Fender AB763 Tremolux caper

[Tubetwang]

Purchased a 65 Tremolux head over the week-end...

Still had original caps...

Put in all new electrolitics...

Wow!!!

I had forgotten just how nice Fender's were...

Waiting on Antique for the tremolo part...

[M Fowler]

That is my favorite Fender amp and I wish I still had one.

Congrats on yours.

Mark

[Structo]

Good score!

I was over at Vintage Amps yesterday, there sure are some pretty Fenders over there.
One guy lucked into a 65 Fender Deluxe that looked showroom new.

[Tubetwang]

Thanks guys!

These AB763 are great amps.

They are so uncared for.

They are also cheap these days.

Something is wrong when one can scarf up a Tremolux head for around 600$.

I might just go on a Fender binge.

Beside, i'm not really worthy of Trainwreck amps.

I'm more of a rythm guitarist and i love that Fender Bass and High with a dash of Tremolo and Reverb.

I will always remember getting into a dark dance hall around 1963...

Stage was lined up with Blonde Fender's...red pilot light showing bright...

What a sight!

I was hooked right there and then...for life!

[M Fowler]

There is a music store a few blocks from me that has a Bandmaster for $750 and hasn't moved. I told them if it gets to a reasonable price I will buy and many months later it still sits. What is sad is that I could get any one of these Fenders, Tremolux, Bandmaster or Bassman for $200-$250 and now they are like gold. What I always tell the owner is if you haven't recapped your amp it isn't worth it for me to pay such a high price.

I almost got one from a guy south of Minneapols for $400 off of gearpage, but I had to back out due to paying the taxes, rats. Right now I would rather get a Marsh kit and build their Blond Bandmaster and have a new amp.

Mark

[Tubetwang]

There is a music store a few blocks from me that has a Bandmaster for $750 and hasn't moved. I told them if it gets to a reasonable price I will buy and many months later it still sits. What is sad is that I could get any one of these Fenders, Tremolux, Bandmaster or Bassman for $200-$250 and now they are like gold. What I always tell the owner is if you haven't recapped your amp it isn't worth it for me to pay such a high price.

I almost got one from a guy south of Minneapols for $400 off of gearpage, but I had to back out due to paying the taxes, rats. Right now I would rather get a Marsh kit and build their Blond Bandmaster and have a new amp.

Mark

A kit is also nice but, you'd miss on the smell...

[M Fowler]

Was this the amp that had the beer spilled all over it? Mine also come with dumb (rum) and coke, very stickey with beer wash.

Mark

[CaseyJones]

There is a music store a few blocks from me that has a Bandmaster for $750 and hasn't moved. I told them if it gets to a reasonable price I will buy and many months later it still sits. What is sad is that I could get any one of these Fenders, Tremolux, Bandmaster or Bassman for $200-$250 and now they are like gold. What I always tell the owner is if you haven't recapped your amp it isn't worth it for me to pay such a high price.

It's anybody's guess what these are really worth right now. Consider 2006 prices to be the peak and whatever to be the going rate.

It's bizarre. I'm looking at my local Craigslist, there are guys asking retail plus. As if anyone wants to jump through the hoops to contact the seller, wait for a reply, drive half an hour and pay top dollar for some old amp. Then look at Fleabay, attack of the $1500 SF Bandmaster. $1500 BIN in some guy's eBay store. Needs the money to buy more crack I guess!

It's worth what it sells for at auction, today. Not quite down to the $200 an amp from the good old days but not too far off...

[Cygnus X1]

A kit is also nice but, you'd miss on the smell...

Tell me about it!
I love the smell when I open up my 67 Deluxe Reverb.
Glad I'm not the only one.

[martin manning]

A kit is also nice but, you'd miss on the smell...

Tell me about it!
I love the smell when I open up my 67 Deluxe Reverb.
Glad I'm not the only one.

Not by a long shot, I'm sure.

A while ago I was at the local Guitar store with my son and pointed out a '59 5E3, saying that it was probably a great little amp. The lad was skeptical; despite being a pretty clean example I'm sure it looked dingy and tattered to him. The guys at the store let him play it though, and he had to agree it sounded great. Before we left I suggested he smell it. This got me a really odd look, like what are you, crazy? Anyway he did, and wasn't so impressed by that sensory input. Old wood, cooked bakelite and varnish, warm dust... it's like fine wine, no?

MPM

[Tubetwang]

There is a music store a few blocks from me that has a Bandmaster for $750 and hasn't moved. I told them if it gets to a reasonable price I will buy and many months later it still sits. What is sad is that I could get any one of these Fenders, Tremolux, Bandmaster or Bassman for $200-$250 and now they are like gold. What I always tell the owner is if you haven't recapped your amp it isn't worth it for me to pay such a high price.

It's anybody's guess what these are really worth right now. Consider 2006 prices to be the peak and whatever to be the going rate.

It's bizarre. I'm looking at my local Craigslist, there are guys asking retail plus. As if anyone wants to jump through the hoops to contact the seller, wait for a reply, drive half an hour and pay top dollar for some old amp. Then look at Fleabay, attack of the $1500 SF Bandmaster. $1500 BIN in some guy's eBay store. Needs the money to buy more crack I guess!

It's worth what it sells for at auction, today. Not quite down to the $200 an amp from the good old days but not too far off...

I'm willing to pay from 600 to 800$ for a blackface Tremolux head.
I recap and install a new opto-ocilator and they bloom on me Danny Kirwan/Jeremy Spencer style.

AB763 circuit is nice!

The blackfaced Deluxe Reverb, Princeton Reverb and Vibrolux Reverb are great amps but too expansive in my opinion. The speaker on those is usually in Miami anyway...I prefer to build my own 12" cab.

Princeton Reverb (blackface) 19,000 units built
Tremolux (blackface) 8,000 units built
Vibrolux Reverb (blackface) 10,000 units built

The sleeper is the Tremolux in my opinion.

Not a hi-gain amp but who cares.

I'm scarfing them up before folks come back to their sense...

[tonelab2]

Had one for 10 years as main workhorse. Paid $300 for head and cab in perfect original condition not a cap was touched. During that time I pulled out the baffle and original speakers replaced with new baffle and 12"s. Replaced screen resistors with 1Ks, added a resistor to bias circuit and popped in el34s and mullard preamp tubes. Amp sang and screamed great.
Returned the amp back to original status before selling 2 years ago for $1800( still with original caps).

[angelodp]

I have a 64 Tremolux, my first amp. It a lovely amp and great tone for rhythm. I had Billy Yates re-cap it a while back and its just super. Unfortunately, somewhere back in the seventies the amp was stripped of its covering ... top and bottom, and the tilt legs are gone as are the connector hardware bits. I may just redo this amp at some point to bring it back to its original condition, but sound wise its just great.

best ange