the
Vibro Champ XD.

It's a good amp, best of luck on your purchase.

Cheers.


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Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 2:10 pm
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Both the Frontman 212 and FM 212 are good amps. But, if you have a choice between the two I'd suggest going for the Frontman 212 as it is a better quality built amp. The Frontman amps have the pots held in place with nuts while the FM series amps just have the pots hanging there held in place by the 3 legs that are solder to the PC board. The FM series amps have loads of troubles with these pots breaking the solder joint at the board. Also, no matter which Fender amp you purchase be careful with the input plug. They also tend to break at the PC board. I have 30 of the Frontman 15 and 25 amps that were returned on warrantee. About 75% of these had broken PC boards at the input jack.

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Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 8:31 am
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The Frontman 212 is great if you're going to use it with effect pedals. It's extremely clean and loud but doesn't have a lot of tonal personality on it's own. That's good for pedals because the amp lets the sound of your effect pedals come through a lot better. Since the Frontman 212 is so loud and affordable, it's a good amp to haul around to gigs too.

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Post subject: Re: Opinions on the Frontman 212 R
Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 10:11 am
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airbornestrat wrote:
I am researching amps....any feed back on the Frontman 212R?? Thanks


I use the Frontman 212R for home practice and recording. The tone is classic Fender clean, wide and spacious, and all my guitars sound uncolored ... which is what I want. The only drawback is the cost-reduced reverb (supplied by AXL).

I currently use a reverb pedal, which is adequate and a bit more flexible than a reverb tank.

I am having some trouble locating the proper Accutronics/Belton tank for the Frontman 212R.

Does anyone know what full sized reverb tank model number is compatible in the Frontman 212R?


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