Looks great!

WOW! I have one too. ND. Does it have a later baffle? those never had a Fender logo. I don’t think they had a place you could screw one in.
REGARDLESS. Excellent find!

THe NEpTuNeS

cambeezy wrote:

Looks like it has a "ghost" logo, as in someone removed it

Nice score, truly! But yeah, that badge was recently there - too bad. They can be had repop but the real ones are kinda spendy for what they are.

Definitely a sweet find though.

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

Thanks for the replies guys! I took a couple more quick pics. The only downside to the amp is I feel like a little league batter trying to hit Nolan Ryan as my modest playing skills are probably not doing the amp total justice. It is definitely a no logo version. It looks there might be some glue residue on the grill cloth where someone has obviously stuck one on. I am tempted to add a logo, but not sure how I would attach it, other than glue. The Red Fang is a big alnico speaker and sounds better than the Jensen RI I plugged in for a minute, but I think I might unsolder the speaker harness and keep it aside for safekeeping and then drop the original oxford in there for now. I am in an apartment for the next little while so mostly low volume playing should be fine for the oxforrd. Any speaker suggestions out there? The reverb tank in the pic is the 61 I found earlier this year. My kind of combo.

That is possible, but it would have been very late in 1965. Mine has an OG date stamp (July '65) and it definitely didn't have a logo on the grill until I installed it.

I'm looking at the 1965-66 Fender catalog which was published in 1965 (I saved everything Fender related)) and the "smallest" Fender amp shown with a logo on the grill is the Vibrolux Reverb. By 1966, per my 1966-67 catalog, even the Champs had logos.

By the way, the same applies to the black Tolex guitar and bass cases. No "amp" logos on those until 1966.

Hey, I'm old - I was there!

Jack Booth
(aka WoodyJ)

The Mariners (1964-68, 1996-2005)
The Hula Hounds (1996-current)
The X-Rays (1997-2004)
The Surge! (2004, 2011-2012)
Various non-surf bands that actually made money (1978-1990)

Last edited: Aug 23, 2015 11:33:11

hokusai22 wrote:

Woody, your catalog collection sounds awesome! I meant to ask, how did you attach your logo? There is definitely no wood right behind the grill cloth on this one, and I have no intention of resorting to glue!

Since there is no backing wood on the baffle board, there are two good options - You can have Larry Rodgers make you a new baffle board with the triangle backing board. He has aged silver grillcloth available that looks like what you already have. Pristine, brand new-looking grillcloth looks kind of out of place on a vintage amp, IMO

Or, you send your original baffle board to Larry and have him replace the grillcloth you have with the aged silver. Your non-logo 1964 "Fender Elect.Instruments" Deluxe Reverb is a very special amp!

Here's Larry Rodgers website, He does beautiful work and his prices are reasonable. http://www.rodgersamplifiers.com/

If you install a Fender logo, it takes 3 tiny screws. They can be found on the Angela Instruments site or possibly at your local hardware store.

And regarding speakers, you will get a million opinions on here about what is "best". Years ago I replaced my original Oxford with a Weber California alnico (not the ceramic one). It is better in every way than the Oxford and a myriad of other speakers I've tried in a few reissue Deluxe Reverbs I've had over the years. If you are wanting real surf tone with increased headroom, the Weber Cali alnico gets it done.

Jack Booth
(aka WoodyJ)

The Mariners (1964-68, 1996-2005)
The Hula Hounds (1996-current)
The X-Rays (1997-2004)
The Surge! (2004, 2011-2012)
Various non-surf bands that actually made money (1978-1990)

Last edited: Aug 23, 2015 12:34:31

And before you spend any serious money, try this with your existing grill...

Get a spray bottle of the full strength Simple Green, not the diluted stuff, and a big, soft rounded edge sponge like contractors use for grouting tile. Home Depot, Lowe's, Menards, good hardware stores, etc. are good sources for both.

Dampen the sponge in HOT water, wring out and spray the Simple Green on the sponge and proceed cleaning the grillcloth. Don't get the sponge too wet as you don't want tp dampen the speaker. Make sure the amp is standing up, not laying down on it's back when you are doing this.

Rinse the sponge and redo the cleaning process a few times, the last time with clean warm water only and then dry with a soft cloth or towel.

This process can work amazingly well for cleaning old, dirty grillcloth. The Simple Green is mild enough that it won't damage the material. It's worth a try.

Jack Booth
(aka WoodyJ)

The Mariners (1964-68, 1996-2005)
The Hula Hounds (1996-current)
The X-Rays (1997-2004)
The Surge! (2004, 2011-2012)
Various non-surf bands that actually made money (1978-1990)

Last edited: Aug 23, 2015 12:50:22

Woody, thanks for all the cool info!! I don't think the Reverb unit I have has ever been taken apart since it left the factory, so I've been waiting for a chance to take a day and clean it up. I will definitely try your method on the grill cloth there. If your method also helps take some of the ghosting away on the Deluxe Reverb I think I will just leave it logo-less. One other oddity on the Deluxe, is that the reverb tank/bag is not fastened down. The RCA cables are held on the side with a bracket, but I see no evidence of the bag ever being tied/screwed/bolted down. Is this normal for 1964?
Thanks again guys!

Surfneptue, thanks for the info! I can't stop playing this amp. I guess this is a good sign? Finally got the reverb tank out and it doesn't look like it was ever screwed down. There is a strain relief holding the RCA cables to the side of the cab. Reverb tank is a 1963 Gibbs and sounds mind blowing.

Reverb tank pics:

For now, I have put the original oxford back in as I am playing at rather low volumes in my apartment. Looks like a 1963 Gold Frame.