60w red-stripe mark iii: fake?

[Bob Doom]

Hi, everyone. I’m new here. Need some input and this seems like the perfect place to go.

I happened upon a blue-stripe mark III last year in a little shop downtown. It blew me away and I bought it. The issue is I don’t play live anymore and only record for fun. 100w is a bit much.

Researched mine and discovered these stripped down 60w with no EQ/reverb then that led me to listings.

I’ve listened to shootouts between the years and Rhythm 2 in the red is my favorite. Then I found a 60w red is great shape! It arrived last night.

I propped the new one on my mine and noticed a lot of differences…

The grill cloth, top handle, and tolex are wrong, the corners are black plastic instead of metal, there are these 4 holes in the top for stacking?, the text on the front panel is a little bolder, the blue plastic for the light is slightly different, and the wood for the cabinet feels like a completely different wood.

Now, on the other hand, everything on the back and on the chassis looks correct.

So was there an overhaul done at some point? The original owner rehoused the chassis is a fresh cabinet? Or were these unfamiliar features common on some 60w?

I’m adding a few closeups of the back and bottom. The ads on this site make it REALLY hard to post, so bear with me.

 

[Bob Doom]

Red on the left, blue next to it.

The switches are so clean. The light is a little too blue.

The signature, holes, and sticker look exactly right though…

 

[Bob Doom]

For reference, this is my blue. A little harder to get photos under the chassis because the reverb is blocking the opening.

 

[Bob Doom]

Here’s the front of the blue. Kinda loose grill cloth, shows more age, sharper text and that blue is a little more teal.

 

[Bob Doom]

Here’s the front of the red with the grill cloth, logo plate, and text.

The next 2 show how the blue is printed “RHYTHM2” while the red is “RHYTHM 2”

 

[scotticus]

Almost looks like someone hacked down a 1x12 cab and recovered it. Otherwise it looks good. Could even be an aftermarket headshell.

 

[scotticus]

No cutout in the bottom of the red stripe for the reverb tank?