Well, you can guess what the F stands for...

I swore I wouldn't buy yet another guitar amp, as I already have 5 (not including 2 ss mini-amps I'm DIYing at the moment) and they cover pretty much every tonal shade I need.

Every tonal shade except maybe sparkling Fender cleans...

So here goes amp #6 :

Fender 75 with 15" speaker! image

So yes, it looks pretty humble in comparison with all the vintage magnificence posted on this forum on a regular basis, but I got it for a reasonable price (at least reasonable in regard to used Fender prices here) and I'm already in love with it. It's not vintage material (yet), but it was made the year I was born. My only regret is that it doesn't have the blackface looks like the head version:

Thanks to RobbieReverb & WR who wrote reviews of their own 75s on this forum. Yes, that search function does work!

Old punks never die... They just become surf rockers.

Last edited: Mar 25, 2012 12:17:30

Congrats on the new Fender amp. It may not have the Blackface look, but it does kinda have a dripedge thing going on.

Cats 'n' Strats, 'cause that's how I roll - I eat reverb for breakfast!

Fenderus Collecticus
Strat Blender Pot Modification HERE

I sure like the switches on the front where I can see them and not have to lean over it to access them........

Clepak, I got it for 500 euros, which is a steal for a PTP tube amp here, let alone a Fender (I think this was the last PTP series produced by Fender, before they switched to PCB for the red knobbers - there was also a 30W and a 140W version).

Je ne pense pas le vendre à moins de trouver un vrai blackface vintage - et pour l'instant c'est pas vraiment dans mes prix... Surveille eBay et les sites de petites annonces, je crois bien que c'est un des seuls Fender à rester plutôt sous-évalué au niveaux des prix de l'occase.

I am enchanted with the clean channel. It's very sparkling and chimey and it breaks up pretty nicely. The pull boost switches for bass, med & treble are interesting if you use them sparingly. The lead channel is, well, a Fender lead channel it's okay-ish so long as you don't push the gain. I'm a bit disappointed with the reverb, I had read it was pretty lush but I find it quite average. I found a pretty comprehensive review on Youtube, I'll post it below.

I've read on some Fender related website that pre-1985 Fender amps were now considered "vintage"... So that prompted two questions:
1. Since this amp is as old as I am, does that make me "vintage" too?
2. Now that I have an officially vintage Fender amp, how many points does that add to my surf cred?

On a more serious note, I may consider going for a Blackface look anyway. That would require some silver or gold grillcloth, and a 75 head version faceplate which I suspect must be pretty unobtainable.

Old punks never die... They just become surf rockers.

That's really nice clean sound, and great reverb in the video clip.

LeeVanCleef wrote:

On a more serious note, I may consider going for a Blackface look anyway. That would require some silver or gold grillcloth, and a 75 head version faceplate which I suspect must be pretty unobtainable.

My advice: leave it alone. I think it looks really cool as it is. Blackface Fenders are a dime a dozen, and you've got something slighly different and unique, though still obviously a tube Fender, and therefore very cool. Just my two cents.

Enjoy the amp!

Ivan
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@ Clepak: my 75 has a lot of power, but it's also pretty heavy (35-40 kg). Perhaps not the best Fender for travelling light?

@ IvanP: I don't know. The Mesa-like look is not my fav from Fender, and I already have 2 black-on-black amps, which I think is enough for anyone not in a Motorhead cover band... Besides I see all you guys pulling off gorgeous refin/restoration jobs on your vintage Fenders and I can't help feeling a little bit jealous...

@ tubeswell: thanks for the info. I'm not planning to mod anything for now (putting my hands in that rat's nest of wires... ). One thing I read about the 75 is that it needs the original 2-plug footswitch to operate properly; without that footswitch the sound is altered. I've found a schematic of the footswitch so I'm going to give it a try. Perhaps the clean channel will sound even better image
Also, I was surprised to see that the pic you posted had a stubby plastic tipped power switch just like mine. I thought mine had been replaced, as all the pics I've found had the metal tipped switch (like the amp in the video), but apparently this is not the case.

Old punks never die... They just become surf rockers.

Last edited: Mar 27, 2012 11:41:01