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Post subject: Were Fender Super Reverbs ever made in Santa Ana?
Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2011 8:23 pm
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I recently acquired a Fender Super Reverb blackface that the owner had since 1975. Unfortunately, the serial number has a metal stamp over it of the music company that sold it to him in St. Louis, but the guy says it is a 1966, although I don't see any evidence one way or another. The front knobs are on a blackface panel, but also it says Santa Ana, California, on the back of the chassis as well as on the tube chart. There's also the letters OB stamped on the chart as well as AB-763, and the wiring does indeed indicate the point-to-point type typical of the blackface super reverbs. Did Fender make these in Santa Ana as well as in Fullerton during this time?

An appraiser in Nashville, Gruhn Guitars, said they also have one of these in their own store, a 1966, but the Nashville says Santa Ana on the tube chart while the chassis says Fullerton on the back. Mine has Santa Ana on the back of the chassis. He explained that this was a transitional period and assured me that my amp is a '66, a CBS amp, made when some changes were going on with Fender's production line. He also told me it's not uncommon for a music store to place its logo in the exact spot where the one on my amp appears, which really does not devalue the amp at all.

I am perplexed as to the value of this amp and its actual date.

Below are a link to some pics on my flickr account:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/18400977@N02/?saved=1

I'd appreciate any input whatsoever.

Thanks,
Rick


Last edited by rburns on Fri Jan 07, 2011 10:35 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Were Fender Super Reverbs ever made in Santa Ana?
Posted: Thu Jan 06, 2011 9:44 pm
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From the ink-stamped date on the inside of the chassis and on the bottom of the power transformer, this amp was built in the 7th week of 1967. The tube chart is actually marked "QB" (February 1967, which is consistent with the other visible EIA codes on the trannies). It's in better-than-average shape for 44 year-old amp -- the panels look good, the snowman knobs are all original, the cloth and Tolex are fair, and the amp retains its quartet of alnico CTS speakers.

Back then, Santa Ana was the location of the corporate offices for Fender Sales, Inc -- the amp was actually assembled in Fullerton. Gruhn's boys should stick to guitar appraisals......it's what they're best at.

HTH

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Were Fender Super Reverbs ever made in Santa Ana?
Posted: Sat Jan 08, 2011 4:11 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
Gruhn's boys should stick to guitar appraisals......it's what they're best at.


Most of the time anyway. :D

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Post subject: Re: Were Fender Super Reverbs ever made in Santa Ana?
Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2011 8:32 am
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I agree Feb.,1967.
If you told the guy at Gruhn's that the ink stamp was "OB",that would be Feb.,1965...not '66...so he didn't get that right either..
BTW,don't worry about that being a CBS amp,I have several early blackface CBS amps from the '65/'66 period,there's no difference from the Fender era pre CBS period.
Arjay will agree with that.....you only have to look inside and play them to know for sure.


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Post subject: Re: Were Fender Super Reverbs ever made in Santa Ana?
Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2011 12:40 pm
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Yes, I mistook the stamped letter "Q" on the tube chart as an "O," which is why I reported to Gruhn a "OB" instead of "QB." Thanks for pointing that out. I agree with your observation that it's what inside and how it sounds that counts, and it sounds truly awesome, the kind of sound I would expect in a blackface.

Rick


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