Fender Deluxe Amp ??

Lyle Bradford · From: Gilbert WV USA (deceased)

I was given a fender deluxe amp this week and was wondering what it is worth.It is one of the ones before the reverb. It needs the pots cleaned where it has sat so long. but other than that plays perfect. The sticker on the inside has this number on it AB763 and there is a number on the back of the chasis that is A 01125. Does either of this tell the age of the amp as to when it was made etc. Thanks for your help.

[This message was edited by Lyle Bradford on 23 August 2005 at 01:38 PM.]

Brad Sarno · From: St. Louis, MO USA

Lyle, those amps are just no good. You better let me take it off your hands to dispose of it properly.

Brad

James Morehead · From: Prague, Oklahoma, USA - R.I.P.

[This message was edited by James Morehead on 23 August 2005 at 05:32 PM.]

Jody Carver · From: KNIGHT OF FENDER TWEED

O1 desingates the month of January the 12 desigated the day, The 5 is For 1553 when it has the A as the first letter. Thats worth about $3000.0O to a collector. I had my sample and sold it for $200.00 years ago.

January 12 1953 and you can take that to the bank

Lyle Bradford · From: Gilbert WV USA (deceased)

Thanks Jody! It has a brown lamp type cord for a power cord would this be the original it looks as though it has never been changed by the looks of the connection to the terminal. It also has an extra power plug screwed to the side of the amp with 3 spaces to plug up 3 more devices, that are 110 I guess, would this also be an original part for a fender of that era. It does not look modified in any way to me. Does the 5 stand for 1553 or 1953? Thanks for your help and expertise. I would say this is a keeper for sure Brad.

Tim Whitlock · From: Colorado, USA

Can you say "Holy Grail"?

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

AB763 is a 1960's amp. This is a Blackface amp, non-reverb, not a Tweed era amp from the 1950's. Here is a serial number list for you:

Deluxe AA763, AB763 (blackface)
A00100 to A00500 - 1963
A00500 to A02800 - 1964
A02800 to A05600 - 1965
A05600 to A06100 - 1966
A06100 to A06500 - 1967

The extra plug-ins are not original to the amp either.

Great amp, I just sold mine for 700.00 prior to moving here from Portland. Mine was not original, it has a Fender greyframe JBL, tilt legs, reproduction original style cab, replaced power transformer, a Fender logo on the grill, amp corners, custom cover and an Anvil flight case.

Amps like this in primo condition are hitting $1200-1300 max on Ebay.

Yours would be a 1964. There is a date code stamped (two alpha characters) on the tubne chart. The First letter is the month, the second is the year built.

Lyle Bradford · From: Gilbert WV USA (deceased)

So which do I use the serial # on the chasis or the sticker?

Dan Hatfield · From: Columbia, Mo USA

Maybe someone out there can help me with the year and value of my twead Deluxe. It is a Model 5E3 and the Ser. # is D-02207
Thanks for any info you may have. Dan

Lyle Bradford · From: Gilbert WV USA (deceased)

As far as I can tell using the charts I find on websites the capacitors are from 64 and it has an Oxford speaker.

Bob Knight · From: Bowling Green KY

Congrats on a good find Lyle.
I agree with Ken Fox, It's a 1964. You can take what KEN says to the bank when it comes to Fender Amps!!

You had better come and see me soon.

Regards,
Bob

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

Again I mention there is a date stamp on the tube chart. The first alpha character is the year:

1951 A January A
1952 B February B
1953 C March C
1954 D April D
1955 E May E
1956 F June F
1957 G July G
1958 H August H
1959 I September I
1960 J October J
1961 K November K
1962 L December L
1963 M
1964 N
1965 O
1966 P
1967 Q
1968 R
1969 S

A 1964 amp would haver an "N" followed by a month code of A thru L

[This message was edited by Ken Fox on 24 August 2005 at 07:57 PM.]

Doug Beaumier · From: Northampton, MA

Yep, the Deluxe is a 1964, blackface, non-reverb. According the 2005 VGMag price
guide it’s worth somewhere between $900 and $1400. That assumes Excellent condition with original speaker and original transformers. Value is reduced for any replaced parts (other than caps and power cord).

Dan, your tweed “narrow panel” Deluxe is a 1956 according to the serial number. Value is $2200 to $2800 in excellent, all original condition. Congratulations! You’ve got a real gem there. Guitar players kill for those tweed Deluxes.

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[This message was edited by Doug Beaumier on 24 August 2005 at 09:32 PM.]

Doug Beaumier · From: Northampton, MA

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Jon Zimmerman · From: California, USA

Shock...Nah, I think "Warped" is the viewpoint--the perception that anything but 'museum grade' goods made in years past just won't cut-it, sound wise (wise?). There are kits to make "repop's" of these old models (and variations of them) which sound everybit as good, and can be tweaked into BETTER-than original tone-zones--but not for these folks who end-up just 'driving the market'--and Mark-UP.
Just another HO from my view. JZ

Jon Zimmerman · From: California, USA

The 'HO' means= humble opinion; not the vernacular noun.. or..?

KenR · From: Talent, OR, USA

OK,

I will throw mine in there if you will date it for me, Ken. I bought this from Hank Jr's manager, said Hank used it in the hotel rooms-- hope he wasn't scamming me. It is a model 5D3 DJ, #3256. I had some tubes replaced, WeberVST reconed the P12R speaker, and it had some tolex replaced, not a great job. Does this amp have any significance? Thanks,

Ken

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

I'll also back up the 1964 date. Greg Gagliano's years of research have proved invaluable - the chassis serial numbers have proved to be the most reliable dating method for BF and SF Fenders. Transformers can be changed (and therefore their serial numbers) but sombody doesn't usually swap out a chassis...

On BF snd SF amps, ALWAYS ignore the paper tags with AB763 and such. They are meaningless. Fender used new ones, old ones, anything that was in the bin - so the only way to know what *circuit* you have is to actually open the amp up and look. NOT for the inexperienced - even unplugged, an amp can kill you by electrocution.

Bobby Boggs · From: Upstate SC.

even unplugged, an amp can kill you by electrocution

Glad I didn't know that. I opened up all my dad's old Fenders just to see what they looked like. I cleaned the pots, pulled on a few wires while they were powered up. I had heard to stay away from the big transformer when powered up.

I was thinking about opening up my Webb just cause I've never seen one.

[This message was edited by Bobby Boggs on 30 August 2005 at 10:29 PM.]

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

The first number is the decade:
5=designed in the 1950s
6=designed in the 1960s

The next character (letter) is the approximate year:
A=1951 (TV front tweed)
B=1952 (TV front tweed)
C=1953 (wide panel tweed)
D=1954 (wide panel tweed)
E=1955 to 1960 (narrow panel tweed)
F=1960 to 1963 (tolex era)

The number(s) after the letter is the model:
1=Champ 9=Tremolux
2=Princeton 10=Harvard
3=Deluxe 11=Vibrolux
4=Super 12=Concert
5=Pro 13=Vibrasonic
6=Bassman 14=Showman
7=Bandmaster 15=Reverb unit
8=Twin 16=Vibroverb

Should be a 1954 or early 1955 wide panel Tweed Deluxe.
Here is more info from the Fender Amp Field Guide.

:
1953-1955
Model:
Deluxe
Model No:
5B3, 5C3, 5D3
Config:
Combo
Control Panel:
Chrome top facing w/ white screened labels, controls numbered 1-12
Conrol Layout:
5B3: Pilot Lamp, Fuse (2A), Vol ,Mic Vol ,Tone/Power Sw, In, In, Mic In
5C3, 5D3: Fuse (2A), Power Sw, Pilot Lamp, Vol, Mic Vol, Tone, In, In, Mic In
Knobs:
Black pointer
Cabinet:
Wide panel, 16¼" x 18" x 7½" (41.3 x 45.7 x 19.1 cm)
Cab Covering:
Diagonal tweed
Cab Hardware:
Leather Handle, glides
Grille:
Dark brown linen
Logo:
Cabinet Mounted, block letter "Fender Fullerton, California" on a rectangular tag
Weight:
26 lbs. (11.8 Kg)
Speakers/Load:
1 x 12"/8 ohms
Speaker Model:
Jensen P12R
Effects:
None
Ouput:
10-14 Watts
Preamp:
5B3, 5D3: 6SC7
5D3: 12AY7
Power:
2 x 6V6GT
Bias:
Cathode Biased
Rectifier:
5Y3GT
Phase Inverter:
5B3, 5C3: 6SC7 (paraphase)
5D3: 12AX7 (self-balancing paraphase)
Comments:
Model 5B3 is the same as the 5A3 but in the wide panel cabinet.
Model 5C3 has a separate On/Off toggle switch, external speaker jack under the chassis, glass tubes, and a negative feedback loop.
Model 5D3 is the same as 5C3 but without the negative feedback loop.

Ken Fox · From: Nashville GA USA

From the web:

Deluxe 5C3, 5D3 (tweed)
0001 to 1500 - 1953
1500 to 3600 - 1954
3600 to 5300 - 1955

That makes the "Hank Deluxe" a 1954! Too bad you could not get a letter of verification on it. I brought back to life a 1954 that has sat unused for around 30 years. It sounded awesome with a Tele. You have a nice piece there!!!

[This message was edited by Ken Fox on 31 August 2005 at 06:03 AM.]

Bobby Boggs · From: Upstate SC.

OK. But I still gotta know how it can kill you when it's unplugged.

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

The capacitors store a charge, primarily the big electrolytics in the power supply. They MUST be discharged properly before you go poking around. Otherwise, if you are grounded and touch the positive end, you'll get anywhere from 100-400 volts at pretty deadly amperage running through body parts. Yes, people have been killed - if you don't know how to discharge caps, look it up on the web if you just HAVE to look around - but it's best to leave it alone if you don't know what you're doing.

Darrell Owens · From: California, USA

WOW - I actually own a Fender Deluxe like the one on ebay. I had no idea it was worth that much. Any Buyers?

------------------
Darrell Owens
www.darrellowens.com

Bobby Boggs · From: Upstate SC.

Thanks Jim. I've been told I'm not very well grounded.So it shouldn't be a problem for me.

Thanks for the info.............bb

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