Happy New (Used) Amp Day…Excelsior!

[Fiesta Red]

Happy New (Used) Amp Day!

I’ve been looking for a smaller tube amp that works well for harp/harmonica and guitar, especially for smaller jams and rehearsals.

I got a Fender Excelsior!

I loved the looks and general “mojo” of these amps from the first time I saw them, and missed out picking one up when they came out for a couple of reasons (mainly, poverty).

The previous owner had already done a mod I might have done anyway—replacing the “BRIGHT/DARK” tone switch with a tone pot.

I love the tremolo/vibrato/whatever…that’s probably my favorite effect (outside of overdrive) and one of the reasons I’d been looking at these amps for a while.

I really wanted something that would break up at lower volumes; this amp isn’t doing that, but it is a little dirtier than my normal amp, sounds really good and I’ll be able to use a couple of overdrives (guitar and harp) to get some real nasty out of it…

…and although it’s only rated at 13 watts, I think it could even be used for a gig…it puts out waaaaay more volume than I figured. That 15” speaker sure puts out a lot of air.

I plan on replacing the stock 12AX7 preamp tube with a 12AY7; the lower gain rating works better for harp/harmonica and usually makes it sound a bit more “vintage” for guitar as well…I did that on the NORMAL channel of my 63-reissue Vibroverb—mainly for harp, but it still sounds good for guitar (I kept the 12AX7 in the BRIGHT channel, which I usually use for guitar).

Although the Excelsior is not a small amp in comparison to a Princeton or Champ, it has a smaller footprint and less weight than the Vibroverb.

It sounds great and looks really cool…I can’t wait to use it at our next rehearsal/jam!

Kudos and Muchas Gracias to @elihu for sending me the link for this one…I never get on Craig’s List and wouldn’t have found it otherwise.

(Pics taken by my drummer at the Semi-Legendary “Shotgun Studios”)

 

[dannyh]

Congrats, I've always been interested in those, dunno if I've ever even played thru one, but on paper they check a lot of boxes for me.

 

[elihu]

Congrats Red- I’ve read that they had a mid-forward soundscape and the tremolo was to die for. Sounded like a harp amp to me. And you got the one with the updated speaker!

 

[Fiesta Red]

Congrats, I've always been interested in those, dunno if I've ever even played thru one, but on paper they check a lot of boxes for me.

I was expecting to be disappointed (because I’m so high-class and discerning, y’know ) but was pleasantly surprised…it sounded funky, fat, rich and dynamic.

This is the first amp I’ve ever owned with a 15” speaker…I’ve played through a few before, but they were very different circuits. So far, I dig it.

As I said above, the only thing I’d change is to be able to get some overdrive/break up at lower volumes (as well as changing the preamp tube, to help prevent feedback from the harp mic).

 

[Fiesta Red]

Congrats Red- I’ve read that they had a mid-forward soundscape and the tremolo was to die for. Sounded like a harp amp to me. And you got the one with the updated speaker!

Yes, it’s the “Pro” model…I don’t know the difference between the Standard and Pro, besides the Tolex color and the speaker…

If this one ends up being a keeper, I’m trying to figure out where to “brand” it…it’s too pretty to brand on the side.

I branded my Vibroverb on the back:

 

[elihu]

Maybe remove the Excelsior badge and brand it there?

It’s not like you’re gonna sell it!

And I’d love a pic of it with your pinstriped # 1 Tele.

 

[Fiesta Red]

Maybe remove the Excelsior badge and brand it there?

It’s not like you’re gonna sell it!

That’s a cool idea…but I sure like that badge, too…

…and THANK YOU AGAIN!
I really appreciate your help locating this one…

 

[stormsedge]

HNAD! I love my Excelsior.

Mine was a little noisy at first…my amp tech put ~$16 worth of parts in it and I rolled to a Genalex Gold Lion ECC83 in V1, an JJ ECC83S in V2 and an 1518 speaker…solved the issue. (I think the issue was really the speaker being shot and the $16 parts).

I took it to the StratJam in SC last Dec and it held its own…drum set, PA, bass and six other guitars.

I think you’ll like it.

 

[Fiesta Red]

HNAD! I love my Excelsior.

Mine was a little noisy at first…my amp tech put ~$16 worth of parts in it and I rolled to a Genalex Gold Lion ECC83 in V1, an JJ ECC83S in V2 and an 1518 speaker…solved the issue. (I think the issue was really the speaker being shot and the $16 parts).

I took it to the StratJam in SC last Dec and it held its own…drum set, PA, bass and six other guitars.

I think you’ll like it.

What $16 worth of parts?

 

[stormsedge]

What $16 worth of parts?

I can’t believe I found the ticket in only the third pile I rifled through .

1-IRF820
1-100kOhm 1w flame proof resistor (R14)
5-internal tooth lock washers
$16.74

I couldn’t tell you where they fit in.

 

[JustABluesGuy]

Happy New (Used) Amp Day!

I’ve been looking for a smaller tube amp that works well for harp/harmonica and guitar, especially for smaller jams and rehearsals.

View attachment 1150155

I got a Fender Excelsior!

I loved the looks and general “mojo” of these amps from the first time I saw them, and missed out picking one up when they came out for a couple of reasons (mainly, poverty).

View attachment 1150158

The previous owner had already done a mod I might have done anyway—replacing the “BRIGHT/DARK” tone switch with a tone pot.

View attachment 1150157

I love the tremolo/vibrato/whatever…that’s probably my favorite effect (outside of overdrive) and one of the reasons I’d been looking at these amps for a while.

I really wanted something that would break up at lower volumes; this amp isn’t doing that, but it is a little dirtier than my normal amp, sounds really good and I’ll be able to use a couple of overdrives (guitar and harp) to get some real nasty out of it…

View attachment 1150156

…and although it’s only rated at 13 watts, I think it could even be used for a gig…it puts out waaaaay more volume than I figured. That 15” speaker sure puts out a lot of air.

I plan on replacing the stock 12AX7 preamp tube with a 12AY7; the lower gain rating works better for harp/harmonica and usually makes it sound a bit more “vintage” for guitar as well…I did that on the NORMAL channel of my 63-reissue Vibroverb—mainly for harp, but it still sounds good for guitar (I kept the 12AX7 in the BRIGHT channel, which I usually use for guitar).

Although the Excelsior is not a small amp in comparison to a Princeton or Champ, it has a smaller footprint and less weight than the Vibroverb.

It sounds great and looks really cool…I can’t wait to use it at our next rehearsal/jam!

Kudos and Muchas Gracias to @elihu for sending me the link for this one…I never get on Craig’s List and wouldn’t have found it otherwise.

(Pics taken by my drummer at the Semi-Legendary “Shotgun Studios”)

Congratulations! I’ve been jonesing for one of those for a long time. Had one come up recently in great condition and for a reasonable price, but we had just spent a lot on home repairs, so I had to pass.

 

[Julie Colligan]

Congratulations!
Very cool looking amp

 

[glenlivet]

Only thing that has held me back from these is the lack of reverb.
I love my reverb.
(I know ...pedals are cheap....)
But other than that I have always seen them spoken of fairly well.
Good score !

 

[Dostradamas]

Congrats

I love mine

The tremolo is sweet

 

[Fiesta Red]

Only thing that has held me back from these is the lack of reverb.
I love my reverb.
(I know ...pedals are cheap....)
But other than that I have always seen them spoken of fairly well.
Good score !

I’m a recovering anti-reverb-ist

For the first twenty-five years of owning my Vibroverb, I only used the reverb once or twice.

Now, with my daughter’s Mexican Garage Rock band, it’s being used a lot more…

Maybe I’ll pick up a cheap reverb pedal somewhere.

 

[Fiesta Red]

Maybe remove the Excelsior badge and brand it there?

It’s not like you’re gonna sell it!

And I’d love a pic of it with your pinstriped # 1 Tele.

I’ll put the two together as soon as I get my tail back to the studio next week…

 

[bowman]

Nice. I have one of the regular brown ones, got it early on. I’ve always thought it sounded very good. People are starting to notice them again, it seems: I’ve seen a few posts here and there online lately.

 

[Fiesta Red]

Review/User Rating:

First impressions:

—Dang, this thing’s loud!
I mean that in a good way…
I wanted this amp for rehearsals and smaller jams, it’ll definitely work for that, but this thing is loud enough I think I will be able to gig with it in a smaller venue—or maybe even a bigger one, who knows? It’ll definitely work for my initial purpose. That 15” speaker sure moves a lot of air, even if it only has 13 watts pushing it!

—Dang, that tremolo is awesome!
Outside of overdrive, tremolo is my favorite effect…this one is a keeper. I don’t know what circuit they based this one on, but I dig it.

—Dang, this thing is a lot lighter than I thought it would be!
When I laid eyes on the amp I’d bought, I hadn’t seen one in a while. It was a tiny bit larger than I remembered being, and with that 15” speaker, I was concerned about the weight…again, my main reason for looking for another amp was to find something smaller and lighter than my regular amp (a 63-reissue Vibroverb). It is both smaller and lighter, so mission accomplished there.

—Dang, the tone stays clean well into the volume sweep!
This is the first thing I’m less happy about—not unhappy, just less happy…I was hoping for something that would break up at lower volumes, but I don’t think that’s gonna happen…that’s ok, I have plenty of overdrive pedals.

—Dang, I’m gonna have to change a preamp tube to play harp/harmonica through this one!
Even though there is an input labeled “MIC”, it is still too high-gain for a harmonica microphone—Feedback/Squeal City…I also put the harp mic through the “ACCORDIAN” input, but it still a bit too hot/high gain. That’s not a criticism, it’s just a fact, and I’m not upset about it—it’s a common problem with most tube amps, including my beloved 63-reissue Vibroverb before I swapped the preamp tube in the NORMAL channel—but I was hoping to retain the higher-gain 12AX7 preamp tube in the Excelsior for the “GTR” (guitar) input.
No problem, I have a 12AY7 sitting in the “extras” drawer at home, just waiting to be installed somewhere.

I’ll have to update this review after changing the preamp tube and playing it in a full-band rehearsal.

So, initial impressions and user rating: 7.5/10, which is a really good rating, on my highly-critical, rarely-satisfied scale.

 

[Michael Smith]

I've never seen an amp with electrical conduit used before. I assume it's original and used for shielding.

 

[Fiesta Red]

I've never seen an amp with electrical conduit used before. I assume it's original and used for shielding.

Yes, it’s original to the design.

I remember thinking that (the flex conduit) looked so weird when these first came out c2012, but was a pretty obvious answer to a potential problem.