Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Ned Ward]

This may seem odd, but what the heck.

I just bought a blackface Bandmaster head off eBay at a low enough price that I can do some work (came missing knobs, normal volume pot, back panel, and has a mystery replacement power transformer) and have some work done to it. Right off the bat, I know I'll need a filter cap job, 3 prong power cord and death cap removal, and possibly replacement transformers (Mercury).

The head's in pretty good shape, but I'm thinking that it may be fun to also make a combo cabinet for this amp and then pop the chassis in or out; I'd keep the head cabinet for authenticity.

Both Newell amps and Mojo make custom cabinets, and right now I'm thinking of either doing a 2x12 or 3x10 combo cabinet. I've also seen some bandmaster combos using an old JBL 15" cab, but not sure what that would sound like.

Any opinions? Anything else you'd consider doing?

thanks.

[Bob Leonard]

Ned,
I've owned many Bandmasters in my time, and wish from time to time I still did. 40 watt, no reverb black faced Bandmasters. I've also tried a number of speaker combo's and types with them. Strange you should ask this question because I just quoted some history in another thread, but here's the deal.

If you want that amp to really, really sound the balls, use a closed back cabinet and either a pair of JBL D120's ($$$$$300 - 400 ea.) or a pair of Weber "California" 12" clones with treated edges and aluminum dust cap ($90 ea. - Weber high power w/ Ceramic magnet).

The other choice is SINGLE a D130 15", which you can get on Ebay pretty cheap ($50).

If you can't find a Fender cabinet on Ebay, make sure you get one that is a duplicate, closed back, tilt legs, and knurled hold down bolts for the head.

My first Bandmaster was a 1965 pre CBS bought at Wurlitzer Music in Boston. I paid $120 for it with the dual 12" cabinet. I sold the head last year for $100 to a friend who had been begging me for it since we were kids. The cabinet was long gone, and 2 years later, 1967, I bought a Super Reverb and the Bandmaster became our vocal monitor which when ties to a Bogan worked pretty well.

DO NOT use 10" speakers with this amp.

http://www.vibroworld.com/parts/tech21.html#fendercabs

http://harrisburg.backpage.com/MusicEquipForSale/_vintage_fe nder_bandmaster_cab_only_200/classifieds/ViewAd?oid=1288854

https://taweber.powweb.com/weber/

http://cgi.ebay.com/JBL-D120F-D120-VINTAGE-FENDER-TWIN-REVER B-ORANGE-BASKET_W0QQitemZ170309312782QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_D efaultDomain_0?hash=item170309312782&_trksid=p3286.c0.m1 4&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240% 3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

http://cgi.ebay.com/JBL-d-130f-vintage-speaker-guitar-or-bas s_W0QQitemZ250384875934QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar_Amp_Accesso ries?hash=item250384875934&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trk parms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C3 01%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

[Dave Barnett]

I think there's something very special about the 3x10" Bandmaster combos, both the tweed version and the early brownface.

The faceplate isn't wide enough to fit in a 2x12" combo cabinet, unless you go to a vertical format.  It would look silly in a Pro Reverb-Amp or Twin Reverb-Amp type box, you'd have to fill in the gaps on either side of the chassis.

[Ned Ward]

thanks guys for the suggestions.

Bob - great tip on the specific Webers. I've used them before in rebuilding my Princetons, and sounds good and Ted's a great guy to deal with.

If I were to build/have built a combo cabinet with an open back vs. a traditional 2x12 or 1x15 closed cabinet, would the speaker recos change? Down the road I may also get an old 2x12 cab, but I'm thinking a 40 watt combo amp could be a little more portable (my Honda Element has finite space) but easily reversible back to the original head cabinet -- on a vintage amp like this, I'm looking to fix it up, but not butcher it.

On the combo, I would have the 2x12s diagonally for a slightly taller cab, but wouldn't place them horizontally or vertically.

Appreciate the input.

[Steve Hurt]

Bob Leonard wrote on Wed, 11 March 2009 23:32

DO NOT use 10" speakers with this amp.

Why?

[Bob Leonard]

Steve Hurt wrote on Thu, 12 March 2009 19:16

Bob Leonard wrote on Wed, 11 March 2009 23:32 DO NOT use 10" speakers with this amp. Why?

Because the Bandmaster AB763 circuit was built and voiced around 12" speakers and just sounds better, if that's the circuit in the head. Also, having listened to many, many Fender amps that use 10" speakers it's just a no brainer that the 12" speaker and this amp sound better. The other choice woul be a single 15" speaker, but it has to be a D130 or there won't be any low end definition or much top end chime. Just my opinion, but I imagine that's whay Fender stopped using 10's in the 1955 Bandmaster combo. Three 10's, 26 watts.

By the way. There are 3 amps that Fender made which sound outstanding with 10" speakers. The Super Reverb, Vibro King, and Vibrolux (which I own).

This is the Bandmaster to own if you're going to own one, and it's the same amp Brian Setzer uses.

http://www.ampwares.com/amp.asp?id=17

Here's the 3x10 combo
http://www.ampwares.com/amp.asp?id=10

[Ned Ward]

that would be what I got (or at least what was in the ebay images). AB763.

It arrives monday so I can see what kind of shape it's really in - a drummer was using it for a PA head and didn't know much about it and i forgot to ask date codes on chassis, trannies, label before he shipped. Definitely needs work, but it's a great amp to work on.


I'll put the pics up on my website when I get it.

[Al Limberg]

ahhh opinions.  I'll simply add my '64 blackface Tremolux to the list of Fenders that sounded good with 10s.  While I'm at it, the old tweed 3x10 Bassman was a darn nice guitar amp too.
JMHO
?;o)
Al

[Steve Hurt]

Bob Leonard wrote on Thu, 12 March 2009 19:53

By the way. There are 3 amps that Fender made which sound outstanding with 10" speakers. The Super Reverb, Vibro King, and Vibrolux (which I own).

I can name one you forgot (or we disagree big time)
One of the best sounding amps of all time:
The Princeton Reverb.

[Bob Leonard]

Steve Hurt wrote on Thu, 12 March 2009 22:36

Bob Leonard wrote on Thu, 12 March 2009 19:53 By the way. There are 3 amps that Fender made which sound outstanding with 10" speakers. The Super Reverb, Vibro King, and Vibrolux (which I own). I can name one you forgot (or we disagree big time) One of the best sounding amps of all time: The Princeton Reverb.

Notice in my reply I said "outstanding", and I concede the Bassman and the Tremolux. But they all had the same problem, and that was keeping those Jensen or Utah speakers in the cabinet.

And I suppose if you think the Colts are a real football team then you'll think the Princeton is a real amp.