# Fender Studio Lead SS amp from 1980s... I now own one



## greco

I am about to buy a Fender Studio Lead SS amp from a Kijiji seller.

Sample pics from Google images (not the actual amp)


















Please stop laughing and continue reading.


He is driving to meet me and I will not be trying the amp to listen to the fabulous tone or to know if all the knobs work, as we are meeting at Tim Hortons. However, he sent me a video of him playing the amp as a gesture to ease any possible concerns.

Not much out there about them. Trust me, I have looked for what seems like hours.
I found a .pdf of the virtually useless user's manual. However, I also found a schematic with a parts list and layout. Nice find!


Do I need this amp?...No
Do I want a new toy...Yes
Do I like to gamble..Yes
Price $150.00 ...Maybe a bit high...but these are not seen all that often. Maybe that alone should be a reason for concern...LOL

It is from the early 80's, 1 x 12", 50 watts, reverb pan is in the bottom of the amp (as compared to the hardboard one in the chassis of my Champ 30).
The speaker is the standard and terrible Fender issue of the day.
The cleans are reportedly excellent. The distortion is reportedly hopeless.
99% of the time I play disgustingly clean at low volumes with a soupçon of reverb.

This is a Rivera era SS amp (correct?).
Anyone ever own or play through one of these ...or the big brother/sister Stage Lead?
Comments on these amps?

Thanks in advance.

STATEMENT OF RESPONSIBILITY AND ASSUMPTION OF RISK:
I am totally prepared to take full responsibility and blame if this amp is a stupid, impulsive, illogical, overpriced, dumb, etc, etc purchase.


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## Dorian2

I'll assume you've vetted him out over the phone, so your personal experience should dictate the rest I suppose.


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## greco

Dorian2 said:


> I'll assume you've vetted him out over the phone, so your personal experience should dictate the rest I suppose.


Thanks for responding. We have exchanged several emails. 

However, it seems as though I wasn't very clear in my initial post. 
I was hoping someone might have some experience with this model of amp and would comment.


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## Bullet

Can’t go wrong IMO 
Tally Ho ! 

A review of this amp that I found on the web;

_This is a well designed solid state amplifier. It is great for home or studio or small venue gigs. 50 watt SS not too powerful but enough for home use. The amp is very clean on the clean side. Good for acoustic and clean country or jazz. Definately sounds SS and not tube. Now to the drive channel. This is a very good tube tone for SS construction. The eq and drive settings can be adjusted to give a very tubey tone. This is not a distortion channel, but a classic overdrive channel that really sounds like a driven tube amp. This channel responds well to volume changes on your guitar and retains some nice dynamics and harmonics just like a good tube amp. The noise level is very low and little or no hiss in any channel._


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## greco

Bullet said:


> The eq and drive settings can be adjusted to give a very tubey tone.





Bullet said:


> retains some nice dynamics and harmonics just like a good tube amp.


I read the same thing. I think the author worked in Sales and/or advertising at Fender. 

My expectations are in check...but a tiny bit hopeful that the clean is decent, just the same.



Bullet said:


> Can’t go wrong IMO


This is a very uplifting comment...Thanks. Much appreciated.
It is yours for $125.00 if it is not quite what I was looking for.


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## jb welder

I liked everything you said except the price. 
But it's not that far off. I'd have said $100 would be a good deal. Not a bad amp from what I recall. Should be quite fitting for your purposes.
(edit: oops, I didn't see your last post before mentioning that price, sorry)


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## greco

jb welder said:


> I liked everything you said except the price.


Mrs. Greco is contributing $50.00 towards the $150.00 total. It is an investment concept and I am her financial advisor.

@jb welder Seriously now...You are very correct about the price of $150.00 being a bit high.


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## Bullet

greco said:


> This is a very uplifting comment...Thanks. Much appreciated.
> It is yours for $125.00 if it is not quite what I was looking for.


Let's meet at Tim Hortons ! How do you take yours ?!


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## Budda

I find any amp with a 12" generally sounds better than most practice/SS amps with an 8" speaker. Based on that alone you should have decent clean tones available.

Will you be running in stereo, or is there another amp leaving?


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## jb welder

I think he's setting up for Mrs. Greco to join the band.


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## greco

jb welder said:


> (edit: oops, I didn't see your last post before mentioning that price, sorry)


The $125.00 quote is a deal I'm working on with @Bullet if the tonal/sonic qualities don't quite meet my expectations. He has agreed to sweeten the deal with a coffee.


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## Bullet

greco said:


> The $125.00 quote is a deal I'm working on with @Bullet if the tonal/sonic qualities don't quite meet my expectations. He has agreed to sweeten the deal with a coffee.


Oh what the hell, you deserve a Tim Bit too ! 
Salted caramel is delish!


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## greco

Budda said:


> I find any amp with a 12" generally sounds better than most practice/SS amps with an 8" speaker. Based on that alone you should have decent clean tones available.
> 
> Will you be running in stereo, or is there another amp leaving?


The other amp is a Champion 30 (circa late 1980s or early 90s). I got it locally form a Kijiji seller for $80.00. It came with several pounds of dust, cat hair and other tiny deceased creatures that might now be classed as extinct. 
It has a 10" speaker from a newer Super Champ that I got from @Fox Rox. The basket on the original speaker was made from Reynold's highest grade tin foil.

I might just try stereo...Thanks for the suggestion.


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## ed2000

I repaired a Stage 100 and found the tones typical of Fender clean and, believe it or not, the distortion/gain was decent.


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## Dorian2

greco said:


> Thanks for responding. We have exchanged several emails.
> 
> However, it seems as though I wasn't very clear in my initial post.
> I was hoping someone might have some experience with this model of amp and would comment.


Nawww. You were clear. I just got pulled away before I mentioned that I have no experience with that amp. I'm interested on your view of the OD in the amp when you get it though. My old SS Peavey Bandit is well known to have crap tone out of the drive channel, so I wish you luck.


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## Wardo

Bring a generator with you and let er rip in the Horton’s parking lot before buying.


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## marcos

Dave, i'M pretty sure i owned one of those way back. Cant be 100% sure but it sure looks like it. I loved mine, cant go wrong with these old SS Fender's. They are on par with Peavey amps of that era. Best of luck and will be waiting to see how it turned out.


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## GuitarT

I owned a couple different Fender SS amp back in that era but I honestly can't remember the models. If I remember correctly your summation in your original post is probably correct, good cleans, bad drives. I think it's a good candidate for the clean tones you're chasing. Look forward to hearing how it works for ya.


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## davetcan

You'd be so much better off with my Koch Startrooper. Just sayin'.


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## Fox Rox

The old Fender SS amps are very under rated and have a wonderful clean tone. I especially liked the Princeton Chorus.


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## davetcan

I'm not a jazz guy but this guy is .. However it's NOT 36lbs, closer to 42 or 43 in my estimation.

[NAD] Koch Startrooper - wow. all problems solved.


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## Guest

davetcan said:


> However it's NOT 36lbs, closer to 42 or 43 in my estimation.


This is basically what stopped me from getting yours.
It's not quite knee friendly for me.


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## greco

@davetcan Did you/do you have 2 Koch amps?

IIRC, @GTmaker mentioned being impressed when he saw this amp, but maybe it was another Koch amp.


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## davetcan

greco said:


> @davetcan Did you/do you have 2 Koch amps?
> 
> IIRC, @GTmaker mentioned being impressed when he saw this amp, but maybe it was another Koch amp.


I've owned a few over the years, just have this one now. The others were Studiotone heads and combo's, both 20 and 40 watts. I don't think they make a bad amp, all have been excellent.


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## knight_yyz

www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2256021707986977/


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## greco

knight_yyz said:


> www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/2256021707986977/


That is the exact amp I'm buying. I saw it on Kijiji as I don't use FB.


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## knight_yyz

wasn;t sure. I thought maybe 125 was the wattage.


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## jb welder

davetcan said:


> You'd be so much better off with my Koch Startrooper. Just sayin'.


Is there a Koch being discussed for $150 here?


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## greco

davetcan said:


> You'd be so much better off with my Koch Startrooper. Just sayin'.


I am such a boring, monotone kind of guy that an amp of this calibre and diversity of tones would be wasted on me.

Even my DV Mark Little Jazz is likely too much amp for my needs...but it is voiced specifically to get the tones I'm chasing. It was a bit of an impulse buy as I couldn't try it first and I decided to treat/indulged myself and just ordered one through our local music store. It remains one of the 'amps du jour' on the Jazz Guitar Forum. @Jim Soloway , a GC forum member and respected jazz guitarist, (now living in Mexico) is pleased with this model of DV Mark amps.


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## greco

duplicate


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## davetcan

greco said:


> I am such a boring, monotone kind of guy that an amp of this calibre and diversity of tones would be wasted on me.
> 
> Even my DV Mark Little Jazz is likely too much amp for my needs...but it is voiced specifically to get the tones I'm chasing. It was a bit of an impulse buy as I couldn't try it first and I decided to treat/indulged myself and just ordered one through our local music store. It remains one of the 'amps du jour' on the Jazz Guitar Forum. @Jim Soloway , a GC forum member and respected jazz guitarist, (now living in Mexico) is pleased with this model of DV Mark amps.


I bought an Allen amp from Jim many years ago  (you should have known that).


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## davetcan

jb welder said:


> Is there a Koch being discussed for $150 here?


Ahhh, no!


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## greco

davetcan said:


> I bought an Allen amp from Jim many years ago  (you should have known that).


I have a terrible memory and you have had 'a few' amps. 
Help me out. Why should I 'have known that'?


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## davetcan

greco said:


> I have a terrible memory and you have had 'a few' amps.
> Help me out. Why should I 'have known that'?


Because I've bought or sold stuff to everybody silly!


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## greco

davetcan said:


> Because I've bought or sold stuff to everybody silly!


 That is the exact answer I expected. 
You are right!...I am so silly!


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## Guest

jb welder said:


> Is there a Koch being discussed for $150 here?





davetcan said:


> Ahhh, no!


Unless it's a deposit, correct?


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## davetcan

laristotle said:


> Unless it's a deposit, correct?


It's a thought


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## High/Deaf

When the L6 Spider amps were starting to pop up at jams, I decided to take the 'light SS amp' plunge. But instead of an Spider or Vypyr, I bought a used Fender Princeton 65 (for about the price of a cheap MFX pedal) and a Zoom GFX-3. The gain channel was pretty unusable, but with the Zoom pedal into the clean channel I had a light, cheap, flexible, loud take out rig. 

While it worked for a couple of situations, after a few years I came to realize the tone trade-off for lightness and convenience wasn't worth it. Just last year, I took it to a band practice and used it with a decent analog pedalboard (instead of the MFX) but wasn't happy enough to leave it at the practice space for continuous use (which was the plan initially). Much happier taking slightly heavier rigs back and forth, since I have them anyways.


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## greco

What a wonderful Kijiji experience!

The seller agreed to meet me at a Tim Hortons in Cambridge, about 1/2 way for each of us, at 12:30 today. Earlier in the morning, he emailed me asking what shirt size I wear and said that would explain later.

He is the Executive Director of the "Sound of Music Festival" in Burlington and brought me a very nice hoodie/hoody from the festival. @JHarasym will especially appreciate this (the festival part, not the hoody).

He is a multi instrumentalist with a degree in music from Lakehead University and, like me, had lived in London, England for a few years. He is also a jazz enthusiast. Ironically, we know the same person that owns a book store in Paris, Ontario. The world is often a small place. We talked for over an hour!










A bit about the amp....
This amp has a reverb tank that is about 17 inches long!(I measured it).
It is a very solidly built amp with a substantial transformer. It is cosmetically clean and appears to be functioning well with only a few scratchy pots (I was warned). I have only spent a few minutes playing through it so far but I am sure it will easily meet my needs for a decent clean with reverb.

It is a bit of a silly indulgence (given that I have two other somewhat similar amps) but, like a kid, it is fun to get a new toy....and a hoody.


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## Verne

Some people go beyond what is expected and prove there are good ones still out there. Excellent transaction and sounds like there is a little hope yet for others.


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## bigboki

Great news Dave. So happy to hear about your great experience.
I would typically now say Rock ON - but what be good expression for Jazz? Jazz ON doesn't really sound appropriate


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## Budda

It looks ready for some wrongly correct notes! Pretty cool that you met the director of a big music festival too.


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## greco

bigboki said:


> Great news Dave. So happy to hear about your great experience.
> I would typically now say Rock ON - but what be good expression for Jazz? Jazz ON doesn't really sound appropriate


Thanks!

"Keep ON Fakin' It" would be be the most accurate for me.


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## Fox Rox

HNAD @greco! And it sounds like one of the best Kijiji transactions you could have!


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## Guest

Congrats my friend! I like the background story.


greco said:


> and a hoody.


You are aware that we now need a pic of you wearing it.


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## Robert1950

Have you put a fuzz pedal in front yet??


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## greco

Robert1950 said:


> Have you put a fuzz pedal in front yet??


What have you been smokin'?


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## Robert1950

@greco LOL


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## Hamstrung

Glad to hear everything went smoothly!


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## Fox Rox

I had a chance to play through this amp today and I was very impressed. The clean sound is awesome, and the reverb sounds very Fender-ish. What really surprised me though was trying a Timmy pedal through it. I can't believe I am typing this, but the amp sounded very tube like. 

And a big shout out to @greco who is graciously helping me with a Cabronita build.


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## davetcan

Fox Rox said:


> I had a chance to play through this amp today and I was very impressed. The clean sound is awesome, and the reverb sounds very Fender-ish. What really surprised me though was trying a Timmy pedal through it. I can't believe I am typing this, but the amp sounded very tube like.
> 
> And a big shout out to @greco who is graciously helping me with a Cabronita build.


Be careful or you'll feel like playing jazz when you leave there.


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## GTmaker

Congrats Dave on the new amp....
I hope you will remember who has the "perfect" speaker for the amp when you want to upgrade.
Special "friends only" discounts will apply.
G.


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## Robert1950

I would suggest the EHX Satisfaction fuzz....


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## bzrkrage

Wow! So waiting for the Mrs to get up for Christmas gift stuff, I read this.
10 months ago @greco , still have this amp? Your still loving the cleans?
Did @Bullet score for $125?
Did Mary have an affair with the pool boy?
Will little Jimmy wake for the coma (see last season’s cliffhanger)?


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## Verne

bzrkrage said:


> Wow! So waiting for the Mrs to get up for Christmas gift stuff, I read this.
> 10 months ago @greco , still have this amp? Your still loving the cleans?
> Did @Bullet score for $125?
> Did Mary have an affair with the pool boy?
> Will little Jimmy wake for the coma (see last season’s cliffhanger)?


Tune in to the next episode of SOAP.


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## cboutilier

Good little cabinet and chassis to build a sleeper. Sneak a brown Princeton or Deluxe in there.


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## jvandyke

I bought mine in '84. It was 1 year old at the time (I found out when dating it 30 years later). It already had a replacement speaker when I got it (ev12s) but had a scratchiness when clean. I finally figured out last year that the voice coil had cooked and bulged. I bought it that way in '84. I even paid $30 to a shop to "fix it" back in the day (not knowing what was wrong, thinking it was something digital). They charged me but didn't even touch it. So I finally figured out the deal, had the EV reconed and just yesterday listened to it for the first time in 38 years as it should have been. I'm pretty sure mine is 100w and is absolutely stupid loud, way too loud now, not loud enough back when I was 16.....okay it was too loud then too.


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## jamesplotkin

I've had one of these for a long time. The clean channel is solid. The gain is useless, but who cares. Definitely good for Jazz and Blues.


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