Up for sale, a 1960 Fender Super in excellent condition and in perfect working order. One of the very first Brown Panel-era Fender Supers off the assembly line, this exceedingly rare amp is serial number 00061, with date codes from the first quarter of 1960. Practically prototypical with its 5G4 circuit, this amp features its stock pinkish brown tolex and centrally located Volume knobs seen on the very first Brown Panel amps, as well as the "Pulse Adjust" control on the rear panel for a feature Fender intended to include, but opted out of in pre-production after the plates had already been printed.
A direct descendant of the Tweed era Super amp, this Brown Panel example is notable for being one of few Supers to retain the same Triad transformers which were central to Fender's Tweed amps. An incredibly touch-sensitive and dynamic amplifier with surprising headroom, the Super boasts hi-fi clarity and sparkling, robust clean tones. Turning the amp up past 5 on the volume dial yields thick, chewy overdrive, and the EQ controls have an incredibly wide sweep. Of course this is the most compact Brown Panel-era amp to feature the "Harmonic Vibrato" circuit as well. A true pitch shifting vibrato (not the tremolo found on most Fender amps), the Harmonic Vibrato sound has a thick, Leslie-esque throb and warble, with a three-dimensional quality and depth that is perfectly suited to the speaker complement and cabinet size. Whether you want a slow, undulating swampy sound or faster, pulsating vibrato, this Super delivers the goods.
The circuit retains its original Triad output transformer and choke, with a modern replacement power transformer that matches the performance and footprint of the original. The preamp retains all of the original CTS pots, with visible date codes from the 8th week of '60. The circuit features a host of new Mallory tubular caps and carbon comp resistors, as well as a full recap of all electrolytics including high quality F&Ts in the power supply. A modern pot has also been fitted in the "Pulse Adjust" spot on the rear of the chassis, but isn't currently incorporated into the circuit. Tubes consist of a matched pair of Tung Sol small bottle 5881 (6L6GC) power tubes, along with a Sovtek 5V4 rectifier and a host of newer preamp tubes.
The amp has been fitted with a pair of era-correct genuine vintage Jensen P10R speakers, both with original cones, clean dark green/blue frames and original magnet bells with Jensen foil stickers. The dates on the edges of the frames couldn’t be more perfect for this amp, with one from the 47th week of 1959 and the other from the 36th week of 1960. The tube chart is intact, noting the 5G4 circuit and complete with a "JC" date stamp that translates to March of 1960.
The amp retains its original pinkish brown tolex, and the cabinet also has the more severe edge above the faceplate seen on the earliest Brown Panel amps. The tolex exhibits a few stains from sap in the pine cabinet bleeding through the tolex, and there are a few additional minor stains and a couple bald bottom corners on the enclosure. The original baffle has been professionally regrilled with the vintage-correct Oxblood tolex with gold stripe, a aesthetic holdover from the Tweed era. The clean faceplate retains a full set of vintage brown barrel knobs, and the leather handle is an exact replica, with a couple additional mounting holes for a different handle style adjacent to the original mounts. Both back panels are modern replacements, and the original flat Fender logo, sphinx glides (feet), and chassis straps are intact.
A non-original slip cover is included.