In the beginning, I looked at a variety of amplifiers for months. I looked at everything from Peavy to Line 6. Eventually, I narrowed down my choices and looked at the Fender brand. I later decided that the Fender Frontman 25R would be the best choice for me. Weeks later, I went online and I ordered this amplifier.
Inside the box
My amp arrived well-protected. It was inside of a bigger box that was about the same size as one that would contain a twenty to twenty-five-inch tube-style television. Once I got through this box, I immediately begin to open the box that contained the amp. Once the box was open, I got my first look at the Fender Frontman 25R. At first glance, the only thing that I noticed was that the amp was well wrapped. But once the amp was completely out of the box, I discovered a simple seven-page manual written in different languages and a detachable power cord.
Features
The Fender Frontman 25R has a 10-inch speaker and 25 watts of power. It is about 17 inches wide, 15 inches tall, and 8 ½ inches in depth.
Overall, the all-black enclosure of the Fender Frontman 25R seems well made and the weight of the amp feels solid. It’s about 25 pounds and has a handle for easy carrying.
The power switch is located on the front of the amp along with a variety of controls. These controls include the input jack, normal volume control, gain control, drive volume control, treble control, middle control, bass control, spring reverb control, aux in, a footswitch jack, and a headphone jack.
It also has an open back. This area is used to store the detachable power cord. There is even a velcro strap at the base of this storage area to keep the power cord in place.
Performance
During the testing process, I discovered that this amplifier had an impressive clean channel. I also discovered that a multi-effects processor or effects pedal (s) wasn’t necessary for the enhancement of this channel. I found that the sound from the clean channel(without any effects) was just right for certain songs I wanted to play.
This wasn’t possible with my old amp. I often felt that my multi-effects processor was needed to enhance the dull-sounding clean channel. With the Fender Frontman 25R, there is much more clarity on the clean channel.
The Fender Frontman 25R also has a distortion channel. Overall, I would describe the distortion as adequate. It’s much better than the distortion on my old amp but not as impressive as the distortion on my multi-effects processor.
But, I feel that opinions will be different for each user. If you are a first-time guitar player and have never owned an amp you will be impressed. If you have owned an amp before but have never invested in a multi-effects processor or effects pedal you will be contented. But, if you have ever heard the distortion from a multi-effects processor or effects pedal, you will not be as satisfied with the distortion on this amp.
With this amp, you will never have a problem with weak volume. I found this amplifier to be much louder than I expected. I usually have the volume set at two (sometimes three) and have never gone beyond this. I am totally satisfied with the volume at either of these levels. It is enough to fill any room in the house.
As I mentioned earlier, the Fender Frontman 25R has spring reverb. I have found that this enhances the sound of the amp much more. But, at high levels, it has an actual spring-like sound. My experience with this type of reverb is limited but I find that this effect is more pleasant at lower levels.
So far I ‘ve not used the aux in or the footswitch jack but I have used the headphone jack many times and it has been an advantage. The sound from a set of headphones is just as pleasant as using the amp without headphones.
The Fender Frontman 25R does accept multi-effects processors and effect pedals. My multi-effects processor works well with this amplifier.
Reliability
I have had the Fender Frontman 25R for about eight months and I haven’t experienced any problems. It still works just as well as the day it arrived.
Overall
If you are looking for a basic amp and would rather add your own effects, the Fender Frontman 25R would be a good choice. It will satisfy any guitar player with its perfect size, high-quality sound, well-made enclosure, and useful features.
1. Miscellaneous riffs with no reverb.
(3 strums, riff1, riff2, slide.)
2. Miscellaneous riffs with spring reverb at
levels 3,5, &10.(3 strums, riff1, riff2, slide.)
3. Distortion at at levels 5 & 10.
(Power chords, riff2, slide.)
My Photos:
