Opinions: Fender Can Amp

Subject: Opinions: Fender Can Amp
From: Marion
Date: 12 Aug 02 - 03:09 PM

Hello all. I recently saw a dulcimer player who was using a Fender Can Amp - very small, and she said that it has a battery that you charge electrically the night before.

It seems like it could be very practical. It has two input places (both one big circle rather than three little holes in a triangle), one marked guitar and the other marked mike. Each input has a volume and "tone" knob. I think that's all there was in terms of bells and whistles.

I'd be interested in using it for amplification in small venues, either playing guitar with a pickup or singing or fiddling into a mike.

Can anyone comment on this amp's sound quality or mechanical dependability?

Thanks, Marion

Subject: RE: Opinions: Fender Can Amp
From: UB Ed
Date: 12 Aug 02 - 04:45 PM

Never heard one, but interesting:

From: http://www.fenderusa.com/store/fenderstore.php?ISC=1&product=0221200000

"The ultimate in battery powered portable amplifiers, this is the amp for musicians on the go. The Amp Can (pat. pending) was created for the player looking for a small, rugged, high quality amp for acoustic guitar, voice, electric guitar, keyboard, etc....

Specs: 15w RMS, battery or AC powered, one Fender Special Design 6" speaker. Features: two fully independent channels (guitar and line- with distortion/mic), line/mic channel has 1/4" input that will accept an assortment of microphones, synths, drum machines, etc.... battery charger included. Weight: 13 lbs. Sizes: 8.75" H x 7.75" W x 6.75" D"

Ed

Subject: RE: Opinions: Fender Can Amp
From: RichM
Date: 13 Aug 02 - 12:31 PM

I've busked with one several times this summer,(borrowed from a friend).
By itself, the tone is somewhat less than adequate.
On my guitar, I found the tone was almost acceptable when I used my baggs preamp/DI/tone control box with it.

On the plus side:
volume is good.
One charge lasts a long time.
And I was able to use the guitar and a vocal mic at the same time, since there are two inputs.

Rich McCarthy

Subject: RE: Opinions: Fender Can Amp
From: Marion
Date: 13 Aug 02 - 12:42 PM

My mistake: the name is Fender Amp Can.

Thanks for the input so far.

Marion

Subject: RE: Opinions: Fender Can Amp
From: Willie-O
Date: 13 Aug 02 - 03:04 PM

Marion, Gary Glover has one of those. I pretty much agree that the sound is not great, and there are very few controls to shape the sound. And though small it is HEAVY for its size.

Makes sense for busking I guess, maybe. But it's not something that sounds good in a small club gig the way the new two-channel acoustic amps do. They don't necessarily cost a lot more; you pay for the compactness of the Amp Can.

Not sure: does it have separate volume controls for the two inputs?

W-O

Subject: RE: Opinions: Fender Can Amp
From: RichM
Date: 13 Aug 02 - 03:06 PM

yes, it has separate volume controls for each of the two inputs. The sound is still basically crappy, tho....

Subject: Fender Amp Can
From: Genie
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 12:58 AM

Gosh, Marion, I must be more dyslexic than I thought. I didn't even notice the thread title said "Can Amp," instead of "Amp Can!"

I use my Amp Cans (one stays in CA, the other I tend to keep in my car here in the NW) frequently for relatively 'informal' gigs like sing-alongs at nursing homes. You can control both volume and bass/treble separately for the two channels. You need an adapter for most mic cords, since the inputs take a 3/4" jack.

The weight does not bother me unless I have to carry it more than a block or two. (What is it? About 20 lb?)

I agree about the sound, with one qualification. Some rooms have natural reverb and/or naturally enhance bass tones. In those rooms, I think I sound almost as good with the Amp Can as with a much better sound system. Problem is, the lowest bass on the Amp Can is not very "bass-y." The unit is too small to have a very big woofer in it, I guess.

The sound with the guitar is less a problem for me since I usually use the Amp Can with an acoustic guitar that has a pick-up with its own bass-treble-midrange and brightness controls. I don't mind the guitar sound with the Amp Can nearly as much as I do the way my voice sounds IN SOME ROOMS.

The real advantage to the Amp Can, of course, is not having to plug it in. That feature is essential for some venues. Also, to compare it with other battery operated amps,
-- the rechargeable battery makes it much cheaper to use than one where you have to keep replacing batteries. (Also it's a big battery that can go weeks between recharges if you don't turn the volume up too loud and don't use it more than a few hours a week.)
it does have the dual channels with dual controls on each -- something some other portable amps don't have.

Another thing that can happen with a battery-operated amp is picking up radio stations while you're playing, if you are anywhere near the transmission towers! (This can happen with other amps, too, but it seems more common with the non-plugged-in types.) Just make sure the station that's bleeding into your program is "American Routes" or "Thistle and Shamrock" or something like that! *G*

One other thing about the Amp Can. My own experience and what I've heard from the folks who sell and service them is that they're far from trouble-free. You do need to read the instructions about battery maintenance carefully and follow them diligently. Be careful not to expose the unit to prolonged heat, for example. Don't overdrain the battery before recharging. Etc. I'd even recommend never turning the volume up above 6 (of the 10 levels).
I have had to send one Amp Can back for repairs shortly after purchase, under warranty, because the sound was cutting in and out. Another one's battery went out after I'd had it about 2 years and would no longer keep a charge; there's a 5-year warranty on the unit but only 1 on the battery, so I will have to spend about $70 to replace the battery.

I actually bought a third one, for $150, rather than replace the battery in the defective one, since the Amp Cans are getting harder to find. In other words, despite their drawbacks, I love having them as an option, because the sound is pretty decent for their size and convenience. (When the warranty on the battery in my new one expires, I'll replace the battery in the old one, so if one goes out I'll have a back-up.)

The list price is over $200, but I paid an average of about $155 apiece for the ones I own. (One was a store demo and one came without the plug-in battery recharger, of which I already had two.) Check out Musician's Friend/Guitar Center. If their store does not have one, they can often find it in another store somewhere else in the US, and if it's shipped store to store for you to pick up, you won't pay shipping charges.

Genie

Subject: RE: Opinions: Fender Can Amp
From: Willie-O
Date: 14 Aug 02 - 11:55 AM

I don't doubt that they would make a better guitar sound with a preamp/mixer of some kind. (Another little box, another couple of hundred bucks.) I just know that when my friend and musical guest brought his to my outdoor patio gig, it sounded lousy so I plugged him into my own rig to great improvement. And the lack of an XLR input for a decent mike--they are standard equipment on at least one channel of a 2-channel acoustic amp -- is a big minus.

W-O

Subject: RE: Opinions: Fender Can Amp
From: Marion
Date: 20 Aug 02 - 07:22 PM

So they sound bad, eh? I guess that's not a good sign.

Thanks for the responses, Marion

Subject: RE: Opinions: Fender Can Amp
From: Genie
Date: 20 Aug 02 - 11:57 PM

Just played 2 gigs with mine today. In one place, the lobby of a retirement home, I think I sounded OK -- not great. In the other, the dining room of another retirement home, I think I sounded nearly as good as I do with the most sophisticated of sound equipment. Gotta be the acoustics of the room.

Genie

Subject: RE: Opinions: Fender Can Amp
From: GUEST,Sonja
Date: 22 Aug 02 - 02:27 AM

In evaluating the Amp Can, it's important to compare it with other cordless, rechargeable-battery powered amps that have similar capabilities (two channels with volume and tone controls on each). No, it doesn't have the sound quality of the bigger, fancier plug-in amps with separate speakers. If those are a reasonable option for you, in terms of both money and convenience, I'd say go for something like the Fender Passport or a Peavy components system. But if you need a small wireless amp that has a rechargeable battery, is there one as good?

SWO

Subject: RE: Opinions: Fender Can Amp
From: GUEST,Mooh At The Cottage
Date: 22 Aug 02 - 07:11 PM

Pretty good for that little bit of added presence, particularly outdoors, and for busking in noisy areas. But methinks it's chiefly designed for electric guitars so EQing is essential for both mic and instrument. Added to the natural acoustic sound of an instrument it is quite worthy, but on its own it lacks acousticness.

Btw, the handle is easily adapted to a guitar strap to sling it over the shoulder.

Mooh.

Subject: RE: Opinions: Fender Can Amp
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 22 Aug 02 - 10:33 PM

Hi.

I think the amp can looks great, but oh boy does it sound questionable to my ear. I researched every battery powered amp on the market before getting my Pignose Bass amp. It's hands down the best portable amp around. Cheap too at about 230 bucks. I got mine at Steve's Music in downtown Toronto. I've used it for vocals, guitar, banjo, dulcimer or bass. Good deal.

Cheers

Rick

Subject: RE: Opinions: Fender Can Amp
From: wilco
Date: 23 Aug 02 - 09:20 AM

Rick: Elderly Insturments has a "Pignose" amp for $77.00. It's brown, runs on six AA batteries. Dimensions are 18.5" x 6" x 4". Is that the same as the Pignose Bass? I need to get some kind of small amp. Wilco in tennessee

Subject: RE: Opinions: Fender Can Amp
From: Whistle Stop
Date: 23 Aug 02 - 10:11 AM

The standard Pignose (the $77.00 model) is not the same as the Pignose Bass amp that Rick's referring to (I think the company calls it a "Hog"). I have the former, which would work in a pinch, but doesn't have the fuller, richer tone that the bass version has.

Subject: RE: Opinions: Fender Can Amp
From: Rick Fielding
Date: 23 Aug 02 - 10:24 AM

Thanks Whistle. Yeah, the little Pignose has certainly proved it's worth over the years, along with the "Mouse" and "Moose" portable amps (by Lectrosonic, I think) and of course you'll see quite a few Peaveys used on the street as well, but I think the "Hog" by Pignose is far and away the best.

Cheers

Rick

Subject: RE: Opinions: Fender Can Amp
From: Ferrara
Date: 23 Aug 02 - 11:26 PM

Hmmm.... Wonder whether I'd have to worry about bass quality with my zither? Definitely not a problem with the MacArthur harp, it has no bass whatsoever.

Subject: RE: Opinions: Fender Can Amp
From: Marion
Date: 24 Aug 02 - 03:21 PM

Rick, I remember you showed me that Pignose amp once - but didn't it have only one input?

By the way, I'm not contemplating busking with an amp - it's mostly nursing home gigs I'm thinking about.

Marion

Subject: RE: Opinions: Fender Can Amp - Portable Amps
From: GutBucketeer
Date: 28 Feb 08 - 03:49 PM

Any new thoughts on the best portable battery/rechargeable Amp on today's market. My requirements are adding a little volume to my Jug playing/vocals when we busk, and maybe the acoustic guitar. Therefore, it needs to have both mic and instrument input jacks, and have pretty good bass response. The amps that I'm aware of that fall into this category are:

Fender Amp Can
Crate Taxi TX15
Traynor TVM-10 (seems to be a copy of the Crate)
Peavey Solo w Battery (10 watts on battery, 15 on AC)
Pignose Hog20 or Hog 30 (2 instrument inputs)
Jay Turser Classic 10 (only 1 input)

There are some others that are more guitar amps include that may or may not fit the bill for acoustic inputs, or be too small for my needs (not enough bass response for the jug, etc.)

Alesis Roadfire 15
Harmony POWER PAL Model 4060
Cubix G2R
Roland Microcube
Vox DA5
PY Bomb
Other $30 to $40 "mini amps" by Fender, Marshall, etc. (IMO I need at least a 6" speaker)

Any experience/opinions on any of the above? Do you know of others that might work? What are the tradeoffs of an amp with 2 instrument inputs (using a XLR to 1/4 in converter) versus having a built in XLR for mics and 1/4 in for instruments. What about buying a box that combines 2 to 4 input sources into one feed (either XLR or 1/4)?

JAB

Subject: RE: Opinions: Fender Can Amp
From: GUEST,HarmonicaMatt
Date: 13 May 09 - 01:34 PM

Hi its HarmonicaMatt here.Ive lost my fender Amp Can instructions.Whats the time length for recharging Fender Can Amps at night time ?

Subject: RE: Opinions: Fender Can Amp
From: GUEST,DK
Date: 05 Feb 12 - 02:13 AM

To JAB: I play classical guitar for ambient gigs using a Yamaha classical acoustic-electric.

I've been getting the best sound and volume from a Roland Cube-40. It covers rooms as large 1200 person capacity with lots of room to spare.

The best sound I have had from a battery amp is from the Crate 30W Taxi. Used it for Weddings out in golf courses and farmers fields.

In both cases, I rarely have to eq the guitar or the amps (everything "flat") and I run the guitar volume at 5-6 for a clean sound.

Hope that helps your decision,
DK