Members Ostracized Posted March 29, 2007 Members Share Posted March 29, 2007 I'm just curious. People seem to shun Silver Faced Fenders in favour of Black Face. But from what I've heard the SF amps aren't really that bad. Is this general preference due to quality or nostalgia, and do you think that SF amps might one day be highly coveted and reissued? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tobiahtayo Posted March 29, 2007 Members Share Posted March 29, 2007 when bfs are impossible to find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Popoon Posted March 29, 2007 Members Share Posted March 29, 2007 The ones with the Turquoise bits are in here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Yam Doodle Posted March 29, 2007 Members Share Posted March 29, 2007 I'm just curious. People seem to shun Silver Faced Fenders in favour of Black Face. But from what I've heard the SF amps aren't really that bad.Is this general preference due to quality or nostalgia, and do you think that SF amps might one day be highly coveted and reissued? There are significant differences in tone between the two. I know because I searched far and wide and played numerous Fenders. At first I was going to go silverface because of price. Some of them are indeed good amps. Some are terrible. The difficulty is that most of us who are young are conditioned to not really know the difference between tone that is the {censored} and tone that is only half there. I settled on a '66 Pro Reverb and it is absolutely beautiful. I'm so much happier having forked out the extra G. At one point I took a silverface Twin Reverb home but I had to take it back due to my eventual dissatisfaction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Popoon Posted March 29, 2007 Members Share Posted March 29, 2007 I blame the radio,as much tone as soul. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members paulintheuk Posted March 29, 2007 Members Share Posted March 29, 2007 There's a lot of love for SF Champs here....And yes, they will get expensive. After all, look at 70's Fender guitars, they are getting bloody STUPID nowadays and yet 10 years ago you couldn't give 'em away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BigBone Posted March 29, 2007 Members Share Posted March 29, 2007 I own 2 silverface TFL5005D's w/ 2 2x12 cabs. One sounded blah so it got modded, the other has a beautiful tone and stays stock, except for the bias balance rewired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members silverfacechamp Posted March 29, 2007 Members Share Posted March 29, 2007 There are significant differences in tone between the two. I know because I searched far and wide and played numerous Fenders. At first I was going to go silverface because of price. Some of them are indeed good amps. Some are terrible. The difficulty is that most of us who are young are conditioned to not really know the difference between tone that is the {censored} and tone that is only half there. I settled on a '66 Pro Reverb and it is absolutely beautiful. I'm so much happier having forked out the extra G. At one point I took a silverface Twin Reverb home but I had to take it back due to my eventual dissatisfaction. Not all silverfaces were 'significantly' different from their blackface counterparts, especially those produced in the late 60s/early 70s. Silverface prices WILL rise. Look at the Champ, for example. Just a few years ago, a SF vibro could be had for pocket change, and now they're consistently fetching $250-$350 and rising. Princetons are another good example. Like somebody said about the 70's Strats, the blackfaces will, in short order, become too expensive for average people to own (it's almost to that point now), just as the 50's and 60's Strats have become. So, average people looking to have something 'vintage' look for the next best thing, in this case the silverfaces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members paulintheuk Posted March 29, 2007 Members Share Posted March 29, 2007 Not all silverfaces were 'significantly' different from their blackface counterparts, especially those produced in the late 60s/early 70s. Silverface prices WILL rise. Look at the Champ, for example. Just a few years ago, a SF vibro could be had for pocket change, and now they're consistently fetching $250-$350 and rising. Princetons are another good example. Like somebody said about the 70's Strats, the blackfaces will, in short order, become too expensive for average people to own (it's almost to that point now), just as the 50's and 60's Strats have become. So, average people looking to have something 'vintage' look for the next best thing, in this case the silverfaces. Very well put. Personally I'd love a SF Princeton and Vibrochamp to go with mine, but they are already far too much over here... SF Champs go for Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Yam Doodle Posted March 29, 2007 Members Share Posted March 29, 2007 Hey I was right there with you guys for a while. I would have gotten a late 60's early 70's twin or pro but I couldn't find one. I was ampless and decided to just fork out the cash for the BF. I'm so glad that I did. It's almost completely original and will be worth some serious $$$ someday not too far from now. I can't emphasize how beautiful it sounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ostracized Posted March 29, 2007 Author Members Share Posted March 29, 2007 Good points all. So I guess I wonder, if Fender keeps making BF Reissues, would that keep vintage SF's down? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members silverfacechamp Posted March 29, 2007 Members Share Posted March 29, 2007 Good points all.So I guess I wonder, if Fender keeps making BF Reissues, would that keep vintage SF's down? I don't really think so, at least not to any noticeable effect. Counter intuitively, those are two different market segments. People who buy BFRI's usually aren't the same people that would recognize and seek out SF amps, simply because the RI's aren't the same quality or sound as the originals. It's more about 'getting close for 1/4th the price' than being authentic, buying as an investment, or owning point to point amps. I'm not saying that the RI's are bad amps by any means, but they are different from the originals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Ostracized Posted March 29, 2007 Author Members Share Posted March 29, 2007 I don't really think so, at least not to any noticeable effect. Counter intuitively, those are two different market segments. People who buy BFRI's usually aren't the same people that would recognize and seek out SF amps, simply because the RI's aren't the same quality or sound as the originals. It's more about 'getting close for 1/4th the price' than being authentic, buying as an investment, or owning point to point amps. I'm not saying that the RI's are bad amps by any means, but they are different from the originals. Thats's actually a very good point. I'm definately the kind of guy who would buy the reissue. I have no real desire to own vintage gear, just nice gear. Maybe if I ever owned a vintage guitar/amp, I'd see what I was missing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Skoora Posted March 29, 2007 Members Share Posted March 29, 2007 It's the same with Marshall. The SL reissue is a nice sounding amp..but then you plug into a real metal panel superlead from 69-72 and it's really night and day. Do you want the best sound and possible repair issues or a good sound and new reliability? I've played some '79 Vibrolux's with the pull volume knob boost and thought they sounded pretty sweet with a Les Paul. But in general I still think that BF's are the bomb Yo! But not as bomb as tweeds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members silverfacechamp Posted March 29, 2007 Members Share Posted March 29, 2007 Thats's actually a very good point.I'm definately the kind of guy who would buy the reissue. I have no real desire to own vintage gear, just nice gear.Maybe if I ever owned a vintage guitar/amp, I'd see what I was missing. I don't think you're necessarily 'missing' anything. It's all in what YOU think sounds the best. I've heard some modern amps that are killer, and I've heard some 'vintage' amps that aren't fit for doorstops. Old does not equal good in terms of tone. I like the old stuff for two main reasons: 1. If I take care of it, it'll appreciate in value, and someday, if need be, I can sell it and have a nice chunk of money. 2. It's point to point, which makes fixing it cheap and easy. Other than that, it's really, really subjective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesboy Posted March 29, 2007 Members Share Posted March 29, 2007 i love my 78 silverface deluxe reverb... it gets some really nice blues and classic rock tone. i would love to have an original blackface, but i dont have the cash to spare right now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dicky sofa Posted March 30, 2007 Members Share Posted March 30, 2007 Blackfacing a Silver Face is not hard to do... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Yam Doodle Posted March 30, 2007 Members Share Posted March 30, 2007 Blackfacing a Silver Face is not hard to do... This is true; however, by Blackfacing a silverface you're depreciating the amps value. Yes it's an increase in tone but every solder joint that is not original in the amps circuit makes it less valuable. By doing something like BF'ing an SF you make it less collectable and if there's a potential for future collectability it wouldn't seem advisable to do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members the russ Posted March 30, 2007 Members Share Posted March 30, 2007 This is true; however, by Blackfacing a silverface you're depreciating the amps value. Yes it's an increase in tone but every solder joint that is not original in the amps circuit makes it less valuable. By doing something like BF'ing an SF you make it less collectable and if there's a potential for future collectability it wouldn't seem advisable to do so. i've never seen a SF become less valuable because of a blackface job, and i've been watching for a while. those amps are not collectable, and are not collectable because of more than just the cosmetics, cuz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members silverfacechamp Posted March 30, 2007 Members Share Posted March 30, 2007 those amps are not collectable, and are not collectable because of more than just the cosmetics, cuz. They ARE collectible, and becoming more so every day. Anyone in the vintage market can tell you that. Do they command the same prices as blackfaces? No, but 70's Strats don't sell for the same as 60's Strats, and you'd be far pressed to find anybody that knows anything that would tell you that 70's Strats aren't collectible. Don't believe me? Check out the price on a '67-'76 Champ, Vibro Champ, Princeton, or Deluxe Reverb from 5 years ago, then compare those prices with what they are now. Pretty substantial jump for something that's not collectible. Changing the circuit DOES change the value. Not as much now because the pricing and fanaticism simply hasn't reached BF levels...YET, but it'll get close, and someday not too far off. Remember when they couldn't give away a 70's Strat? I remember seeing those things collect dust at music stores because they couldn't get $250 for one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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