I recently worked a deal that netted me a tweed Fender Bandmaster. The model designation for this amp is 5E7, which is the classic narrow panel 3×10 bandmaster produced form 1955 to 1960. These are cool amps. The three ten-inch speakers is interesting, and sounds punchy. Of course it is all tube with 5881 power tubes and three pre-amp tubes. And it is all point-to-point wired by hand – no printed circuit board or el-cheapo components. The ideas is to get as close to how Leo Fender was doing it back in the 50s as possible.
But there is one complaint, albeit a minor one. The tweed just doesn’t look right. I love the look of old tweed amps that have darkened over the years and show some battle scars. New tweed seems to be unfinished, and is way to pale and, well, new. But I am not a fan of “relic-ing” newer gear to make it look old; that misses the point. Road scars and wear-and-tear are supposed to be from use. They are testament to fulfilling the original promise of being able to make music, have a band, rehearse and hopefully play shows. If you do all of this and your guitar and amp do not eventually show some signs of wear, maybe you’re being a little to protective.
But I will say that a little yellow tint in the clear coat on a Telecasters neck does have a nice vintage glow. And lacquered tweed mellowed to a rich amber just looks and feels a whole lot better than the raw tweed cloth all fuzzy with anemic newness. I don’t understand why Fender doesn’t lacquer all of it’s tweed amps the way they did in the ’50s? It is functional as it seals the tweed and makes it more resistant to stains and snags. Of course, the lacquer can scratch and chip too, but it makes the tweed come alive. It just feels better when it is finished.
I took my Bandmaster completely apart. There was a Fender bumper sticker inside the amp, which I removed. The sticker was covering the initials of the original builder. I probably would have signed it in a more inconspicuous location, but what’s done is done. Removing everything was pretty easy. The back panels come off. Then remove the chassis. Than the leather handle, the baffle board, and finally, the glides on the bottom. About thirty minutes. Of course, I was being careful because…
EVEN UNPLUGGED, GUITAR AMPLIFIERS CARRY VOLTAGE THAT CAN KILL YOU.
I am very careful to not touching anything inside of the amp. I take the time to be careful and cautious.
Becuase I don’t have a sprayer or any experience with lacquer, I did a little research to see if there was an easier way. And there is. I used Polyurethane. The poly I selected is tinted in a color Min-wax calls “Honey Pine”. Using a high quality brush, I applied three coats over the course of two days. It came out great. Here is the cabinet and back panels drying in the December Texas sun.
A few tips…
- Use a little fine steel wool between the second and third coat to help smooth the finish a bit. And use a high-quality brush. Cheap brushes suck. Just buy a good quality brush (Purdy is good) and clean it when you are done. I have been using the same paint brushes for years.
- Once you remove the glides, lightly screw-in four dry wall screws to act as stilts during the finshing. This wil allow the amp to sit off the ground wheen drying so that you can finish the entire cabinet instead of working in sections. And always start with the bottom.
- You can also use pushpins on the backside of the two back panels to keep thme up off the bench while you apply the finish and allow it to dry.
- I taped off the exposed wood on the inside, and it worked fine. But this is up to you. It might look good to just coat the entire cab inside and out?
- Let it cure for a few days before you reassemble. you could put it together after a few hours when it feels dry to the touch, but I wouldn’t. I give a few days becuase I find that if you don’t, things will stick together. The back panels will want to stick to the cabinet which won’t be fun down the road. Be patient.
That’s it. Simple, fun, and well worth it. I think my amp looks way better. It’s not “relic’d”, but it does have a more vintage vibe that matches the vintage design and circuit. Here are a few shots with it reassembled and ready to rock and roll…
Great post. I live for these project posts of yours! What’s next?