So, here is the crown jewel of my setup:
The Amp
I bought this amp about 10 years ago at a Guitar Center for $600, not exactly knowing what I wanted in an amp, but I knew vintage was king, and Fender was king. How could I go wrong? (Thanks for the help, Guitar Center...)
This is a silver-face master-volume circuit from 1972. The "silver-face" series is much less popular than the coveted "black-face" era of Fender. The big deal about the SF era is that they were manufactured after Fender's sale to CBS, and parts were exchanged for more a cost-effective method of production. This affected the sound quality of the amp, and the tube compression that players loved so much went away.
The original Oxford speakers are still installed and the amp's just got this thing I can't bring myself to part with.
The Sound
I've heard my amp called a "useless anchor," a "carpet paperweight," and a "rich man's PA-system." All of these people clearly have never turned it to 10.
The cleans put out are pure, sweet, scoopy Fender through and through. Sure she doesn't compress much, but that's why The Good Lord invented boost and distortion pedals.
The Settings
Through the "Vibrato" channel, I run my Normal Volume at 10, always. It works the tubes and helps the pedals achieve the amount of compression I desire.
Since the "Fender sound" scoops mids quite a bit, I tone down the Treble and Bass to about 2-3 and keep the Middle at about 6-7. Anything higher on the Bass band and it gets boomy when you're trying to add a Marshall-style distortion pedal.
(I've also seen a guitar player just wind the each knob around on the EQ until he hears a distinct change in tone and then sets them accordingly around there, and it works great for him!)
I prefer some movement in my amp so I always have the tremolo depth and rate going slightly. It may be barely there, but it's there.
Lastly, the revered spring-reverb tank. Enough to create an air about the sound and you're there. Anything else in a band setting, and you're losing clarity. Unless you're an old-style blues player, then crank that baby to 10.