Fender Deluxe 112 an unknown gem.

Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

Weighing in at 33 pounds, the Deluxe 112 @ 65 watts, the Deluxe 112 Plus @ 94 watts . 1 x 12 , dual switching channel Solid State amp. This amp is supposed to be the Solid State version of the Hot Rod Deluxe.

It was made for just a few years in the mid 90's. They sell used , if you can find one for around $150.

A pretty nice amp for Steel or guitars. Plenty of power for the moderate gig. I changed the speaker in mine as the stock Fender speaker was a tad mid strong, I replaced it with one of the Fender Gold Label Emmi speakers, less mids, more bright.

I find it it to be very close to the Nashville 112 overall for Steel. Has a mid contour knob which scoops the mid EQ's. What it has over the N112 is the channel selector which allows for setting up the guitars and Steel differently but going back and fourth between them with the flick of the switch. And no, you don't have to use the overdrive. It's a very clean amp with darn good headroom.

While I don't gig with mine anymore it is my "fixed" music room amp. My gig amps are down in the garage.

At the prices they sell for used, they are a gem.

I would say, if you see one, take a 2nd look !

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Larry Dering · From: Missouri, USA

Good info Tony. I will have to get one and try it out.

Paul Arntson · From: Washington, USA

Larry - also check out this thread on this amp:
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=296377&highlight=

Deluxe 112 SE, Deluxe 90 very similar circuits and tone.
Also, test the amp with a very bassy loud guitar to make sure there aren't any pops or rattles. Some of these (I've had a couple) were prone to cold solder joints in the preamp. Easy to fix if you are a tech, but kind of pricey if you're not.
If you get a good one, it will last a long time. I know one guy who has gigged with his for many years.
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Tony Oresteen · From: Georgia, USA

The pawn shops in Orlando FL were full of these amps few years ago. I never gave them a second look. Just dang!
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Ian Rae · From: Redditch, England

I have a pair and I like them so much I practice in stereo!

Very loud and very clean. Made in USA, too!
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Clyde Mattocks · From: Kinston, North Carolina, USA

I used one for a few years for Tele. I loved it but the circuit board gave me fits. I kept having to go in and hard wire from component to component to keep it going.
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Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

I am not surprised to read about any PC BD issues, the Fender amps that were built in this era and the era to follow , RE: The Hot Rod Series, are a bit "testy" when working on them. The plastic in/out 1/4 jacks and the not so strong PC bd traces leave a bit to be desired.

That being said, they are fine amps and they will go the distance, just be cautious with any repairs if necessary. They are not fragile by any stretch of the imagination.
Try taking a Gallien Kruger Bass amp head apart if you wanna see crazy !

I have owned several Hot Rod series amps, still own one, when I do repairs such as E-CAPS, I do it from the front side of the PC bd. , piggy backing the new caps to the old leads.

I have no issues with the Deluxe 112 Plus that I have. Well over 2 years now. The main reason I do not use it on gigs anymore is I now carry two amps, the N112 and a Blues Jr. I really prefer the Blues Jr for the Telecaster , plus having a second amp, a spare so to speak, is not such a bad idea. Both amps are small and easily transported.
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CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website

ajm · From: Los Angeles

Just a comment about what Tony said regarding spare gigging amps..........

For the prices that I've seen some amps like this go for used, it is insane to not have a spare on gigs.
Granted, to some they may not be tone monsters (like the audience will know anyway), but that is totally not the point.

Amps like these and some of the Peaveys (Bandit, Express, Studio Pro, etc.) can be had for stupid cheap on the used market. At those prices, gigging without a spare is like not having spare cords or strings, or a spare tire.

Plus, you can use it to run stereo.

And plus again, you just know that you're going to need it someday to bail out the guitar player, because HE didn't bring a spare.

Rick Abbott · From: Indiana, USA

I think Mike Douchette is a fan of these. Several years ago he was using a pair of them, if I am remembering correctly.

I had 3-4 of these go through my guitar shop in the early 2000's. They were really nice. Silly me, I never even plugged a steel into one. I had a really old Evans and couldn't be bothered Oh Well

Thanks for the heads-up!
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Les Cargill · From: Oklahoma City, Ok, USA

Other "cousins" to those amps are the Princeton Stereo Chorus , the RocPro and Performer amps.

The RocPro/Performer have a "gainey" thing for six-string that's quite useful. They use a 12AX7 as a diode. It works. So if you play six and steel, they're quite flexible. They're not perfect but they cut well in a mix.

But like Tony said, replace the speaker. I ran mine into a Marshall 1936. Sadly, my Performer 650 died while I was replacing the input jack - dropped a screwdriver and shorted the reverb drive.

Jim Cohen · From: Philadelphia, PA

Am needing something to cover both steel (mainly E9 but a few C6) and lead guitar and find the Peavey Nashville 112 isn't cutting it for the guitar (at least not at the EQ I prefer for steel). So I'm thinking about this Fender Deluxe 112 Plus.

Anyone got one they're ready to part with?
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Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

Jim, If I recall, I found mine on the Guitar Center USED website. There are two models, one has a PLUS after the name . The Deluxe 112 I believe is rated at 60 watts, the PLUS brings it to a massive ( Laughing

) 94 watts ! I see them now and then in the $150 range, they are not all that common as they were only made for maybe 3 or 4 years or so.

I may use mine on our bi-monthly gig again and not carry two amps as I do now. It's a pretty reasonable amp for a small to medium sized room but the stock speaker , as I stated above, was not to my liking, way to middy. This amp has a very usable MID shift ( contour) feature .

And like you have found, I cannot find my way with the N112 for the 6 stringers. Others can but apparently my eardrums have an F stamped on them !

http://www.guitarcenter.com/Used/

There is one listed now for $169, it says 65 Watts but the specs are 94 watts.

Good luck !
_________________
Emmons L-II , Fender Telecasters, B-Benders , Eastman Mandolin ,
Pro Tools 12 on WIN 7 !
jobless- but not homeless- now retired 9 years

CURRENT MUSIC TRACKS AT > https://tprior2241.wixsite.com/website

John Drury · From: Gallatin, Tn USA

Sailing down the road and spotted this at a garage sale, wasn't real thrilled about the hundred dollar tag but got it anyway. The guy kept telling me it was the "King Kong" lap steel amp.

Brought it home and plugged it in and was pleasantly surprised!

Searched the SGF and spotted several articles here and some favorable reviews.
I will have to get with my amigo Douchette and see if he still uses them.

(Just noticed that this thread is a few years old)

Anyway, anyone else have experience with one of these cool old amps?

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John Drury
NTSGA #3

"Practice cures most tone issues" ~ John Suhr

Mike Bacciarini · From: Arizona

I use a Princeton 65 (Not the DSP) I found on Guitar Center Used. Great amp for steel (practice and small gigs). I use my Rumble 200 on larger shows or when Iâ€™m using the 65 for my Ibanez.

Hereâ€™s another thread on these cool inexpensive amps:
https://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=335263&highlight=

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Doug Palmer · From: Greensboro, North Carolina, USA

Tony, will this amp be on display in the Amplifier Museum?
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Bill Bassett · From: Papamoa New Zealand

I'm a big fan of the Performer 650. Also 65 W and 1. 12 inch speaker. I used one for many years, found a matching one and played stereo for a time. They were made in USA in the late 1980s. Sadly, they each konked out. I donated them to a young man learning repair skills. I hope he got them fired up again.

Paul Arntson · From: Washington, USA

I had a Frontman FM212 100w 2x12 a while ago. Very similar circuit and sound. I measured the low end response. It seemed to drop off rapidly around 100 hz. The main design difference was a very weird muting circuit (to prevent overload, I guess.) I couldn't get it to work right so I disabled it. Cheap and loud for sure.
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Jim Pitman · From: Waterbury Ctr. VT 05677 USA

I need a spare gig!

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

These are pretty decent little amps! I have a very similar model, the Stage112SE, which has a little more power (118w with the enclosed speaker, and 160w with an extension speaker). I also swapped out the Fender speaker for a Celestion G12 Neo to reduce weight and add some fullness to the tone. I love the sound of bigger amps, I've got a ton of 'em. Don't like lugging them around, though.

Bob Carlucci · From: Candor, New York, USA

I had the cousin, the Princeton Chorus.
2 of them actually, over the years.
Mine were Made in USA,but at some point they switched production to Mexico. Not sure if the quality suffered... These were wonderful sounding amps.. Pure vintage Fender tone.

I have no idea how they got that sweet sound from a cheap PC SS amp. It as all classic Fender. There are still a LOT of them out there for cheap.

The Princeton Chorus did not have the power some of the others in the series had at 40 or so watts into 2 10's, but it was plenty for most gigs that a lot of players are likely to have, in smaller venues.. It stayed clean even at higher volumes.. The stereo chorus was among the very best I ever heard, and even the reverb was classic Fender.
These are great amps if you want classic Fender sound at a stupid low price... bob
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Tony Prior · From: Charlotte NC

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