Das Frankenmaster Amp

[slider313]

I had a Mather 1x15 cab made for my Deluxe Reverb and while the amp sounded good, it never sounded the way I thought it would. It's just tough to beat a single JBL K120 in a DR. The Weber Blue Dog 15 is a great speaker; but it just didn't do it for me with the DR. I decided to pick up a '66 Bandmaster chassis that needed some work. The Deluxe Reverb, Bandmaster and Showman all share the same chassis width. Sounds good but the speaker is an 8 ohm and the Bandmaster wants to see a 4 ohm load. Weber does recones of their own speakers for $25, so I ship it off to be reconed with 4 ohm voice coil at 100 watts instead of the stock 50 watter. Another thing about the non reverb Fenders; you can jumper the channels to get more punch and thicken up the tone. Add one Fender blue sticker to the speaker magnet and there it is: Das Frankenmaster Amp. LORD HAVE MERCY!

 

 

[pegleg32]

Slider, you are the amp guy par-excellence. That thing looks wonderful, and knowing your discerning ear, I'm sure it sounds as good as it looks. I love that you included a 15" speaker, I much prefer BIG speakers.

[slider313]

Slider, you are the amp guy par-excellence. That thing looks wonderful, and knowing your discerning ear, I'm sure it sounds as good as it looks. I love that you included a 15" speaker, I much prefer BIG speakers.

 

Funny thing is I bought a Carr Rambler, about a month ago, and sold it after four days. It just didn't "do it" for me. I put it next to my blackface Deluxe Reverb and it was just no contest. I just have that "Fender" sound in my head and while the Carr is a nice amp, it sounds nothing like a Fender. I've been thinking about a Bandmaster head for a while and one showed up on TGP for a very nice price. So, after a tune up and the right speaker, this one sounds amazing.

[212Mavguy]

Funny thing is I bought a Carr Rambler, about a month ago, and sold it after four days. It just didn't "do it" for me. I put it next to my blackface Deluxe Reverb and it was just no contest. I just have that "Fender" sound in my head and while the Carr is a nice amp, it sounds nothing like a Fender. I've been thinking about a Bandmaster head for a while and one showed up on TGP for a very nice price. So, after a tune up and the right speaker, this one sounds amazing.

 

What a wonderful story...in the very best way. No herd folowing here!

[pegleg32]

Funny thing is I bought a Carr Rambler, about a month ago, and sold it after four days. It just didn't "do it" for me. I put it next to my blackface Deluxe Reverb and it was just no contest. I just have that "Fender" sound in my head and while the Carr is a nice amp, it sounds nothing like a Fender. I've been thinking about a Bandmaster head for a while and one showed up on TGP for a very nice price. So, after a tune up and the right speaker, this one sounds amazing.

 

Interesting, that kind of goes to show that one persons ear don't always "hear" the same thing as another persons. But then I have to admit, I have not had the experience of sampling as many amps as you have so I would expect that your ear is much more astute than my own. Still, the Carr is the best amp I have owned to date. Sure would like to try yours out though.

[slider313]

Don't get me wrong the Carr is a real good sounding amp but it's not in the "Fender camp" unless you want to say it's a bigger, cleaner Princeton Reverb. That's the only Fender these ears can compare it to. It would be real tough to be able to tell the difference between the cleans of the 28 watt cathode biased Carr and the 22 watt fixed biased Deluxe Reverb. Actually, my Deluxe Reverb sounded louder, had better note seperation, had that "snap" on the bass notes and that Fender "chime"; which I couldn't get from the Carr with any speaker I tried. If I'm going for the "two 6L6 tone", I want to get the most clarity out of them. The Bandmaster, Pro Reverb, Super Reverb, Vibrolux Reverb all get between 35 and 45 watts out of a pair of 6L6's. I sold the Carr, got my $$ back, plus, and have half what I paid for it in the Frankenmaster combo. This Bandmaster sounds BIG and FULL with cleans to die for. No reverb but I have a Chicklet Reverb pedal on the way to replace my Boss DD3 delay. The Chicklet just sounds "right". Just the humble opinion of a confessed ampoholic.

[Jazzerous]

I had a Mather 1x15 cab made for my Deluxe Reverb and while the amp sounded good, it never sounded the way I thought it would. It's just tough to beat a single JBL K120 in a DR. The Weber Blue Dog 15 is a great speaker; but it just didn't do it for me with the DR. I decided to pick up a '66 Bandmaster chassis that needed some work. The Deluxe Reverb, Bandmaster and Showman all share the same chassis width. Sounds good but the speaker is an 8 ohm and the Bandmaster wants to see a 4 ohm load. Weber does recones of their own speakers for $25, so I ship it off to be reconed with 4 ohm voice coil at 100 watts instead of the stock 50 watter. Another thing about the non reverb Fenders; you can jumper the channels to get more punch and thicken up the tone. Add one Fender blue sticker to the speaker magnet and there it is: Das Frankenmaster Amp. LORD HAVE MERCY!

 

 

That rocks Slider!!!! Congrats on that beast of Vintage tone!!!! Now the incoming has started!!!!!

 

Cheers and thanks for the inspiring Tone notion!!!

[slider313]

Just picked up a nice matched pair of Phillips 6L6WGB's for this amp. I was running it with Svetlana's. The Phillips tubes are more "mid forward" with a smoother compression when pushed. It's almost as if I have a rectifier tube in the amp. I really like these tubes!

[Gitfiddler]

Man, I really enjoy these amp threads!! I always learn something new and useful.

 

Hey, maybe we need a new thread category around here called..."Ask The Amp Whisperer".

 

Here's my first question, oh wise one. I have a nice sounding Silverface Deluxe Reverb, especially after having it modded to Blackface specs. The original speaker has a pencil sized hole in it, so I pulled it and replaced it with a broken in Fender Design 12" out of a newer Hot Rod Deluxe. It seems well matched to this old amp, but as usual, I'm always looking for a better tone.

 

I'd like your opinion on the best speakers for it. I'm looking for clean headroom to about '5' with a tight, non-flubby bottom end. I play mostly clean and get my drive from Tube Screamers.

 

Would I be better off to have the original speaker re-coned? I

 

s there a simple way to fix the little hole and still good use out of it?

 

I've been considering an Eminence Red White n Blue based on user reviews, but would sure appreciate your thoughts.

[slider313]

Man, I really enjoy these amp threads!! I always learn something new and useful.

 

Hey, maybe we need a new thread category around here called..."Ask The Amp Whisperer".

 

Here's my first question, oh wise one. I have a nice sounding Silverface Deluxe Reverb, especially after having it modded to Blackface specs. The original speaker has a pencil sized hole in it, so I pulled it and replaced it with a broken in Fender Design 12" out of a newer Hot Rod Deluxe. It seems well matched to this old amp, but as usual, I'm always looking for a better tone.

 

I'd like your opinion on the best speakers for it. I'm looking for clean headroom to about '5' with a tight, non-flubby bottom end. I play mostly clean and get my drive from Tube Screamers.

 

Would I be better off to have the original speaker re-coned? I

 

s there a simple way to fix the little hole and still good use out of it?

 

I've been considering an Eminence Red White n Blue based on user reviews, but would sure appreciate your thoughts.

 

The speaker can be repaired with some toilet tissue paper and Elmers Photo Safe Rubber Cement. If the "flap" of paper from the hole remains, you can simply use the glue to hold it back in its place.

 

I have an original '65 Deluxe Reverb with a JBL K120 which does it for me. Remember, a Deluxe Reverb is only 22 watts and when you're hitting 5+ on the volume it's going to sag and break up some. The Emi RW&B sounds real good in a DR especially if you use single coil guitars. The Weber Michigan ceramic would sound good also and would tighten up the low end some. It, like a EV, is a very netural and clean speaker. If you prefer more mids and color, the Weber Neo-Mag is very JBL like, light in weight, and is smoother than the Michigan.

[Gitfiddler]

The speaker can be repaired with some toilet tissue paper and Elmers Photo Safe Rubber Cement. If the "flap" of paper from the hole remains, you can simply use the glue to hold it back in its place.

 

I have an original '65 Deluxe Reverb with a JBL K120 which does it for me. Remember, a Deluxe Reverb is only 22 watts and when you're hitting 5+ on the volume it's going to sag and break up some. The Emi RW&B sounds real good in a DR especially if you use single coil guitars. The Weber Michigan ceramic would sound good also and would tighten up the low end some. It, like a EV, is a very netural and clean speaker. If you prefer more mids and color, the Weber Neo-Mag is very JBL like, light in weight, and is smoother than the Michigan.

 

Slider313~

 

The OEM speaker hole has no flap, so I'll get out the Charmin for a cheap fix, reinstall and see if it sounds better than what's in it now.

 

Otherwise, I can check the market for one of the speakers you recommended. Based on your description of the Weber Michigan ceramic, that will be the first to check out.

 

Thank you!!

 

Tim

[slider313]

You can also use the tissue paper used to do gift wrapping; which will take the color of a black sharpie better to match the paper of the cone. One small piece on the front and, if you can reach the spot, one on the back.