(see rating details)

Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.

This unit is heavy, about 35 lbs. It appears to have a wood construction and a particle-board baffle on which a large cheap-looking speaker is mounted. Nowhere on this unit is the word "Fender" to be found; the speaker is branded 'Excelsior'. There is no rear enclosure screen and the unit is accessible to dust, moth larvae, and here in Virginia, stink-bugs.The mechanical layout is logical and neat although cramped. The two chasses,upper and lower, would have to be removed to change the speaker. There appears to be some consideration by the manufacturer for wire routing and noise shielding.The unit appears to be an old PA amp such as were the original guitar amps used when I was a boy and like them has a guitar input and two other inputs suitable for PA use (record player, microphone,etc.).The design didn't cost Fender any money since dual 6V6 amps were considered state-of-the-art electronics in 1953 along with the Telecaster. Incidentally, the 6V6 is the best-sounding guitar tube ever made, not as harsh as the low-power 6BQ5 (EL84) or the high-power 6L6 (EL34) and this Excelsior amplifier natively captures the sound and ambiance of the saloon, smell of beer, Hank Williams music, and the magical Telecaster. In short, this amp provides the proverbial Fender sound more than any other I've heard since I was a kid. No small part of this sound comes from a great tremolo circuit and a stiff speaker which provides a remarkably high treble response for its size. I feel no attempts should be made to modify this amp since anything at all would destroy the Fender sound. Keep the kids away.

Musical Background:

Musical Style:

(see rating details)

I bought this amp after trying it in my local music shop. It had a lovely rich sound and looked great. However, since then, I have done a number of things including re-valving with JJ valves to replace the chinese ones, changing the speaker for an Eminence Legend and I have also substituted the (Dark-Bright) slider with a rotary knob.These changes made the amp absolutely superb. The tone pot mod gave me control over the (recognised) overly-bright treble of the slider and the overall sound is now second to none.My guitar is a copy 335 which had Epiphone pickups and, at low levels, the sound levels were massively increased. So much so that I pretty much couldn't use the amp in the house. However, I have just had a pair of Bare Knuckle "The Mule" pickups fitted and, unbelievably, the sound is now even more rich and incredibly clear/articulate but much more manageable. For me, I now have almost the most perfect sound I could wish for! I play blues mostly and this amp is just ace for this genre.Overall cost works out at about £360/370 including the speaker, valves and mod parts. How cheap is that for an excellent valve amplifier!

Musical Background:

Musical Style:

(see rating details)

A very good tube amp. I have several vintage amps and this is remarkably close to my 54 5B6 Bassman which also has 15" speaker and 24 watts. While it's not a 54 Bassman, it does have very good tone and a solid, attractive cabinet. With an all-tube amp, you rarely need more than 15 watts, so this will do the job. The clean sound is classic fender and, by naturally overdriving it, you can closely re-create the great overdrive sound of the early low-wattage Fender amps. This should be a big hit and I'd predict this amp will be almost twice this price within 18 months. Of course, the challenge is that most younger guitarists don't appreciate how much more useful a lower watt tube amp can be than a higher wattage amp. They usually have to play for at least 12-15 years before they realize the simple secret that all pros understand. However, if even a reasonable percentage check out this amp, it will become a best-seller and it deserves to be one. I'd highly recommend it to anyone wanting a quality tube amp at a very cheap price.

Musical Background:

Musical Style:

(see rating details)

I bought one Excelsior today for playing blues harmonica. The punch of this amp is amazing. Volume knob to 9o clock position, tremolo knob to 2o clock position, volume adjusted on my green bullet mic and off we go! Dirty Chicago blues tunes! No shrill tones at all. Don't mind about the missing eq knobs. You do not need them. The Excelsior is an amp with basic features and provides a nice tremolo. It is worth every nickel and dime. i played along with some blues and jazz tunes from a USB stick via my home recording studio and harmonica jamming with Miles Davis on "Ride Off" took my breath and made me sweat like hell. This amp rocks, folks! Before I bought it, I tried several Fender tube amps, digital amps, the Behringer acoustic stuff, Orange and Line 6 and I came back on my knees to this little giant.

Musical Background:

Musical Style:

(see rating details)

Verified Customer zZounds has verified that this reviewer made a purchase from us.

Replaced the stock tubes and sounds awesome. Takes pedals well. Looks fairly accessible to mod.(THIS WILL VOID YOUR WARRANTY). There are fairly simple tone mods out there. Overall super happy wIth this amp.