1959 Fender Tremolux 5E9-A Tweed Amp Neil Young Touring Amp

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I'm stoked to unveil this Tweed Tremolux that served as a key piece of Neil Young's stage rig, as pictured. We recently sold the only other Tremolux that rotated in and out of Neil's rig - this is the last one!

Larry Cragg, the fabled tech for Neil and many other Bay Area guitarists, was Neil's road tech for years. He even played some tracks on pedal steel, banjo and saxophone on the records we know and love. Furthermore, his affinity for photography resulted in his pictures gracing many of Neil's album covers over the years. Larry snapped the photo you'll see in this listing, showing this very amp in repose, prior to a show.

Larry acquired most of the amps Neil used over the years. They were modified to meet Neil's wants and needs, becoming an integral part of his distinct tone. We've kept the amp completely as it was when it left service.

The output transformer was purposefully changed to allow use of 6L6 output tubes and a GZ34 rectifier in place of the stock selection of 6V6 and 5U4 tubes. What you get is more output and a slightly "angrier" tone. The other two transformers are original to the amp. Tube selection is pure Larry Cragg - he spent years defining Neil's tone, and the tubes last used in the live setting are still there and working well.

Neil's preferred speaker is in the amp, a Jensen C12N from 1967. The speaker was likely swiped from a 60s Silvertone. They were loaded in all of Neil's amps.

The capacitors in the circuit was fully changed to Neil's spec as well, a process that formed over the years in the quest for his sound.

While a "whizzer" was used to adjust settings on the amp, there is tape on the control panel to mark settings that Neil defaulted to. The whizzers are pictured in the stage shot - a device that used servo motors to automatically turn knobs.

The amp sounds absolutely amazing. Plugging a Les Paul Jr into it is pure bliss. We'll post some audio this week to show you what you can expect.

The tweed and grille are original, and the amp is in pretty great cosmetic condition, which is remarkable after the years of service it provided. The handle was changed, as was the power cable. Oddly, a ground lift was added to the grounded cable, taped on there so it wouldn't disappear. We're just gonna leave that right there!

This is pure rock and roll history here.

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Shipments will require signature on delivery, no exceptions. If there is damage, the buyer must retain all packing materials intact and picture them immediately and send them to sales@maharsvintageguitars.com. Less than 1% of our shipments are damaged in transit, and we are committed to making sure your item arrives safely, but we are taking these additional measures to make sure you are happy with your purchase.

Case/Cover?: No
Color: Tweed
Dimensions: 20" x 22" x 10.5"
Weight: 29lbs 11.3oz
Watts: 18 Watts
Date: 1959
Where date is noted: Serial#, Tube chart
Speaker 1 Brand/Model: Fender/Jensen C-12-N
Speaker 1 Size: 12"
Speaker 1 Code: 60733
Speaker 1 Cone: 451 241-5
Power Transformer brand and/or codes: Triad 8160-E, Original
Output Transformer brand and/or codes: Modded with 60 Watt Bassman Output Transformer by Sal Trentino
Choke Transformer brand and/or codes: N/A, Original
Reverb or other effects?: Tremolo
Rectifier Tube: 5AR4
Rectifier Tube Brand: Ruby
Power tubes: 2 x 6L6GC tested
Power Tube Brand: ?
Preamp Tubes: 3 x 12AX7 tested
Preamp Tube Brand: Ruby
Filter Caps: Replaced
Pedal?: Included
Pots, codes: 137 928, 137 937
Grille: Original
Knobs: Original, with Neil's personal preference settings on original tape
Handle: Original
Power cord: Upgraded to 3 Prong, downgraded to 2 Prong with adapter per Neil's preference
Notes: Um....Wow!!!!