OK, it’s clickbait.  Technically, they are selling.  They’re just not selling in the kind of volume you’d expect from the best amp line in Fender’s inventory.  And yes I am biased.  That’s an amp joke, for you youngsters out there.  A bad one.

But my pals in the industry tell me that the Bassbreaker line has been a disappointment.  And the reason is simple – the amp doesn’t sound “Fender” enough.

Guitar players are slaves to tradition.  If they want to go the Strat route, they usually want a Strat with three single coils and a Fender tube amp that sounds big and fat and clean.  And if they go the Tele route, they want traditional Tele pickups and a Fender tube amp that sounds like an ice pick going into your skull (because it “cuts through the mix.”)  I wish I had a buck for every gig I’ve seen where the guitar player pulls out a Tele and sure enough, the ice pick jumps off the stage and pierces my eardrums.  I LOVE the Tele.  But damn, people – if the sound hurts your ears, it’s bad.

ANYWAY, the Hot Rod Deluxe and Blues Juniors outsell the Bassbreaker by a ton, because they provide two different versions of the Fender fat sound.  And the Hot Rod Deluxe sounds very big at a gig and can definitely fill the room.  And the Blues Junior can be found used for around $350 and is loud enough to gig.  So?

So the HRD is a good choice for a gigging musician who plays with a loud drummer, but at home it’s a pain in the ass.  HRD owners all know about the volume problem where 1 is not quite loud enough and 2 is the neighbors calling the police.  And the Blues Junior sounds like a little box because that’s exactly what the thing is.  And between the two of them, just TRY to get a good crunch or overdrive tone.  You can’t.  They weren’t designed for that.  So what if you want a Fender amp AND a good crunch/overdrive tone?  Apparently that market consists only of me and Rob Chapman.

Actually, plenty of people have bought a Bassbreaker, but it hasn’t sold as much as Fender wanted, because Fender is apparently there to keep making tube amps from the 50’s, according to market demands.  Props to Fender for doing the Bassbreaker anyway.

(Yes, I know about the Supersonic.  I like them a lot.  But they tend to be pricey and I am the Budget Guitarist.)