vintage mongrels

[Gavanti]

I’ve been hunting an older mid-wattage Fender amp and have seen a couple of appealing looking hybrids pulling together cabinets and chassis from different-amps, different heads and cabs, or different speaker configurations. Is there a logic to the value of parts amps?

With parts guitars, I usually figure that value=sum of used value of parts adjusted for desirability of the end result But with amps, I'm not sure. Does the chassis value rule the equation?

Examples:
SF Princeton Reverb in a vintage BF Cab
BF Bandmaster Head with a Tremolux Cab
Bandmaster in a Deluxe Reverb Cab
Deluxe Reverb as a 2x10

Also, while we’re at it, it would be fun to see some vintage mongrel amps.

[Despot]

Well ... I can't speak for all of those, but I can speak for SF Princetons (having now owned three). The cabinets are always the weakest point to me - though ripping the amp out of an original cabinet and putting it into a new/replacement cab would certainly damage the value (even though it would probably improve the amp).

But what you're doing in buying a 'parts' amp would be factoring in that economic 'hit' at the start - i.e. if the price is right and you buy an amp that has had a cab replaced then you can basically do anything you want with it and it'll at least hold value.

What I mean is that my '71 SFPR is in a cab that's pretty cheap - but it's the original cab. Part of me would prefer to make a modern/sturdy replica of the original SF cab and stick it into that. But that'll mean the amp is worth less if I ever decide to sell. On the other hand, if I'd bought it as an amp with a changed cab I could do pretty much whatever I wanted with it - including turning it into a head unit ... and it wouldn't do nearly as much damage to the resale.

To me the thing that matters most is an original speaker - if the original speaker was a 'good' speaker. After that the original circuit - though I don't worry about 'replacement' parts on bits that need replacement to keep the amp in good condition (caps etc). A replaced cab is pretty much at the bottom of my list of concerns if I was buying an amp ... but I'd be certain to factor that in to my offer price.

[ludobag1]

do not know but the bandmaster in deluxe reverb could seriously interrest me

[Gavanti]

Thanks, Despot. All of that makes sense. The replaced parts amps are a little easier for me to sort out, and I'm definitely looking for a player rather than a collector, so I'm expecting replaced parts. It's the ones with mixed vintage parts, like a blackfaced 1972 PR in a vintage BF PR cab, that have been most perplexing. My inclination is to think of it as a dressed up 70s PR. The replaced parts are nicer than the original ones but still non-original even if vintage so the whole thing is of less value or at best the same value as a completely original one. Am I thinking about this wrong?

do not know but the bandmaster in deluxe reverb could seriously interrest me

I know, right?! There are some pretty cool mixes out there.