Fender tweed is a generic name used for the

guitar amplifiers A guitar amplifier (or amp) is an electronic device or system that strengthens the electrical signal from a pickup on an electric guitar, bass guitar, or acoustic guitar so that it can produce sound through one or more loudspeakers, which ar ...

made by the American company Fender between 1948 and 1960. The amplifiers are named for the cloth covering, which consists of varnished cotton

twill Twill is a type of textile weave with a pattern of diagonal parallel ribs. It is one of three fundamental types of textile weaves along with plain weave and satin. It is made by passing the weft thread over one or more warp threads then under ...

, incorrectly called

tweed Tweed is a rough, woollen fabric, of a soft, open, flexible texture, resembling cheviot or homespun, but more closely woven. It is usually woven with a plain weave, twill or herringbone structure. Colour effects in the yarn may be obtained ...

because of its feel and appearance. They are praised for their sound, their circuitry considered "hallowed ground". Fender generally stopped using the twill covering in 1960, though the

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

was still covered in twill until 1963, and the Champ until 1964. In 1953, Fender introduced the "wide panel" construction, where the top and bottom panels are wider than the side panels. In the later "narrow panels", introduced in 1955, all panels have approximately the same size. Later amplifiers used

tolex Tolex is a trade name for a flexible, waterproof, vinyl material used as a cover material for books, upholstery, guitar amplifiers, cases, and other products. Tolex was filed as a trademark on August 30, 1945 by the General Tire, and was registe ...

for the covering. Beginning in 1990, Fender began to utilize the tweed covering once again, starting with the '59 Bassman Reissue. Some later amplifier models came in the split option of tweed or black tolex covering, including the Blues Junior and Pro Junior. The Fender Blues Deluxe and Blues DeVille and their later reissues were also available in tweed,http://www.fender.com/series/hot-rod/ as well as the Custom Shop reissues of several of the Tweed Era amplifiers. In 2012, Fender introduced its first "Signature series";

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

helped design the "EC" series of three amplifiers, including the Vibro-Champ, based on the five-watt amplifier "allegedly" used for the recording of ''

Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs ''Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs'' is the only studio album by the English–American rock band Derek and the Dominos, released in November 1970 as a double album. It is best known for its title track, "Layla", and is often regarded as Eric ...

''.

Tweed amplifiers

Fender Bandmaster The Fender Bandmaster was a musical instrument amplifier made by Fender. It was introduced in 1953 and discontinued in 1974.Teagle, J. and Sprung, J.: Fender Amps: The First Fifty Years Some early models had both a microphone input and instrument ...

Fender Bassman The Fender Bassman is a bass amplifier series introduced by Fender during 1952. Initially intended to amplify bass guitars, the 5B6 Bassman was used by musicians for other instrument amplification, including the electric guitar, harmonica, and ...

Fender Blues Deluxe Reissue Fender may refer to: Transport * Fender (boating), a bumper used to keep boats from banging into docks or each other * Fender (vehicle) or wing, a part of a motor vehicle that frames a wheel well * Fender, a "cow catcher" on a tram, see Pilot (lo ...

Fender Champ The Fender Champ was a guitar amplifier made by Fender. It was introduced in 1948 and discontinued in 1982. An updated version was introduced in 2006 as part of the "Vintage Modified" line. The Champ had the lowest power output and the simplest ...

* Fender Harvard *

Fender Princeton The Fender Princeton was a guitar amplifier made by Fender. It was introduced in 1947 and discontinued in 1979. After Fender introduced the Champ Amp in 1948, the Princeton occupied the next to the bottom spot in the Fender line. Fender Princet ...

Fender Pro The Fender Pro was an instrument amplifier manufactured by Fender Electric Instruments from 1946 to 1965. It was characterized by its dual 6L6-family power tubes and single 15" speaker, with output power increasing from 18 watts up to 40 watts over ...

Fender Super The Fender Super was a guitar amplifier made by Fender between 1947 and 1963 and, as the Super Reverb, until 1981. Though it was designed for a clean sound, its overdriven sound is praised by players and critics. History The Super evolved from t ...

Fender Tremolux The Fender Tremolux was a guitar amplifier made by Fender. It was introduced in the summer of 1955 with a rated power output of 15 watts, cathode bias, two 6V6 output tubes, and a 5V4 tube rectifier. The Tremolux was the first Fender amp with a bu ...

Fender Tweed Deluxe The Fender Deluxe guitar amplifier is a range of non-reverb guitar amplifiers produced by Fender. The amplifiers were originally produced from early 1948 to 1966 and reissues are in current production. Its predecessor was the Fender Model 26 " ...

Fender Twin The Fender Twin and Twin Reverb are guitar amplifiers made by Fender Musical Instruments Corporation. The Twin was introduced in 1952, two years before Fender began selling Stratocaster electric guitars. The amps are known for their characteristi ...

* Fender Vibrolux

References

Fender amplifiers {{guitar-stub