Vintage Tube Amp

Up for sale, a 1958 Fender “High Power” Tweed Twin 5F8-A in excellent condition and in perfect working order. This Twin features a very original circuit, rehoused in an replica speaker cabinet and loaded with a pair of era-correct Jensen P12N alnico magnet speakers. Occupying a very narrow window in Fender’s golden age, the 5F8-A Twin was the pinnacle of Tweed era evolution and unmatched in power and headroom, first available in late 1957 and retired by January, 1960. This example was made in January of’58, and the “High Power” iteration of the Twin is arguably the most highly sought after vintage Fender amp ever produced. A whole different animal than the “Low Power” iteration offered through most of the’50s, the High Power 5F8-A pushes 85 watts via a matched quad of 5881 (6L6GC) power tubes with a single GZ34 rectifier. Essentially the same animal as the 5F6-A Bassman, yet with four power tubes, more massive transformers and a 2×12 speaker configuration, the 5F8-A Twin has all the hallmarks of its Bassman brother, with a Mid control and four-input design, allowing both greater tailoring of the tone and the ability to jumper the channels for additional interactivity and gain. Incredible headroom, touch-sensitivity and rich, textured growl are hallmarks of this Twin. The trebles bite, yet with a smooth, harmonically-rich character, the midrange is gutsy, and the low end is broad and focused, with notable depth that interacts famously with a broad range of pickups. The circuit retains its original Triad transformers, and all of the original yellow Astron capacitors are intact in the preamp. The smaller electrolytics in the preamp have been upgraded with high quality Spragues, and the power supply has been recapped with Spragues as well. All of the original pots are present, and two additional 1/4 jacks have been added to the righthand side of the chassis. The inside of the chassis retains its “HA” date stamp from January of 1958. The tube complement includes a matched quad of Mesa-branded power tubes, with a Ruby rectifier and a couple vintage preamp tubes from the likes of Telefunken and Westinghouse. The speakers are a matched pair of vintage Jensen P12Ns with clean dark green frames and date stamps from’62. The cabinet is a modern replacement, faithfully replicating the materials and size of the original. The faceplate retains its bright chrome plating, and some of the original white silkscreen text is still present, along with all of the chicken head knobs.

Up for sale, a 1969 Fender Deluxe Reverb in excellent condition and in perfect working order, complete with the original two-button footswitch. A transitional “drip edge” example with aluminum trim framing the grillcloth, this Deluxe Reverb has an identical AB763 circuit to its “Black Panel” forebears. Extremely original and freshly serviced to ensure optimal performance, the Deluxe Reverb has a sweet, balanced sound that delivers the top end sparkle and clarity characteristic of the best amps from Fender’s golden era. This amp is very responsive to player inputs, working as a perfect platform for effects pedals, and while the treble response can twang with the best, there’s a smoothness to the top end that keeps the amp from sounding harsh. Turning up past around 5 on the volume dial, the amp begins to push into overdrive territory with light compression and plenty of sizzle. The Reverb is lush with long decay, and the Tremolo has a strong pulse with an almost three-dimensional quality to the effect when increasing the intensity. The circuit retains all of the original Schumacher-made transformers (Fender’s primary transformer supplier in this era), with date codes primarily from the first weeks of 1969, while the choke dates back to mid-1966. The preamp is completely original save for a couple smaller Sprague capacitors and a single resistor to ensure performance in-line with original factory specifications. The original CTS pots are intact, also with visible date codes from the 16th week of’66 and the 7th week of’69. The power supply has been professionally recapped with high quality F&T caps, and a three-prong cable has been installed too. Tubes comprise a fresh, properly-biased pair of JJ 6V6s, while the rectifier and full set of preamp tubes are all original RCA-made valves. The speaker is an era-correct Oxford 12T6 12 ceramic magnet driver with a clean black frame. The speaker is higher wattage than the stock driver, ensuring optimal headroom and bass response, dating to early 1970. The speaker is mounted to the original baffle, notable for being one of the very last screw-in baffles used by Fender before the glued-in baffles became the norm for the remainder of the Silverface run. The baffle is in great shape, and this earlier style is considered to be more resonant and also far easier to replace if the necessity were to arise. The original tube chart is intact inside the cabinet too, noting the AB763 circuit. The original smooth black tolex and silver sparkle grillcloth with turquoise stripe are intact, with only light aging of the grill and similarly restrained wear on the enclosure. The original faceplate has all of its turquoise text with just a speckling of patina, retaining a full complement of witch hat knobs. Hardware includes the original chassis straps, handle caps, sphinx glides (feet), and raised Fender logo with tail. This vintage Deluxe Reverb works exactly as it should, sounds great, and is ready for another 55 years of use. The amp comes complete with the original black two-button footswitch to engage the Reverb and Vibrato effects.

Up for sale, a 1979 Fender Bassman 135 in excellent condition and in perfect working order. Introduced at the tail end of Fender’s Silverface era, the Bassman “135″ was outfitted with Fender’s ultra linear transformers, designed to coax maximal tube power and clean headroom out of a quartet of 6L6 power tubes. A Bassman that lives up to its name as a viable bass amp for stage and studio use, the Bassman 135 also offers pristine, bold cleans applicable for guitar, pedal steel, or pairing with a Rhodes piano. Dime out the Master Volume for sparkling, balanced cleans or crank the preamp and keep the Master low for more compressed overdrive and grit. The circuit is virtually untouched, retaining the Schumacher-made transformers which date to’79, and date codes on the original CTS pots are from 1979 as well. All of the original blue molded caps are intact in the preamp too. Originally an “Export” model, the power transformer has additional taps for international voltages, currently wired for USA 120v use. The tube complement includes matching original Fender-branded preamp tubes, and the power tubes are a matched quartet of Sovtek 5881s (6L6GC). The original smooth black tolex and silver sparkle grillcloth with faded orange stripe are intact, and the tube chart is intact inside the cabinet. All of the original hardware is present including the nickel corners chassis straps, handle, and sphinx glides. All of the original witch hat knobs are present as well, along with the raised Fender logo.

Vintage Fender Brownface Bassman Amp and Cabinet (1×15). Amp is missing back panel and has a new power cord. QC’d 12/5/2024 – Tested OK – In good fully functional playing condition. Lots of cosmetic wear and tear, tolex rips and peels, stains.

Super nice mid 60s blackface Bassman head and 2 x 12 cab. The amp head has been serviced by our local repair shop and everything is functioning as it should. The speaker cab is very nice and clean. The grill cloth appears to have been replaced. The speakers are mid 60s VOX Bulldogs (date code matches up with the age of the amp).

Up for sale, a 1974 Fender Vibrolux Reverb in excellent condition and in perfect working order, complete with a two-button footswitch. With good reason, the Vibrolux is one of the most desirable Fender models for its ideal size and power, well-suited to both stage and studio applications. The amp delivers sparkling cut and muscle, and a surprising amount of headroom, cascading into lightly compressed tube overdrive when pushing towards 10 on the Volume dial. Offering 35 tube watts through the original CTS alnico magnet 10 speaker pair, the Vibrolux is the perfect platform for getting the most out of a variety of guitars and stompboxes. Clean and sweet up til about 5 on the volume knob (with a perceived volume that’s loud enough to keep up with an aggressive drummer), the Vibrolux has clear note attack and sweet tube rectifier sag, not to mention lush tube-driven Reverb and percussive Tremolo. All of the transformers are manufactured by Fender’s primary transformer supplier in this era, Schumacher, dating between late 1972 and the first weeks of’74. Fully serviced, all pots, switches, jacks and tube sockets have been thoroughly cleaned, and the amp boasts a professional recap of the power supply, with smaller modern Sprague electrolytic caps in the preamp. The preamp retains a full complement of original blue molded caps, and all of the original CTS pots are intact, with visible date codes from the 2nd week of’74. The tube complement includes a properly biased pair of Groove Tubes 6L6 power tubes, with a 5U4 rectifier and mostly modern valves in the preamp The CTS alnico magnet 10 speakers are the original matched pair with black frames and blue Fender foil stickers on the alnico magnets. The date stamps on the edges of the frames date to the 5th week of’74. These are also the same speakers seen in Super Reverbs of the era. The tube chart is intact inside the cabinet as well. The original smooth black tolex and silver sparkle grillcloth with orange stripe are intact, exhibiting some scuffs and a couple bald corners. The hardware shows light surface patina on the original handle caps, chassis straps, corners, and sphinx glides (feet). The faceplate, in contrast, is particularly well-kept with a full complement of witch hat knobs. A modern Fender two-button footswitch is included.

Retro Gear Shop is a high-end boutique store located in Nashville, Tennessee. Fender Bassman Head 1965 For sale is a rare vintage Fender Bassman Head 1965. This just got back from servicing by our techs and is fully functional, ready to go, sounds great! Pair of 220k resistors confirms this model is a AB165 pre-CBS / early CBS. Regarding pre-CBS vs early CBS, we’d like to clarify a possible point of contention with early 1965 black panel Fender amps. Apparently some people feel that 1965 is the hard cutoff date for pre-CBS though. We are not experts in any case so please do your own research to verify any appropriate information and analyze the detailed photos yourself to make sure you are comfortable with what you are purchasing. Check out the pictures to make sure you like it.

1975 Fender Twin Reverb Silverface Vintage Tube Guitar Amplifier with Pro ATA Flight Case. Measures 10.5″ (L) x 26″ (W) x 20.25 (H). Loaded with two 30-watt 12 eminence 12-BR-8-30 speakers. Amp is 8 ohms. Comes with well-made SafeCase ATA flight case with upgraded Penn Elcomm locking casters. I bought the flight case new in expectation to use this amp and it never left the rehearsal area. I just haven’t used it hardly at all and can’t justify keeping it. It was well-treated, works well and is in great shape for its age.

Electric Guitar / Steel Guitar. Rumor has it that the Motor City Madman himself, Ted Nugent, challenged CBS’s amp designer, Ed Jahns to increase the power of a Twin Reverb using a typical 2 12 inch speaker cabinet. This is at a time when competition from other manufacturers such as Marshall, Hiwatt, and Mesa Boogie were building more and more powerful amps, and Ed wanted to top them all. He also developed the most comprehensive equalizer tone section that’s been in any Fender amp. This amp has power to spare and was so powerful that Ted Nugent only needed six of them (with Dual Showman speaker cabinets for a concert). This amp is serious business because it is so loud and clean at 180 watts. Steel guitar players are very fond of this amp design. The one and only drawback of the. The compact amp in a typical Twin Reverb cabinet, is the ridiculous heavy weight added by it’s speakers with oversized magnet structure. The only thing that makes sense to me now is cutting the cabinet down to a head so you have the flexibility of use with other speaker cabinets and transportation. We had our cabinet builder cut the amp down and we preserved the reverb spring unit, footswitch, and the tube chart. This amp is still complete with out speakers. This amp is now a more reasonable approx. Recently (July 2024) I took it to my current amp tech and he replaced the filter caps, pilot light, powered it for an hour and checked operation. He says it’s now in great shape. The reverb “tray” or “tank” or “spring unit” is located where Fender originally had it installed – on the inside bottom of the cabinet. Our cabinet builder has left enough space for it to fit. The reason why we don’t “install” the reverb tank (screw it down inside the cabinet) is so the user can position it how they want it, to the right side of the cabinet away from the tubes or even outside of the cabinet itself since it has about 18inches of cable connecting to the back of the amp chassis. Only the original cabinet has been shortened in height – speakers have been removed – everything else is located where it’s always been including the foot-switch. Chassis Black Ink Side Stamp. (19th week of 1976). (10th week of 1977). (34th week of 1976). It might serve the buyers purpose to bring up the power slowly with a variac since these used amp heads are over 50 years old and have not been used for a few decades. Our Amp tech has only replaced the needed parts (filter caps) to just get them working! The operation of the amps requires that they be regularly serviced for optimal performance. Please remember these are vintage pieces, we cannot guarantee that they will not need service or more parts in their future, only some obvious parts were changed to get it working, most are still the original old parts remaining. Your item will be packed with great care rest assured. This discriminating collector has curated an incredible collection of guitars and amps since 1965. From a collector & player with an extensive musical history and knowledge. This collection has been stored and cared for impeccably for decades. Now, after all these years, he is ready to share his collection with other enthusiasts and wants his prized possessions to go to good homes and get played! Please follow our listings. LOTS MORE TO COME! We only sell to buyers that are established, verified.