Date my Fender !

[Valvehead]

I just got an old Fender 2x12 cab. 8 ohm mono. Black tolex with silver face. This one has the tilt back chrome arms.

i wrote down the numbers off the speakers. The speakers do not match.

left:
says "bandmaster" at top

12L6-XK516

328501
_________________


Right speaker: no name

X12K5XG927

12K5-6

AB1664


Anyway you can date the cab from these numbers ?

[Rob Mercure]

VH,

"328," beside being my local phone company "prefix" is also the manufactures code for Utah speakers. So that speaker was made by Utah in a year that ended in a 5 during the first week of the year - since the year is only a single digit I suspect 1965. The other speakers number doesn't tell me much as American manufacturers use either a two or three digit identification code so you might want to look at that more closely. If you consult the Fender Field Guide website, or others, you can date the cabinet by the grill and trim and the tilt legs (as long as they are original) - for some reason I don't think that the tilt legs were offered in 1965 but that feature date is something that I've never remembered.

The AB1664 sounds like a chassis number but somehow I don't think that there were 16 months in 1964 so it is a "sorta" but not a match.

Hope this helps

Rob

[Enzo]

Were you there? 1964 was a pretty long year...

[TD_Madden]

first time I heard "I Want To Hold Your Hand".......everything sped up from that point.

[Rob Mercure]

T'was there but was only 10 - guess I missed Septober, Octember and, oh, I can't remember!

Rob

[Valvehead]

After searching it looks to be a 63-67 Bandmaster cab . Nice condition for the age !

[RickyD]

The small black 2x10 and 2x12 Fender speaker cabinets (Tremolux, Bassman, Bandmaster) all had tilt legs.

[TD_Madden]

aren't those cabs supposed to be 4 ohms?

[Valvehead]

Yes, but mine has had one speaker replaced. Ohmeter says 6.8 at the jack .

[sfsr68@optonline.net]

Silverface amps I believe started in late 67 early 68. If there is an aluminum trim around the grill cloth it is probably one of the late 67 cabs. The amp itself, if you had it was more than likely of the AB763 circuit, which also had the aluminum trim. This was generally the true transition from BF to SF where the quality of the electronics became worse. I'm not sure if the amp cabs met the same fate.

Mike O