Jeffrey Fa lIa Photography by Aurora Johnson Voyageur Press - • DEDICATION To Daniel Falla Acknowledgments My thanks to Brock Kline, who let me use his Super Reverb reissue amp for some of the modifications in this book. Thanks as well to Robyn Orsini, Jason Farrell, and Jake Hill at Fender Musical Instruments Corporation for all oftheir kind assistance. First published in 2011 by Voyageur Press, an imprint of MBI Publishing Company, 400 FirstAvenue North, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA Copyright © 2011 by Jeffrey Falla Photography copyright © 2010 by Aurora Johnson except where noted. All rights reserved. With the exception of quoting brief passages for the purposes of review, no part of this publication may be reprod uced without prior written permission from the Publisher. The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All recommendations are made without any guarantee on the part of the author or Publisher, who also disclaims any liability incurred in connection with the use of this data or specific details. This publication has not been prepared, approved, or licensed by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. FENDER®, BAND-MASTER®, BASSMAN®, CHAMp®, TWIN REVERB®, SUPER REVERB®, BANDMASTER'", TWIN AMP'", DELUXE'", HOT ROD DELUXE'", SUPER-SONIC'", STRAT®, STRATOCASTER®, TELECASTER®, TELE®, and the distinctive headstock designs commonly found on the STRAT and TELE guitars are trademarks of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation and are used herein with express written permission. All rights reserved. FMIC is not affiliated in any way with the author or publisher, nor does FMIC endorse the modifications to FMIC products discussed herein. Voyageur Press titles are also available at discounts in bulk quantity for industrial or sales promotional use. For details write to Special Sales Manager at MBI Publishing Company, 400 First Avenue North, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA. To find out more about our books, visit us online atwww.voyageurpress.com. ISBN 978-0-7603-3847-6 Digital edition: 978-1-61059-765-4 Softcover edition: 978-0-7603-3847-6 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Falla, Jeffrey, 1958- How to hot rod your Fender amp : modifying your amplifier to get magical tone / Jeffrey Falla. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 978-0-7603-3847-6 (sb: alk. paperl 1. Guitar amplifiers. I. Title. ML1015.G9F46 2011 787.87'192--d c22 2010028256 Editors: Darwin Holmstrom and Michael Dregni Design Manager: Katie Sonmor Layout by: Greg Nettles Designed by: Greg Nettles and Simon Larkin Cover designed by: Andrew Brozyna Printed in China Disclaimer:Tube amplifiers contain very high voltage that can cause injury or death. These voltages can be stored in an amplifier's capacitors after turning off the power. Do not open up an amplifier, do not attemptto repair an amplifier, and do not attemptto modify an amplifier unless you are absolutely certain of what you are doing. Many ofthe procedures detailed in this book are meant for individuals with knowledge of electronics and proper safety procedures. The author and the publisher accept no responsibility for any destruction of property or for any personal injury, accident, or death. On the title page: Fender's '57 Tweed Twin Reissue amp with a 1952 Fender Telecaster Reissue. Fender Musical Instruments Corporation On the contents page: Fender's '57 Champ with a Custom Shop Master Built 50th Anniversary 54 Stratocaster. Fender's Champion 600. Fender Musical Instruments Corporation CONTfNTS Chapter 1 Choosing an Amp 6 Chapter 2 Tools and Electronic Components 16 Chapter 3 Speakers, Switches, and Schematics 40 Chapter 4 Bias 52 Chapter 5 Quick, Basic, and Essential Modifications 76 Chapter 6 Overhauling the Silverface, Hot Rodding the Hot Rod, and Rebuilding the Reissue 92 Chapter 7 Reverb 120 Chapter 8 Tone Stack Modifications 132 Chapter 9 Adding Gain 146 Chapter 10 Dual Channel Modifications 162 Chapter 11 Switch Boxes 174 Resources 182 Index 182 1 chapter CHOOSING AN AMP The history of Fender is the story of a quest for clean proves that high-quality artisanship and skillful manu amp sound, culminating in four-tube 100-watt units, facturing are alive and well in the United States. such as the Twin. Most modifications to Fender amps The era of the blonde and brownface Fenders ran have represented attempts to restore the distortion from 1960 to 1963, when the amplifiers were covered by going back in history-"blackfacing the silver with blonde or brown tolex. These were innovative face" is a case in point. In this book we'll not only and transitional amplifiers with the introduction of the discuss these modifications, we'll go beyond them. separate head and speaker cabinet models, the intro duction of vibrato and reverb circuitry, silicon rectifiers, and a fairly unique tone stack that would evolve into Fender Amplifier History the famous three-band equalizer that helped define the The first Fender amps appeared on the market in 1946 Fender sound in the 1960s and early 1970s. and sported uncovered wooden cabinets. In 1948, Blackface models typically date from 1963 to 1967, Leo Fender introduced the famous "tweed" Fenders, with slight date variations according to model. The so called because of the tweed-like mate- rial Fender used to cover them. These amps were primarily low-watt age, cathode-biased amps. The circuit design resulted in early tube breakup or distortion that became the legendary sound of many blues guitarists. To this day the "tweed" circuit design extremely popular, and IS many of the boutique ampli fiers currently being produced are mainly clones of the tweed amps with improved compo nents. Due to their hand-wired construction and high-quality parts, boutique amps are quite expensive, even though the basic tweed design is simple and the operating theory extremely basic. What you're mostly pay ing for is the care and attention to detail that goes into these amps. Indeed, the interior chas sis of a decent boutique amp The original tweed Deluxe is considered by many guitarists to be the amplifier with the quintessential vintage sound. Steven Seagal Collection/Rick Gould Opposite: Fender's classic tweed Bassman was created as a bass amp but quickly became the favorite of guitarists as well. The amp has been reincarnated as the '59 Bassman Reissue, show here in the LTD "lacquered tweed" edition. Fender Musical Instruments Corporation 7 • '- = The blonde tolex Fender amps mark the transition from tweed to blackface. Shown here is a 1962 Tremolux head and matching cabinet. Oliver Lieber Collection/Rick Gould Fender "silverface" era generally ran from 1968 to no one really twisted Leo Fender's arm and forced him 1981, again varying slightly with each model. Contrary to sell his company. to popular conception, the sale of Fender to CBS, Inc. in Silverfaces can be divided into early models (1968 to 1965 does not mark the distinction between the black 1972) and late models (1973 to 1981). The tipping point face and silverface models. In fact, blackfaces continued between early silverfaces and later versions was the first to be made for a couple of years after the sale. Silverface inclusion of the master volume control. Circuits differ models, on the other hand, definitely are CBS-era across the silverface era and this distinction is meant amps and, due largely to this fact, are at times unfairly to further clarify the differences. For actual dating of maligned and disregarded. The criticism is understand a particular Fender, consult the appendix for websites able when put in the context of the end of an era. Yet, that can assist in that process. Because of their fairly wide availability and still moderate price tags, the first choice for modifications is silverface-era Fenders, preferred models being Super Reverb, Pro Reverb, Deluxe Reverb, Twin, Bandmaster, Fender Amp Timeline Bassman, and Showman. It should be noted that the silverface Bassman is worlds away from the original 1948: Leo Fender introduces the famous tweed-era Bassman. Essentially, the different circuitry "tweed" Fenders between these amps makes them similar in name only. Furthermore, silverface circuitry is fairly close to that 1948-1960: Tweed amplifiers of the blackface, which is believed to be of the best 1960-1963: Blonde and brownface amplifiers Fender circuit designs. Indeed, blackface models are 1963-1967: Blackface amplifiers excellent choices for the modifications in this book, but with the added caveat that in general they cost 1968-1981: Silverface amplifiers twice as much as silverface models. For instance, while a silverface Super Reverb costs around $700 to $800, a - •• 8