Reviewed by:
Stratastic, on january 31, 2005
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 474
Purchased from: Underground Music
Features: I don't know what year this amp was built but I've had for 11 years now and it still sounds great. It is a solid state amp that Fender doesn't even make anymore. This amp is a sixty watts RMS, through a 15 inch speaker. The amp has two channels (low and high). Being a bass amp, the high is the best option for active basses while passive basses sing on the low channel. One volume and four tone knobs, low, high, low mid, and high mid. This amp also has a mid countour switch which really allows the mids to cut through the mix, although I never use it. The BXR 60 has an effects loop as well as a Line In and a Headphone jack. You can plug a cd or tape player into it via the RCA-Cable Tape-In jack for playing along with music. I am not gigging currently but have used this amp on every gig I've played. It's eleven years old (at least) and I have never had a problem with it. // 10
Sound: I am currently using this amp with my Fender Mexican Strat and a Digitech Metal Master Pedal. A guitar through a bass amp you say. Yes and it actually sounds good. The amp does get a little noisy when turned up past 5, but with three single coils that doesn't surprise me. The tone remains clean at high levels. In the past I have used this amp with a Squier P-Bass, a Squier Strat, an Epiphone Les Paul, a Takamine Acoustic-Electric and my pride and joy, a five string Ibanez Soundgear bass loaded with active electronics. The amp has always performed well, even with the wide range of instruments I've run through it.
This amp has an amazing clean sound that really brings out the character of the instrument that's plugged in. Distortion is left for pedals as this amp has no overdrive channel. Bass amps are generally better for acoustic guitar amplification and this amp is no exception. My Takamine sounds great through it. You can get any sound you want from it, with a little tweaking of course. For basses, this amp will give you anything from smooth, flowing tone to snorty treble rich thunder, with some great funky slap sounds too. It has a very versatile EQ range. // 10
Reliability & Durability: As I mentioned before, I've had this amp for over a decade and it hasn't broken down yet and I don't think it will. A very versatile amp that sounds great for anything and totally abolishes the "You can't run a guitar through bass amp" thing. I love it low end chunk for heavy music and it's shimmering clean tones. I have used this amp at countless gigs and have never needed a back up. At sixty pounds this thing is a tank. Solid construction and excellent tone have made it one of the best investments I've ever made. // 10
Impression: I play everything but country music and this amp handles it all. Although I'm sure it could adapt to country too. I am currently playing a lot of punk and metal which this amp is very good for, providing that low end chunk I love. My Ibanez five string was stolen a couple of years ago and I've only been playing my Mexi strat lately. This review has been based mostly on the amps ability to produce good guitar tones. However, this amp is amazing for giving me great bass tones as well. When I replace my Ibanez, I'll have no need to buy another amp. Of course I wouldn't complain if I had a high-end Mesa or Marshall for my guitar. But the key is to work with what you have, even if it's a little practice amp and a shitty dist. pedal. I believe there is nothing a little tweaking can't solve. If this amp was stolen I would probably replace it with something else though, there has been so much inovation in amplifier technology over the last decade that it would be more beneficial to get something newer and better. I'm still giving it a five though. // 10