Re: Early 60's Fender Super Reverb Head


"Lord Valve" <detritus@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:46BA49AD.55F4C954@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


MattGator216@xxxxxxxxx wrote:

On Aug 8, 6:03 pm, Lord Valve <detri...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Although - what with the easy availability of "replacement"
BF-era faceplates, you won't really know if it's the real
thing until you take it apart and check date codes on
things like pots (usually, these are the most reliable,
since there's a shitload of them) caps and transformers.

If I were you, I'd let him know that you can find an *unhacked*
BF Super Reverb - one with the speakers still in it - for
around the same price that he's asking for the head.
(Well-used ones are in the $1200 - $1700 range, nice
ones are around $2.0K - 2.5K, and mint ones cost more than
you want to know. ;-)

Offer him $750. And be aware that unless it's been changed,
the output transformer in that amp is looking to see a 2-ohm
load. Run it hard into anything higher than around 4 ohms
and you'll be looking at arced sockets (or worse).

For my money, that's the best sounding guitar amp ever
built on this planet or any other. Cop it if you can.

Lord Valve
Expert

So what codes should I be looking for? I would rather not have to
take it all apart in the store, but I guess I really should.

Date codes on pots and caps look like this: 3564

That's the 35th week of 1964. Caps are much more
likely to have been replaced. Go by the *youngest*
date code you can find - an amp with half the pots
coded for the middle of '64 and the rest coded for
the last week of '64 is probably a '65.



I was going to run it through a Line 6 412s cabinet (a POS but it was
all I could afford at the time) and their website says it's 2/8 ohm
mono,

Set it for 2 ohms mono. That'll be *exactly* right.

LV


I'd add that date codes on transformers are typically 6 digits and sometimes
7. I have no expertise in this particular amp, so I don't know who should
have made the iron. (Clarke? Where are you?) The code is first 3 or 4
digits is the manufacturer, and the last 3 are the date. Date can be
tricky: xxx541 could be 41st week of 1955, 1956, or 1975. Context provides
the decade. That is why caps and pots are important and you need to look at
everything. BTW, if they are willing to drop the chassis out of the cab
(and they should), don't stick your fingers in there because there are
stored lethal charges (not joking). Keep fingers on the outside of the
chassis and remove rings and watches. (Maybe this will even fake them out
that you know what you're doing.) Bring a magnifier if you have trouble
with small numbers. While it's out of the cabinet, you can then take a good
look at the cabinet and you will see that it was either (egad) chopped, or
put in a new one. Either way, that is ammo for a discount. Go on, now, get
moving.

BTW, don't fall for that crap that someone else is ready to buy it.
Sometimes it's true, so you take your chances, but more often than not, it
is just the oldest trick in the salesman's play book. I've heard it
everywhere: cars, houses, guitars, you name it. Be ready to walk away.
They are hungry to move the merchandise, and they didn't pay anywhere near
what they are asking. Probably some kid traded it on a Marshall Mode 4 or
some other crapola high tech, high markup gadget. They already got their
profit out of the deal. Just my 2 cents. Dunno, might be right, might not.

And let us know what happens. Thanks.


.