Best Fender Amps: Fender Amplifier Range Explained

Fender make some of the best amplifiers on the market, and although they are mainly known for their tube amps, they also make some brilliant affordable solid state options as well.

They have such a large range, that it can be quite difficult to navigate and figure out example what model is best for you, so I’ve made this guide to help simplify and explain it.

Best Fender Amps

Fender have a huge range which I will break down in the next sections. Here are just some of the best Fender amplifiers on the market today.

• Fender Mustang GTX: very versatile and affordable.
• Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb: great for gigging.
• Fender Super-Champ X2: very affordable tube amp.
• Fender Blues Junior IV: great value tube amp.
• Fender ’65 Super Reverb: most iconic tone.

Contents

This article is split into the following sections:

• Overview of the Fender Amp Range
• Solid State Electric Guitar Amps
• Tube (Valve) Electric Guitar Amps
• Acoustic-Electric Guitar Amps
• Bass Guitar Amps
• Which Amp Should You Choose?
• More Frequently Asked Questions

Overview of the Fender Amp Range

Fender mainly produce solid state and tube combo amplifiers, but do also produce some head units. They also make a decent range of acoustic-electric and bass guitar amplifiers as well. In order to help categorise the Fender amplifier range to make it more manageable to understand, I have created the following tables.

They are split into different amp types: solid state electric guitar, tube electric guitar, acoustic-electric guitar and bass guitar. The tables contain all the amps in each type, the power rating (wattage) options available and the price range from Guitar Center at the time of writing. All the tables are ordered from the cheapest to most expensive starting price.

Make sure you check my in-depth guide comparing solid state and tube amplifiers so you can decide which is the best option for you.

Note: you may have to scroll sideways for the bass and electric-acoustic guitar tables if you are on a mobile device to see all the columns. Also, all amps are combo amplifiers, unless specified as a “head” instead.

Solid State Electric Guitar Amps

Fender Amp Series	Power Ratings	Price Range
Frontman	10W	$100
Champion	20W, 40W, 100W	$140-$400
Mustang	25W, 50W	$180-$280
Champion XL	50W, 100W	$240-$450
Mustang GTX	50W, 100W	$400-$500
Tone Master Reverb	45W, 100W, 200W	$900-$1200

Tube (Valve) Electric Guitar Amps

Fender Amp Series	Power Ratings	Price Range
Super-Champ X2	15W	$400
Bassbreaker	7W, 15W, 30W, 45W	$500-$1100
Pro Junior IV	15W	$550
Bassbreaker Head	15W	$650
Blues Junior IV	15W	$650
’68 Custom Vibro Champ Reverb	5W	$800
Hot Rod Deluxe	40W, 60W	$900-$1200
Blues Deluxe Reissue	40W	$900
’57 Custom	5W, 12W, 40W	$1100-$3300
’65 Princeton Reverb	12W	$1200
Super-Sonic Head	22W	$1200
’68 Custom Deluxe Reverb	22W, 85W	$1150-$1600
Super-Sonic	22W	$1400
Vintage Reissue ’65 Deluxe Reverb	22W	$1500
Vintage Reissue ’65 Reverb	45W, 85W	$1800-$1900
’64 Custom Deluxe Reverb	20W	$2750

Acoustic-Electric Guitar Amps

Fender Amp Series	Technology	Power Ratings	Price Range
Acoustasonic	Solid State	15W, 40W	$130-$250
Acoustic Jr	Solid State	100W	$400
Acoustic Jr GO	Solid State	100W	$500
Acoustic 100	Solid State	100W	$500
Acoustic SFX II	Solid State	100W	$700

Bass Guitar Amps

Fender Amp Series	Technology	Power Ratings	Price Range
Rumble	Solid State	10W, 25W, 40W, 100W, 200W, 500W	$100-$650
Rumble LT	Solid State	25W	$250
Rumble Studio	Solid State	40W	$400
Rumble Head	Solid State	800W	$700
Rumble State	Solid State	800W	$1000
Bassman 800	Hybrid	800W	$1100
Super Bassman Pro	Tube	300W	$2000

Solid State Electric Guitar Amplifiers

Fender make 6 main models of solid state amplifier:

• Frontman
• Champion
• Champion XL
• Mustang
• Mustang GTX
• Tone Master Reverb

Most models also come in various different power ratings (wattage), and some of the controls may be different depending on the power rating. It is common for the same model amp with a higher power rating to have additional controls.

Here is a table to summarise the different models in terms of their power ratings and controls. The table is ordered from the lowest to the highest price.

Amplifier	Wattage	Settings
Fender Frontman 10G	10W	2 channels, gain, treble, bass
Fender Champion 20	20W	2 channels, gain, treble, bass, reverb, delay, chorus, tremolo, flanger, phaser, vibrato
Fender Mustang LT25	25W	30 presets, gain, 3 band EQ
Fender Champion 40	40W	2 channels, gain, treble, bass, reverb, delay, chorus, tremolo, flanger, phaser, vibrato
Fender Champion 50XL	50W	2 channels, gain, treble, bass, reverb, delay, chorus, tremolo, flanger, phaser, vibrato
Fender Mustang LT50	50W	30 presets, gain, 3 band EQ
Fender Mustang GTX 50	50W	30 presets, gain, 3 band EQ, reverb
Fender Champion 100	100W	2 channels, gain, 3 band EQ, reverb, delay, chorus, tremolo, flanger, phaser, vibrato
Fender Champion 100XL	100W	2 channels, gain, 3 band EQ, voice control, reverb, delay, chorus, tremolo, flanger, phaser, vibrato
Fender Mustang GTX 100	100W	200 presets, gain, 3 band EQ, reverb
Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb	100W	2 channels, treble, bass, reverb, tremolo
Fender Tone Master Twin Reverb	200W	2 channels, treble, bass, reverb, tremolo
Fender Tone Master Super Reverb 4×10	45W	2 channels, treble, bass, reverb, tremolo

Top Solid State Picks

For Beginners: Fender Champion 20

Most Versatile: Fender Mustang GTX 50W

For Gigging: Fender Tone Master Deluxe Reverb

Tube (Valve) Electric Guitar Amplifiers

Although the solid state range by Fender is pretty straightforward, the same can’t really be said for the tube amp selection. The brand are incredibly well known for their high-end tube combo amps, and they have a pretty extensive range to suit different budgets and requirements.

Here is a list of the main types of tube amps made by Fender. You can find different power ratings (wattages) for some of them, so I’ll talk about that in a little bit.

• Super-Champ X2
• Bassbreaker
• Hot Rod
• Super Sonic
• Vintage Modified
• Vintage Reissue

All these amp come in combo options, however the Bassbreaker and Super-Sonic also come in head units with 15W and 22W power ratings, respectively. Now I’ll briefly summarise each range.

Super-Champ X2 (Affordable)

This is the most affordable tube amp Fender offer, and it comes with a generous 15W of power, making it suitable for small venues. It has the basic controls you’d expect: 2 channels, gain, bass, treble, voice (16 options) and multiple effects (15 total).

Bassbreaker (Affordable-Mid Range)

The Bassbreaker range has the most options in terms of wattage with 7W, 15W, 30W and 45W combo options as well as a 15W head unit. It is still a very affordable tube amp, and offers excellent value for money.

It has more modern styling compared to most Fender tube amps, so does not look like a particularly iconic Fender model but it does have a great range of controls including: gain, structure, 3-band EQ and reverb. The only drawback in my opinion, is that it is a single channel amp, however the structure control does allow you to adjust the level of overdrive.

Fender Bassbreaker (image links to Amazon)

Hot Rod (Mid-Range)

The Hot Rod models can be broken up into two categories: Junior and Deluxe, with the latter being the more expensive.

The Deluxe version is more premium and includes 40W and 60W combo models. It is a mid-range valve amp in terms of price. The amps have volume, drive, 3-band EQ, master, reverb and presence controls.

There are two models in the Junior range: the 15W Pro Junior IV and the slightly more expensive Blues Junior IV. They both have single channels, however the controls differ. The Pro Junior only has a volume and tone control, whilst the Blues Junior has volume, treble, bass, middle, master and reverb controls, making it a lot more versatile despite not being a tonne more expensive.

These two amps are still considered quite affordable for tube amplifiers, offering good value for money.

Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (image links to Amazon)

Check out my in-depth comparison between the Hot Rod Deluxe and Blues Deluxe amps.

Vintage Modified (Mid-High End)

This includes the following models:

• ’68 Custom Vibro Champ Reverb
• ’68 Custom Princeton Reverb
• ’68 Custom Deluxe Reverb
• ’68 Custom Pro Reverb
• ’68 Custom Twin Reverb

There’s a pretty big difference in price between these three models, the list above goes from the lowest to highest price. They all have very similar appearances, and differ due to the controls, power ratings and speaker sizes. They are all of course based on vintage amps and have that very classic “sparkly Fender tone”.

Fender ’68 Custom Princeton (image links to Amazon)

Super Sonic (Mid-High End)

The Super Sonic range has two models: a 22W head unit, and 22W 1×12″ combo amp. They have two channels. The Vintage channel has treble and bass controls as well as a voice switch (normal/ fat). The Burn channel has gain 1, gain 2, treble, bass, middle, volume and master reverb controls. These two amps are in the mid-high end range. It is marketed as a very versatile amp, due to the drastic tonal difference between the two channels.

Fender Super-Sonic (image links to Amazon)

Vintage Reissue (High-End)

This includes the following models (from cheapest to most expensive):

• ’65 Princeton Reverb
• ’65 Deluxe Reverb
• ’65 Twin Reverb
• ’65 Super Reverb

These models are the top of the line in the Fender range and the option to go for if you want that iconic tone, and price isn’t an issue.

Check out my in-depth comparison between the ’65 Deluxe Reverb and ’65 Twin Reverb.

Image links to Amazon

Guitar Center are always the first place I look at when I’m interested in a new amp because have a huge range of amplifiers for sale and always have some excellent deals on. Here’s a link to take you directly to Guitar Center’s amp range so you can see all the offers available at the moment. 

Acoustic-Electric Guitar Amplifiers

Fender make 5 main acoustic-electric guitar amplifiers:

• Acoustasonic
• Acoustic Jr
• Acoustic Jr GO
• Acoustic 100
• Acoustic SFX II

All these amplifiers have two inputs and channels. One is designed for the guitar, and the other for a microphone. Here is a quick comparison table.

Amplifier	Power Rating	Controls	Speaker	Rechargeable Battery
Acoustasonic 15	15W	Vol, 3-band EQ, chorus	1×6”	No
Acoustasonic 40	40W	Vol, 3-band EQ, reverb	2×6.5”	No
Acoustic Jr	100W	Vol, 3-band EQ, reverb, delay, chorus, vibratone, looper	1×8”	No
Acoustic Jr GO	100W	Vol, 3-band EQ, reverb, delay, chorus, vibratone, looper	1×8”	Yes
Acoustic 100	100W	Vol, 3-band EQ, reverb, delay, chorus, vibratone, looper	1×8”	No
Acoustic SFX II	100W	Vol, 3-band EQ, reverb, delay, chorus, vibratone, looper	1×8” and 1×6.5”	No

The amplifiers are all different prices, and will excel in different situations and for different players. Here’s what I think are the best choices:

• For Beginners: Acoustasonic 15
• For Buskers: Acoustic Jr GO
• For Gigging: Acoustic SFX II

Here are the links to each amplifier on Amazon so you can check the current prices:

• Fender Acoustasonic 15
• Fender Acoustasonic 40
• Fender Acoustic Jr
• Fender Acoustic Jr GO
• Fender Acoustic 100
• Fender Acoustic SFX II

Bass Guitar Amplifiers

Fender also make a range of bass guitar amplifiers to suit both professionals, and entry-level players. There are two main amp types: Rumble and Bassman. However, there are a few different types and sizes of each amp available. Here is a table comparing the main features of each model. It is ordered from the least to most expensive model.

Amplifier	Type	Technology	Power Rating	Controls	Speaker
Rumble 15	Combo	Solid State	15W	Vol, 3-band EQ	1×8”
Rumble 25	Combo	Solid State	25W	Vol, 3-band EQ	1×8”
Rumble 40	Combo	Solid State	40W	Vol, gain, 4-band EQ, overdrive, switches (bright, contour, vintage)	1×10”
Rumble LT25	Combo	Solid State	25W	50 presets, gain, 3-band EQ	1×8”
Rumble 100	Combo	Solid State	100W	Vol, gain, 4-band EQ, overdrive, switches (bright, contour, vintage)	1×12”
Rumble Studio 40	Combo	Solid State	40W	15+ models, 40+ effects, gain, 3-band EQ	1×10”
Rumble 200	Combo	Solid State	200W	Vol, gain, 4-band EQ, overdrive, switches (bright, contour, vintage)	1×15”
Rumble 500	Combo	Solid State	500W	Vol, gain, 4-band EQ, overdrive, switches (bright, contour, vintage)	2×10”
Rumble 800 Head	Head	Solid State	800W	Vol, gain, 4-band EQ, overdrive, switches (bright, contour, vintage)	N/A
Rumble Stage 800	Combo	Solid State	800W	15+ models, 40+ effects, gain, 3-band EQ	2×10”
Bassman 800	Head	Hybrid	800W	2 channels, gain, 4-band EQ, blend,	N/A
Super Bassman Pro	Head	Tube	300W	2 channels, gain, 4-band EQ, blend,	N/A

Here are some of my top picks for different budgets and experience levels:

• For Beginners: Fender Rumble 15
• Best Value for Money: Fender Rumble Studio 40
• For Large Venues: Rumble Stage 800

Here are the links to each amplifier on Amazon so you can check the current prices:

• Fender Rumble 15
• Fender Rumble Studio 40
• Fender Rumble Stage 800

Which Fender Amp Should I Get?

So this is the ultimate question, and one that’s quite hard to answer considering the size of Fender’s amplifier range.

The best thing to do, is to identify which models are in your budget and go from there. You then need to consider the power rating and speaker size to figure out what size amp you need so it is loud enough for the location you plan on using it in. After that, consider the tone of the amp and do your best to try them in person using your own guitar to see which sound you prefer. Then you can consider the controls available and finally the look of the amp might come into play as well.

Here are a couple of things to keep in mind and help you narrow down your search:

• If you want the iconic Fender tone, your best bet is one of the tube amps. The Vintage Reissue models will give you the most iconic tone, but at the most expensive price. The Hot Rod and Vintage Modified amps are great if you’re on a stricter budget.
• For the best value for money and versatility, consider one of the solid state modelling amps such as the Fender Mustang.

In the market for a new amplifier? Check out my complete amplifier buyer’s guide to help narrow down your selection and find the perfect amp for you.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the answers to some more questions you might have on your quest to find the right Fender amp for you.

What power rating (wattage) do I need?

I’ve written a full guide on how to choose the best power and size amplifier here.

Which guitarists use Fender amps?

Many famous guitarists have been known to use Fender amplifiers including: Eric Johnson, Neil Young, Stevie Ray Vaughan, James Burton, Eric Clapton and Mike Bloomfield. Fender amps are often associated with blues, country and rock music.

What do Fender amps sound like?

Fender amps are often described as sounding “sparkly” particularly when referring to their clean tones, as they have very pronounced treble frequencies. The tone is characterised by its slightly scooped mid-range, and emphasis on the bass and treble, in addition to the broad dynamic range.

Here are some more articles you might find useful:

• Fender vs Vox
• Fender vs Orange
• Fender vs Boss