NAD: Vintage Fender Content

[Matt42]

Re: NAD: Vintage Fender Content

But I figure a vintage fender is the kind of amp you'd use for clean sounds exclusively, at any rate.

Not this one! I'll use my g/f's '68 Bassman for cleans, though.

I don't go for any heavily saturated tones. AC/DC and Zeppelin are about the most "distorted" I go, in terms of amp. I do occasionally play heavier stuff, but it's all at that general distortion level. I just don't use recto levels of gain.

Me either. I've been having fun having this set just past the edge of breakup, then backing off the volume knob a bit to clean it up, or goosing it with a pedal when I want more gain. Even just the clean boost will push it into a really nice breakup.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: NAD: Vintage Fender Content

Nice.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: NAD: Vintage Fender Content

Cool. Those have a great tone, especially with the "right" speaker.

 

[Matt42]

Re: NAD: Vintage Fender Content

We just pulled the guts out, looks like the transformer is original too! So the only swapped parts are the speaker and the filter caps.

Personally, I think even $700-800 would have been a good price for this.

 

[Scott_F]

Re: NAD: Vintage Fender Content, now with pictures and more words!

Re: NAD: Vintage Fender Content, now with pictures and more words!

Nice score !


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[erksin]

Re: NAD: Vintage Fender Content

I'm obviously the ignorant one here so please don't be offended when I ask: what makes something like this go for even $500?

I'm basing this on - a new transformer is what, maybe $20-50? (based on a quick search I did - maybe I'm way off?). Caps are newer (and I wouldn't figure would add up to much), speaker is newer (and will be changed), tubes are newer. That leaves a box, a half dozen original resisters, and a couple of jacks & pots.

I personally think it looks cool as hell, and I'm sure I'd dig the sound too, just not seeing where the price is coming in.

I don't see a $500 amp there either. It's no longer a vintage amp, well maybe the cab - but that's it.

 

[Matt42]

Re: NAD: Vintage Fender Content

I don't see a $500 amp there either. It's no longer a vintage amp, well maybe the cab - but that's it.

So, the filter caps make the amp? The tone caps and transformer are all original. A lot amps that age don't have their original filter caps. And it also seems like people regularly swap out the speaker.

Check Ebay completed listings, find a 5F1 in this condition that went for this price. Just cause you wouldn't spend $500 doesn't mean it's not worth that much.

 

[erksin]

Re: NAD: Vintage Fender Content

I thought the transformer was replaced? That certainly makes a big difference in price to me. I guess $500 is fair if that's the case.

 

[erksin]

Re: NAD: Vintage Fender Content

IME, the 5751 sounds better in every amp I've used it in vs. the 12ax7. For clean sounds, at least.

I generally prefer a 5751 in v1 too - especially in Fenders. My fave preamp tube is a 6EU7 and the 5751 comes closest to that sound for me. And it also sounds a lot better with the amp cranked up to my ears - no high end smearing and no low end flab that can happen with 12AX7/7025 types.

 

[Matt42]

Re: NAD: Vintage Fender Content

I thought the transformer was replaced? That certainly makes a big difference in price to me. I guess $500 is fair if that's the case.

We originally thought so, but when we pulled the chassis out of the cab and dated the transformer it was original!

I generally prefer a 5751 in v1 too - especially in Fenders. My fave preamp tube is a 6EU7 and the 5751 comes closest to that sound for me. And it also sounds a lot better with the amp cranked up to my ears - no high end smearing and no low end flab that can happen with 12AX7/7025 types.

The 12AX7 definitely had some fuzziness (not good fuzziness) around the top end and the bottom end. The 5751 is a lot smoother sounding to me.

I can't wait to get a new speaker for it, the Pyle is starting to wear thin for me.

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: NAD: Vintage Fender Content

The transformer is what really makes that amp and I'm glad to hear you've got the original in there. That's easily worth much more given that the transformer and tone caps are the good stuff. I think most people see that Pyle speaker and assume it was butchered all the way through. I'm looking forward to hearing a tone report once you get the speaker replaced. Then again, I've never heard a Pyle speaker, so it may actually work surprisingly well given the tone stack (sometimes the best things are the most unconventional).

 

[erksin]

Re: NAD: Vintage Fender Content

We originally thought so, but when we pulled the chassis out of the cab and dated the transformer it was original!

The 12AX7 definitely had some fuzziness (not good fuzziness) around the top end and the bottom end. The 5751 is a lot smoother sounding to me.

I can't wait to get a new speaker for it, the Pyle is starting to wear thin for me.

Cool - sorry about the earlier comment - I should read the whole thread before replying. lol

Yeah that xformer is really critical to that amp - tubes obviously too - but so much of that swirling compression comes from that thing sagging at full up.

There is such a thing as too much gain with these things - the 5751 IME actually makes amps sound bigger and punchier despite being lower gain. That thing is gonna distort and compress no matter what you put in there, so a little bit more clarity at the top and bottom ends is welcome. I have a '64 6G2 Princeton that behaves pretty much exactly like a bigger version of the 5F1 - nothing but gain past 4 on the volume. I love that about it, but with anything more than a low output pickup it gets too mushy for my taste. A 5751 in V1 was the ticket - more punch and clarity overall in the low end, and sweeter rounder highs. It's still a raging little box of hate at full up, but now it takes any guitar I throw at it without buckling.

 

[DankStar]

Re: NAD: Vintage Fender Content

We originally thought so, but when we pulled the chassis out of the cab and dated the transformer it was original!

killer man!