1958 Fender Harvard “Tweed “ Amp

This ones is great shape.

About me:

I’ve been buying and selling 32 years, been on Gbase.com since they started, on Reverb since they started, and Ebay before that. Most of guitars were purchased locally, the same with my parts. 

These tweed amps were sprayed in lacquer at the factory.. the lacquer rubbed off over the years on a lot of these, and that creates some glare in the photos from the lights I used. I looks better in person in that regard.

8.5/10 condition

Chassis # H 01819 Tube Chart Stamps: HJ 1958 August

This is a great example of the classic Fender tweed Harvard. Every Harvard add references the Steve Cropper “Green Onions” STAX sound…these amps sit just below the tweed Deluxe and have something special going for them. They truly cover a unique sonic spectrum.

They were made in small amounts, there are never very many for sale. Many of the ones for sale are in really rough cosmetic condition, and have changed transformers or speakers, or poorly done upgrades.

This one is in great shape and has survived the years better than the majority of them

Has original Jensen P10R dated 220821, the 21st week of 1958 with original cone

Original handle (handle in pics is just for moving it around for photos.. one pic shows the original handle that it will come with)

All original caps

Original grey two prong cord

Tweed is in excellent shape

Chrome control panel is in excellent shape, without the pitting and rust you see on a lot of them.

This amp is all original with two exceptions, one of which I consider an upgrade:

1 preamp tube socket changed

Output transformer has been upgraded from the original with 1958 date codes to an original correct vintage Harvard output transformer – not a reissue - one with 1961 date codes. Early Harvard output transformers were prone to failure, witnessed by the number of them with aftermarket output transformers. This is the same output transformer that would be in a 1961 Harvard.

In roughly 1960, Fender changed the brand of output transformer to Schmacher to fix the problem with the output transformers failing. The output transformer in this amp is one of these Schumacher transformers with the code 125A1A, and date code 606010 for 1961. This transformer is the identical one that would be in a Tweed Harvard made in 1961. I view this as an upgrade: This is a Fender part, and it is the output transformer less likely to fail. I do not see this effecting the value in a negative way, if you want to play the amp.

All amps are sold as is due to the fragile nature of electronics, and buyers should expect to have maintenance done by a qualified technician.

This is available locally and on my other website. I have lots of other listings on Reverb for parts, amps and guitars, many items not listed yet.