For example hes doing demos of historic fender amps for this 60 history, a significant book, and yet hes using a pieced together bassman transplant head of. Fender literally wrote the book on electric basses, laying the foundation for musical innovation and evolution. New listing vintage fender vibro champ silverface tube amp vibrato tremolo 1970s. And you know what can actually hang with the best of them. Fender amplifier news newspapers books scholar jstor december 2011 learn how and. The first cloth used was an offwhite fabric, followed by a horizontalstripe twotone pattern, and finally a. Pro tube amplifiers are the soul of our amplifier product line, and its easy to see why.
New jersey has a history as home of some iconic amplifiers, and tyler amp works in westfield is a fatherson operation that uses local resources in producing some of the finest boutique amps around. Thats obviously a gross exaggeration, but there is a reason that fender amplifiers have been have been sought after and emulated for decades. Since the solidbody electric bass guitar was largely a previously nonexistent form of instrument. Some call fender an amplifier company, who happens to make guitars. Dating fender amps 19511967 tube chart on the inside of the amp is stamped with two letters a q. The next big era of fender amps were the black face models. However, the truth is that very few of these early amps have survived into the 21st century without a major overhaul, and without knowing the history of such an amplifier, id consider. Getting the best possible tone and performance from your vintage fender amplifier. This book goes into detail on every single model of amp fender made in the first 50 years. Soundwise, it reminds me of my 1970 fender twin with orange frame jbls. The first letter translates to the year and the second to the. Wide panel, narrow panel, brown, blonde, and black face amps have a date code handstamped on the tube chart.
Its got the vintage sounds and a really good modern sounding od channel. The original fender amps were tube powered, and the company also started producing solidstate models in the late 1960s. Newest collection additions telecasters the squier army new. The number one source of guitar and amplifier pricing and information so you can find the price and value of your used guitars and amplifier. Fender amps is the first book to chronicle this companys amazing contribution to the amplifier, providing a complete overview of its history and operation. Fender, the most iconic tone in american amplifiers. Vintage fender amp repair modifications, repairs and. Included in the guide are descriptions, pictures, schematics and other fendercentric information. Here is a cool link to a vintage fender amp price history chart that tracks sales data for specific amp models by the month. Fender and his company helped change the sound of popular music with an everinnovative line of guitar and bass amplifiers.
Each amp projects the clean fender tones youve grown to love. Vintage fender 1954 pro amp wide panel tube guitar combo amp. From the very beginning this celebration of fender amps is entertaining and thorough. Leo fender began building guitar amplifiers before he started manufacturing electric guitars. Pure tube tone the cornerstone of the fender legacy. Obviously, one needs an interest in fender, guitar amps, electronics or just music and its history. As well as standalone or head amps, sometimes called the amp head, which do not incorporate a speaker, and generate sound through a speaker cabinet.
This guide has been created as a way of preserving the database of complete information about vintage fender, gibson, and other makers of guitar amplifiers. The history was interesting and well written as well as fun to read. With the emergence of the nowfamiliar rock lineup of guitar, bass, drums, and vocals in the 1950s and 1960s, guitarists needed a way to be heard over the noise of their fellow musicians. Of course, theres much debate as there always will be with musicians, but i suspect that these are generally the most highlyprized fender amps. At the time, fender amps and to a lesser degree, those made by other manufacturers like gibson, gretsch and magnatone were nearly impossible to get in the uk. A crash course on fender amplifiers tape op magazine. Fender electric guitar shop fender guitars for sale. For all models which have both vibrato and reverb, and whose back panel looks similar to the one shown below. I spent some time trying to find a chart or list of fender amps ranked by wattage, really surprised i couldnt find one. It has had many changes over the years and had many variations.
If youd like to help out on this project, please fill out the form for each of the fender tube amps you own. Although cbs purchased fender officially on january 3rd 1965, it took some time till the guitars changed though by mid 1964, six months before cbs bought. The history of the fender bassman amplifier fender. For most collectors, precbs pre1966 fender vintage guitars and amps are the desirable ones. Unfollow vintage fender amplifiers to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. While there are many great names in guitar amp history, theres probably none more ubiquitous and intriguing than fender the companys colorful history is full of cool amps. Completed forms will be entered into a quarterly drawing for a cool fender amp geek prize.
Capitalizing on the popularity of the wide panel era, thenarrowpanel amp came to fruition 1955, and the outward design of fender amps shifted once again. Heres our guide to help you choose the perfect fender amp for guitar or bass. Leo fender and his staff were building a new tvfront 1. How fender s invention of the precision bass led to one of its greatest amps. Shop willcutt guitars selection of fender electric guitar and fender guitars for sale online. Unnecessary parts replacement and poor quality repairs will ultimately decrease the value of your vintage amp. May 9, 2019 the old fender amps are the best see more ideas about guitar amp, fender guitar amps and fender guitars. Text by dave hunter data compiled by alan greenwood and gil hembree. The truth about vintage amps skip simmons amp repair. The history was interesting and well written as well as fun to. Amps for guitars, basses, keyboards and more for sale on reverb. Theyre the backbone of your favorite records and the centerpieces of any stage performance. I have in the past read some amp books and found them to be just a collection of pictures with very basic narrative, pretty much an exercise in promotional.
Fender amps have been right there at the birth of rocknroll, and are just as popular today as theyve been for the last 60 years. Fender solid state super reverb sr4050 w 15 jblclean serviced vgc 1967 rare. Find the current blue book value and worth of your new and used guitars, both acoustic, electric and amplifier. The tone from these amps is the sound you think of when you think of amazing guitar tone, not to mention the iconic tweed look. Even though this is an older thread, its an interesting topic. The princeton, deluxe and professional were the first steps in fender s long history of amplified excellence. Basically, this book will give you enough detailed information to 1 accurately identify almost any fender amp when you see it. The electric guitar may be the icon of american popular music in the 20th century, but rock n roll as we know it today would not have been possible without the amplifier.
Plus its got a tube driven reverb and rectifier as well. Yes, the tweeds probably hold more historical value, but the black faces combine history and a. Vintage guitar is marking 25 years of publication with a year full of features. Using data compiled for the official vintage guitar price guide 2011, we continue the celebration with a list of the 25 most valuable amplifiers those that helped create the tones made famous by virtually every genre of pop music. Owner john brinton has been building and designing circuits for twenty years and works closely with several nashville session players. Im looking for something smack dab in the middle between a blues junior and a twin reverb. These pages are dedicated to the greatest amplifiers ever made. Best and worst fender amps of all time the gear page. We carry telecaster, vintage, stratocaster, and more. Through the 50s and into the post64 cbs era and beyond, the look of fender amps evolved as new circuits and models were.
In the past, i have owned some amazing fender amplifiers. The models of the 1950s and 60s are renowned as some of the most desirable in history, with trademark sounds that are often imitated and never duplicated. All brand names and logos such a fender guitars, gibson guitars, prs, paul reed smith, music man, ernie ball, rickenbacker, martin guitars, taylor guitars, etc. This is the authorized company history considering that fender copublished the book. Fender amplifiers are tonal touchstones, heard on the greatest recordings and in the most epic live shows of all time.
My intention is to keep updating this website with as much new information as i can gather in order to make it the most complete resource of vintage amps as can possibly exist online. Consider a challenge posed by leo fender s 19501951 development of the worlds first commercially successful solidbody electric bass guitar, the precision bass. Leo fender began building guitar amps before he started manufacturing guitars. Its a great time to upgrade your home music studio gear with the largest selection at.
Before the broadcaster and precision bass, leo fender was tinkering with speakers and amplifiers in a little shop in fullerton, california. History of the fender tweed deluxe carls custom amps. There are not many books on fender amps, so i was pleased to see this one. For some reason, techs who wouldnt dream of replacing the original pots in a 57 strat have no problem gutting a 57 bandmaster. It seems as if everyone has used them at some point, including elvis, chuck berry, buddy holly, the.
From fender, vox and marshall to boutique amp heads from dr. Prior to 1980, three broad categories emerged that have distinct sonic and cosmetic identities. And who better to recreate faithfully recreate these coveted classic. Unfollow vintage fender amps to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. While fender is highly regarded in the music world when it comes to their legendary guitars, they dont often get the respect they deserve when it comes to their high quality amps. New listing vintage 1965 fender super reverb blackface 40 watt 4x10 combo amp. This is a nice little book covering the history of fender amps from the very beginning until the 1990s.
No other company has produced so many great sounding, well built and reliable amps. The new fender custom shop vibroverb custom amp with the 15 speaker. More recently, theyve come out with fender custom shop handwired amps which more closely match the tweed and blackface amps for their sound and. In the early 90s fender reissued some of its most beloved ampsthe twin, the deluxe reverb and the super reverbthese tended to sound brighter than the originals but have met with some success. The first letter designates the year and the second letter designates the month.
Vintage guitars info fender, collecting vintage guitars. The nickname is a misnomer, as tweed is a coarse woollen fabric, often woven in a twill pattern. Use this site for a pricing guide and source of information on all guitars. Vintage fender collectibles danocasters 70s stratocasters more stratocasters even more stratocasters. Fender amplifiers became established with the tweed series, wood cases covered in varnished cotton twill in the manner of suitcases of the era.
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