70's twin reverb

[sglover]

I am considering buying a 70's twin reverb and I'm not sure what year it is. It looks like a 73 without the master volume. Is anyone familiar with this? The seller is asking $1000 for it and I'm just not sure about that.

[MWJB]

Seems like a reasonable price for a SF Twin in good, working/cosmetic order. Whether the amp in question is worth it will be based more on the condition of that particular amp, rather than specific year of manufacture (as long as it is <1976), or whether it has a master volume.

[sglover]

The amp looks rough but it sounds great. Was there a specific year that there was no master volume.

[pdf64]

See if you can figure out the approval dates in the bottom right box on p1 of this schematic
http://www.schematicheaven.com/fende..._100_schem.pdf
this being the first appearance of the master vol.
11/16/76?
So any twin made before then wouldn't have had a master vol.
If you want to identify when the amp was made (or at least the earliest date it could have been made), get the EIA codes off the transformers, speakers, pots, caps etc, see
Commonly Seen EIA Codes

[MWJB]

Hi Peter,

That schem shows the master vol, plus push pull pot - there were Twins with a plain master vol before this. I thought that master vol came in in '72 for the Twin?

It's not really an issue, the master can be removed easily enough, then the amp is just a SF Twin. Post '76 amps can look like they were wired by chimps, so I'd hold out for an earlier model.

[Gibsonman63]

Shop harder (If you are in the US)

My two cents (Hey it is an open forum!)

$1000 seems a little high for a Silverface Twin in rough cosmetic condition.

Amp Guide » Fender Twin Reverb (Silverface)

I have seen them locally (Houston) going for $650 - $750 in good cosmetic condition.

Look at the transformers for the date codes.

S.V.V.A. - Dating Fender Amps

The middle two numbers are generally the year of manufacture. Also it is important that the transformers are all original. You can have a great sounding amp with non-original transformers, but it does reduce the value of the amplifier.

[JoeM]

An early SF Twin, the "Drip Edge" version, just sold here at a local music store for $1,000.00. Except for being slightly dusty looking, it was overall in excellent cosmetic condition. Store didnt have the amp long. I would think Twins from private party sellers would go for less.