Fender Musicmaster Amp on british bay

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 1:21 pm

Mike wrote:ECC83 is the UK designation for 12AX7

righto. i've never really paid much attention to amplification stuff before, i'm going to do a bit of studying, hopefully i'll get to the level where i can start posting misconceptions and generally accepted myth all over the internet with sheer abandon.

Post by **Mike** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 1:28 pm

benecol · Post by **benecol** » Fri Oct 02, 2009 1:33 pm

timhulio wrote:Mine has... (an) aftermarket switch.

It may not be aftermarket - 70's Fender amps had some odd bits on; the GLChamp has a weird switch, but it's original. Post pics?

PS. Shortscalers please take note that I partially used Harvard referencing conventions when quoting Tim.

timhulio · Post by **timhulio** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 12:01 pm

Oh yeah, the century vintage speaker. It's much louder now, sounds better in a crisper, more articulate sort of way. I found this to be quite a harsh speaker in the last amp it was in (Musicman 112RP) but it seems okay here. I should fix the tone pot anyway to get a bit more bass back. This speaker is even lighter than the stock one (less dead spiders too) so now the amp is ridiculously portable.

Post by **Mike** » Mon Oct 05, 2009 12:04 pm

yes yes, we all hate you

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 1:26 pm

just read this on offset:

There are two types of MMBass amps: the older ones had different tubes and the volume was the power. The later ones had 6v6 tubes and a switch.

so perhaps the switch on tim's one is original after all. mine switches on when you turn the volume knob.

BoringPostcards · Post by **BoringPostcards** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 1:36 pm

I used to have one as well and it also had a switch. I have also seen the one with the volume knob/power switch.
When I was 16 I traded it for a Fender Champion 110, because it had a footswitch. Yea, I was a stupid kid.
I did trade the champion 110 3 years later for a Fender Bassman. That kid was also stupid.

timhulio · Post by **timhulio** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 3:39 pm

stewart wrote: so perhaps the switch on tim's one is original after all. mine switches on when you turn the volume knob.

Mine did this originally too, and has the same valves as yours. The switch on the volume pot has been disconnected, but is still there. For the sake of simplicity I might replace the switchy pot when I replace the tone pot and fit the fuse.

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 3:47 pm

hmm. velly intellesting.

i'm going to make some sort of vented back panel for mine, i can just picture it tipping over in the van and the valves getting smashed.

BoringPostcards · Post by **BoringPostcards** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 4:10 pm

Strange. I just looked at some fotos of my old MM amp and the on off switch was a slider switch like on a Jag.

edit: it also had a blackface.

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 4:43 pm

post pics?

BoringPostcards · Post by **BoringPostcards** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 5:06 pm

I would, but said pics are actual old photographs and I haven't got a scanner. I tried to google an image, but came up with no results. Which is a pity, because the photos show my old 72 Musicmaster Bass that was stolen by an old friend. I'd really like to get some digital pics up of that thing. May be easier to hunt it down online. It's still on this island somewhere. Come to think of it, I could probably find the guy I traded the MM amp to and get that back.
Hmm. Musicmaster Bass is in cursive on the front too.

edit: I found this while stubbornly browsing further

further edit: now I'm confused, the photo link was from the gear page and the guy who took the foto made the blackface plate. I need evidence other than my fotos, because I don't understand what's going on here.

timhulio · Post by **timhulio** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 5:09 pm

Ah that looks very nice. I like the Silverface ones too, but this is classy. They must have changed back to blackface for the last few years of production at the beginning of the 80s like a few other Fender amps (Deluxe Reverb I'm thinking of).

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 5:12 pm

i think they did do that but i've never seen one before.

although the guy who owns that one says it's a faux blackface plate, implying he fitted it himself:

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showth ... 955&page=4

edit: just noticed skiptracer's 2nd edit, he'd got there before me...

timhulio · Post by **timhulio** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 6:29 pm

Ah yep, he musta got a NOS faceplate of the sort used on later amps:

http://www.ampwares.com/amp.asp?id=67

Comments: Fender switched back to the blackface era cosmetics some time in 1980. Musicmaster Bass amps produced between late 1980 and 1982 have a black control panel and silver sparkle grille cloth.

Post by **Doog** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 6:35 pm

stewart wrote:hmm. velly intellesting.

i'm going to make some sort of vented back panel for mine, i can just picture it tipping over in the van and the valves getting smashed.

You should be transporting it on it's back anyways- forward-backwardy motions on the road can fuck up speakers fairly easy, especially in large bass cabs.

stewart · Post by **stewart** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 6:52 pm

ah, right. ta for the tip. depends on the state of the van a lot of the time (drummer's day job invloves making lots of mess in it, evidently) but i'll stamp my foot on gig days and demand that.

BoringPostcards · Post by **BoringPostcards** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 7:02 pm

timhulio wrote:Ah yep, he musta got a NOS faceplate of the sort used on later amps:

http://www.ampwares.com/amp.asp?id=67

Comments: Fender switched back to the blackface era cosmetics some time in 1980. Musicmaster Bass amps produced between late 1980 and 1982 have a black control panel and silver sparkle grille cloth.

thanks for digging that out Timhulio. I'm gonna try and see if that guy is still around here and see what he would sell it back to me for. If he didn't trade it already for a fucking pignose or something.

NickD · Post by **NickD** » Sun Oct 11, 2009 7:17 pm

Mine has the jag style switch too, standard as far as I can see.