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Post subject: What model is this?
Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2011 1:36 am
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I just bought a used Fender amp, which the seller represented as a "Fender Twin" from 1982. I've been looking online to find out exactly what model this is, but I haven't found anything yet. Oddly, the name of the amp does not appear anywhere on the unit itself.

There's one front panel guitar input, a 5-band graphic equalizer (one of the fader knobs is missing), and a number of push knobs, etc. There are a few inputs in back, including an effects loop. Here's a link to a photo of the amp.

www.richardemmet.com/Fender_Amp.jpg

Would anyone have some insight as to what I just bought? Thanks.

Richard


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Post subject: Re: What model is this?
Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2011 1:59 am
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You have a solid-state 100-watt London Reverb combo, designed under Paul Rivera's supervision and produced by Fender in the early '80s. The model name would've appeared on a small rectangular badge affixed to the grill cloth directly opposite from the Fender logo and below the graphic equalizer on the front panel (apparently it's been removed).

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: What model is this?
Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2011 4:31 pm
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Thanks Arjay!

R


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Post subject: Re: What model is this?
Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2011 8:50 pm
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Well, blow me down! I was at the local Music-Go-Round yesterday with my grandson and a guy was trying to sell a couple of Fender amps and several Fender cabinets - when I say TRY, I mean he was trying to get reasonable cash for them. I asked after the amps as I could see no name on either of them and was told that one was a London Reverb. I stuck around a bit to see what happened when the dust settled, but it was looking a little contentious, so I just left.

Today being Father's Day, I decided to drift over to the west side again and see how the deal worked out at M-G-R. First thing I noticed when I walked in was that the London Reverb amp was there, but the other amp was not. Second, the rattiest extension speaker was there, the other two were not. Apparently they worked out something of a deal, but not enough to suit the seller all around.

Anyway... I grabbed a Strat off the wall and tried out the London and I liked it; it sounded very, very Fender. I went through all the knobs and configurations (there are a whole lot of variables and options) and everything seemed to work fine. The amp is in excellent condition for its age, with no rips, tears or visible damage to either the Tolex or the grill cloth. It looks to be all original and not too shabby through the open back, nothing anywhere that I can't clean up to get it looking like new.

Yes, I'm a sucker for Fender's orphans and semi-illegitimate offspring, so I bought the damn thing. Like my son always said, you can't have too many knobs or buttons on an amp. Another major plus was that it had the original 4-button foot switch, which I gather from reading is considerably rarer than the amp itself and it worked just fine, too. I paid $300 for the London, the foot switch, the (Fender) extension speaker and all cables. I asked what was in the extension speaker and the manager said the seller said (guess where this is going) that it had an Eminence of some kind in it. When I got it home I popped the back off and apparently this "Eminence" was made by Peavey!

I'll post some pics when I get the amp all cleaned up. It'll make a fine addition to my Fender stable. :)

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Post subject: Re: What model is this?
Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2011 9:15 pm
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Indeed, the matching footswitches are the first things to "disappear" from these obscure amps. And it's usually quite a battle to find a replacement. Three bills for the package you scored seems reasonable.

Looking forward to seeing the pics.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: What model is this?
Posted: Sun Jun 19, 2011 10:52 pm
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Arjay,

Do those footswitches look like finned trapezoids with four buttons (see only link that could find that gets kinda close). With the DIN like bayonet connector? I've seen those at guitar shops and wondered what amp used those.

Kinda like this (expcept four buttons:


http://cgi.ebay.com/NEW-Genuine-Fender- ... 4198974538

http://voodoomanswitches.com/components ... 4ef95c.jpg


And where did they come up with the name "London Reverb Series" amps? The few I've heard sound nothing like anything from Britian. Except maybe a Hiwatt DR103 running KT-66's instead of EL34's. The interior layout is enough to give you a hard... well you get the idea.

http://hiwatt.org/images/70HiwattFacesGuts.jpg


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Post subject: Re: What model is this?
Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2011 12:00 am
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I think so, yeah. Those amps were all designed in the era before channeling diodes and relays became SOP in Fender amps. I only saw a couple of them and only briefly, but IIRC the footswitch jack was on the bottom of the chassis (a la the Vibro Champ or Bronco) and it used a bayonet-type DIN connector with a threaded metal collar/retainer.

As for who dreamed up the "London" moniker (and the even more bizarre "Montreux" name), I have no idea. I can only surmise that Paul and his design buddies were listening to some vintage 8-tracks on their way back from pizza and a few pitchers during lunch time at Shakey's......"We all came down to Montreux", "London Calling", etc etc.

(hey, it prolly sounded like a good idea at the time!)

Good think they forgot that Framtom Comes Alive tape -- otherwise, one of the amps would've prolly been called the "Sherman"!

"Champagne for breakfast, with a Sherman in my hand......"

:lol:

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: What model is this?
Posted: Mon Jun 20, 2011 4:27 pm
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Here are some shots of the London Reverb foot switch. The other end of the cable is as Arjay described - "it used a bayonet-type DIN connector with a threaded metal collar/retainer." Pics to follow soon with shots of the amp.

Image

Image

Image

I haven't had any time to work on or clean up the amp yet and I don't like posting pics until my vac, little rag and brush have done their thing - I hate pics of dusty amps! This one isn't bad at all, but still not up to Show Time.

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Post subject: Re: What model is this?
Posted: Tue Jun 21, 2011 2:55 am
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Nice pickup there lot of amp for a little money top stuff..Cheers..From..Aus...


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Post subject: Re: What model is this?
Posted: Wed Jun 22, 2011 1:31 am
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cliff.lee wrote:
Nice pickup there lot of amp for a little money top stuff.


Indeed!

A couple of pedals in front and it'll be nice rig.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: What model is this?
Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 6:50 pm
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A rainy Saturday afternoon seemed like a good time to clean this amp up a bit and take some pictures. Primary cosmetic defect - the missing London Reverb name plate - pisser. It may take forever to find another one of those... There's some discoloration in the grill cloth, but that's not unusual.

Image

I think the guy who sold this at Music-Go-Round took pretty good care of it. It was reasonably clean inside and out, just needed a little more TLC to get it looking really good.

Image

Looks to be very original and it plays very nicely - no hissing or pot noise, even when you push it into Channel 2, which is "overdriven" but obviously an early Fender effort at this function.

Image

Just one cigarette burn on the top and a couple minor scuffs and a little fixable separation on the upper front corners. Oh, and it's missing four of the "decorative" washers under the screws on the upper back panel.

Image

Here's the end of that rare foot switch, showing the five-pin connection and the screw on connector. It is rather difficult to use without the foot switch, reverb function seems dependent on it, along with channel switching. You can run the reverb and second channel on the amp front, but only if the foot switch is attached...

Image

All in all, a nice little find and a piece of Fender history, albeit from the dark chapter of CBS ownership. The fact that this was one of the first solid-state amps and that Rivera was heavily involved in its development makes it special to me.

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Post subject: Re: What model is this?
Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2011 7:01 pm
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The grill cloth is not "discolored".

It's stained.

Pull it off (grille frame and all), spray lightly with Windex or 409, wipe dry and it'll be as nearly good as new.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: What model is this?
Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2011 8:19 am
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Thanks, Arjay. I'll give it a shot today and see how it turns out.

Later...

HOLY CRAP! That stuff going down the drain looked like 30 years of cigarette residue and who knows what else! That was incredible! And the renewed grill cloth looks very nice indeed. New frontal pics for the insurance man, coming up. :D

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Post subject: Re: What model is this?
Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2011 10:58 am
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Retroverbial never speak with forked tongue, Kemosabe.

Glad it worked out, Dennis.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: What model is this?
Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2011 3:10 pm
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Before:
Image

After:
Image

Schweet! :) It even smells better!

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