Early 60's Fender Concert, Brown

tunghaichuan*** · February 7th, 2010, 01:07 PM

I have an RCA blackplate 6L6GB, which is a great sounding tube. It ODs nicely in Champs and tweed Princetons. The "W" designation in tyour tubes stands for ruggedized. The 5881 was an industrial tube, also ruggedized. IIRC, they were used in mobile radios in the US military circa WWII. Those tubes had to be tough. I have a pair of reall 5881s pulled from a hifi amp and they sound glorious in my homebrew tweed Princetons.

Originally Posted by sunvalleylaw

Good to know. I wondered what the tube designation meant. Your description of moving toward BF sound is accurate from what I have read. As I understand it, the brown amphs of the early 60s are in between the tweeds and BFs in terms of tone and headroom. It seems to have lots of warmth to my ear, and to me, that gives a bit more character than the squeaky clean BF sound. But that is based on models I have listened to and played through (Line 6 Gearbox models, etc.), not really experience with the real thing. It seems to have enough tweed in it to make it enjoyable to me.

**sunvalleylaw** · February 10th, 2010, 03:13 PM

Hi guys, just as a follow up, here at the link below are a bunch of pictures just for fun. This thing is cool!

http://gallery.me.com/sunvalleylaw#100142

**sumitomo** · February 10th, 2010, 03:53 PM

Yep It's a keeper! Sumi

FrankenFretter*** · February 10th, 2010, 08:27 PM

Wow, Steve...that's a real beauty! I'm coveting...just a little.

Spudman*** · February 11th, 2010, 12:38 AM

Is the top right speaker missing a dust cap?

Jipes*** · February 11th, 2010, 04:40 AM

As I told you Sunny I have the same amp since 4 years and it's a real beauty, I had it fixed at my repairman which exchange some dead capacitors and install a transfo for 220 - 240V and since then I'm a happy man

The only down side of this amp is the heavy weight

otherwise it's really a great amp and the vibrato is just amazing

**sunvalleylaw** · February 11th, 2010, 07:33 AM

Originally Posted by Spudman

Is the top right speaker missing a dust cap?

Yeah, it is.

Thanks guys! Pretty cool so far! Jipes, thanks for linking your vids to me when I mailed you on Youtube. I tried to reply, but youtube mail wasn't working. I liked those vids! Esp. the one with the vibrato turned on.

duhvoodooman*** · February 11th, 2010, 01:31 PM

Man, that amp is in really nice shape considering its age, Sun! NICE SNAG!!!

**Brian Krashpad** · February 11th, 2010, 03:24 PM

Congrats! I have a '66 Super that's a 4x10 and really like that configuration.

**oldguy** · February 11th, 2010, 08:06 PM

Originally Posted by Brian Krashpad

Congrats! I have a '66 Super that's a 4x10 and really like that configuration.

True dat.

**sunvalleylaw** · March 16th, 2010, 05:18 PM

By way of an update, after leaving the amp at work and just playing it there for a bit, I have had the amp home over the weekend. The Peavey is now at work. I really enjoy this Concert and think I will keep it. I am taking my time, getting to know the voices of the normal and vibrato channels, where I like the settings on each for what purpose, and for my two electric guitars. I also played my Martin through it as well, just to see what that was like (It was fun!).

So far, my strat is most immediately at home with it. You know, the Fender/Fender thing. My Hagstrom also sounds good with it, though I find I turn the treble up more with that guitar, as it is a slightly darker sounding guitar anyway.

Also so far, I find I want to use overdrive and distortion type pedals less with this amp as compared to my Peavey Classic 30, and that I like the sound of the amp itself more. I like the sound of my new ZYS more than the Bad Monkey through it, and also enjoy using just the MOSFET boost that is in my ZYS, especially if I have to play quietly. When I do use the ZYS overdrive, I like it to be set up pretty transparent. It bumps the midrange some then, but does not take away all the nice openess of the amph. The presence knob is also very useful.

So liking it very much indeed. Very articulate, and more articulate on the low end than my Peavey. Very fun to hit the low string to announce a chord change on this amp.

**MAXIFUNK** · March 16th, 2010, 05:25 PM

SVL, does this amp sound similar to a Fender Bassman?

**sunvalleylaw** · March 16th, 2010, 05:40 PM

Well, given I have never truly played an original Bassman, what I say must be taken with a grain of salt. But that said, it is similar, but in a way, in between a Bassman and a Blackface. They don't break up quite as quickly as a Bassman, and stay cleaner longer. Very fat, solid tone with tons of bass, and strong mids, treble voiced a bit lower than a Blackface. Maybe not as middy as a Bassman. Bottom line, a good bit of bassman , voiced a bit more toward the BlackFace (I would say voiced closer to Bassman than Blackface), but really it's own deal altogether. And that is a good thing!

**sumitomo** · March 16th, 2010, 08:14 PM

I knew you would keep that amph!Now get a good selection of different preamph tubes and a A/B box to go between the normal and vibrato channel and fine tune the voice you want.Sumi

Jipes*** · March 17th, 2010, 01:56 AM

As Sumi mentionned I was also pretty sure that you'll love it, as for the break up I could use it onstage in an open air where I could open it up quite a bit (over6) and you find a nice creamy tone not yet a real crunch but close to it at least with my strat.

A friend of mine did jam with us that night and play through it with his old Guild Starfire and boum he got a great crunch out of the Concert, probably due to the high gain of his humbuckers

**MAXIFUNK** · March 17th, 2010, 12:11 PM

Originally Posted by sunvalleylaw

Well, given I have never truly played an original Bassman, what I say must be taken with a grain of salt. But that said, it is similar, but in a way, in between a Bassman and a Blackface. They don't break up quite as quickly as a Bassman, and stay cleaner longer. Very fat, solid tone with tons of bass, and strong mids, treble voiced a bit lower than a Blackface. Maybe not as middy as a Bassman. Bottom line, a good bit of bassman , voiced a bit more toward the BlackFace (I would say voiced closer to Bassman than Blackface), but really it's own deal altogether. And that is a good thing!

SVL,

Thanks for answering That gives me a very good idea then. Sounds like a keeper and a winner for sure Congrats on such a cool find.

**sumitomo** · March 24th, 2010, 11:36 AM

Hey Sun there's a guy on e-bay with a full crack pipe trying to sell his '61 concert for 14,000.00. Sumi

**sunvalleylaw** · March 24th, 2010, 02:00 PM

Woo Hooo!! Someone better hop on that buy, that's a steal!!

**sunvalleylaw** · February 5th, 2016, 12:20 AM

Here is the amp I have for sale. Here: http://www.thefret.net/showthread.ph...fier-Brownface

This is the thread from when I first got it.

Thread: Early 60's Fender Concert, Brown

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