Cheap Guitar Amps

Thank you, Leo Fender! Before the Telecaster, before the Stratocaster, before the electric bass, he built guitar amplifiers. Even without the guitars, he'd still be at the top of our music Hall of Fame for the Fender Guitar Amplifier.

Amplifiers Came First

Before world war II, amplifiers didn't really rock, but they were invented before electric guitars.

Ritchie Fliegler with the Fender company says, "Before electric guitars, there were all sorts of tube amplifiers -- in radios, telephone switchboards, record players, transmitters, PAs, theater systems. Only after they had been around for years did people begin to think, 'Wow, if we could build guitars to go along with these things, they would be louder!'"

The guitar was the afterthought, the thing that came later. The amp was the invention that enabled the emergence of the electric guitar, rock and roll, Elvis, the Rolling Stones, Chaka Khan.

And who's the daddy of guitar amps? The Leo Fender Guitar Amp!

The Speakers Blew Up!

In the early days, there were lots of tubes to choose from, but speakers were somewhat limited. Leo Fender built his first amps using speakers designed for PA (Public Address) systems, and for radios. And then he watched the speakers blow up. Aside from his innovative designs in stacking tubes to get good tone -- something that had never been done before -- we owe him another debt, because he went to the Lansing company, and asked them to re-think their design process, and to make some speakers that could "move with the groove."

They made those speakers. We use their descendants now in our guitar amps, every day when we play music on our electric guitars. Thanks Leo! Thanks Lansing!

Or, as Keith Richards said, when they were inducting Leo Fender into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, "I think the stroke of genius, really, was not his inventing the electric guitar, but inventing the amplifier to go with it."

Tubes, tone, speakers, cabinets. Leo did it all.

An Entire Line of Sound

There is actually no one Fender guitar amplifier, because from the very beginning, it was a line-up of several amps.

According to Peter Frampton, "Fender amps fit every palate. You can't get out of the Twin what you can get out of a Deluxe Reverb, and vice versa, but across the line they'll do it all."

The result of those years of innovative ground-breaking design?

Fender amps are everywhere. Gigs, homes, recording studios. Paul Reed Smith said this: "I've seen lots of studios without a Neve console. I've seen lots of studios without a Telefunken microphone. But I don't think I've ever seen a studio without a Fender amp, or several amps."

From Big Band to Rock and Roll

You've probably seen the movies, old black and white ones, made back in the war years. And in those movies sometimes they showed glamorous nightclubs. ML's nightclubs, you could see big bands playing big band music.

But as times evolved, and economics of entertainment changed under the pressure of widespread radio, and movies, and later television, it was harder for the big bands and orchestras to operate profitably because of the costs of touring with so many musicians in a time when live music with declining in popularity.

So what happened?

What had previously been the "rhythm section" stepped up front to become the entire band. Drums, bass, guitar, and singer.

And what made this possible was the evolution of electric guitar, electric bass, and the guitar amplifier, because they made the guitar and the bass as loud as the drums, so this small group could create a sound big enough to fill the clubs, which were now also shrinking in size as live music became a smaller part of the overall music scene in America, and in the world.

We owe it all to the guitar amp, and to the original designs of Leo Fender.

Fender Amps over the Years

K. & F. -- these first Fender amps were made by Leo Fender and Doc Kauffman. The odd gray finish was caused by baking the cabinet in the Kauffman family oven.

The Woody -- the first true Fender amplifiers, 1946, 1947.

Tweed -- the famous tweed covering was first used in 1948 and continued up until 1960, and this design initiated the circuitry with the tubes pointed down.

Blonde -- included all piggyback amps such as the Bandmaster, the Showman, the Bassman, the Tremolux, and the Twin. 1962, 1963.

Brownface -- with the introduction of Tolex as a covering for the amp, this time also saw the introduction of the standalone spring-reverb unit, and later the use of a reverb circuit within combo amp designs, in the 1963 VibroVerb. 1959 to 1963.

Blackface -- These amplifiers were built both before and after the CBS company takeover of Fender Musical Instruments. Composition of these amplifiers vary considerably due to Leo's tendency to tweak his designs as he went along. 1964 to 1967.

Silverface -- These sported an aluminum trim around the grill cloth. 1967 to 1981.

II Series -- with designs from Paul Rivera. Many had the normal clean sound associate with Fender amps but also a gain channel with heavy mid-voicing to hold market share against Mesa Boogie amps. 1982 to 1986.

Red Knob -- these were produced by the reorganized Fender Musical Instruments Corporation and were so-named because of bright red control knobs. At this time most Fender amplifier manufacturing was moved to Mexico. The high-gain channels of Red Knob amp's had a distinctive sound rather different than Blackface and Silverface and amps. 1987 to 1993.

Whether you're hiring a custom shop and they're going to base the design on an existing amp, whether you most admire vintage guitar amps or newer ones, whether you need professional amplifiers, a vintage reissue, a piggyback, and regardless of your preferences regarding output stage configuration, power amp tubes, preamp tubes, and the look of blonde cabs, blackface amps, tweed, or brown combos, your thoughts and the sound of your music will derive in part from the original Fender guitar amplifier designs.

Where to Find your Fender Guitar Amplifier at a Great Price?

Online Discount Musician Stores

We've often heard these online stores reported as having great deals --

Your Local Music Store

Big chain stores like Guitar Center sometimes run sales. Be sure you know your amp, and audition it before buying. But remember, many smaller guitar stores, in order to get your business, will match online-discount pricing, and smaller guitar stores can often provide you superior customer service.

Amazon

Sometimes great values, sometimes not, depending upon the seller.

EBay

Frequently the price-value winner, especially if you’re willing to buy used. It’s hard to beat EBay. Just look at this huge selection of best-value guitar amps, instruments, and amp effects available right now –

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