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Post subject: Collecting Vintage Amps question
Posted: Wed Mar 03, 2010 9:10 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Joined: Wed Sep 02, 2009 12:48 am
Posts: 732
Location: SW Oklahoma
Hey Guys,

I normally hang out on the Tele board and don't get here too often. I have several excellent modern amps that I play on a daily basis. (G-DEC 30, Super Champ XD). Additionally, I have several older amps - a solid state Sidekick Reverb 65 and a tube 1965 Champ, both in excellent condition, that see regular use.

I'd like to add a few vintage amps to my collection, but honestly don't know what would be the best ones to begin a collection with. They would be players and not sit in a corner, yet they wouldn't get out of the house and drug around.

I'm thinking of starting with a vintage Princeton Reverb, ala Jim Campilongo, since besides the Champ that's the vintage amp I'm most familar with. Honestly though, besides that, I'm out of ideas/knowledge.

I'm comfortable selecting modern amps and not too worried about getting taken for a ride with the vintage gear, since I always have you all as resourses. I just need some ideas. My budget would be in the $1,000- $1,500 range per amp, but for the right gear and bad case of GAS I can talk myself into more w/out a problem. I'm certainly not immune to spending less either for good collectable amps. I'm not against older, good solid state amps either - I like my Sidekick Reverb 65.

Also - is their a definite quality difference pre/post CBS? What amps do I want to stay away from?

Gimme some ideas...

Thanks,

Rick

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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 3:35 am
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Ricky, consider a blackface(65-67) Bassman. Mine gets a wide variety of tones that cover all the bases. No reverb, but I don't miss it and you can pedal that if you so choose. Hope this helps............. 8) Mike Image

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Post subject: My Oppinion
Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 6:27 am
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Location: Hot Springs,Arkansas
Hey Rick,
We know for pretty sure it will be a Fender. One of the most desirable is the vintage deluxe reverb IMO,but these days people are leaning away from the high wattage heavy amps IMO. We know Blackface over silverface although the first few years of silverface still OK. The price drops pretty quickly after 68. A princeton reverb excellant choice and with your budget you can get a good one I'm thinking between 500.00 - 700.00 and the deluxe reverb will be between 1000.00 - 2200.00 this all depends on year and condition. These would be my choice's but then I have a DR and I would'nt pass up a princeton and at my age I can carry them around still. Fact is I'm looking for one. That Champ very cool to have in the bank.
Hope this helps I'm new here but know enough to be dangerous I part-time at a vintage music store for discounts. Great guys and info here.

IMO Raggs They'll have to tear my DR out of my dying hands
Take a look: www.jimsguitars.com

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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 2:14 pm
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Princeton Reverb is an excellent start.

If you're really serious, here are some to consider adding to that:
1955-1960 5E3 Deluxe - I wouldn't get a Deluxe Reverb at first. Instead, I'd look for a good Tweed 5E3 Deluxe.

5E1 or 5F1 Champ - again here a BF/SF Champ/Vibrochamp is great, but a tweed amp can scream in a different way.

1955-1960 5E7 Bandmaster - to be a little different from everyone with a 59 bassman, and it's what Pete Townshend used for more Who songs than you'd imagine.

BF Bassman, Bandmaster, Tremolux, Showman - hard to go wrong with any of these.

Congrats on facing your G.A.S. head-on and diving in! I started with a SF Princeton, added a Princeton Reverb that I tweaked a bit, and then rescued my '65 Bandmaster from almost certain trash and got the new combo cabinet and speakers. On both Princetons, component differences from BF were minor to none.

Only caveat on any of these amps: if they're going to be players, you'll want to seriously consider changing the electric cord to a 3 prong type and disconnecting the "death cap" as well as replacing the electrolytic filter capacitors, which in any amp 30 years or older will have given up the ghost and may cause the amp to be noisier than it should be.

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'59? Bogen Challenger CHA-33, '65 Bandmaster, '65 Tremolux, 65 Showman;
'74 SF Princeton; '77 SF Princeton Reverb; Dr. Z Mini Z

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Post subject:
Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 2:28 pm
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nedorama wrote:
Princeton Reverb is an excellent start.

If you're really serious, here are some to consider adding to that:
1955-1960 5E3 Deluxe - I wouldn't get a Deluxe Reverb at first. Instead, I'd look for a good Tweed 5E3 Deluxe.

5E1 or 5F1 Champ - again here a BF/SF Champ/Vibrochamp is great, but a tweed amp can scream in a different way.

1955-1960 5E7 Bandmaster - to be a little different from everyone with a 59 bassman, and it's what Pete Townshend used for more Who songs than you'd imagine.

BF Bassman, Bandmaster, Tremolux, Showman - hard to go wrong with any of these.

Congrats on facing your G.A.S. head-on and diving in! I started with a SF Princeton, added a Princeton Reverb that I tweaked a bit, and then rescued my '65 Bandmaster from almost certain trash and got the new combo cabinet and speakers. On both Princetons, component differences from BF were minor to none.

Only caveat on any of these amps: if they're going to be players, you'll want to seriously consider changing the electric cord to a 3 prong type and disconnecting the "death cap" as well as replacing the electrolytic filter capacitors, which in any amp 30 years or older will have given up the ghost and may cause the amp to be noisier than it should be.


+1


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Post subject: No Doubt
Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 2:55 pm
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Joined: Wed Feb 20, 2008 7:08 pm
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Location: Hot Springs,Arkansas
You're right Nedorama excellant advice

Raggs

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#1 Frankencaster**1967 Deluxe Reverb
#2 Telecaster***** 1967 Yamaha FG180
#3 Blueshawk***** Red Label


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