In '83 I was at a Guitar Center that had one of these. It had a gold frame Vox speaker, probably a Thomas Organ issue. He hands me - guess what - a '64 strat, then a minute later tells me to "crank that thing!" What a glorious sound.
Right on! I for one, am thankful that you have the same convictions about necessary changes on an amp like this. It is so agonizing seeing owners refuse to change caps out on amp but still insist on operating them. I tell them that to run an amp like that is like taking a car from 1962, starting it up and going on a drive on the highway at 70 MPH - 60 year old oil, tires, brakes, belts and hoses and no seat belt to save you.
The instant I saw the red wire on the OPT secondary my heart sunk a little. I love my Deluxes, especially the brown one. They are so gained up I can’t believe Leo ok’d them leaving the shop.
I've been catching up on some Uncle Doug videos this week and TH-cam suggested your channel today. I'm glad I clicked, hearing things that confirm what I've learned watching UD and through my own projects and know I'll learn more watching your videos. Love that 6G3 sound too!
Cool overview, love the sound of this era ... seems that the rarity of the brown panel amps is present even when experienced tube amp techs deal with them.
Great video. I got a Suhr Hombre recently which I believe is based on these old fenders. I’m well happy with it. Light weight and loud. Great to see the inside, the term less is more springs to mind.
Thinking of trying the MojoTone 6G3 as my first amp build. I've always wanted to take on an amp as a project and learning opportunity. I'd put a Jensen p12q (or r) or a Weber 50 watt (or 25 watt) 12A150 variant in it instead of the ceramic speaker Mojo Tone offers. It's amazing how much of a difference in tone, saturation, fatness, 3d depth, nuance, overtones, and harmonics a good alnico speaker can make in an amp. (Yes. All very technical terms.)
I love the sound of the Fender 6G circuits. I look forward to hearing this one. Like another viewer mentioned, I'm surprised Leo let this out of the factory with all the gain it possesses, since clean was the name of the game back then.
By the 90's so many amps like this were sitting in attics because to buy a transformer back then, you had to be a company, and even then you had to buy them 100 at a time. As the 90's progressed that changed more and more. Thankfully.
I built a replica of one of those about four years ago. I have built a couple of 5#3's and a few Marshall's, but I found the brown Deluxe to be very challenging, even more so than the Marshalls.
Sadly there is no part 2. I did a post on this - the seller and buyer couldn't agree on a price after it came out that the transformer wasn't original, so the amp went back to the seller unfixed. Maybe I'll see it again one day...
Definitely the good stuff! Its really cool looking at these circuits and seeing the evolution from the 5E3 to the 6G3 to the AB763 (I have a very nice 1967 Deluxe Reverb). I wonder what happened to the original output transformer though, since this amp is so original otherwise...
Love the channel, I've been enjoying all the videos since I've found you! Any chance you might consider longer videos, kinda start to finish style like Uncle Doug does? To me it's awesome to sit down and see all the issues get corrected in one longer video rather than a mini series. Just a request from a single viewer though..Keep doing what you are doing! :)
Absolutely love your channel. Been watching tons of your content. Your attention to detail is excellent by my standards. However, I can’t believe you used a power drill to remove those screws in this rare and sought after amp.
The lowest torque setting on this is less than I can apply by hand. It’s more of a screwdriver than a drill. No risk of stripping/breaking the screws with this.
Knew right away the output trans was not the right size and had been replaced .. Everyone knew that one tho .. I dont think the amp has had many hours put on it tho
Amp looks extremely clean......anxious to see what you will do to make it perform like 'new' ! Almost seems like it was not played much ! I am trying to persuade my guitar instructor away from buying a Blackstar amp as the local music store is selling them.
Hey Lyle thanks again, love the channel, but, for such a careful guy, why do you work on your amp on an uneven surface with it rocking around . Not th e first time!
i am dying to know what those blue caps are? they look like astrons but they have the blue like the Ajax caps- i know they are as robust as the Ajax and don't need to be replaced like them- They seem, like Mr Psi mentions, to appear in the brownface era and are gone from fenders around the time of the AB763 circuits. Are they Astons? are they Ajax? are they Acme/Mystery brand?
I have a 1960 brown Deluxe! Mine has a stock Triad Mains tranny. It’s B+ is 440v D.C. I bought it from my pal Drew Berlin about 20 years ago and it’s still pretty mint even though I use it a lot. It gets carried in & out of my car by Me! I think one of the greatest amps Leo ever made! I did a total recap of it back then cause all the electrolytic were leaking.. Put an Alnico Celestion in it!
@@mikericca2007 mine all date code to late 1960( trannys & filter caps). So I’m guessing that this is one of the first brown Deluxe’s built. It’s certainly not a Tweed amp. I’ve been working on amps for 37 years, mainly Vox, Marshall, Selmer, Hiwatt/ Sound City etc. I work on Robin Trower’s gear & Elliot Easton’s amps & guitars and I was at SWR Eng & Soundcraft Consoles besides doing studio work and touring. Todd Krause, who runs Fender Custom and has been a friend of mine for awhile has seen this amp as has Robb Lawerence (who wrote two great books on his friend Les Paul) Not trying to be an obnoxious know it all, but I’ve been playing and getting into amps/ guitars for 55 years. But I really enjoy your video’s so please keep making them!! Thanks
@@LPCustom3 Nice! It's not my video but I enjoy watching also! I don't want to come off as a know it all either. I've been into vintage guitar amps for over 45 years and have been to many NYC guitar shows, back in the day, when they were good and had an amazing selection. It's common to find earlier parts in brown Fender amps. My September 1961 Deluxe's power transformer dates to 1960 (606042) and output transformer to 1961 (606121). The original Jensen P12R also dates to 1960 (220018) and if I recall correctly the electrolytics were also late 1960. You may have a prototype! Does it have a serial number?
Those coin base "RCA" 6V6GTA's are actually Sylvania's. RCA never made a coin base tube. From what I remember, these started showing up in the mid 70's, after RCA was out of the tube business. I've found if a coin base 6V6 has black plates then it's a Sylvania. If the plates are grey then it's a GE. Both are good tubes but not held in the same regard as an original pair of RCA 6V6GTA's.
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In '83 I was at a Guitar Center that had one of these. It had a gold frame Vox speaker, probably a Thomas Organ issue. He hands me - guess what - a '64 strat, then a minute later tells me to "crank that thing!" What a glorious sound.
Right on! I for one, am thankful that you have the same convictions about necessary changes on an amp like this. It is so agonizing seeing owners refuse to change caps out on amp but still insist on operating them. I tell them that to run an amp like that is like taking a car from 1962, starting it up and going on a drive on the highway at 70 MPH - 60 year old oil, tires, brakes, belts and hoses and no seat belt to save you.
Wow. Just wow. I look forward to seeing - and hearing - this one play out.
The instant I saw the red wire on the OPT secondary my heart sunk a little. I love my Deluxes, especially the brown one. They are so gained up I can’t believe Leo ok’d them leaving the shop.
What a lovely, nearly-unmolested Brown Deluxe. Thank you for the guided tour...
Beautiful ! Just beautiful !
I've been catching up on some Uncle Doug videos this week and TH-cam suggested your channel today. I'm glad I clicked, hearing things that confirm what I've learned watching UD and through my own projects and know I'll learn more watching your videos. Love that 6G3 sound too!
That's definitely the good stuff Lyle. I can't wait to hear how it sounds. What an extraordinary find.
Cool overview, love the sound of this era ... seems that the rarity of the brown panel amps is present even when experienced tube amp techs deal with them.
Very cool. Can't wait to hear how this one sounds!
I love hearing the commentary about what makes the amps unique and what you can do to keep them going without wrecking the circuit.
Love seeing those oldies, and unmolested as they say..Fab amp, and hope to see the service..Ed..UK..😀
Man, this thing has been preserved in amber!
Great video. I got a Suhr Hombre recently which I believe is based on these old fenders. I’m well happy with it. Light weight and loud. Great to see the inside, the term less is more springs to mind.
That's one hot blonde!
Could have been--and that's why the output trans got cooked back in '66...👀
Wow. My dream Fender amp.
Thinking of trying the MojoTone 6G3 as my first amp build. I've always wanted to take on an amp as a project and learning opportunity. I'd put a Jensen p12q (or r) or a Weber 50 watt (or 25 watt) 12A150 variant in it instead of the ceramic speaker Mojo Tone offers. It's amazing how much of a difference in tone, saturation, fatness, 3d depth, nuance, overtones, and harmonics a good alnico speaker can make in an amp. (Yes. All very technical terms.)
I love the sound of the Fender 6G circuits. I look forward to hearing this one. Like another viewer mentioned, I'm surprised Leo let this out of the factory with all the gain it possesses, since clean was the name of the game back then.
I played one of those before a long time ago and really liked it. Haven't seen another one IRL since.
My Showman had those blisters on the power caps, but not like that one!
By the 90's so many amps like this were sitting in attics because to buy a transformer back then, you had to be a company, and even then you had to buy them 100 at a time. As the 90's progressed that changed more and more. Thankfully.
THIS is going to be nifty!
I built a replica of one of those about four years ago. I have built a couple of 5#3's and a few Marshall's, but I found the brown Deluxe to be very challenging, even more so than the Marshalls.
Looking forward to Part 2
Sadly there is no part 2. I did a post on this - the seller and buyer couldn't agree on a price after it came out that the transformer wasn't original, so the amp went back to the seller unfixed. Maybe I'll see it again one day...
Definitely the good stuff! Its really cool looking at these circuits and seeing the evolution from the 5E3 to the 6G3 to the AB763 (I have a very nice 1967 Deluxe Reverb).
I wonder what happened to the original output transformer though, since this amp is so original otherwise...
A classic.
Love the channel, I've been enjoying all the videos since I've found you! Any chance you might consider longer videos, kinda start to finish style like Uncle Doug does? To me it's awesome to sit down and see all the issues get corrected in one longer video rather than a mini series. Just a request from a single viewer though..Keep doing what you are doing! :)
Thanks!
I'd love to, but honestly, the analytics tell me the average person only watches about 12 minutes of a 30 minute video.
Absolutely love your channel. Been watching tons of your content. Your attention to detail is excellent by my standards. However, I can’t believe you used a power drill to remove those screws in this rare and sought after amp.
The lowest torque setting on this is less than I can apply by hand. It’s more of a screwdriver than a drill. No risk of stripping/breaking the screws with this.
Knew right away the output trans was not the right size and had been replaced .. Everyone knew that one tho .. I dont think the amp has had many hours put on it tho
Amp looks extremely clean......anxious to see what you will do to make it perform like 'new' ! Almost seems like it was not played much ! I am trying to persuade my guitar instructor away from buying a Blackstar amp as the local music store is selling them.
No!!!!! do not buy Blackstar ,,They wont last a year and you can not repair them ,, Screw that bullshit company
Travel to somewhere selling Randall or Marshall anything but that Damn Blackstar shit .. Even get Mesa Boogie better then Blackstar
👍👍❤️
My first good amp in 1963 - what a shame I ever sold it!
Hey Lyle thanks again, love the channel, but, for such a careful guy, why do you work on your amp on an uneven surface with it rocking around . Not th e first time!
Thanks! And I prop up the ones that need it. Otherwise I'm careful of the tubes. No issues yet.
i am dying to know what those blue caps are? they look like astrons but they have the blue like the Ajax caps- i know they are as robust as the Ajax and don't need to be replaced like them- They seem, like Mr Psi mentions, to appear in the brownface era and are gone from fenders around the time of the AB763 circuits.
Are they Astons?
are they Ajax?
are they Acme/Mystery brand?
BTW, the Mercury Brown Deluxe OPT sounds fantastic. It’s as good as an original Schumacher and a lot cheaper to replace. Don’t ask me how I know.
Bummer about the OT, ill never buy a Mesa because I never want to work on one
I have a 1960 brown Deluxe! Mine has a stock Triad Mains tranny. It’s B+ is 440v D.C. I bought it from my pal Drew Berlin about 20 years ago and it’s still pretty mint even though I use it a lot. It gets carried in & out of my car by Me! I think one of the greatest amps Leo ever made! I did a total recap of it back then cause all the electrolytic were leaking.. Put an Alnico Celestion in it!
1960 would be a tweed 5E3 Deluxe. The brown Deluxe 6G3 schematic shows the letters "I-FA", meaning it was put into production in September of 1961.
@@mikericca2007 mine all date code to late 1960( trannys & filter caps). So I’m guessing that this is one of the first brown Deluxe’s built. It’s certainly not a Tweed amp. I’ve been working on amps for 37 years, mainly Vox, Marshall, Selmer, Hiwatt/ Sound City etc. I work on Robin Trower’s gear & Elliot Easton’s amps & guitars and I was at SWR Eng & Soundcraft Consoles besides doing studio work and touring. Todd Krause, who runs Fender Custom and has been a friend of mine for awhile has seen this amp as has Robb Lawerence (who wrote two great books on his friend Les Paul) Not trying to be an obnoxious know it all, but I’ve been playing and getting into amps/ guitars for 55 years. But I really enjoy your video’s so please keep making them!! Thanks
@@LPCustom3 Nice! It's not my video but I enjoy watching also! I don't want to come off as a know it all either. I've been into vintage guitar amps for over 45 years and have been to many NYC guitar shows, back in the day, when they were good and had an amazing selection. It's common to find earlier parts in brown Fender amps. My September 1961 Deluxe's power transformer dates to 1960 (606042) and output transformer to 1961 (606121). The original Jensen P12R also dates to 1960 (220018) and if I recall correctly the electrolytics were also late 1960. You may have a prototype! Does it have a serial number?
Try turning the amp on its side before removing the chassis screws
Where’s part #2?
Those coin base "RCA" 6V6GTA's are actually Sylvania's. RCA never made a coin base tube. From what I remember, these started showing up in the mid 70's, after RCA was out of the tube business. I've found if a coin base 6V6 has black plates then it's a Sylvania. If the plates are grey then it's a GE. Both are good tubes but not held in the same regard as an original pair of RCA 6V6GTA's.
Thanks!