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Post subject: discontinued ss100twin
Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2014 6:44 am
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So I've suddenly realized that Fender has discontinued the SS100Twin amp. Anyone know why? I've got a sneaking suspicion it has to do with bad build and quality. I can attest to this as I am the unlucky owner of one. This amp never realized all the hype heaped upon it. It's not featured on their website any longer, and none of the online music stores or big box stores carry them anymore. Sad. At the risk of sounding like sour grapes, Fender should recall these heaps and give or exchange their long time, and faithful users something they can be proud of. If you happen to own one, and it's all it was cracked up to be, I'm happy for you. Mine has been a nightmare since day one, and spends more time on a bench, or sitting in the garage, than time played. The Fender heritage and quality are disintegrating. :(


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Post subject: Re: discontinued ss100twin
Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2014 7:51 am
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The Fender website still lists both the SS 100W Head and SS 100W Twin Combo versions as being available. On the Guitar Center website the Head is no longer available, but the Twin Combo is. I wish Fender would remove products from their website that are no longer available new in retail stores.


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Post subject: Re: discontinued ss100twin
Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2014 8:51 am
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wilywelch wrote:
Mine has been a nightmare since day one, and spends more time on a bench, or sitting in the garage, than time played.


Sounds like my Hotrod Deluxe. In aviation parlance, that's what's known as a "hangar queen".

:lol:

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: discontinued ss100twin
Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2014 9:11 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
wilywelch wrote:
Mine has been a nightmare since day one, and spends more time on a bench, or sitting in the garage, than time played.


Sounds like my Hotrod Deluxe. In aviation parlance, that's what's known as a "hangar queen".

:lol:

Arjay


+1...or the last stage of a Hangar Queen..."Can Bird" (cannibalization bird) the one we used strickly for spare parts to repair others that were capable of flying!
:mrgreen:
T2

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Post subject: Re: discontinued ss100twin
Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2014 10:31 am
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Many of us unfortunately feel your pain wilywelch. My HRdlx suffered a similar fate until I had it repaired for the last time and then dumped it.

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Post subject: Re: discontinued ss100twin
Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2014 10:48 pm
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I feel for you, though my SSTwin100 has been pretty amazing, even though I must admit I am not hard to please. The Blonde Chassis looks so good that I will probably never send it to the landfill even if the internal PCB's should fail. I will probably use it to build a hand wired version of some fender amp.

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Post subject: Re: discontinued ss100twin
Posted: Fri Jun 27, 2014 11:01 pm
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IIRC you went through yours and successfully cleaned several things up, didn't you Aaron?

Perhaps a re-post of the steps you took might be in order......

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: discontinued ss100twin
Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2014 7:45 am
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Sad, sad, sad. I realize it's difficult for Fender to stay with it's tried and true amps i.e.-Twins, Deluxe's, and Hot Rods, and retain the quality that many of us have come to rely on. From an engineering standpoint, the "Supersonics" are a wiring and complicated nightmare. Carrying that out to a manufacturing standpoint, it's anybody's guess if the amp was built as intended. From reading other posts, it seems like every amp that leaves the factory has different parts, tubes, capacitors, etc. put in them. There doesn't seem to be any consistency in one amp to the next, other than they're just bad. My amp is destined for the "wall of shame" in Fenders history. I for one, cannot forgive them. I put out a lot of money for my amp, in good faith, and got a lemon. I cannot speak highly of Fender, as it was in the past. Someone at Fender needs to back up, back off, and get back to the legacy and quality that Fender once had. They still have a front row seat at my local GC, and I will simply walk on by, and take a look at other manufacturers. Hey FENDER, get your act together. Sad, sad, sad.


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Post subject: Re: discontinued ss100twin
Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 8:43 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
IIRC you went through yours and successfully cleaned several things up, didn't you Aaron?

Perhaps a re-post of the steps you took might be in order......

Arjay


Yeh my amp needed what seems like the regular reverb hiss and feedback fix. Other than replacing reverb cables and fixing manufacturing issues in the reverb pan, I think I got off lightly compared to some. I also took it apon myself to replace speaker cables and put in some different tubes, but that was for my own needs. I am, however, wondering what I will be facing next after I have just shipped my amp to another continent? It will have been in storage and on the high seas for at least 16 weeks by the time I get to unpack her again. :?

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Post subject: Re: discontinued ss100twin
Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 9:53 am
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I'd worry more about salt-air corrosion than anything else.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: discontinued ss100twin
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 7:43 am
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I did the same thing with my new amp. I'm kinda anal and pretentious with my tube amps and have always carried a new set of tubes regardless of the amps age. In the case of the SS Twin, I immediately ordered a full complement of tubes from Eurotubes, and they are sitting in a nicely stacked pile, awaiting for the time I might need them, all 13 of them. Unfortunately, I never got far enough with the amp, to actually use them.

I did e-mail a scathing letter to Fender customer care. Highly doubt I'll get a favorable remark. My guess is that someone at Fender has to know what a boat anchor they've created. Here's a transcript of what I expect back. "All Fender amps come with a 5-year warranty, and we'll be happy to honor any repairs excluding tubes, speakers, cosmetics, etc." Great.... another visit to the shop, and another 4-5 weeks of bench time. Chances are, I'm going to take pictures, put the amp up for sale while it's still operational and looking good, and maybe get a break even price. But I'm doubting that. Anyone who knows 2 cents about amps will realize the problems this amp inherently has, and not be willing to shell out the $$$. Hey, at least the amp still looks like it just came out of the box !!!!


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Post subject: Re: discontinued ss100twin
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 7:49 am
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wilywelch wrote:
Hey, at least the amp still looks like it just came out of the box !!!!


Image

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: discontinued ss100twin
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2014 4:57 pm
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Thanks everyone who has shared my pain, and put up with my whining. Arjay, thanks. I prefer an amp that works. Funny, I have a Peavey VK 100 combo, it cost about a third of the Fender boat anchor, and kicks the crap outta the Fender. It's simply a no nonsense, uncomplicated, user friendly amp. If and when I'm able to unload the "nightmare", I will immediately go pick up one of the new 50 watt VK's. I've tried them out, and they are exactly what I need. All tube, no bells and whistles, and reliable. Sorry Fender, but I think Peavey does their research before releasing a product.


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Post subject: Re: discontinued ss100twin
Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 6:23 am
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Peavey makes some really nice, great sounding amps. Most of their stuff is still made in America.
Best of luck with it!

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Post subject: Re: discontinued ss100twin
Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2014 8:25 am
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63supro wrote:
Peavey makes some really nice, great sounding amps. Most of their stuff is still made in America.
Best of luck with it!


+1

And they contain very few if any limited-production proprietary components so you can generally always find parts for them. The "KISS" principle was one of Leo's guiding precepts and Hartley took it to heart early on and adopted it as his own.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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