New VM Band-Master from Fender - Anybody play thru one?

[Rich Hlaves]

If any of you guys or gals has tried out the new (sort of) Fender Vintage Modified Band-Master head I'd like to know what you thought of it.

If you played six string though is as well as steel I'd like to hear about that too. How are the effects?

If you bought one, what was the deciding factor that made you choose this amp? How much did you pay for it?

Thanks for your thoughts,

Rich

[Joel DeGarmo]

I really want to hear this one too. The inclusion of the digital effects makes me wonder if it's Fender's answer to the Spider Valve??? (Why can't Fender train a bunch of underpaid people to make eyelet board reissues?)

[Rich Hlaves]

(Why can't Fender train a bunch of underpaid people to make eyelet board reissues?)

Joel,

They make a bunch of handwired amps but they are way too expensive for me to be interested. They are all custom shop models. You can buy the real vintage deal for less than the new custom shop stuff. Case in point, I just picked up a very clean '68 Super Reverb for under a grand. It has the AB763 circuit and sounds better than any production reissue ever could. And SR RI's have printed circuit boards. I think the RI SR amps have a street price of over $1300 now. Hell, Fender want's a grand for a Princton Reverb RI and I think they sound crappy.

2 to 3 times these prices for stuff out of the custom shop. Yikes!

I still want to try a new BM just for kicks.

Best,

Rich