people say that about the tweed Deluxe, and half a dozen other Fender ampsStratcat said:Thanks for the info fellows :wink: It seems like finding one these amps in good condition is getting really hard to find. It is a shame that Fender won't reissue the Blackface Champ Amp and Princeton Reverb. :smack:
Lewguitar said:I've got a blackface Champ I'd sell but I won't sell it cheap. It's been gone through by my brother Bruce (http://www.missionamps.com) and is in better than new operating condition. I have the original baffle with the original grill cloth and original 8" cheapie Fender speaker, and that will go right back in if you want it to. But we replaced the original baffle with a new one cut for a Weber P10RT speaker and that amp sounds twice as good as any Champ I've ever heard. Lew
Scott_F said:The best overall value in old Fenders right now is to look for a Pro Reverb. It's a big old heavy 2x12, but I practically stole mine off ebay.
Scott_F said:The best overall value in old Fenders right now is to look for a Pro Reverb. It's a big old heavy 2x12, but I practically stole mine off ebay. With the exception of the one that Lew had Bruce update, keep in mind that you're going to have to replace the caps on any 40 year old amp you buy. (provided the seller hasn't done it in the last few years). The Pro that I got had to be completely recapped and some of the resistors had to be replaced as well. The caps were bubbling on the ends and a couple of the resistors just fell apart when I pried at them a bit with my probe. SO, that added to the cost. In addition, the speakers were crap and had to be replaced. But for way under $1000, I've got a smokin old Fender that I'm really proud of the work I did on it. (It was a 68, first year silverface that I had to reroute the circuit to get it to the Blackface specs).
I LOVE OLD FENDER AMPS!
Lewguitar said:Personally, I think Ebay is the best source. Just bid realistically so you don't get outbid. Everybody knows what those old amps are worth these days... Lew
Scott_F said:Lew, do you think there is any chance that Bruce will ever do a blackface reverb kit? I know that some others do, but the only one people really seem to like is that Allen Old Flame.
Lewguitar said:I don't know. I'm not sure there's enough of a market for them. Or enough profit. You can buy a used Fender reissue with the printed circuit board for cheap and I think Hoffman makes a circuit board you can handwire and then replace the cheapy printed circuit board with. Lew
Lewguitar said:Yep. Do a search on Ebay for Fender Pro Reverb. I gigged with one for many years. They're like a Vibrolux-Reverb but with two 12's instead of two 10's. Also have a midrange control on the reverb channel. Great amps, as Scott noted. I never understood why they are not more popular. They're basically a 40 watt Twin Reverb.