Comparing Original and Reissue Fender Guitar Amplifiers

In the 1960's Fender Musical Instruments introduced some of the best performing tube amps to date. The "Blackface" amps, which were named that because of the face plate under the knobs, painted black with white lettering, are some of the most coveted tube amps by all musicians. In recent years, Fender and other companies have begun to reproduce vacuum tube powered amplifiers. Some are reproductions of the original; some are a blend of old and new design, and some entirely new creations. Many musicians begged for a tube amp comeback because of one of two factors. Either their solid-state models couldn't produce the desired sound, or their old tube amps where giving up the ghost and were too expensive to rebuild.

In the mid 90s' Fender came back into the tube amp market with a 40 watt, 12 in speaker combo called the Blues Deluxe. Later on, Fender came out with reissues of the 60's blackface amps, which included the Deluxe Reverb, Twin Reverb, and Super Reverb. This year Fender added to the product line the 15-watt combo, the Princeton Reverb. Many professional and semi-professions musicians swear by these faithful reproductions. I have also owned a reissue Deluxe Reverb and currently a Twin Reverb and I will say that they are worth the price tag. The Twin Reverb I own is by far the clearest, and most powerful guitar amplifier that I have ever heard. Nothing else comes even close to being a substitute for it.

The demand for these Fender amplifiers has also spilled over to Internet auction sites such as Ebay. So which is the better choice, an original Fender tube amp or a reissue? Many different people have varying opinions on the subject. Some people swear by the originals, some people swear by the reissues. The choice is more a matter of application and personal preference than anything. A Fender tube amp of this variety is a high dollar investment either way. I recommend knowing for sure what you are getting into before forking over the dough. The best advice I can give to anyone who is considering this purchase to hear it in person before buying it!

In 1966, Leo Fender sold the company to CBS, which did not manage it very well. The year before, Fender introduced several of the Blackface amps, which sold extremely well. The full CBS takeover was not in place until late 1969 and 1970. In that time span many models continued production including those amps which were given an aluminum faceplate and are now known as "Silverface" amps. The early CBS era of Fender was infamous for poor quality control as well as a multitude of other problems. Guitar models from that ear, such as the 1972 Telecaster Custom, and Telecaster Thinline have also been reissued.

The history of the company in those years is crucial to deciding what type of amp to invest in. All of the Fender reissue amps are built from the exact same blueprints and schematics of the originals with a few differences. The originals had hand wired and soldered circuit boards where as the reissues have printed boards. The reissues use Sovtek Russian tubes, whereas the originals came with RCA and several other different American brands. The company that made the speakers for the originals, Jensen, still makes the ones for the reissues. The reissue amps were produces as close to the original as possible.

The choice between a reissue and an original is a very personal, and expensive one, so here's a few things to consider. Always test and listen to the amp in person with your own guitar or one similar to it. Silverface amps are always hit or miss quality wise so I strongly disagree with getting one on Ebay because sound quality is subjective. Some of them sound great, some sound like garbage. Fender's quality control was horrible in those years. If you are dead set on an original Blackface, be prepared to spend a lot of time looking and be ready to spend upwards of 2 to 9 thousand dollars. If you don't mind a tiny difference in the sound, go for a re-issue. Quality control on those is wonderful and the tone is within a microbe of the originals. The reissues also have the modern benefits of a printed circuit board, an abundant availability of vacuum tubes.

As many people have said, you can't go wrong with that classic Fender tone. Whatever it is that suits your needs, a Fender amp is a great choice. These are just as useful now as they ever were no matter if it's reissue or original. Even though they are expensive in either form, they are well worth the money. I have had my reissue twin for 4 years and have yet to have one single problem with it. No matter what your musical taste may be, a Fender tube amp will bring out the very best in your guitar. Not to mention, you will be the coolest cat at the gig with a great looking, classic amp!