skatexedge wrote:

What do you guys think of the Fender Frontman 2x12 amp?

You'll get a pretty good idea here.

This is Noel. Reverb's at maximum an' I'm givin' 'er all she's got.

I had a Frontman and while it and the Mustang series are better than most all previous Fender solid states, they are not as good for surf and blues as a decent Crate solid state. I was replacing a vintage Deluxe Reverb that was stolen from me two years ago. Being low on funds, my max budget was $400.00 for a "new" used amp.

Had the Frontman for two months. Reverb was weak, and tone not up to my standards. I've always been partial to Fender tube amps, so most solid state rigs leave me cold. The Crate Power Block 150, came closer than any other non-tube amp, to doing it for me, especially for gigs, being so compact and lightweight.

But, starting a new band playing a mix of trad surf, Ventures, Shadows, and lots of rockabilly, I couldn't see continuing to use the Frontman. So, I sold it, and found, for $180 a recent, used Peavey Valve King 112. 100% Tube power and pre-amp sections. A very technologically advanced amp, with a power-amp attenuating circuit, they call "Texture", that allows you to play with all 50 watts or cut the wattage down to effective 30 watts.
EXCELLENT FOR BLUES, because you have a class A or class A/B amp in ONE.

The onboard Reverb isn't up to Fender tube Reverb amp standards, but it is fairly strong for a current-day amp. The EQ on both channels, allows exteme low and high end response, or well-damped highs and lows. Additional Treble Boost, is like a Fender Bright switch, to my ears it was overkill, but Leo woulda probably loved it.

My fellow guitarist, Loyd Davis, who I'm sure many of you have heard of, due to tenure in The Surf Raiders, ("The Curl Rider", "Wave Walkin" and "Point Conception '63"), had to repair a minor glitch, (a loose solder joint where the modular power cord plugs into the chassis), took the VK-112 home and played his Strat through it. He's extremely impressed with how sweet a surf amp this rig actually is. This is a freakin' sleeper. Brand New they can be had for $400.00. Second-hand, they run from $160-ish to $300.00.

I LOVE THIS AMP!

As songwriter and lead guitarist in LONGBOARD RANCH, many of my original songs were rated 5-stars by Phil Dirt, due to the authenticity of my trad-surf tone. That didn't happen by accident folks! I have never judged my gear based on Brand name, or year of manufacture, or any other standard, than how it sounds to my ear. Others on this forum wasted their breath trying to convince me that I HAD to have JBL 15" speakers in order to play halfway decent surf music. BULLSHIT!

As Eddie Bertrand told me, in 2007, at the end of a show we played, (I was playing through the Crate Power Block, and my Bandmaster cab loaded with 2 Jensen Neo-Dymium Ultra Lightweight speakers), he said, "You guys sound so authentic to early 60's surf, I'm glad I got here early so I could hear you". (He'd come to hear his friend Jim Masoner and The Lively Ones, but they were late arriving, so we kept playing until they showed up, per the request from the venue). Not knowing he was there, we did play Mr. Moto, (may I be forgiven?) among other First Gen covers.

If you look at the reviews on Harmony Central and Ultimate Guitar, you'll see that those who've played on the Peavey Valve King 112 tend for the most part to be very high on the amp. (The Mustang amps get high marks too, but in my A/B testing of Mustang vs. Valve King, the VK came out ahead on the tone issue.)

Good Luck, whatever amp you end up with. Whatever amp you play, remember, if you're a surf guitarist, your most important piece of gear, is a decent reverb unit! If $700 for new Fender R/I seems steep, consider $100 for the Boss FRV-1 pedal, which Loyd has, in addition to his original '63 Fender Reverb, WE CANNOT TELL THE DIFFERENCE. Except when you kick the Boss, you don't get all that spring feedback. Otherwise, the Boss is using incredible electronic technology that makes it extremely close to equal with the real thing. I tested the pedal for the muted rhythm on "Baja". Sounded a dead ringer for the Astronauts original sound.

I saw two or three of them on GC's used site for 50-60 bucks!

What do you guys think of Vox amps for surf? Thinking about the VOX VT40+ for a practice amp.

I love vox amps, tons of warm tones you don't get out of a fender blackface, and more character than a tweed. They aren't my fav. when put behind a rever tank, but they sure don't suck, and I love the clean chime(?) they put out.

IMO.

Matt22 wrote:

caddady wrote:

Older Peaveys can be a good bargin.

I totally agree. The Peavey Classic amps go for right around that on Craigslist. They're able to get dirty for blues and stay clean for surf. They are quite heavy, though, as they were modeled after the Twin Reverb, from what I was told.

I see 4x10 and 2x12 Peavey Classics for like $300 on Craigslist all the time. I'm going to snatch one up next time I have some extra cash