Fender Mid 80s Sidekick 65 Review

History: Strats: 1983 '62ri; 50th Anni Gold; Epi Casino Elitist; Gibson ES 335; playing for 40 years heavy classic rock; r&b; countryrock; recording artist; band leader

Purchase: I bought this Sidekick 65 at a garage sale I happened upon one day before I left for a year cross country for an archival songs recording marathon. Price was $50. Grill and tolex were filthy, coffee stained, dust ridden. I cleaned it thoroughly and it came out looking like new. Something was wrong with the clean channel, a shorting-out sound. I used only the Master channel for over 8 months recording songs with Hendrix-like Strat sounds, heavy electric blues, classic rock, heavy countryrock. I was blown away by the sound of this little thing. I somehow got sounds I did not expect to be able to use from the amp. Yes, some shrill and over-cooked high-ends, but I love the reverb(I set on 2), I love the sound out of the Texas Specials and '62 pups of my Strats. I had to control the levels and the treble on my Strats to calm the highs of the Sidekick 65, and I will have to have the clean channel fixed if I continue to use the amp, which I would absolutely like to do again, despite having bought a Vibro King and a Marshall DSL 50 half stack. I will also buy a tube 12 inch that approximates the Sidekick(Blues Jr.?, Deluxe?, Deluxe Reverb for sure), but I am so happy about how my guitars sounded I will keep the Sidekick 65 forever. I love it. Durable(I take care of my equipment), nice looking, a complete surprise package in my eyes. Thanks Fender...

What I Like About This Unit:

What I Do NOT Like About The Fender Mid 80s Sidekick 65:

Mid 80s Sidekick 65 Quality:

Summary:

Rating of this product: 4

This Fender Guitar Amplifiers Review Submitted By: Dallas Michaels

Date: 2008-01-30