The Fender Amp Field Guide FAQ

Written by: Mark Ware
Revised: v1.13 - 4/23/2004

This document is intended to answer some of the most common questions that people ask concerning Fender amplifiers. It applies mostly to dating, identification, amp cosmetics and other (mostly) non-technical stuff. If you have any additional information that you would like included or if you have any additions/corrections, please contact me at ware@zen.org.

New/Updated this version:

Added expanded EIA codes section.

Why isn't my Fender amp listed in the Field Guide?
What is meant when an amp is referred to as a "black face" Fender?

2.1.   Woodie

2.2.   TV Front Tweed

2.3.   Wide Panel Tweed

2.4.   Narrow Panel Tweed

2.5.   Brown

2.6.   Blonde

2.7.   Black Face

2.8.   Silver Face
What is a "Pre-CBS" Fender?
How old is my amp?

4.1.   Date Code

4.2.   EIA Source-Date Codes

4.2.   Dating By Serial Number

4.3.   Circuit Revisions

4.4.   Misc Dating Info
What does it mean to have an amp "blackfaced"?
How much is my amp worth?
Where can I find out more about Fender Amps?

7.1.   On the Web

7.2.   USENET

7.3.   In Print
Where can I get parts for my Fender Amp?

1. Why isn't my Fender amp listed in the Field Guide

If you're Fender amp isn't listed in the guide it is most likely because it is a solid state amp. I like to build/restore/repair tube amplifiers as a way of excaping the pressure of daily existence. The guide is an extention of this fascination with tube technology so I have chosen to ignore the models that do not make use of thermionic phenomena for amplification. As for the qustion of tubes vs. solid state, my opinion would obviously be skewed. My advice is to use your ears and play/buy what you think sounds best.

2. What is meant when an amp is referred to as a "black face" Fender?

Contrary to what you might think, this term is not politically incorrect and has nothing to do with Al Jolson. The term "black face" refers to the color of the amp's contol panel. Fender typically chose a cabinet style, covering, and grille cloth and used it across the entire amp line. Therefore it is a convenient way of refering to an amp of that particular era. (in this case 63-67) Below is a listing of some other terms you might hear when people refer to Fender amps.

Woodie: This refers to amps produced between 1946-1948. They are called woodies because of the uncovered wood cabinets and matching wood handles. These cabinets came in three finishes: mahogany, maple, and walnut. The baffle was covered in either a red, yellow, or blue fabric with three (sometimes only two) chrome "slats" running from top to bottom. The controls were mounted on a rear facing control panel. At this time Fender only had three models, Princeton, Deluxe, and Professional.
TV Front: These amps are recognizable by the shape of the speaker baffle cutout. The cutout is rectangular with rounded corners and looks like an old fasioned TV screen. These amps were produced between 1948-1953. The cabinets were constructed in a new way with the corners of the box "finger joined" which gave a much larger gluing surface and as a result, more strength. Unfortunately the new joinery isn't very nice to look at so Fender covered the cabinet in a very durable tweed material that was popular for covering foot lockers and suitcases. The early tweed was light colored and had a vertical pattern. Later this was changed to a diagonal pattern with more contrast between the light and dark fibers. Conrol panels on the TV front amps were located on the top rear, facing up. (except the Champion) and had a chrome finish. The baffle of TV Front amps are covered in brown mohair.
Wide Panel: From 1953-1955 Fender used a new style of cabinet which had a rectangluar cutout for the baffle with the corners squared. When viewed from the front, there are two wide panels above and below the baffle while only the ¾" edge of the side panels shows on the left and right. The chrome, top facing control panel, tweed covering and brown leather handle are the same as the TV front amps, but a dark brown linen material replaced the brown mohair grille.
Narrow Panel: Cosmeically these amps are almost identical to the Wide panel amps, with the exception of the top and bottom front panels. These were narrowed considerably so that the front was almost completely grille. These amps were produced between 1955-1960. (the Champ went to 1964) Early in this era the linen grille was replaced by genuine brown grille cloth. The narrow panel amps were the last of Fender's tweed amps. (until the reissues)
Brown: Big changes were made with the new decade. The amps produced between 1959-1963 were completly redesigned with an angled, forward facing, brown control panel and round brown knobs. (replacing the old black pointer control knobs fender had used since the woodies) The tweed covering was replaced with a new, brown, fabric-backed vinyl material called Tolex. The brown Tolex was reserved for the smaller fender ams such as the Deluxe, Princeton, and Super while the larger amps had a differnt color scheme. Most of these amps retained the leather handle of the tweed amps. Early brown Tolex amps had a pinkish hue, while the later amps had a truer brown color.
Blonde: These amps were produced at the same time as the brown amps, but were covered in a white (more like biege) Tolex and had round white knobs. This color scheme was reserved for the new "piggyback" amps (Showman, Bassman, Tremolux, Bandmaster) and the Twin combo. Early blonde Tolex had a rough texture while later amps have a smoother surface. Grille cloth varied with early amps having the brown grille cloth of the tweed amps. Later amps had maroon grille cloth, and the last having a wheat or gold sparkle color. The handle was changed to a brown plastic strap which held up a little bit better than the leather handles Fender had been using for over a decade.
Black Face: Amps produced between 1963-1967 retained the cabinet style of the brown/blonde amps, but were covered in black Tolex. Also new was a new reinforced black strap handle, and silver sparkle grille cloth. The control panel was changed to black with white labels and fitted with numbered, black skirted knobs. Many consider the amps produced durring this era to be the best ever produced by Fender and are sought after by players and collectors alike.
Silver Face: In late 1967 the color scheme was changed once again. The black Tolex remained, but the control panel was changed to a dull chrome with blue labels. The gille cloth changed to blue sparkle (some late 70s silver face amps have orange sparkle grilles) and for 1968 and 1969 there was an aluminum frame around it. From 1980-1982 Fender reverted to the black face era cosmetics, but since these amps share the same circuits as the silver face amps, many people will refer to them as silver faces. An easy way to tell these amps from a real black face is the model name on the control panel. The word "Amp" was dropped. (eg. "Deluxe Reverb Amp" became "Deluxe Reverb")

3. What is a "Pre-CBS" Fender?

In January of 1965, Leo Fender sold Fender Electric Instruments Co. and Fender Sales to broadcasting giant CBS who renamed it Fender Musical Instruments. So a Pre-CBS fender is simply an amp produced before the sale. It is a widely-held opinion that most of the changes to the amp line made by CBS were NOT for the better. Fortunately it wasn't until the early silver face years that most CBS "improvements" were put into production and some models were left almost untouched. In 1985 CBS sold off the Fender name and all remaining product stock to Fender's top executives and distributors. This became the current incarnation of Fender known as Fender Musical Instruments Corp.

4. How old is my amp?

There are serveral ways to determine when a Fender amp was produced. First use the cosmetic features to get a range of possible years. Next, (if applicable) look for the date code on the tube chart. If your amp dosen't have a date code, flip the amp upside-down and check the transformers, and speakers for their manufacturer codes. If possible, open up the chassis and check a few of the pots' and capacitors' manufacturer codes. Remember, many components could have been changed over the years, speakers blow, caps dry out, transformers melt down, and pots wear out. Be skeptical when buying a piece of "vintage" gear like a Fender amp, the prices for this equipment has risen high enough that many forgeries are out there. Caveat Emptor.

Date Code: Wide panel, narrow panel, brown, blonde, and black face amps have a date code hand-stamped on the tube chart. This code is made up of two letters. The first letter translates to the year and the second to the month. The reissue amps also made use of this code

**Date Codes**
Letter Code	Vintage Year	Reissue Year	Month
A	-	1990	January
B	-	1991	February
C	1953	1992	March
D	1954	1993	April
E	1955	1994	May
F	1956	1995	June
G	1957	1996	July
H	1958	1997	August
I	1959	1998	September
J	1960	1999	October
K	1961	-	November
L	1962	-	December
M	1963	-	-
N	1964	-	-
O	1965	-	-
P	1966	-	-
Q	1967	-	-

Example: FG=July 1956, QA=January 1967, and a reissue CG=July 1992

EIA Source-Date Codes: Electronic components such as transformers, potentiometers, speakers, and some capacitors are often stampted with a date code indicating who manufactured them and when. The code follows the format: XXXYY ZZ where:
XXX = a two or three (possibly four on newer amps) digit number indicating the manufacturer. (see chart below)
YY = is a one or two digit code indicating the year. If it's a one digit year you need to determine the correct decade of the amp some other way.
ZZ = a number from 1 - 52 indicating the week of the year.
Remember, your amp is newer than the newest component. So if you find pots from late 68 and transformers from early 69 you can be pretty sure your amp is a 1969.

**Common Fender Source Codes**
Code	Manufacturer	Part(s)
67	Eminence	Speakers
73	J.B. Lansing (JBL)	Speakers
137	CTS	Potentiometers, Speakers
220	Jensen	Speakers
235	Mallory	Capacitors
285	Rola	Speakers
304	Stackpole	Potentiometers
328	Utah	Speakers
391	Altec-Lansing	Speakers
433	Cleveland	Speakers
465	Oxford	Speakers
606	Schumacher	Transformers, Chokes
649	Electro Voice (EV)	Speakers
830	Triad	Transformers, Chokes
1098	Pyle	Speakers

CLICK HERE FOR AN EXPANDED MANUFACTURER CODE CHART

Serial Number: There is no information readily available for dating Fender amps by serial number but there are people working on it. Greg Gagliano has up a Fender Amp Survey website to collect serial number information. If you own a Fender amp of any vintage, stop by and input your amp's information. When he has collected a large enough sample the results will be made available. For a some preliminary results, check out the articles Greg wrote for 20th Century Guitar magazine.
Circuit Code: In 1963 Fender stoped using model numbers to identify schematics and began using the model name and an assigned circuit number. These circuit numbers which are located on the tube chart can be usefull for getting a rough date on an amp. Fender often used the same circuit for many years so this is not a very accurate method for amp dating. The code is simple, the first two letters are the revision, where AA is the first revision, AB is the second, etc. The next one or two numbers are the month where January is 1 and December is 12. The last two numbers are the year.
Example: AB763 = second revision, July, 1963
AA1070 = First revision, October, 1970
Misc Dating Info:
- Silver face amps with the aluminum trimmed grilles are from 67 or 69.
- The fist Master volume controls were installed in 72.
- The raised "Fender" grille logo lost its tail around 76. There are exceptions to this rule like the the Bronco.
- Fender installed casters on some larger amps and cabs beginning in 72.

5. What does it mean to have an amp "blackfaced"?

Thru the 50s, 60s and 70s Fender was in a wattage race with the other amp manufacturers. Fender sought to increase the output of the amps while lowering the amount of distortion. As a result, the Silver Face amps tend to be "cleaner" and sometimes sterile sounding even at high volume than Black Face amps. Most people believe that the black face amps of the 60s are better sounding when overdriven than the silver face amps. Attempting to improve the sound of their silver face amps, some owners have opted to have the stock circuit altered so that it's the same as the black face amps. Generally this simple modification will be an improvement, but it will probably not sound exactly like a black face. Durring the 70s, the volatges produced by the power transformers in silver face amps steadily crept upwards, and lowering these volages is not typically part of the mod. In general, the older your silver face amp is, the more it will benefit from being "blackfaced". The late 70s high power silver face amps (Twin, Bassman 135, Showman, etc.) with the ultralinear output transformers are generally not worth the effort to convert.

6. How much is my amp worth?

I cringe when people ask me this question. Vintage amps, like everything else in the world are worth whatever someone is willing to pay for them. There are many factors that effect the price of a amp. Age, condition, originality of components, location, demand, buyers/sellers motivation level, etc. Check your local buy-n-sell papers, newspaper classified, and do a few Web/USENET searches. This should give you a rough idea of what people are asking for the amp. Keep in mind that most things don't sell for the asking price.

7. Where can I find out more about Fender Amps?

Fender amps have collected a huge following over the years due to their great sound and reliability. As a result there are many people who have a great deal of knowledge on the subject. Here are a few sources for Fender info.

On the Web: There aren't many sites out there devoted specifically to Fender, but there are a few tube amp sites that contain good Fendercentric tidbits. Heres a few:

**Date Codes**
Name	Link	Description
GGJaguar's Guitarium & Ampeteria	http://home.att.net/~gggjaguar/gggjag.htm	Lot's of Fender guitar & amp pics. Other guitar/amp companies too. Great site.
Fender Musical Instruments Corp.	http://www.fender.com	Vintage Fender amps are the companies biggest competition. Old amps are ignored but lots of info on current production models.
The Fender Amp Field Guide	http://www.ampwares.com/ffg/	Amp model info, pictures, circuit layouts and schematics. Fun for the ampoholic in us all.

USENET: If you like a more interactive site for amp info, try the USENET group alt.guitar.amps. This group is for discussion of musical instrument amps in general, but as you might guess, Fender amps are often the topic of discussion. Be warned, this is an alt group so there are no rules. Topics often spin off the subject into such topics as BBQ, beer, and the proper way to torch a Peavy. If you have a technical repair question, are looking for replacement tubes, or just want to talk about your favorite amp, stop on by and join Ned, Duncan, Lord Valve, Ferg and the rest of the loveable misfits on alt.guitar.amps.
In print: Here's a few good print selections for Fender fans.
A Desktop Reference of Hip Guitar Amps
Written by: Gerald Weber
Published: 1994 Kendrick Books
ISBN: 0-9641-0600-0
A good book if you can get past all of the Kendrick/Trainwreck hype. Lots of technical descriptions and definitions. Some Fender models have entire chapters devoted to them. Suggestions for non-destructive mods and tons of schematics included. Be careful, some of the information may not be entirely accurate.
Fender Amps: The First Fifty Years
Written by: John Teagle & John Sprung
Published: 1995 Hal Leonard Corp.
ISBN: 0-7935-3733-9
This is an excellent book which covers the Fender company's history as well as descriptions of each of the amp lines. This is the authorized company history considering that Fender co-published the book. Lots of great pictures.
The Fender Amp Book
Written by: John Morrish
Published: 1995 GPI Books
ISBN: 0-87930-0345-X
Excellent Fender history as it relates to Fender amps, both tube and solid state.
The Tube Amp Book
Written by: Aspen Pittman
Published:
ISBN:
Written by the Groove Tubes hypemiester himself. Lots of excellent color pictures to drool over and a good schematic section. Ignore any sentence containing the words "matching", "selected" or "quality".

8. Where can I get parts for my Fender Amp?

Ampwares - Tube Amp Parts
www.ampwares.com
www.tubeampparts.com

AMPWARES
POB 1172
Linwood, PA 19061

(610) 357-3631
FAX: (877) 839-5047

The best source on the web for all your tube amp needs including tubes, transformers, caps, Tolex and MUCH more. All your restoration, repair and tube amp building supplies in one site.

Field Guide - Corrections/Comments