Well boys, this Thread, with a reference to two recent YT videos is being written to anyone who has ever tinkered with the idea of buying a 1975-1978 SF Fender Reverb unit, thinking because it is vintage, it has to be good.
For the record, albeit I am a die-hard 62 Showman boy since 1962, nonetheless I am not one of the legions of musicians (I use that term lightly with respect to me) who believes that any Fender product wearing a silver face plate is bad. From experience, I know that opinion is blatantly false.
Nonetheless, that terrible reputation SF products have definitely applies to the 1975-78 Fender Reverb Unit.
My opinion, as will be set forth below confirms what I have written about for several years.
I had one and thought that the extra 12AT7, maybe it was a 7025/12AXT would make it the holy grail of Reverb units. Boy was I wrong. After months of trying to make it sound even remotely like my 62 6G15 by changing tubes, the pan, the RCA connectors, the electrolytes, the caps, everything, it sounded like a cheap tin can. I later learned from a former Fender employee that the damn POS was designed for a different era of musicians, those who moved on from the early sixties.
So grasshoppers, today is your lucky day to hear what I have been writing about.
There are two posts on Youtube, the first shows a 6G15 compared to a SF 75-78 which you can hear at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjpZNRz_jlE
The second shows a guy who paid over a grand for a SF Reverb unit on Ebay:
Although the second YT poster admits he is not a surf guitar player, fortunately for you who are, he gives his rendition of Pipeline and Miserlou which will make all of you run, not walk away if you ever cross paths with a SF 1975-1978 Fender Reverb Unit. (I'm not criticizing the posters performance as he seems to be a proficient musician)
His misfortune, your gain grasshoppers.
Pull it up and let me know what you think.
UPDATE: The 2nd YT video was posted by a repairman and he took it down a few days after I made this post. Interesting. The site must draw a lot of musicians.
Last edited: Nov 16, 2017 17:09:57