Somewhere Over The Rainbow . . .

There's an old saying about rainbows - - you chase enough of them, eventually you'll come across a pot of gold. For young Dorothy Gale, the "treasure" at the end of her rainbow was returning to her Kansas home. Standing in her way - a wicked witch, a crazy wizard, flying monkeys, and lions, tigers, and bears - - OH NO!

These days, the search for "true" vintage gear is akin to a trip through Oz - wrought with danger at every turn, and usually minus the magical part where you actually find something incredibly cool. Friend and String Bean Music proprietor Phil Feser recently found himself the exception to that rule by his acquisition of two sparkling examples of vintage Fender amplification: a 1953 wide-panel Deluxe and a 1958 Deluxe. The circumstances by which these grizzled, Fullerton-made warriors came back into the fold remain classfied, and respectfully so. However, once you plug plug in - and behold the pristine timbres of fifty years passed - you soon realize that the real story is less about the find, and all about the tone.

Written words do little justice in describing the auditory nirvana of a vintage Fender amp, and most especially when you're standing face to face with it. Besides the thrill of seeing and hearing the genuine article, one is instantly struck with a deep respect for the humble simplicity of the design. Modern-day manufacturers still use the same circuitry for their own products, hoping to capture even a smidge of that elusive vintage mojo.

Driving home the "work horse" persona of these two amps were several make-shift "modifications". The '53 sported a kitschy, but effective floral upholstery grille cover; and the '58 had been spray-painted (*yes, I said spray-painted) gold; its handle - wrapped lovingly with several layers of cloth athletic tape (hopefully I got those mods on the right amps). Looking at the two side-by-side evokes some interesting thoughts, particularly those of modern-day collectors - staring in disbelief at the undoubtedly primitive customization efforts. But there is a certain charm to vintage gear that has met a similar fate - mostly in the fact that they were looked upon as musical "tools", and not as potential museum pieces. And as any good Tin Woodsman will tell you - what really matters is the heart that beats inside of it.

Armed with a sassy new ESP Vintage Plus Strat, Phil brought these gems to life. Running both in stereo with a *new* DigiTech Hardwire Stereo Reverb pedal, the tone hung ever-so-thickly in the air. Tone that only comes as the result of having 50+ years of electricity run through it; of components being exposed to decades of heat, humidity, and gradual wear; and of generations of legendary music being projected through their sturdy chassis. This, my friends, is the true definintion of vintage; the end of the tonal rainbow. Treasure to hear and behold.

I, too, was fortunate enough to savor the pleasure of playing through these two amps (*on the same, buttery-smooth ESP Strat), and I smiled that big, wide Jon Nelson smile as those lovely vintage timbres tickled my ears. Yes indeed, there's no place like tone. - - J.