All of the Fender reissue amps, as well as the original blackface amps of the 60's, are really the benchmark for clean tone. I don't know how many times I have heard the phrase, "Is it clean or is it Fender blackface clean?" If you mainly play clean then you bought the right amp. You've really got to crank the volume to get any dirt out of it whatsoever. It's a one channel amp with tremelo and reverb. Most Fenders that I've played take very well to overdrive-distortion type pedals on the front which this amp will need for dirt at reasonable volumes. I used a Distortion Factory pedal in front of an 80's era twin and was blown away.
If you need some AC/DC style dirt and channel switching you should've went with the C30. I'm also a "less is more" guy and prefer not to run pedals if I can get what I'm looking for built into the amp. I own one as a practice/small gig amp as my Mesa 2x12 combo is a beast. The C30 weighs 43 pounds. One of the best amps out there for the $. Definitely "A working man's amp." The clean is not as good as Fender blackface, but, it's close enough for rock and roll. The reverb is decent - also not as good as Fender blackface. I really like my C30 and would replace it if lost, destroyed or stolen.
- Pat
