Frenzel Tube vs other All Tube Amps

**travep** · #1 09-10-2011, 08:04 PM

OK...I got interested in Frenzel. They are a Texas company making tube amps...mostly for guitars but they have a couple of bass models. They have no showroom and are only ordered via their website. So there is no way to try them as they only make them to order. This is almost enough to put me off but I really like the idea of a buying local (I'm in TX) and they are a good price if they're a viable option.

Has anyone tried them? If so, could you contrast them to the all tube amps I could find around? I'm pretty new to tubes as it is so I will admit that buying a boutique manufacturer before I really know what I'm doing is probably not the best idea. I just want to be able to compare them to *something*.

Frenzel

Anyone know anything?

Travis

**travep** · #2 09-10-2011, 08:06 PM

BTW...

I'm not looking for the durable, road-ready arena-melter amp so I'm not really comparing power here...

rodl2005 · #3 09-11-2011, 04:02 AM

mmmmmm!
They look NICE! 240v option too!

**travep** · #4 09-11-2011, 07:10 AM

I think they look really cool. The price is right...sounds like a perfect "entry level" all tube amp. I just have no way of trying it first. Anyone try them?

staindbass · #5 09-11-2011, 07:26 AM

hand made in america, the 'about us' page has some interesting background. since 1952.(even thought the guy in the pic does not look old enough to be building amps since 1952) looks good to me.

Top_Ten · #6 09-11-2011, 08:32 AM

I have a Frenzel guitar amp -- the little Champ clone. A friend has the AC30 clone and uses it as his main gigging amp for guitar. I have no direct experience with the bass amps, but the guitar amps are well made and great bang for the buck.

KramerBassFan · #7 09-11-2011, 08:51 AM

Looks solid to me.

77PBass · #8 09-11-2011, 09:38 AM

>$1000 for 100 watts of Fender Bassman "improved" tone stack? Hmmm....A mint V4B goes for $100's less and has "unimproved" Ampeg tone.

That said, the Frenzel looks nice, is hand made in the USA and probably worth every penny. This is why things are made offshore. You can practically eliminate the labor cost element in your cost structure and just have parts, shipping/duty and profit resulting in a lower price point.

Look for the day when someone sets up a factory in China that can hand wire amps. It is a skill and art that takes time to setup. This is one of the reasons you don't see tube factories popping up...it takes rare skills, not to mention lack of an EPA, to manufacture tubes.

**travep** · #9 09-11-2011, 08:16 PM

Thanks for the thoughts...sounds like not too many play these. Honestly, that's one of my fears is that they seem big on the Fender copying thing. That's understandable for guitar amp gear but I'm not too into the Fender amp sound. It would seem to me that a company like this is really a manufacturer of guitar amps & they do the bass amps as a sideline. This is just my impression...otherwise, I don't think you'd make a big deal about copying Fender's. I'm not knocking the Fender amp fans out there...

walterw · #10 09-11-2011, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 77PBass

Look for the day when someone sets up a factory in China that can hand wire amps.

it's already here.

vox sells several turret-board hand-wired tube amps that are made in china.

they sound good, too.