While some of Fender's staff has been teaming up with IK Multimedia to work on software models of classic amps, other Fender employees have been hard at work crafting new actual amps. The Vintage Modified Series, on display at Winter NAMM 2009, introduces the Fender Band-Master VM, Fender Deluxe VM amplifiers alongside the Fender Band-Master VM 212 enclosure.

The Band-Master VM amp combines with the Band-Master VM 212 enclosure for 40-watts of power on stage, recreating the feel of the first professional quality tube amps that Fender put on the market. The mid-powered tube head concept is augmented by "vintage modified" performance aspects as the series adds several modern effects to classic tube amplification. New DSP effects included with the VM series are reverb, chorus and delay.

This amp also features two 12AX7 preamp tubes (one for preamp distortion and the other for phase inversion) and two 6L6 power tubes that push sound through a 12" Celestion G12P80 speaker. You also get he famous Fender clean channel with its own set of pre-gain tone controls and a drive channel with a set of post-gain EQ to shape your tube distortion, making this amp a fine choice from blue to hard rock.

The effects section includes a digital reverb with level control; a chorus / vibrato with rate, depth and mix controls; a tape delay emulation with delay time, repeat and mix controls; an effects loop for any external effects you might be using; and in addition, this amp includes an 8-ohm extension speaker output, a four-button footswitch that switches channels or turns the included effects on and off and an amp cover.

The Deluxe VM adds the vintage modified effects features to the Fender Deluxe formula, so apply the previous paragraph to Fender Deluxe amps, and you've got yourself the sown and grown seedlings of the Vintage Modified series.