The Fender Scorpio from the short-lived Scorpio series
Fender’s legendary tube amp models like the Champ, Bassman, and Twin, Super, and Deluxe Reverbs garner much attention from guitarists and musical historians. Rightfully so, as these wonders of tube-tastic circuitry are some of the finest tone machines ever made. But under CBS management in 1966, Fender stepped into the solid-state world with three new models—the Dual Showman, Twin Reverb, and Bassman. These amps were different from anything Fender had previously offered. New appointments included a silver control panel angled at 45 degrees, cylindrical flat-topped knobs, and aluminum trim surrounding the cab that eventually became standard for later Fender models. The Zodiac series was built following their first solid-state series with better design and construction, which resulted in a more reliable amplifier. This series had four models—the Libra, Capricorn, Scorpio, and Taurus—and were built from 1969 through 1971.
Here, we showcase a 1970 Scorpio. It’s a 56-watt combo that is loaded with two new replacement Fender Eminence 12” speakers. It features two channels (Normal and Vibrato), four inputs—two for each channel— and a bright switch for each channel. The controls for the Normal channel are just Volume, Tone, and Bass, while the Vibrato channel has Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass, Reverb, Vibrato Speed, and Vibrato Intensity knobs. The amp is protected with a black alligator covering and sports Fender’s trademark silver grille.
Thanks to Rick Tedesco at Guitar Hangar for listing this amp on Gear Search. Whether you’re looking for a vintage piece or the latest on the market, there’s a great chance you’ll find it at Gear Search. More than 47,000 pieces of gear are listed, including some of the rarest gear in the world.
