Fender Concert Amplifier

Story submitted by John Shields

Back in 1982 I was in a working band playing 6-7 night a week. I was using a Peavey Renown amp with two EV Force speakers that weighed 2 or 3 tons. My sound man dragged me to a place called Music Museum in Pitman, NJ, and told me to get an amp with tubes. Out I walked with a new Fender Concert. It was great and I used it for a couple of years.

We started playing bigger rooms and I traded it in on a Marshall half stack. Years went by and I thought about it from time to time like a favorite old girlfriend. I even started looking for one a couple of years ago but the prices scared me off. While searching Craigslist a month ago, I was logging off for the night and caught site of an ad for a Fender amp out of the corner of my eye. I opened up the ad and there was a Fender Concert looking back at me. It had no Fender logo, changed jewel pilot light and replaced speaker. When I bought mine back in '82, I took off the logo, changed the pilot light (don't ask why because I have no idea) and replaced the speaker.

I quickly called the gent and arranged a meeting to see the amp. As I looked at it, I knew this was my old amp. He said it had been in a music store for three years before he bought it. He was asking $600. I offered him $475.

He looked at me with vigor in his eyes and defiantly said to me, "I won't take anything less than $450.....!?" I said, "SOLD!"

All cleaned up and sporting a new Vintage 30 Celestion speaker, I've got my girl back! Boy I missed her.
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