The Frontman 25R ups the ante in practice amps with 25 watts and a 10" speaker. Overall this amp is louder than the average practice amp but it still retains the portability.
Featured review by:
Invader Jim, on july 14, 2008 3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 175
Purchased from: All-Star Music
Features: I got it in 2006, probably made in '05. I actually only paid $75 for it, as I traded in my blown-up 15G. It's the 'newer' type with the silver grille cloth, etc. Two channels, clean and drive, plus spring (i.e. analog) reverb. No FX loop, but it has a headphone jack and a footswitch jack, as well as RCA type AUX inputs for jamming along to CD or mp3 players. Controls include clean vol., gain, drive vol., treble, middle, bass, and reverb. I'm mostly a bedroom player, but I've used it at a couple of small gigs and for playing with my ex-band. This amp is great for small gigs and jamming with the band due to it's 25 watts of power and since I'm mostly a bedroom player, 25w is plenty for me. It doesn't come with a footswitch, but for only a few bucks you can go to Radio Shack and buy parts to make one (like I did); all you need is a stereo cable and an SPST stomp switch. Would be a 10, but it has no FX loop. // 9
Sound: I mainly use it with an '03 Squier Strat with stock neck and bridge pups and Guitar Fetish middle pup, but see my profile for all my guitars/FX. It has great cleans; very bright and sparkly, thus it works well with pedals. I sometimes use it with a Boss DS-1, Ibanez SM-7, or a DigiTech RP-7 Valve, though I usually just plug straight into the amp. As for distortion: it's clipping diodes are red LEDs, so it sounds very tubey, and there are resistors in series with them to counter the uncompressed sound of LEDs. I like the distortion, but it isn't good for metal because it has lots of mids. Bringing down the Mid knob helps, but it still doesn't sound good; as if something's missing (like the mids, lol). However, if you mostly play rock, classic rock, etc. then it's just fine for those genres; it just isn't a high-gain amp. Bringing up the Mid knob gives you a really nice (to a point) fuzz. The reverb is awesome. It really breathes life into an otherwise dull sound. It also brings out pinch harmonics. // 9
Reliability & Durability: This thing has never given me any problems whatsoever (even after poking around it's guts and adding stuff). I can stand on it and it won't even so much as creak from the weight. It's build very solidly. // 10
Impression: I've been playing for about 5 years and play pretty much anything and this amp serves it's purpose. Keep in mind, however, that it's just a practice amp. If it were stolen or lost, I'd be super-pissed. It's my only amp, and a pretty good one at that. I just wish it had an FX loop and more gain (a simple diode-change can fix the gain issue, but I'm just too lazy). My favorite feature by-far is the reverb. Just a touch will do wonders for the sound. And if you want to get really creepy with it, turn the reverb to 10 and slowly bend a note. It's haunting! This amp isn't nearly as bad as people say it is. I think they're mostly just jumping on the bandwagon and saying it sucks because it's a practice amp. // 8
Reviewed by:
eldoplaysguitar, on november 19, 2007 2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Features: This is an awesome amp it's made in 2005. It has two channels normal and gain, it's extreamly versatile it can change from the hardest shred riff to the soft Eric Clapton stuff, seing as I play many styles of music including: metal, punk, blues, jazz, pop and hardcore, it suits all of them. It has has channel swiching, effect loops, headfone jack and way more, I usually use it as a practise amp but I think it would just stand up to gigs cause even thought it's only 25w it rocks as hard as a 75-100watter it's way better than the 50w G-DEC, it's a solid state amp. // 9
Sound: I use two Fender humbucker 350s on my Fender Strat, it suits all of my music styles including metal, punk, blues, jazz, pop and hardcore it's only 25w but has got huge! Sound it's lound and noisy while still being tunefull and has no buzz or humm, it makes tuns of different sounds by just changin the tone knobs and bass middle and treble so lots of variety, the clen gets distorted at about 8 and a half but why would you be playing loundly with the clean channel the distorsion is good till about 9 then it gets crappy. // 8
Reliability & Durability: I would use it in a gig without back up I've had it for about a year it's never brocken down, and I don't treat it that well either, I sit on it, drop it, kick it so it's a very solid sturdy amp, I love it, it's suprisingly good for it's money, it's so reliable that I wouldn't even think about it braking because the chance of that is non exictent, it's an awesome amp for it's money and I would never buy another amp untill it wore out or I was playing in stadiums but I think both of those things aren't going to happen for a long time! // 10
Impression: I play metal, punk, blues, jazz, pop and hardcore but manly metal it's an awesome match I've been playing for about 5 years, I own a Fender Strat with two humbuckers, a Ibanez Tubescreamer and lots more ect, no I don't regret buying this amp at all I love it. If it were stolen I would definatly buy another one after I foung the guy who stole it and smashed him roung the head with it, I love ebery thing about this amp, I only dislike the reverb it's a bit girly it's best feature is it's huge sound, I wouldn't compare it with other products it blows all other amps of it's price out of the water, I chose this amp because I think the Fender brand is one of the best guitar brands I with it had some built in effects but I'm very happy with it. // 10
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on march 17, 2005 2 of 7 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 142.2
Purchased from: Long & McQuade
Features: This amp is one of the worst investements I ever made. I bought it at Long And Mcquade for 180 when I first started to play guitar. It comes with a clean and overdirve chanel. There is a footswitch imput but you have to go buy a footwsitch youself since the amp doesn't come with one, a headphone jack is also available. I only use this amp for practiceing, its pretty much useless for anything else. // 6
Sound: I use an Epiphone Les Paul Standard plus with two humbucker pickups. I mostly play metal and hard rock (Megadeth, Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin). The clean chanel sounds pretty good however the overdive is horrible. I too use a Boss MT-2 (Metal Zone) and it sounds awful when the amp is anywhaere above level 2. // 4
Reliability & Durability: It's a durable amp however don't even let the idea of gigging with it cross your mind. // 6
Impression: I would not recomend anyone to buy this amp, if you are looking for a good practice amp invest in a Marshall or something of that quality. This amp will literaly make you turn away from playing your guitar. If it were lost/stolen I would go buy a Marshall MG30 DFX to practice with. // 4
Reviewed by:
Demagogue01, on august 02, 2006 1 of 2 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 140
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: My kick ass amp is a Frontman 25 watt tube amp with Fender reverb, biult in 2005. It can handle anystyle of music I throw at it, and I'm a well rounded guy. I rip it up with metal riffs and rock leads, blues and grunge, and acoustic and classical, this does it all. It has 2 channels, clean and gain. It has reverb control, bass treblle and mid control, head phone jack, and aux inpute. As much as I love more power, the 25 watts do just fine even at small gigs. The only thing this amp needs is more biult in effects (those damn digitechs are getting expensive). // 8
Sound: I usually use my Epiphone les paul with humbuckers, but have also plugged in an Ibenez G210 Super Strat, with one HB and 2 single coils. Both sound good. Like I stated earlier, I play everything on this amp and it all sounds amazing. The distortion can be heavier than a live Black Label concert, or can be turned down to produce a clearer more melodic lead sound. On clean, it sounds like my 1000 dollar hand crafted acoustic. A little tweeking on the reverb and bass/mid/trebble, and I can make my guitar sound like a crisp clean 12-string. At volume settings over 8 the clean starts to sound distorted, and the distortion never starts to get brutal or muddy at the high volumes, unless the gain is at 10. Its a nice high quality sounding smooth tube amp, that's all you need. // 9
Reliability & Durability: Well, there's only one way to judge this folks, and my amp is so far scoring perfect here. I play with my band at vloumes usualy around 8 or 9, usually about 10 hours a week. I've knocked it over, I've tripped over it, I've dropped it, I sit on it, I stand on it, it aint broke yet. I've had it for 9 months now without ever having it serviced or maintained, hell I don't hardly ever dust it. This is the only amp I need at a gig, but I still always like a back up in case of a tornado somehting. // 10
Impression: This amp is the ultimate jam amp or small show amp. It doesnt matter what you play it can sound good on this amp. I compared this to many others, and none come even close to the bang for the buck. I don't think any similar amp sounds near as good for any price. After this amp and experience with Marshalls and Line 6s, Fender is now the only amp I will ever buy. // 9
Reviewed by:
johnmalkin, on august 09, 2006 1 of 2 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 299
Purchased from: Ken Hams MusicWorks
Features: This amp is a very nice looking amp. It's had a makeover from the old Frontman series and comes complete with the silver grill, Fender logo, etc. Has two channels, clean and overdrive, and has an auxillary input for a CD player, etc, as well as a headphones jack and a jack for a footswitch, which (disappointingly) didn't come with the amp. It's 20 watt and solid state, which is fair enough as it's fairly hard to find a cheap tube amp these days. // 6
Sound: I play an Ashton AG131 guitar with this amp. I was very disappointed with this amp. I took it to band practise and tried to play wiht my bandmates, but the clean distorts at five and the distortion is terrible at anything above five also. It has reverb but it's very plain at best and makes the overdrive channel sound even worse when it's on. The volume is extremely loud, but as said before, distorts very easy. It's also fairly tough to get a decent quiet sound, as you only have about between one and two on the volume to play with to get a reasonable sound. It's quite noisy, but I guess that could be attributed to the cheap guitar I'm using. Maybe wiht a better one it might be different. // 2
Reliability & Durability: I wouldn't gig with this amp, because it can't even stand up with practicing. It's fine at low levels, but pathetic for anything in the way of band rehearsals or gigs. I've only had it for three days, so I wouldn't know about the durabilty or reliability, and I don't think I'll find out, because I'm taking it back to the store. But I wil say that it's very portable, being quite compact for it's power. // 5
Impression: I've been playing for around two years and I'm pretty much astounded at this amp. It's terrible. I prefered my Ashton GA10 amp to this, at least it put out a better sound at full volume. I'm really surprised that Fender put their name to this, as you expect a company that prides itself on quality for 60 years would ever let this amp out of the warehouse with their logo on it. If it was lost or stolen I would get a Marshall MG15CDR, as at least that is a quality amp. I wished that I had asked to play on full volume before buying this, because if I had I wouldn't be sitting here writing this review. My advice: if you are going to use your amp to play in a situation where volume is important, skip this amp completely. I'd jsut skip it all together actually. // 3
Reviewed by:
sektor47, on april 12, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Long & McQuade
Features: The Fender Frontman 25R was made in Indonesia in 2007. It has the blackface Fender look to it, silver grille cloth. Weighs about 25 pounds. Controls include Treble, Mid, Bass, Volume, Gain, Drive Volume, and Reverb. Solid State open-back, 25 watts, with a single 10" speaker. Typical stuff on a decent beginner amp. // 7
Sound: I'm using a humbucker equipped electric guitar with this amp. The amp is nothing special, just a beginner amp. Doesn't have much of a special tone either. There is a mid knob, but with the mid at 10, it still doesn't seem to have enough mids. Drive channel doesn't sound good, not smooth, very clippy. The reverb makes the amp sound very trebly, and it makes it sound very unnatural and noisy. Amp has a decent clean channel, and a bad Drive channel. // 4
Reliability & Durability: I can depend on it, but I wouldn't use it at a gig, because it has HORRIBLE tone! Although I have used it in multiple performances, and it survives. The amp has never broken down, and I don't think it will soon. All knobs are nice and tight, none are scratchy. It comes with metal corner protectors to prevent the corners from getting damaged incase dropped, or in such a situation. // 8
Impression: This amp, would just be an amp that you would use for practicing at home. It would basically fit every music style, but wouldn't be great at them. The Drive volume is very sensitive, and it has a huge volume jump from 2-3. The amp is fairly loud, loud enough to have mini gigs, but not big enough for outdoor / large gigs. The reverb is absolutely not usable, because it is horrible! For 170$, I would suggest you look around for some other amps, because this amp, would sound good at first, but once you hear all the other amps that you've missed out on, you would regret getting this amp. // 5
Reviewed by:
keavader, on february 26, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 139.99
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: This frontman is, all in all, a practice amp. And when you compare all of the practice amps in this price range, this one stands out. MP3/CD input, headphone jack, nice speaker, two channels, 25 watts, reverb, it's very nice. Obviously it's no tube amp nor a gigging amp, but as a practice or beginner amp, it's fantastic. The only thing that kind of sucks about it is that there's no effects other than reverb. I just wish it had a few little things, but hey, how else would Fender sell G-DECS? // 8
Sound: I'm playing my Frontman with a Epiphone Les Paul Custom through a DigiTech RP350. Everything works fantastically. It functions really well with or without the pedal. But, as to the amp itself's sounds, I really like it. It's not really a Marshall with that insane distortion, but it holds out on high gain. Eventually it gets fuzzy and when I run Slayer through the MP3 jack it distorts a tad. I can play through bright clean ska, insane death metal, or some light jazz. I like it a lot. // 8
Reliability & Durability: Not that I would gig with it, but if I had to I suppose I wouldn't worry. The amp has held strong for me, no issues thus far (almost a year, by the way.) But it is pretty much a 25 watt practice amp. I can imagine it puffing smoke if I try to use it after I drop it one time. However, for those considering buying it, do pay attention to warranty as many have had factory defects. That doesn't really apply to my review, but just a warning. Note the reviews around me with ones. Anyhoo, all in all, durable. // 7
Impression: I've run through about a hundred practice amps with friends, Guitar center, and other assorted methods, and this one really leads in quality vs. price. Simple, effective, relatively loud (the difference is clear when played alongside a 15 watter). Yeah, there's probably better out there, but this is going to be a good place to start or just to use as a practice amp for someone on a tight budget. // 8
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on april 04, 2005 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 171.43
Purchased from: Bellones Guitars
Features: This is an 2004 amp. I play almost mostly rock and metal, and this amp is flawless. This amp has 2 channels, clean and overdrive, both of which provide crystal clear sound. The effects this amp has are: treble, mid, bass, reverb, and it also has a headphone and a footswitch jack. I use this amp at my house with my parents, so it usually isnt too loud, but when there gone. I can shake the house. This amp has amazing sound qualities at all levels. // 10
Sound: I have a Epiphone G-400 with 2 humbuchers. Overall this amp is one of the best sounding practise amps out there. The crystal clear sound and crazy overdrive are sure to impress you. // 10
Reliability & Durability: This again is probably the most dependable and reliable amps out there. I have owned it for almost 2 years and have never had a problem. // 10
Impression: Overall, I think this amp is truely, wheather it is a warmup or practise amp, or you're just beginning it will suit any style. I also looked at a Marshall 15 CDR, and I liked this one a lot better, for the sound quality. If this amp were to be stolen, I probably would buy a new one because it fits my budget or I may buy a bigger Marshall amp. // 10
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on may 29, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: Not sure what year it was made in. Made in Indonesia, and, while it's never going to compare at all to a British-made amp like an Orange all-valve amp, it's better than Chinese sweatshop labour. Two channels, clean and gain. I have a distortion pedal, so I mainly stick with the clean channel. no effects, except reverb, which I'm pretty sure is spring reverb judging both by the quality of the reverb and the fact it has that sound of an amp with spring reverb when you hit it, so that's pretty good at least. The good thing about not having pedals though is this guy will at least get you off on the right foot of getting pedals for once you move on to valve amps that don't have effects. Still, it would've been nice to have included at least a few effects. But you get what you pay for. Solid-state, 25-watts being driven through a single 10-inch speaker. It says 25-watts, but it sounds more like 30. Still, occasionally I wish it had more so I could go for a stereo effect when gigging. But hey, for what it is it's good on power. Not too heavy either, though I wish they could've had removed the five pounds Peavey manages to on their Rage 258 amp. // 7
Sound: I'm currently playing a Dillion PRS copy with an ebony fingerboard and plan to get soon get a MIM Fender Standard Stratocaster to balance out my bands sound since it's other guitarist also has a dual-humbucker guitar. Even though logically a Fender should work only half-decently with a humbucker guitar, it actually works pretty well. I play a mixture of rock of all sorts of genres from 1964 to the late 90's, and currently try to write somewhere between Cream-style blues-rock and The Who-esque rock. For the style, it works well. The clean channel seems to be modeled on a 5 Deluxe Reverb, which is by far an excellent amp to model your clean channel on. Granted this little box can't cut it when compared to a real deluxe Reverb, mainly since it's not a tube amp. This channel also goes well with the two pedals I'm currently using, a Boss CE-5 Chorus pedal and an Electro-Harmonix Nano Muff distortion. No buzz or feedback from the pedals. I'd be angered if I did get feedback from them too, since it has no effects. Not sure how it goes with single-coils, as I don't have the MIM strat yet. I'm also happy to report the amp doesn't distort too bad on high volume. You'll want to keep it in it's optimal operation range though(2 to 4), otherwise you get some annoying speaker distortion. Still, it isn't too bad. The gain channel is, I'm rather sure, based on a Marshall 100-watt half-stack judging by the accuracy of my AC/DC covers. That or a Vox AC30 hooked up to a Boss SD-1 overdrive, as I tried it once and it sounds rather similar to a Marshall. Anyway, though it's not tube, it manages to give a really nice overdriven tube amp-style distortion, though that'd mean you metalheads will want to look elsewhere for a good gain channel. That fact would also be why I got the Nano muff, which, from my experience, can work well as both a fuzz pedal and a distortion pedal, the two tings I need in distortion this doesn't provide. Much like the clean channel, though you'll want to keep it in optimal operation range, you can push it without unwanted distortion, and, though you will get it on higher settings, it seems to cascade in with the overdrive. Sadly, the gain channel comes out terrible with another overdrive/fuzz/distortion pedal, it comes out saddeningly muddy. Once more, not sure how it sounds with single-coils, as I don't have my mexi-strat yet. Just so I can control it with my foot, I plan to get a Boss BD-2 Blues Driver soon. I haven't had any environment noise in both a basement and a garage, likely the two places most popular for practice. Not sure about gigging as this thing doesn't have gigging muscle. // 8
Reliability & Durability: So far I've hit, slapped, knocked down, eaten off of, spilled water and tea on, kicked, banged, dinged and overall beaten this thing, and it still works fine, never broken down or anything, only times I've been plugged in and didn't get my guitars sound was when the battery in one or more of my pedals was dying or when I had a broken cable. This little fella is definitely designed for the long run in practicing. // 10
Impression: As I stated before, I play anything from 1964 to about 1996, and it sounds good for those, as it does for the Who/Cream tones I try to write. I've been playing for four years and besides my acoustic except for occasional numbers, everything except my broken old super strat are in my setup. I love the clean channel on this thing, it's really great without any effects, and it sounds good with them as well. I'm not as big a fan of the gain channel though, mainly because of it's disagreeable-ness with my pedals. If this thing were stolen, I'd just wait a month or two after I get my mexi-strat to get $200 and buy the Orange Crush 30R I'm looking at right now, until then playing through my other guitarists two-input amp. If I could do it over again knowing what I do, I'd either get a Peavey Rage 258 or this thing again, mainly because of it's excellent clean channel. Overall, a great starter amp, but I haven't had it even a year and already I'm beginning to get annoyed with it. Luckily it's low-price so it isn't too bad to pack it away. // 8
Reviewed by:
KirkRocks, on july 04, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 140
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: The power is 25W. This amp has enough settings for a beginner guitarist. It comes with clean and overdrive settings. It also has the basic reverb, bass, middle, treble and gain knobs if you want to adjust your sound. There is also a head phone and foot pedal jack along with an area for AUX input. Includes a basic carrying handle too. Gotta say it looks pretty nice too. // 7
Sound: This amp was purchased when I first started playing. The salesman at guitar center recommended it. I was new and hoping to get a good Metal sound out of it. The guitar I use this amp with is an Epiphone Les Paul Standard. It still has the stock pickups and it has been professionally set-up and would otherwise sound good despite not being upgraded. The clean tone is actually not half bad and you will likely be able to get the sound you want out of it if you mess around with the amp for awhile. The overdrive channel is awful and among the worst I've heard. Do not buy this amp if you want to play metal, rock, or punk. The only thing that the overdrive channel can do on this amp is produce a sub-par blues sound but there are many better amps out there for that. When you try to play chords with four or more notes you won't be able to hear anything but a distorted jumble of buzzing sounds. Another thing is that the sound quality takes a huge hit if you turn up even halfway. It's inexcusable how bad the overdrive is on this amp. // 4
Reliability & Durability: It still works after six months but it doesn't sound as good as it used to and it makes crackling noises from time to time. This can't be used for gigging considering how bad the sound is. It's strictly a backup practice amp and nothing more. Time will tell but things sure don't look good so far. // 4
Impression: I have been playing for about 6 months now and I have compared my amp to others with the same guitar and the difference is night and day. I'm not pretending to be a great guitarist but the truth is that this amp is just plain awful in most regards. Fender has really disappointed me with this amp. My biggest regret is that I didn't test out the other amps before I bought this one. The only good thing about this amp is the clean channel and it isn't even that great. I would never buy this amp again and I do not recommend it to anyone. Especially beginners and if you have this amp then sell it and buy something better before it ruins your guitar playing experience. // 4
Reviewed by:
medium mike, on september 28, 2004 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 276.5
Features: I bought this amp a while back but am just back into playing now. The amp is nothing more than a practice amp at low volumes. The amp has 2 channels with the ability to add a foot switch. The amp is probably perfect for someone that is in an apartment and noise is a concern. // 6
Sound: I am using a Baracuda guitar with humbucking pickups. I play mostly metal like Metallica. The clean is pretty clean. The distortion is bad. So I run a Metal Zone pedal through it. The amp can not handle the power from the pedal past 2 on the volume. Past 2 you get horrible bass feedback. Running the MT2 Metal Zone it is best for me to keep the volume between 1 and 2. // 4
Reliability & Durability: I would never gig with it as it is just a practice amp. Nothing more than that. // 6
Impression: I have been back into playing for aprox 4 months now and I should have tried other amps. Once I do go to a tube amp I will keep it however. I don't think I could get any money for it and if I did sell it too someone I would feel bad doing so. Unless they were looking for a pure practice amp. I should have saved money and bought decent gear. I would be having more fun if I had. I am sorry I bought this amp as it does not suit my playing style. // 4
Reviewed by:
Blade686, on july 17, 2008 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Features: // 9
Sound: I use this amplifier together with my Jackson DK2S Dinky and it's sound is pretty satisfying for both channels. The clean channel is amazing, and together with the reverb, it can give you a very good sound for sweet solos (not to mention my guitar's Seymour Duncans are doing the job well). It also doesn't sound distorted at high volumes, but the basses can get really ear-disturbing as if you were playing an electric bass, and I still didn't figure out how to control it. The drive mode is versatile, the gain knob can turn it from a heavy distortion to a cool overdrive in seconds, though I wouldn't depend on it and I'd go buy a pedal for myself, since it's not brutal enough at maximum gain, and it's not any good sound when it's on overdrive, but it's enough as a practice amp. // 8
Reliability & Durability: This amp is real solid, I have for a few monthes now and it has no flaws or anything at all! Though I wouldn't take it to a gig, since 25 watts of power can't handle a gig as I heard. I never had any technical problems with this amp, and it sounds as good as it sounded the day it arrived. // 10
Impression: I play everything from soft rock to thrash metal, and this is somewhat a good match, and I don't think this amp is far away from being the ultimate practice-at-home amp (definitely not for gigs though). I have been playing for 3 years now, and I kind of regret not buying the Ibanez TBX30R for the same price, but I'm still happy with the purchase I made. If it were stolen I would probably buy the Ibanez TBX30R since it's a little improvement for the same price (though I'm not 100% sure, I still didn't get to answer all my questions about it). What I love about it is the clean channel, it's sweet! As I said above, I compared it to the TBX30R, and the TBX sounded a little better, since it was more versatile, and the distortions it delivered sounded more like the tone I was looking for, but I'm still happy with what I have. I wish it had a few more features in it like a delay, but I guess that's a few steps forward. // 8
Reviewed by:
DanTheMan7772, on july 22, 2005 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 140
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: Incredible value in a 10" speaker. 25 watts of pure Fender. The only disappointment with this is the fact that there are fewer features than most, including your gain/treble/middle/bass/reverb. It also includes an overdrive switch. Very good value. // 8
Sound: I personally use a Les Paul with this amp, it works perfectly for my style. At times it does get a mild amount of feedback, but it all forgivin once you step into the zone. The distortion is very well, with alot less backround noise then some amps I have played. // 8
Reliability & Durability: As with most Fender products, you can always depend on amps. My amp has taken a beaten, with (nearly) a kick in, water spilt, and other things yet has survived with nothing wrong. I love this amp, it is perfect for small gigs or garage practice. // 10
Impression: Fender amps have always been realiable, and this amp is perfect for that by your self practice, garage, or a even a small gig. At the low price they sell for, they are perfect for beginners or even someone who want's a nice, realiable practice amp. // 10
Reviewed by:
ismith, on june 27, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 140
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: Not many features to speak of. It has clean and overdrive channels. There's a footswitch jack, but don't expect any footpedal you plug into to be listenable. It's not too heavy, so if you need to bring it with you it's a decent travel amp. I use it in my house and sometimes outside, and in my opinion Fender just doesn't know how to handle 25 watts. It's plenty of power, but no control. For example, a little butter on a pancake is delicious, but the Fender is like taking an entire stick of butter then throwing it at the pancake. // 5
Sound: In summary: the sound sucks. Real bad. I'm using a Yamaha PAC012 mostly, but it used to get played with an Yngwie Strat® and an Ibanez JEM7V. The fuzz is awful, there's lots of feedback, and for the most part anything played through the neck pickup can't be heard. From my expirements the amp hasn't been able to make a very good variety of sounds although it seems to me it could be a good metal practice amp (heavy/death metal that is, not classic bands like Def Leppard or Sabbath). At high volume the clean channel just kind of gives out and starts acting like a subwoofer. It's all punch, which might not be bad if I played bass, but I only wanted a loud clean channel. The overdrive is disgusting. It's out of control, squealing and shrieking. Let's just say they're all interesting sounds, and I'm sure therte's some people Who would absolutely love it, but for anyone trying to hear what they're actually playing, I don't recommend it. // 2
Reliability & Durability: It's never broken down, never had t repair it. I tried to because I thought it was broken, but that's when I learned that my Fender wad not unique, they all sounded like that. It's very reliable and durable, I've never been rough with it but it is a solid item. // 10
Impression: Go with a Marshall MG30DFX if you want 25-30 watts, I love my MG15DFX. Both of these models are amazing amps, and they'll only run you $200 on eBay. The Fender 25R is a very bad amp for beginners, as they won't learn to actually play with it because they're not hearing what they're doing. And anyone who's not a beginner will hate the sound, mostly I'm talking about the fuzz, feedback, bad high volume clean channel, and crappy overdrive. I don't recommend this amp at all, unless it's just for show (it does look nice). // 3
Reviewed by:
xsv, on july 04, 2006 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 126
Purchased from: guitar center
Features: The Fender Frontman 25R is very versatile and very handy.I play punk, pop, post hard core rock. It comes with an input slot, normal volume knob, gain knob, drive selector for fuzz, Drive volume knob, treble knob, middle knob, bass knob, and the popular Fender reverb knob.it has slots for head phones, aux in, and a foot switch.The features I never use are the foot Switch and headphones, because I prefer to play out loud and I already own a distortion pedal, so I'm good.It has the blackface cover with the Fender logo in a chrome color. The amp weighs very little for its size. I use this amp everywhere just because its so versatile and great for its price. This amp boasts power for its size and price. // 8
Sound: I use a Fender stratocaster and I play a lot of Taking Back Sunday, Fall Out Boy, AC/DC, Hawthorne Heights, and all that post hard core/punk/pop rock. It suits my style, but the fuzz isnt as great as you would expect. To cover up for the loss on this, I bought a Boss DS-1 Distortion pedal to replace the fuzz. It doesn't place that much feedback and I use it outside, inside, everywhere. The amp is basically a practice amp and you could try to gig with it, but it dosent have that much variety on it, but I personally like to mess with the knobs and see how many choices I can make. Well the distortion isn't brutal at all, and the bad part is, after the volume knob is after 2, it gets really loud. // 8
Reliability & Durability: I can depend on this amp Because its so versatile and built tough. This amp can handle kicking, falling over and even rolling down stairs. It is built very tough and can withstand lots of abuse.I would probably gig witha Marshall just because Marshall amps are better, but since I only have this amp, I'd use it. // 9
Impression: Since I play punk/pop/classic/post hardcore rock it matches fairly well if you place the volume at 2, no fuzz, treble on 10, middle on 5, and bass at 1. That setup works really well especially with the Boss distrotion pedal. I've been playing for 2 years. I own a Yamaha rg, a really old Crate amp that was given to me, and a Fender stratocaster.If it was stolen I would rebuy it just because it suits what I play and its very cheap and versatile. I love everything about the amp except the fact, that past 2, the volume is super loud. I love the treble feature and the reverb feature just because I like to mess around with those options. I didn't compare this amp to any products I just flat out bought it. // 9
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on december 17, 2005 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 91.5
Purchased from: 2nd hand
Features: This amp has good adjustment for treble mid and bass. The reverb isn't massively effective either off or on full but doesn't sound bad. The amount of gain is very adjustable from nothing to too much. Volume adjustment is very poor. The amp comes on loud at just below one and just gets stupidly loud before 2 of 10. This makes getting the right volume needlessly tricky, but not impossible. // 7
Sound: Overall I think that the sound from this amp is not bad given its relatively low price. Through the clean channel my Yamaha Pacifica sounds sweet and warm, even if a little flat at times. The overdrive is a different story. So long as you set the amp up fine it sounds pretty good, but too much gain and it has a lot of feedback and noise. It doesn't really have the class to carry off too demanding solos very well. This however may be a reflection on my guitar. My only real dislike of this amp is that it is very noisy. Anything below 2 of 10 it is fine, but above that it loses sound quality. this isn not a problem really for practicing however. // 7
Reliability & Durability: I have had this amp for onew year and it has been fine the whole time no probs at all. // 10
Impression: I play quite a lot of different styles on this amp but I tend to steer away from really loud rock. This is because my guitar doesnt have the quality really to sound convincing, regardless of any ability or not. Overall if it had better volume adjustment I would be happier with this amp, not a major issue, just an unnecessary nuisance. I cannot juge this amp too harshly until I get a significantly better guitar. // 8
Reviewed by:
dondude, on july 10, 2006 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 125
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: I believe this amp was made in 1999. It is my first amplifier and I am very happy with it. It goes great with all the different styles of music I play. It can do anything from Jimi Hendrix, to Eric Clapton, to Led Zeppelin, to Oasis, to Wolfmother. It has two channels, one for clean and one for Drive. It doesn't have an Effects loop. It comes with a headphone jack but I don't use it because I don't have headphones. The only thing I wish it had was possibly another drive selection for more drive. I use the amp just from playing by myself and jamming with my band. It has enough power for now but I will definitely upgrade later. It has one 10" speaker. // 6
Sound: I use this guitar with my Epiphone Les paul that has 2 humbucking pickups, which I use to play, Led Zeppelin, Oasis, Wolfmother all kinds of rock. I also use it with my Fender Stratocaster which has three single coil pickups, which I use to play Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, Clapton, and for my high school jazz band. If you get it turned up loud enough and have a pedal running through it, it will pickup a radio station. The amp is mostly versatile. I don't think you would be able to get any heavy metal kind of sounds out of it, but I don't play that kind of music so I wouldn't know. The clean channel is not at all distorted when you get it cranked up, but if you have it on the Drive and you have the volume up to about 7 and the drive to 8 or whatever, it does get a little too saturated. But you don't need to have it turned up that unless you are planning on playing over a loud drummer. Most of the time when I play by myself I have the volume set to about 4 and the gain to about 6. And it is never to saturated. // 6
Reliability & Durability: This is a quite dependable amp. You could definitely use it without a backup. So far it has not broken down on me and I've had it for about two and a half years. But then again I take care of it. // 9
Impression: I use this amp to play almost all kinds of rock music. It has done me well for all the different styles that I started to like in my two and a half years of playing. I also have couple pedals running through it. A Boss blues driver so I can get a heavy distortion sound without too much saturation, an Electro-Harmonix Bigg Muff fuzz mox(I like fuzz), a Boss Phase shifter, a DigiTech Whammy Pedal, and a Vox wah wah pedal. All of these pedals sound great with this amp. I bought a floor model of this amp because they were all out so unfortunately I didn't get mine with a foot controller. I chose this amp because Fender is a great name product and probably anything you buy from them will be reliable. If something were to happen to it in which it would not be able to work again, I would probably go with another amp with higher wattage, only because I will be needing more for playing with a band. But if you are just starting out, and all of you friends are getting 15watt Crate amps, and you take this thing to their house, your friends will be amazed. // 7
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on may 19, 2005 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 197.5
Purchased from: Music Stop
Features: This amp doesn't have much in the line of effects. Just gain and reverb. It has the standard bass, mid, and treble controls, and has an extra jack for effects pedals. I only use this amp to practice, and that is about all it is good for. // 4
Sound: I have an Epiphone Les Paul Standard Plus, and this is not a good amp to show off the power of the guitar. The sound just isn't versatile enough. I can can play jazz, and metal with the gain, but that is it. The clean channel is nice, and can go from punchy to mellow pretty easily. The reverb doesn't work well with the gain, because the sound growls too much, and the notes don't come out clean. The amp will give you a lot of feedback if the gain and volume are both over 5. The louder the amp goes, the less gain you can use. If the amp is turned down low, and the gain is cranked, the distortion is really powerful, but whenever the volume goes up, the feedback becomes unbareable. // 6
Reliability & Durability: I haven't had any problems with the amp to date. It is a practice amp, so I would never use it for a gig. I rely on it soley for practicing. // 8
Impression: If you are looking for a cheap practice amp, then this will serve your purposes, but don't expect to get a quality amp. This is absolutely useless for gigs, and the tone isn't good enough to do anything more then practice anyway. If you play metal, jazz, blues or want an amp with a nice clean tone, then this is a good practice amp for you. Nothing more, nothing less. // 6
Reviewed by:
Mattstrat, on june 20, 2007 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 125
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: The amp was made within the last five years and it's a somewhat versatile amp. It handles everything pretty decent, but mostly only blues, and rock. It contains a gain Switch that does a relatively good job on making my guitar rock. I wish it allowed you to customize your distortion instead of just turning it off and on. I use this amp for practicing, and for some small jams with my friend Who plays drums, and for that, this amp works fine. // 9
Sound: I'm using my strat of course, with single coil pickups. It suits my music style perfectly. Which would be basically rock and alternative. I do play some metal, and the amp can make that sound great. It gives a decent variety of sounds. It gives you reverb, gain, bass, etc. The distortion is near perfect, but can be a little noisy. The clean channel stays clean even at high volumes. // 9
Reliability & Durability: It's reliable but not gig-worthy. I'd bring a different amp to a gig. It's really only for practicing, for fun, and for beginners. The speaker actually did have to be replaced for a small amount of money and now it does sound better. // 8
Impression: I play rock and alternative, and some metal, and just for a 14 year old like me, this amp does fine. I've been playing for 2 years, and if it were lost or stolen, I'd probably get something a little better. I love how it gives off a good amount of power while still being relatively small. I own a Roland amp and I've compared it to that, and it is better. I chose it because it can go loud and still sound good, and it's small, and kinda cheap. I wish it had more effects but I just use a digital pedal and I'm satisfied. // 10
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on august 06, 2004 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Features: This amp is fairly reliable, it's to small to use fora show so I really don't need to worry. Due to the fact that this amp is not quite a month old I cant really say that its never broken down, but I dont think that it will any time soon. I'm going to put down a five any way because Fender is a pretty reliable company. // 10
Sound: My Ibanez has 2 humbucking pick-ups, but it also has a switch to turn them into single pick-ups. You can hear the difference between the two very well on this amp, also the tonal knobs (on the guitar) create a good variety of sounds. The amp can make tones for about any style, from bluesy tones to distorted metal. I play punk so I try to find a nice medium. The clean channel distorts a bit at the hihgest volume but not really that bad. // 8
Reliability & Durability: // 0
Impression: This amp gives a pretty good overall impression. It needs a way better reverb though. If this amp were lost or stolen I would probably not buy another, because I would rather have a bigger one and I'm short on cash. I like the distortion channel best about the amp. The only complaint I have about it is the reverb, which I can't even explain what a dissapointment it was. // 8
Reviewed by:
unregistered, on november 06, 2009 0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Price paid: $ 150
Purchased from: small local store
Features: I got this amp in '97, so it's from the first series. As has been said, 2 channels, reverb, headphone/line out, speaker out, footswitch jack. It was part of a package that had headphones and a footswitch.
According to the schematics, it's rated 25W at volume "3" and has 75W total capacity, so 25W RMS. The volume knob is sensitive and gets a big jump in volume from just under "1" to just above "1" on the volume knob. Sometimes, I get volume with the knob at "0", but it is 12 years old at this point. // 7
Sound: This is designed to be a clean sounding Fender amp reminiscent of the old reverb amps. It has a great clean sound but will distort once taken above the recommended volume "3". The distortion channel is a good overdrive/fuzz sound, somewhat classic sounding and can handle 80's metal to some extent, but sounds best for classic rock and blues. This is NOT a modern metal or high gain amp and was never meant to be one. This is a classic voiced practice amp that can handle small gigs. For the folks Who wanted a high gain amp or stack and got this amp, don't blame the amp if you're pissed. It works best with single coils or classic humbuckers, unless you want a raunchy 80's metal sound.
The amp came with some setting recommendations, like Gain = 0 and Volume = 10 for a very bluesy tone, or Gain = 10 and Volume = 2 for what they called "barbed wire". The recommendations rarely had the treble or mids above 5. There are many cool tones in this amp and it handles modeling pedals well as long as you tweak the tone to adjust for it's bright nature. // 9
Reliability & Durability: It's lasted 12 years and going. This is a practice amp so I wouldn't gig with it.
Some folks say it hums or gets very noisy. Mine used to hum but I found a fix for it at guitarnuts.com that involved properly shielding the guitar. Wouldn't you know it, the hum disappeared. It was a cheap guitar too, and the shielding was achieved with regular old aluminum foil from the grocery store. Since then, I've gotten a better guitar that was properly shielded and still no hum. // 10
Impression: I was originally looking for amps that had built in effects but the store owner didn't stock those anymore because the models changed every 6 months and he'd be stuck with older stock no one wanted. He ALWAYS stocked the Frontman series because of their durability and great classic tone. Since buying it in 1997, I've tried other amps to see if I'm missing out on anything and ended up getting a DigiTech RP50 for the effects and for a small portable unit I can take with me.
I mostly play classic rock, blues, and older style metal and this amp does it all. The reverb is deep sounding and has the typical POP when you turn off the amp as the capacitor discharges. If it was lost or stolen, I'd definitely consider getting another Frontman, but probably a lower watt model. This thing is too loud for my setup. // 8
Reviewed by:
jeffo46, on november 15, 2007 0 of 1 people found this review helpful
Purchased from: Guitar Center
Features: Mine is a 1998 Fender Frontman combo with the Black metal grille on the front. It's made in Mexico, and not Indonesia, like the pieces of crap that Fender puts out today. It's 2 channels and is rated at 25 watts, although it sounds more like 50 if you believe that. This amp is more than enough for a small bar or club gig. It is solid state, so you know it's going to last, providing you take care of it, as you should with any guitar or amp. // 10
Sound: I use this with my 2006 60th anniversary strat, and have used it on ocassion with a cheaply chinese made Epiphone G-400. This amp is made for any style of music, and it can definately put out, just like a hooker with a welfare check. I've read reviews where after a certain volume, you get nothing but distorted noise. Must be the Indonesian models, cause mine dosen't have that problem at all. The clean channel is better that the FM series, and the distortion just kills. // 10
Reliability & Durability: I have used this on several small gigs without a backup. I have had no problems whatsoever with this amp. For what I paid for it ($65.00, used), it's the of the better deals that I have come across in over 35 years of playing guitar. I have not had to have any repairs done on this at all, and I don't think I'll need to. This amp is very rugged and durable. // 10
Impression: I play a combination of blues, classic rock, and '80s hair metal, and this amp has never let me down, not once! I have been playing for over 35 years, and I also have a 60th anniversary Strat that is MIM, along with a Peavey Studio Pro 112 combo that is fitted with a 12 inch Eminence Alpha Speaker. If this was stolen or anything, I would only replace it if I could get one with the Black Metal grille cover on the front. Otherwords, made in Mexico. // 10
drmmrboi
: hey. i wouldnt recommend this amp. no good distortion. the cleans alright.
uhh. whenever i shut it off, it switches channels for a split second, so it pops and makes loud booms then it shuts off. very bad. also, i get a wierd hum goin on and off every once in a while.reverb sux too. eq is alright. not the best. POSTED: 04/28/2006 - 06:36 pm / quote|
drmmrboi :
hey. i wouldnt recommend this amp. no good distortion. the cleans alright.
uhh. whenever i shut it off, it switches channels for a split second, so it pops and makes loud booms then it shuts off. very bad. also, i get a wierd hum goin on and off every once in a while.reverb sux too. eq is alright. not the best.
I agree. I have one of these too and the distortion is poor. You get a lot of background noise and it does hum too. The clean is good though but ill deffinitly be investing in a new amps soon. POSTED: 05/14/2006 - 03:34 pm / quote|
turbopunk2000
: I have the 15 watt one. Worst amp ever. POSTED: 08/02/2006 - 06:08 pm / quote|
ava_adore666
: i got this amp as a gift from my grandparents i use a jackson and a fender this and its not that bad.
the distortion is not that bad but theres better.the cleans good. the reverb isnt good at all. its good for a starting amp but thats about it
the input on mine is messed up and had to be fixed and after that is works but could be better.
it dosent have a foot switch witch is bad for me because i like to switch from clean to distored alot and the knobs spin real fast so if your wire gets inbetween them and pushes it messes it up
i use this amp for pratice and thats about it POSTED: 08/22/2006 - 02:20 am / quote|
aeirom1
: My friend has this amp. She blew it out in about 3 months and had to get it fixed but it hums a lot. It was total bullshit. Don't get it. POSTED: 10/09/2006 - 09:09 pm / quote|
trivium060
: I have one of these, and I normally use my Eppiphone Les Paul Custom and a Korg Toneworks 104ds Hyper Distortion pedal from the '90s. The distortion isn's GREAT, but its acceptable, sounds good when u play with someone who has the same amp, but by myself I prefer the pedal. The clean is pretty good. The reverb is pretty good, I have no problems with it, and with my experience w/ my pedal, the louder it get, the better it gets. Its a great practice amp in my case. Maybe the rest of you guys are just used to the highest quality, sometimes thats not what it's all about. POSTED: 02/07/2007 - 07:54 pm / quote|
shoolocomous
: to the guy who said this is a tube amp; it blatantly isnt. POSTED: 05/24/2007 - 06:38 pm / quote|
ismith
: For some reason I can't write a review for it yet but I'll say this:
If you're looking at buying this, go with a Marshall MG15DFX or MG30DFX on ebay, they're a much better value and won't crap out on you at higher volumes. My Frontman sounds like shit past volume 2 and the clean channel has such massive bass that anything on the lower strings will make a gust of wind and a lot of rattling from the grille net. It also hums, and if you leave your guitar plugged in while not playing it, it slowly works its way up to a shriek. I've only been playing for one year but I have a good enough ear and common sense to know that this is not a smart buy. Again, go with the Marshalls with DFX, fantastic little practice amps. POSTED: 06/21/2007 - 09:52 am / quote|
outerlimit501
: I have one of these as a practice amp, and to those of you (4 people) ho said get a Marshall MG instead, you obviously shouldn't be writing reviews. Go play more (better) guitar amps. POSTED: 09/03/2007 - 11:59 am / quote|
Tele Echoes
: FM brand is shit, as is Marshall's MG. POSTED: 10/21/2007 - 02:11 pm / quote|
americablanco
: I use this strictly for practice. I use my friends Marshall half stack at gigs though. POSTED: 10/30/2007 - 07:00 pm / quote|
eldoplaysguitar
: i got this amp and i dont know what shit all you guys are smoking but i loved it and for a lil 25watter its way louder than the 50w g-dec POSTED: 11/17/2007 - 06:09 pm / quote|
Tster
: I'm thinking on getting the Frontman 65R, is it anything like this? POSTED: 12/08/2007 - 05:43 am / quote|
jeffo46
: Don't waste your money on the FM65.I had the FM212 and it sucked.As far as the frontman 25R goes,don't get a Indonesian one,go for a Mexican made one.You could probably find one on E-bay or Craigs list.If you are going for a 65 watt combo,then see about getting a used Princeton 65 or any other solid state mexican made Fender amp.Don't waste your coin on the chinese made shit. POSTED: 12/20/2007 - 07:49 am / quote|
vitax
: good for practising at home... thats it!!!!! if ur lookin for a gig amp look another way!!!!! POSTED: 01/07/2008 - 03:52 pm / quote|
urmum
: I've got a Mexican made one and it kicks ass. I use it with a Jackson and a Yamaha. POSTED: 01/18/2008 - 06:39 am / quote|
studioboss
: Some of the comments here are from guys who don't really know what to look for in an amp and are making poor choices as a result. Fender has never made amps that excel at Hard Rock / Metal. Buy a MARSHALL, dude. I have a Marshall AVT-20 for that. The Frontman 25R works great for clean sounds, always Fender's trademark (Think '60s surf and the like). I have a Les Paul and a Strat and the two amps are as different from each other as my guitars are. Effects? What do you expect for this price? This is a great amp for recording, which is what I use the Frontman and the AVT-20 for. I've been playing for 30+ years- trust me when I say don't by a screwdriver when you want a hammer. Buy the right tool for the job. POSTED: 07/21/2008 - 10:11 am / quote|
tbarrettl
: Just so people know, I guess if a person gets a replacement speaker for this amp like an Eminence Ragin' Cajun it is supposed to make all negatives of this amp go away though I haven't tried that myself. POSTED: 08/18/2008 - 10:22 pm / quote|
Shovelhandle
: I just picked up a sweet MIM Frontman 25R off E-Bay for $41. I'm just practicing at home but this amp has volume and decent sound though the reverb is not great it's ok. The amp is portable. I'd pay $150 for it after what I've seen in the shops around here. POSTED: 08/19/2008 - 07:31 pm / quote|
dougl126
: You guys who gave this amp a bad score are dumb. This amp is less than 200 dollars. If youre only looking for an amp this cheap then this is the best by far. If youre looking for an actual amp to play with then save up your money.
As far as I'm concerned this is a great intermediate amp. POSTED: 10/13/2008 - 02:10 pm / quote|
sincewhen??
: You get what you pay for, and the 'distortion' is morely overdrive.. which I love though. The EQ is obviously not the best with some treble and bass problems on it but it worked.. unfortunately mine recently blew out and died after three/four years of use .. but I think it was great value. POSTED: 08/06/2009 - 04:41 am / quote|
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