When is a 1960 Vibrasonic not a 1960 Vibrasonic?

[Voxbox]

Hi,

Got to ask this -
I have a 1960 Fender Vibrasonic in for assessment. SN 151. Made in Jan 1960. Original tube chart with date code JA. One of the first. It was Fender's flagship amp at the time.
But -
The mains transformer has been replaced with a no-name replacement.(it works fine and doesnt sag under full load much - it was designed as a clean amp)
The output transformer has been replaced with a 1972 Fender TF for a 100W VibrOsonic, not a 40W 1960 VibrAsonic, so that means it should be even cleaner under load....
All the resistors have been replaced.
Most of the capacitors have been replaced - power supply , anode caps, all the significant ones.
Half of the pots have been replaced.
All the jacks have been replaced.
The JBL D130F speaker is ripped and repaired (with silicone around the outer edge) and has even more cracks and tears and is coil-rubbing and about to blow.
There are two original RCA 7025 pre-amp valves out of 5.
The speaker cloth has been replaced with a replica.
There are more replacement parts than original.
The chassis, valve-bases, cabinet, handle  and covering are all original.
Is it still a 1960 Vibrasonic?
It looks like one.
What would YOU do?
 

Cheers, VB

[HotBluePlates]

The speaker cloth has been replaced with a replica.
There are more replacement parts than original.
The chassis, valve-bases, cabinet, handle  and covering are all original.
Is it still a 1960 Vibralux?
It looks like one.
What would YOU do?
 

So the assessment is an original chassis and faceplate, with a mostly-original cabinet (and nothing else).

With a trashed speaker and both transformers replaced you have maybe 30% of the amp. Maybe less in the eyes of some collectors based on the replaced resistors and caps; I don't know the extent of the cap replacement or how much is beyond "normal maintenance.

A prominent store in the U.S. has a 1963 Vibrasonic in very nice condition right now for $2500 (about €1855). If I spent more than 30% of that ($833 or €618), then I'd be pissed. The collector value is trashed and the state of the speaker and OT probably changes the tone of the amp.

Depending on the conditions of the sale, and the disclosures/claims made regarding the amp, your customer should probably go get his money back. If the seller didn't claim everything was original or 100% (and knew), then it is sleazy of the seller to not disclose that but not exactly a case you could say the seller did wrong. If your customer didn't ask about the condition of the amp and its parts, well... caveat emptor.

[Voxbox]

Well, I've just got the go-ahead to replace the transformers with MM equivalents. I'll get a power TF with a 240V tap so at least a step-down TF wont be necessary.
My customer is going to source an original JBL from Ebay, and I'll also try to get a good recone. Weber perhaps? Anyone else?
It will LOOK like a Vibrasonic if nothing else. It's not about collectability in this case, it's about playability.

It's ironic. The last amp he gave me a was a virgin 66 Pro Reverb - never been taken out of the cabinet.
Win some, lose some.....

cheers, VB

[HotBluePlates]

I know collectors pay booku bucks for fenders in original condition.  But how many of them are actually playable, much less safe to play. 

You'd be surprised how many 60's Fender amps have original filter caps and no hum problems.

That said, collectors generally don't have a problem with changed filter caps (because they've learned this is normal maintenance), and only want 100% original everything (including electrolytic caps) when the amp is in overall time-capsule condition.

But how many of them are actually playable, much less safe to play.

In my experience, all of them that aren't in such lousy condition that you're unsure if it's an amp or a ham sandwich...

Fender didn't make any series-filament death-trap amps.

[HotBluePlates]

It's really only a problem if the "death cap" has leakage.

But this is such a common gripe that most collectible Fenders have 3-wire power cords, and again collectors generally don't mind that.

The collector ideal of a purely-untouched amp comes from bad experiences with, say, early-mid 50's Strats being pieced together from various parts, not all of which were correct.

In general, collectors fall in 2 categories: ones who look at the outside for cosmetics and buy on that basis, and ones who know all the technical details of an amp and buy on that basis.

The cosmetic guys won't know or care if you've replaced the death cap with a new one, or unhooked the polarity switch. The tech guys generally know a 3-wire cord is preferable, and don't care that its installation slightly altered the amp.