1970 fender super reverb advice needed

Travisthedog

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/jonny73/9479D3D5-2B4E-41CB-BDF6-A0205381193F_zpsapz7gron.jpg

@ICBM ET AL

This has appeared in my local shop and having played just a shitty affinity squier strat through it this afternoon I shall decree that it is the best sounding amp I have ever heard. I want it. I must have it. But there are 3 things stopping me

1. The price - £750 seems high for an amp of this age and in such shitty condition though it looks to be all original

2. The condition - see point 1

3. Reliability - it's been serviced and PAT tested and they will honor any breakdowns for 12 months

Is it viable for me to gig an amp of that vintage 3-5 times a month and what are the chances of it killing me in the process?

John_A

Chances are it'll keep going for a good while yet, but I've seen them in a lot better condition for less money.  I agree they sound great, but I'd hold out for a less battered one if I were you.

The reissues sound great too !

lustycourtier

Is it sad I know exactly how that will smell? Vintage fenders smell like nothing else! 

Travisthedog

It smelt fab especially as it warmed up and the cobwebs started getting hot

Ossyrocks

That's not such a high price for that amp and you'd struggle finding another.

It's an early silverface, maybe 1969 or 1970, hence Super Reverb "Amp" on the faceplate. There's a chance it could still have the blackface style cabinet construction and have a screwed on baffle and not the jointed into the cab one, The earlier ones are better I think.

Check what speakers are in it, if they are CTS Alnicos, then that's another plus point although the CTS Ceramics are good. Utah's or Oxford's are considered a bit poor.

Servicing and PAT Testing doesn't mean a lot, what that amp needs to have is a blackface convserion and a recap with good quality caps (Sprague or F&T). Add some nice valves and you'll have an amp for life and it should be reliable.

I've been gigging a 1965 Deluxe Reverb for 20 years without issue.

If I was looking for a Super, I'd buy that one.

Rob.

ICBM

1. £750 is about right or even a bit cheap if it's in good order inside. Twins go for up to that in similar condition and are much more common and less desirable.

2. Hard to tell without seeing inside it. But it looks like it has some cabinet damage at the top corner - the joint has probably been split and patched up - this is also fairly common. The insides are critical, there could be a *lot* wrong that you can't see from here.

Does it have its original speakers? What valves are in it? Both these things affect the value as well.

3. PAT testing is unfortunately not worth the sticker it's printed on when it comes to reliability - all it is is a safety check (and I've seen examples where even that is dubious). A 12 month warranty is much more of a good sign. I would still want to have it looked at by an expert though, unless the shop happens to employ one (possible).

You can gig a properly serviced amp of that quality and vintage with no issues at all other than valves, which can happen to any valve amp. Zero chance of it killing you if it's properly earthed - and more importantly, so are the venue's power sockets.

bandmaster188

nothing wrong with a bit of tatty tolex. its whats going on inside that counts. ask the shop if you can see the internals, especially filter caps (check for bubbling and blistering) and check for rust on the transformers. maybe try and take a couple of sneeky pics and post them on here!

i bought my 2nd bandmaster a few years back and foolishly didn't check inside the chasis as it sounded great when i tested it. lots of work had been done but it looked like a very small child had done it.

the price seems ok for a super

Travisthedog

Just uploading pics of valves and speakers chaps

Travisthedog

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/jonny73/Mobile Uploads/2014-08/2805DC1E-6084-4A17-8553-F39A8E83391F_zpst2lixvuy.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/jonny73/Mobile Uploads/2014-08/CFB60143-1107-4DED-AD67-9B63281B1E99_zpstycwoqie.jpg

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/jonny73/Mobile Uploads/2014-08/EB386D07-A818-415E-BD07-397BBEBEC304_zpsxhhftk6k.jpg

ICBM

Wrong back panel, off something like a FAL or an old Carlsbro probably. Not the end of the world but annoying.

The 7581s are great, the best 6L6s ever made if they're still in good condition. The speakers are original if they're all like that one.

The mains voltage selector appears to be disabled or at least is missing its cap - disabled is a good thing if it's been done properly, although I prefer to leave the cap on to show where it's set to.

What's the odd thing under the ground switch, which is either broken or replaced with a jack?

BluesyDave

The Amp 'looks' like Rory has gigged it.........and that's a good thing  

£750 seems a good price but ,(as has been suggested by others wiser than me) I'd get it checked out by a reputable tech before parting with cash.  Twelve month warranty sounds promising tho'.  Good luck.......I'd buy it!

Travisthedog

http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c239/jonny73/Mobile Uploads/2014-08/F8502779-2C06-430A-AACA-7B8FE48B2BAB_zpsiozcokb6.jpg

Travisthedog

God knows what that is

If I go for this I'd need my amp man to look it over I reckon

ICBM

Travisthedog said:

If I go for this I'd need my amp man to look it over I reckon

Other way round unless it's a *lot* cheaper than that. You could easily spend a couple of hundred or more sorting out issues. It will certainly need re-capping at that age if it hasn't been done - you can't rely on it being "serviced" for that.

Old amps like this can be great, but they are really getting old now.

Travisthedog

It's in a hell of a state though mate - the cobwebs and dust etc show the level of neglect along with the cab damage

I couldn't get the vibrato working either

How much would a re-cap cost roughly

Voxman

My goodness, that brings back memories - used to have one of those about 38 years ago!  Lovely amp...but depending on build version and speakers, it could weigh anything from 65-73lbs (the 4x 10 version was a back crunching 86lbs!) 

Have you lifted it up yet?  If you plan to gig it 5-6 times per month and have to cart this up/down stairs and in/out cars etc, weight could be an important issue!  

John_A

£30 in parts for a re-cap + a couple of hours time.

As a main gigging amp I really would give that a wide berth

bandmaster188

if you're gonna gig it regularly, i'b be inclined to put new speakers in it and keep the originals safe.

Travisthedog

bandmaster188;332660" said:

if you're gonna gig it regularly, i'b be inclined to put new speakers in it and keep the originals safe.

Whys that then?

ICBM

Travisthedog said:

It's in a hell of a state though mate - the cobwebs and dust etc show the level of neglect along with the cab damage

I couldn't get the vibrato working either

The vibrato requires the footswitch, but it can also be not working due to a failed opto-coupler ('roach' or 'bug') which is not expensive but it all starts to add up.

The problem is that £750 is a good price for an old Super in good condition, but that means that a lot of people assume any old ratty one is worth that.

bandmaster188

Travisthedog said:

bandmaster188;332660" said:

if you're gonna gig it regularly, i'b be inclined to put new speakers in it and keep the originals safe.

Whys that then?

they are very old and could quite easily blow. and if you decide to move it on at any point you'll have the original speakers all wrapped up safe which will add to the value as it will still be original.and you can sell the ones you bought to replace the original speakers too.