Fender amp handle problems......................

[Ray Montee]

Just curious if anyone of you have a realistic position relative to the functional life of the leather handles on Fender amps?

My Fender Bassman w/4 x 10's, circa 1965..... held up over many years of traveling abuses. The tweed covering and the screen in front of the speakers were great and unblemished, however when the handle disintegrated on one end, it nearly wrote finish for me and the equipment.

[Eric West]

So the "Disintegrating Handle" did it.

I'll 'ave to check mine..



EJL

[Joe Gretz]

Ray,

I can't say how long those handles may last, but I do know you can order replacements. Musicians Friend shows them, as does the Sam Ash web site. You may be able to find them locally too.

Joe

[Bryan Daste]

Mojotone.com has a decent selection of handles and other amp hardware.

[Tony Prior]

Ray, buddy, is this an April fools thing here ?

How long is a leather handle supposed to last ? It gets all the wear and tear, carries all the weight, is subjected to all the use.

40 + years I would say is a pretty good life for a piece of leather with a couple of screws through it !

Exact replacements are available all over the net, ebay, parts houses etc....

happy new year

t

[Ben Jones]

do not discard the old handle. even the broken original pars are very desireable to the collector...


wait a minute...1965 tweed bassman 4x10?
they were still making tweeds in '65?
they were still making 4x10 bassmans in '65?

edit: google tells me the last year for bassman 4x10 was 1960. Ray, this is a very desireable and collectible fender amp. keep the old handle set aside or in the back of the amp and get a replacement from mojotone. when its time to sell it, research the value first. the last version of the 4x10 bassman is one of the most sought after guitar amps around.

[Alvin Blaine]

do not discard the old handle. even the broken original pars are very desireable to the collector...


wait a minute...1965 tweed bassman 4x10?
they were still making tweeds in '65?
they were still making 4x10 bassmans in '65?

edit: google tells me the last year for bassman 4x10 was 1960. Ray, this is a very desireable and collectible fender amp. keep the old handle set aside or in the back of the amp and get a replacement from mojotone. when its time to sell it, research the value first. the last version of the 4x10 bassman is one of the most sought after guitar amps around.

and the 1960 4x10 Bassman had a "dogbone handle" , NOT LEATHER, that would last a couple of millenniums.



A '55 Bassman would of had the leather handle, but they switched to the rubber over steel "dogbone" around '56 or '57 for the Bassman, Bandmaster, and Twin.

[Ben Jones]

I was wondering when they switched to the plastic handle, thanks Alvin. That would mean Ray has a pre 56 bassman. dude! nice amp.

[Erv Niehaus]

Whenever I'm dealing with a heavy Fender amp, like a Twin Reverb with JBL speakers, I always add a couple of extra handles on the sides of the amp, just cheap insurance.
You cannot carry 2 ton on a 1 ton truck for very long without something breaking down!

[Ray Montee]

I could very well have been in error with my reference to the 1965 Bassman amp. Sorry, 'bout that.

It seems I purchased my Fender Triple-8 steel guitar sometime around 1950 (??), originally had a single 15" Fender Bassman but got rid of it within a few years and picked up the 4x10 as NOEL BOGGS had traveled thro' the area with one. So.......I could've been off on the dates there. After all, at my age, one can't be expected to remember absolutely everything 100% accurately.

[John Billings]

Alvin and Ben, my 1958 Bassman had a leather handle. They did not switch over until very, very late '58, at the earliest. I'm pretty sure. Ray, post the serial number. We'll tell you what year it really is.

And,,,, the brown "Dog Bone" handle on my '63 Super did break!

Here's a quote from Sprung's book;
"The leather handle, which had a tendency to break on the heavy amps, was replaced in '59 by a new brown molded plastic "Fender" handle, which also had a tendency to break on everything it was on. The reissue of this handle is of a more pliable rubber and works quite well, although it is a bit snug on some models."
page 73, 'Fender Amps, The First Fifty Years.'

[Alvin Blaine]

They must have went with the dogbone handle on the 5F6 model change.

[Danny Hall]

If it has all original parts, including power supply caps, I would expect some cap falure soon. But, the Sprague Atom power supply caps are still available as well as various other "Fender" fender parts are still available at http//www.tubesandmore.com The power supply caps are blue now instead of yellow.

The amp you have, if in good shape as I suspect it is, is worth far more to collectors than it's utility value. Fender has produced a "Re-issue" bassman modeled after that period and it's not a bad amp. It's a whole lot better amp, and behind a curtin indistiguishable from your amp, after being gone thru by a competent tech who will change out some critical parts. Your amp uses 5881's in the final stage and will interchange directly with 6L6GC, KT-66, KT-77 and (very nice) Jan 6L6GWB. This of course is if your finals are getting tired, which they should be after all these years. RCA black plate 12AX7s are abundant at about $65 each. That's what was in there new. When they cost $.99 each.

It's a pleasure to know somebody who hangs on to their gear. I'm such a trader guy that I've let some awefully nice stuff go. 1966 Martin D-18, 1963 Tele, 1969 LP Standard. The list goes on.

I know a top knotch amp tech in Eugene but not Portland. He however may know a top notch tech in Portland/Vancouver.

Have you run into my wife's cousin, Rick Obbink? He has a Zydeco Band in Portland. Plays accordion and is currently playing one that I sold him. I repaired his old Gretsch amp. (supro)

[Mike Hoover]

Ray,
I purchased a bassman in 1960, and like Alvin mine was plastic, still wish I had the amp, but I still have the 60 jazz bass that I bought with the amp, and it still plays great.

Mike