1980s Fender Eighty-Five Combo Amp

Vintage combo amp, built in the USA and made famous by Radiohead's Jonny Greenwood

This amp apparently made its debut in 1988 and the serial number on the back probably means it was made in 1988 or 1989. When I first started playing, the Fender M80 amp was a favorite among my peers and this sounds alot like those boxes to me.

In a bit of a reversal for Fender amps, the cleans on this one don't really sound all that great. Very heavy metal, but the distortion channel is actually better. When I picked this up last weekend and played through it with the Aria Pro II strat, the sounds coming out were a bit like those on the Weezer Blue Album.

That makes sense, as posted in the abstract, Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead made this amp famous when he used it to record one of their most well-known songs, 1994's Creep and those albums came out the same year. This is one of my better finds, as its a great amp and I'm probably going to end up paying around the same amount to find the original footswitch. These can go for as much as $200, thanks in large part to Mr. Greenwood's influence.

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1980s Fender F 220 SB Acoustic Guitar

Vintage mid-level dreadnought with sweet sunburst finish, made in Korea or Japan

When I found this guitar, I initially thought it was much older than it really is. Partly because of the label and headstock designs, but mostly because the back of the neck looks like it had been played virtually nonstop for about as long as I've been alive. It turns out that these were produced between 1982-88, but I haven't been able to confirm exactly when or where it was made.

I've featured a few different Fender acoustic and classical guitars over the years and while all of them played surprisingly well (Fender acoustics do not have a great reputation), this one is easily the best of the bunch. It already played great before I took it to Clay at Beach City Pawn and Guitar and after he was finished with it, it just about plays itself.

The action is nice and low and the sound it produces is better than expected. The sunburst finish and snowflake fret markers definitely make this guitar stand out from the bargain bin jobs and the natural relic look of the neck gives it tons of mojo. I'm definitely happy that I made the move to pick this one up, as it is in really good shape and is a solid guitar.

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1990s Squier 15 Practice Amp

Vintage jam box, made in Taiwan under the Fender banner

Normally the Squier brand isn't something that I would purchase, especially after spending a little time with the more recent guitars they've put out. This amp, however, carries a large amount of nostalgia with me. The 2nd amp that I ever owned was a Squier 15 and I traded a fellow classmate of mine my first amp, a Boss MG-10, because he came by to jam and I just fell in love with the old school crunch that it was pumping out through my Les Paul.

Sure enough, it still kicks and this youtube video (not me) demonstrates just some of the sounds that this little guy is capable of. That guy is playing a 50-year old Fender through the amp in that video and my Custom is a 1977, so maybe that does play a (large) role in the final sound, but I was happy to score one. These are still available all over this place somehow, I must see one or two every month. If you're an amp person and you're looking for something new to play with, you can find these for as little as $20.

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1978 Fender Model F-35 Acoustic Guitar

Vintage Japanese dreadnought, still in great shape 35 years later and sounds better than ever

This just fell into my lap the other day, while looking at another 1990s solid top and the owner happened to bring it along, he had never listed it for sale. Fender acoustics are kind of like the Rodney Dangerfield of guitars, they just don't get no respect...

That could be because the electrics are top industry standards alongside Gibson, but the acoustics have never been mentioned in the same breath as Martin, Guild, Taylor and Gibson. Still, All 3 Fender acoustics that I've had in the last year have all been great players. This F-35 plays and feels a lot like an old Yamaha FG series guitar.

This one was definitely made in Japan, as the decal on the back of the headstock states and the F series was produced from 1972-1981, same as the FC-10 3/4 that was one of the first guitars featured here at SCGM, so we can assume that the classical also originated from the same place.

I was able to clean off most of the little scuff marks on the back and sides of the guitar and some small stuff on the edges of the headstock, the only signs of wear that remain are some dings on the face. I filed down the saddle a bit to lower the action and put on some Martin SP Custom Lights. Really nice guitar in the same league as the Yamaha FG-200 and Takamine F360 that were recently featured.

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1970s-80s Fender Classic FC-10 3/4 Classical Guitar

3/4-sized guitar is easy to play and perfect for younger students

 

This model was made by Fender between 1971-1982 and the serial number attached to this one suggests sometime between 1977-1982. Where exactlty it was made is the topic of debate in many an online forum.

This guitar is in great shape for it's age, it shows minor signs of regular use on the body and the neck is straight and sturdy. A quality vintage instrument from a big-time name in Fender. Sounds and plays real nice.

Top: Spruce
Back/Sides: Mahogany
Fretboard: Rosewood
Solid Wood Construction

Thank you for looking. More high-resolution pictures here.