1955 Fender Deluxe Small Cab

• 1955 Fender Deluxe Small Cab Parts
• Fender Deluxe Hot Rod
• 1955 Fender Deluxe Small Cabinet

Written by: Mark Ware
Revised: v1.13 - 4/23/2004

This clean 5E3 small cabinet Fender “Deluxe” Amplifier was wired by Lupe Lopez in 1955 and has survived in wonderful original condition. All parts appear to be original to the amp except for the matched period correct GE 6v6 power tubes, period GE 5y3 rectifier tube, and reproduction leather handle.

This document is intended to answer some of the most common questions that people ask concerning Fender amplifiers. It applies mostly to dating, identification, amp cosmetics and other (mostly) non-technical stuff. If you have any additional information that you would like included or if you have any additions/corrections, please contact me at steve@mojotone.com.

New/Updated this version:

1. Added expanded EIA codes section.

Contents:

1. What is meant when an amp is referred to as a 'black face' Fender?

   2.1. Woodie

   2.2. TV Front Tweed

   2.3. Wide Panel Tweed

   2.4. Narrow Panel Tweed

   2.5. Brown

   2.6. Blonde

   2.7. Black Face

   2.8. Silver Face

2. How old is my amp?

   4.1. Date Code

   4.2. EIA Source-Date Codes

   4.2. Dating By Serial Number

   4.3. Circuit Revisions

   4.4. Misc Dating Info

3. Where can I find out more about Fender Amps?

   7.1. On the Web

   7.2. USENET

   7.3. In Print

1. Why isn't my Fender amp listed in the Field Guide

If you're Fender amp isn't listed in the guide it is most likely because it is a solid state amp.I like to build/restore/repair tube amplifiers as a way of excaping the pressure of daily existence. The guide is an extention of this fascination with tube technology so I have chosen to ignore the models that do not make use of thermionic phenomena for amplification. As for the qustion of tubes vs. solid state, my opinion would obviously be skewed. My advice is to use your ears and play/buy what you think sounds best.

2. What is meant when an amp is referred to as a 'black face' Fender?

Contrary to what you might think, this term is not politically incorrect and has nothing to do with Al Jolson. The term 'black face' refers to the color of the amp's contol panel. Fender typicallychose a cabinet style, covering, and grille cloth and used it across the entire amp line. Therefore it is a convenient way of refering to an amp of that particular era. (in this case 63-67)Below is a listing of some other terms you might hear when people refer to Fender amps.

• Woodie: This refers to amps produced between 1946-1948. They are called woodies because of the uncovered wood cabinets and matching wood handles. These cabinets came in three finishes: mahogany, maple, and walnut. The baffle was covered in either a red, yellow, or blue fabric with three (sometimes only two) chrome 'slats' running from top to bottom. The controls were mounted on a rear facing control panel. At this time Fender only had three models, Princeton, Deluxe, and Professional.
• TV Front: These amps are recognizable by the shape of the speaker baffle cutout. The cutout is rectangular with rounded corners and looks like an old fasioned TV screen. These amps were produced between 1948-1953. The cabinets were constructed in a new way with the corners of the box 'finger joined' which gave a much larger gluing surface and as a result, more strength. Unfortunately the new joinery isn't very nice to look at so Fender covered the cabinet in a very durable tweed material that was popular for covering foot lockers and suitcases. The early tweed was light colored and had a vertical pattern. Later this was changed to a diagonal pattern with more contrast between the light and dark fibers. Conrol panels on the TV front amps were located on the top rear, facing up. (except the Champion) and had a chrome finish. The baffle of TV Front amps are covered in brown mohair.
• Wide Panel: From 1953-1955 Fender used a new style of cabinet which had a rectangluar cutout for the baffle with the corners squared. When viewed from the front, there are two wide panels above and below the baffle while only the ¾' edge of the side panels shows on the left and right. The chrome, top facing control panel, tweed covering and brown leather handle are the same as the TV front amps, but a dark brown linen material replaced the brown mohair grille.
• Narrow Panel: Cosmeically these amps are almost identical to the Wide panel amps, with the exception of the top and bottom front panels. These were narrowed considerably so that the front was almost completely grille. These amps were produced between 1955-1960. (the Champ went to 1964) Early in this era the linen grille was replaced by genuine brown grille cloth. The narrow panel amps were the last of Fender's tweed amps. (until the reissues)
• Brown: Big changes were made with the new decade. The amps produced between 1959-1963 were completly redesigned with an angled, forward facing, brown control panel and round brown knobs. (replacing the old black pointer control knobs fender had used since the woodies) The tweed covering was replaced with a new, brown, fabric-backed vinyl material called Tolex. The brown Tolex was reserved for the smaller fender ams such as the Deluxe, Princeton, and Super while the larger amps had a differnt color scheme. Most of these amps retained the leather handle of the tweed amps. Early brown Tolex amps had a pinkish hue, while the later amps had a truer brown color.
• Blonde: These amps were produced at the same time as the brown amps, but were covered in a white (more like biege) Tolex and had round white knobs. This color scheme was reserved for the new 'piggyback' amps (Showman, Bassman, Tremolux, Bandmaster) and the Twin combo. Early blonde Tolex had a rough texture while later amps have a smoother surface. Grille cloth varied with early amps having the brown grille cloth of the tweed amps. Later amps had maroon grille cloth, and the last having a wheat or gold sparkle color. The handle was changed to a brown plastic strap which held up a little bit better than the leather handles Fender had been using for over a decade.
• Black Face: Amps produced between 1963-1967 retained the cabinet style of the brown/blonde amps, but were covered in black Tolex. Also new was a new reinforced black strap handle, and silver sparkle grille cloth. The control panel was changed to black with white labels and fitted with numbered, black skirted knobs. Many consider the amps produced durring this era to be the best ever produced by Fender and are sought after by players and collectors alike.
• Silver Face: In late 1967 the color scheme was changed once again. The black Tolex remained, but the control panel was changed to a dull chrome with blue labels. The gille cloth changed to blue sparkle (some late 70s silver face amps have orange sparkle grilles) and for 1968 and 1969 there was an aluminum frame around it. From 1980-1982 Fender reverted to the black face era cosmetics, but since these amps share the same circuits as the silver face amps, many people will refer to them as silver faces. An easy way to tell these amps from a real black face is the model name on the control panel. The word 'Amp' was dropped. (eg. 'Deluxe Reverb Amp' became 'Deluxe Reverb')

3. What is a 'Pre-CBS' Fender?

In January of 1965, Leo Fender sold Fender Electric Instruments Co. and Fender Sales to broadcasting giant CBS who renamed it Fender Musical Instruments. So a Pre-CBS fender is simply an amp produced before the sale. It is a widely-held opinion that most of the changes to the amp line made by CBS were NOT for the better. Fortunately it wasn't until the early silver face years that most CBS 'improvements' were put into production and somemodels were left almost untouched. In 1985 CBS sold off the Fender name and all remaining product stock to Fender's top executives and distributors. This became the current incarnation of Fender known as Fender Musical Instruments Corp.

4. How old is my amp?

There are serveral ways to determine when a Fender amp was produced. First use the cosmetic features to get a range of possible years. Next, (if applicable) look for the datecode on the tube chart. If your amp dosen't have a date code, flip the amp upside-down and check the transformers, and speakers for their manufacturer codes. If possible, open up the chassis and check a few of the pots' and capacitors' manufacturer codes. Remember, many components could have been changed over the years, speakers blow, caps dry out, transformers melt down, and pots wear out. Be skeptical when buying a piece of 'vintage' gear like a Fender amp, the prices for this equipment has risen high enough that many forgeries are out there. Caveat Emptor.

• Date Code: Wide panel, narrow panel, brown, blonde, and black face amps have a date code hand-stamped on the tube chart. This code is made up of two letters. The first letter translates to the year and the second to the month. The reissue amps also made use of this code

  Date Codes

  Letter Code	Vintage Year	Reissue Year	Month
  A	-	1990	January
  B	-	1991	February
  C	1953	1992	March
  D	1954	1993	April
  E	1955	1994	May
  F	1956	1995	June
  G	1957	1996	July
  H	1958	1997	August
  I	1959	1998	September
  J	1960	1999	October
  K	1961	-	November
  L	1962	-	December
  M	1963	-	-
  N	1964	-	-
  O	1965	-	-
  P	1966	-	-
  Q	1967	-	-

  Example: FG=July 1956, QA=January 1967, and a reissue CG=July 1992

• EIA Source-Date Codes: Electronic components such as transformers, potentiometers, speakers, and some capacitors are often stampted with a date code indicating who manufactured them and when. The code follows the format: XXXYYZZ where:
  XXX = a two or three (possibly four on newer amps) digit number indicating the manufacturer. (see chart below)
  YY = is a one or two digit code indicating the year. If it's a one digit year you need to determine the correct decade of the amp some other way.
  ZZ = a number from 1 - 52 indicating the week of the year.
  Remember, your amp is newer than the newest component. So if you find pots from late 68 and transformers from early 69 you can be pretty sure your amp is a 1969.

  Common Fender Source Codes

  Code	Manufacturer	Part(s)
  67	Eminence	Speakers
  73	J.B. Lansing (JBL)	Speakers
  137	CTS	Potentiometers, Speakers
  220	Jensen	Speakers
  235	Mallory	Capacitors
  285	Rola	Speakers
  304	Stackpole	Potentiometers
  328	Utah	Speakers
  391	Altec-Lansing	Speakers
  433	Cleveland	Speakers
  465	Oxford	Speakers
  606	Schumacher	Transformers, Chokes
  649	Electro Voice (EV)	Speakers
  830	Triad	Transformers, Chokes
  1098	Pyle	Speakers

  CLICK HERE FOR AN EXPANDED MANUFACTURER CODE CHART

• Serial Number: There is no information readily available for dating Fender amps by serial number but there are people working on it. Greg Gagliano has up a Fender Amp Survey website to collect serial number information. If you own a Fender amp of any vintage, stop by and input your amp's information. When he has collected a large enough sample the results will be made available. For a some preliminary results, check out the articles Greg wrote for 20th Century Guitar magazine.
• Circuit Code: In 1963 Fender stoped using model numbers to identify schematics and began using the model name and an assigned circuit number. These circuit numbers which are located on the tube chart can be usefull for getting a rough date on an amp. Fender often used the same circuit for many years so this is not a very accurate method for amp dating. The code is simple, the first two letters are the revision, where AA is the first revision, AB is the second, etc. The next one or two numbers are the month where January is 1 and December is 12. The last two numbers are the year.
  Example: AB763 = second revision, July, 1963
  AA1070 = First revision, October, 1970
• Misc Dating Info:
  • Silver face amps with the aluminum trimmed grilles are from 67 or 69.
  • The fist Master volume controls were installed in 72.
  • The raised 'Fender' grille logo lost its tail around 76. There are exceptions to this rule like the the Bronco.
  • Fender installed casters on some larger amps and cabs beginning in 72.

5. What does it mean to have an amp 'blackfaced'?

Thru the 50s, 60s and 70s Fender was in a wattage race with the other amp manufacturers. Fendersought to increase the output of the amps while lowering the amount of distortion. As a result,the Silver Face amps tend to be 'cleaner' and sometimes sterile sounding even at high volume than Black Face amps. Most people believe that the black face amps of the 60s are better sounding when overdriven than the silver face amps. Attempting to improve the sound of their silver face amps, some owners have opted to have the stock circuit altered so that it's the same as the black face amps. Generally this simple modification will be an improvement, but it will probably not sound exactly like a black face. Durring the 70s, the volatges produced by the power transformers in silver face amps steadily crept upwards, and lowering these volages is not typically part of the mod. In general, the older your silver face amp is, the more it will benefit from being 'blackfaced'. The late 70s high power silver face amps (Twin, Bassman 135, Showman, etc.) with the ultralinear output transformers are generally not worth the effort to convert.

6. How much is my amp worth?

I cringe when people ask me this question. Vintage amps, like everything else in the world are worth whatever someone is willing to pay for them. There are many factors that effect the priceof a amp. Age, condition, originality of components, location, demand, buyers/sellers motivationlevel, etc. Check your local buy-n-sell papers, newspaper classified, and do a few Web/USENET searches. This should give you a rough idea of what people are asking for the amp. Keepin mind that most things don't sell for the asking price.

7. Where can I find out more about Fender Amps?

Fender amps have collected a huge following over the years due to their great sound and reliability. As a result there are many people who have a great deal of knowledge on the subject. Here are a few sources for Fender info.

• On the Web: There aren't many sites out there devoted specifically to Fender, but there are a few tube amp sites that contain good Fendercentric tidbits. Heres a few:

  Date Codes

  Name	Link	Description
  Fender Musical Instruments Corp.	http://www.fender.com	Vintage Fender amps are the companies biggest competition. Old amps are ignoredbut lots of info on current production models.
  The Fender Amp Field Guide	http://www.ampwares.com	Amp model info, pictures, circuit layouts and schematics. Fun for the ampoholic in us all.

• USENET: If you like a more interactive site for amp info, try the USENET group alt.guitar.amps. This group is for discussion of musical instrument amps in general, but as you might guess, Fender amps are often the topic of discussion. Be warned, this is an alt group so there are no rules. Topics often spin off the subject into such topics as BBQ, beer, and the proper way to torch a Peavy. If you have a technical repair question, are looking for replacement tubes, or just want to talk about your favorite amp, stop on by and join Ned, Duncan, Lord Valve, Ferg and the rest of the loveable misfits on alt.guitar.amps.
• In print: Here's a few good print selections for Fender fans.

  A Desktop Reference of Hip Guitar Amps
  Written by: Gerald Weber
  Published: 1994 Kendrick Books
  ISBN: 0-9641-0600-0
  A good book if you can get past all of the Kendrick/Trainwreck hype. Lots of technical descriptions and definitions. Some Fender models have entire chapters devoted to them. Suggestions for non-destructive mods and tons of schematics included. Be careful, some of the information may not be entirely accurate.

  Fender Amps: The First Fifty Years
  Written by: John Teagle & John Sprung
  Published: 1995 Hal Leonard Corp.
  ISBN: 0-7935-3733-9
  This is an excellent book which covers the Fender company's history as well as descriptions of each of the amp lines. This is the authorized company history considering that Fender co-published the book. Lots of great pictures.

  The Fender Amp Book
  Written by: John Morrish
  Published: 1995 GPI Books
  ISBN: 0-87930-0345-X
  Excellent Fender history as it relates to Fender amps, both tube and solid state.

  The Tube Amp Book
  Written by: Aspen Pittman
  Published:
  ISBN:
  Written by the Groove Tubes hypemiester himself. Lots of excellent color pictures to drool over and a good schematic section. Ignore any sentence containing the words 'matching', 'selected' or 'quality'.

8. Where can I get parts for my Fender Amp?

Mojotone.com
Mojo Musical Supply
513 South Dudley St
Burgaw, NC 28425
1-800-927-6656
(910) 259-7291
FAX: (910) 259-7292

The best source on the web for all your tube amp needs including tubes, transformers, caps,Tolex and MUCH more. All your restoration, repair and tube amp building supplies in one site.

Field Guide -Corrections/CommentsCopyright © Ampwares 1999Overview

• Overview
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• Customer Reviews
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Get all the bloom, chime, and grind of Leo Fender’s most iconic amplifier.

Now You Can:

Use your Apollo to track through the only authentic emulation of a 1955 Fender tweed Deluxe amplifier — with no latency

Hear the results of an exhaustive two-year R&D project — the first real guitar amp emulation

Easily track perfect studio amp tones with different microphone combinations and placements — without phase issues

Re-amp previously recorded tracks with any UAD-2 hardware

Take A Listen

UAD Tones & Techniques:

Fender '55 Tweed Deluxe with Josh Smith

History of Tweed

The Deluxe was one of Leo Fender's first amp designs, with early versions being produced in 1946 — years before the release of his first solidbody electric guitars. After various circuit tweaks, Fender landed on the now historic, 'wide-panel' 5E3 Deluxe in 1955. This version became a favorite among country, blues, and early rock players as the ultimate bar gig, mid-sized club, and studio amp, with its single 12' speaker and two 6V6 power tubes delivering around 15 watts.

Endless Tones

1955 Fender Deluxe Small Cab Parts

Before the invention of overdrive, boost, and distortion pedals, recording engineers and guitarists valued the tweed Deluxe’s uncanny ability to seemingly speak to the microphone with a perfect balance of sweetness, detail, compression, and, when cranked, glorious raunch. From Neil Young’s feral roar to Daniel Lanois’ lilting textures, Billy Gibbons’ early boogie to Larry Carlton’s singing lead tones, the tweed Deluxe seemingly begged to be recorded.

Through Science We Found… Magic

To that end, Universal Audio chose two bone-stock 1955 tweed Deluxe amps as “golden units” to be emulated. This began a two-year R&D project to capture every single component — from speaker paper and heat dissipation, to filter caps and transformers — the essential ingredients that allow the tweed Deluxe to deliver expressive, dynamic, easy-to-record sounds, with only Volume and Tone controls.

Three Genre-Defining Speaker Choices

The ’55 Tweed Deluxe plug-in gives you three common “hot rod” speaker mods that pros have been using for over 40 years. The stock 1955 Jensen P12R speaker gives you jangly treble and thick bottom, while the 25-watt Celestion yields thicker mids, velvety treble, and a more aggressive voice. Finally, the JBL-D120F — a 120-watt hi-fi beast — stays clean and pristine with more airy presence than the stock Jensen, giving you extended treble snap.

Expertly Placed Dual Mic Setup

The ’55 Tweed Deluxe plug-in offers expertly placed multi-mic tones with a collection of legendary mics — and zero phase issues. Mix and match with a rare '60s Beyer M160 and white Sennheiser MD-421 mics, a modern Royer R-121, and a hand-picked vintage Neumann U-67 from Ocean Way Studios. And use the intuitive Mic Mixer to season your tones with separate Level, Pan, and high-pass filter. Additionally, you can set each mic to a secondary off-axis position for further tone tweaking.

Unison^™ Technology for Apollo Interfaces

Harnessing UA’s groundbreaking Unison technology, the Fender '55 Tweed Deluxe plug-in gives you the impedance, gain staging, and circuit behaviors that have contributed to making the tweed Deluxe one of the most recorded guitar amps in history. And like the original amp, you can plug into any of the amp’s four inputs and achieve different gain levels or impedance changes, or plug in using a vintage “Y” cable to jump the inputs and blend the channels.

*Note: Artist names contained herein do not constitute official endorsements of Universal Audio or its products.

“The UAD Fender '55 Tweed Deluxe is the best sounding guitar amp emulation available.”
– Chris Coady(Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Beach House, Future Islands)

“The UAD Fender ‘55 Tweed Deluxe is my favorite amp emulation. Finally a plug-in that gets the crunchy power tube distortion just right.”
– Peter Mokran(Christina Aguilera, The Flaming Lips)

“The Fender ’55 Tweed Deluxe plug-in is hands-down the best amp emulation there is. It has tons of sonic options, and with Unison™ technology for Apollo, the plug-in feels just like the real thing.”
– John Paterno(Robbie Williams, Badly Drawn Boy, Bonnie Raitt)

Watch The Reviews

Customer Reviews

D. Weniger

September 27, 2016

Fantastic!

I really do not understand the bad reviews on this Fender '55 plugin. I have owned many amps including Fender and Marshall (still do) and I've gotta say so far all of UAD's amp simulators..

Read More

m. gilmer

September 16, 2016

As Close As I've Ever Heard

I don't get the bad reviews of it. To each his own I guess. People need to understand that this is a nasty sounding amp with some seriously ugly overtones. And UAD nailed them all! These..

Read More

.

May 29, 2016

Best amp I have ever used, by far.

Three reasons why… First, amp simulations offer many advantages over hardware amps. But all these advantages mean nothing because almost every amp simulation sounds terrible and doesn't..

Read More

D. Bryson

May 24, 2016

Best amp sim so far!

Fender Deluxe Hot Rod

The ’55 Tweed Deluxe 5E3 amp sim comes close to a real Tweed. Superior to any other amp sim out there. The feel is there using the Unison slot. Playing with the Jensen P12R speaker..

Read More

H. Lepisto

May 19, 2016 Ucla olive view emergency medicine.

Blew my socks off!!

I've had amp emulations from Amplitude and they have been.well nice. But this thing is a total deal breaker. Acts like real tube amp, a Fender amp, microphones behave unbelievably..

Read More

C. Biddle

May 18, 2016

New level

UA got it right. Very nice with the mic choices and speaker options. Very flexible - keeping in mind that it's a tweed Deluxe, which is not exactly known for it's flexibility, but they do a..

Read More

Key Features

Tweed Deluxe licensed by Fender®, modeled by Universal Audio
End-to-end emulation of the entire 5E3 tweed Deluxe circuit
Unison technology allows for authentic guitar interaction with Apollo Interfaces
Best-in-class speaker/cabinet emulation
UA's first complete, stem-to-stern guitar amplifier model

Overall Rating

(381 reviews)

D. Weniger

Fantastic!

I really do not understand the bad reviews on this Fender '55 plugin. I have owned many amps including Fender and Marshall (still do) and I've gotta say so far all of UAD's amp simulators are really fantastic! Especially the one's designed to work with the (I think it's called) 'Unision' technology. This amp is one of them. You have to make sure it's on the INPUT channel, not the INSERTS. This amp is very true to the original and sounds amazing. Ok, so maybe it's a tiny bit off, if it is well..
1. I can't hear the difference
2. Your getting a collection of amps at a fraction of the price compared to buying the real ones.
3. It's professionally mic'd
4. You don't have to deal with maintenance.

m. gilmer

As Close As I've Ever Heard

I don't get the bad reviews of it. To each his own I guess. People need to understand that this is a nasty sounding amp with some seriously ugly overtones. And UAD nailed them all! These amps sound amazing in a mix. I've built clones and owned originals of these amps and they are some of the nastiest amps ever. But, in a mix or in a band setting all of those overtones disappear and they are sweet and beautiful little amps. Between this and the Marshalls I've gone over to just using sims now.
If only they would do a 64 deluxe reverb and a Vox AC-30. My collection would be complete.

UAD User

Best amp I have ever used, by far.

1955 Fender Deluxe Small Cabinet

Three reasons why… First, amp simulations offer many advantages over hardware amps. But all these advantages mean nothing because almost every amp simulation sounds terrible and doesn't respond anything like a real amp.
Reason #2…this is the amp sim that really, really nailed it! Now we have the low price and convenience of software AND the great feel of the original.
Reason #3… this isn't just the best simulation of a classic amp, it's the best simulation of the BEST classic amp. I have the Marshall amp bundle - they're great, but for versatility, nothing beats a Fender, IMO. It's almost impossible to get a bad sound from this amp.
Room for improvement? How 'bout modeling a blackface Twin Reverb? Champ thru a Leslie? Deluxe Reverb?

D. Bryson

Best amp sim so far!

The ’55 Tweed Deluxe 5E3 amp sim comes close to a real Tweed. Superior to any other amp sim out there. The feel is there using the Unison slot. Playing with the Jensen P12R speaker selected and using the Line/Normal switch set to Line, I get almost the same clean tones as my real '53 Tweed Deluxe Wide Panel (5C3 circuit) amp. Yes, I was lucky to buy this '53 Tweed that was in a pawn shop in the Northwest a few years ago. The UA plug-in starts to get dirty very early on the volume dial when in the Normal mode. The Line mode fixes this. Between the sim and real amp, the dial settings are very different for similar tones. I’m also guessing that UA used todays normal line voltage (120 to 124v) instead of the 110v AC which existed in the 1950s.

H. Lepisto

Blew my socks off!!

I've had amp emulations from Amplitude and they have been.well nice. But this thing is a total deal breaker. Acts like real tube amp, a Fender amp, microphones behave unbelievably. Amazing work again Universal Audio and Fender! This is the s***!! Two my go to brands everywhere. :)
www.hannuofficial.info

C. Biddle

New level

UA got it right. Very nice with the mic choices and speaker options. Very flexible - keeping in mind that it's a tweed Deluxe, which is not exactly known for it's flexibility, but they do a few things very well. Rich clean tone, too. The interactivity between the 2 volumes is there and the dirty grind is just right. Sounds/feels excellent using the Unison slot. I wish we could move the mics back - 121s always sound great at 6-7 inches and I prefer some room sound, but Ocean Way fixes that if you have it. Yes it eats DSP, but it's because it's worth the sound. It's clear UA can do an excellent job with amps, so I have a list of tweeds, browns/blondes and blackface Fenders I'd like to see..

L. Hughes

So much better than I expected

As a mix engineer I'm generally not a fan of amp sims. They never seem to deliver particularly clean tones very well. You can just about get away with using them for distortion, but that is MUCH easier to achieve. This is the first sim I've tried (and I've tried many) that I've actually liked. All the others just seem like toys compared to this. Probably not right for every circumstance, but I might just get away without having to mic up and reamp as often.

M. Phillips

Great - but very specific

This is definitely the best amp emulation I've heard. The distortion of a great amp is the one thing I've felt a plugin can't pull off but with this plugin I feel like I'm playing through a real amp. I've been panning it hard and playing it over my monitors and it feels like there's an amp in my room! The distortion is amazing!
I will say it's hot and distorts VERY easily. Even with the level turned down as low as possible, I still get little nuggets of distortion on low notes. So I don't think I'll ever use this if I'm looking for something moderately clean. Maybe that's what the amp is really like? And even though the real amp doesn't have it, a spring reverb would have been nice (especially because I can't load this and the Bx20 )

S. Southern

tweed Deluxe superb

I've tried a lot of amp sims in the past but none of them have been anywhere near as good as this , yes it does use up a lot of resource on my Apollo twin but I would expect that with something as accurately modelled as this . I'll take one instance of this over 10 of anything else I've tried .

S. Smith

Desert Island amp

I hope you never have to choose just one amp to own, but if you do, you could do a whole lot worse than this one! And the plug-in (plus Apollo) feels like plugging into a hardware amp. It's finally gotten beyond circuit emulations, and now it's just about seeing how over-the-top you can cram a single package full of modeling goodness! The mic combinations, the Y-cables, the speaker choices, the preset voicings---you guys just outdid yourselves (to say nothing of the competition) in delivering the goods on this one. This is just plain FUN to play! Even if you own the hardware, I think you'll enjoy owning this emulation.

M. Olsen

Gravely Disappointed

This plugin emphasized harmonics so egregiously (particularly noticeable on the low E) that the fundamental pitch on open E couldn't be heard over the octave harmonics. I switched to no plugin and then to IK Amplitube 4 Fender and had no such problems. Then I went to my friend's studio and played through a real classic Fender amp on the same guitar. Still no such problem. There's something really wrong with the behavior of this plugin in either standard or in Unison mode. To me, it's unplayable, and that's coming from someone who is a HUGE UAD fan. I own most of the plugins available on the platform and promote the brand every chance I get.

M. Niemczyk

Such a nice simulation but why without pre amp bypass?

This little cobo sounds great and like a real delux.
But please why didn't you add a pre amp on/off switch, like on the brainworx amps, so we could use it wit our own real valve pre amps. Even when on line and with verry little volume there is still pre amp shining thru on top.

UAD User

CLIPPING! Unnatural and ugly tone.

I don't get, I really do not get it.
How can there be so many rave reviews for this plugin?
It sounds thin, dull, lifeless and most of all: there is a clipping part to the overdriven tones that has absolutely NO musical correlation to the original signal. Not talking about warm, fuzzy overdive here. The clipping sticks out of the sound like a sore thumb.
And yes I know all about gain structure. I am an audio engineer and have been working on professional productions for over 10years.
I use the plugin through an apollo twin in unison mode so the interface should not be the problem either.
It is almost impossible to get warm, clean tones out of this thing, the clipping starts with the volume set at 1. On a single coil telecaster!

B. LAKE

this is the real deal...

..Didntn know till just now that James Santiago was involved with this project ..no wonder it is so BAD ASS!! This is the first UA guitar emulation that can come close to standing up to the quality of Fractal Audio ampsims.

J. Lefler

Awesome!!

Wow!!! I've been waiting for UAD to model a Fender and this sounds and feels fantastic!! The subtle sag and purr is super sweet and just perfect!! It's so open and roomy sounding as well. Seriously, for me this is the best amp model yet!!!

P. Williams

doesn't cut it

I'm a big fan of a couple of the Marshall simulated amps on the UAD platform -- but maybe that's because I have never owned a classic Marshall amp. However, I have played through a few vintage Deluxe amps, and own a modern clone. This plug-in is a far, far cry from the real thing, and besides not sounding like the real thing, it just doesn't sound good even on its own terms. I'd recommend sticking with the Marshall Bluesbreaker and Plexi sims and save your money for a real Fender amp.

A. PIEDNOEL

Don't understand

I've tried this plug in 'Fender 55 deluxe' on demo mode and I'm not enthusiastic. Sound really good but impossible to get the sound i'm looking for. How to get a real good clean sound like those used by Hank Marvin or David Gilmour ? Even if the first one use (in the beginning) a Vox amp and the second a Hiwatt amp, Fender amps are usually able to give that sort of sound. Really I don't understand why I can't get it. The closer clean sound i could get is when the bypass switch is on off position.. Will wait the next fender amp simulation. a Fender deluxe reverb 65 ?

M. Huffman

I REALLY wanted this plugin to be what it claims to be..

This plugin SUCKS. I'm a major advocate for the UAD platform and I love most of the UAD plugins.. but wow. TOTALLY dropped the ball on this one. I wouldn't be so aggressive about making this point if they weren't tooting their own horn. I mean really? this plugin sounds NOTHING like the real thing! This is coming from someone who is obsessed with his audio path and gain structure. Sometimes when I read negative reviews I think 'okay but what converters are you going through, what are you monitoring through, what are you comparing it to, etc. I'm telling you now I know what this amp is supposed to sound like because my father had one in the house when I grew up and then he handed it down to me. This plugin is a huge disappointment.

j. castelletti

Underwhelmed

Doesn't track particularly well and tone is still very generic. Rapid high notes choke and sputter with the Apollo Twin. I wanted to really like this amp but money would be better spent toward building a clone.

L. Pimentel

The Real Deal!

Congrats UA, the great James Santiago and everyone involved on this product. You guys nailed it!