The Need For Tweed

I watched a documentary last night about Jimi Hendrix. He was playing a Fender Stratocaster. George Harrison of the Beatles played one, too. Buddy Holly made the Strat iconic and stirred the hearts of future guitar-slingers to one day get their own. Buck Owens and Don Rich, the twang masters from Bakersfield, both played the Stratocaster's big brother, the Telecaster. Fender guitars in the golden era were dreamed up, assembled and shipped out to the world from a factory in my home town of Fullerton, California, by a guy who also grew up there--Leo Fender.

Electric guitars are out front, strapped to the shoulders of their players, there for all to see. But the little box that makes the electric guitar sing is often hidden in the back line, away from the eyes of the audience. These little noise makers, called amplifiers, were actually the first thing Leo Fender, inventor and proprietor of Fender Musical Instruments until 1965, took an interest in. He didn't invent the guitar amplifier but certainly brought them to a new level when electric and steel guitarists came into Leo's Fullerton shop to see if he, a radio repair guy, could fix them. The placement of the electronics many times made the amps very difficult to service. He then decided to create his own amps that would incorporate his client's tonal preferences with accessibility for future maintenance. Preferring the solitude of his work bench, he wandered out of the shop on occasion to see musicians in action and pick their brains as to what they desired in an instrument and amplifier. He was even known to walk on stage during a performance and adjust an amp while the guitarist was playing! The functionality of classic Fender designs were brought about through collaboration between Leo, his associates, and many working musicians.

After 1965, when Fender was sold to the entertainment company, CBS, the Fender name remained but the quality began to suffer dramatically over the years. The amplifiers created during Leo's tenure are passionately sought after today for their tone and collectible value. My first amp was a Fender, as was my first "real" guitar. I have an affinity for single-coil pickups (Fenders are known for single-coils as Gibsons are famous for humbucker pickups). The designs of those "tweed" amps of the 50's were so well made they are still being played today on stages and in studios around the world--some operating with their original parts.

My desire to have an actual Fender Tweed Deluxe was met last week...well, sort of. Fender has put out re-creations of their tweed amps in the past, to mixed reviews. But Victoria Amp Company, an Illinois manufacturer, has lovingly re-created a painstakingly-accurate Fender Deluxe with the 5E3-type circuit as a part of their Tribute Tweed Amp series. So, I will enjoy a little piece of home with my new Victoria 20112. She will sit next to her new friend, the Dr. Z Maz 18 Jr., in my studio. I guess the Deluxe and I have some things in common: we were both conceived in Fullerton, born to play guitar, and are deeply proud of our heritage.



Left: My new Victoria 20112 with a Telecaster

Below: Leo Fender