Fender Bassman Serial Number
- Serial Number Idm Gratis
- Fender Bassman Serial Number Dating
- Serial Number Lookup
- Fender Bassman Serial Number Date
- 1956 Fender Bassman Serial Numbers
- From 1952 through the spring of 1954, Fender produced approximately 660 model 5B6 Bassman amplifiers (serial numbers #0001–0660). citation needed The earlier cabinets have been called 'TV Front' designs, 1 with a front panel that had a rectangular grill cloth with rounded corners and looked much like a television of that era.
- Where to find the serial/chassis number On older models, the serial number is punched on the right side of the chassis. More recent models are have a sticker. If you want to know the production year of Fender amplifier, you can decipher it with the serial number decoder.
The serial number associated with it of BM00816 puts it in the range of a 5E6 or 5E6-A from 1956. Note though that this is just specifies when the amp was paid for. H may have in fact had it sometime prior, as is evidenced by photos from August of that year though one is pictured onstage as early as April 20, 1956 in Fort Worth. The serial number A23373? A lot of people do and here’s a plausible explanation based on the evidence. Sometime in 1970, Fender ordered a bunch of Twin Reverb/Dual Showman Reverb chasses from their supplier. The machine that stamped. XXX = a two or three digit number (possibly four on newer amps) indicating the manufacturer. (refer to the chart shown below) YY = is a one or two digit code indicating the year of manufacture. If it's a one-digit number you need to determine the correct decade of the amp some other way. ZZ = a number from 1 - 52 indicating the week of manufacture.
by Greg GaglianoCopyright 2002, 20th Century Guitar Magazine
They said it couldn’t be done…
Over 6 years in the making…
Finally, what everyone has been waiting for…
How to date Fender amps by serial number!!
Okay, I know you’re all just dying to skip ahead to the serial number tables but try to contain your excitement and read through the article first. I promise the tables will still be there after you finish reading. Besides, no article in the Dating Fender Amps by Serial Number series would be complete without some interesting information, n’est ce pas?
FUN FACTS
Oddlings – Yet another printing error has surfaced, this time from the FEI (pre-CBS) days. A 1957 tweed Vibrolux was reported with a tube chart printed with circuit “5E3” (tweed Deluxe) instead of the correct 5F11 (see photo). Clearly Fender wasn’t afraid to use incorrect parts when they were in a bind. We also received a report of a tweed 5G12 Concert. The 5G12 Concert is the earliest version from very late 1959 and early 1960 so the existence of a tweed example, while extremely rare, is certainly plausible since Fender was making lots of tweed amps during the same time period. It’s unknown if the tweed covering was a mistake (“Oops, I thought this was a 4x10 Bassman cabinet that I was covering”) or intentional, perhaps as a special order.
Non-Schumacher transformers – It’s been universally accepted that Fender only used Schumacher transformers on amps made in the 1960s and 1970s. These are marked with EIA code “606” which is the company number for Schumacher. Well, this universal “truth” was debunked when we found a bunch of amps with transformers made by the Better Coil and Transformers company. These are marked with EIA code “831” and are most prevalent during the 1966-68 time period. Some examples include a '66 Princeton Reverb and ’66 Pro Reverb with Better Coil output transformer, a ‘66 Deluxe Reverb and ‘67 Twin Reverb with Better Coil reverb transformer, and a 1968 Vibro Champ with Better Coil trannies. These units look, and apparently sound, just like the Schumacher-made units so it’s easy to overlook that “831” code.
Working at FMI – I was able to interview a fellow (who wishes to remain anonymous) who worked at Fender in 1972-73 in the amp department. Although his job was somewhat limited, his recollections provided some really fascinating insights to how the amps were built. For instance, he confirmed our assumption that the amp chassis were put into stock after being stamped with serial numbers and that the chassis were pulled from the stock bins randomly (just as with Fender guitar neck plates). He recalled, “We just went to a big bin every morning and loaded our wheeled rack with a batch of whatever chassis we were working on that day. The boss came around and said what we'd be building. The chassis weren't used chronologically. Probably the same as the pots and transformers that we just dug out of the boxes. I think in the corners of the boxes were older pots remaining from earlier dates... leftovers.”
Regarding production he recounted the following information: “I think I remember being 'pushed' to come up with 30 of the simpler chassis (Super Reverb?) per day. I think the better, older hands did 35 a day. Like I said, there were 5 or 6 of us at the benches every day. But it wasn't always 'cool guitar' amps, sometimes I was making Fender Rhodes Satellite amps on bent aluminum, sometimes only Champs. I remember two 'suits' from upstairs standing behind me occasionally doing time studies. They actually held clipboards and stopwatches to measure how long it took for me to attach various parts. Of course I tended to hurry more when they were
there, and I would fumble more, too.”
Another really interesting fact was that he recalled that the eyelet boards were loaded/wired/soldered in Mexico! “I remember the circuit boards were pre-made, from Mexico, easy to screw into the chassis. Same with the little rectifier boards. When we had filled our cart we'd wheel it over to the Chicano chicks. They were something to behold, all chatting away while soldering so quickly, it didn't hardly seem like they were looking at the amps. After that the foreman would add the tubes, turn 'em on and set the bias.”
Export models – We’ve confirmed that Fender amps were distributed by Hagström in Sweden. Not only that, but to meet Swedish safety codes, Hagström removed the external voltage selector switch (fitted to all blackface and silverface export models) and hardwired it internally (see photos). Notice that the original Fender back panel was removed and replaced with a Hagström panel. One has to wonder where all those factory original export back panels are! Maybe they’ll show up on eBay. Another interesting tidbit is that a lot of Fenders were imported into Australia in the late 1950s and early 1960s that were stock 110-volt (domestic US) units. The Australian Fender Distributor then installed 240V - 110V stepdown transformers in the bottom of the cabinets.
Mid-1968 Super Reverb export model modified by Hagström for the Swedish market. Note the removal of the voltage selector switch and hard-wiring. Also note the vertical black lines on the control panel (found on earliest silverface amps) and the large ceramic power resistors coming off the power tube sockets which indicates the AB568 circuit.
I Didn’t Know That! – Some Fender amp expert I turned out to be. I just discovered that the silverface Bandmaster speaker cabinet (the big, tall one without tilt-back legs) is ported (see photo). I thought they were completely sealed units. I guess this is what the 1969 catalog refers to as “large, individual specially designed baffles.” And all along I thought the big n’ tall silverface cabs were just a macho thing to compete against the awesome looks of a Marshall half stack or full stack. But really, these cabs were large because they were of a “special design” that “greatly improves tone and volume without distortion, and permits optimum performance of the speakers.” At least that’s the reason according to the ’69 catalog.
Also, another thing I’ve never seen before is a what appears to be a shipping tag of some sort (see photo). Note the check boxes for DOM (domestic US model), EXP (export model), CSA (Canada model), STD (standard) and SPEC (special). I have to wonder how often Fender used the SPEC check box and what features a “special” amp or cabinet would have?! Since the new owner would have likely removed this tag immediately upon arriving home, I’m amazed that the one in the photo has remained intact since mid-1968!
PRODUCTION
Along with dating amps by serial numbers, we were interested in determining production totals, if possible. There is some debate about how to interpret the production code information on late ‘50s to mid-1967 tube charts and Greg Huntington is still working with those. One thing we know for sure is that production codes can help date an amp to a particular month within a given model run. Greg and I also disagree about determining production from serial numbers. I will present my hypothesis here and let Greg present his side of the story in a future article.
Unlike serial numbers used for most Fender guitars and basses, we know that serial number sequences are unique to a particular model or a family of models of amplifiers. This is similar to the early ‘50s Telecaster and Precision Bass having their own unique serial number system. Because the serial numbers are for a particular model and that chassis were stamped sequentially, is reasonable to assume that the serial number infers the Nth unit manufactured. Some caution is advised since it is likely that not all chassis were used due to defects or that duplicate serial numbers may have been stamped. Since these two scenarios are probably a very small percentage (or fraction of a percent) of total production, I’ve chosen to ignore them.
Another caveat is that it’s impossible to determine the production totals for “family” models, that is, models that share a common chassis. These “families” are: the Vibrasonic (6G13) and blonde Showman (6G14); the narrow panel tweed Super, Bandmaster, and Pro; the brown Vibrolux (6G11) and blonde Tremolux (6G9); the blackface Vibrolux (AB763) and blackface Tremolux (AB763); the brown Super, Pro, Concert and blonde Bandmaster (6G7); the silverface Super Reverb and Bandmaster Reverb; the blackface Pro, Concert and Bandmaster; the Vibro Champ and Bronco; the non-master volume Twin Reverb and Dual Showman Reverb; and the master volume Twin Reverb, Quad Reverb, Super Six Reverb, Dual Showman Reverb, and Vibrosonic Reverb. There is no way to separate out production for these models, but with enough data, we might be able to do some frequency distribution and such to determine a rough estimate.
For the uniquely serialized models, the production estimates using my hypothesis, can be determined from the serial number tables. This info may make some vintage dealers cringe when they find out how common some of these amps really are, but that’s just tough noogies. For example, the serial numbers for 5F6 and 5F6-A Bassman amps run from BM00001 to BM04600 therefore we can conclude that there were about 4,600 units made. How about those rarebird Vibroverbs? Well, the serial numbers for the brown Vibroverb run from 00100 to 00600 indicating a total production of around 500 units, and the serial numbers for the blackface Vibroverb run from A00100 to A05300 indicating a total production of around 5,200 units. The brown Deluxe is less common at about 4,800 units made (serial numbers run from D00100 to D04900). Anyway, you get the idea.
Just remember that if you’re interested in production from a “family” model listed above, you cannot use this method. For instance, the serial numbers for tweed Bandmaster (3x10) run from S00001 to S03700. At first glance you’d think there were about 3,700 Bandmasters made, but you’d be wrong. Remember, this model shares a chassis with the narrow panel tweed Pro and Super. Therefore, the only thing we can infer is that there were 3,700 tweed Bandmasters, Pros, and Supers made in total. Sure, you could assume that if production was equal between models that there may have been 1,233 units of each model made, but currently we don’t have the data to support this kind of inference.
DATING
The tables are pretty much self-explanatory, but here are some guidelines to keep in mind when using the tables to date your amp. First, the tables should be used as a guide only. You’ll still need to look at various features and date codes to absolutely confirm a year of manufacture. Large overlaps in years may be due to lack of sufficient data (late 1940s to mid 1960s) or simply that the stamped chassis were used way out sequence (mid 1960s to early 1970s). Some, but not all, export models don’t fit exactly into the sequence given and are usually from a year or two later than the serial number would otherwise indicate. Silverface amps without the “A” prefix are generally from the 1970-71 time period and the dating tables can be used to date them if you add an “A” prefix.
Please note (this is very important) that there are many exceptions to the “rules” I have outlined here. Though rare, there are some amps with bizarro serial number letter-prefixes and/or missing expected prefixes that don’t fit the tables. Thankfully, these aberrations are pretty rare. Just as with Fender guitars, you’ll find serial numbers that should fall in a certain year… but don’t. Example: Vibrolux Reverb with serial number A756254 should be a ’77, but the latest date-coded parts date it to 1978. Some serial numbers have a letter prefix plus 4-digits instead of the usual 5- or 6-digits. Likewise there are some serial numbers with an extra digit (usually a zero) after the letter prefix. Again, these are rare and exceptions to the norm.
Finally, if you don’t see a particular model or year listed, it is because 1) there wasn’t enough data to generate a dating table or 2) it falls under the “universal” scheme for A6-, A7-, A8-, A9-, B-, or F-series serial numbers. In the case of early tweed amps, there simply isn’t enough info available at this time to accurately date these by serial number, though some rough guidance is provided. Same goes for Princetons made after 1966.
Don’t get all bent out of shape if you see a model that wasn’t “supposed” to be made in a certain year. Case in point; we have documented two factory-original non-reverb blackface Deluxe Amps from January 1967. The model was supposedly discontinued in 1966. Remember, FMI didn’t like to waste anything (witness the Custom and Swinger guitars) so using up the remaining AB763 Deluxe chassis wouldn’t be a surprise.
Dating Table - NOTE THESE TABLES ARE OBSOLETE!PLEASE GO TO PART 6 OF THIS SERIES FOR THE MOST UP-TO-DATE SERIAL NUMBER TABLES.
For mid to late ‘70s silverface amps and early ‘80s “blackface” models, the serial numbers are date encoded much the same way as Fender guitars from the late ‘70s:
A6 + 5-digits – 1976
A7 + 5-digits – 1977
A8 + 5-digits – 1978
A9 + 5-digits – 1979
B + 5-digits – 1975, 1976
F0 + 5-digits – 1980
F1 + 5-digits – 1981
F2 + 5-digits – 1982
F3 + 5-digits – 1983
F4 + 5-digits – 1984
F9 + 5-digits - 1979, 1980
Examples: Vibrolux Reverb with serial number A756154 (A7 = 1977), Princeton Reverb II with serial number F077698 (F0 = 1980), and Super Reverb with serial number B10753 (B = 1975 or 1976). Note, there is enough data for B-series Twin Reverbs (and variants) to differentiate between 1975 and 1976. These are listed in the dating table. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough data for other B-series models to identify the ‘75s from the ‘76s… but with your help, hopefully we’ll collect enough info to do this for a future article.
Bandmaster 5C7, 5D7 (tweed)
0001 to 0800 – 1953
5000 to 5500 – 1954
Bandmaster 5E7 (tweed)
S00001 to S00350 – 1955
S00350 to S01200 – 1956
S01100 to S01800 – 1957
S01700 to S02500 – 1958
S02500 to S03700 – 1959
Bandmaster5G7, 6G7 (brown)
00001 to 01000 – 1960
Bandmaster6G7, 6G7-A (blonde)
00001 to 02400 – 1960
02300 to 05100 – 1961
49000 to 58000 – 1962
58000 to 59200 – 1963
Bandmaster AA763, AB763 (blackface)
A00001 to A01700 – 1963
A01400 to A08000 – 1964
A07700 to A17000 – 1965
A16000 to A22000 – 1966
A20000 to A27000 – 1967
Bandmaster AB763, AC568 (silverface)
A26000 to A29000 – 1967
A28000 to A34000 – 1968
A33000 to A34000 – 1969
A34000 to A45000 – 1970-72
Bandmaster Reverb AA768, AA1069, AA270, TFL5005 (silverface)
A31000 to A35000 – 1968
A35000 to A45000 – 1969
A45000 to A49000 – 1970
A48000 to A54000 – 1971
A54000 to A59000 – 1972
A59000 to A66000 – 1973
A66000 to A77000 – 1974
A75000 to A78000 – 1975
A78000 to A80000 – 1976
Bassman 5B6 (tweed)
0001 to 0300 – 1951
0300 to 0400 – 1952
0400 to 0600 – 1953
Bassman 5D6, 5D6-A (tweed)
0600 to 0900 – 1954
Bassman 5E6, 5E6-A (tweed)
0100 to 0200 – 1955
BM00001 to BM00550 – 1955
BM00550 to BM01200 – 1956
BM01200 to BM01600 – 1957
Bassman 5F6, 5F6-A (tweed)
BM00001 to BM00400 – 1957
BM00400 to BM01500 – 1958
BM01500 to BM03100 – 1959
BM03100 to BM04600 – 1960
Bassman 6G6, 6G6-A, 6G6-B (blonde)
BP00100 to BP01100 – 1961
BP01100 to BP05000 – 1962
BP05000 to BP08400 – 1963
BP08400 to BP12000 – 1964
Bassman AA864, AA165, AB165 (blackface)
A00100 to A03800 – 1964
A03800 to A15000 – 1965
A15000 to A25000 – 1966
A24000 to A33000 – 1967
Bassman AB165, AC568, AA270, AA371 (silverface)
A32000 to A40000 – 1967
A39000 to A49000 – 1968
A48000 to A58000 – 1969
A58000 to A60000 – 1970
Bronco AB764 (silverface)
A19000 to A21000 – 1967
A20000 to A26000 – 1968
A25000 to A28000 – 1969
A28000 to A29000 – 1970
A29000 to A32000 – 1971
A32000 to A35000 – 1972
A33000 to A39000 – 1973
A39000 to A42000 – 1974
A42000 to A51000 – 1975
Champion 800 (tweed)
01 to 1000 – 1948-49
Champion 600 5B1 (tweed)
01 to 1300 – 1948-49
1300 to 1700 – 1950
1700 to 5000 – 1951-52
5000 to 5500 – 1953
Champ 5C1, 5D1 (tweed)
5500 to 6600 – 1953
6600 to 8000 – 1954
8000 to 9999 – 1955
Serial Number Idm Gratis
Champ 5E1, 5F1 (tweed)
C00001 to C00800 – 1955
C00800 to C03100 – 1956
C03100 to C06000 – 1957
C06000 to C08800 – 1958
C08800 to C12500 – 1959
C12500 to C15500 – 1960
C15500 to C16800 – 1961
C17000 to C19000 – 1962
C19000 to C21000 – 1963
C21000 to C23000 – 1964
Champ AA764 (blackface)
A00100 to A02000 – 1964
A01900 to A05200 – 1965
A05200 to A12000 – 1966
A12000 to A12200 – 1967
Champ AA764 (silverface)
A12200 to A13900 – 1968
A13900 to A18000 – 1969
A18000 to A30500 – 1970
A30500 to A32000 – 1971
A32000 to A35000 – 1972
A32000 to A42000 – 1973
A42000 to A50000 – 1974
A50000 to A63000 – 1975
A63000 to A85000 - 1976
Concert 5G12, 6G12, 6G12-A (brown)
00001 to 02400 – 1960
02300 to 05100 – 1961
49000 to 58000 – 1962
58000 to 59200 – 1963
Concert AA763, AB763 (blackface)
A00001 to A01700 – 1963
A01400 to A08000 – 1964
A07700 to A08800 – 1965
Model 26 Deluxe (woodie)
100 to 1500 – 1946-48
Deluxe 5A3, 5B3 (tweed)
001 to 800 – 1948
800 to 1900 – 1949
1900 to 3000 – 1950
3000 to 5400 – 1951
5400 to 6800 – 1952
6800 to 7300 - 1953
Deluxe 5C3, 5D3 (tweed)
0001 to 1500 – 1953
1500 to 3600 – 1954
3600 to 5300 – 1955
Deluxe 5E3 (tweed)
D00001 to D01400 – 1955
D01400 to D03000 – 1956
D03000 to D05000 – 1957
D05000 to D06800 – 1958
D06800 to D09000 – 1959
D09000 to D10000 – 1960
D10000 to D11000 – 1961
Deluxe 6G3, 6G3-A (brown)
D00100 to D00900 – 1961
D00800 to D03800 – 1962
D03800 to D04900 – 1963
Deluxe AA763, AB763 (blackface)
A00100 to A00500 – 1963
A00500 to A02800 – 1964
A02800 to A05600 – 1965
A05600 to A06100 – 1966
A06100 to A06500 – 1967
Deluxe Reverb AA763, AB763 (blackface)
A00100 to A00300 – 1963
A00300 to A03900 – 1964
A03900 to A13000 – 1965
A12000 to A19000 – 1966
A19000 to A24000 – 1967
Deluxe Reverb AB763, AB868 (silverface)
A24000 to A26000 – 1967
A26000 to A28500 – 1968
A28500 to A33000 – 1969
A31000 to A33000 – 1970
A33000 to A34500 – 1971
A34500 to A37000 – 1972
A37000 to A39000 – 1973
A39000 to A42000 – 1974
A42000 to A43000 – 1975
A43000 to A45000 – 1976
Dual Showman AA763, AB763 (blackface)
A00100 to A01400 – 1963
A01400 to A01700 – 1964
A01700 to A04300 – 1965
A04300 to A08000 – 1966
A07800 to A12000 – 1967
Dual Showman AB763, AC568 (silverface)
A12000 to A12500 – 1967
A12500 to A15000 – 1968
Dual Showman Reverb AA768, AA769, AA270, TFL5000 (silverface)
A13900 to A16500 – 1968
A16500 to A22400 – 1969
A21700 to A25600 – 1970
A25600 to A37000 – 1971
A37000 to A50500 – 1972
A50500 to A68000 – 1973
A68000 to A99999 – 1974
A81000 to A99999 – 1975
B01000 to B15000 – 1975
B15000 to B68000 – 1976
Harvard 5F10 (tweed)
H00100 to H00500 – 1956
H00500 to H01400 – 1957
H01400 to H02000 – 1958
H02000 to H02600 – 1959
H02600 to H03400 – 1960
H03400 to H03500 – 1961
Musicmaster Bass CFA-7010 (silverface)
A00100 to A04100 – 1972
A04100 to A07900 – 1973
A07900 to A09500 – 1974
A09500 to A09800 – 1975
A09800 to A10500 – 1976
Princeton 5B2, 5C2, 5D2 (tweed)
2500 to 3600 – 1953
3600 to 4400 – 1954
4400 to 4700 – 1955
Princeton 5F2, 5F2-A (tweed)
P0001 to P00350 – 1955
P0001 to P01100 – 1956
P01100 to P02400 – 1957
P02400 to P03000 – 1958
P03000 to P04300 – 1959
P04300 to P07000 – 1960
Princeton 6G2, 6G2-A (brown)
P00100 to P01000 – 1961
P01000 to P05100 – 1962
P05100 to P07200 – 1963
P07100 to P09900 – 1964
Princeton AA964 (blackface)
A00100 to A02500 – 1964
A02500 to A07000 – 1965
A05000 to A10400 – 1966
Princeton AA964 (silverface)
A10000 to A11000 – 1967-68
A11000 to A15000 – 1969-70
Princeton Reverb AA1164 (blackface)
A00100 to A02100 – 1964
A02100 to A07500 – 1965
A05500 to A14500 – 1966
A14000 to A18700 – 1967
Princeton Reverb AA1164, B1270 (silverface)
A18500 to A19500 – 1967
A18900 to A21500 – 1968
A21500 to A25500 – 1969
A24000 to A25000 – 1970
A25000 to A26000 – 1971
A26000 to A27500 – 1972
A27500 to A30000 – 1973
A30000 to A32500 – 1974
A32500 to A34500 – 1975
A34500 to A36000 – 1976
Pro 5A5, 5B5, 5C5, 5D5 (tweed)
01 to 600 – 1948
600 to 1100 – 1949
1100 to 1700 – 1950
1700 to 2500 – 1951
2500 to 3500 – 1952
3500 to 4800 – 1953
4500 to 6000 - 1954
Pro 5E5, 5E5-A, 5E5-B (tweed)
S00100 to S00800 – 1955
S00800 to S01200 – 1956
S01200 to S01800 – 1957
S01700 to S02500 – 1958
S02500 to S03700 – 1959
Pro 5G5, 6G5, 6G5-A (brown)
00001 to 02400 – 1960
02300 to 05100 – 1961
49000 to 58000 – 1962
58000 to 59200 – 1963
Pro AA763, AB763 (blackface)
A00001 to A01700 – 1963
A01400 to A08000 – 1964
Pro Reverb AA165 (blackface)
A00100 to A02700 – 1965
A02700 to A09200 – 1966
A07000 to A10200 – 1967
Pro Reverb AA1265, AB668, AA1069, AA270 (silverface)
A10000 to A10500 – 1967
A10500 to A12000 – 1968
A12000 to A13300 – 1969
A13400 to A14500 – 1970
A14500 to A15000 – 1971
A15000 to A15600 – 1972
A15600 to A17200 – 1973
A17200 to A19700 – 1974
A19700 to A20000 – 1975
A20000 to A21500 – 1976
Quad Reverb CFA7104 (silverface)
A33000 to A37000 – 1971
A37000 to A50500 – 1972
A50500 to A68000 – 1973
A68000 to A99999 – 1974
A81000 to A99999 – 1975
B01000 to B15000 – 1975
B15000 to B68000 – 1976
Reverb Unit 6G15 (brown, blonde, blackface)
R00100 to R00900 – 1961
R00900 to R02600 – 1962
R02600 to R04800 – 1963
R04800 to R07400 – 1964
R07400 to R09800 – 1965
R09800 to R11000 – 1966
Showman 6G14, 6G14-A (blonde)
00001 to 00350 – 1960
00200 to 00800 – 1961
00800 to 01500 – 1962
01500 to 01800 – 1963
Showman AA763, AB763 (blackface)
A00100 to A01400 – 1963
A01400 to A01700 – 1964
A01700 to A04300 – 1965
A04300 to A08000 – 1966
A07800 to A12000 – 1967
Showman AB763 (silverface)
A12000 to A12500 – 1967
A12500 to A15000 – 1968
Super incl. Dual Professional (tweed)
01 to 400 – 1946-47
500 to 1200 – 1949-51
2000 to 4300 – 1952-53
4500 to 5500 – 1954
5500 to 6100 – 1955
Super 5E4, 5F4 (tweed)
S00100 to S00800 – 1955
S00800 to S01200 – 1956
S01200 to S01800 – 1957
S01700 to S02500 – 1958
S02500 to S03700 – 1959
Super 5G4, 6G4, 6G4-A (brown)
00001 to 02400 – 1960
02300 to 05100 – 1961
49000 to 58000 – 1962
58000 to 59200 – 1963
Super Reverb AA763, AB763 (blackface)
A00100 to A00600 – 1963
A00600 to A06000 – 1964
A05900 to A13000 – 1965
A11000 to A20000 – 1966
A20000 to A27000 – 1967
Super Reverb AB763, AB568, AA1069, AA270 (silverface)
A26000 to A29000 – 1967
A27000 to A35000 – 1968
A35000 to A45000 – 1969
A45000 to A49000 – 1970
A48000 to A54000 – 1971
A54000 to A59000 – 1972
A59000 to A66000 – 1973
A66000 to A77000 – 1974
A75000 to A78000 – 1975
A78000 to A80000 – 1976
Super Six Reverb CFA7106 (silverface)
A33000 to A37000 – 1971
A37000 to A50500 – 1972
A50500 to A68000 – 1973
A68000 to A99999 – 1974
A81000 to A99999 – 1975
B01000 to B15000 – 1975
B15000 to B68000 – 1976
Tremolux 5E9, 5E9-A (tweed)
0001 to 00650 – 1955
00650 to 01000 – 1956
01000 to 01300 – 1957
01300 to 01700 – 1958
01700 to 02700 – 1959
02600 to 03300 – 1960
Tremolux 6G9, 6G9-A, 6G9-B (blonde)
00100 to 01000 – 1961
00900 to 04200 – 1962
04200 to 05900 – 1963
Tremolux AA763, AB763 (blackface)
A00100 to A00500 – 1963
A00500 to A03700 – 1964
A03200 to A05700 – 1965
A05200 to A08000 – 1966
Twin 5C8, 5D8, 5D8-A, 5E8, 5E8-A (tweed)
001 to 500 – 1953-55
A00200 to A00725 – 1956-57
Twin 5F8, 5F8-A (tweed)
A00010 to A00725 – 1957-59
Twin 6G8, 6G8-A (blonde)
00001 to 00100 – 1960
00100 to 00225 – 1961
00225 to 00400 – 1962
00400 to 00525 – 1963
Twin Reverb AA763, AB763 (blackface)
A00100 to A01200 – 1964
A01200 to A04300 – 1965
A04300 to A07000 – 1966
A07000 to A10400 – 1967
Twin Reverb AB763, AC568, AA769, AA270 (silverface)
A10500 to A11300 – 1967
A10500 to A16500 – 1968
A16500 to A21400 – 1969
A21400 to A25600 – 1970
A25600 to A37000 – 1971
A37000 to A50500 – 1972
A50500 to A68000 – 1973
A68000 to A99999 – 1974
A81000 to A99999 – 1975
B01000 to B15000 – 1975
B15000 to B68000 – 1976
0100 to 3400 - 1970
Vibrasonic 6G13, 6G13-A (brown)
00001 to 00350 – 1960
00200 to 00800 – 1961
00800 to 01500 – 1962
01500 to 01800 – 1963
Vibro Champ AA764 (blackface)
A00100 to A02000 – 1964
A01200 to A08100 – 1965
A08100 to A16000 – 1966
A16000 to A20500 – 1967
Vibro Champ AA764 (silverface)
A19000 to A21000 – 1967
A20000 to A26000 – 1968
A25000 to A28000 – 1969
A28000 to A29000 – 1970
A29000 to A32000 – 1971
A32000 to A35000 – 1972
A33000 to A39000 – 1973
A39000 to A42000 – 1974
A42000 to A51000 – 1975
A51000 to A53000 – 1976
Vibrolux 5F11 (tweed)
F00001 to F00300 – 1956
F00300 to F00900 – 1957
F00900 to F01500 – 1958
F01500 to F02800 – 1959
F02800 to F04000 – 1960
F04100 to F04400 – 1961
Vibrolux 6G11, 6G11-A (brown)
00100 to 00700 – 1961
00700 to 03700 – 1962
03400 to 05500 – 1963
Vibrolux AA763 (blackface)
A00100 to A01300 – 1964
Vibrolux Reverb AA864 (blackface)
A00100 to A00800 – 1964
A00800 to A03600 – 1965
A03600 to A08300 – 1966
A08300 to A10700 – 1967
Vibrolux Reverb AA864, AA964, AB568, AA270 (silverface)
A10700 to A11000 – 1967
A11000 to A12000 – 1968
A12000 to A13700 – 1969
A13700 to A23400 – 1970
A23400 to A24500 – 1971
A24500 to A25000 – 1972
A25000 to A27000 – 1973
A27000 to A31500 – 1974
A31500 to A33000 – 1975
A33000 to A34000 – 1976
Vibrosonic Reverb (silverface)
A44000 to A50500 – 1972
A50500 to A68000 – 1973
A68000 to A99999 – 1974
A81000 to A99999 – 1975
B01000 to B15000 – 1975
B15000 to B68000 – 1976
Vibroverb 6G16 (brown)
00100 to 00600 – 1963
Vibroverb AA763, AB763 (blackface)
A00100 to A05300 – 1964
YOU CAN STILL HELP!
Sadly, these tables do not mean that our research is finished. We still need more data to fine tune existing dating schemes (including the overlap in the 'universal' A+6 digit and F series) and to provide dating tables for missing models and/or years. Also, we’re still researching the “mystery of the production number” on the tube charts of late ‘50s through mid-1967 amps. Please continue to send submit info to us via e-mail.
Thanks again to everyone who contributed information to make these dating tables possible. We hope you find them useful!!
Special thanks to Sixten Forsén at EDGAR Audio in Sweden for the information and photos, to Sam Hartley for the information and photos, to Greg at Retro Sound in Australia and Paul Mastradone for the excellent info.
Extra special thanks to my co-researchers, Devin “The Tweed King” Riebe and Greg Huntington, for their invaluable assistance with collecting data and information about Fender amps.
About the author: Greg Gagliano is going on vacation. You can try to contact him by e-mail, but don’t be surprised if you get a pre-recorded message.
Back to GGJaguar's BibliographyWritten 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 steve@mojotone.com.New/Updated this version:
- Added expanded EIA codes section.
Contents:
- 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
- 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
- Where can I find out more about Fender Amps?
- 7.1. On the Web
- 7.2. USENET
- 7.3. In Print
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 typicallychose 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 somemodels 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 datecode 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: XXXYYZZ 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. Fendersought 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 priceof a amp. Age, condition, originality of components, location, demand, buyers/sellers motivationlevel, 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 askingFender Bassman Serial Number Dating
for the amp. Keepin mind that most things don't sell for the asking price.7. Where can I find out more about Fender Amps?
Serial Number Lookup
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 Fender Musical Instruments Corp. http://www.fender.com Vintage Fender amps are the companies biggest competition. Old amps are ignoredbut lots of info on current production models. The Fender Amp Field Guide http://www.ampwares.com 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?
Mojotone.com
Mojo Musical Supply
513 South Dudley St
Burgaw, NC 28425
1-800-927-6656
(910) 259-7291
FAX: (910) 259-7292
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.