Vintage 1954 Fender Super Guitar Amp Combo - Stephen Stern Collection

 

Made in Fullerton, California during the early days of Fender, this amp screams mojo.  The double speaker combo amp was one of Leo Fender's most important creations - originally released in 1946 as the Dual Professional, it was renamed the Super Amp and purported to be Leo's favorite amp for basing his pursuit of tonal perfection on.  It evolved over the years - this is the third iteration, known as the "Wide Panel" version, which is the most sought after.  It has the 5C4 circuit revision as well as the Standby switch.  Featuring 12AX7 and 12AY7 preamp tubes and 6L6 output tubes, the Super puts out around 25 - 30 watts of power through a pair of 10" in speakers.  It's THE tweed tone that players crave.

The finger-jointed pine cabinet is in great shape - it's withstood the test of time.  70 years later, it's ready to go another 70.  The tweed covering is not original - it was recovered at some point, and done very well.  Additionally, the speakers are not original, but they are Italian-made Jensen Alnico 5 speakers.  It appears that the handle was replaced as well, which is common and preferred.  Everything else in the amp is original.

Now, for that interesting backstory.  Some years ago, Stepehen Stern lent this amp out to be used during a recording session - to none other than Eric Clapton while recording with R&B legend Babyface.  It was used to record, and afterwards Clapton decided that the amp sounded so good, that he wanted to buy it.  But, he couldn't get a hold of Stern at the Fender facility, and when Stern heard, he missed Clapton.  So, it was never meant to be, and Stern has kept the amp ever since - until now!

Any vintage Fender tweed amp is special, but especially a Wide Panel Super from 1954 - and even more so when it has this type of pedigree.  Included is a Certificate of Authenticity, signed by Stephen Stern.  This isn't just an amazing amplifier, it's also a piece of history, and truly collectible.