Description
A vintage 1959 Fender High-Powered Tweed Twin Amp--the signature amp of our vintage collection recently purchased from G.E. Smith. This rare amp is in great shape and, aside from changed speakers, features all original transformers and circuitry. Produced for barely two years, the 5F8-A is one of the rarest and most desirable Fender amps. Along with its half-power cousin, the legendary 5F6A Bassman, the high-powered Twin ushered in the era of modern guitar amplifiers. With its long-tailed pair phase inverter and 85-watt power output, the high-powered Twin was years ahead of its time.
Cosmetically, the amp the amp shows signs of its 60 years of use, but it remains in relatively nice shape. The addition of metal corners on the bottom of the amp and two non-original back panel screws are the only cosmetic modifications. Even the original leather handle remains intact.
Sound-wise this amp is a dream to play through. The re-coned but broken-in Jensen P12N speakers have amazing warmth and clarity without any of the sloppiness that comes with tired old cones. This amp can do it all---deep, resonant cleans all the way up to blistering overdrive. After just a few seconds of playing this gem it will be pretty obvious what all the hype is about. This amp will make the perfect centerpiece to any vintage amp collection. It has been cleaned and serviced. It is fully functional and sounds absolutely fantastic.
Overview
-Serial #: A00459
-Manufacture Date: March of 1959
-Power Output: 85 Watts
-Tubes: 5AR4, 6L6 (4), 12AX7 (2), 12AY7
-Controls: Vol Bright, Vol Normal, Treble, Bass, Middle, Presence
-Dimensions: 26.5'' x 19'' x 10.5''
-Weight: 56 lbs
Cosmetics (see phtotos)
-original tweed
-original grillcloth
-original handle (starting to split)
-original Victoria Luggage slip cover
-metal corners added to amp bottom
-two replaced back panel screws
Electronics
-replacement speakers: Jensen P12N ca. 1960 (re-coned in 1995)
-original transformers
-all original resistors/caps
-original power cord
-volume pots scratch a bit due to minor leakage on stage 1 coupling caps
-a few non-original solder joints
The G. E. Smith Vintage Guitar/Amp Collection
If you have ever watched the Saturday Night Live band back some of the greatest names in music, then you probably saw G.E. Smith on guitar. G.E. has been THE rock-steady guitar sound behind SNL, Hall & Oates, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, MoonAlice and many more.
Recently, G.E. had been thinking about selling some of the gear he'd collected during his long career. While looking for an established, knowledgeable and trusted buyer, he ran across our shop and liked what he saw. After checking out the store's bona fides, he decided to touch base with John Majdalani, Cream City Music store co-owner and head vintage buyer.
Fortunately, John and G.E. hit it off immediately, and G.E. asked John to come out east to see, in person, the portion of his collection he was no longer using. When John arrived at G.E.'s, he was invited down to the basement, and they spent the next 8 hours deep-diving through the whole thing: amps then guitars--all the while jibber-jabbering about gear, life, food and rock'n'roll war stories.
The collection turned out to be a total of 60 pieces--roughly 30 guitars and 30 amps...an astonishing wealth of great vintage gear. At the end of the long day, as John was packing everything into the truck, G.E. sat on the tailgate and played a goodbye tune on his old, trustworthy 1960 Black Beauty Les Paul.
Most of the collection is currently at Cream City Music and consists of some of the most extraordinary vintage pieces we have seen in many years. If you're in the area, it's truly worth a visit to the store to see this gear. If you can't make here though, take a look at our website and social media over the next few weeks to see these items as they are posted for sale.
