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Post subject: Re: Tell me about Brownface Amps
Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:28 am
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BMW2002Ti wrote:
I have both RCA and Sylvania BP 6K6GT. The Sylvania gives the unit a slightly brighter tone and the RCA a browner tone. Both are GREAT tubes.


Is that RCA one of the 6K6's I sent you, Steve?

I wondered how those would work out.

Rawk on!

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Tell me about Brownface Amps
Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:30 am
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So tell me then, why are none of these amps (aside from the Reverb) reissued or built by clone builders?

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Post subject: Re: Tell me about Brownface Amps
Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:33 am
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Arjay, Yup. It's kinda amazing how tube companies in those days had a "house sound" in their line of tubes. Sylvanias generally had a clean top end with thinner mids. And RCA had this golden midrange with a more rolled-off top. Regardless of the specific tube.

Thanks! For the tubes.


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Post subject: Re: Tell me about Brownface Amps
Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:52 am
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El gusto es mio, Señor.

8)

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Post subject: Re: Tell me about Brownface Amps
Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 11:23 am
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Powdered Toast Man wrote:
So tell me then, why are none of these amps (aside from the Reverb) reissued or built by clone builders?

You got me there PTM...we have discussed that before....I think one of the reasons is that when you look at the reissued amps,they are of the most well known amps by the general public in my opinion...think about it,we have the '65 Deluxe Reverb,the '65 Super Reverb...the '57 Tweed Deluxe 5E3...the Blackface Twin....there's the Bassman etc.
But you will find that there are so many others like the Brown amps we are discussing and many Tweeds like the Pro and Super....that are tone monsters,very well known among vintage enthusiasts.
In my way of thinking,Fender has reissued amps that are good representations of a few classic amps only in the most widely known era of their history....but not merited in tone alone,because of money or projected lack of sales...who knows what the powers that be talk about in board rooms?
But I will tell you this....because of their lesser known status in the internet guitar amp buying public,the Brownface amps have been a great value and their popularity is growing as more find out about them....which will drive the price up,and they will become more scarce.
If you're interested in Brownface tone find a good example and play one,find one while you can....and oh btw...Knopfler's "Sultans of Swing" was recorded with a '62 Brown Vibrolux...like mine pictured above....good Fendery tone do you think? :D


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Post subject: Re: Tell me about Brownface Amps
Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 11:27 am
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Rebelsoul wrote:
and oh btw...Knopfler's "Sultans of Swing" was recorded with a '62 Brown Vibrolux...like mine pictured above....good Fendery tone do you think?


(......allegedly with a replacement 12-inch Fane speaker, if the legends are to be believed)

:wink:

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Tell me about Brownface Amps
Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 11:28 am
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Oh btw the way BMW...the handle is a dark brown...very interesting.
I have a small stash of 6K6 tubes of various manufacture,I'm going to get them out and try a few.


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Post subject: Re: Tell me about Brownface Amps
Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 11:30 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
Rebelsoul wrote:
and oh btw...Knopfler's "Sultans of Swing" was recorded with a '62 Brown Vibrolux...like mine pictured above....good Fendery tone do you think?


(......allegedly with a replacement 12-inch Fane speaker, if the legends are to be believed)

:wink:

Arjay

That's the story...there's a few grainy pics of Mark with the brown Vibrolux onstage in his early days.....somebody put a Fender name badge on the front also.


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Post subject: Re: Tell me about Brownface Amps
Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 12:32 pm
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Rebelsoul wrote:
.....somebody put a Fender name badge on the front also.


That definitely didn't belong on the amp. It wasn't until 1965 that the Vibrolux (in its 2 x 10 AA864 guise, with added reverb) received a logo on the baffle board.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Tell me about Brownface Amps
Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 1:38 pm
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I think the short answer as to why these amps haven't been reissued is sales potential. They are great amps but were sandwiched between the very popular tweed amps and the blackface amps. Fender isn't going to commit to a product that isn't going to sell in substantial numbers. They did issue a brownface Vibroverb around 1990 but it sold very poorly and according to Fender they could no longer get the Oxford speakers so they discontinued it. From a cosmetic standpoint it looked original but like other reisssue blackface amps used a PCB. In 1968 I was using a 62' brownface Concert amp which was a better amp than I then could appreciate. In fact I was using it when my profile picture was taken, I'm in the middle, unfortunately the Concert can't be seen in the photo. Wish I had it back. As someone else mentioned they can still be bought at reasonable prices.


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Post subject: Re: Tell me about Brownface Amps
Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 2:32 pm
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l88vette wrote:
I think the short answer as to why these amps haven't been reissued is sales potential.


+1

I had a lengthy discussion with Shane Nichols of FMIC last March about this very subject. The "Cliff Notes" recap is, there needs to be a market before Fender, or anybody else for that matter, spends the $$$ for R&D, marketing, advertising, etc to develop a product. Sure, we'd all like to see our sacred cows re-issued (mine's a re-issue Vibrolux Reverb in drip-edge silverface cosmetics) but in the current business climate it's likely we'll see less entrepreneurial spirit than more.

Disappointing but not unexpected......

:(

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Tell me about Brownface Amps
Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 8:07 pm
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There's a dedicated following of Brownface users just as there are the Tweed and Blackface afficiandos...myself I love them all and have owned several Tweeds,sadly now I have no vintage Tweed amps,but one of the Reissue '57 Deluxes...it's a decent 5E3 amp.
I do have three very nice vintage Deluxe Reverbs,and a killer BF Pro Reverb.
The brown amps have become really special to me for the tone and the fact that Leo was really changing things at the time...once they sailed into the Blackface era it was the peak of Fender amplification,and coupled with the '60s R&R they defined the music of that era.
Anyone who loves the tone of a vintage Fender amp,can appreciate the Brownface amps as much as the Tweeds and Blackface...they're the link between those two.


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Post subject: Re: Tell me about Brownface Amps
Posted: Thu Sep 15, 2011 9:30 pm
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Rebelsoul wrote:
Anyone who loves the tone of a vintage Fender amp,can appreciate the Brownface amps as much as the Tweeds and Blackface...they're the link between those two.


+1

Exactamundo!

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Tell me about Brownface Amps
Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2011 3:47 am
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Hey! Don't forget the "Woodies." They ain't bad either.

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Post subject: Re: Tell me about Brownface Amps
Posted: Fri Sep 16, 2011 4:27 am
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Rebelsoul wrote:
That's the story...there's a few grainy pics of Mark with the brown Vibrolux onstage in his early days.....somebody put a Fender name badge on the front also.


http://www.mk-guitar.com/blog/2009/01/1 ... -vibrolux/

Good old times.

Cheers

David

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