The The Fender Harvard was a guitar amplifier made by Fender from 1955 to 1961. The Harvard appeared only in a tweed covered 'narrow-panel' cabinet, but in two different circuit designs - 5F10 and 6G10.
The 5F10 model, launched in 1955 (but not in time for the Fender catalog of that year), was a 10-watt amplifier utilising 6AV6 (from 1956 a 6AT6) pre-amp, 12AX7 phase inverter, a pair of 6V6GT power, and one 5Y3GT rectifier, tubes (valves), with a Jensen P10R 10" speaker. The amplifier had a very simple circuit and used only a volume and tone control. The Harvard was a fixed bias amplifier using a selenium rectifier. The 5F10 was discontinued in 1961.
The later extremely rare or possibly even mythical 6G10 Harvard used a single 12AX7, 6V6GT and 5Y3GT and, it has been speculated, was simply a Princeton circuit which could be fitted in left-over tweed covered Harvard cabinets after Fender had re-launched the Princeton in a tolex covered version.
Unusually for Fender, the Harvard had no predecessor and, although the Harvard name was revived later by Fender, no descendants. The Harvard filled a gap between the student Champ and Princeton models and the professional Deluxe. The Fender Vibrolux is almost identical to the Harvard, but with added tremolo circuit, a second 12AX7 replacing the 6AV6/6AT6, built into a Deluxe cabinet.
The most famous user of the Fender Harvard, in conjunction with a Telecaster guitar, was Steve Cropper, who said that he used the amp for most of the classic recordings made with the Stax house band Booker T. & The M.G.'s, including Green Onions and (Sitting On) The Dock of the Bay.
This is a 1956 Harvard amp in perfect working condition. The original Jensen speaker has been replaced by a period correct one.
This is a 1956 Harvard amp in perfect working condition. The original Jensen speaker has been replaced by a period corret one.A superb sound!
