Affordable Vintage Fenders ?

[SlowGroove]

Hi guys . . .

. . . this question is more out of curiosity than any thing else !

Think affordable vintage amps, so, no $4000.00 to $12 000.00 fragile early 1950's amps.
What would you say is the Top 5 affordable Vintage Fender amps that anyone should look into for unbeatable tone.
Forget about genre's, we are talking just about pure tone here.

Thanks guys !
James

 

[CaughtLikeFire]

Re: Affordable Vintage Fenders ?

Hi guys . . .

. . . this question is more out of curiosity than any thing else !

Think affordable vintage amps, so, no $4000.00 to $12 000.00 fragile early 1950's amps.
What would you say is the Top 5 affordable Vintage Fender amps that anyone should look into for unbeatable tone.
Forget about genre's, we are talking just about pure tone here.

Thanks guys !
James

Blackface Deluxe Reverb - $1800 - $2000

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Affordable Vintage Fenders ?

Anything Silverface

 

[SlowGroove]

Re: Affordable Vintage Fenders ?

Band Masters ?


James

 

[SlowGroove]

Re: Affordable Vintage Fenders ?

Slightly OT :

Why is the DR RI still so expensive on the used market ?


James

 

[St_Genesius]

Re: Affordable Vintage Fenders ?

+1

Some great bargains out there on Silverfaces. And you just know that in 10 years, everyone will decide that THOSE are collectible too. Look at the CBS-era Fenders that everyone said were trash for so long...

Anything Silverface

 

[CaughtLikeFire]

Re: Affordable Vintage Fenders ?

Slightly OT :

Why is the DR RI still so expensive on the used market ?


James

I see them go on Ebay for $600-$800 . . . not too bad.

1970s or early 1980s DRs are a better buy right now though. Just saw an 81 DR on Ebay for $800 (handwired so it should be easy to mod to Blackface circuit)

 

[Bludave]

Re: Affordable Vintage Fenders ?

Slightly OT :

Why is the DR RI still so expensive on the used market ?


James

Because they are the most versatile in the sense of where you can use them. A Twin for example is a great sounding amp, but it is way too clean for a lot of people and way too loud for a lot of venues. A Deluxe Reverb in a large room can be miked and it still works great. IMHO the ONLY major drawback to a DR is the lack of headroom & this can be fixed by get a better, more efficent speaker.

As far as the best deals.... Someone posted earlier..... anything Silverface. I have a SF Super Reverb & a SF Deluxe. Won't part with either... ever. Today you can get a SF Pro reverb, or Deluxe as well as a Super somewhere around 1K to 1500 depending on condition. I actually prefer buying these amps AFTER the speakers have been replace. Because they are not all original they are usually a lot less expensive, and if you plan on gigging with it (as I do) ypu don't want a very expensive original that you have to watch like a bloodhound to be sure it doesn't get ripped off!

 

[ES350]

Re: Affordable Vintage Fenders ?

---large SF heads (Bandmaster Reverb, Showman Reverbs, Bassman 100, etc). Yes, that includes the UL and MV models (you still get tagboard and an easy platform for mods). Generally inexpensive compared to a new PCB Fender, tweed covered or not. It's your money...

---the last of the tagboard models in the 80's, including the Fender 30 and 75...if you leave the pull boost stuff alone and select some good speakers and tubes, they sound pretty close to BF to me. Last one I bought was 250$...

 

[nate1492]

Re: Affordable Vintage Fenders ?

Man, you can get a BF Bandmaster, Bassman or Tremolux head for under $700.00, easy. These amps are less popular than the smaller combos and hence less expensive. But you get TONE. I have a BF Tremolux and it kills.

Also, if you like tweed get a 50's Gibson Explorer. I played one recently and it was comparable to a Deluxe (and with gorgeous tremolo) for $800.00 at Real guitars in San Francisco.

 

[eggman]

Re: Affordable Vintage Fenders ?

Howdy,

Define "Vintage". My red knob "The Twin" is 20 years old and does great for clean tones, pre-amp tube distortion (this amp has a serious gain channel.) and weighs a mere 78 lbs! LOL. An amp like this could probably be found for $700 with little trouble, maybe lower.
Same goes for my '91 Super 112 (another Fender red knob; The much maligned red knobs suffer from bad press, but mine have needed just a single repair!). Great cleans and lots of buzzy, preamp tube distortion if desired.
The Super amps (red knob) are 60 watts, all-tube and came in three variants: the Super 60, Super 112 and Super 210. I'm sentimental about these amps; they're better than thier reputation. They're best at serious clean or fairly heavy distortion, not 'Stones type applications.
Another affordable Vintage Fender is the SF Champ/Vibro Champ series. These amps are fantastic for Bluesy rockin' tones! They're still plenty to be found as well. Good luck, and don't be too quick to dismiss Fender's red knob tube amps. There's also a head version of the Super 60 and a Dual Showman as well.

Eggman

 

[krankguitarist]

Re: Affordable Vintage Fenders ?

I picked up my Showman Reverb for 400 bucks. Somebody had modded it with a pair of 8" speakers in the front, and it needed a cap job bad.

But after a little fixing up, it was AWESOME.

 

[SlowGroove]

Re: Affordable Vintage Fenders ?

Howdy,

Define "Vintage".

Eggman

MMmm, mid 80's and older.


James

 

[Imp]

Re: Affordable Vintage Fenders ?

harvards and princetons?

 

[ES350]

Re: Affordable Vintage Fenders ?

Loosely, I would consider any of the tagboard construction Fenders as a continuation of the 'vintage' designs...although the later stuff does get pretty cluttered with bells and whistles that are pretty useless or tone suckers. The basic design is dependable, maintainable, and it generally has the potential to sound pretty good...for a Fender.

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: Affordable Vintage Fenders ?

Howdy,

Define "Vintage". My red knob "The Twin" is 20 years old and does great for clean tones, pre-amp tube distortion (this amp has a serious gain channel.) and weighs a mere 78 lbs! LOL. An amp like this could probably be found for $700 with little trouble, maybe lower.
Same goes for my '91 Super 112 (another Fender red knob; The much maligned red knobs suffer from bad press, but mine have needed just a single repair!). Great cleans and lots of buzzy, preamp tube distortion if desired.
The Super amps (red knob) are 60 watts, all-tube and came in three variants: the Super 60, Super 112 and Super 210. I'm sentimental about these amps; they're better than thier reputation. They're best at serious clean or fairly heavy distortion, not 'Stones type applications.
Another affordable Vintage Fender is the SF Champ/Vibro Champ series. These amps are fantastic for Bluesy rockin' tones! They're still plenty to be found as well. Good luck, and don't be too quick to dismiss Fender's red knob tube amps. There's also a head version of the Super 60 and a Dual Showman as well.

Eggman

I used to have one of the red knob Super 112s. Good sound and if the gain is kept low, the distortion isn't bad, but it was the loudest friggin' amp I've EVER had.

 

[crusty philtrum]

Re: Affordable Vintage Fenders ?

I've serviced a LOT of silver-face Fender amps and they always end up sounding wonderful with a little TLC. They can easily be tweaked to blackface specs, have MV's disabled etc. Sadly a lot of them have dodgy mods done to them over the years, have those removed and a thorough service and they're good to deliver classic Fender sounds for years to come. I think they're a great bargain provided you calculate in some service costs, and if possible get a tech to look at a potential purchase before you hand over your money.

If you're looking at Fender style amps, don't forget MUSICMAN. They're great amps too, well-built and easily available. They seem to kind of get forgotten these days, which can be a good thing in helping to keep their prices down.

 

[andrizzle]

Re: Affordable Vintage Fenders ?

I bought a '71 Pro Reverb about 2-3 months ago in great condition for $450.... now the tolex has been painted brown and it looks like crap but it plays like a champ! gonna get it re-capped / put in some new tubes / throw in a couple of new speakers / gone over by a great amp tech in the area / and possibly blackfaced and I'll STILL gonna have a ridiculously classic and GREAT sounding amp for under $800 - $900 (i've already got one of the speakers)

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: Affordable Vintage Fenders ?

Silverface amps still sell for dirt cheap. I'm hoping my 1970 Vibrolux Reverb will be worth something at some point, but it seems pretty stagnant.