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1963 Fender Showman Black Panel Blonde Pre-CBS Vintage Tube Amp Head & 1x12 Tone Ring Cab w/ JBL D120F
1963 Fender Showman Black Panel Blonde Pre-CBS Vintage Tube Amp Head & 1x12 Tone Ring Cab w/ JBL D120F
Up for sale, a 1963 Fender Showman "Tuxedo" Black Panel vintage tube amp head and matching 1x12 Tone Ring speaker cabinet. An extremely rare, short-lived variant with a low A001XX serial number, this Showman pairs one of Fender's very first "Black Panel" circuits with smooth blonde tolex and gold sparkle grillcloth. But the real standout is the matching Tone Ring 1x12 ported speaker cabinet, loaded with a JBL D120F.
While the smaller Tone Ring cabinets (1x12 and 1x10 variants, used with Bassmans/Bandmasters and Tremolux amps, respectively) were largely phased out by 1962, the Showman was the one amp to retain the Tone Ring design throughout its Brown and Black Panel run, albeit with 15" JBL speakers in the vast majority of cases. Yet a Tone Ring 1x12" cabinet, especially with blonde/gold sparkle cosmetics, is a real unicorn for a Showman as late as the tail end of 1963.
Loaded with a fresh quad of properly biased Tung Sol 5881 (6L6GC) power tubes, this Showman has a sound that is powerful, clear, and sparkling. As Fender's flagship "piggyback" amp head of the Black Panel era, the Showman delivers 85 watts of all-tube power. The Showman is a real powerhouse for guitar, bass, or your favorite Fender Rhodes or combo organ. The low end is ample, and the amp has plenty of headroom and efficient clean power until about 6-7 on the Volume knob, where the signal starts to compress and overdrive. Fresh back from our techs and ready for another half century, this Showman is dialed in for stage and studio use.
The circuit has a virtually untouched preamp, with a new bias cap and a professional recap of the power supply with Sprague Atoms. Transformers include the original Schumacher-made choke from 1963, while the Schumacher output and power transformers date to 1965/66 with correct Fender factory part numbers. There's a high degree of likelihood that these transformers were swapped early in the amp's life at the Fender factory as warranty service. All of the original CTS and Stackpole pots are intact, with visible date codes from the 40th week of '63.
The tube chart has an "ML" date code, translating to December of 1963, and this tube chart in itself is a rare variant, with factory notation crossing out the 7355 power tubes utilized in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment in the Showman's evolution, noting that the amp was instead intended to run on the usual 6L6 valves.
The Tone Ring speaker cabinet is an ingenious design, engineered to deliver the clearest, most pure Fender tone via a JBL D120F speaker, and as such utilizes a dual baffle board design in which the speaker floats between the baffles, mounted to a metal "tone ring." This design makes the cabinet work as a closed back, ported enclosure and you'll notice greater range of your EQ controls, ample bass response, and an overall sweeter, balanced tone that you simply can't get with any other Fender cabinet.
This amp retains the original smooth blonde tolex and gold sparkle grillcloth. All of the hardware is intact, including the piggyback clip bars, tilt-back legs handles, corners, and raised metal Fender logos, and the faceplate also retains its stock complement of witch hat knobs.
While the smaller Tone Ring cabinets (1x12 and 1x10 variants, used with Bassmans/Bandmasters and Tremolux amps, respectively) were largely phased out by 1962, the Showman was the one amp to retain the Tone Ring design throughout its Brown and Black Panel run, albeit with 15" JBL speakers in the vast majority of cases. Yet a Tone Ring 1x12" cabinet, especially with blonde/gold sparkle cosmetics, is a real unicorn for a Showman as late as the tail end of 1963.
Loaded with a fresh quad of properly biased Tung Sol 5881 (6L6GC) power tubes, this Showman has a sound that is powerful, clear, and sparkling. As Fender's flagship "piggyback" amp head of the Black Panel era, the Showman delivers 85 watts of all-tube power. The Showman is a real powerhouse for guitar, bass, or your favorite Fender Rhodes or combo organ. The low end is ample, and the amp has plenty of headroom and efficient clean power until about 6-7 on the Volume knob, where the signal starts to compress and overdrive. Fresh back from our techs and ready for another half century, this Showman is dialed in for stage and studio use.
The circuit has a virtually untouched preamp, with a new bias cap and a professional recap of the power supply with Sprague Atoms. Transformers include the original Schumacher-made choke from 1963, while the Schumacher output and power transformers date to 1965/66 with correct Fender factory part numbers. There's a high degree of likelihood that these transformers were swapped early in the amp's life at the Fender factory as warranty service. All of the original CTS and Stackpole pots are intact, with visible date codes from the 40th week of '63.
The tube chart has an "ML" date code, translating to December of 1963, and this tube chart in itself is a rare variant, with factory notation crossing out the 7355 power tubes utilized in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment in the Showman's evolution, noting that the amp was instead intended to run on the usual 6L6 valves.
The Tone Ring speaker cabinet is an ingenious design, engineered to deliver the clearest, most pure Fender tone via a JBL D120F speaker, and as such utilizes a dual baffle board design in which the speaker floats between the baffles, mounted to a metal "tone ring." This design makes the cabinet work as a closed back, ported enclosure and you'll notice greater range of your EQ controls, ample bass response, and an overall sweeter, balanced tone that you simply can't get with any other Fender cabinet.
This amp retains the original smooth blonde tolex and gold sparkle grillcloth. All of the hardware is intact, including the piggyback clip bars, tilt-back legs handles, corners, and raised metal Fender logos, and the faceplate also retains its stock complement of witch hat knobs.
$1,855.00
Original: $5,299.99
-65%1963 Fender Showman Black Panel Blonde Pre-CBS Vintage Tube Amp Head & 1x12 Tone Ring Cab w/ JBL D120F—
$5,299.99
$1,855.00
Description
Up for sale, a 1963 Fender Showman "Tuxedo" Black Panel vintage tube amp head and matching 1x12 Tone Ring speaker cabinet. An extremely rare, short-lived variant with a low A001XX serial number, this Showman pairs one of Fender's very first "Black Panel" circuits with smooth blonde tolex and gold sparkle grillcloth. But the real standout is the matching Tone Ring 1x12 ported speaker cabinet, loaded with a JBL D120F.
While the smaller Tone Ring cabinets (1x12 and 1x10 variants, used with Bassmans/Bandmasters and Tremolux amps, respectively) were largely phased out by 1962, the Showman was the one amp to retain the Tone Ring design throughout its Brown and Black Panel run, albeit with 15" JBL speakers in the vast majority of cases. Yet a Tone Ring 1x12" cabinet, especially with blonde/gold sparkle cosmetics, is a real unicorn for a Showman as late as the tail end of 1963.
Loaded with a fresh quad of properly biased Tung Sol 5881 (6L6GC) power tubes, this Showman has a sound that is powerful, clear, and sparkling. As Fender's flagship "piggyback" amp head of the Black Panel era, the Showman delivers 85 watts of all-tube power. The Showman is a real powerhouse for guitar, bass, or your favorite Fender Rhodes or combo organ. The low end is ample, and the amp has plenty of headroom and efficient clean power until about 6-7 on the Volume knob, where the signal starts to compress and overdrive. Fresh back from our techs and ready for another half century, this Showman is dialed in for stage and studio use.
The circuit has a virtually untouched preamp, with a new bias cap and a professional recap of the power supply with Sprague Atoms. Transformers include the original Schumacher-made choke from 1963, while the Schumacher output and power transformers date to 1965/66 with correct Fender factory part numbers. There's a high degree of likelihood that these transformers were swapped early in the amp's life at the Fender factory as warranty service. All of the original CTS and Stackpole pots are intact, with visible date codes from the 40th week of '63.
The tube chart has an "ML" date code, translating to December of 1963, and this tube chart in itself is a rare variant, with factory notation crossing out the 7355 power tubes utilized in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment in the Showman's evolution, noting that the amp was instead intended to run on the usual 6L6 valves.
The Tone Ring speaker cabinet is an ingenious design, engineered to deliver the clearest, most pure Fender tone via a JBL D120F speaker, and as such utilizes a dual baffle board design in which the speaker floats between the baffles, mounted to a metal "tone ring." This design makes the cabinet work as a closed back, ported enclosure and you'll notice greater range of your EQ controls, ample bass response, and an overall sweeter, balanced tone that you simply can't get with any other Fender cabinet.
This amp retains the original smooth blonde tolex and gold sparkle grillcloth. All of the hardware is intact, including the piggyback clip bars, tilt-back legs handles, corners, and raised metal Fender logos, and the faceplate also retains its stock complement of witch hat knobs.
While the smaller Tone Ring cabinets (1x12 and 1x10 variants, used with Bassmans/Bandmasters and Tremolux amps, respectively) were largely phased out by 1962, the Showman was the one amp to retain the Tone Ring design throughout its Brown and Black Panel run, albeit with 15" JBL speakers in the vast majority of cases. Yet a Tone Ring 1x12" cabinet, especially with blonde/gold sparkle cosmetics, is a real unicorn for a Showman as late as the tail end of 1963.
Loaded with a fresh quad of properly biased Tung Sol 5881 (6L6GC) power tubes, this Showman has a sound that is powerful, clear, and sparkling. As Fender's flagship "piggyback" amp head of the Black Panel era, the Showman delivers 85 watts of all-tube power. The Showman is a real powerhouse for guitar, bass, or your favorite Fender Rhodes or combo organ. The low end is ample, and the amp has plenty of headroom and efficient clean power until about 6-7 on the Volume knob, where the signal starts to compress and overdrive. Fresh back from our techs and ready for another half century, this Showman is dialed in for stage and studio use.
The circuit has a virtually untouched preamp, with a new bias cap and a professional recap of the power supply with Sprague Atoms. Transformers include the original Schumacher-made choke from 1963, while the Schumacher output and power transformers date to 1965/66 with correct Fender factory part numbers. There's a high degree of likelihood that these transformers were swapped early in the amp's life at the Fender factory as warranty service. All of the original CTS and Stackpole pots are intact, with visible date codes from the 40th week of '63.
The tube chart has an "ML" date code, translating to December of 1963, and this tube chart in itself is a rare variant, with factory notation crossing out the 7355 power tubes utilized in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment in the Showman's evolution, noting that the amp was instead intended to run on the usual 6L6 valves.
The Tone Ring speaker cabinet is an ingenious design, engineered to deliver the clearest, most pure Fender tone via a JBL D120F speaker, and as such utilizes a dual baffle board design in which the speaker floats between the baffles, mounted to a metal "tone ring." This design makes the cabinet work as a closed back, ported enclosure and you'll notice greater range of your EQ controls, ample bass response, and an overall sweeter, balanced tone that you simply can't get with any other Fender cabinet.
This amp retains the original smooth blonde tolex and gold sparkle grillcloth. All of the hardware is intact, including the piggyback clip bars, tilt-back legs handles, corners, and raised metal Fender logos, and the faceplate also retains its stock complement of witch hat knobs.
