Vintage fender amps appreciation

[teleclem]

Thanks Bro! Enjoy that little guy. It is really awesome for fender cleans, just add a bit of verb and chorus and you got your sparkle!

Sparkle indeed. I was just playing it with some subtle plate reverb going on. Ayos.

[sd8450]

My main amp is a 1965 Fender Bandmaster. All Original.

My Second Family. (From Left to Right)
'67 Dual Showman Amp (2x15 JBL D130)
'66 Bassman Amp Head
'73 Bassman 50 (2x15 JBL D140)
'65 Bandmaster (2x12 Utah)
'76 Super Twin (2x12 Utah)
'68 Vibrolux Reverb Dripedge (2x10 Oxford)
'76 Vibro Champ


New Members of the Family.
'67 Deluxe Reverb Dripedge (1x12 Oxford)


'61 Showman Amp Blonde


'76 Pro Reverb (2x12 Oxford)


My Latest Project Cab - A 2x15 Fender Cab cut into half and converted it into a 1x12 Tone ring cab (Still waiting for the Grill Cloth)

Very nice collection! I am liking the Vibrolux Reverb and the Deluxe Reverb!

I've got Deltaslim's Silverface Princeton Reverb and already got the major parts to restore it to original specs. Just need to dedicate the time!

 

[teleclem]

^ I'd love to see/hear that! I was originally in the market for a nice Princeton, but I couldn't find any locally.

[siore]

Very nice collection! I am liking the Vibrolux Reverb and the Deluxe Reverb!

I've got Deltaslim's Silverface Princeton Reverb and already got the major parts to restore it to original specs. Just need to dedicate the time!

 

What's up bro? Anything else that's keeping you busy? I recently had the chance to get up close and personal with a '51 valco spectator, thought it was a cool amp! Can't ask for more mojo than that.

Post some of your fender restorations naman!

[sd8450]

^ I'd love to see/hear that! I was originally in the market for a nice Princeton, but I couldn't find any locally.

What's up bro? Anything else that's keeping you busy? I recently had the chance to get up close and personal with a '51 valco spectator, thought it was a cool amp! Can't ask for more mojo than that.

Post some of your fender restorations naman!

@ Teleclem and Siore:

I'm out of the country mga bro and the princeton reverb is with me.

I've never seen another one in Philmusic since I joined PM a few years ago. Bart has a Li'l King Reverb which is a very nice boutique clone of the princeton reverb.

You have probably seen this amp when this was advertised for sale here. It went to vegetablejoe for a time and then it was again sold by deltaslim for the second time and that is when I got it.

It is working pretty well but the physical condition is poor. I cleaned it up a bit, put in a new Accutronics reverb tank kasi yung nakalagay mahina ang reverb, hindi yata exact replacement model. The reverb is working fine now. I also replaced the knobs and chassis straps with new original replacements.

I plan to restore this to original schematic and try to see if that is preferable over the PaulC mod done to it when owned by deltaslim.

I've got a very clean early 70s original cabinet for it (now in Manila). I also got an original fender output transformer to replace the non-original one on it now.

This is costing me more than it would to buy a similar model on Ebay but it is still worth it for me. It is satisfying to restore a vintage amp.



I like the Youtube demos of the Valco Spectator. IIRC si Filippo yata or si Musicjunkie meron nyan.

May offers nga for my Jester Oahu but I'm keeping this one as long as I can afford to keep it. These circuits are as basic as can be and dahil yata dyan kaya mas raw ang tone. 



These are deltaslim's pics (I hope he won't mind ):







This is the very nice and very clean original fender cabinet I got from Ebay. This is complete including original speaker, reverb tank and cables, only the amp chassis is missing.






This is the original Fender output transformer I also got from Ebay.
 

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This is the very nice and very clean original fender cabinet I got from Ebay. This is complete including original speaker, reverb tank and cables, only the amp chassis is missing.






This is the original Fender output transformer I also got from Ebay.

[/quote]

aabangan ko itong process na to. Keep it up! 

[siore]

@sd8450 that's looking to be lots of fun. It's nice to see someone dedicate time and effort to go for original parts and restore to the best they can the way you're doing right now. Most of the time people (guilty here) are just practical, cost-conscious, function-centric and all that. It takes some serious love for what you do, and I'm always inspired how these restorations turn out! Yes sir I actually saw that at the classifieds some years ago. The PaulC mods seems to be sound in what it aims to do, but I'm all for stock too, so I'm curious with your eventual comparison. The cab looks real nice for an original, ang linis pa ng tolex and grillcloth!

The valco I got to try I believe is from musicjunkie. It got handed down already to a new owner, and I think aside from pots that needed cleaning, it came from good hands. Sounded real nice, and you're right there's a certain rawness to it. Told him also to keep it as long as he can. But I digress..

Hope you check in from time to time with updates on that PR!

[teleclem]

Cool, do update us. restoring seems like a lot of fun.

[siore]

Hey guys, here's a few useful links i want to share:

Overview of vintage fenders (fender field amp guide)

When's my amp made?

How fender amps work (layman's terms)

Pulling tubes and other fender twin basic tricks

The wettest reverb and tremolo out of a fender reverb amp?... jumper the inputs!!


Perhaps we can compile a list of cool links like these for new "old amp" owners out there?  Without being too technical, of course.  (I have a few tech pages I rely on, but I opted not to include them) Just PM me to discuss a few, include natin sa first post. 

[jimny]

66 blackface bassman 50 recaps and 3 prong mod knobs are fender reissue

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66 blackface bassman 50 recaps and 3 prong mod knobs are fender reissue

Ganda ng bassman! 

Hey guys, here's a few useful links i want to share:

Overview of vintage fenders (fender field amp guide)

When's my amp made?

How fender amps work (layman's terms)

Pulling tubes and other fender twin basic tricks

The wettest reverb and tremolo out of a fender reverb amp?... jumper the inputs!!


Perhaps we can compile a list of cool links like these for new "old amp" owners out there?  Without being too technical, of course.  (I have a few tech pages I rely on, but I opted not to include them) Just PM me to discuss a few, include natin sa first post. 

another great initiative 

[upfront]

My newly acquired 65 BM (JBL K120)

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1973 Fender Super Reverb Non-Master Volume 40w (4x10 Jensen) 

[free2rock]

Oh my... Can I go through your amps one of these days? 

[jimny]

My newly acquired 65 BM (JBL K120)

another nice blackface with original caps and jbl speakers pa
i wonder how clear and warm tone it can do 

[musicjunkie]

I love this amp!

1973 Fender Super Reverb Non-Master Volume 40w (4x10 Jensen) 

[siore]

Ang ganda nung bandmaster.  Bihira maka-score nang ganyan with original parts ano?  Still has the mallory filter caps in the dog house.  Parang nakakahinayang ipa re-cap.

[upfront]

Oh my... Can I go through your amps one of these days? 

Yup sure bro welcome ka 

another nice blackface with original caps and jbl speakers pa
i wonder how clear and warm tone it can do 

hands down. iba talaga JBL 

Ang ganda nung bandmaster.  Bihira maka-score nang ganyan with original parts ano?  Still has the mallory filter caps in the dog house.  Parang nakakahinayang ipa re-cap.

onga eh nakatsamba lang. Mukhang ako palang nagbukas nito. Hehe. 

I love this amp!

Thanks bro!

[teleclem]

Cool amps!

[Filippo]

IIRC si Filippo yata or si Musicjunkie meron nyan.

Yes, used to be mine but I no longer own it and don't know where it is na ... the other Supro used to be mine too, a Thunderbolt I think which is now with a guy who's name slips me right now

Here's mine ... a '66





Somebody sell me that Vibrolux Reverb, it's driving me nuts!!!

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Yes, used to be mine but I no longer own it and don't know where it is na ... the other Supro used to be mine too, a Thunderbolt I think which is now with a guy who's name slips me right now

Here's mine ... a '66





Somebody sell me that Vibrolux Reverb, it's driving me nuts!!!

Super clean super reverb!!! Ganda! 

[sd8450]

My newly acquired 65 BM (JBL K120)

Very cute and pretty duo!
and your new '65 BM looks like it was barely used since it was issued from the factory...congrats bro!

[sd8450]

I came across this only recently and I don't know if this has been posted yet here in GC. This is an interesting old video which could interest vintage Fender gear users and who have not seen the video yet:


http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjY3Mjk5OTc2.html

[upfront]

I came across this only recently and I don't know if this has been posted yet here in GC. This is an interesting old video which could interest vintage Fender gear users and who have not seen the video yet:


http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMjY3Mjk5OTc2.html

very interesting video! thanks for sharing 

[sd8450]

I was finally able to play my newly acquired '64/'65 princeton reverb a few days ago. It works 100% and sounds very nice and is quiet when there is no input signal. The only thing I needed to do was put a little contact cleaner to the reverb pot which was scratchy and the pot is now working normally.

I took some gut pictures while the chassis was out of the cabinet. The inside electronics are all original and untouched and very clean as can be seen in the pictures below. The reverb pan is also original and very clean and is functioning very well:























I removed the 'death cap' to make the amp safer to use. The only other thing I am thinking to do is to change the 2-wire power cord to a 3-wire power cord, again for the sake of safety. This would only work if the power source outlet is also provided with a ground connection.