1962 Fender Deluxe-Amp

The short-lived Brown-Panel/Blonde era of Fender amps were produced from 1959 through 1963. They are often considered tonally right in-between the more famous Tweed and Black-Panel circuits we are all familiar with. The Brown/Blonde era was the first time Tolex would be applied to Fender amps, and cosmetically appearing closer to the often re-issued Black-Panel and Silver-Panel models. The changes to the circuitry included the move to cleaner more hi-fi sounding tone, two preamp channels with individual tone stacks, Fixed Bias output stages, Long-Tailed Pair Phase Inverters, and the increased use of Negative Feedback. This particular model, the “Deluxe-Amp” comes in with 20 watts of Class AB power, a single 12” speaker, simple one-knob tone controls per channel, and the swampy bias-modulating tremolo. The Deluxe-Amp has two 6V6GT’S that are operated in push-pull with Fixed Bias, three 12AX7’s for the preamp/effects circuits, and a 5AR4 tube rectifer that adds a little sag to the power supply. Like all vintage Fender Deluxe models, this one is highly prized, collectible, and very valuable.

The Brownface Deluxe is also pretty rare, with not many having been produced, and very few being in the near Mint condition this one was in. The customer wanted this amp returned to original condition or as close as possible. That wasn’t too difficult as the amp was completely untouched with the exception of the speaker having been replaced. It needed a full restoration - it came in with leaking filter caps, out of spec power tubes, and an incorrect model of speaker.

All filter/bias/bypass caps were replaced with upgraded voltage and temperature rated MOD brand electrolytic’s. New 2 Watt Metal Oxide/5 Watt Cement power dropping resistors were installed for better reliability and lower noise floor. A new Jensen C12Q 35 Watt 12” Speaker was installed as the one previously in place was a replacement from a mid-70's MusicMan amp. The Jensen is a close reproduction of what would have came with the amp originally.

The original tubes did not all test good and were partially replaced. The old stock preamp tubes and rectifier tested fine so a brand new NOS pair of 6V6GT power tubes were ordered so the amp could have a complete lineup of tubes from the same era as the amp itself. The final lineup was: V1 = NOS Fender/GE 12AX7A, V2/V3 = NOS Tungsol 12AX7, V4/V5 = NOS Westinghouse/GE 6V6GT Matched Pair, V6 = NOS GE 5AR4. These tubes were picked for best tone and reliability. The 6V6GT’s Fixed Bias was set to 70% Class AB Plate Dissipation with a B+ of 430VDC. The tube sockets were all re-tensioned to stop the tubes from jiggling or falling out while they hang upside down - they also were cleaned with a De-Oxit treatment to prevent noise from corrosion. The pots were sprayed out and the amp was cleaned inside and out. A correctly sized 2A 3AG fuse was put in replacing the over-rated fuse that came with the amp. Lastly a 3 prong AC cord was installed to replace the original two prong cord and the death cap was removed rendering the Ground switch deactivated for safety. The amp now sounds like it would have in 1962.