Fender FSR 'Red October' De Ville 2 x 12

Alnico

As an 'FSR' model, these were a limited edition and this is one of the five models they released in the 'Red October' edition.

The models were:

Blues Junior 1 x 12

Hot Rod Deluxe 1 x 12

Hot Rod De Ville 2 x 12

Hot Rod De Ville 4 x 10

Pro Junior 1 x 10

What the 'Red October' moniker equates to is the red Vinyl Tolex with white piping and it alludes to the fact that Fender have fitted some VERY nice 'Red Coat' speakers, which give the amp a very different sound to the normal variant.

The speakers fitted to the Deluxe and De Ville 2 x 12 are:

Eminence Red Coat Wizard, 75w, 8ohm, 12" speakers. In my 2 x 12 they are wired so that they run at 4ohms.

The same 'Wizard' speaker is fitted to the Blues Junior but it's unclear what power rating they have fitted.

In the De Ville 4 x 10 they have fitted:

Eminence Red Coat RamRod, 75w, 8 ohm, 10" speakers. Apparently these can be run at 4 or 2ohms but as this isn't the amp i have, i am only going on internet research here.

In the Pro Junior 1 x 10 they have fitted:

Eminence Red Coat RamRod, 30w, 8 ohm, 10" Speaker.

I am sure @ICBM would be able to clear some of that tech stuff up for me but it think i've just about got that right.

I am not as up to speed with tech knowledge and this is written from a players perspective.

What this does is give my amp, a distinct 'Classic Rock' tone when driven hard, not quite a Marshall sound but certainly not restricted to a purely Fender sound. This is not the Fender 'Twin' kind of rock tone, it's got a more 'Thin Lizzy' kind of sound when you're on the 'Drive' channel and on the 'More Drive' channel, it handles the extra gain very well without losing any clarity. Also, when using a fuzz pedal through the clean channel, these speakers lend themselves to an early 'Led Zep' sound very well.

They're really punchy and tight sounding but crystal clear in detail. I have found that raising the amp about 3ft off the stage floor gives a very nice projection / spread of sound without being too directional and it's an open back cab so no matter where it is, you can hear it properly. I'm not sure if the offset pattern of the speakers mounted in it's cab makes any difference to this or whether that's just to keep the width of the amp down to 24" - again, someone more experienced than me would maybe know the answer to that.

They have a tight low end and a more pronounced mid range but NOT as mid-rangey as a V30. It's almost like the perfect mix between a Celestion G75T and a V30. Low punch enough to rock and mid range enough to cut.

I can thoroughly recommend these speakers as a retro fit to any amp that needs that 'Classic Rock' kind of feel and the quality seems excellent. Hats off to Fender for the speaker choice here, it really suits the Hot Rod.

Alnico

So to the amp,.....

These are all Mk III's.

There is no difference in amp circuitry or components to the standard variants.

 

The Hot Rods have an effects loop, a Normal/ Bright switch and two inputs for passive / active guitars. They also have a spring reverb tank and an Extension cabinet output.

The Blues Junior has a spring reverb, a 'Fat' Switch and an extension cab output.

The Pro Junior has the normal Volume / Tone controls and an extension cab output.

These amps all come with 'Groove Tubes' fitted from factory, in both pre amp and power amp.

The Valve compliment in each goes:

Blues Junior 1 x 12 / Pro Junior 1 x 10:

3 x 12AX7

2 x EL84

Hot Rod Deluxe / Hot Rod De Ville 2 x 12 / Hot Rod De Ville 4 x 10:

3 x 12AX7

2 x 6L6

Alnico

In use:

This has to be one of the most capable amps i've ever owned.

In terms of volume, forget about it - there's little this amp wouldn't do and in real terms, especially if run through a 2 x 12 extension cab, it would keep up with any Marshall 100w half stack when sticking to real world volumes and real world gig situations.

I run it at volume number 7 with a subtle volume control last in the effects loop, so i can bring the output down to a useable volume for each different room / venue but even without that, at number 3 it's still very clear and punchy and easy to use.

If we leave pedals out of it for now, the amp could easily handle most situations on it's own. There are a few things i don't like about it and these will be having some attention from my tech later this year.

The reverb control washes out after number 3 - i am told this is the pot and an easy replacement / fix.

The volume control has the same problem and is like a hair trigger after number 3, despite Fender saying it was addressed when they created the MK III.

Again, this is quite an easy fix for the tech.

The jack sockets are rubbish quality, mounted directly to the PCB and as such, can be weak.

This is being fixed with decent quality jacks mounted to the panel and connected using flying leads.

That's it !

There aren't any more 'Warts' to speak of except the weight.

I know the Juniors and the Deluxe aren't too heavy but do NOT expect the De Ville's to be the same.

The cabinet is made from 7 Ply, 3/4" Birch / Maple and is very sturdy but with those speakers fitted, it's VERY heavy and the 4 x 10 even more so.

I personally like this but some won't.

The 'Drive Channels' are something that seems to attract a lot of criticism and on my amp, i just can't hear this. The 'Drive' and 'More Drive' channels are brilliant, really very clear and have lots of different tones available, especially with the inclusion of a presence control. The gain rolls off very well indeed if you have a decent set up in your guitars electronics.

The Tone Stack is good, although i am also told that the tech can change some of the internal components to make this a little more useable, but as a standard amp it's very good as it is. The popular and wildly over priced mod kit is from 'Fromel' in USA. The kit costs $109 + Shipping whereas my Tech says he can do the entire job INC Parts & labour for £80 !

The 'Drive' channel is a good range of rock tones, up to the sort of gain you would expect the archetypal JCM 800 to give you, maybe with even a little more gain again and the 'More Drive' Channel will take you from just below there right up to Metal tones if you set the tone stack accordingly. Again, the speakers play a big part in making this amp sing beautifully. It really is astonishing how much difference they make especially on the higher gain settings.

I use the drive channels alongside drive pedals, but i use the clean channel to run the pedals through and then the amps own drive will give me different drive tones to the pedals. So for the fuzz and low gain drives, i will use pedals through the clean channel and then for a more 'Marshal-esque' drive and lead sound, i will switch the pedals off and use the amps own drive. This works (For me) very well.

The Footswitch is a PCB controller type so do not expect a std footswitch to run this. This means you are bound to a Fender switch and they are £50 to replace ! They don't inspire confidence in build quality so if you see a used one cheap enough, best to keep a spare but it does have a jack socket so any length lead can be used as a separate output from a board.

For an all round tone, powerful, solid amp i couldn't ask for more and if the red / black colours do it for you the way it does for me, then even the amps looks will keep you smiling.

My only other and last citicism of the fittings is the cheap rubber handle. A nice black leather unit that fits and be much nicer to look at and use.

Well done Fender. Yes it's a mass produced amp and as such there is some room for improvement but the main bulk of that work is done for you compared with the standard Hot Rod and as those speakers cost £100 each to buy new, a large amount of the cost is already taken up too.

I think it will set me back another £100 to make this amp perfect and given that i paid £500 used last year from @Photek here on our classifieds, i think that's a great price for what i see as a long term investment in sound and long term ownership.

Alnico

Pics to follow.................

Alnico

Sound clips and Video to follow...............

Wazmeister

Looking forward to clips and photos

Alnico

Wazmeister said:

Looking forward to clips and photos

I can do photo's quite soon but the sound clips will have to wait until either the neighbours are out or i can get to a studio. I can play it quietly but you don't really get the best out of it that way.

Working on a plan for that soon.

Photo's in a day or two.

ennspek

I can certify that it looks cool, is bloody loud and sounds great driven as well as clean. This last bit surprised me to be honest.

Roland

Photos? Sound clips?

Alnico

@Roland   

Too many things have drained all my time recently.

I will get to it when i can, soon. If i had known it would have taken this long i wouldn't have posted the review yet !