Fender 1953 tweed deluxe ....experts needed!!!!

[Toppscore]

JettRock. I am spent.
I cannot "sell" and defend your beautiful 1953 5B3 Deluxe's cause, anymore.
"Most" of these commenters think with their wallets and the market value of copper.

You got a working amp that will be fun to play NOW and fun to gradually add
a speaker cone, some capacitors & resistors.

It'll never be museum quality, but it can be a great Fender Tweed Tone Player,
and at good price, and a lifetime keeper.

Ask these guys how many old vintage amps they have rescued,
nurtured and still love to this very day??? Lots of beautiful stories.
Join the Fender Tweed Story Telling Club

If you do not make the trade, instantly, today;
will you please give me the trader's contact information?

JettRock, thank you very much for the correspondence opportunity.
I will be watching for your decision. Good luck. Over & Out!
Toppscore

 

[Daddy Hojo]

have we seen a picture of the trannys? can we confirm they are original?

regardless, i'm not a fan of the trade.

You can find lots of pictures of trannys online, but not all of the parts will be original. LOL

 

[JDO]

You can find lots of pictures of trannys online, but not all of the parts will be original. LOL

that took me a bit to get. kind of a little joke grenade.

 

[StephaninMelb]

That Bandmaster looks like it fell off the back of a truck and lost half its parts. No way is it worth $400. You could only get that if it had been a victim of Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Keith Moon, and Pete Townsend beating the hell out of it. But it lacks dynamite burns and guitar bits stuck in it, so it probably isn't worth even the $400 for that reason. OK maybe if it contained Pete Townsend's tooth.

Here is another Bandmaster enclosure with $20 on it and just over one day to go:

(link removed)

 

[Wally]

JEttrock....
1)Are you happy with the Matchless amp's performance and what it does for YOU?
2)Have you played the 5B3? IF so, what does it do for you sonically?
3)Do you gig with the Matchless?
4)Do you think the 5B3 will perform in a gigging situation for you?
5)Do you use pedals??? This 5B3 doesn't like pedals.
6) IF you go for the trade, are you interested in having an amp that will bring your money back to you at any time in the foreseeable future? IF so, don't do the trade.....or keep Toppscore's contact information current. YOu might need to sell it to him because ime he is the rare person who will give you above and beyond the market value for it.

Topp, most everyone I know thinks with their wallet. IF they don't they will end up with things that cost too much and won't return much to them if they need/want to sell it in the future. A wise man once told me this concerning buying and selling......"YOu make your money on the buy." Example: I had a fellow bring in a 1968 Gibson Dove a few days ago. He had paid $3K for it 3 years ago...too much...especially since there is serious wear to the top around the strumming area and the neck needs a reset. He offerred it to me for $1600.....too much by quite a bit, imho and ime. So, in addition to the 'you make it on the buy' wisdom, one could add...."You can also lose it on the buy!"
And...Toppscore, if you think so much of this 5B3, pay JEtrock a finder's fee and give the owner of the 5B3 what he thinks it is worth...which seems to be $1700-2000 when you compare the market for these two amps. ($2100-2,400 for the Matchless less $400 boot money equals $1700-2000, right?) And...that market for the 5B3 is not concerned with how many of them were built or how many survive. Once again, it is not rarity that commands top dollar but rather it is demand. In the real vintage market, this 5B3's value is 'challenged'...regardless of your personal point of view of it. The only way that it can 'command' anything close to what is top dollar for an exc cond original example of this model is if someone who doesn't take note of the reality of the market buys it. Note to Toppscore: when a serious collector sees a board full of non-orignal solder joints----even with proper components----they turn away...or bargain the price down because the amp has approached 'player amp' status. So, once again, why not arrange a purchase of it for yourself??? Throw Jett a C-note for the finder's fee. Thats what I do when someone finds something that I like/want and brings me the information on it.
JEttrock has a wonderfully built modern amp in that Chieftan that will play any gig anywhere. There is a reason why the owner of this 5B3 is trying to make this trade. Imho, if Jett wants to do this trade, he needs to see more C-notes stacked up with the offerred $400 boot.....quite a few more.

From now on, I am going to call this particular 5B3 the 'Toppscore Deluxe'...and I will know it if I ever see it in the future because I have the serial number notated.....and it isn't often that one sees a '53 Fender amp with fresh solder joints at every contact point on the tagboard, right???

 

[imsilly]

so is this amp worth it?

No.

 

[Toppscore]

From now on, I am going to call this particular 5B3 the 'Toppscore Deluxe'...and I will know it if I ever see it in the future because I have the serial number notated.....and it isn't often that one sees a '53 Fender amp with fresh solder joints at every contact point on the tagboard, right???

hahaha. If I did buy it, it would be the smallest least powered thing I own.
Wonder if a PigNose can out power a Deluxe - LOL
This has been fun. See you guys. Let's see what happens. Toppscore


By the way, you guys are "relentless" ` hahaha
Trust me. Buy it now. Love me later

 

[Arbiter]

Absolutely not worth what is being asked.

There's plenty of small builders out there building great replicas (which given how much this amp has been butchered, is what you're getting) who will work with you and get you an amp that will last you the rest of your life. I like old amps as much as the next guy but the only thing old that's left on this thing is a cabinet and a couple of fairly inconsequential parts.

 

[Toppscore]

That Bandmaster looks like it fell off the back of a truck and lost half its parts. No way is it worth $400. You could only get that if it had been a victim of Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Keith Moon, and Pete Townsend beating the hell out of it. But it lacks dynamite burns and guitar bits stuck in it, so it probably isn't worth even the $400 for that reason. OK maybe if it contained Pete Townsend's tooth. Here is another Bandmaster enclosure with $20 on it and just over one day to go: (link removed)

See!!! Proof is in the pudding.
The $420 trainwreck has Kate Hudson "looks"
compared to the
$20 1945 A-Bomb survivor that makes Rosie O'Donnell look great!
Toppscore

 

[printer2]

JettRock stated he wants a player, not a sit-around museum piece.

And we were asked our opinion on the amp and the deal. As far as I can tell most of us have been giving our honest and unbiased opinions. Not bad for the internet I would say?

 

[Toppscore]

And we were asked our opinion on the amp and the deal. As far as I can tell most of us have been giving our honest and unbiased opinions. Not bad for the internet I would say?

Printer2, I would definitely say this forum is very fair and square.
Fun. Good humor. A bit of Finance & Economics thrown in. . . .
Where else can a "Bloggin' Bloke" have a good time?
Take care. Toppscore

 

[muchxs]

have we seen a picture of the trannys? can we confirm they are original?

regardless, i'm not a fan of the trade.

You can find lots of pictures of trannys online, but not all of the parts will be original. LOL

Yeah. Like this...

Here's a pic of a tranny. I call the electronics parts "transformers" to avoid confusion.

From last summer at the drag race...

 

[muchxs]

Lacks negative feed-back in circuit common to later Tweed Deluxes (5E3)

I've had my fingers in a ton of these, I've never seen NFB in a 5E3. It's a zero negative feedback circuit.

...the post '55 5E3 and 5F3 Tweed Wide-panel Deluxes as their circuits have little player appeal and more limited collector appeal

... and there's no such thing as a 5F3. Next one in line was the 6G3 brown Deluxe. Quite a bit different from the tweed.

Tweed Harvard and brown Princeton have a lot in common with the late tweed Deluxe.


(link removed)



.

 

[fezz parka]

Google is kinda hit and miss , huh?

 

[Toppscore]

... and there's no such thing as a 5F3. Next one in line was the 6G3 brown Deluxe. Quite a bit different from the tweed.

MuchXS. The 5F3 is The Holy Grail of known missing amps!!!
It's the perfect transitional master piece of circuitry wonderment. Leo Fender
and George Fullerton have sixty 5F3's in boxes all stored within an air-conditioned
Orange County Public Storage facility at 1313 South Harbor Boulevard, Anaheim, CA.

Yes, Jimmy, THERE IS A FENDER 5F3, now PLEASE, go to sleep.


Toppscore

 

[jettrock]

This thread has gone south. I appreciate the help guys... Cheers

 

[Toppscore]

This thread has gone south. I appreciate the help guys... Cheers

Most threads, when they hit 100, do go south.
But we're having fun. You have all the info needed for choice.
We've been practicing our debate skills and our "what if" scenarios.
The thread may be going South, but at least it is not going DOWN

JETTROCK - AT LEAST TELL US WHAT YOUR DECISION IS . . . . .
TWEED WITH YOUR HEART or MATCHLESS CHIEFTAIN TO SQUARE ONE?


Toppscore

 

[Warren Pederson]

That cabinet looks like it sat in water and is all rotted. I wouldn't even want that thing in my house, I'd be setting it out on the street. Just me though.

 

[jbdrumbo]

You guys! What the heck?
IT IS A 1953!!!
Original 1953 Chassis.
Original 1953 Speaker (reconed of not)
Original 1953 Cabinet.
Original 1953 Tube Chart.
Original 1953 Power Transformer.
Original 1953 Choke.
Original 1953 Output Transformer.
Original 1953 other Parts.
Quick pickin' apart this lovely baby. Take tender care ENJOY.

There less than 500 1953 Fender 5B3 Deluxes made!!!
Only 200 survived. This baby is a rare survivor.
She just got her hair combed, diapers changed and a new dress

It just had it's spark plugs changed, tires changed, muffler changed,
NOS radio installed in the dash, a new paint job, brakes changed for safety,
oil changed, new radiator fluid, new fan belt, the battery changed . . . .

IT IS A 1953!!! Go For It!!!
Have a BLAST!!! Toppscore

Your bold print and exclamations are quite impressive. I'd believe anything you say.

 

[StephaninMelb]

Quote: Originally Posted by StephaninMelb
...the post '55 5E3 and 5F3 Tweed Wide-panel Deluxes as their circuits have little player appeal and more limited collector appeal

Quote: Originally Posted by muchxs
... and there's no such thing as a 5F3. Next one in line was the 6G3 brown Deluxe. Quite a bit different from the tweed.

Thanks for catching that 5F3 error! A classic mistake that has been running for years. Goes to show you one has to sift the crap out of the Fender public information. Good thing you called it out as then it can be flagged and hopely we can start to kill it as a public record. We will give the researcher responsible for that error the standard 50 lashes...

It appears to be true though for years people have been trying to confirm whether or not the 5F3 existed. Fender oddly skipped one alpha unit in their schematic number sequence when they transitioned from Deluxe Tweed Wide-panel to Brownface Deluxes. If the model was never put into commercial production it certainly must have existed as an engineering design. There are 3-4 other Fender amp models with similar unexplained gaps in the circuit sequence. Has anyone thought to throw this question to the good folks at Fender to research the records they have available? Even though it appears evident this was never put into production it would be good to find out why the jump in schematic numbering. As stated this happened with several other amps during the exact time period. The question is what did they design that Fender chose not to put into production? There could be lots of reasons.

Circuit Models and Serial Numbers for Fender Deluxe Amps up Through Brownface Series:

Fender TV Front Deluxe 5A3, 5B3
0001 to 0800..........1948
0801 to 1900..........1949
1901 to 3000..........1950
3001 to 5400..........1951
5401 to 6800..........1952
6801 to 7300..........1953

Fender Tweed Wide-panel Deluxe 5C3, 5D3
0001 to 1500..........1953
1501 to 3600..........1954
3601 to 5300..........1955

Fender Tweed Narrow-panel Deluxe 5E3
D00001 to D01400....1955
D01401 to D03000....1956
D03001 to D05000....1957
D05001 to D06800....1958
D06801 to D09000....1959
D09001 to D10000....1960
D10001 to D11000....1961

...................................<-- Missing 5F3 circuit in transition to Brownface
................................... Fender oddly skipped one alpha unit in their schematic number sequence. If the model was never put into production it certainly must have existed as an engineering design. There are 3-4 other Fender amp models with similar unexplained gaps.

Fender Brownface Deluxe 6G3, 6G3-A
D00100 to D00900 - 1961
D00800 to D03800 - 1962
D03800 to D04900 - 1963