Fender

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Any search engine can provide a wealth of information available on Clarence Leonidas "Leo" Fender (1909-1991) and the Fender Music Instruments Company. The son of orange growers in Anaheim and Fullerton, California, Leo developed a fascination and affinity for the new field of electronics. After losing a series of clerk-type jobs in Depression-era California, Leo borrowed $600 and started the Fender Radio Service. In addition to repairing radios, musicians and band leaders were coming to Leo and asking him to build public address systems.

After World War II, Leo decided that it was more profitable to build and sell electric musical instruments and amplifiers than it was to work on existing radios. Leo started a company he named "Fender Electric Instrument Company" (FEIC).

Fender created a large array of electric music equipment. Most of the Fender company's products are not germane to our focus, but many are documented here to help create context and understanding. Below is a basic breakdown of the early FEIC and their products (as pertains to the roots of LOUD and HEAVY). We are aware and need to inform you that there are transition periods. Before the Tweed era, Fender was just getting its start and was more of a boutique operation. Between the Tweed Era and the Blackface era, there was a brief period called the "Brownface". We happen to believe that if you're attempting to understand the pedigree of loud and heavy music, there's little point in discussing minutiae that really, only hardcore Fender afficionados like to get into. There are plenty of other places for that kind of discussion to be found.

With respect to dating the eras of the FEIC, please note that there really aren't definitive dates, because Leo Fender was very frugal, doing everything possible to make sure that there was no waste. Tweed era materials, circuit designs, and production practices bleed into Brownface which in turn bleed into Blackface. Blackface era materials bleed into Silverface. In this case, it's better to think of the different Fender eras as defined by their peaks, as opposed to their edges

Amp Circuit Categorization

Fender categorized their amplifier circuits beginning in the 1950s. Here's how the categorization works. Think of it as a guide for linking the model names of the amps (like a "Deluxe", or a "Twin") with their associated unique circuit topologies.

First digit = decade Second digit = version Third digit = model
"5" = 1950s. "E" = "E" version "3" = Deluxe
  • 1: Champ
  • 2: Princeton
  • 3: Deluxe
  • 4: Super
  • 5: Pro
  • 6: Bassman
  • 7: Bandmaster
  • 8: Twin
  • 9: Tremolux
  • 10: Harvard
  • 11: Vibrolux
  • 12: Concert
  • 13: Vibrasonic
  • 14: Showman
  • 15: Stand-alone Reverb unit
  • 16: Vibroverb

A "5E3" is the circuit designation for a 1950s (Tweed), Deluxe, version "E".

A "5F1" is a different circuit - a 1950s (Tweed) Champ, version "F".


The Tweed Era (1948-1964)

The Tweed era of FEIC is characterized by lower powered amplifiers (40 watts and below), that for all practical purposes established the Fender brand into the music community. Yes, we're aware that Fender made amps beginning in 1946, but these amps tended to be what we would call "boutique" amps today. They have little to no schematic information, and didn't fall under what became more of a "factory line" manner of production for Fender. Prior to the Tweed period, the amplifier cabinets tended to have no fabric covering. The Tweed era begins in 1948 when Leo started covering the amp cabinets in what is now popularly known as the "Tweed" covering. In fabric terms, the fabric itself is not an actual tweed fabric, but a yellow-and-brown step-laddered textured fabric. Internet searches will show many examples. The other piece of the Tweed era includes amplifier circuit designs that have a single volume control, and are relatively low headroom. The low headroom results in the amplifiers typically overdriving very early in the sweep of the volume control, usually when the volume control goes above 2 or 3.

Tweed Era Amps

Tweed Era Instruments

So this is a pretty impressive list. There's actually more that can be listed here, but doesn't add to the current conversation. The interesting development and jumping off point into LOUD and HEAVY happens with the 1957 model (5F6-A circuit) Bassman. The Bassman was originally developed to amplify the Fender Precision Bass. Guitarists also plugged into it and decided that it sounded good. Really good. It sounded so good that when Jim Marshall was asked by Pete Townshend and other members of The Who to develop a 100-watt amplifier, the 1957 5F6-A circuit served as the blueprint for the 45-watt JTM, which went on to be developed into the 100-watt "Marshall Stack" that just about everyone knows about today.

The Blackface Era (1964-1967)

The Blackface era is oftentimes considered the "classic" era of Fender when the company is, by most, considered to have been at its highest level of technical execution and musical expressiveness. This era is called "Blackface" because Fender introduced some innovations to break with the "Tweed" era past:

  1. Changed the amplifier control panels from a stamped chrome facing to white-on-black lettering
  2. Chickenhead knobs were replaced with numbered hat knobs
  3. Better filtering with retooled circuit designs to make them as non-distorting as possible
  4. Tweed era fabric covering to the amplifiers was replaced with a wrinkled-texture black tolex
  5. Previously-employed oxblood speaker grill cloth was replaced with silver and black-and-white threaded speaker grill cloth
  6. Control knobs were labeled from 1 through 10, whereas in the Tweed era, the control numbering was labeled 1 through 12.

Like their Tweed predecessors, most Blackface-era amplifiers did not have a "mids" tone control. The Twin Reverb and the Super Reverb were built with mid controls. In addition, the Dual Showman from this era sports a mid control on the tremolo channel.

As documented by Sam Dunn in the video series "Metal Evolution", the evolution of heavy music might not have ever happened without Dick Dale, the Surf Music movement, and the first incarnations of the Fender 100 watt Dual Showman that Dick pushed Leo Fender to build so that he, Dale, could play loud. Very loud.

Leo Fender sold FEIC to CBS in January 1965 for $13 million. Leo had exhausted himself running both FEIC, and fighting a strep infection he'd caught in the 1950's. As a result, he'd been unable to regain his health. After the sale, Leo was able to focus on himself. He changed doctors soon after the sale and was cured. Leo then, in 1971, joined Tri-Sonix, funding it. In 1975 he became president and changed the name to Music Man. In 1979, Leo left Music Man and joined old partners (most notably George Fullerton) to form the G&L (George and Leo) Music Company.

Blackface Era Amps

Other Blackface Amps

(need dates!)

  • Bassman
  • Pro Reverb
  • Deluxe Reverb
  • Showman
  • Princeton
  • Vibroverb
  • Vibrolux
  • Tremolux
  • Bandmaster

Blackface Era Instruments

The Silverface Era (1967-1981)

With CBS now in full control, the Silverface Era is characterized by a a few things:

Not all was considered good with FEIC now under CBS corporate control. There is broad opinion that the company's previous commitment to quality changed. On the larger scale:

  • FEIC is renamed the Fender Musical Instrument Company (FMIC).
  • Quality Control took a back seat to the other values of cost-cutting and profit-taking by CBS.

Now, regarding Fender Amplifiers (a much, much smaller area of concern as opposed to the items above):

  • There was a return to chrome or brushed-aluminum faceplates on the amplifiers along with (at the time, new) turquoise stenciling of the amplifier model names on the faceplates. The amplifiers continued to be wrapped in black tolex. While the older Blackface grillcloth continued to be broadly used, a new Silverface grill cloth came out with turquoise threading in it to match with the turquoise printing now added on the faceplates.

As collectibles, Fender musical instruments and amplifiers from 1965 and earlier (from when Leo owned FEIC outright) are held in much higher esteem than those that came after Leo sold FEIC to CBS.

For most aficionados, Silverface amplifiers are considered "less musical" and "less clean" than their Blackface counterparts. Many musicians and tinkerers have purchased cheaper Silverface amplifiers have retrofitted those Silverface-circuit amps back to Blackface specifications.

Not all should be considered dark for the Fender Silverface era:

  1. Midrange tone controls were added to compliment the existing Treble and Bass tone controls most amplifier circuits.
  2. FEIC licensed and released the "Echo Reverb" from Tel-Ray which is the first example a music delay that did not use magnetic tape, and existed before analog bucket-brigade technology had been invented.

Another user of the Fender Dual Showman was Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix is today always associated with Marshall Amplifiers, but if you were go to back and look at the documents and films of performances at the time, Jimi quite clearly used Fender Dual Showman amps - in face he recorded "Are You Experienced?"

Silverface Era Amplifiers

Solid State Amplifiers

While the Fender Musical Instrument Company has and does make solid-state amplifiers, this is not something for which Fender is renown and we currently will not be spending much, if any, time or energy on these amplifiers.

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