Anyone try the new Fender 100 amp yet?

Johnny Danger · #1 06-19-2017, 08:20 AM

The local GC had a couple of really cheap used acoustic amps on hand, so I went to give them a look to see if it would be worth buying a "starter" amp. About 30 seconds of playing on them revealed that would be a waste of money and time. So I went ahead and jumped on a Fishman Loudbox Mini and discovered why they're so popular.

However, they also had the new Fender 100 amp there. I searched around and found almost no real reviews on it. Fender appears to be stepping up their acoustic game in general. I went back and forth between the two amps with the dials all set at the middle on the amps and the guitar and no effects. I don't honestly know a lot about amps, so I was basically trying to compare them side by side in terms of the clean tone.

My uneducated impression was that the Fishman produced a very pure reproduction of the sound where the Fender had a sort of "personality" for lack of a better word. It sounded warm, but maybe at the expense of being too bassy and drowning out the mids a bit. Again, if I knew what I was doing, I probably could have tweaked the tone and gotten a cleaner sound.

But I didn't hate it, so I wanted to ask around here and see if anyone else had the chance to play it and what they thought of it. I might actually go back one day soon with both of my guitars and play the two back to back again.

Tahitijack · #2 06-19-2017, 08:49 AM

Are you asking about the Fender Acoustic Pro? If so there are several reviews including one in Acoustic Guitar magazine last November and multiple youtube reviews. The major draw back for me is the exposed wood cabinet, which would not hold up as a gigging amp but would probably be fine as a home practice amp. I have a Fender Acoustasonic 150 which works well as a gig amp for both electric and acoustic. Good Luck!

Johnny Danger · #3 06-19-2017, 09:22 AM

Not the Pro, but it looks like a "budget" version of the pro.

http://acousticguitar.com/fender-int...ter-namm-2017/

Tahitijack · #4 06-19-2017, 09:46 AM

Pics don't show a handle, so maybe it best as a home or studio amp.

Pecx · #5 06-19-2017, 10:20 AM

It has an inbuilt handle

It's a great amp. Lightweight, 2 xlr/jack channels with great individual effects, phantom power, BT streaming, really great sound.

Check this topic:
http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...d.php?t=465468

string1399 · #6 06-19-2017, 07:23 PM

I bought the Fender Acoustic 200 last week and I'm very pleased. The 200 has two eight-inch speakers and is also very lightweight. At first, I thought it might be too bassy when playing it in my room on the floor. The amp allows you to tilt it back, which I did, and that seemed to make a lot of difference. The sound is warm and natural, bass notes sound clear. The mic channel also sounds great, plus you can dial up separate reverb/echo/chorus effects for the guitar and the mic. It also has bluetooth so you can play tunes from your phone or tablet. This is definitely a step up from the Fishman Loudbox Mini I used to own. I haven't played out with it yet, but I am looking forward to doing so.

John

Goat Mick · #7 06-19-2017, 08:01 PM

I've been gigging with an Acoustic 100 for a few months now and I'm very happy with it. The effects are great, it's clean and clear for both vocals and guitar, and with 100 watts I haven't had a situation yet that it wasn't enough amp for the job.

Johnny Danger · #8 06-20-2017, 07:03 AM

Thanks for the interesting feedback. I watched a couple of demo videos and was surprised to find that it sounded really clean with one of the two (hall/room) reverb effects. It seems like a really versatile amp. I'll have to give it a more serious run when I get a chance to go back to the store.