Frontman 15G Review

Solid State Type. Dual Selectable Channels (Normal and Drive). 3-Band EQ, Headphone Jack. Controls: Volume Normal Channel, Gain, Drive Select Switch, Volume Drive Channel, Treble, Mid, Bass.

Features:	6
Sound:	5.1
Reliability:	6.8
Impression:	5.7
Overall rating:	5.9
Users rating:	5.6
Comments:	80

Featured review by: unregistered, on october 05, 2005

Price paid: $ 56.7

Features: This amp is quite a small one however, I find it to be very loud for its size (anything really above 2 on high gain can really annoy the family). I play mainly anything to be honest from Eric Clapton to some heavy distortion riffs. I find the distortion on this amp actually to be very good. Seriously I was quite surprised. It sounds full and also quite defined. However there is a total lack of effects on it, none to be precise, just the basic clean, gain, treble, mids, bass. // 8

Sound: I'm usin a Mex Strat with Hotrails in the bridge. When I get my bigger better amp quite soon I'll be quite sure to check out the clean channels, as on this amp, I feel they are slightly lacking. Chords don't really ring out on this amp in clean. However when distortion is pumped up, it sounds beefy and generally good considering the size. 8 'cause it lacks cleans but makes up in gains. // 8

Reliability & Durability: Been drink spilage, fat chicks sittin on it and still looks brand new. I use it almost every day and never had a problem with it. Had it almost 2 years now, still goin strong. // 10

Impression: I didn't really test many amps out before choosing this one basically cause the lack of cash, the brand name matched my guitar so I bought it. // 6

overall: 4.5

Reviewed by: caucasian_ninja, on may 02, 2005

Price paid: $ 80

Purchased from: Music and Arts Center

Features: Two drives: clean and overdrive. mid, bass, treble, gain. Silver grille cloth, Fender jewel emblem. I think they call it "black face cosmetics." Headphone jack, and auxillary plugs (by the four dollar cable and hook up your CD player). No effects or anything, that's about it. The features are all a beginner needs. // 6

Sound: Now, I was awful at guitar when I bought this thing. So it sounded good to me then. Now that I've greatly progressed, this thing sounds like crap (I still have this). I can't tell if it's because I've gotten better or because the amp just declined sound wise. But I'm pretty sure it's the former. But I know it's broken. When I turn it on, there's a mad crackling sound emitting from it for at least two minutes. It usually goes away if I switch to clean and then back, but come on. I did absolutely nothing to break this thing, it's been taken good care of. In terms of actual sound, now it sounds like crap. I use a PPH setup with my guitar (an Ibanez suckfest GRX40). But thinking back, the OD is pretty warm sounding. The clean channel is ok, but for some reason makes my guitar sound flat a lot of the time. Strumming with this thing on clean is murder to the ears. It makes me absolutely have to hook my chorus pedal up, which is pretty sad. I'm gonna give the sound a two, because it basically has gone downhill. This thing seriously makes me hate playing guitar sometimes (a one would be the Ibanez IBZ 10, which I also own, and is the worst amp I've ever heard). // 4

Reliability & Durability: First of all, if you gig with this, you should be shot. But this amp has broken down, sometimes ceasing to work completely. It's sound quality has only gone downhill. I've done nothing to it either. // 4

Impression: I play just about everything except for metal, and this suits none of it. I hate this thing with a passion, which is pretty sad since other Fender amps are amazing. I've been playing nearly two years, and I'm still stuck with this thing because I have no money. This thing is strictly for beginners. I play it through an Ibanez GRX40, the guitar that came in the Ibanez starter pack (the guitar is the only thing worth buying in that pack, by the way). I would get this if you are a beginner looking for a cheap amp, but I think it's worth it to talk you parents into the Fender 25R as an alternative beginner amp. That amp's a huge step above this one. Just take my word for it, avoid buying this thing, it's all downhill from there. // 4

overall: 3

Reviewed by: kiefermatot, on may 27, 2005

Purchased from: Northland Music

Features: Middle, treble, bass, gain and 2 drive selectors - clean, overdrive, headphone jack, and two plug-ing for aux cables. I'm only giveing this a 2 because it has the basic knobs - treble, bass middle and gain. // 4

Sound: Ever since the first time I've played with this amp there has been a really annoying loud hissing sound, which wrecks the song you're trying to play completely. The distortion is actually pretty good on this thing, but it still gets a one because the hiss wrecks everything. // 2

Reliability & Durability: Never use this at a gig, even if you did have a backup. You would deafen the audience and leave their ears ringing because the feedback (hissing noise) would drown out anything you try to play. But this amp can take a beating though. // 4

Impression: I wouldn't buy this amp ever again. I would want someone to come and steal it. This is a horrible amp, never buy one or ever consider buying one its a waste of time and money. // 2

overall: 3.3

Reviewed by: Metallica224, on october 31, 2006

Purchased from: Patrick reed music

Features: The amp has 2 channels(clean and distortion), headphone jack, auxilary input, bass, treble and middle contorls. I like to play with kind of AC/DC style distortion which this amp does ok but not excellently, the distortion isn't great. I only ever use it for practicing as it is 2 quiet for a gig but even thoen it lacks a bit of oomph and tends to get a bit drowned out by the drums and my mates amps. I liked the auxillary input a lot as it aloud us to listen too songs we were trying to play through it whilst practicing. // 6

Sound: I am using this amp with a Fender strat. I have to say it doesn't suit my music style great which is quite heavy rock with fairly heavy distortion. The distortion is a bit rubbish as after you turn it past 5 position it doesn't get anymore distorted you just get more background noise which is very annoying. At high volumes the clean sound gets very distorted although at low volumes it is quite good. Also at high volumes it gets very crackly. When it is turned on but not playing guitar it makes a very loud noise especially on distortion and every so often it randomly lets off a horrible screeching noise, I have tried it with many different leads but it still does this. // 4

Reliability & Durability: This amp is totally unreliable. I had problems with the input not picking up my guitar, the volume randomly gets higher or lower without me even touching it and one minute it's fien the next minute it's all crackly so I have to fiddle about with the controls on it.After just nine months it has now completly packed up and not even turning on, it's just waiting to be put in the bin. I would never rely on this amp. // 1

Impression: I find this amp, overall, rubbish. It was a fairly good match for the type of music I like to play but after nine months it is already broken so I am not goin to replace it with the same amp. Personally I would not pay half what I paid for it. What I hate most is the annoying screechy noises it randomly makes and the genereal unreliability. Unfortunatly, when I bought it I made the mistake of not comparing it with any other amps. I am now goin to replace it with a Marchall MG15CD which I am getting for £10 less than I paid for this amp. // 2

overall: 6.8

Reviewed by: Tapmaster923, on june 20, 2006

Price paid: $ 300

Purchased from: Voigt Music

Features: This is a good amp for beginners, but not really much else. It has two channels: the clean channel, and an overdrive channel. It also has three EQ settings: treble, middle, and bass. It also has a Drive control, and gain. It's a self-explanatory amp. It's basic and easy. Not much to it, and it's only 15 watts, I guess, but the panel on the back says 38 or something like that. What I loove about this amp is that you can plug a DVD Player, a CD Player, or a video game console into it through the two little jack-things. It's pretty loud, especially when you dance around and pretend to play Van Halen when nobody's home. // 7

Sound: I've used a Squire Strat. It's so cheap, they coudn't add the -ocaster? Anyway, I used a standard Squire Strat. I don't remember using anything else, because I haven't used it in a while. Not since I got my first Marshall, which is a Marshall MG15DFX. I didn't really play any style on it, because I didn't know any msongs while I used it. It broke down before I could learn anything. But it was good for the Star Spangled Banner and the songs I had in any music books from my trumpet, or a Christmas song book. I wasn't ever able to do much with this amp and use it to potential. But I did use it with a Bad Dog Distortion, which added some balls to the Star Spangled Banner, Ode to Joy, and Auld Lang Syne. // 7

Reliability & Durability: Reliability was kinda okay, but it broke down within three months of use. Definitely NOT anything you would use for a show. This is a bedroom amp. The input jack broke. I asked a guy at the local music shop about it, and he said it would be a "simple soldering job". The jack is loose, so I opened that baby up, and looked around. I think I could fix it, I just gotta ask my neighbor for his soldering kit. I wouldn't use it without a backup for a gig. I wouldn't think about using it for a gig. I would use my aforementioned Marshall MG15DFX for a gig, if I ever got a band together, and then a gig. But that wouldn't be big enough for a big show. // 6

Impression: This was a good match for the patriotic and Christmas songs I played. I don't know how it would do with the other songs I play. I've been playing for about a year and three months. I don't know how that relates to the amp, but I want to answer all the questions. I own a Marshall MG15DFX, like I said several times before (If you can, don't buy this, buy the Marshall). I also have a Bad DOg Distortion, made by Washburn. I didn't know my distortion pedal was going to be such a good one at such a low price. If it were stolen, I'd be angered, but only because I'm selling it once I fix it, and I'd be out fifty bucks. I have a better amp, though. I love nothing about it. Like I stated before, I didn't get the chance to know it's personality. Then again, it broke down, which forced me to buy my beloved Marshall. I only got the amp because it came with the guitar. I wish it was a little more reliable, and had at least reverb. But that would be the 15R. Other than that, it's good for a practice amp. That would be why it's included in the Squire Strat Pack. But you could buy it for around $100. That's just what I saw when Sam Goody was still open. // 7

Reviewed by: unregistered, on april 26, 2004

Price paid: $ 102.7

Purchased from: Cosmo Music

Features: I'm not sure which year this amp was made in, but my model was made in Indonesia. The amp has everything an amateur could need. Gain, Treble, Bass, Middle, Clean Volume and Drive Volume knobs. It also features a headphone and aux in jacks. // 8

Sound: This 15 watt amp (sounds louder) is great for nearly any type of music. I play rock, punk, metal, etc. and it sounds great. The clear on it is amazing because of that signature "Fender" clean sound. It hums a little on high volumes, like many other amps do, but I'm pretty satisfied with it because it's a really great sounding amp.

*For 20-40 more dollars, you could get a Frontman 15R, which has Reverb. // 10

Reliability & Durability: This amp is pretty reliable. It hasn't broken down for me, and still works like the first day I bought it. Although, I do take pretty good care of it. // 10

Impression: In conclusion, it's a really good sounding amp, and it's affordable. I'd definitely reccomend it to any amateurs. I play it with a pretty crappy Yamaha EG-112, and it still sounds really good. If it were stolen, I'd probably buy it again, or buy the 15R for the reverb. // 10

overall: 4.3

Reviewed by: Exo M7, on november 24, 2008

Price paid: $ 200

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: This is just a little solid state, 1x8 combo amp. It does not have many features, really - not even the reverb found on the 15R and 25R. It has a Gain channel and a Clean channel. Not footswitchable. Bass, Mid, and Treble controls for EQ. It has a jack for head phones, which is handy, and an auxiliry input for a CD player or something, supposedly. The aux in is pretty useless. 4 for features, because you are not going to have much flexibility here. // 4

Sound: I've used this, and a few other people have used it, with a lot of guitars - I've used it with the starter Squier Strat, a MIM Strat, a Tele, my Ibanez SZ320, and a Gibson LP. All guitars work pretty equally well on it. It tends to buzz a little more loudly around other electric devices than other amps.

This works well for ONE thing I do - big band jazz. It was very handy to take to big band jazz performances that I did, where it was pretty quiet (I didn't have to turn up past 4 or 5) so there was no yucky clean sound. (The clean sounds great low, but very bad and clippy at higher volumes.) Clean channel works well for nice quiet, warm jazz chords and rhythm work. Not good for blues. Not good for Metallica-style chorused arpeggios either. But there's one thing... although I stopped taking it after I got a Hot Rod Deluxe anyway. The gain is godawful. It is not t3h br00talz. There is no crushing overdrive. And the clean doesn't work particularly well with pedals, so it's not easy to get a good gainy sound either. Not a good lead tone. No sustain at all, just sounds very trashy. On lower gain settings it is passable for bluesy rhythm sounds. // 2

Reliability & Durability: If you are using this for a gig, as another review stated, you should be shot. But, this is the one other bright spot I have found for this, it has never broken down on me. One time I thought it did, but it was just my guitar's wiring... and I've beat the hell out of this thing. So I would give it about an 8. Points taken off because Fender would certainly not give you any useful customer support. And if this broke... I would buy something else. // 8

Impression: This is a subpar practice amp. Nothing more. It is dirt cheap, but I would advise saving up for a Roland Cube, Vox Valvetronix, Peavey Vypyr, even a Line 6 Spider or Marshall MG - they're all better for practice than this. It's just not comparable. I did not compare it to other products because I was young and knew nothing about guitar. I would not advise this for a first amp. Or any amp. // 3

overall: 7.3

Reviewed by: tigerking615, on october 20, 2008

Features: When I started playing guitar about three years ago, this was my first amp, with a Squier Strat starter kit. I'm looking to upgrade now, but this amp has served me alright. I use it for bedroom play, and it is quite a loud amp, but the clean channel breaks up at about 5 or 6. It has 2 channels, clean and distortion, with one set of EQ that serves both channels. The Drive volume knob is a bit annoying at times; because my bedroom is small and the gain is usually on 6-8, I have to keep the volume knob at like 1.4 and it usually takes some adjusting to get it right. No effects on this one. I wish it had reverb at least. But it does have a headphone jack, and the pack came with sound absorbing headphones. // 6

Sound: I use this amp with a Squier Strat (again, it came as a pack, and I'm looking to upgrade now). The stock pickups on that guitar are horrible for distortion, so part of the blame lies there. I mainly play metal, and this amp isn't too good for that. Actually, If you play rock or blues or metal, I'd stay away from this amp. The EQ controls are all right, I usually keep the bass down to keep it from making my room vibrate. My amp is kind of weird, sometimes when I turn it on it will be super noisy and make weird buzzing noises, but if I turn it off and then on again it will be nice and quiet. As I mentioned above, the clean gets distorted at about 5 or 6. The distortion is okay, it's not horrible, but if you play metal or blues or rock go with another amp. But I have to say one thing. At low volumes, the clean channel is fantastic. Fender amps are generally known for their bright clean tones, and this one is no exception. // 7

Reliability & Durability: It sometimes makes weird noises when I put it on or randomly, but shutting it off and then on usually fixes that. But it's a practice amp and not meant to be gigged with; do so at your own risk. This amp has never broken down. Like I said, for bedroom practice it's extremely reliable and has served me well. It's definitely sturdy, I've stacked plenty of stuff on top of it. // 9

Impression: For metal, this isn't a great amp. But as a practice amp it's definitely sufficient for beginners. Also, the clean tone really is fantastic; if you're a casual player Who doesn't use much distortion this will definitely work for you. If someone wanted to steal an amp, I don't know why they would steal this one, but if I was still at the level I was when I bought it, I might buy it again. As I said, it's a solid starter practice amp and nothing more. // 7

overall: 7

Reviewed by: Drewlynch15, on august 18, 2008

Price paid: $ 79.99

Purchased from: Hames Music

Features: This is the Fender Frontman 15G. This paticular model was made in 2006. It's a 15w SS amplifier.It has 2 channels, a 3 band EQ, a master for the clean channel, gain for the OD channel, and a master for the OD channel. It's also got 1 instrument input, a headphones out, and AUX in (for jamming to cds or something like a drum machine). This was my first amp, so I wouldn't suggest this amp to any experienced guitarist or tone snobs. I mainly used it for a practice amp, especially with the headphone jack. // 6

Sound: It's got a very dull clean, even when EQ'd till kingdom come, it's still lacking. The fact it has no reverb really takes away from the normal depth Fender amps are so well known for. The OD channel is suprisingly alright, not great, but alright. It can easily do hard rock/punk for any begginer who doesn't know any better. It has a nice warm overdrive till about 4/10 on gain then it becomes too saturated with hum and feed back. I was using a affinity strat, but even with an Ibanez RG it's still noisy. This amp is also very loud for only 15w ss. // 5

Reliability & Durability: This amp seems quite solid.It has that classic Fender blackface aesthetic, which gives me the impression that it is well built. The power cable sometimes wiggles out while playing, which subsequently ruins the brutal riffs you'd be summoning after recieving your first guitar amp. But other than that there have been no problems. If you take care of it, it won't break. // 10

Impression: I love the price of this amp and the looks. But the tinny gain and the hollow cleans just leave a sour taste in my mouth. Overall a very good begginer amp, but that's it. I would never replace this amp. Eventually (probably after trying anyother amp) anyone with this amp will grow tired of limited features and soul-less tone. // 7

overall: 5.3

Reviewed by: brownsfan456, on december 09, 2008

Purchased from: GC

Features: So this was a Fender 15g solid state guitar amp. Overall not a horrible clean channel, which is ironically the signature of the Frontman series. The hissing is very mild on the clean channel. The drive is horrible. Don't even use it. Your best bet is to get a pedal. The hiss is loud and pretty annoying. It's got two channels. I wish it had a better Drive. // 4

Sound: I am playing with a strat and after three months and already am looking at upgrading to a better amp. it's still hisses horribly. Kinda weak distortion overall. It might be good for general music playing, nothing is particular comes to mind. The clean channel doesn't really distort very well if at all. If you turn the gain up the hiss can be heard from a mile away. It produces an awkward sound, but I found a sweet spot or two which saves it from getting a 1. // 3

Reliability & Durability: Very very sturdy good construction. I've dropped it and it still worked. I wouldn't gig with it mostly because it sucks but it's construction would indeed last through a gig. I would mod it and I might still do it if I get some free time. For a 100 dollar SS, your not gonna get a more sturdy amp. // 9

Impression: I play rock and Clapton style blues. Like I said this amp is not really good for any type of specific music without a pedal, which it doesn't take very well. I wish I actually knew what I was doing before I bought it and got something a little better. Like I said I already plan on upgrading it to maybe a Crate or Blues Jr. Overall a decent amp for a very green begginer and that's about it. // 5

overall: 7.8

Reviewed by: Shredder Man, on january 28, 2009

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: It was made in '08. It has a 7" speaker. It can play almost anything you want it to, but it doesn't handle heavy metal that good, but that might just be my guitar. It has knobs for: normal volume, gain, Drive volume, treble, mid, and bass. It has one channel Switch for either clear or gain. It also has a headphone jack. I wish it had reverb. I use this amp in my room practising and at practice with my church band(I'm not in the band yet, just practising with them). It has more power than you would expect for a 15 watt, but I only use it for hearing myself. // 8

Sound: My guitar is a Squier Stratocaster with the same setup as it came out of the box. It suits my type of music like 70's rock, Indie, worship, and anything that sounds catchy. It has some noise that comes on the Drive channel sometimes, but only when gain is turned all the way up. The clean channel stays clean no matter how high it goes. The distortion has pretty good rock-ish sound. // 8

Reliability & Durability: It's really durable, reliable, and dependable. I wouldn't use it at a gig unless there were only around ten to thirty people (which isn't really a gig). In the rare case that I did, I wouldn't need a backup. The amp has not broken down. I'm not sure that it will break down. // 7

Impression: I play 70's and 80's rock, Indie, and little bit of everything else. I've been playing this since Christmas 08, but I've played guitar about four months. If this broke down, was stolen, or just got lost, I wouldn't buy another one, but a Frontman 15R would be better because it has a reverb setting. I love that it's louder than it should be. I hate that it make a buzz-whine-fuzz sound when the Drive is turned up high. I would have bought a Frontman 15R for the extra setting, but I didn't buy this. // 8

overall: 5.5

Reviewed by: frajfraj, on march 03, 2009

Price paid: $ 20

Purchased from: A good friend

Features: Well, it's an okay little starter amp with your classic EQ, volume, gain, 2 channels, and headphone jack. It's not very versatile, but it's surprisingly loud for it's size. I used to play this in a Christian rock/pop group 3 1/2 years ago, and it worked okay for small settings. Not versatile at all, but if you've got this amp, that's probably not your main concern. Annoying hum and buzz though, which is a downer, but at least it has the basics. // 6

Sound: Really, it's a very noisy, bad sounding amp. The clean channel is nice at lower volumes, but like the Drive channel, it gets worse with added volume. If you need to gig with it, it would be best to mic it at low-ish volume. As a beginner, I wasn't very critical of the annoying, tinny tone it produced, but at that stage you never really notice. Sound is just barely good enough for a starter. // 5

Reliability & Durability: Extremely durable, I'll give it that. I have been known to give my amps a significant level of abuse, and this one could take it. Reliability for performance not so good. Sometimes, the hum would escalate to a strange buzzing hiss, and I had to kick it and it would stop. Strange. Durable, I give an 8, Reliability, a 4. // 6

Impression: For beginners only. That's basically it. It's not a great amp, but good for a beginner with a budget. I've been playing guitar for nearly 4 years, and sold this amp long ago to a local music store. Hopefully it's gone to someone else Who will love it for a while before they get extremely frustrated with it. // 5

Reviewed by: unregistered, on july 08, 2008

Price paid: $ 200

Features: Manufactured in 2008. Has one input jack, an audio-in jack for AUX (you can play along with drum machines, CDs, etc.), a headphone output jack, an 8" speaker. Two channels: clean and Drive. Both share the same eq. bass/mid/treble controls, but the Drive channel has gain and volume controls of its own. General volume switch. The cabinet is very solid and seems very trustable. Nice finishing also. 15 wats overall power. // 8

Sound: Beautiful clean sound, very similar to a tube amp, distinct Fender tone, bright, great definition, excellent response in every frequency, very loud and no buzz at all. At very high volume the sound may loose its definition, rate 8 for clean sound. Horrible Drive channel. Very muddy, no definition, not usable beyond Drive level 1 or 2. I've played the clean channel with a Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer, and it suits fine. If you want some gain/drive/distortion, you will have to use an independent effect (analogic) pedal. The Drive channel was never meant to be the key feature of this little amp, so don't you ever waste money trying it for overdrive/distortion. Rate 4 for Drive channel. Stay clean and you'll have a little monster, very powerful with a "fenderish" distinct bright sound, and loud. Don't ever think of it's Drive channel, and external effects may suit it well. // 7

Reliability & Durability: Can be used for study (although it's very loud, and I'd prefer a smaller 8wats combo), and for little shows in closed rooms, preferably without a drummer. It seems very solid and durable. It seems to last a lot, although the speakers are not that incredible. I don't think it's worthy modding this amp, but it's meant to last. // 9

Impression: A monster for clean sounds, very beautiful distinctive Fender sound, excellent response, brightness and power all along, it's really above the others. It's "drive" channel is unnusable, but a pedal effect works fine with the clean channel. I wish it didn't have the Drive channel, but this would really decrease its sales, but nevermind it, the price makes it worth the beautiful clean sound. // 7

overall: 3.8

Reviewed by: ZEIAT, on february 16, 2009

Purchased from: Musicircle

Features: This 15-watt hunk of junk was new in 2007, when I got it. It has 1 channel and a headphone jack right next to it. There's knobs for the tone (Treble, Middle, and Bass), Normal Volume, Drive Volume, and one for Gain. I use the amp as a practice amp at home in the basement. It's loud and noisy, and it gives a lot of feedback. // 3

Sound: I use a Squier Stratocaster on the Bridge pickup most of the time. It sounds well when I play Green Day, Chili Peppers, and AC/DC. It's extremely annoying when you put the volume to 4 or higher. The sound is ear-blasting if you're close (about 3-4 feet). The distortion sucks. It doesn't make any sound sometimes, and there's too much feedback at other times. I never tried the amp at high volumes ( over 4), so the rest is up for other people to try... // 2

Reliability & Durability: The amp is tough. I dropped it a few (dozen) times and it doesn't have a scratch yet. It only broke down once, and that was my fault. I went to pick up the phone, but my guitar was still plugged in, so I went too far and the amp fell and the end of the cable got stuck inside. Anyways, I trust this amp to survive a few years. // 6

Impression: This amp suits me for now, but if I had a choice, I would totally swap it for a Marshall. I have been playing for 2 years now, and I don't really own anything except my guitar and this amp. If it was stolen, I would buy a Roland Cube instead... At least those have good effects. // 4

overall: 6.3

Reviewed by: osXtiger, on august 31, 2009

Price paid: £ 50

Purchased from: absolute music

Features: This amp is a solid state amp. This amp compared to other amps (of the same price and quality), appears to be pretty good. It has a clean channel, a distortion channel and knobs to adjust bass, middle and treble. Years ago, this amp was my favourite amp, as everybody else had amplifiers that did not have any option to adjust bass, middle and treble. It has an AUX input, which will allow you (With the correct cable) to connect something like an ipod to the amp and allow you to play along with the song, which is handy if you are away from a computer or sterio sound system. And it has a headphone output as well, which accepts a 6.35mm jack. Which can be a bit of a hassle as nowadays most headphones use the smaller stereo kind of plug. Back in the day, I would use this amp as a bedroom practice amp, and that is where it should stay. I only used this for things like small school gigs and I only used it then because it was the only amp I had. // 8

Sound: I used this amp with a Squier Strat (it came as a bundle £200, but the amp itself is worth around £50ish new). As a beginner amp, it's fine. It does its job, as a beginner isn't concerned (or aware in some cases) with tone and things like that. For "rock", it will pass. Just. The clean channel isn't all that great, and the distortion channel is pretty bad, it sounds very "uneven". Even on clean, there is a hissing noise, and on distortion? it becomes worse (understandable really). // 3

Reliability & Durability: I've had this amp for 8 years now. On the surface, it looks almost like new. It's been to a few small gigs, and survived my practices. But of course I have moved onto newer and better amps! recently, the volume knob on the clean channel has stopped functioning. Well, it's more like it's "traded" it's function. Instead of using the volume knob on the amp to adjust how loud it is on the clean channel, I have to use the volume knob on my GUITAR to do it instead!. Everything else however remains fine. You would only get this amp if you were an absolute beginner, and strapped for cash, and desperate! But even if you do end up with this amp, it will serve you for however long it takes you to get a new amplifier. // 8

Impression: For the styles of music I was playing back when I was a beginner. (things like Green Day, the occasional Guns and Roses, and Sum 41) it's OK, not fantastic, but you get what you pay for. For the styles I play NOW. (Instrumental rock[Joe Satriani], experimental rock ect.) It just won't cut it. However, she is built to last, and if you are a total beginner, and strapped for cash. Go for it. But make sure you start saving for a new amp as soon as you get it! // 6

overall: 6

Reviewed by: dgw2jr, on may 18, 2009

Price paid: $ 40

Purchased from: MusicGoRound

Features: It was probably made sometime in the last 10 years lol. The amp is the antithesis of versatility in my opinion. Its got clean and overdrive and the typical 3-band EQ you would come to expect from any amplifier these days. The aux in is a nice feature. Great amp for the price of 40 dollars. Dont pay any more than 50 for this though! // 6

Sound: I played an Epiphone Jr and Ibanez RG3EX1 through this little guy. The distortion is decent if you can get over the ungodly noise that it makes. Some call it a hiss or a buzz. I call it annoying an it totally kills the quality of this amp. If it wasnt for that horrible sound this thing would get a much higher rating. The clean channel leaves much to be desired. The one good thing is that its a closed back so theres some bass when you wanna play some heavy riffs. // 5

Reliability & Durability: If you mention gig and Frontman 15 in the same context in public, I can guarantee Chuck Norris will magically appear and roundhouse kick your face into the afterlife. He would not allow you to subject any audience to the menacing hiss/buzz that these Fender amps are known for. It's a practice amp and nothing more. As far as durability goes, the input jacks are prone to breakage and the pots can make some noise through the speaker when you adjust them. Quite a few Frontmans have had this problem as I have owned a few of them over the years, usually when I'm very broke and can't afford anything better. // 7

Impression: I play all styles of music. This amp is probably only good for metal and hard rock. Great amp for the price and decent amp for beginners or guitarists that are having financial issues. If you have the money I would suggest a tube or hybrid amp for 100 dollars more. Its worth it if you are a serious guitar player. I would probably buy something like this for my daughter if she ever wanted to start playing guitar. If she broke it or spilled something on it I wouldnt cry since its only 40 bucks. Cant beat that price, but you get what pay for... // 6

overall: 1.8

Reviewed by: PatheticMedic, on november 28, 2007

Purchased from: Southern Guitars

Features: This is the amplifier that comes with the Fender Strat Squire guitar package. This amp is made mainly for Blues and clean channel playing. I mainly play rock and metal, so this amp doesn't work at all for me. I experimented with this amp to see what it sounded like playing blues and on a clean channel, and I was not impressed at all. It only has two channels, clean and overdrive, and has no effects loops. It does have a headphone jack, but the sound from this amp is not nearly impressive enough to use even with the headphones. This amp can get really loud, but has even worse sound playing at high volumes. // 4

Sound: I am using the guitar that came in the package with this amp. Even though the two were made to go with each other, they can not pull off impressive sound. The overdrive on this amp is full of static and sounds terrible. At high volumes it has so much static it hurts the ears. At high volume you can also hear the speaker flapping around. This amp can suit almost any frequency up to the 21st fret on the 1st string. When it hits that not it can't reach the pitch and makes a really muddy lower pitched sound. // 1

Reliability & Durability: I would not rely on this amp even for practicing, it is terrible, using this amp on stage would be a nightmare. I have already been through three of them, and that with regular play. I don't move this amp around or neglect it in any way, it always stays in one spot and still manages to break. // 1

Impression: I have been playing for about a year now and this was my first amp. I am not impressed at all with it and would not recommend it to anyone, even a beginner. I would really appreciate it if this amp was stolen so it would be taken off my hands! I just recently bought a Line 6 Spider III 15 W amp and it is amazing, and only cost $20 extra. Compared to the 15 G the Line 6 amp is like god. // 1

Reviewed by: unregistered, on march 12, 2007

Price paid: $ 110.6

Purchased from: Rennaissance Music

Features: Not the greatest amp, but not too bad at the same time. I've read some of the previous reviews and can tell that all most people have to say about it is negative. I myself didn't find this too bad an amp. I run it with a Squiere Strat, meaning it is shit, but I rescently replaced the neck with a 70s strat neck and I cannot complain one bit. the sound is great. The amp includes Bass, treble, clean/drive function, middle, an Auxilery input for other devices and a headphones jack. What I do wondor is why it says it's 38watts on the back, when truly that can't be possible. This guitar has served me well and still does, I recommend it for anyone starting to play electric. // 7

Sound: I play with a Squiere Strat, and the amp suits it well. Although the strat is a bit 'doctored', as I've replaced the neck with a '70s Fender Strat neck. I suggest that if you're goign to use this amp, use a good/descent guitar with it, as shitty guitars will not satisfy you that much. It is extremely loud when pumped in overdrive with the gain and volume maxed out (I had to try it for myself). On the subject of variety, you're not looking at much, just the basic volume, treble, bass, middle, and an overdrive function with gain. The clean channel is NOT distorted at high volumes, and still manages to pull off an alright sound. On the subject of distortion, not bad. not too fuzzy and little ennoying background buzz that comes off some low quality amps. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I wouldn't reccomend usage of this at a gig, maybe as a backup, but nothing more. Unless you're guitar is good quality, don't use it. The amp has not broken down for me yet, and I would like to hope that it stays that way. it is strong, seemingly, and I'd trust it would survive a toss down a flight of stairs, not that I reccomend you try that thouhg. // 10

Impression: I play classical, 12 string, and acoustic/electric guitars, and have been playing for only 2 years. I own an Ibanez V7OCE acoustic electric, and some unnamed Nylon string 30'ish year old gutiar I got in Mexico. I am pleased especially with the amps distortion and clean sound at high level volumes, but an unpleased with it's lack of functions. Primarily, I chose this pieec of tech for it's cost, as I wasn't workign at the time and was practicaly living off my parents' wallet. // 6

overall: 8.8

Reviewed by: oddbod92, on january 15, 2007

Purchased from: Reidy's

Features: The Fender Frontman 15G has one standard input and an AUX input, and a headphone output. It has two 'drives' and a drive select. The first 'drive' has a volume and a gain knob, and the second has volume, bass, treble and middle knobs. I use this amp usually for practise at home, or sampling songs to family and friends. It is loud enough to be heard all over the house, without even reaching maximum volume. // 8

Sound: I use a Fender Squier Stratocaster with 3 single coil pickups. The amp provides a clean sound, or an overdrive sound that is clear, and can be altered to make it sound more bass-like. There is not a great deal of sound variety, just gain or bass/treble/middle, but the sound isn't distorted at high volumes. // 9

Reliability & Durability: I have never had any trouble with this amp, and it has never needed servicing or repairing at all. I think it is very reliable and I would use it at a gig because it can go loud enough, and it is very reliable. I feel that the amp would provide enough sound for a gig and it would suit my style of playing. It works well with the guitar, and pickups. // 9

Impression: I play music from the likes of Kasabian, Muse, The Fratellis amongst others, and the amp is quite good at these. Obviously there is no delay etc. but I use a DigiTech RP200A with it, so that makes up for it. I feel that I would probably buy this, or at least something very similar if it was lost, although I did get this particular one free with my Fender. I think that with the gain and the seperate effects pedal, this amp is just right for what I play. // 9

overall: 8.8

Reviewed by: XAkitAX, on november 22, 2006

Purchased from: Friend =]

Features: The amp seems to hold up through everything I play (rock/blues/jazz/metal). It has: (from left to right) input/volume/gain/overdrive switch/drive volume/treble/middle/bass/aux/headphone jack/power on/off. I give this a 9 since it makes a great practice amp with it's ease of use with the knobs. You can usually get the sound you want. I use it to practice with primarily, to jam, and to plug my mp3 into to play along to backing tracks with my drums. // 9

Sound: I play it with humbuckers. It seems to suit all my styles pretty well. It gets noisy usually if the gain is above 5, but when I run it through a mixer I usually don't hear anything. I love the distortion on it, I let my friend borrow it once and he let me borrow his Alesis wildfire 30, he ended up keeping it another 2 weeks because he said "Dude I'm not ready to trade back amps, I'm having too much fun with yours." I am very impressed with the distortion, although the "hiss" can ruin it if the gain is high. // 7

Reliability & Durability: I love taking this thing to my friends' houses to jam with. Never breaks down or anything. I obviously can't use it for a gig since it's not loud enough (unless it was a small club type gig). My friends rely on using it when they come over to jam all the time. // 10

Impression: I primarily rated this amp as a practice amp, thus making my ratings fairly high. I didn't check out any amps before, since I got it when I first started, which was a few years back. I'm suprised it's held up this long. I would be upgrading soon anyways, so if it was lost/stolen I would just upgrade. I would choose this over the 15R since I don't really like built in reverb. My favorite features are that it has held up for a very long time, since it's been through a lot, and the distortion is really cool. I am also pretty impressed on how loud it is wow. // 9

overall: 9

Reviewed by: Linkerman, on september 20, 2007

Purchased from: Sinfonia, M.I.T.

Features: Okay, I got this amp as part of the Squier Frontman Pack. It's features are: 15 watt power, 2 channels (clean/drive), auxiliary input (for CD player, drum machine, whatever) and a headphone jack. It has a Normal Volume control knob (for clean sound), a Drive on/off Switch (for turning on the overdrive), Drive volume and Drive gain knobs, and treble, middle and bass control knobs. Because of it's versatility in it's simplicity, and the nice, intuitive-use features, I absolutely recommend this amp as a begginer amp or as a second/practice amp for a pro. // 9

Sound: With this amp I use a Squier Affinity Series Stratocaster with three normal single-coil pickups, and a Boss MD-2 Mega Distortion effects pedal. The styles of music I play more often are heavy metal (specially for solos), hard rock, rock, grunge and punk rock. Although, in the end I play almost every kind of music, and this amp suits me just fine. The coordination between the Frontman's tone and Drive controls and the pickup and tone controls of the guitar lets you adjust the type of sound you want, easy and accurately. I especially like to play dark, powerful metal songs (like "Stinkfist" from Tool, for example), and this amp delivers the sound perfectly. The clean channel sounds perfect, even with the volume all the way up to 10 (max). Open chords, barred chords, you name it. They sound very bright, clear, and with a nice sustain. The overdrive is a nice feature, producing a warm, full sound, with that tradicional rock feeling, but you can adjust it to get a more "biting", acid touch. The only downside appears when you start pumping the gain Drive. The more you turn the gain knob up, the more "crackling", "buzzing" and "humming" you will get. So, you need to carefully adjust the Drive volume/gain ratio to avoid this (when I pump up the gain from my Boss MD-2, this also happens, so it's not a problem in the Drive channel). So, I give the sound an 8 rating because of the low gain tolerance. Otherwise, it would get an 9, because the sound is really awesome, with good quality, no matter what genre of music you play. By the way, this amp sounds way more powerful than the mere 15 watts it has. // 8

Reliability & Durability: As far as reliability and durability goes, this amp is extremely good. It is very sturdy and compact, looks strong like a rock. I frequently play standing on top of it, with no problem, and I'm not light (my weight is around 70 Kg, plus the clothes, shoes, and the Strat). I take good care of it, but I also demand very much from it, sometimes I treat it a little roughly, and I take the sound power as far as I can, to the limit. The fact is, it can take it, and I haven't got a single problem yet. I can absolutely depend on it, and I would use it in a gig without a backup. Sometimes I am playing steadily for hours, with the volume and the Drive (or the Boss MD-2's distortion) screaming at full power, and the amp sounds great all the time. // 10

Impression: As I already said, the Fender Frontman 15G is a good match for any kind of music. Sounds great in any way possible, thanks to it's versatility. If it were stolen, I would definitely buy another one (maybe a Frontman 25R, because of the extra 0 Watt power and the included Fender Reverb, if I had the money to spend). I love everything about it. This amp seems to be able to stand an earthquake, even if the roof falls on top of it. The gain tolerance could be a little higher, but I'm sure you can live with a little of noise if you absolutely have to play with high gain (like sometimes I do). I think this amp isn't missing any important feature. Maybe a remote channel select foot control, or an output to plug one. But I can't think of anything else a cheap and simple amp like this one could have. Overall, it's a well-conceived amp, and I recommend it to begginers (as a first amp) or pros Who need a second or a practice amp (but it's not a choice as a main amp for a pro). // 9

Reviewed by: unregistered, on june 07, 2006

Price paid: $ 140

Purchased from: Fender shop

Features: I play clasical rock and some pop-punk music like Offspring, Blink 182 etc. The amp has clean and distortion chanels. It's ok for the tipes of music that I play. I use this amp for practice at home or with my band, suprisingly, it's loud enough for band practice. // 4

Sound: I use a Ibanez SA-120 guitar with this amp. This amp is not noisy. The veriety of sonds this amp can make is not many. It's pretty simple. The clean channel is distorted at high volumes especialy when the bass and volume knobs are at 10. The sound is pure crap then. The distortion is great. I bought a Boss DS-1 Distortion pedal so I can easely switch form clean to distortion. The distortion from the DS-1 is crap compared to the distortion in the amp. // 4

Reliability & Durability: Well, someone here said that a person Who uses this amp for gigging should be shot. Shoot me then. I've gigged with this two times, when nothing better was available to me. The amp's volume was at 10, and it was distorted, the sound was crap. But nothing a drunk audience would notice. But, in any case, I don't recomend gigging with this amp at all. The great thing about this amp is that it has never broken down. I droped it. Once I removed the back cover. It survived wet floors, beatings, etc. // 9

Impression: Overall it's a good amp for beginers. A wery simple amp. Solid. If it was stolen, I wouldn't buy it again for sure. // 4

overall: 5

Reviewed by: XrejectX, on december 26, 2005

Purchased from: Guitar World

Features: This was my first amp, and it sounded great, when I got it last year for Christmas. It was perfect, a drive channel, drive volume, clean channel and clean volume. It's got an AUX in for those music tunes you wanna play along with, also it came with treble, bass, middle knobs and with a headphone jack. At the time and still today I use that amp, unfortunately because I cannot afford another one. It is a regular amp, with no distortion per say. No tube, no real pedal effects. At the time I didn't need those in an amp, I just need it to work. I use all the features on, its not like you have much to choose from, I wish it had like maybe a distortion of some type, maybe some reverb and delay. // 7

Sound: The amp was great but after playing it a few times on high??? it just became shot. There is this terrible feedback and this like rattling noise and lol it picks up radio stations. I have Fender strat with regular stock pickups, I used a Boss MT-2 distortion pedal with an RP-80. The amp alone with the RP-80 sounded decent, but when the distortion pedal plugged in, holy shit did that sound like crap. Breaking glass was what it sounded like. Total shit! I was going to buy a noise supressor at the time but instead I got a humbucker and I use my friend's Marshall. The distortion pedal and the amp were not a good combination, not at all. I messed around with the knobs on the amp and on my distortion pedal, it helped a bit but I couldnt get my heavy metal palm muting, the sound was just out to lunch! I even bought new noiseless patch cords, I took apart my pickups, and some article on UG told me to coat the under side of the pickups with wax and tin foil. Still did not help all that much. I'm glad I got my Line 6 PODXT live, and my Marshall. I was and am not impressed with the sound quality the amp had to offer. // 4

Reliability & Durability: I would never use this amp, the feedback and noise, no thank you. I wouldn't want to pickup some radio station right in the middle of a song, while doin a gig. Although the amp never broke down to the point where it didn't work, I hope it did so I could get a new one, but no that was not the case. I still would not use it. // 4

Impression: I play heavy death metal, with some blues in the mix. The amp gave me shit sounds. I wish I got like a Krank or even a Marshall would be nice. The amp just did not live up to its expectations. // 5

overall: 6

Reviewed by: kirbyrocknroll, on october 17, 2006

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: This amp is pretty basic. There is a clean channel, which is pretty good, but distorts quite a bit when this amp gets turned up to higher volumes. This amp does have a button for overdrive, which is also pretty good. The Fender Frontman 15G also comes with 2 Aux plug-in jacks and a jack for headphones for those late nights of practicing, and, of course, 3 EQ knobs (treble, mids, and bass). As I have a Danelectro Fab Metal Pedal, I don't really use the overdrive too much. I wish it had a reverb effect. This amp was my first amp, and is still my current amp. I've never had to turn the volume up past 2 1/2. // 6

Sound: I'm using this with a Squier Stratocaster. Why yes, I did get these in a Strat Pak. Anyway, I played lots of Classic Rock when I started out, so the overdrive feature was nice for that. As I said earlier, though, I use a FAB Metal pedal now for distortion. I played some heavier stuff now, but I still use the overdrive periodically. This amp is pretty noisy. Maybe it's because I have a lot of electronics around it. My family owns two homes; one in the busy city and another in a quieter community. This amp doesn't buzz that much when we are at the second house. So the electronics around it are a big factor. It's especially noisy when I use it with a lone single-coil. I've found that if you unscrew the metal bits holding down the amp's handle at the top, you can eliminate the buZZing sound a little bit. Warning: if you are going to unscrew the handle, make sure the amp is turned off first! I do not advise playing with the amp's electronics or anything either. Like said earlier, the clean channel on the Fender Frontman 15G does distort at higher volumes. I'd say it begins to distort at around 7 or 8. // 4

Reliability & Durability: I would never use this at a gig. There is not enough power, firstly. Secondly, the buzzing you get from this thing can be quite annoying. I've dropped this amp a few times and it's still going at it. Of course, this amp has been going downhill the more I use it. The quality is lowering steadily. I've had it for a year and the sound is starting to distort a little at lower volumes. This is bad since I record through headphones because I don't turn up the amp too loud since my uncle's room is right below the room I record in. // 7

Impression: I play metal, rock, and blues and this amp is still going at it. You can get the sound you want if you toy around with the EQ knobs a bit. I've been playing for a year and 3 months. I also own a Danelectro Fab Metal pedal and a Dunlop Original Crybaby Wah. If it were stolen or lost, I'd buy something else. I wonder go so far as to say I would want it to be stolen, but I would definitely go for a Roland Cube or something or higher quality. I don't gig or anything, so I wouldn't need a monster, just something for some good quality practice. I didn't compare this to other products, since I knew nothing about guitars and just bought a Strat Pak to get a start in the world of electric guitars. Like I said earlier, I still wish this thing had a reverb feature. Basically, if you want a good amp to start with, this is a nice, cheap, choice that can last a while. If you are buying a second amp for practice or something, I would advice you to shoot a bit higher than the Fender Frontman 15G. // 7

overall: 9.3

Reviewed by: eyezm, on june 16, 2008

Purchased from: My parents bought it for me

Features: It has channel switching from clean to overdrive, a gain knob, a volume knob, a treble knob, mids knob, bass knob, auxillary inputs, and a headphone jack. It has more than enough power than the stated 15 watts, I wish it had reverb, but the songs I play don't really need reverb. // 9

Sound: I am using a First Act electric guitar that I got from Santa for Christmas, and I have no problems whatsoever! I have a single humbucker pickup in the bridge position and the guitar and amp go together just perfectly. It definately suits the music I play, which is a mix of The Beatles sound and an AC/DC sound. If I crank up the overdrive volume and the gain, it gives a ring that will give you a headache. It pretty much makes the basic guitar amp sounds and the distortion sounds awesome at low-to-medium volumes. // 8

Reliability & Durability: I don't gig, but if I did, depending on the size of the area I am playing in, I would use it in small-sized places, but not in huge arenas. It has never broken down, and I am grateful for that. I would never sell this amp, and I am really gentle with it, so it will last longer than if it was with someone Who abuses their amps. I would depend on this amp with my life. // 10

Impression: It sounds good for playing rock music, sounds way better than my 9in. by 9in. First Act practice amp, and I could have asked for nothing more at all, except maybe a huge Marshall Amp stack, but I'm only 12 years old and I'm just a beginner, so this amp is perfect it has a strong sentimental value to me, and be realistic, what would a 12-year-old do with a Marshall stack? // 10

Reviewed by: unregistered, on october 06, 2005

Purchased from: guitar center

Features: The amp is a good one most of you reading this got it with the Squier Strat Pack, the volume is really good for how samm of an amp it is. Good sound also. The amp is pretty good for the music I play, mostly classic and alternative rock. The drive volume on it s a big plus. // 8

Sound: I usually use my Epiphone Les Paul with this amp with humbuckers nothing sepcial. I play my own stuff on it usually which is alternative. It sounds pretty good with my Strat also. But it does have a buzzing sound which gets extrememly loud at times. The distortion at loud volume is great on it except when playing on the high pitched strings it sounds horrible. // 6

Reliability & Durability: I think I could use this in a gig if I had to. But I would much rather use my Marshall. It hasn't broken down at all. // 7

Impression: I play alternative music and some classic rock and its pretty good for both. I've been playing since like december I have a Strat, and Les Paul and a Marshall MG15DFX amp and I like that alot better. I don't think I would buy another one if it were lost or stolen I would just get soemthing else. I love the distortion volume on it but I hate the buzzing sounds you get from it. Anyway, if your a beginner get this amp. // 8

overall: 7.3

Reviewed by: gillehy, on march 02, 2009

Purchased from: Reidys world of music

Features: Ok so it's a fairly basic amp and it's reflected in the price. 2 channels which are fairly good (clean / overdrive) and bass mid and treble toggles. Headphone socket is good so you don't piss off the neighbours. No other effects though which is a bit of a let down. If you crank it up it can go quite loud but past 6 oclock and the sound goes horrid. I use it for bedroom playing and it's fairly easy to transport. Deffinatly not a gigging amp. // 6

Sound: I have had everything from a Squier to a Gibson robot through it, custom nailbombs, emgs... This has to be the amp with the most plug ins ever from mates guitars lol. So on the clean setting it is really good, I mean fantastic. The Drive channel though is really shite, invest in a good distortion pedal and just play on clean so much better. I have had a problem with buzz and this was becaues of the plug socket at my cousins so if you get one and it buzzes take this into mind. For the price I think it's great and a kick ass little practice amp. // 7

Reliability & Durability: it aint broken yet so what can I give it other than a 9 after a year and a half of lobbing it around places. Do not gig with it. You would have to be seriously stupid to try, it's not powerfull enough ffs. Reliable yes but powerfull no way. It has never let me down and I mean ever oooh except when I left some headphones in and then wondered why is wasn't working:face: // 9

Impression: TBH with the price it's a practice amp to plug into your effects and it does this great. Also good for begginers for the price Who could argue? So I love this little thing especially the clean and it's compactness. I do wish it had effects though. If it was stolen I would prob either nick another one of them or buy a Roland cube. // 7

overall: 8.5

Reviewed by: eobsch4279, on february 10, 2007

Price paid: $ 85

Purchased from: ebay

Features: The amp was made around 1999 as a novice amp to be included in the "Strat Pack". The amp is very versatile for any type of music even though it is very basic. It is great for many types of rock with its distortion and overdrive. These effects are very simple to use also. It does have two channels although two is enough for 15 watts. It includes a headphone jack, too. Because the amp has 15 watts, it is grear for indoor play and personal use. I do not recommend this amp for band play or stage stuff. It can be used for personal recording, too. // 9

Sound: The best guitar to use with this amp I think is the Fender Stratocaster. Any of the models will do. Even though the Strat may be the best for this amp, single-coil pickups are not the best. This amp is not equipped with any noise reduction so there is going to be a lot of "humming" coming from the amp. This humming can be really bad. The overdrive and distortion are great for rock types of music but the bass on the amp does not get very loud. The clean channel never gets distorted at high levels so the player does not have to worry about accidentally distorting the sound when playing very loudly. The distortion can be adjusted using the gain knob. The higher the gain, the thicker the distortion. // 7

Reliability & Durability: This amp, like I said before, should only be used for personal practice and/or personal use. The size of the amp limits it to these things. I personally would not use this amp at a gig. I have had this amp for a year and a half and it has never broken down. The durability of the amp is amazing. You can drop on cement and it will not break. If I had to guess the life span, I would guess 10 years. // 9

Impression: The overall impression of this amp is great for beginner guitar players and intermediate players Who are playing for the hell of it and are indoor. I would not recommend this amp for large gigs, recording, or band play. If I lost the amp I would probably buy it again. I love this amp for practicing and I totally recommend it. // 9

overall: 8.5

Reviewed by: asfastasdark, on august 18, 2008

Price paid: $ 249.99

Purchased from: Guitar Center

Features: OK, first off, the guitar came in the Squier $250 starter pack, not separately for $250 of course. Separately it would have cost $79.99. I don't know when it was made, but I bought it less than two years ago. It was made in Indonesia according to the sticker on the back. The amp has two channels (clean and overdrive) with a button to Switch channels, and a headphone jack. No effects loop or footswitch. I almost never use the two auxiliary jacks on it though. The back has a socket to plug a power cord into, which came with it, and is about 5 feet long. On the clean channel, there is a 3-band EQ, and a volume, and on the overdrive (comprehensively labeled "Drive") channel there is just a volume control and a gain knob. The knobs are nice Vintage-style witch hats, used on a lot of older Fender amps, and the chassis of the amp is covered in a nice sturdy, smooth, black tolex. For a practice amp, this is pretty nice, just I wish it had an EQ on the gain channel and maybe an effect built in. The amp is entirely solid-state, and 15 watts. Also there is a very sturdy handle on the top used to carry it, and nickel amp corners. There is one 8-inch speaker, and two tweeters (or woofers, I'm not really sure, I can just feel them through the amp cloth). // 8

Sound: I play a Squier Affinity Strat, with three single coils. The guitar came with the amp (well, rather the other way around) and was pretty decent. The clean channel is really clean, and the Drive channel delivers a nice overdrive ranging from Hendrix-esque stuff to heavy Slayer-like gain. This is the type of music I play, and it really does sound very, very decent for the price. It is not noisy at all, except with a ton of gain on the Drive channel, of course. The sound is a bit bland. Not an exceptional tone, but it does sound decent. The clean channel is clean on all volumes, and the overdrive is mild to aggressive. // 8

Reliability & Durability: OK, this amp simply cannot be used at a gig because of the wattage, but it is very reliable. I would trust it without a backup (even though you shouldn't, of course). It has never broken down, and I don't think that it ever will. I have never thrown it around or anything, but still, it looks and seems really sturdy and looks like it could take some abuse. // 10

Impression: The amp is fine for all The Music I play. Not perfect, but for the price it's really decent. I have been playing for two years, and own a Crate GTD65 solid-state amp as well, through which I usually play, because it's just plain better. I would not buy another one if it were stolen or lost, because it's so small. I would probably buy a tube amp instead. I really like the clean channel, the gain channel not as much because I don't like the sound of the overdrive too much, but it works. Again, this entire review is based on the price you could get it for, not compared to much better amps. // 8

overall: 0

Reviewed by: eyezm, on june 16, 2008

Purchased from: My parents bought it for me

Features: It has channel switching from clean to overdrive, a gain knob, a volume knob, a treble knob, mids knob, bass knob, auxillary inputs, and a headphone jack. It has more than en // 

Sound: // 

Reliability & Durability: // 

Impression: // 

overall: 0

Reviewed by: eyezm, on june 16, 2008

Purchased from: My parents bought it for me

Features: It has channel switching from clean to overdrive, a gain knob, a volume knob, a treble knob, mids knob, bass knob, auxillary inputs, and a headphone jack. It has more than en // 

Sound: // 

Reliability & Durability: // 

Impression: // 

overall: 0

Reviewed by: eyezm, on june 16, 2008

Purchased from: My parents bought it for me

Features: It has channel switching from clean to overdrive, a gain knob, a volume knob, a treble knob, mids knob, bass knob, auxillary inputs, and a headphone jack. It has more than en // 

Sound: // 

Reliability & Durability: // 

Impression: // 

Comments

[GumbyEater]

ha, no love for the fender 15G

[doive]

I had a choice when i was a beginner. A fender 15 ar a peavey rage. I went for the peavey (which is good for £45) cos the fender was rubbish. If you can avoid this then do.

[##_Guitar-newb]

you guys are dumb. The distortion on this thing Owns a Vox Ad sounds 10x more valve than a vox Ad Vt

[rockergurl09]

I can't believe that the employees at the guitar store said the 15G was the best I could get for 90 dollars. I sounded good to me at first, as I was a otal guitar noob, but I've progressed a ton and also discovered there were better amps out there for 90 dollars. Sad... Great distortion, but other than that, this thing is a nice looking box of trash.

[selloutpunx]

lesson learned. play it before you buy it.
seriously, don't be shy when you go shopping at a music store. i would never buy a product without trying it first.

[sithian476]

Yeah this thing just lacks overall tone and playability.

[Tapmaster923]

The price on my review says $300 because it came with the Squire Strat Pack.

[dimefan1]

this amp is terrible
the distortion is terrible, and does make an annoying hissing sound, but there is no noise gate
when you get to about 2 on the volume it is really loud, then when you go past 2 it hardly gets louder
i play metal, and if you do too and are thinking about getting this, dont, trust me
the distortion on this thing uninspires me cause it sounds like shit
the clean channel is decent

my recommendation, spend more and get a different amp

[Daveskater]

i must agree really, it's not the most amazing amp ever, but it's only a 15 watt practice amp so you're not really going to use it at a gig but if you get the squier strat pack (like i did) then it's not so bad. the hissing noise is quite annoying but like i say, you wouldn't use it at a gig anyway.
unless you want some super fuzz though, don't set the gain at 10. that's my advice.
oh, and don't but it unless it's in a set. get a marshall or peavey or something instead.

[yorkshireterror]

Actaully, to everyone who said its 15 watts...its 37. Okay for beginners, once I get my Fender Hot Rod DeVille 212 I'll use this thing as my mp3 player speakers. Distortions not too bad, cleans okay, tons of feedback.

[rocknrollrocks]

Ive got this amp too, man, it is a pain. it gives me that buzzing rot, and it just suddenly buzzes really loud and i have to jiggle the lead in the amp input to stop it. seriously a shocker. i giged with it once, NEVER AGAIN. it was feedbacking so bad so i dont reccomend u buy this. the only thing its real good for is playing louder than u expect.

[bTOMd]

its not 37 watts

[punkman_123]

Idiots! This amp is a practice amp. "Never use this at a gig" haha DUH! If this amp caters for your first ever gig, you're doing something wrong. Practice amp!

[Punk mon]

this amp is poor it has a terribal sound

[Briscoe06]

DIS IS A GREAT AMP. IT MAKES A NICE NOISE,LOTS OF DISTORTION BUT THERES ALWAYS A BUZZ AND THATS BAD

[blackwings123]

im poor its the only reason i have it..
the buzz annoys the crap outta me
but then again im poor so i put up with it!

[SGMAN911]

I think that this a great amp it can take a beating! i wired up so many pedals to this thing and im suprised it didnt blow up, it can play veryyy loudly over drums bass and anything else...a choir or wheatever you want

[JadeFalcon5]

i just use mine to use at school and like jazz and pep band practices, but i use my marshall at concerts and games : P

[schecterguy]

Well i needed an amp.. so i bought this one. And bottom line is... its good for the price. and its pretty cheap

Careful not to flame.


Checked.

[littleslash33]

this amp came with my first guitar. its decent but theres a really really loud ring whenever on distortion and the clean doesnt sound right on high volumes. It can go really loud but on distortion the ring ruins it

[Jelly_donut]

this amp is kinda crap, but often the hissing/buzzing noise is not just the amp's fault. I played this amp at school through my friend's ibanez, and the hissing/buzzing was non existant.

[guitarNbass]

the 15r and the 15g are perfect start up amplifiers, there better than any other 15 watt piece of shit that you can buy for less than 100 bucks.

[Cypher07]

I will actually admit that I own this amp. I'm poor and need my first amp, so I got it at NY Music($50).

Thankfully the buzzing sound stopped about a week after I bought it. It's really bland and the clear channel is terrible. However, if you set the distortion right you can get a nice sound from it. Personally I like to add a little feedback to a song every now and then, and it's really easy to get it with this amp.

Too bad this amp sucks. So much I wrote my review in the comments section. 1* just for the distortion.

Don't buy it. Please.

[[ktulu]]

lmao i have this and it sucks its my first amp came with my beg. guitar

[Fossilized Love]

Briscoe06 wrote:

DIS IS A GREAT AMP. IT MAKES A NICE NOISE,LOTS OF DISTORTION BUT THERES ALWAYS A BUZZ AND THATS BAD

It's not a great amp then, dumbass. Geez.

[hawk5211]

cheap! and its ok until you get fairly good, and then it sounds just terrible. I hate the distortion. The only way i could get this piece of junk to sound ok is with a distortion pedal. Im getting a tube amp next!

Checked.

[blues-man]

im confused.... i know its pretty shit for anything.... but y duz it say 38W on the bak is this a 38 watt or 15 watt amp....????

[bendystraw]

its not that bad of an amp. i like it

[Zwart]

just 15 watt.. and i don't like the sound. you better buy a roland cube.

[zeppelinpage4]

Meh it's a 15 watt SS amp it's bound to suck, horrible gain IMO however with some proper settings it's a got a pretty decent clean.

[PiperFloyd]

Let me just state that you could not use this amp live in any scenario other than your bedroom. Its not very powerful, it breaks up after 5 and the thing just sounds plain awful. My first amp, got it in a starter pack, then upgraded to a Peavey Bandit, and now I have a Fender Deville 212. Even the Bandit (80W) struggled live (unmic'd)

[synysterangel]

this is my first amp. it is pretty cool, i guess. im not complaining. im glad i have one. i think it sounds alot better when you plug in headphones. you can get better pinch harmonics that way... but its pretty hard. there needs to be an 11 on gain or something. 10 does not fufill my insatiable taste for distortion. im getting a bad-ass metal distortion pedal soon so i guess that doesnt matter

[rednightmare]

What's with all the 8s and 9s this thing's getting? Are you people insane? This is a terrible amp.

[DarkDallasNight]

I have this amp and it sounds pretty bad not worst than my 10w esteban amp that i got from a friend for $5 dollars but indeed it sounds bad. However, I love it and How do you make this into a mp3 speaker?

[SuPaGrAm]

That buzz..lol
I just got a new marshall NO BUZZ
i was like OMG I THOT ALL AMPS DID THAT!

piece of shit. Never buy this thing.

DarkDallasNight wrote:

I have this amp and it sounds pretty bad not worst than my 10w esteban amp that i got from a friend for $5 dollars but indeed it sounds bad. However, I love it and How do you make this into a mp3 speaker?

Get an adapter (probably got one for headphones :p: ) and plug in the wire youll find at the back of ur comp speakers (two ends that can both plug into ur mp3)
plug one of those into the mp3 and another into the input
PUT IT ON THE CLEAN CHANNEL!!

[epi les paul69]

who pays 300 bucks for a noob 15watt amp?! holy, people don't know how to spend $ these days. I got my 30 watt Crate amp for 99$ on sale

[cosmic rocker]

I have one, the distortion used to sound good but recently it has gone downhill, so now I use the clean channel and a distortion pedal.

[lilsheep345]

i think this amp is alright the clean tone is pretty good but distortion sucks...but what the hell do i know im as smart as a freakin waffle copter or something

[Draconey]

Half of the Frontman 15G amps making hissing... It said it had reverb so it lied the amp is good if you just wanna basically play
But it is horribile if you want to play alot or professional.....

Comment: it sucks horribly thats y i am selling it lol

[amason51]

my 15g SUCKS BALLS it tick when im not playing IT LITARELLY TICKS LIKE A FUCKING CLOCK and gives the worst feedback ever

[Invader Jim]

You people are ****ing idiots. This is a PRACTICE AMP. You use it to PRACTICE in your BEDROOM. Only a n00b or a retard would try to gig with this. Besides, you get what you pay for.

[synysterangel]

dude my frontman just effin' died. the fuse blew so i got a new one at radio shack, put it in, but now it just does this humming noise. and sadly... it is my only amp, so i am stuck with nothing.

[kickass13]

yeh this amp sucks dick, the only good thing about it is that its rly loud. DONT BUY ONE!

[AnAzNGuitarist]

It came with my first guitar 'cuz I bought the Squier Strat Pak, so it's alright. It's great if you're on a budget or if you're a beginner and just wanna get a bit of practicing done, but of course I'd advise a better amp for band practices or whatever. It will buzz sometimes but if you take good care of it, it can really take a beating.

[nickdavis]

you guys are all morons. i got mine from American Musical Supply. ive had it for eight months now and its completely fine. try swithcing your cord if you get crackly noise. mine is completely silent. the distortion DOES get heavier after the number five, and ill admit, the clean, is a bit dull. but i play mainly heavy rock and metal, but everything else rock-wise i play (pretty much any song on guitar hero 2) sounds great. and invader jim is right. you get what you pay for.

[Kjoyea]

this amp is crap
get a line 6 spider III
way better in all aspects

[craigspyke]

I got this for £10 (about $20) I am really quite impresed with it. Admittedly it is my first amp so I'm going to be attatched to it but I like it. The distortion on it is awesome. The only downside is the hiss from the gain, that drives me crazy.

[Linkerman]

I got this amp in the Squier starter set.

Sure, it has a little hum noise, "crackings" and "hissings" but you can live with them.

I tested many amps in the same watt/price range, and this one doesn't let you down. It's sturdy and reliable. Extremely versatile.

The sound quality isn't perfect, but you can easily get that "classic rock" sound and feeling when you're playing, even with the drive effect off.

I always play with my Squier Affinity Series Stratocaster, and i just bought a Boss MD-2 Mega Distortion effects pedal.
The sound you can get out of this little amp... Amazing!

You should buy this amp in two situations:
- it's your first amp;
- you need a second, little amp.
If you are experienced and need a main amp, don't buy this one. But don't diss it if you do. You aren't being deceived by anyone -- neither Fender nor the store.

[musicfreak003]

##_Guitar-newb wrote:

you guys are dumb. The distortion on this thing Owns a Vox Ad sounds 10x more valve than a vox Ad Vt

The distortion on this sounds like a cow getting raped. and my clean channel is also distorted (even after i took it to get fixed)cuz it has reliability problems

[udaz]

is this amp louder than a line 6 spider iii 15w

[Ali-b912]

i ripped the front cover off of mine so i can see the speaker. i plan to assualt it with a screwdriver or something to get free fuzz distortion! anyone know any where u can find info about ppl modding these? they are rubbish standard and i thot someone must know how to morph it so its acceptable. i find its only use is to impress stupid people who think it ruls because its a fender. also i have tried plugging this thru a marshall MS-2, the mini pocket size one. with this as the first amp the ms2 distorted at basically no volume and the other way round i had to turn everything up to ten on the drive channel to hear it. ive also tried putting one of these thru another and it doesnt seem to do anything. i was hoping for a cheap 30 watt but it didnt work

[Tele Echoes]

The first reviewer said it's durable and has had "fat chick's sittin' on it", but one question; how could a fat ass fit on top of a 15 watt Fender FM amp.

[steve-bod]

This was my first amp and I regret buying it from day 1 it has this extreme buzz to it. As much as I love fender equipment just walk past this amp at any cost.

[Jaypack44]

This amp sucks. I hae mine

[ezza61]

I hate this piece of crap. But I can some decent sounds through my GV-2 pedal. And it dosent hiss as badly as the overdrive. I don't know what people are going on about...the distorsion on it sounds so bad.

[Kai07]

I just got one until my micro cube is fixed.....its okay.
to much missing on the gain channel.

[llllllA7Xllllll]

Mine always makes this buzzing sound, but it goes away if I press on the top near the headphone jack. Other than that, this amp is amazing for its size and price.

[Ali-b912]

Tele Echoes wrote:

The first reviewer said it's durable and has had "fat chick's sittin' on it", but one question; how could a fat ass fit on top of a 15 watt Fender FM amp.

more importantly, why would he have fat chicks around him? the only real fat chick at my school is scared of my band lol

[thrash-it-up]

i have one of these, and i must say im actually quite pleased with it, i dont use it that much straight from my guitar, but when i do im pleased with the sound, on review said that theirs had a hissing sound, i think that may b specific to his amp cos mine is fine
it sounds good when put through pedal as well, i put it through a digitech rp250 and ibanez modified turbo tube screamer and play mainly thrash stuff, like megadeth, metallica lots of pantera etc and can always get a good sound out of it!

[Funeral Moon]

I think that most people who have this had it with the strat pack when they were beginners. It sounds decent at first, and you feel cool playing it when you first start out, but you'll soon realize how crappy this amp is. I've had it for over a year, and I've become decent at playing, and I always get discouraged when playing through this because it sounds so bad. The lows sound decent, but the highs and mids are terribly awful. I have a Jackson RR3 now, and I play it through this amp, and the sound is still awful. I seriously need to buy a better amp, and so does everyone who has this who has it for a while.

[guitargod5]

this thing has a great clean channel
the gain channel is horrible though

[saitenslayer]

i play my ibanez mikro through it,i think i agree with most of it.its a realy nice practice amp,i love playing metal so my distortions usualy on and i don't usualy play clean

[ray10010]

i have this amp and it works fine but think that's because I had some random music store guy do some work on it. Distortion seems fine to me clean channel is good overall not a bad begginer amp.I was suprised top see what all the reviews said. Just my opinion though.

[CHOCOmoney]

i have this and the dist is good but otherwise it sucks. only buy if youre a beginner or poor. get the micro cube instead

[metallic_rob]

ive had this amp for over 3 years now and i finally got rid of it!ever since the first time i turned it on, there has been this horrible loud buzz that i couldnt get rid of and i tried every trick in the book to get rid of it.the clean channel is good but the distortion is rubbish to be honest so from my experience dont get this, get a marshall

[minnerman51]

i have had this amp for 3 years and its still pumpin. i have a cheap walmart guitar and it sounds ok on this amp.i paid $50 bucks for it and i would have paid 75$

[WheresTheTwang]

i paided $200 nz for mine i feel so riped

[Antonio23]

i think that this amp is good for begginers and thats it.i got it with the squier starter pack.i like its distortion,and i can mute the buzzing by putting my guitar´s pickup switch on position 2 or 4(with the neck and middle pickup or middle and bridge),i don´t know why though.also another cool trick with that amp:i was mad about the lack of sustain,so i played a note around the 17th fret and turned the drive volume up a lot.it makes a cool feedback effect good to anoy the family XD

[Yoyo Of Death]

i have 1 and it died like not even 12 months after i bought it this amp sux its the noisiest amp ive ever played, the sx amps at school which r like 500000 yrs old arent as bad as this amp (now that is a statement)
ill get a microcube or a marshall next time

[Purple_Tears156]

i've never had a fender but this one sounds pretty cool.
at the moment i use a vox AD15VT comments on my amplifier please?

[oosabaj]

pretty good for starting on in the squier pack with guitar and other stuff including headphones(which are very good by the way). but good blues tones are a no no. very loud but gain gets horrible after 6 or so. if your getting the pack for a first electric, go for it. if you want to buy a separate amp at a cheap price, get something better in the same price range line a line 6 spider III of something

[Rogue Hermit]

Purple_Tears156 wrote:

i've never had a fender but this one sounds pretty cool.
at the moment i use a vox AD15VT comments on my amplifier please?

i wouldn't consider it much of an upgrade going from one 15w SS amp to another. in fact, you might as well not even "upgrade" to another SS amp, because you won't gain anything. you'll only want to replace it very soon. look into a small, low end tube amp. much better than SS.

[the-stuge]

i got one of these about 2 or 3 years ago when i was 13 with my squier strat, i have had guitars that are alot more expensive than that since then and i still use the amp now and it still sounds great and my parents get annoyed with it being to loud, but its a great little amp and i will allways keep it

[kvltpolice666]

decent beginner's amp

[hoymadapaka]

i had this amp for about 5 years already and this amp is awesome considering how much i paid for it. It has everything a beginner student should need. i prefer using it with gain at 10 and drive channel at 2 or 3 and my guitar at 10. it has an awesome tone at that level. Oh you if you get feed bacc from your amp like a noisy sound than it isnt the amp's fault its your pickups.

[GusIsBored]

absolutely shite amp. thats a pretty gud description eh? ive had ths 4 about 8 months and its broken down twice. first time it stopped getting input and second time it just wont turn on. i really cbf taking this back cuz it means ill probably get it back . hey maybe fender will relise its true potential and use it as a boat anchor. to be honest my trust in fender has been shook and im not sure whether i should still get their 212r 100w frontman.

[metalriff735]

my friend has this amp. he let me have a go on it and i must say the gain is great (then again the gain on my amp sucks). apart from the gain on this amp, i didnt think that much of it, as it kept buzzing and if u turned it up the buzzing got louder as well. not a very gd amp

[breakdownkid784]

it has good distortion, really good actually. but thats it. and it does get pretty loud. but its nothing speacial. i wan to sell it and my Vox and get a marshall but i dont know a good marshall amp to get thats relativley low priced, any suggestions??