The Twelfth Fret

⚌Reduced‼ Polytone MiniBrain 75w Amplifier Head, 1990s

On July 27, 2021 /

Here’s a rarity -a Polytone MiniBrain 75w Amplifier Head dating to the 1990s and a veteran of many jazz club gigs in the Toronto area. The Polytone MiniBrain is nicely portable at just under 9 pounds (4kg) and with its largest dimension being 12 inches (304mm), by 11 inches (280mm) and 3 inches (76mm) deep. It sports EQ and drive controls, has an internal spring reverb and external effects loop connectors. Output is listed as 75 watts into 4 ohms.

Price: $399 CAD

Fender Princeton Reverb BlackFace Amp, 1967

On July 8, 2021 /

The Fender Princeton Reverb Blackface was a successor to one of Leo Fender’s first amps, the 5-watt, 1×8 speaker 1946 Princeton aimed at students. Over the years that model evolved into a the 15-watt, 1×10 speaker combo with Reverb and Tremolo. And over those years, it was adopted as a key tool for session players due to its great sound, relatively low power, light weight and portability.

Price: $3250.00 CAD

Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb Black, 2006

On June 24, 2021 /

The Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb Professional Tube Amplifier, built from 1995 to 2013, was part of Fender’s Professional Series, designed by the Custom Shop and built in the Fender factory. It is based on the Blackface versions of the classic 35 watt, 2×10 speaker Vibrolux Reverb, and uses a pair of Jensen speakers. And it comes stock with tilt-back legs! This example dates to 2006 and is in very good condition.

Price: $1350 CAD

Gibson GA40 Les Paul Amplifier Brown, 1952

On June 21, 2021 /

Introduced in 1952 and built until 1954, the Gibson GA40 Les Paul Version 1 amplifier was designed and built in-house at the Kalamazoo plant. It had two channels, with three ‘Instrument’ inputs on one channel and one ‘Microphone’ input on the other, and delivered 14 watts through a single Jensen P12Q 12 inch speaker.

Price: $2699 CAD

Fender Super Amp ‘Brownface’, 1962

On May 17, 2021 /

Originally introduced as the Dual Professional in late 1946 and renamed in 1947, the Fender Super Amp started as a 20 watt, 2×10 combo, rising to a whopping 40 watts by 1962, and was discontinued in 1963 as Reverb-equipped models displaced several designs. Here we’re looking at a Fender Super Brownface amp, with the ‘brownface’ trim putting it directly between the ‘Blonde’ and ‘Blackface’ eras. (In the vintage amplifier world, the terms ‘Brownface and’ ‘Blackface’ – referring to the amp’s white lettering on a brown or black control panel – have no relation to what those terms mean in current political or cultural contexts).

Price: $2999.99 CAD

Fender Pro Amp TV Front 5B5 Circuit Tweed, 1952

On May 16, 2021 /

The Fender Pro Amp, first named Professional from 1946 to 1948, was aimed at performing guitar players and vocalists and put out a whopping 15 watts. From 1946 to mid 1953, it used a tweed-covered ‘TV Front’ cabinet as seen here. The Pro amp was discontinued in 1965 and became the Pro Reverb amp, following the pattern Fender was using with other non-reverb amps. Here we’re looking at a Fender Pro Amp dating to 1952 with the 5B5 circuit.

Price: $3199.99 CAD