When you know it, you know it. (Vintage Impulse Buy Content)

Agileguy_101

Agileguy_101

Master of his Domain
I walked into Guitar Center today just because I was out that way and wanted to kill a bit of time. I went over to the used pedals section in and in the display case was this beauty:

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The price tag was high considering it's "just a reverb" but pretty good considering it's Guitar Center. So I went and tried it with the JTM45 reissue they had there for some reason and it just killed. I was getting cleans so good you'd never believe it was a Marshall. But since I couldn't crank the amp, I switched over to the 5150 50W for some gain. I honestly didn't think it was possible, but I fell even more in love with it then. It honestly sounds like a choir of angels with mid-hi gain. And not only that, but it's in amazing shape, at least a 9/10. I can't believe it hadn't sold yet.

So I'm now the proud owner of 25% of a 70's Fender Reverb Unit. I'll go pick it up later this week once I get my paycheck. It's going to look so good on my Bassman. I just wish I hadn't sold the cab to my friend... oh well.
 
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Re: When you know it, you know it. (Vintage Impulse Buy Content)

you are a dangerous person
 
Re: When you know it, you know it. (Vintage Impulse Buy Content)

Wouldn't mind having one with the tweed covering myself; to pair w/ my Fender 57 Tweed Deluxe Head clone. Maybe one day.
 
Re: When you know it, you know it. (Vintage Impulse Buy Content)

Cool score. My self control goes completely out the window when I spot a vintage classic in mint condition.

Those tube reverb units make me wonder why they're not a more popular 'do it yourself' project. You see a lot of people building kit amps, guitars, and pedals, but rarely a reverb unit. Maybe I just haven't researched it enough.
 
Re: When you know it, you know it. (Vintage Impulse Buy Content)

i love mine, although its a '63 ri not an old one
 
Re: When you know it, you know it. (Vintage Impulse Buy Content)

Anybody know what these are worth? This one was $500, which seems like a pretty good deal (especially for GC) but I've never paid attention to the price of vintage reverb units, especially since they don't pop up much.

I know that good new reverb units are definitely more than that, so by that basis alone I got a good deal.
 
Re: When you know it, you know it. (Vintage Impulse Buy Content)

Agileguy_101 said:
Anybody know what these are worth? This one was $500, which seems like a pretty good deal (especially for GC) but I've never paid attention to the price of vintage reverb units, especially since they don't pop up much.

I know that good new reverb units are definitely more than that, so by that basis alone I got a good deal.
Click to expand...

It's a silverface which isn't as collectable as a blackface... most people covet the blackface era a good bit more (I know I do).

But the thing is, that your generation doesn't quite see it that way... the "blackface" over "silverface" thing doesn't seem that important to you millennials. The Boomers & Generation X are crazy about the blackface era (Boomers are more crazy about the tweed era than Generation X, so this is just a pattern that repeats itself over time).

Most boomers want the tweed but settle for blackface... most gen X want blackface but settle for silverface. The Millenials don't want the tweed stuff at all and they don't see the silverface era as being at all inferior to blackface era.

So, in that climate? $500 is a good deal especially if it's in good shape. Old Fender stuff that has parts that are on their way out just require expensive repairs on down the line... well maintained vintage amps are worth sooooo much more than amps with problems or problems waiting to happen. It's my experience that places like GC or Sam Ash generally sell top of the line used gear that has been well maintained and is in solid working order.

You can see blackface reverb units selling for $500 but they are usually beat up and are going to need repairs/parts on down the line. A silverface reverb unit in excellent condition for $500 like the one you just purchased is a GREAT deal.

I mean, a Neunaber Stereo Reverb pedal is like $240... this is the real deal for only twice that so… WELL DONE!
 
Re: When you know it, you know it. (Vintage Impulse Buy Content)

zenmindbeginner said:
But the thing is, that your generation doesn't quite see it that way... the "blackface" over "silverface" thing doesn't seem that important to you millennials. The Boomers & Generation X are crazy about the blackface era (Boomers are more crazy about the tweed era than Generation X, so this is just a pattern that repeats itself over time).

Most boomers want the tweed but settle for blackface... most gen X want blackface but settle for silverface. The Millenials don't want the tweed stuff at all and they don't see the silverface era as being at all inferior to blackface era.
Click to expand...

You make a lot of good points about what different generations consider 'good vintage.'
I think part of it is the information we now have, via the internet. Before, we only had tales of what was better, and theories as to why.

Now, with the vast amount of info online, and more people into the technical ends of things, and youtubes that detail everything in video......we take for granted how cool that is. Now, we know every difference in the production year circuits, and how to mod or maximize what we have.

During the 90's/2000's, many of the silverface Fenders were modded to blackface specs, and the crappy speakers were long replaced. That accounts for much of the silverface love. Old blackfaces and tweeds have been retubed, recapped, and re-speakered.....good as new, or better.

The generation before me only liked 7.25 radius 21 fret Fenders. Not anymore. We've perfected the Fender guitar. They only liked pre 74 tube amps, while the younger generation has appreciated amps used for classic music since then. I enjoy the fact that the 90's spawned a generation of gear that was superior to 50's and 60's, and lament the fact that it's gotten progressively worse since 2008.

The main point is that we've got more info available nowadays, and it guides our path into the world of vintage gear more than ever before.
 
Re: When you know it, you know it. (Vintage Impulse Buy Content)

very true.

as far as a good deal, the new fender units are $700. you got an old one for $500. you did fine.
 
Re: When you know it, you know it. (Vintage Impulse Buy Content)

I get to pick it up tonight. So stoked

Sent from my 831C using Tapatalk
 
Re: When you know it, you know it. (Vintage Impulse Buy Content)

How similar are these to the built-in units in, say, an old Princeton reverb?
 
Re: When you know it, you know it. (Vintage Impulse Buy Content)

I'm not sure. The only old Princeton I've ever played (1966) didn't have a footswitch so I didn't use the reverb. I've never really been a fan of fender spring reverb.

This is unit sounds very little like a deluxe or twin reverb.

Sent from my 831C using Tapatalk
 
Re: When you know it, you know it. (Vintage Impulse Buy Content)

oh man, its silverface. well, still pretty cool I guess. You could pobably sell it for about what you got it for without too much problem if you want to.
 
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