[Harp-L] Re: amp face

["M. N." <mnessmith@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Mike wrote:
"What is the difference between a silverface and a blackface amp? Tubes, 
circuitry,cabinet? I'm asking because a friend offered me a silverface 
Princeton for a hundred bucks."

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Fender changed the cosmetic look of the faceplate on their from black to 
silver sometime around 1970 (it varies by model - I DON'T claim to be an 
expert, but there are lots of sites on the web that explain this in 
mind-numbing detail). Conventional wisdom has it that the older blackface 
models sound better due to some "improvements" that were made on the newer 
models. As to getting a SF Princeton for $100, jump on that deal like a dog 
on a bone! Generally those are wonderful harp amps and, if the one you buy 
isn't, take it to an amp tech and have him root around under the hood - it 
will be. BTW, it's very common for people to take SF Fender amps to techs to 
have them "blackfaced." This reverts the amp to the earlier circuitry. IMHO 
this is a great way to get an affordable point-to-point wired tube amp for 
not too much money. I still kick myself for selling off my SF Princeton 
Reverb years ago.
MN