Great Deal on a Fokker (?) - Updated

I got the Fokker on Monday and have since had a chance to put it through its paces and form some preliminary opinions.

First, the heavy channel (Channel 2) has a ton of gain and does an outstanding "liquid" lead, to the point that it almost feels boosted with an overdrive. Lots of fun to be had here.

The low end is ample, though perhaps not as brain-rattlingly concussive as I expected. That said, I tend to buy very bass-heavy amps (Rivera KR7, Engl Fireball, Mesa Multi-Watt Triple Recto, et al.), so my impressions may be skewed.

Mercifully, the tone controls are simple and do exactly what they claim to, which is always a plus for a troglodyte like myself. I also appreciate that the presence control is actually usable, which seems a rare thing these days. I typically have it set to around 1 o'clock on the Fokker, as opposed to the "just barely above zero" setting required by a lot of modern amps. It's even possible to play pleasant-sounding leads above the 12th fret using the bridge pickup, which is no small thing when your guitars are loaded with Duncan Distortions.

The most impressive aspect may be the amp's level of clarity, which it retains even with the gain knob dialed into the stratosphere. The individual notes of complex chords shine through in a way that most amps can't reproduce.

My only minor misgiving has to do with the nature of the Fokker's natural distortion. It seems there's something ever so slightly "fuzzy" about it, a trait that can be eliminated by dialing back the gain knob a bit and using a Tube Screamer-type pedal to further smooth things out. Using higher-wattage speakers--G12K-85s, in my case--also helps. Fortunately, the amp sounds great when configured this way, so I've been running it with a Pro Tone Dead Horse OD out front most of the time.

All in all, it seems like a great amp at the price I paid. I haven't spent much time in clean or crunch mode, as the "melt your face off" setting is too much fun for the time being. I'm sure I'll get there...eventually.

At any rate, let me know if this all tracks with your experience. I'm also open to suggestions on settings, cabs, etc.

:rock:
 
Rising Farce":23zocccu said:
The most impressive aspect may be the amp's level of clarity, which it retains even with the gain knob dialed into the stratosphere. The individual notes of complex chords shine through in a way that most amps can't reproduce.
That pretty much sums up Diezel has a whole.
 
I use a Diezel cab and after trying all kinds of weird settings I ended up setting the tone controls, deep and presence to noon. Other cabs may require different settings.
 
Vin Diezel":4ss2fvhv said:
I use a Diezel cab and after trying all kinds of weird settings I ended up setting the tone controls, deep and presence to noon. Other cabs may require different settings.

After a lot of experimentation, I've settled on essentially the same thing. It's nice to have an intuitive set of controls for a change.
 
The lead is played with a wah and the tycobrahe octafuzz if I remember correctly. You got to put the mic on the cone imho. Or next to it if you want a fat fusion-like tone.
 
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