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Fender for Ampeg...

Dr. D

Dr. D

Loaded For Bear
Jan 13, 2005
53
0
New Orleans, Louisiana
#1
Some of the purist here will probably tell me I'm crazy. But.......I traded a '56 fender pro reverb for an new Ampeg BA-115.

I was in a computer shop a few weeks ago, and the Fedex man was talking to the tech about restoring an old amp he had in his garage. I asked him if he wanted to sell it. He said he would bring it by and let me look at it. Well, it looked a little ragged, and didnt work, so I offered him $50.00 for it. he said fine.

Last week a guy was over at my house, he worked at guitar center and offered me a new ampeg amp for it. Of course I took him up on it. I don't have time to restore it. A closer look at it revealed a solid maple cabinet, and it had the 2 original 12" speakers in it. (they were unhooked). We soldiered the wires on, and it worked.

I kinda wish I had kept it, but I like the new Ampeg.
 
#5
BillyB_from_LZ said:
A '56 Pro Reverb? I don't believe that an amp fitting that description ever existed. IIRC, reverb was an outboard device until the blackface amps of the early/mid '60s (or maybe slightly before).
Click to expand...

If it was a black face model with 2 12s and 'verb, the earliest it could be is a '65. Easily sold for at least a grand, if the parts were all there.

Edit: that doesn't mean you did badly though, by any means. :cool:
 
#6
If it was a black face model with 2 12s and 'verb, the earliest it could be is a '65.
Click to expand...

It is a blackface, and the spring reverb is in the bottom of the cabinet. there is an original sticker inside the back of the cabinet showing the tube layout, as well as other spec's and it said mfg'd 56. Its gone now, so no worry.

The guy that sold that to me is coming by this week with 2 more thing for me to look at. He has them in the garage, and isn't using them. He says one of them is a specter bass that is about as old as the amp. and the other is a Locally made Solid (neck and body are 1 piece) custom made bass. He says it is mahogany. I might end up with some vintage equipt.

By the way, I did take pictures of it.(in case i wanted to kick myself in the but later)
 
#7
Dr. D said:
It is a blackface, and the spring reverb is in the bottom of the cabinet. there is an original sticker inside the back of the cabinet showing the tube layout, as well as other spec's and it said mfg'd 56. Its gone now, so no worry.
Click to expand...

I just fix 'em, I'm not really into the vintage/collector thing. :cool: I own one of the least fashionable "vintage" Fender tube guitar amps ever made, and that's just fine by me.

That might be a date code for the 5th week of '66, or something like that. Those amps were produced from '65-67 only, for sure. The [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] has a bunch of info on date codes, but it's moot now anyway, as you say. Best of luck with the basses!

-----------Charlie E
 

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