Many consider the amplifiers built buy Leo Fender in the mid 1960s to be the zenith of amp construction quality. Their box-jointed, solid pine cabinets were nearly indestructible. The vulcanized-fiber, eyelet board was as durable as you can get and the favorite among amp techs today. The three-piece, welded-steel chassis was practically bullet proof. The stories about these amps enduring brutal punishment and still performing when their owners most needed them to abound.
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| 1965 Fender Super Reverb |
The reason why amps aren't made this way today is simple. It's VERY expensive to build amps to this standard of quality today. One reason is inflation. According to the American Institute For Economic Research's cost-of-living calculator, $500 1965 dollars are worth $3098 in 2005. So if Leo had changed nothing and was making those amps today, they would be very expensive.
In an effort to make them more affordable, mass produced amps today use modern production technology. Compare the chassis photos of an amp Leo built in 1965 to the photo of the same amp as it is built today. The first thing that
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| 2005 Fender Super Reverb |
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| Blueverb chassis |
Leo got it right a very long time ago and the continuing road-worthiness of amps built forty years ago are testimony to superiority of that design. Blueverbs are built to the same standards as these legendary amps with a few improvements: paper-in-oil signal capacitors for greater clarity; metal-film resistors for quieter operation; and no-void, Baltic-birch plywood because it's stronger and sounds better. Everything else is the same as Leo made them. Three piece welded steel chassis. Hand-wired Vulcanex eyelet board. Tongue and groove cabinet joinery. These are the toughest amps on the market. No kidding.
Bluetron is one of the only companies to put pictures of its bare cabinet's on its website. Why? Because we have nothing to hide. These are the best cabinets you can buy. Period. We start with premium-quality, 13-ply, no-void, Baltic birch.
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| After Round-over |
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| Bluetron Box Joint |
We use old-fashioned, precision box joints cut to exacting specifications. We use a micrometer (that's right 1/1000th of an inch) to QC the work. Every joint is clamped rather than fastened with staples. It takes a lot longer, but it's a lot stronger.
Same thing with the cleats. We glue those to the shell with clamps instead of
staples, for one reason. You guessed it: strength.
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| Built to last |
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| Clamped, not stapled cleats |
Leo used pine for his cleats, but pine can split and strip easily. Bluetron uses poplar because it's stronger. We have to make these cabinets in-house because no one is making cabinets of this quality in the industry today.
We've improved the baffle board, too. Leo used particle board for one reason.
Premium-quality, no-void, Baltic birch was not available in the 1960s. Any
other plywood can develop nasty vibrations where tiny voids exist. Once that
happens go ahead and throw the baffle board out. There's no repairing it.
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| Frame |
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| Baffle board |
We use premium-quality, 11-ply, no-void, Baltic birch for the baffle and then clue and clamp a 3-ply frame to raise the grille cloth off the speaker opening. Again, no staples. We use 16 C-clamps and glue cauls to create the strongest bond possible. Each baffle requires hours of craftsmanship to create.
Many competitors will tout the quality of their cabinetry, but who among them are willing to post pictures of their joinery on the Internet. We are confident that these are the best-made, strongest cabinets you'll find anywhere. Now that you've seen how these amps are built, we're sure you'll agree with us when we say, "You can pay a lot more, but you can't buy a better amp."