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Topic: Looking for the right Fender amp. |
J. David Carrera
From:
Los Angeles, CA
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Posted 21 Aug 2014 1:37 pm |
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Hey guys I'm looking for the a blackface Fender for pedal steel and guitar.
I don't think I need more power than a pair of 6L6s can provide. I don't often play unmiked, I played steel through a deluxe reverb last week and I feel like that was almost enough power.
Do all dual 6L6 blackface Fender amps do well with steel? I'm looking at the Bassman, Bandmaster, Pro, Vibroverb. With all of these amps is it necessary to replace the output transformer with a bigger Twin OT?
Do you guys think I'll kick myself later on for not going with bigger amp like a twin or showman?
Basically i'm looking for a dual 6L6 blackface style with a 15" and a big OT that sounds good with guitar and steel. Any other suggestions of amps are appreciated.
Thanks for your time! |
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David Cook
From:
Florida, USA
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Posted 21 Aug 2014 1:54 pm
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| My experience with a silverface Pro and a blackface Twin was that the Pro wasn't clean enough for pedal steel. I still wish I still had it for lap steel though. I was playing with a drummer and missed the Twin when I didn't have it. Of course I can't remember what speakers I was using with the Pro. |
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Stephen Cowell
From:
Round Rock, Texas, USA
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Posted 21 Aug 2014 2:32 pm
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The BF/SF Bassman head is great for what you want... it doesn't break up as much as the other 50w Fenders (Pro, etc). And, it's one of the cheaper ones to acquire, you should be able to get a decent head for around $500. You'll want to drive a 4ohm speaker with it... it already comes with a bigger OT, it's about the size of the Twin Reverb OT, and double the size of the Pro, Tremolux etc.
_________________
New FB Page: Lap Steel Licks And Stuff: https://www.facebook.com/groups/195394851800329 |
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Matt Bush
From:
Portland, OR
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Posted 21 Aug 2014 2:42 pm
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| I've been practicing with a 68 SF Bassman into a 15" and it sounds good to my inexperienced ear. I've only turned it up to 2.5 so far though, so I don't know how early it will break up with a PSG. It breaks up with my tele around 6.5-7. |
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J. David Carrera
From:
Los Angeles, CA
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Posted 21 Aug 2014 4:24 pm
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| Great. Are Bassman's typically 4 ohms? I'm hoping pair it with a single d130f and I believe those are 8 ohms |
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Richard Keller
From:
Deer Creek, Illinois, USA
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Posted 21 Aug 2014 5:17 pm
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My 1974 bassman is 50 watts at 8 ohms. It sounds great.
Last edited by Richard Keller on 22 Aug 2014 1:14 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Godfrey Arthur
From:
3rd Rock
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Posted 21 Aug 2014 5:26 pm
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| J. David Carrera wrote: |
| Great. Are Bassman's typically 4 ohms? I'm hoping pair it with a single d130f and I believe those are 8 ohms |
It is 4 ohms at 50 watts as they all seem to be of that era.
I have an export SF Bassman 50 as it says on the front. It has the selectable voltage for 120/240 volts. It is 4 ohms as well.
At 8 ohms with your JBL you won't get all the power from the 4 ohm amp in case that is important to you.
Here's a U.S. version of the 50.
Export model.
Even the blackface models are 4 ohms of the Leo/CBS era.
http://ampwares.com/amplifiers/fender-bassman-silverface/
http://ampwares.com/amplifiers/fender-bassman-blackface/
To answer your other questions, the Vibroverb is a lower wattage amp from a Bassman. Although it has a 15" it may not be enough power. The Vibroverb is 40 watts like a Deluxe so if you find one in blackface which will be buku buck$, you might want to not leave it on stage at the gig and expect it to be there the next day. 
The Bassman, afik, is the circuitry that Marshall leaned on in designing its line of guitar amps so there is a clue as to what spawned what.
Having more watts is good. It would depend on how loud your band plays and your ability to cut through on stage.
Even if you mic your amp, your ability to hear yourself will only be as good as your monitors are. So where are you going to reference your playing? From your amp or from your monitors? If you don't have a great monitor system, IEM's with good separation, you will need a better amp to get around the noise level of hearing yourself once the rest of the band chimes in.
It is better to have the headroom and not need it, than need it and not have it. Which guitar do you play more, the steel or the 6?
This thread addresses the same:
http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=204284&highlight=fender+vibrosonic
I stuck a Dual Showman Reverb SF chassis into a combo open back cab with a Fender 15" but I'm not planning on having to move it.
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ShoBud The Pro 1
YES it's my REAL NAME!
Ezekiel 33:7 |
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Tom Wolverton
From:
Carpinteria, CA
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Posted 21 Aug 2014 8:28 pm
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I have a Vibroverb clone, made from a Bandmaster Reverb. It's really, nice for lower vol gigs. It has a beefed up OT. but when I needed to step up, for me, it's a quartet of 6L6's. I like a Showman head.
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To write with a broken pencil is pointless. |
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Brad Sarno
From:
St. Louis, MO USA
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Posted 21 Aug 2014 10:19 pm
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How bout a Super Reverb. It's a pair of 6L6's, but with the big, clean sounding output transformer. It's a solid sound, not gushy like a Pro or Bandmaster or Vibtrolux that all use the smaller output transformer.
B |
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Chris Boyd
From:
Leonia,N.J./Charlestown,R.I.
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Posted 22 Aug 2014 4:08 am
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Super Reverbs work well but remember they have a 2 ohm tranny,so if you plan to use a 15",you'd want a 4 ohm speaker... I have a spare 67' BF SR if you decide to go that route...
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https://www.reverbnation.com/bigredandtheresonators |
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Harry Johansen
From:
Kvalsund.Norway/Valencia Dumaguete,Phils.
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Posted 24 Aug 2014 3:04 am
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| I have a Bandmaster head 66 mod, orginal blackface what I use with Telonic 15" speaker.I'm very satisfied with the result.For reverb I use a rp 150. |
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Steve Schmidt
From:
Ramsey, MN, USA
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Posted 24 Aug 2014 6:09 am
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| I'm with Brad on this one. I have a 66 Super Reverb that I bought a 2-10 cabinet from Rick Johnson. I have since built a new baffle and have a 4 ohm D120F in it. It sounds killer, plenty loud and as an added bonus, the super reverbs have a midrange control. I like mine for sure. Some people replace the tube rectifier with a solid state but I kinda like it the way it is. |
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Brad Sarno
From:
St. Louis, MO USA
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Posted 24 Aug 2014 10:04 am
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Oh yeah, I wasn't thinking about the 2-ohm factor with the Supers. But you can always buy a nice 4 or 8 ohm output transformer for the Super. Get the bigger, cleaner output transformer. I'm sure Mercury Magnetics makes a very nice one, but so does Hammond and a few others as well.
Or just run a pair of 4-ohm speakers in parallel, that's 2-ohms.
B |
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Scott Appleton
From:
Ashland, Oregon
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Posted 24 Aug 2014 10:39 am that old tube sound
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| If you don't want to spend the big bucks for an old Fender which may or may not need big bucks in the near future to keep running get a Tube-Tone built by Raybob Marley .. they are steel friendly at Tube-Tone .. Raybob is a steel and tele player to the max .. he'll build you a blackface in any configuration you want with the old eyelet board and all .. for a price that won't break the bank and the outlook that your new amp will run for 50 plus years just like the originals .. Tub-Tone |
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Steve Spitz
From:
New Orleans, LA, USA
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Posted 24 Aug 2014 3:25 pm Super with a 15 ?
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Am I hearing that if I hook my blackface super to a 4 ohm 15" speaker, I'll have an acceptable mismatch, and a cool steel amp ?
It was a great six string amp, but didn't really cut the mustard for steel with the four 10s. |
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Chris Boyd
From:
Leonia,N.J./Charlestown,R.I.
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