Why doesn't fender offer more tube HEADS?

[SJ_Digriz]

You can get the various head boxes from places like mojotone. It's 10 minutes to swap. I did it with a princeton that was microphonic as hell.

Agree 100%

Yup, that's the way to go. You'd lose more $ in vintage value AND work a lot harder
by sawing up the old combo cab.

I can't tell you how much money, time, head banging I did on the F'n Princeton. Swapping tubes, rewiring, replacing tube sockets, buying tube clamps on and on ... The damn thing was just a squeeler for some reason. Moved the chassis to a head box from Mojotone and it was awesome from then on.

EDIT: not shilling Mojotone by the way. there are lots of places that make after market cabs and head boxes at various price points.

[SJ_Digriz]

Marshalls should be a head with cabinet, Fenders should be a combo.

So we are hard-wired: Fender amps are supposed to be the Twin Reverb combo. And that's why their heads won't sell.

This seems to be 100% the problem. It's why Gibson gets crushed when they try to "fix" Les Pauls, or Fender has trouble outside of their Strat and Tele market. Most people think along the the lines of "if I don't want a strat, then I don't want a Fender". And, it's why so many "boutique" builders make strat, tele and LP copi.. errrr .. clon... errr homage .. yeah that's it homage versions of their guitar ranges.

[jens]

It's quite simple actually: good amp = combo; Fender = good

[tapper mike]

I need a all tube head, not a dang combo, and would prefer a Fender head! I lug around a fender vibratone speaker cabinet every where I go (bout 2 gigs a week) and tired of lugging my Fender 'combo' amp around for head use only. I currently use a Blues JR for small venues and use my Hot Rod DeVille 212 amp for the larger gigs were I need more volume. Here's the catch, I'm just using those amps for HEADS only, and don't even use the speakers. I notice most other amp manufactures offer the same amps in head only and combo. So, why doesn't Fender offer a Blues JR HEAD, a Hot Rod Deville HEAD, or a blue Deluxe HEAD?

one word "Frenzel"

I agree.

It's not rocket science to create a physical clone of an amp and supply matching tubes. As much as a fender fan as I am I still am not afraid to buy a similar product via a different manufacturer. Fender will survive and so will you.

[glokraw]

You can get the various head boxes from places like mojotone. It's 10 minutes to swap. I did it with a princeton that was microphonic as hell.

Agree 100%

Yup, that's the way to go. You'd lose more $ in vintage value AND work a lot harder
by sawing up the old combo cab.

I cut the amp head off a Fender Mustang 1 amp, used value
of $50-60, so quite far from $vintage$. Repositioned the
power cable connector,
and screwed on a pair of metal braclets to use as feet.
Now it sits right by the line-in on my soundcard, all controls
both at eye level and my fingertips.

I'll do the same to a Spider V 30 after taxes are paid.
Line6 have a software editor for computers.
There is a linux editor for the V1 Mustang amps,
called 'Plug'.

Maybe some vintage amps could have the electronics/panels
removed, installed in a homebrew, or repurposed head enclosure,
and put back in the original cabinet if resale is desired.
Cheers