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I've been downsizing my gear over the last year or so and Dana has been helping me out by taking my big honkin' amps -- and my cash -- in trade for smaller gear that'll fit behind the back seat in my Matrix.
The latest (and, hopefully, last) piece to the puzzle is a Fender Jazzmaster Ultralight head and speaker.
It includes a two-channel, 250 Watt RMS (into 2 ohms -- see below) solid-state head with built-in effects, a Speakon-terminated 21.5" speaker cable, a 10' IEC removable power cord, a three-button (and very solidly built) foot switch with a 12' connecting cord, and a gigbag for the head. That's right: the head is 12" x 4" x 8.25" and weighs only 7.6 lb! The foot switch, all the cables, and the head fit snugly in the zipper bag. There's another pocket that the manual will fit into, but you won't need it.
The speaker box is made of Italian poplar plywood, and contains a 12" speaker with a neodymium magnet. The magnet material means that the speaker is very light: the whole 15.5" x 15.5" x 10.25" box weighs 17 lb. It incorporates four indentations on the top that match up with magnetized feet on the head. The whole contraption locks together so you can put it on a tilt back stand without the head sliding off. It is rated at 2 ohms, so it matches up well with the head. Note that you could use practically any cab with the head (with a loss of power if it's more than 2 ohms) but you won't want to use this cabinet for an amp rated at higher ohms because you could damage the head.
There are two inputs on the front, for passive and active guitars. The two channels are Normal and Drive, with the usual volume and 3-band EQ knobs, and an Effects Level and Effects Select control for each channel; the Normal also has a "Voice" button which functions like the old "Presence" knob on tube Fender amps, and the Drive channels adds a "Gain" control. There are channel select and tuner mute buttons, a headphone jack, and a retro red jewel power-on light. As is usual practice, plugging headphones in mutes the speaker output.
On the back are the IEC power socket, a Speakon socket, fuse holder and power switch; then there's a balanced Line Out with a level control and ground lift (the manual says this incorporates speaker emulation -- I haven't tried it), a tuner out jack and a foot switch jack.
The foot switch controls channel select, and effect On/Off for each channel.
Now, I'm a tube guy from 'way back -- I've still got my first one, a '63 Sears Silvertone Twin Twelve I bought from its original owner in 1974. Along the way I've owned Carvin, Ampeg, Music Man and various others, but the very best tone I've ever encountered was a '67 Fender Super Reverb a friend owns. But! We're talking about 91, 100, 132 and 65 lbs just for the ones I've named, and that's too much for an old guy like me.
So, how does it sound? In a word, killer! The owner of the Super and I spent a couple of hours comparing the Jazzmaster with it using my Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, my Epiphone Sheraton II (both with Seymour Duncan pickups) and his ES-340 and Martin EM-18j, all of whioh (except for the Epi) we had played through the Super for many years.
The Jazzmaster sounded as good as the Super, but the older amp had the edge in reverb, since it uses the good old Fender spring reverb tank that we all know and love. I don't use much in the way of effects, so that feature is pretty much wasted on me. I'd just as soon have a one-knob reverb. You younger guys will probably feel differently.
This amp is very well thought out, with a lot of attention to detail and to making it user friendly. I've always hated gear that wasn't intuitive to use, but this one is. Like I said, you won't need the manual. It's easy to haul around, and quick to set up and break down.
I told Dana, "this amp is the Super of the 21st Century" and I believe that. For you guys that insist on big back breaking rigs, or want that "stack" look onstage, this one won't do it. But it'll kick your tootsie around the block without even breathing hard.
Now, if Fender would build something this good for bass amplification, I'd...well, I'd be scrounging for more cash to hand over to Dana.
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