SOLD - Fender Deluxe 5E3 Tweed 1956
$0.00No sales tax for customers outside California!
What a beautiful example of the incredibly desirable 5E3! I was so enamored with the amazing condition that I posted about 1 million pics for your viewing pleasure, right down to the tape inside the chassis, signed by Lily.
This Deluxe bears a tube chart stamp of FI, placing it as leaving Fender in September of 1956. Date codes throughout sync up with this stamp. The serial number, appearing on the immaculate tube chart and stamped into the chassis is C-02471 is documented as 1956. The speaker code on the Jensen P12R is 220635, dating it from mid September of 1956. The power and output transformers, showing model numbers 6452 and 50246 respectively, are not date stamped as is standard in the era. Caps bear correct date codes - even the power and rectifier tubes are dated to 1956!
The amp appears completely untouched at first glance, right down to the screw heads. Upon disassembly it felt like I was the first to turn some of them! The nuts on the speakers absolutely appear untouched. Unscrewing them inevitably results in scratching on the speaker frame, and I could only see one small mark near one of the four nuts. The cone appears original, and I couldn't bring myself to pull it so I took a few pics showing the cone through the frame from the back.
The chassis faceplate is really nice and shiny with very little weathering and strong screen print labeling.
The power cable was changed, and the thoughtful tech who did so disconnected the original "death cap", but left that part in the amp.
The handle was changed out, and the worn original is included.
The filter caps were updated, an important maintenance move that is necessary - without the change you really shouldn't use an amp this old as a filter cap failure can ruin a transformer. The original caps are included.
Caps in the circuit are changed out as well, with the originals included. My amp tech recently told me about the Jupiter paper-in-oil caps that were used in this amp, exclaiming about how much better they sound than the parts he was using for such work.
The tweed covering is in remarkably clean condition on all parts of the amp, as is the grille. It is so rare to see a tweeb amp in this condition.
The one knock on this amp is a bit of unique provenance - the original owner's social security card is pinned to the back panel.
And the sound. There really is no replacement. It is a warm, blooming masterpiece. Opening it up delivers a roar at a volume that'll work at home, in the studio, or if you're that ballsy - on the stage.
