Does Fender make a tube amp in America anymore?

B

Blak Jak Balla

New member
Which models are still made in the USA?

Is the Hot Rod Deluxe?

I understand some Blues Junior amps are made in the USA, and others are from Mexico. They do not mention on their web page where each mic model is manufactured. I was hoping to find it in the specs, but no luck!

I know there isn't anything wrong with being manufactured someplace else, but I would love to buy a new all tube Fender amp if such an animal still exists.

Thanks in advance...
 
If you want a good Fender,my advice is to buy a Victoria amp.
They are way more Fender than anything the alleged "Fender" company makes today.These people have no more connection to Leo Fender's company than you or I do-they just have legal rights to the name.
 
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lol, if you want to pay $3000 for an amp, by all means buy a victoria. And if you want something like a Pro Tube Twin or Super...oh, sorry they don't make amps like that.

The Blues Jr amps WERE made in the USA up until 2000 or so, when they moved production to Mexico. There are a few US amps still built I think, but they are the higher end amps. I'll go look it up real quick.

H2H
 
Looks like it was 2002ish when the Hot Rod series moved production to Mexico. The Hot Rod series and all amps below that price point are made in the Ensenada factory. As well as the Cybers and several others.

By the way, the Fender Mexico factory has tools and skills that are just as advanced as the US factory in Corona. If fact, Mexican people fill the majority of jobs at both places.

H2H
 
I don't doubt that at all. I don't really have a problem with it being made in Mexico, but for future resale purposes I would prefer American made. Not to mention I like the idea of supporting American workers when I can.

Mind sharing where you found that information? I'd like to be able to look it up sometime.

Does it mention which amps are currently made here in the states?

Thanks for your help. I really do appreciate it very much!
 
Check out the Fender Frontline catalog. You should be able to pick one up at your local Fender dealer for free. All the amps and guitars have code numbers which tell alot about them.

H2H
 
You have other options,which include building your own.
Just go to the Hoffman Amps page,and take a look around.There are also links there to several other sites,where you can buy complete kits.
The easiest build is a Champ,then you can try something else after gaining some experience.
 
Building amps is not for someone looking into buying an amp. It's for someone looking to build an amp. that's a huge undertaking. And better looked into for someone who wants a long term electronics project rather than a guitar player wanting an amp to play through.

Apparently you have some beef with FMIC, thats fine. But suggesting that you should buy an expensive botique amp, or build your own from scratch, in lieu of buying a Fender is kind of rediculous. And prices of "real" pre CBS Fender amps are very steep, also. Newer Fender amps are great amps. I have used several of them in a very professional setting, on the road with me, and in multiple recording studios. I've never had a problem with them.

H2H
 
I have a Fender "The Twin" which is also same as "The Evil Twin", anyway it was made in the USA, however the tubes were made by RCA of India, when I eventually had to replace them I ended up with Russian tubes (Sovtek 6L6WXT)and in my opinion the Indian tube sound was superior. So even the MIA was not necessarily so.
 
Hard2Hear said:
Building amps is not for someone looking into buying an amp. It's for someone looking to build an amp. that's a huge undertaking. And better looked into for someone who wants a long term electronics project rather than a guitar player wanting an amp to play through.

Apparently you have some beef with FMIC, thats fine. But suggesting that you should buy an expensive botique amp, or build your own from scratch, in lieu of buying a Fender is kind of rediculous. And prices of "real" pre CBS Fender amps are very steep, also. Newer Fender amps are great amps. I have used several of them in a very professional setting, on the road with me, and in multiple recording studios. I've never had a problem with them.

H2H
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Thank you.

Whats with everyone suggesting to build amps all of the sudden?!

"Hey, I'm a 14 year old noob, what should I buy?"
"Build yourself a $5000 Soldano copy with an added Dumble tone stack!"

Aside from one or two people on this forum, I don't think the rest have ever build an amp because I have been building pedals (and those are a migrain and a half) and when I started to build the cabinet for an amp I just said "fuck it". I am not getting infront of people playing through the Leaning Tower of Piza.

:eek: :D :D :D :D :D
 
Clive Hugh said:
I have a Fender "The Twin" which is also same as "The Evil Twin"
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No, the "Evil Twin" is the '94-'01 "Twin-Amp" and "The Twin" is the pre-'94, AKA "The Red-Knob Twin," even if it doesn't actually have the red knobs.
 
Hard2Hear said:
Looks like it was 2002ish when the Hot Rod series moved production to Mexico. The Hot Rod series and all amps below that price point are made in the Ensenada factory. As well as the Cybers and several others.

By the way, the Fender Mexico factory has tools and skills that are just as advanced as the US factory in Corona. If fact, Mexican people fill the majority of jobs at both places.
Click to expand...
Mexican amp production was phased in over a fairly long period, a lot longer than most people realize. Most of it was completed by '01. Oregon production was closed down before that, as I remember. The last time I heard, the Pro Series amps were still being made in Corona.

The information I got was from Gina D. at Fender, who oversaw and managed all the amp production for several years and still does, as far as I know.

Stuff changes so fast at FMIC that it's hard to keep up.

In that the bulk of electronic assembly is robotic these days, Gina told me that, "it doesn't matter what country a wave-soldering machine is in."

Well, yes and no. Presumably there's a reason that FMIC builds their pro-end stuff in Corona and not in Ensenada or Indonesia like the lower-end amps.
 
bongolation said:
No, the "Evil Twin" is the '94-'01 "Twin-Amp" and "The Twin" is the pre-'94, AKA "The Red-Knob Twin," even if it doesn't actually have the red knobs.
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I based that on the Fender site, I lost my manual and the closest I could find on the Fender site was the evil one, of course when I printed it off I found mine and they seemed practically the same except for a couple of minors, and most of the guts seem the same.
For a production line it would be better economically if a new model could be the same as the previous one except for a few low cost changes that way you save on tooling and other assorted gigs. What the fuck anyway, the purpose was to say that even MIA ain't necessarily so.
 
Building is definately not the easiest or cheapest route. If you are handy, and good with a soldering iron its more of a long term project. I've built a few myself.

Why not consider an older Fender? They're all US built, serviceable, hold their resale value and have tone till the cows come home. Any of the silverfaces are a good bet - Pro Rev, Super Rev, Twin Rev, Bassman's are all still reasonably affordable. Deluxe Reverbs, Vibrolux Reverbs, and Princeton Reverbs are getting a little pricey. Blacface's are out of most peoples price range.
 
I would consider a vintage one. I don't have a problem with that at all. As a matter of fact, I am kicking myself because I left an old Fender Champ in the garage of my last house when I moved out.

Damn it!

Anyway, I think I want a low wattage all tump amp for recording purposes. It's either going to be something like that or a Blues Cube.
 
I bought my 212 Deville in '01 and it was made in the USA. After 3 years of "warranty repairs" (8 to be exact) it was finally exchanged under warranty for a new one in Nov '04. The replacement was Made in Mexico.
Companies are always trying to cut costs any way they can. If they can pay a Mexican $7 a day instead of an American $9 an hour, they'll choose the first. It's all the same production line cheaply made shit anyway so it makes no difference where it was made, exept maybe the resale value. Some people want an "american" made product because they think it's always better. That's not always the case.
 
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