Fender Company : why switched to silverface from blackface, and why so long ?

[d l x r e v e r b]

I have always wondered why Fender never switched back to blackface specs after seeing the results of switching to silverface, a comment which assumes a majority of players prefer the blackface tone to the silverface tone.

a) Why did Fender switch from blackface specs to silverface specs ?

b) How long did the silverface era last ?

c) Did many players ~ like ~ the silverface tone when originally offered in the late 60s-early 70s ? What was the attitude at the time ?

d) Was the change part of Fender's plans even if not bought by CBS ?
Fender evolved from tweed to brownface to blackface in a relativedly short number of years . Was change and innovation for the sake of innovation part of the corporate culture at Fender and within the electronics industry ?

[phsyconoodler]

A) they had a 'better' idea CBS engineers had their noses in the air.
Fender didn't.CBS did.
B) too long,and it got worse as time went on.
C) the early silverface amps didn't sound a whole lot different,they just used cheaper parts to cut costs and eventually did a whole wack of stupid stuff.Some silverface amps sound gloriously good.Some are crappy hi-fi trash.
D) No,Fender's plan did not include the CBS changes.CBS were a bunch of pencil pushers who wanted to make more money.Nothing more and nothing less.If you do a little research,you'll find CBS ruined lots of other companies too.
Do a google search on CBS history.

[John Phillips]

I completely disagree, sorry...

a) Why did Fender switch from blackface specs to silverface specs ?To improve the amps. They just had different goals from what we now want today - maximum clean power and minimum distortion - and most of the changes were intended to do this. Most were successful, but at the expense of a much harsher-sounding distortion when it did eventually occur. But since the designers weren't interested in distortion, they can't actually be blamed for that. They did make some mistakes as well though.

b) How long did the silverface era last ?From late 1967 to 1981. The very first ones were identical to the previous Blackfaces. But after that (mid 1968), in fact the first SF amps were the worst, not the later ones. These are the amps that got the series a bad reputation (which stuck) even though the bad changes were then removed after only about a year and the good ones kept. The early-70s amps are very good. Later, some other changes were also made which some players don't like now, although again they were made for the right reasons and worked well if you understand the goals of the designers - especially the post-1976 'Ultra-Linear' models of the larger amps.

Finally in 1981 the Blackface cosmetics were restored (without changing the circuitry) and the whole series was eventually discontinued in 1982.

c) Did many players ~ like ~ the silverface tone when originally offered in the late 60s-early 70s ?The first changed circuits (1968-69), no - and that's why they got a bad reputation. But after that, yes, and they remained very popular all through the 70s.

d) Was the change part of Fender's plans even if not bought by CBS ?Yes, clearly. CBS is blamed for all this but there is conclusive evidence that some or many these changes were in the pipeline anyway, done by the very people who also did the 'good' amps.

Why? Because the first amp to be altered "by CBS" and which includes several of the changes later blamed on the CBS engineers was the AA165 Bassman. AA165 means the circuit was finalised in January 1965, and since there is also an AB165 (a revision) it must have been early January 1965, and developed during the end of 1964. Since CBS only bought Fender on Jan. 4th 1965, it's not possible that the people who designed the AA165 were anyone other than the pre-CBS engineers... Leo's ones.

It's certainly true that CBS did then introduce new engineers who had even less idea of what a good-sounding musical instrument (as opposed to audio) amp was, and that in the later SF period the quality of the amps - mostly the cabinets - did fall significantly, but it's a total myth that the SF amps are all bad, that they are only good if 'Blackfaced', or that the last 'Ultra-Linear' models are terrible (partly because they can't be Blackfaced easily).

IMO they are some of the most unfairly maligned and undervalued amps ever made.

I actually prefer the sound of most of the models to Blackfaces - provided you aren't trying to overdrive the power section. But that's not what they're for, and never were.

[SatelliteAmps]

I agree with most of that, with the exception of D. The initial Silverface change was a Fender thought, but all of the changes to the amplifiers through the years was much more of the responsibility of CBS-era designers. The Bassman is more of the exception to the story, rather than the rule.