I would like to find out when Fender first introduced the 65 Deluxe Reverb amp reissue. And how to date them. Thanks for any help. Classic Serial Numbers - 1954 - 1963. By mid-1954, Fender began using a universal serial number sequence for all its instruments. At this time, the location of the serial number also shifted from the bridge to the neckplate (the metal plate located on back of where the neck meets the body).
by Greg Gagliano Copyright 2010, Vintage Guitar Magazine This article updates information from research started in 1995 and most recently published in 2002.The progress of this type of work is slow, hence the long hiatus, however, a lot of new data have been collected regarding Fender amplifiers, including production numbers.Advances have been made with regards to the production of 1960-67 tolex amps and it appears that much of this information can be applied to late 1950s tweed amps as well. In addition, the dating-by-serial number tables have been revised and are more accurate.Thatâs the good news.The bad news is that there is still a lot of work that needs to be done on the silverface amps. Unfortunately, there is some sad news to report as well.Fellow Fender amp researcher, Greg Huntington, passed away June 5, 2007 after losing his battle with cancer.Greg kept his illness very private, even from this author.His passing is a great loss to this research team and the Fender amp aficionado community in general.Greg was passionate about Fender amps and his knowledge, insight and humor will be missed very much. Paul Linden has volunteered to fill in for Greg.Paul worked with Greg on their small box brown Twin myth busting research and is extremely knowledgeable about Fender amps in general with a specialization in the brown and blonde amps. Since 2002, more interesting factoids of interest have surfaced and are presented here. Caveat emptor!Interest in vintage Fender amps really took hold about 8-10 years ago.As a result, there are a lot of amps out there that may look original, but are not.Yes, just as with vintage Fender guitars that get the âpartocasterâ treatment, Fender amps are suffering the same fate.There are some bad guys out there selling Fender amps of dubious origins, so itâs important to get this info into the public domain.Some things are very obvious such as non-original or reconed speakers, non-original transformers, replaced pots, re-tweed, re-tolex, re-grill, etc. and these changes are often disclosed and of a non-malicious nature.But other changes may be meant to deceive. Other things to look for include chasses placed in cabinets from a different year, âdoctoredâ tube charts, non-original control plates (usually reproductions) on silverface amps, original transformer bell ends (they have correct date codes, of course) on non-original transformers, and non-original knobs (either repro or silverface knobs on blackface amps).These modifications are making this research more difficult for a couple of reasons.First, the parts that donât make sense must be reconciled and second, shady sellers arenât disclosing or allowing close scrutiny of their amps (for obvious reasons).The bottom line is to do your homework or enlist the aid of an expert. Do you have a silverface Twin Reverb Amp or Dual Showman Reverb Amp with the serial number A23373?A lot of people do and hereâs a plausible explanation based on the evidence.Sometime in 1970, Fender ordered a bunch of Twin Reverb/Dual Showman Reverb chasses from their supplier.The machine that stamped the serial number into the back of the chassis got stuck on number A23373 and a lot of pieces were stamped with this number.It would have been very costly to destroy these units so two remedies were implemented.First, a foil sticker containing a 4-digit serial number was affixed to the chassis over the A23373.Unfortunately, these often peeled off or were removed by the ampâs owner thus revealing the A23373 number.The second thing that was done was the addition of another number stamped into the chassis as a suffix to the A23373 serial number, e.g. A23373-155. So how many of these chasses were made?Well, for the 4-digit serials affixed on a foil sticker, numbers as low as 0127 and has high as 3765 have been observed.Assuming they were all used sequentially and starting at 0100, there would be around 3700 non-master volume silverface Twin Reverbs and Dual Showman Reverbs out there.The amps that received the stamped suffix must also be added to this sub-total.The lowest suffix observed to date is A23373-39 and the highest is A23379-2916.Assuming the suffixes started with -01 and went to -3000, there would be around 3000 of these floating around.Of course, this is all hypothetical, but still plausible. In addition to A23373, it appears the stamping machine stuck on serial number A23378 as four distinct amps with this number has been reported.Could it be the machine also got stuck on A23374, -75, -76, and -77?These have not been observed or reported so the answer remains unknown. Fender had a big transitional year for their amps in 1960.The tweed amps were being phased out and the brown/blonde amps were introduced.Although there are always strange amps from any era (tweed, brown/blonde, blackface, silverface), more changes probably occurred in 1960 than any other year.A lot of unusual things can be found such as the empty âPulse Adjustâ hole on the rear of early â60 brown amps, the âmiddleâ volume control, use of tweed style grill cloth, strange non-documented transitional circuits, and changes in tolex color including the super-rare cream colored âbrownâ tolex that is found on some late â60 amps. But changes took place in 1961 as well.This was the first year for the blonde 6G9 Tremolux.The first Tremolux (6G9) used 6BQ5 power tubes and later in the year, the 6L6GC-equipped Tremolux (6G9-A) took its place.Thatâs common knowledge.To make things more interesting, there were two versions of the 6G9 6BQ5 circuit.The earliest version had 12 coupling caps.The best estimate is that about 100 of these were made before the circuit was revised.The revised amp had 14 coupling caps and there may have been upwards of 150 made.Since these amps are so rare, it is impossible to comment on the technical or tonal differences between the two circuits. Another anomaly was observed in 1961 with the 6G6-A Bassman.It seems that some of these amps were fitted with an output transformer from the blonde Twin Amp during the autumn of â61.These examples all have the GZ34 rectifier tube (as found in the 6G6), yet the tube charts are 6G6-A.The 6G6-A lost its rectifier tube in favor of solid state rectification and its 1x12 8-ohm speaker in favor of a 2x12 4-ohm cabinet in December â61.However, on the very first examples of this amp made in December â61 and the first half of January 1962, Fender didnât change one very important item â the output transformer. Rather than waste those 8-ohm output transformers in stock from previous 6G6 production, Fender used them up on the first 6G6-A with 4-ohm speaker cabinets.Yes, Fender went with a deliberate mismatch, not unlike the 3x10 brown Bandmasters that shipped with 8-ohm output transformers.Very few of these were and those who own one of these oddballs can either be happy with the fact that it is a rare amp or be sad that the mismatched impedance means the amp is less efficient.Regardless, it is still a good sounding amp so thatâs all that counts. And now for an important update!The following charts are the revised dating tables for Fender tube amps.The revisions were made based on data collected since the tables were initially published.Some tables changed very little and others changed quite a bit.Unfortunately, good dating information for silverface amps from the 1970s is still lacking and thatâs why there isnât much new information for amps made from 1972-76.For some reason, folks are willing to poke their head into tweed, blonde, brown and blackface amps, but not into silverface amps.Perhaps the collectability of these more recent models, though still climbing, isnât at a high enough level to generate the interest.Without date codes from transformers, pots and/or speakers, itâs not possible to predict amp dates by serial number. Eventually, the hope is to have enough info for a more detailed breakdown on the B series, A+6 digit and F+6 digit series.For now, the dating schemes for these series are: A6 + 5-digits â 1976-77 A7 + 5-digits â 1977-78 A8 + 5-digits â 1978-79 A9 + 5-digits â 1979-80 B + 5-digits â 1975, 1976 F9 + 5-digits â 1979-80 F0 + 5-digits â 1980-81 F1 + 5-digits â 1981-82 F2 + 5-digits â 1982-83 F3 + 5-digits â 1983-84 F4 + 5-digits â 1984 Finally, these tables are only a guide.There will be amps with serial numbers that lie outside of the listed ranges.This is no different with published dating tables for vintage Fender guitars and basses.For better or worse, this concept is common to this endeavor. Bandmaster 5C7, 5D7 (tweed) 0001 to 0800 â 1953 5000 to 5600 â 1954 Bandmaster 5E7 (tweed) S00001 to S00600 â 1955 S00500 to S01200 â 1956 S01200 to S01800 â 1957 S01800 to S02500 â 1958 S02500 to S03700 â 1959 Bandmaster 5G7, 6G7 (brown) 00001 to 01750 â 1960 Bandmaster 6G7, 6G7-A (blonde) 01750 to 02400 â 1960 02300 to 05200 â 1961 52000 to 57000 â 1962 57000 to 59400 â 1963 Bandmaster AA763, AB763 (blackface) A00590 to A01700 â 1963 A01700 to A07700 â 1964 A07700 to A17000 â 1965 A16000 to A22000 â 1966 A19700 to A27000 â 1967 Bandmaster AB763, AC568 (silverface) A26000 to A29000 â 1967 A28500 to A35000 â 1968 A33000 to A34000 â 1969 A34000 to A46000 â 1970-72 Bandmaster Reverb AA768, AA1069, AA270, TFL5005 (silverface) A30500 to A35000 â 1968 A35000 to A45000 â 1969 A45000 to A49000 â 1970 A49000 to A54000 â 1971 A54000 to A58000 â 1972 A58000 to A66000 â 1973 A66000 to A76000 â 1974 A76000 to A79000 â 1975 A79000 to A80000 â 1976 Bassman 5B6 (tweed) 0001 to 0350 â 1951 (TV front) 0250 to 0400 â 1952 (Wide panel) 0400 to 0650 â 1953 (Wide panel) Bassman 5D6, 5D6-A (tweed) 0001 to 0100 â 1954 0100 to 0900 â 1955 Bassman 5E6, 5E6-A (tweed) BM00200 to BM00550 â 1955 BM00550 to BM01200 â 1956 BM01200 to BM01600 â 1957 Bassman 5F6, 5F6-A (tweed) BM00001 to BM00450 â 1957 BM00450 to BM01500 â 1958 BM01500 to BM03100 â 1959 BM03100 to BM04600 â 1960 Bassman 6G6, 6G6-A, 6G6-B (blonde) BP00100 to BP01100 â 1961 BP01100 to BP05100 â 1962 BP05100 to BP08400 â 1963 BP08400 to BP12200 â 1964 Bassman AA864, AA165, AB165 (blackface) A00100 to A03800 â 1964 A03800 to A15000 â 1965 A15000 to A25000 â 1966 A24000 to A33300 â 1967 Bassman AB165, AC568, AA270, AA371 (silverface) A33300 to A40000 â 1967 A39000 to A49000 â 1968 A48000 to A58000 â 1969 A58000 to A60000 â 1970 A59000 to A64000 â 1971 Bassman 50 (silverface) A62000 to A67000 â 1972 A67000 to A70000 â 1973 Bronco AB764 (silverface) A19000 to A21000 â 1967 A21000 to A26000 â 1968 A26000 to A28500 â 1969 A28500 to A29000 â 1970 A29000 to A32000 â 1971 A32000 to A35000 â 1972 A33000 to A40000 â 1973 A40000 to A42000 â 1974 A42000 to A51000 â 1975 Champion 800 (tweed) 01 to 1000 â 1948-49 Champion 600 5B1 (tweed) 01 to 1300 â 1948-49 1300 to 1700 â 1950 1700 to 4200 â 1951-52 Champ 5C1, 5D1 (tweed) 4200 to 6600 â 1953 6600 to 8000 â 1954 8000 to 9300 â 1955 Champ5E1, 5F1 (tweed) C00001 to C00800 â 1955 C00800 to C03100 â 1956 C03100 to C06000 â 1957 C06000 to C08900 â 1958 C08900 to C12400 â 1959 C12400 to C15400 â 1960 C15400 to C17200 â 1961 C17200 to C19800 â 1962 C19800 to C21000 â 1963 C21000 to C22900 â 1964 Champ AA764 (blackface) A00100 to A02000 â 1964 A02000 to A05100 â 1965 A05100 to A11200 â 1966 A11200 to A12500 â 1967 Champ AA764 (silverface) A12500 to A14600 â 1968 A14600 to A17800 â 1969 A17800 to A30000 â 1970 A30000 to A32000 â 1971 A32000 to A35000 â 1972 A32000 to A42000 â 1973 A42000 to A50000 â 1974 A50000 to A63000 â 1975 A63000 to A85000 - 1976 Concert 5G12, 6G12, 6G12-A (brown) 00001 to 02400 â 1960 02300 to 04900 â 1961 52000 to 57000 â 1962 56000 to 59300 â 1963 Concert AA763, AB763 (blackface) A00400 to A00900 â 1963 A02100 to A08500 â 1964 A08500 to A09800 â 1965 Model 26 Deluxe (woodie) 100 to 1500 â 1946-48 Deluxe 5A3, 5B3 (tweed) 001 to 800 â 1948 800 to 1800 â 1949 1800 to 3000 â 1950 3000 to 5400 â 1951 5400 to 6800 â 1952 6800 to 7500 â 1953 Deluxe 5C3, 5D3 (tweed) 0001 to 1600 â 1953 1600 to 3600 â 1954 3600 to 5300 â 1955 Deluxe 5E3 (tweed) D00001 to D01400 â 1955 D01400 to D02800 â 1956 D02800 to D04900 â 1957 D04900 to D06800 â 1958 D06800 to D09000 â 1959 D09000 to D10300 â 1960 D10300 to D10700 â 1961 Deluxe 6G3, 6G3-A (brown) D00100 to D00900 â 1961 D00900 to D03800 â 1962 D03800 to D04900 â 1963 Deluxe AA763, AB763 (blackface) A00100 to A00600 â 1963 A00600 to A02800 â 1964 Fender Deluxe Reverb Serial NumberA02800 to A05600 â 1965 A05600 to A05900 â 1966 A05900 to A06500 â 1967 Deluxe Reverb AA763, AB763 (blackface) A00100 to A00300 â 1963 A00300 to A03900 â 1964 A03900 to A12800 â 1965 A12000 to A18400 â 1966 A18400 to A24000 â 1967 Deluxe Reverb AB763, AB868 (silverface) A24000 to A26000 â 1967 A26000 to A28500 â 1968 A28500 to A33000 â 1969 A32700 to A33000 â 1970 A33000 to A34500 â 1971 A34500 to A36000 â 1972 A36000 to A39000 â 1973 A39000 to A42000 â 1974 A42000 to A43000 â 1975 A43000 to A45000 â 1976 Dual Showman AA763, AB763 (blackface) A00100 to A01500 â 1963 A01500 to A01800 â 1964 A01800 to A04300 â 1965 A04300 to A07800 â 1966 A07800 to A12000 â 1967 Dual Showman AB763, AC568 (silverface) A12000 to A12500 â 1967 A12500 to A16000 â 1968 Dual Showman Reverb AA768, AA769, AA270, TFL5000 (silverface) A10600 to A16500 â 1968 A16500 to A22400 â 1969 A21700 to A25600 â 1970 A25600 to A37000 â 1971 A37000 to A50500 â 1972 A50500 to A68000 â 1973 A68000 to A99999 â 1974 A81000 to A99999 â 1975 B01000 to B15000 â 1975 B15000 to B68000 â 1976 Harvard 5F10 (tweed) H00001 to H00500 â 1956 H00500 to H01300 â 1957 H01300 to H02000 â 1958 H02000 to H02600 â 1959 H02600 to H03300 â 1960 H03300 to H03800 â 1961 Musicmaster Bass CFA-7010 (silverface) A00100 to A01000 â 1970 A01000 to A02500 â 1971 A02500 to A04100 â 1972 A04100 to A07900 â 1973 A07900 to A09500 â 1974 A09500 to A09800 â 1975 A09800 to A10500 â 1976 Princeton 5B2, 5C2, 5D2 (tweed) 2500 to 3600 â 1953 3600 to 4400 â 1954 4400 to 4800 â 1955 Princeton 5E2 (tweed) P0001 to P00375 â 1955 Princeton 5F2, 5F2-A (tweed) P0001 to P01100 â 1956 P01100 to P02500 â 1957 P02500 to P03100 â 1958 P03100 to P04300 â 1959 P04300 to P05300 â 1960 P05300 to P05600 â 1961 Princeton 6G2, 6G2-A (brown) P00100 to P00900 â 1961 P00900 to P05100 â 1962 P05100 to P07200 â 1963 P07200 to P09900 â 1964 Princeton AA964 (blackface) A00100 to A02500 â 1964 A02500 to A07000 â 1965 A05000 to A09900 â 1966 Princeton AA964 (silverface) A09900 to A11000 â 1967-68 A11000 to A15000 â 1969-70 Princeton Reverb AA1164 (blackface) A00100 to A02100 â 1964 A02100 to A07100 â 1965 A06500 to A14700 â 1966 A14700 to A18700 â 1967 Princeton Reverb AA1164, B1270 (silverface) A18700 to A19500 â 1967 A19500 to A22000 â 1968 A22000 to A25500 â 1969 A23000 to A25000 â 1970 A25500 to A26000 â 1971 A26000 to A27500 â 1972 A27500 to A30000 â 1973 A30000 to A32500 â 1974 A32500 to A34500 â 1975 A34500 to A36000 â 1976 Pro 5A5, 5B5, 5C5, 5D5 (tweed) 01 to 600 â 1948 600 to 1100 â 1949 1100 to 1800 â 1950 1800 to 2500 â 1951 2500 to 3500 â 1952 3500 to 4800 â 1953 4500 to 5900 â 1954 59000 to 6100 â 1955 Pro 5E5, 5E5-A, 5E5-B (tweed) S00080 to S00350 â 1955 S00350 to S01200 â 1956 S01200 to S01900 â 1957 S01900 to S02500 â 1958 S02500 to S03600 â 1959 Pro 5G5, 6G5, 6G5-A (brown) 00001 to 02000 â 1960 02300 to 05200 â 1961 53000 to 57500 â 1962 58000 to 58100 â 1963 Pro AA763, AB763 (blackface) A00170 to A01800 â 1963 A02700 to A06500 â 1964 Pro Reverb AA165 (blackface) A00100 to A02700 â 1965 A02700 to A06200 â 1966 A06200 to A10200 â 1967 Pro Reverb AA1265, AB668, AA1069, AA270 (silverface) A10300 to A12000 â 1968 A12000 to A13300 â 1969 A13300 to A14500 â 1970 A14500 to A15000 â 1971 A15000 to A15600 â 1972 A15600 to A17200 â 1973 A17200 to A19700 â 1974 A19700 to A20000 â 1975 A20000 to A21200 â 1976 Quad Reverb CFA7104 (silverface) A34800 to A37000 â 1971 A37000 to A50500 â 1972 A50500 to A68000 â 1973 A68000 to A99999 â 1974 A81000 to A99999 â 1975 B01000 to B15000 â 1975 B15000 to B68000 â 1976 Reverb Unit 6G15 (brown, blonde, blackface) R00100 to R00900 â 1961 R00900 to R02600 â 1962 R02600 to R04800 â 1963 R04800 to R07400 â 1964 R07400 to R09800 â 1965 R09800 to R11000 â 1966 Showman 6G14, 6G14-A (blonde) 00001 to 00350 â 1960 00200 to 00800 â 1961 00800 to 01500 â 1962 01500 to 01900 â 1963 Showman AA763, AB763 (blackface) A00100 to A01500 â 1963 A01500 to A01800 â 1964 A01800 to A04300 â 1965 A04300 to A07800 â 1966 A07800 to A12000 â 1967 Showman AB763 (silverface) A12000 to A12500 â 1967 A12500 to A16000 â 1968 Super incl. Dual Professional (tweed) 01 to 400 â 1946-47 400 to 1300 â 1948-51 2000 to 5000 â 1952-53 5000 to 6000 â 1954 6000 to 6100 â 1955 Super 5E4, 5F4 (tweed) S00001 to S00300 â 1955 S00300 to S00800 â 1956 S00800 to S01700 â 1957 S01700 to S02500 â 1958 S02500 to S03500 â 1959 Super 5G4, 6G4, 6G4-A (brown) 00001 to 02600 â 1960 02600 to 04600 â 1961 04500 to 05200 â 1962 52000 to 57500 â 1962 57000 to 59400 â 1963 Super Reverb AA763, AB763 (blackface) A00100 to A00600 â 1963 A00600 to A06000 â 1964 A06000 to A13000 â 1965 A13000 to A20000 â 1966 A20000 to A27000 â 1967 Super Reverb AB763, AB568, AA1069, AA270 (silverface) A26000 to A29000 â 1967 A29000 to A35000 â 1968 A35000 to A45000 â 1969 A45000 to A49000 â 1970 A49000 to A54000 â 1971 A54000 to A58000 â 1972 A58000 to A66000 â 1973 A66000 to A76000 â 1974 A76000 to A79000 â 1975 A79000 to A80000 â 1976 B59000 to B60000 â 1976 Super Six Reverb CFA7106 (silverface) A33000 to A37000 â 1971 A37000 to A50500 â 1972 A50500 to A67000 â 1973 A67000 to A99999 â 1974 A81000 to A99999 â 1975 B01000 to B15000 â 1975 B15000 to B68000 â 1976 Tremolux 5E9, 5E9-A (tweed) 0001 to 00650 â 1955 00650 to 00950 â 1956 00950 to 01200 â 1957 01200 to 01800 â 1958 01800 to 02700 â 1959 02600 to 03300 â 1960 Tremolux 6G9, 6G9-A, 6G9-B (blonde) 00100 to 00950 â 1961 00950 to 04800 â 1962 04500 to 05900 â 1963 Tremolux AA763, AB763 (blackface) A00100 to A00500 â 1963 A00500 to A03700 â 1964 A03200 to A05700 â 1965 A05200 to A08100 â 1966 Twin 5C8, 5D8, 5D8-A, 5E8, 5E8-A (tweed) 001 to 600 â 1953-55 A00100 to A00725 â 1955-57 Twin 5F8, 5F8-A (tweed) A00001 to A00780 â 1957-60 Twin 6G8, 6G8-A (blonde) 00001 to 00100 â 1960 00100 to 00225 â 1961 00225 to 00400 â 1962 00400 to 00525 â 1963 Twin Reverb AA763, AB763 (blackface) A00100 to A01000 â 1964 A01000 to A04300 â 1965 A04300 to A07000 â 1966 A07000 to A10400 â 1967 Twin Reverb AB763, AC568, AA769, AA270 (silverface) A10400 to A10500 â 1967 A10500 to A16000 â 1968 A16000 to A21500 â 1969 A21500 to A25600 â 1970 A25600 to A37000 â 1971 A37000 to A50500 â 1972 A50500 to A68000 â 1973 A68000 to A99999 â 1974 A81000 to A99999 â 1975 B01000 to B15000 â 1975 B15000 to B68000 â 1976 Vibrasonic 5G13, 6G13, 6G13-A (brown) 00001 to 00350 â 1960 00200 to 00800 â 1961 00800 to 01500 â 1962 01500 to 01900 â 1963 Vibro Champ AA764 (blackface) A00100 to A01300 â 1964 A01300 to A09300 â 1965 A09300 to A16500 â 1966 A16500 to A20500 â 1967 Vibro Champ AA764 (silverface) A19000 to A21000 â 1967 A21000 to A26000 â 1968 A26000 to A28500 â 1969 A28500 to A29000 â 1970 A29000 to A32000 â 1971 A32000 to A35000 â 1972 A33000 to A40000 â 1973 A40000 to A42000 â 1974 A42000 to A51000 â 1975 A51000 to A53000 â 1976 B64600 to B66200 â 1976 Vibrolux 5F11 (tweed) F00001 to F00300 â 1956 F00300 to F00900 â 1957 F00900 to F01600 â 1958 F01600 to F02800 â 1959 F02800 to F04000 â 1960 F04000 to F04400 â 1961 Vibrolux 6G11, 6G11-A (brown) 00100 to 00700 â 1961 00700 to 04200 â 1962 04200 to 05500 â 1963 Vibrolux AA763 (blackface) A00100 to A01300 â 1964 Vibrolux Reverb AA864 (blackface) A00100 to A00850 â 1964 A00850 to A03900 â 1965 A03600 to A08300 â 1966 A08300 to A10700 â 1967 Vibrolux Reverb AA864, AA964, AB568, AA270 (silverface) A10700 to A11000 â 1967 A11000 to A12000 â 1968 A12000 to A13600 â 1969 A13600 to A23400 â 1970 A23400 to A24500 â 1971 A24500 to A25000 â 1972 A25000 to A27000 â 1973 A27000 to A31500 â 1974 A31500 to A33000 â 1975 A33000 to A34000 â 1976 Vibrosonic Reverb (silverface) A43000 to A50500 â 1972 A50500 to A68000 â 1973 A68000 to A99999 â 1974 A81000 to A99999 â 1975 B01000 to B15000 â 1975 B15000 to B68000 â 1976 Vibroverb 6G16 (brown) 00100 to 00600 â 1963 Vibroverb AA763, AB763 (blackface) A00100 to A00400 â 1963 A00400 to A05300 â 1964 Here is another caveat about reading these tables. Given that people may refer to this information seeking specific production quantities of amps they are curious about, it should be pointed out that the serial numbers apply to chassis types, and not specifically to amplifier models. Looking at serial numbers next to the â60 5G5 brown Pro Amp for example, we see numbers ranging from 00001 to 02000, suggesting that there are 2000 of these amplifiers made in â60. Since several models can share one chassis type (for example, the early brown 5G7 Bandmaster, 5G5 Pro and 5G12 Concert), this kind of interpretation is inaccurate. Instead, there were approximately 2000 of these chasses produced, which then ended up as one of the three models in question. It would be more accurate to say that approx 650 of each of these models were produced in â60. Thanks to everyone who sent information about their amp(s).Many thanks to Andrew Waugh for his help with the 1982-84 tube amps.Andrew works in parallel with this research, but is specializing in the Rivera era blackface amps.As with the late â70s serialization patterns, the early 1980s amps are a tough nut to crack and his task is even more daunting because the solid state amps also get thrown into the mix. Special thanks to Bassman specialist extraordinaire, Clarke Blanton for his assistance with updating the Bassman dating tables and providing other Bassman facts and figures.Not too many people know more about the Bassman than Clarke. Extra special thanks to co-researchers, Devin âThe Tweed Kingâ Riebe, Paul Linden, and the late Greg Huntington, for their invaluable assistance with collecting data and information about Fender amps. Back to GGJaguar's Bibliography
Fender amp 'tailed' logo
Fender amp 'tailless' logo
Leo Fender began building guitar amplifiers before he started manufacturing electric guitars. The first of these were the K&F models, produced between 1945 and 1946. The early K&F and Fender amplifiers relied upon vacuum tube circuitry, with the company adding solid-state models in the late 1960s. Early amplifiers: K&F and Woodie[edit]The first 'Fender' amplifiers were manufactured by Leo Fender and Doc Kauffman, doing business as the K&F Manufacturing Corporation.[1] In a steel case, most were finished in a 'gray crinkle' finish, baked in the Kauffman family oven. They were made in three sizes, 1Ã8' (one 8-inch speaker), 1Ã10', and 1Ã15'. They are all very rare today and few have survived. The first amplifiers made in-house by the Fender Electric Instrument Company have been dubbed the Woodie series, built in 1946 through 1948. They included the Model 26 Deluxe, the Princeton, and the Professional. Tweed models[edit]
1953 Fender Champ in tweed covering, wide-panel cabinet
Fender amplifiers became established with the tweed series, wood cases covered in varnished cotton twill in the manner of suitcases of the era. (The nickname is a misnomer, as tweed is a coarse woollen fabric, often woven in a twill pattern.) They were produced for more than a decade. The first cloth used was an off-white fabric, followed by a horizontal-stripe two-tone pattern, and finally a two-tone twill. The twill covering was first used in 1946 on the Dual Professional, a twin 10' 6L6-powered model of which only 400 were made before being renamed 'the Super Amp' in 1948. These early models are referred to as 'TV-Fronts' due to the shape of the cabinet when viewed from above. The Dual Pro was the first twin-speaker amplifier, and also the first to employ a finger-jointed pine cabinet and the amp with a top-facing control panel.[further explanation needed] The construction of the chassis was changed as well, mounted to the back with the tubes pointed down, as opposed to having the chassis mounted on the top of the cabinet. This has the benefit of providing ease of access to the inside while providing a strong top. Fender largely ceased the twill covering in 1960, though the Harvard continued until 1963, and the Champ until 1964. At the beginning of the 'tweed' era, Fender constructed many of its cabinets in 'TV front' style, changing around 1950 predominantly to the 'wide panel', where the top and bottom panels are wider than the side. Fender later constructed them with 'narrow panel', in which all the panels have more or less the same width. Toward the end, despite keeping such construction, Fender utilized Tolex to cover its amps. Brownface (Brown and Blonde)[edit]
Blonde twin, 1963
The Brownface series was introduced in 1959 and discontinued in 1963. This period marked the beginning of Fender's use of Tolex to cover amp cabinets. The name 'brownface' stems from the brown-colored control panels, common to both the brown- and cream/blonde- Tolex-covered amps. The brownface amps originally featured a dark maroon or 'oxblood' grillcloth, which was changed to 'wheat' in 1962-63. The shift from tweed to Tolex occurred in limited production in 1960. The tolex on the earliest versions in this era was pinkish brown and rough textured. There were only six amplifiers covered in tolex originally, the Professional Series: Bandmaster, Concert, Pro, Super, Twin (production halted Feb-May 1960, resumed as the blonde Twin) and Vibrasonic. These were considered a step above the student models (Champ, Harvard, Princeton) which remained tweed-covered in 1960. Grillcloth was initially the same as used in the previous tweed era, maroon with gold stripe. Beginning in mid to late 1961, Fender introduced another color combination: a smoother but still light brown tolex with a dark maroon or 'oxblood' grillcloth. By mid-1961, after this short-lived look, Fender was using the darker brown tolex which was a mainstay for many of the mid-1961 to 1963 amps. Between 1961 and 1963, there were three different grillcloth colors: wheat, brown, and maroon and many tolex-grille color combinations are found suggesting that Fender was not reluctant to use up whatever stocks of materials were on hand. Mar 1, 2018 - MoboMarket APK contains apps and games and has a nice and intuitive. Download MoboMarket if you need a free app from the Productivity. Jun 26, 2018 - Download Mobomarket APK for Android. The app store is free, and you will find tons of free stuff on the Appstore like themes, wallpapers,. MoboMarket, free and safe download. MoboMarket latest version: Free Software to Browse the Latest Android Applications. The Brown amplifiers included all of the all-in-one combo models except the flagship Twin and Vibrasonic, and the little Champ which retained its 'tweed' (twill) covering. The Blonde amplifiers included all of the piggyback Fender amps (the Tremolux, Bassman, Showman, and Bandmaster) as well as the Twin and Vibrasonic combos. Two different colors of grillcloth were featured on the blondes, oxblood and wheat. There are several experimental Fender Tweed amps in blonde. While the majority of the piggybacks were produced in blonde tolex, there are a few examples of the brown tolex Bassman amplifiers. Accomplishments for the company's amplifier division during these years include the introduction of the stand-alone spring reverb unit in 1961, followed by incorporation of the reverb circuit within a combo-amp design with the 1963 Vibroverb. Other changes include the shift of the top-of-the-line model from the traditional Twin to include other models, like the Vibrasonic in early 1960, as well as the blonde Showman in 1961. Fender began using silicon rectifiers to reduce heat and voltage sag caused by tube rectifiers, and introduced an all-new, very complex vibrato circuit. The Deluxe made the transition in 1961. The circuit was also changed to include a tremolo effect, and the output was increased. As the brown-era wore on, the plight of the smaller amps was varied. They all remained in name at least except for the 1x10' Harvard which was not continued through 1961.[2] The 1x8' Champ-Amp remained a tweed-covered through 1963 and into 64 when it made the change to black tolex. The 1x10' Vibrolux remained a tweed amp until it was upgraded in 1961 to a single 12' speaker powered by a duet of 6L6 power tubes and a larger output transformer. Also upgraded from tweed was the Princeton which acquired its brown tolex in 1962 along with a completely redesigned, more powerful twin-6v6 circuit and a larger speaker array: 1x10'. Blackface[edit]
Blackface Deluxe Reverb
Blackface Princeton Reverb
The Blackface amplifiers were produced between 1963 and 1967 (some units continued to be made into early 1968). The earliest blackface piggyback amps (as well as the Princeton) had bodies covered in blonde tolex, but with the new back control panel with black skirted 'hat shaped' numbered knobs and new circuitry featuring bright switches. In 1964 the piggyback units began to be covered in black tolex. The blackface cosmetics were phased out at the end of 1967 (though some continued to be made on into early 1968); they returned for a brief period in 1981 before their discontinuation the following year. Blackfaced cosmetics do not necessarily mean 'pre-CBS' since the CBS company takeover took place in 1965 and amps with blackfaced cosmetics were produced up to 1967. After the buyout the front panels were changed from 'Fender Electric Instrument Co.' to 'Fender Musical Instruments'. No real changes were made to the amps until the silverfaced amps of 1968 where certain circuit changes made them less desirable than the blackfaced amps. This affected some models more than others. For example, the Twin Reverb and Super Reverb combos, along with the Dual Showman Reverb and Bandmaster Reverb 'piggyback' heads were equipped with a master volume control while other models such as the Deluxe Reverb were not altered in any way except for the change in cosmetics. Silverface cosmetics do not necessarily denote silverface circuitry, however. Leo Fender was notorious for tweaking his designs.[3] During the transitional period from late 1967 to mid-1968, the circuit designs of the Twin Reverb and Super Reverb were altered to eliminate an uncommon but serious oscillation in the signal chain. These changes took some months to finalize, as Leo worked through some designs, and happened after the cosmetic changes. Furthermore, the schematic and tube charts that shipped with these models did not always reflect the actual circuitry. Fender had many leftover AB763 (blackface) tube charts left over well into 1969 and shipped these charts with silverface models. Save for a few series (such as HotRod series), a majority of modern Fender amplifiers sports blackface cosmetics. Silverface[edit]
Silverface Twin Reverb, 1973
Silverface Princeton
Fender Silverfaceamplifiers were built between 1967 and 1981. They are often referred to as Silverface (or Chromeface) because of their brushed aluminum face plate. The first Silverface amps, manufactured between 1967 and 1969, had an aluminum frame (trim, known as a 'drip edge') around the grillcloth, mid-1960s 'tailed' amp logo and the AB763 blackface circuit. An even rarer feature were the vertical, narrow black lines, which separated knob groups in the control panel. This cosmetic detail (later referred to as 'blackline') was quickly abandoned. All of the Silverface amps generally had blue labels on the face plate, but in some rare exceptions (such as the Bronco) the colour was red instead. Some transitional models produced before the 'tailless' period in 1973 featured the AC568 circuit, still retaining the tailed Fender amp decal introduced in 1964. In 1973 CBS changed the 'tailed' Fender amp logo to the modern-looking 'tailless' style (which was first introduced in 1967 on the student Bronco amp). A master volume knob and a pull-out 'boost' pot were added on some amplifiers, followed by ultralinear output transformers and a 'scripted tailless' amp decal (featuring a 'Made in USA' script in the bottom) in 1977; the power was increased between 70 and 135 watts on certain models. All Silverface models usually came with a sparkling silver/blue grillcloth (some later models had a non-standard sparkling silver/orange grillcloth, and a black grillcloth was even fitted to some production runs). The Silverface control face plate was discontinued in 1981 and the second series of the blackface amps designed by Paul Rivera were produced.[4] Paul Rivera went on to found Rivera Amplifiers. Fender made a limited-edition Mini-Twin practice amplifier modeled after the mid-70s Twin Reverb models in 1996. The Silverface Edition MT-10 had the authentic look right down to the grillcloth. This 1-watt Twin featured 3 in. speakers, 'skirted' style Fender knobs for Gain, Volume, Tone and Power and included a tilt-back stand. In 2013, Fender released the silverface '68 Custom amplifiers as a part of their Vintage Modified series, modeled after the original drip-edge silverfaced amps of 1968. Models included the Twin Reverb, Deluxe Reverb, and Princeton Reverb, and a Vibrolux Reverb was added to the line the following year. Each amp incorporates reverb and tremolo on both channels. Other features include a Custom channel (which has a modified Bassman tone stack giving modern players greater tonal flexibility with pedals), quicker gain onset and reduced negative feedback for greater touch sensitivity. Early solid-state models[edit]Fender's first transistor amplifiers were introduced in 1966. At the time they were the company's 'flagship' range and aimed to make the tube-based designs obsolete. The amplifiers were naturally given traditional Fender model names, earliest including 'Dual Showman', 'Twin Reverb', and 'Bassman'. Other products in the line were the 'Solid-State Reverb Unit' and the 'Solid-State Public-Address System'. 'Super Reverb', 'Pro Reverb', 'Vibrolux Reverb' and 'Deluxe Reverb' amplifiers followed in 1967. The amplifiers were mainly designed by Robert 'Bob' Rissi, Sawa Jacobson and Paul Spranger, who came up with the novel idea of making a heatsink to operate like a chimney to achieve increased and non-restricted airflow. Paul also designed the distinctive angled chassis and overall cosmetic styling. He was granted patents for both accounts.
1966 Vibrolux Reverb
In 1969 more transistor amplifiers were introduced, including the 'Zodiac' series and the behemoth 'Super Showman System'. Seth Lover, the legendary designer of the Gibson 'P.A.F.' pickup, and another former Gibson employee, Richard Chauncey Evans, were hired to help in designing the latter series, which consisted of an 'SS-1000' preamplifier head and 'XFL-1000' and 'XFL-2000' self-powered speaker cabinets. The head featured three cascadable channels, a 'Dimension V' oil can delay effect, reverb, vibrato, and a fuzz. The powered cabinets could switch between normal and 'tube-emulated' operation. Zodiac-series amplifiers consisted of 'Capricorn', 'Scorpio', 'Taurus' and 'Libra' models. Aside from being covered with fake alligator skin, they were cosmetically very similar to Super Showman. However, these were smaller combo amplifiers with fewer features and aimed for the lower end of the market. Fender's early transistor amplifiers had an extensive marketing campaign but in the end they proved to be a major disaster. Many key executives of Fender had resigned after the CBS purchase and quality control of the PCB-constructed amps was rather sloppy during the times. Reputedly many of the early solid-state amplifiers failed simply because employees didn't bother to clean up the soldering machines or attach the semiconductors properly to their heat sinks. The infancy of semiconductor technology also meant that many designs failed due to thermal runaway caused by insufficient cooling or lack of knowledge concerning 'safe' power ratings of transistors. The cascaded effects from all this created a very poor reputation for the transistor products and the entire solid-state line was discontinued already in 1971. Additionally the experience also scared Fender away from solid-state amplifier technology for the next ten years. One well known player who took to the Fender Solid State amps was Jan Akkerman who used Super Showman full stacks during the early years of Focus, favouring their clear sound. He used them well into the seventies, often in conjunction with Marshalls to add low end. Second series blackface[edit]The Silverface amplifiers were succeeded by a new breed of Fender designs. Fender was now competing with manufacturers who were more in tune with the market; specifically, many guitar players were interested less in 'cleanish' country amp and instead wanted more versatile tone controls and, perhaps more importantly, greater amounts of distortion. This market was dominated by companies such as Marshall and later Mesa Boogieâboth of which had gotten started modifying Fender amps (the Bassman and the Princeton, respectively). Certain elements of the Blackface cosmetics were reintroduced in the mid-1970s on a series of amplifiers designed by Ed Jahns. The first amplifiers in this new line included the infamous 180W 'Super Twin' and 'Super Twin Reverb' amplifiers which featured active tone controls and a built-in distortion circuit that blended between clean and distorted sounds. Some bass amplifiers with similar architecture were also released, namely the 'Studio Bass' and 'PS300'. These amplifiers didn't yet render obsolete the Silverface series and manufacturing of both co-existed for years. In fact, many Silverface designs were revised to the ultra-linear architecture to step up their output power from 100 watts to 135 watts. Also, existing Silverface Princeton Reverb and Deluxe Reverb circuits were offered in a slightly modified Blackface cosmetic package from roughly 1978 to 1982, the difference from the 1960s versions being that the model designation on the faceplate did not include the word 'Amp' after the script typeface model name, as the earlier versions had. The new Blackfaces came in varying cosmetic styles. All of them had a black control panel and traditional knobs, but they no longer featured the Blackface-style lettering to depict the model name and the traditional control panel layout was partially redesigned. Some of these amplifiers had a silver grillcloth typical to previous BF and SF series amps, but more often the amplifiers sported a black grillcloth. Some amplifiers also had an aluminum trimming running around the grille. The styling didn't become consistent until the early 1980s, at which point all these designs were already discontinued to make way for the very similar looking 'II Series'. In the late 1970s and very early 1980s the 'Supers' were followed by the tube-based '30', '75 (Lead)', and '140' tube amps (with reverb and overdrive features) and two solid-state 'Harvard' amps (one with reverb), which were 15W practice amplifiers. Design-wise the tube amplifiers were quite different from their predecessors, as the active tone controls and blending distortion circuit had been removed and the latter feature replaced by a crude version of the channel switching concept. A new feature addition was a crude insert-style effects loop. II Series and the Rivera Era[edit]The II Series amplifiers[5] were produced from 1982 until 1986, being the last Fender amps to be made at Fullerton. The specifications for these amplifiers (all 14 of which are listed here), and leadership of the design team, came from Paul Rivera (then marketing director) and are known as Fender Rivera era amplifiers. Some amplifiers in the series used the II moniker; the Champ II, Princeton Reverb II, Deluxe Reverb II and Twin Reverb II, while others such as the Concert and Super Champ did not. Many of these amps had the normal Fender clean sound and in addition a switchable mid voiced gain channel, designed to compete with the Mesa Boogie Mark Series series amps that had gained popularity at the time. The tube amps in the series feature hand-wired eyelet board construction and are also becoming sought-after collectors items, due to the design and build quality. The range included one small tube-driven bass amp, the Bassman 20. There were also some solid-state amplifiers using the II moniker, such as the Harvard Reverb II. Other solid-state amps produced during the Rivera era included the Yale Reverb, Studio Lead, Stage Lead, London Reverb, Montreux, and a solid-state issue of the Showman. Many of these units shared the same circuitry boards in one capacity or another. Red Knob[edit]The Red Knob amplifiers were produced from 1987 until 1993. They were made in Lake Oswego, Oregon, at the Sunn factory, a brand/company that Fender had purchased in 1985â86. These were some of the first models produced by the newly formed Fender Musical Instrument Corporation. Aside from the bright red controls, these amplifiers have a slightly similar appearance to the older Blackface cosmetics, bearing black control panels with white lettering and the late 1970s 'scripted tailless' Fender logo. Many of these models were simply refitted with black knobs and early 1970s 'unscripted tailless' Fender logos in 1996 when most Fender amplifier manufacturing moved to the Ensenada factory in Mexico. This series of amplifiers all used printed circuit board construction. Two utilized the same circuit board and wattage, the Fender Eighty-Five and the Studio 10. They contain the same 65 WRMS circuit, but contain a 12' speaker and a 10' speaker, respectively. The Fender Eighty-Five was used by Steve Miller (Steve Miller Band) and Jonny Greenwood (Radiohead) on many recordings. The 21st Century: reissues and modeling[edit]In the first fifth of the 21st Century, Fender turned to digital modeling technology to expand its lineup of amplifiers. The first of these, the G-DEC (Guitar Digital Entertainment Center), was released in 2007 along with a PC software package to allow it to emulate a wide array of pedals, stompboxes, and amplifiers. The G-Dec won high praise at the time but its effects, based on three-decade-old MIDI technology, were rapidly outdated. An updated G-DEC 3 was released in 2010, followed by the Mustang in 2012. 2014 saw the traditionally-styled Champion amplifier (not to be confused with the classic and reissue Champion/Champ tube amplifiers) released. This amp eschewed the Fuse software in favor of an on-board system, selected by knobs. 2015 saw the release of the Mustang v.2 amplifiers, along with a refresh of the Fuse PC app. In 2017, the Mustang GT series was launched, with Bluetooth capability and wi-fi for over-the-air software updates, with a modernized look and smartphone-enabled functionality through the new Fender Tone app. At the same time, Fender re-released a number of classic amplifiers such as the Bassman and Bandmaster, to high praise both from the music press and the public.
Fender branded vacuum tube
Fender Deluxe Reverb Amp
Tag from a 1973/74 Fender Princeton guitar amplifier
Fender Deluxe Reverb ManualReferences[edit]
Fender Hot Rod Deluxe Amp Serial Numbers
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