Amp and Pickup evolution at Fender

JoeyV · September 15th, 2006, 10:06 PM

Has anybody noticed a trend in the way Fender amps evolved from the beginning and that the pickups also changed after significant amp design changes? there is a difference between say a 1950 amp and tele pickup and a 1965 amp and tele pickup......I think Leo would redesign the amp and then say, this pickup dont sound as good anymore....let me change the pickup a little bit.....I dunoo its just a theory

Zekke · September 15th, 2006, 11:05 PM

Leo was always into streamlining stuff, and making it more effectient for both manufacturing and for the musician, so I don't know.

Bill · September 15th, 2006, 11:56 PM

I read a british guitar magazine last year where a vintage guitar writer said that the difference between Fender and Gibson is that Fender designed their guitars to match their amps, while Gibson designed their amps to match their guitars. Meaning, I suppose, that Fender was first an amp maker and Gibson a guitar maker.

maestrovert · September 16th, 2006, 07:09 AM

afaik, the amps (tweed, brown, black & silver) tended to get a bit cleaner as they went along....

SteveY · September 16th, 2006, 12:19 PM

I think all the amp companies were going for more and more power.

Leo's ears took a beating. Maybe he was losing highs and compensating in his little ol' lab.

Did seem like more clarity and spikeyness, as time went on.
Even the Jazzmaster has a lot of "ping" to it.

The So. California local area musicians had more influence than New York, on Leo. Maybe the Beach Boy's sales and momentum moved things in certain directions for a time.

JohnnyCrash · September 16th, 2006, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeyV

Has anybody noticed a trend in the way Fender amps evolved from the beginning and that the pickups also changed after significant amp design changes? there is a difference between say a 1950 amp and tele pickup and a 1965 amp and tele pickup......I think Leo would redesign the amp and then say, this pickup dont sound as good anymore....let me change the pickup a little bit.....I dunoo its just a theory

Some of it also just happened to do with materials, their availability, and their price.

For instance, Ceramic speakers were more powerful than their AlNiCo counterparts... same with pickups' magnets.

Leo was losing his hearing and he kept going for clearer and brighter sounds as his hearing went down the tubes.

Gibson had some very good amps as well. They weren't really designing guitars to be mass produced bolt on things like Leo was. They essentially used their existing hollw/semi-hollw designs and were "retrofitting" pickups onto them. To compete in solid bodies, they used Les Paul's idea.

Fender on the other hand, redesigned guitar tremolo units, took new approaches on pickup switching and guitar tone controls, and thought long about magnetic field and pickups... that's not to say Gibson didn't, they of course invented the humbucker, afterall.

So to say Gibson's amps were backseat to their guitars and Fender's guitars took backseat to their amps wouldn't exactly be accurate.

September 15th, 2006, 10:06 PM	#1 (permalink)
JoeyV Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Northshore , MA Age: 44 Posts: 1,207 2 Photos	Amp and Pickup evolution at Fender Has anybody noticed a trend in the way Fender amps evolved from the beginning and that the pickups also changed after significant amp design changes? there is a difference between say a 1950 amp and tele pickup and a 1965 amp and tele pickup......I think Leo would redesign the amp and then say, this pickup dont sound as good anymore....let me change the pickup a little bit.....I dunoo its just a theory __________________ "I just love hearing them guitars go zing, zang , zoom"

September 15th, 2006, 11:56 PM	#3 (permalink)
Bill Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Bay Area, California Posts: 2,697 59 Photos	I read a british guitar magazine last year where a vintage guitar writer said that the difference between Fender and Gibson is that Fender designed their guitars to match their amps, while Gibson designed their amps to match their guitars. Meaning, I suppose, that Fender was first an amp maker and Gibson a guitar maker. __________________ B i l l B a e c k A journal of our year in London

September 16th, 2006, 07:09 AM	#4 (permalink)
maestrovert Poster Extraordinaire Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: West Branch Mi. Posts: 6,732	afaik, the amps (tweed, brown, black & silver) tended to get a bit cleaner as they went along.... __________________ Sing the Song Bro' Play on Drummer www.godonthe.net

September 15th, 2006, 11:05 PM	#2 (permalink)
Zekke TDPRI Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Virginia Posts: 11	Leo was always into streamlining stuff, and making it more effectient for both manufacturing and for the musician, so I don't know.

September 16th, 2006, 12:19 PM	#5 (permalink)
SteveY Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Santa Cruz, CA Age: 58 Posts: 1,422	I think all the amp companies were going for more and more power. Leo's ears took a beating. Maybe he was losing highs and compensating in his little ol' lab. Did seem like more clarity and spikeyness, as time went on. Even the Jazzmaster has a lot of "ping" to it. The So. California local area musicians had more influence than New York, on Leo. Maybe the Beach Boy's sales and momentum moved things in certain directions for a time.