Fender Amps: The First Fifty Years [Paperback]

John Teagle (Author), John Sprung (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1995

Authorized by Fender and researched by industry veterans, this book covers the company's entire amp line-age from Leo Fender's first K&F amp in 1945 to today's Custom Shop line. Includes detailed model features, specs, and part charts; rare catalog reprints; classic ads & endorsements; hundreds of photos; and background info on amps in general. Features a 40-page full-color section, complete with a two-page pullout group shot of over 60 amps!

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Hal Leonard Publishing Corporation (July 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0793537339
• ISBN-13: 978-0793537334
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 7.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #437,763 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Tone Tone on the Range, April 10, 2000

By 

Peter McNamee (Sacramento CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fender Amps: The First Fifty Years (Paperback)

It's trite but true, most guitarists particularly amateurs and hobbyists spend hours day dreaming about the perfect axe. Yet most of the tone is generated by the amp not the axe. This book is a great introduction to the dynasty of amplification that Leo Fender built and the Fender Musical Instrument Corporation in all its manifestations has carried forward. The book methodically walks the reader through the major eras and types of amplifiers that the company has built over the past six decades. The book is also a great introduction into the basic mechanics of guitar amps. Anyone who uses an electric guitar amp should have a working knowledge of gain, volume, master, channel switching, and the nuances of spring, tube, and electronic reverb. The book is full of photos of old ghost amps of the past, false starts and dead end amp designs, as well as the classics like the fender bassman and twin reverb amps. This book is also a great addition to a coffee table alongside your favorite books on 50s hotrods and airplane designs.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fender Amps: Everything You Ever Wanted To Know...(and more), October 1, 2001

By 

"mrmoman" (Columbia, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fender Amps: The First Fifty Years (Paperback)

This book is a 'must' for any guitar player, collector, hobbyist or afficianado who loves electric guitars and Fender amps. It provides a wealth of information on every aspect of Fender amplifiers and traces the development of Fender amps from the very first models manufactured during the company's beginnings in the mid-1940s up to the most recent models of the 1990s. In addition to detailed descriptions of each model there are many excellent color photos which illustrate the stylistic changes that occurred as amp designs were improved and developed and provide the reader with a delightful visual catalog of the entire Fender amp 'family', including all the 'classic' models sought after by collectors and players alike. For anyone who has an interest in vintage guitars and amps, this book is the definitive reference book on the subject.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Book In It's Day....., February 27, 2010

By 

Edward A. Jones "cruiser621" (Reading, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Fender Amps: The First Fifty Years (Paperback)

This book, while in it's a day I'm sure was great, has now been supplemented by Fender's The Soul of Tone which is really the book one would want if he or she is a Fender Junkie like myself. I dream of owning some of the amps (the tweeds in particular), but I can only dream. Fender Amps are the Rolls Royce of Guitar and Bass Amplifiers! While the paperback book was good in it's day, I'd recommend you go for The Soul of Tone.... You won't be disappointed and it's worth every cent!