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Topic: PSA: Clarence White's Fender Vibrolux Blackface |
Jim Cohen
From:
Philadelphia, PA
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John Groover McDuffie
From:
LA California, USA
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Posted 25 Aug 2018 10:07 am |
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| That's the price without provenance?! |
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Jon Zimmerman
From:
California, USA
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Posted 25 Aug 2018 2:31 pm Listed 12 mo ago
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Back plate says Santa Ana, NOT Fullerton.. that's all I can tell about it.  Only 2 pics?
C'mon Lazy Boy, a pic of the ser# to zero-in on instead of "possibly".  |
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Brian Hollands
From:
Geneva, FL USA
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Posted 25 Aug 2018 3:45 pm Re: Listed 12 mo ago
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| Jon Zimmerman wrote: |
Back plate says Santa Ana, NOT Fullerton.. that's all I can tell about it. Only 2 pics?
C'mon Lazy Boy, a pic of the ser# to zero-in on instead of "possibly". |
Yeah, my '74 Bronco says Fullerton. What year did CW die? 1973. Fail.
_________________
'81 Sho-bud LDG, 2 EMCI's |
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Cartwright Thompson
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Posted 25 Aug 2018 4:11 pm
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He played it for two years before he saw the foil tag?  |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 25 Aug 2018 6:47 pm
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The back plate says Santa Ana - as they all did at that time - because "Fender Sales", run by Don Randall, was in Santa Ana. The amp looks like a legit BF Vibrolux Reverb, but chassis pictures are required to see if it's been modified and how.
Clarence's touring amps used from '68-'73 with the Byrds were owned and supplied by CBS. A Dual Showman with Reverb, Super reverb, and Vibratone cabinet (aka Leslie 16).
His personal amps he owned and they were serviced - and modified - by Red Rhodes at Red's Royal Amplifier Service.
Clarence owned a Vibrolux Reverb, but as I recall it was stenciled on one side.
I'll email the pictures to Bob Warford. He may know if there's a possibility it was CW's or not.
If it was I know guys who would trample each other to buy it at that price!
More later -
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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Brian Hollands
From:
Geneva, FL USA
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Posted 26 Aug 2018 4:57 am
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| Jim Sliff wrote: |
| The back plate says Santa Ana - as they all did at that time |
Jim, not sure what you mean by all but...
This is a December '65 Deluxe Reverb (with the infamous mis-spelling) and this
 is a '74 Bronco. Apparently there are Santa Anna blackface amps but all I've seen are Fullerton[/img]
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'81 Sho-bud LDG, 2 EMCI's |
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Doug Beaumier
From:
Northampton, MA
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Posted 26 Aug 2018 6:18 am
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Keep in mind that reproduction faceplates have been available for several years. Illegal and made outside of USA, they are still available. I was looking at a blackface Super Reverb at a music store recently. I noticed that the chassis number dated the amp to 1972. A previous owner had changed the faceplate from silver to black. The chassis number is the most reliable way to date an old Fender amp IMO. The numbers/dates are listed on several web sites.
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My Site / My YouTube Channel
25 Songs C6 Lap Steel / 25 MORE Songs C6 Lap Steel / 16 Songs, C6, A6, B11 / 60 Popular Melodies E9 Pedal Steel |
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 26 Aug 2018 7:04 am
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The labeling on Fender back plates varied quite a lot back then. There were definitely Santa Ana labeled amps, I've had some. Some say Fender Electric Instruments, some say Fender Musical Instruments, some indicate CBS, others don't. Some say Fullerton, some say Santa Ana. I'd be more worried about the authenticity of the back plate if it was one of the standard-reissue ones. But the real issue here is whether or not this was Clarence's amp.
As Jim said, as far as the pictures go (which ain't far at all), it looks like a legit blackface Vibrolux, and I agree with Doug that the normal price for an original one typically varies somewhere in the vicinity of $2-3 grand, depending on the level of originality and condition. It could be less for modified examples, or even more for a real pristine one. This one does not look so clean, to me, to warrant high pricing based on condition.
But IMO, this is a very skimpy description and picture-set for any legit blackface Vibrolux, much less an amp that is claimed to be Clarence's. Anybody contemplating buying a Vibrolux like this as even just a legit blackface Vibrolux is gonna (or at least should) demand much, much more in all areas - detailed descriptions and pictures of features and mods, as well as a description of as much provenance as can be gleaned from the person the amp was bought from.
I also find it a bit hard to imagine that someone would omit from the pictures and description something as obvious as stenciling that would really help authenticate it as Clarence's, if it was in fact present. But who knows.
I think Jim is also correct that there are probably a bunch of people who would pay quite a bit for a truly authenticated amp of Clarence's. At that point, normal issues of originality and condition go out the window. We don't have to understand or like it. Remember Bloomfield's Telecaster, on which the owner added a second cutaway for left-handed playing?  |
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Dave Meis
From:
Olympic Peninsula, Washington, USA
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Posted 26 Aug 2018 8:04 am
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| So, after playing it for 2 years, he didn't notice the obvious foil sticker until he took it to a tech? Amazing! |
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Carl Mesrobian
From:
Salem, Massachusetts, USA
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Posted 26 Aug 2018 9:38 am
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Sounds like Lazy Boy has some bills he has to pay
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--carl
"The better it gets, the fewer of us know it." Ray Brown |
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Nick Koff
From:
Lost Angeles, California
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Posted 27 Aug 2018 6:56 am
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No red flags here.
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Just another belt & suspenders guy... |
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Lee Rider
From:
Fort Bragg, California, USA
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Posted 8 Apr 2021 3:16 pm
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Got this from Gene Parsons (sent him the ad from Reverb):
Well, I did sell Clarence's vibrolux to a doctor in Florida but not the amp pictured.
Hmmm, do I detect a little scamming here?
GP
Lee Rider
StringBender Guitars[/i]
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Bowman SD10 push pull 3x5, Modified Hudson PedalBro, Sarno Tonic preamp, Evans FET 500. with Altec 418B, Standel Custom 15, '67 Showman with D-130F in cabinet, Ganz Straight Ahead, custom Wolfe 6 string dobro, '52 Gibson Century 6. |
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Jeff Porter
From:
Stumptown, OR, USA
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Posted 8 Apr 2021 5:55 pm
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Just think of it as $3000 for the amp and $16999 for the sticker and the story.
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"I make dozens of dollars a year playing music." |
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Olli Haavisto
From:
Jarvenpaa,Finland
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Posted 13 Apr 2021 10:39 am
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Doug, I have an interesting Princeton Reverb. Silverface but the chassis serial number dates it to 1967, the transformers are 1973 and the grill cloth is 1976.
It sold to me as a ยด76 model. Go figure...
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Olli Haavisto
Finland |
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