Woody_in_MN
Coptic Orthodox Deacon
Greetings people of earth. I only heard about the Fender Deluxe 112 series a couple weeks ago. Shane from "In the Blues" YouTube channel talked about using a Fender Deluxe Plus 112 while gigging in San Francisco. I started looking for other videos and clips on the Deluxe 112. I did not find many vidoes, but the ones I heard sounded great. I started looking for a used Deluxe Plus 112. One I had been looking at got snatched up, but a Deluxe 112 came on the radar in even better shape, and I snagged it. I have had it for about 2 weeks and here are my thoughts so far.
THE GOOD: Short story, I love this guy. The Deluxe 112 is 65 solid state watts, but this is the loudest 65 watt SS amp I have played. Withe my wife in the house, I set volume at 1 and that is about right. When I'm alone in the house I turn it up to 2 or 2 1/2 and it is feakin LOUD. It has 2 inputs - one high sensitivity, and one low sensitivity. When plugged into the high sensitivity on the clean channel (and this is hard to explain) the upper register, the treble tones come through like a jack hammer, but in a very pleasant way. Not at all ice picky. There is something so satisfying about playing on clean with the tones coming through so strong, but not abrasive. The dirty/lead channel has treble, bass, and this contour control. This contour control messes with the mid range, but the best way I can describe it is with the control to the left it is full on mids like a Vox, or Marshall. With the control dialed to the right, you get a scooped mid - think Mesa Boogie or Peavey 6505. Some people think the Lead channel is not useable, but I very much disagree. I find it very versatile. The speaker is a Fender branded. Often the speakers tend to be the weak point in a Fender rig, but I think they got it right this time. It has a traditional long spring reverb (not digital) and I really like the reverb on this unit. Some of the spring reverbs sound tinny to my ear, but not this one. Overall the amp is very satisfying to play in either Clean or Lead.
THE BAD: There is not much bad. It is heavy for a solid sate unit. Heavier than I expected. But lighter of course than a all tube combo. I don't think they produced this Deluxe 112 line for very long, so they can be a little hard to find. The units are getting to be around 30 years old now. Mine had some light rust on the top handle hinges.
CONCLUSION: This little unit is a beast. A real sleeper. Having two inputs makes it versatile, along with a useable Lead channel. I find I can dial almost any tone in I want. BTW, this does have a phone input that helps it as a bedroom option. An older solid state design, not a modeling amp, but the tones are pretty convincing. GC has these used for around $150 plus shipping and tax, so a very affordable option. Can you gig with this? My vote is yes for a smaller venue.
Pics...
THE GOOD: Short story, I love this guy. The Deluxe 112 is 65 solid state watts, but this is the loudest 65 watt SS amp I have played. Withe my wife in the house, I set volume at 1 and that is about right. When I'm alone in the house I turn it up to 2 or 2 1/2 and it is feakin LOUD. It has 2 inputs - one high sensitivity, and one low sensitivity. When plugged into the high sensitivity on the clean channel (and this is hard to explain) the upper register, the treble tones come through like a jack hammer, but in a very pleasant way. Not at all ice picky. There is something so satisfying about playing on clean with the tones coming through so strong, but not abrasive. The dirty/lead channel has treble, bass, and this contour control. This contour control messes with the mid range, but the best way I can describe it is with the control to the left it is full on mids like a Vox, or Marshall. With the control dialed to the right, you get a scooped mid - think Mesa Boogie or Peavey 6505. Some people think the Lead channel is not useable, but I very much disagree. I find it very versatile. The speaker is a Fender branded. Often the speakers tend to be the weak point in a Fender rig, but I think they got it right this time. It has a traditional long spring reverb (not digital) and I really like the reverb on this unit. Some of the spring reverbs sound tinny to my ear, but not this one. Overall the amp is very satisfying to play in either Clean or Lead.
THE BAD: There is not much bad. It is heavy for a solid sate unit. Heavier than I expected. But lighter of course than a all tube combo. I don't think they produced this Deluxe 112 line for very long, so they can be a little hard to find. The units are getting to be around 30 years old now. Mine had some light rust on the top handle hinges.
CONCLUSION: This little unit is a beast. A real sleeper. Having two inputs makes it versatile, along with a useable Lead channel. I find I can dial almost any tone in I want. BTW, this does have a phone input that helps it as a bedroom option. An older solid state design, not a modeling amp, but the tones are pretty convincing. GC has these used for around $150 plus shipping and tax, so a very affordable option. Can you gig with this? My vote is yes for a smaller venue.
Pics...
