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Post subject: Vintage 65 twin reverb amp selling price?
Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 11:38 am
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Aspiring Musician
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My school's music department is having some financial issues. We have an old twin reverb amp, and I check the cereal number and it dates back to 1965. It doesn't look in great condition but it still plays great. The tubes look ancient, I don't know exactly how old they are.


I'm just wondering how much my school could sell it for, considering it's an actual 1965 amp.


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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 12:14 pm
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The only actual way to date the amp is by the transformer codes not the serial number. You also need to know if it's all original too. If it's in poor condition it will really effect the value. I've seen vintage 65 Twins in poor go for $500 up to about 2 grand in good shape.


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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 12:22 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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First - dating the amp. If the tube chart is still intact inside the amp, there should be a two letter code. This will tell you the month and year the amp was manufactured.

Second - there are two ways to determine price. This is strictly my opinion.... others may feel differently

Wholesale or auction price is what you will find on eBay. The Fender Field Manual has a macro at the bottom of each page that tracks eBay sales over the last 18 months. Here's the page for the blackface Twin Reverb
Wholesale price is about $1,600 - $1,700.

Retail - which is what I consider the price vintage shops demand - can be determined by using www.gbase.com . Gbase is an online site/search engine that vintage shops and dealers used to list their inventory. Using the range of years 1963 adn 1967 - and the word Fender Twin Reverb - you will get a search return of shops having this amp. Looks like blackface Twins retail for $2,500-$2,800.

BTW - Blackface refers to the face plate on the amp. The blackfaced amps were produced between 1963 and 1967. These are highly desired amps.

Not knowing where you are located, your school might be required by law to auction all surplus. So you might inform whomever to set a minimum bid on the amp.


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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 12:34 pm
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An amp in poor cosmetic condition will take a real heavy hit regardless of what ebay or the Fender field manual says. They still need to be verified original. Anything over two grand would represent a really good example with the cabinet, grill cloth faceplate etc still in tact.
I would check with some of the folks at Vintage Guitar Magazine.


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Posted: Mon Aug 17, 2009 1:30 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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63supro wrote:
An amp in poor cosmetic condition will take a real heavy hit regardless of what ebay or the Fender field manual says. They still need to be verified original. Anything over two grand would represent a really good example with the cabinet, grill cloth faceplate etc still in tact.


That goes without saying. And I think the original poster understands condition will be a factor. The FFM states that the prices they track are typically in good, working, original order. Dealers on gbase.com will typically provide detailed information as to condition.

At the end of the day.... ebay and gbase are simply guides as no one can guess what the market will bear. And geography/location of the sale will have as much impact as condition. If only one person express an interest in the amp.... it will sell for less. If several express interest, a higher price might be realized. No one can look into a crystal ball and say for certain the amp will bring this or that amount of money. I just bought a 1964 Gibson LG-0 acoustical guitar with its original case for $30. It needs $250 in repairs (replacing the plastic bridge with rosewood, replacing the plastic nut with a bone nut, and reinforcing the bridge - plus set-up)..... that is still 1/2 of the lowest book value. But its what I - as the market - determined was the value of the guitar. The seller obviously agreed - since they were the one's who put the $30 price tag on it.

The BIGGEST factor on this will be whether they can legally sell the amp or if it has to be sold as surplus. Public institutions are typically bound by the surplus rule. If this is a public school - someone could end up getting quite a bargain if the music dept sells the amp. Think about... you are the only person to show up for the auction interested in the amp and you bid/buy it for $5. It happens at surplus auctions all the time.

If its a private school - they will be in a better position. They can have the amp appraised prior to selling it and sell it outright on the vintage market.


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