Ok, here is the story.

I have a 25 watt Fender amp I have had for the better part of 15 years. The Amp was given to me by a friend before he got out of the Air Force. He said he was giving up playing and did not want to haul it as it was one more thing taking up space in his car for a cross country trip. Knowing he was now out of a job and at the very least needed the gas money I gave him something for it (it’s a pride thing ya know). I don’t remember what but I do remember is was minuscule amount for an amp.

For 13 or so years it sat collecting dust as in those days I was playing mostly 80’s hair metal covers, and lets be honest; that just aint Fenders bag!... maybe 2ish years ago I started using it, But only ever used the clean. I use it concert with my Marshall stack. Clean only to add some bright and sparkle into the mix for a more full and rounded sound.

Today my plan was (practice) to come home from the job and work on a song I’m trying to finish learning. Still needing to master the lead lines of the tune I was in a hurry to get started. Now being in a hurry I really did not want to get the stack all worked up and dig out all the gear and uncover the thing, so out of the blue I grabbed the fender combo and figured, I would just use that today.

I wanted it dirty and since I left the Marshall alone I grabbed a distortion pedal an hooked it up thinking it would sound good enough for practice. Since the amp was set on clean as it always is I adjusted the knobs thinking I may be able to add some depth. Channel volume on 2 oclock gain at noon and master at 1030 ish…this is the point where I realized I had never done this before on this amp. Wanting to check volume levels before I clicked on the distortion box on I test ran some notes; nothing complex just some pentatonic stuff.

About 3 notes and a bend into the test…….my jaw hit the floor ……..I could not believe what I was hearing!!!!!!!!!!! I did a little bit of tweaking on the base mid and treble and all of a sudden I was in a tonal heaven I never knew existed in any of my gear……no effect now, just the amp and the Les Paul (emg pickups). I was getting a glorious Leslie west/ warren Haynes Blues kind of tone…needles to say I can only describe my reaction as shock and awe…I spent 4 hours playing around with this little fender amp dialing up some great stuff I never knew was even in there………..I did not learn my song but it was not a total loss because I surely did learn a valuable lesson today instead.

I feel like a guy that just tried on an old jacket and found a fifty dollar bill in the pocket (you know the feeling I’m talking about)……….I have been thinking about a new Vox night train amp for low watt blues practice amp…. I think I just saved myself 500 bucks and surely broadened my tonal range….

I though I would share my story with you all and was wondering if anyone else had a similar story about a HAPPY ACCIDENT!

Cheers
Bill

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(80’s Hair Metal) = A snapshot in time before Grunge ruined Rock & Roll forever!!!!

I know that feeling. I used to think Fender meant clean and clean only. Mainly because at the store, I never felt comfortable turning the amp up beyond 2.

Then one day I tried a Fender Deluxe Reverb on 10. Then my journey to the Fender Tone Council began. A Fender Princeton on 10--awesome; A Fender Super Reverb on 10--fabulous. And then after hearing Greg Koch's CD in the Soul of Tone book...the scales fell from my ears and I heard the toneful truth. Fender amps have the tone I've heard on albums and loved all my life...you just have to turn them up.