Blackfacing a silverface fender tube amp?

[GreaserMatt]

Hi, new here, just picked up a 70's fender silverface bassman 10 tube combo amp (4-10s). It was supposedly blackfaced. My question is: does blackfacing one of these amps make them sound different, or are the electronic compnents just more durable, & the amp sounds the same? Thanks in advance, Matt : )

[Tom Phillips]

People generally "Blackface" a silverface because they want to change (read "improve") the sound.

Note: I have seen lots of differences in the way amps have been "Blackfaced". It's a pretty straight forward process but techs sometimes miss a step or two. Therefore, what you actually have may not be 100% known. The improtant thing is if you like the way it sounds.
Cheers,
Tom

[GreaserMatt]

Thanks, yes, it sounds great; I just wasn't sure if he was being staight w/ me, as there was no receipt for the work that was involved. Nice avatar, btw!

[Sweetfinger]

The Bassman ten can't technically be 'blackfaced' because it never existed as a blackface amp. Certain parts of the circuit could be changed to specs that are closer to 60's Fender values, but the big stumbler is that the power section of the amp is too burly to really give up the authentic sort of response you'd want in a great BF amp. IIRC that amp also had a closed back cabinet.

That doesn't mean it won't sound good, just not quite like anything Fender ever made with a black faceplate in the 60's. The closest would maybe be something like a half-power Showman.

[GreaserMatt]

The amp I have sounds exactly like another bassman 10 that I owned previously. I'm just wondering if the "blackfacing" the guy had done to it before he sold it to me was just having the blackface era electrical components installed, which were a little beefier that the silverface era components, from what I've read. The amp sounds like a silverfaced amp, & I'm ok with that, I just hope he didn't lie about the work that was done to the guts just to sell the amp, as I would've bought it either way. What I'm trying to figure out is if this amp would still sound like a sf era amp, with bf components installed.

[Tom Phillips]

The amp I have sounds exactly like another bassman 10 that I owned previously. I'm just wondering if the "blackfacing" the guy had done to it before he sold it to me was just having the blackface era electrical components installed, which were a little beefier that the silverface era components, from what I've read.

Blackface era parts were not necessarily “beefier” than Silverface era parts. Many people considered them “better” especially the capacitors in some amps. Blackfacing involves changing the value of several parts, removing some parts completely and, in some cases, changing the configuration of a circuit or two. A diligent craftsman may also improve the wiring dress as part of the process.

The amp sounds like a silverfaced amp, & I'm ok with that, I just hope he didn't lie about the work that was done to the guts just to sell the amp, as I would've bought it either way. What I'm trying to figure out is if this amp would still sound like a sf era amp, with bf components installed.

That all depends on your ears and if the speakers, guitar and playing style have a greater influence on the overall sound such that it could mask the Silverface / Blackface difference. My customers all say they hear a significant difference when I do the work. However, (big qualification here) I have never just Blackfaced an amp. I always do it in conjunction with a complete tuneup or overhaul that usually involves some new tubes, new filter caps, bias re-set plus multiple small repairs and other stuff throughout the amp.

Seems like it’s time to look inside and determine what’s been done. However, as has already been pointed out there is no Blackface Bassman 10 so you won’t find a schematic and layout diagram to use for comparison. You could post pictures of the inside for us to evaluate. Does your master volume still function? I would have disabled it if I blackfaced the circuit.

Cheers,
Tom