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Post subject: Re: Vintage Fender Solid State amps-where did they go?
Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 11:38 am
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Thanks, Ritchie.

Fender-labeled alnico CTS speakers may be found with one of three different finishes applied to the frame -- black lacquer (first appearing in 1966), a dark "plum" colored lacquer (a year or two later), and a silver lacquer (which showed up circa 1971). In each case the frame and magnet structure are identical -- only the cosmetics are changed.

Here's the 1967 version with the dark plum finish, installed in my '65 Princeton Reverb......

Image

It was also re-coned to vintage specs with a ribbed-and-seamed cone and a 30-watt coil. This particular speaker had previously resided in a '67 Super Reverb.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Vintage Fender Solid State amps-where did they go?
Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 7:12 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
I use these alnico CTS speakers in open-back combos such as this Bandmaster conversion that I reconfigured into a 2 x 10 brownface combo......

Image

Image

I bought a matched triplet from an Ebay vendor and had all three re-coned with 8Ω 25-watt coils (the remaining speaker awaits a home in another forum member's '64 Princeton Amp). They sound bright and punchy in this application -- much like a blackface Vibrolux Reverb.

I don't know how they'd fare in a bass-reflex (sealed-back) enclosure but I'd surmise they'd sound pretty good. For a 4 x 10 cab, the minimum internal volume for adequate cone damping would mandate external dimensions of approximately 26" x 26" x 11.5" or thereabouts.

HTH

Arjay


Arjay, point taken, I will get with you via e-mail later this week and get that money order in the mail to you...I played the Princeton this past weekend and came to the realization that the CTS 10 is what that 64 Princeton needs and it was time to get off my arse and get with you for that speaker :oops:

T2

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Post subject: Re: Vintage Fender Solid State amps-where did they go?
Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2011 8:57 pm
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No sweat, sarge.

Anytime is the right time.

8)

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Vintage Fender Solid State amps-where did they go?
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 5:38 pm
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Well after all these years...I finally found one of those horrid SS amps for sale somewhere...

http://cgi.ebay.com/Fender-Scorpio-Amp- ... 27a21d2485

Got to love Ebay...I guess it is true you can sell anything on Ebay, but there is no bids on it yet... :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

T2

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Post subject: Re: Vintage Fender Solid State amps-where did they go?
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 5:55 pm
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That amp has been listed on Ebay for about five years now.

They're really beating down the door to place a winning bid, eh?

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Vintage Fender Solid State amps-where did they go?
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 5:59 pm
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did that add say New speakers? Guess that shoots down buying it for the JBL speakers.

Art


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Post subject: Re: Vintage Fender Solid State amps-where did they go?
Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 6:02 pm
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Art1 wrote:
did that add say New speakers? Guess that shoots down buying it for the JBL speakers.


No, the description mentioned "new GOOD SPEAKERS".

How much "gooder" could they be compared to the OEM JBL's?

:roll:

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Vintage Fender Solid State amps-where did they go?
Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 1:48 pm
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depends, if the originals were trashed...... But then, there is always reconing.

Art


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Post subject: Re: Vintage Fender Solid State amps-where did they go?
Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 3:02 pm
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masterhacker wrote:
I've got a stack of old Guitar Player mags I've had for years, some going as far back as the late 60's. On the back cover of one from 1969, there'a an ad for the new Solid State line of amps from Fender. The Vibrolux, Twin Reverb, Showman, and Super Showman (at 400 watts).
In my 40+ years of playing, I have never seen one of these amps around. Not on a stage, in a store, or in a pawnshop. Where did they go? Who used them? Where they that bad that no one bought them?


Mostly what happened to Fender happened to all the companies building the first generation of solid state amps...

The exception is Peavey THEY hired an engineer that had helped develop power transistors and used HIS specs instead of the manufacturers...

Manufacturers always send out spec sheets and back then there were no experiences to build on... the laboratory specs were what got printed up... and most engineers used them to design the new generation of amps...

Turns out guitar players don't live in a laboratory...

They plug into live jacks, overdrive inputs, change speakers with the power on and a host of odd things that the minimal specs wouldn't allow...

Peavey doubled or tripled the number of transistors in their power circuits to insure their customers got full use of their instrument and PA amps... THEN they designed for short circuits and open outputs... just to be sure<G>

It took a while for the other companies to catch once they got a head start in the PA business...

OTOH, I've got a solid state '85-86 Princeton Chorus that sounds terrific to me... as good as the Princeton Reverb tube amp that got stolen...

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Post subject: Re: Vintage Fender Solid State amps-where did they go?
Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 3:21 pm
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masterhacker wrote:
I've got a stack of old Guitar Player mags I've had for years, some going as far back as the late 60's. On the back cover of one from 1969, there'a an ad for the new Solid State line of amps from Fender. The Vibrolux, Twin Reverb, Showman, and Super Showman (at 400 watts).
In my 40+ years of playing, I have never seen one of these amps around. Not on a stage, in a store, or in a pawnshop. Where did they go? Who used them? Where they that bad that no one bought them?


Back around 72 or so when I was taking a Loran Transmitter class, one of the ET's had a Super Showman w/dual cabs that he kept in the classroom. That sucker was L O U D :lol:

Art

Here ya go! http://forums.vintageamps.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&start=0&t=77087


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Post subject: Re: Vintage Fender Solid State amps-where did they go?
Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 4:20 pm
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art1 wrote:
Back around 72 or so when I was taking a Loran Transmitter class, one of the ET's had a Super Showman w/dual cabs that he kept in the classroom. That sucker was L O U D


When I was in LORAN C/D school ('78) I was playing my ES335 through a Princeton Reverb...

My son's first amp is a nice Frontman 25R in Texas Red... Pretty clean sound, he likes it a lot!<G>

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Post subject: Re: Vintage Fender Solid State amps-where did they go?
Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 4:40 pm
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tchall wrote:
art1 wrote:
Back around 72 or so when I was taking a Loran Transmitter class, one of the ET's had a Super Showman w/dual cabs that he kept in the classroom. That sucker was L O U D


When I was in LORAN C/D school ('78) I was playing my ES335 through a Princeton Reverb...

My son's first amp is a nice Frontman 25R in Texas Red... Pretty clean sound, he likes it a lot!<G>


I worked on 44/45/46 on Iwo Jima and Shetland Islands. The solid state timers were just coming on line back then. And they were pushing Omega big time as well. We all know that didn't last long.

Art


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Post subject: Re: Vintage Fender Solid State amps-where did they go?
Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 5:01 pm
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Art1 wrote:
I worked on 44/45/46 on Iwo Jima and Shetland Islands. The solid state timers were just coming on line back then. And they were pushing Omega big time as well. We all know that didn't last long.

Art


The Air Force C/D was supposedly a "Tactical" unit... with up to 30KW in it's maxed out configuration...

Of course tactical isn't really something you can call equipment that takes a couple acres for the tower and guy/loading system... AND needs a crew to build a 400 foot antenna...

Just like everything else they kept it running for years after the experiment more or less showed it as a bad idea...

Civilian ships and fishing boats were using both the European and Korean chains... couldn't just shut 'em off I guess... <VBG>

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Post subject: Re: Vintage Fender Solid State amps-where did they go?
Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 5:13 pm
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tchall wrote:
Art1 wrote:
I worked on 44/45/46 on Iwo Jima and Shetland Islands. The solid state timers were just coming on line back then. And they were pushing Omega big time as well. We all know that didn't last long.

Art


The Air Force C/D was supposedly a "Tactical" unit... with up to 30KW in it's maxed out configuration...

Of course tactical isn't really something you can call equipment that takes a couple acres for the tower and guy/loading system... AND needs a crew to build a 400 foot antenna...

Just like everything else they kept it running for years after the experiment more or less showed it as a bad idea...

Civilian ships and fishing boats were using both the European and Korean chains... couldn't just shut 'em off I guess... <VBG>


USCG is still supporting a couple of chains, but most have shut down now. Everything is GPS. 400 feet? We were running a 1350 ft antenna. :shock:

Art


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Post subject: Re: Vintage Fender Solid State amps-where did they go?
Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2011 6:01 pm
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My wifes cousin went to work for an antenna company out of Long Beach, shortly after finishing his master's degree, (they paid for his last years of college). The first thing he came up with was a box to locate you within 30 ft. using Loran signals. He later went into business for himself and using satellites built a box to locate the direction to Mecca, and sold them for big bucks to the middle eastern airlines. He didn't invent GPS, but found practical uses for what was availlable at the time.


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