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Services





Consignment Items (Amps and
More)

Speakers



Books

Other
We also stock George L's
cables, Mojotone Extension Cabinets, amps and effects on consignment, and more.
Stop by the shop and see what we have!
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Blackfacing
This term refers to the conversion of Fender
Silverface (SF) amps to the more desirable Blackface (BF) configuration. Most
SF Fenders can be converted to BF spec. for much lower cost
than purchasing a vintage BF model.
Blackface amps were made with a black faceplate
and featured the pre CBS circuit design used
by Fender in the mid 60's. It featured a better bias circuit that allowed
for more precise bias settings for your output tubes. Blackface models also had
some different value components in various places throughout the amp which
resulted in what most players consider to be a better tone. The number of
changes varies according to amp model and year.
When we blackface your amp, we change these
components, re-bias the amp, and on some amps we make changes to the
wiring. Selected wires are re-routed and/or shielded to to stabilize the
amp so that it will not become unstable after changing the components.
These wiring changes are often necessary because some SF amps
become somewhat unstable after converting to blackface spec. This is
because CBS made changes to the SF wiring to lower manufacturing costs.
These changes sometimes caused instability in the amp which required them to
make other
circuit
changes to offset the new wiring problems. These circuit changes fixed the
instability but adversely effected the tone of the amp. This is one of the
reasons why blackfacing can improve the sound of your amp.
Pricing for this service varies but is generally
about $55 - $75 for most late 60s and early 70s Silverface Fender amps. Master Volume
and high power models such as Twins and Showmans are a
little higher. Ultra-linear amps can be considerably more.
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