One of the most magical times in amplifier history, at least in my mind, are the early 1960's. It's a period which saw the implementation of the outboard reverb tank, separate amplifier tops and speaker cabinets, tone rings and vibrato circuits. Until 1960, virtually every Fender amp (with a couple of note-able custom exceptions) had been built as combo units, the largest of which had two 12 inch speakers, or four 10 inch speakers. But it's the quirky aspects of the Blonde and Brown era amps that intrigue me the most.
There are only a couple of circuit variations across this period, which Leo seems to have implemented in order to establish suitable variation in his amp line. For the most part, the smaller amps didn't share much circuitry, to the point that the Champ didn't even change from the classic 5F1 circuit until 1964 when the amp changed directly to the AA764 Blackface circuit. The Princeton and Deluxe amps shared a standard Tremolo circuit, which continued to be implemented in different variations through the Blackface and CBS eras. Their pre-amps are simple, Volume and Tone controls, and the Deluxe is the proud owner of a second "Bright" channel which simply lacked a plate resistor bypass cap. These amps are WELL known for their barking, midrange growl, due to the lack of a standard, Treble/Middle/Bass tonestack, which tends to scoop an amount of midrange. The Princeton is easily my favorite of this group, due to the 10 inch Jensen C10R speaker known to be able to chew a hole directly through a dense mix.
The larger amps, differed mainly in cabinetry, speaker complement, and feature set (added tremolo or one of two variations on the Brown vibrato circuit). There are really only two preamp variations, but several amps (the 6G8 Twin and 6G4 Super) which had much different tone stacks than the rest of their Blonde counterparts. The standard pre amp, found in every amp from the Normal channel of the Bassman to the Vibroverb (the only amp of this period to feature on-board reverb, but oddly enough, tremolo, not Vibrato!) specified high value Treble pot, 330K Analog taper with a 70% tap, which was connected directly to the Bass control. This allows a larger sweep of treble, without being completely interactive with the Bass control. It's a configuration that's pretty unique in amplifiers, and it's part of the reason that players like Brian Setzer and the Reverend Horton Heat play Blonde amps over their Blackface counterparts.
Alright, alright! I get WAY too into the minute, technical details for my own good. It's probably not right for me to take it all out on you. Sorry. Why do we all love Fender amps of this period so much? Because of the quirks of course! The way these amps distort, sort of halfway between Tweed and Blackface and sometimes even a little Marshally, seems to stir the soul of players who love the later Fender sound, but just want a little MORE. They're not as delicate or prissy as their Blackface cousins, nor quite as rude as a few of their Tweed relatives, they're essentially perfect for any situation. I love driving Brown amps with a great booster, just to the point where they start to protest, then back off a little on the volume knob until the chorus, when I just let 'em wail. That feeling is utterly simple and perfectly sublime, even when the volume is tearing my head off.
Now, go plug into something, anything, and forget your weekly woes for just a little while!
