The Steel Guitar Forum

any one had any dealings with this amp head. it,s currently missing 4 tubes. i haven,t seen it in person yet or seen what kind of condition it,s in. guy,s bringing it over tomm. to let me give my opinion on it. he only gave 30.00 for it. so he has,nt gotten hurt yet. i,m just going to pull chassis out and make sure it,s not complete fry case before he spends more money taking it to regular amp guy. any help appreciated. amp output,and possible age. Thanks James

Which version? BF 40 watts, no reverb. SF 40W no verb,SF 40W with reverb SF 70W reverb? I'm partial to the 40W versions myself. Great price if it's not too rusty!

wont, know which model till i see it tomm. morning. concerned since tubes have been pulled out. guys retired and on disability and has limited resources. just trying to save him some unnecessary expenses if it,s a wreck. could be good find too. James

I still have a non-reverb that I bought new in 1968.
It is basically the Blackface version with 1968 cosmetics (1st year silverface). It has never given me any problems. Bulletproof.
Lefty

Te best thing to do would be to post pictures of the circuit board side of the chassis; the control plate or back if there are any modifications; and the other side of the chassis with the filter cap "doghouse" cover removed. Without pictures it's almost impossible to tell what's going on with something like this.

I've come across many amps like this over the years that were missing tubes. The tubes were missing for a reason - every one had some serious problem or hack modification. He may know it's missing tubes, which is obvious, but not realize there's no power transformer, for example.

If it's missing tubes and just needs those replaced and a rebias I'll eat my hat.

well here,s damage report on fender bandmaster head. it,s model AB763 model it has 2 normal channels w/bright switch and 2 channel vibrato w/bright switch no reverb. he does,nt have vibrato switch pedal. 6 tubes are all missing 2 6L6GC 1 12AT7 1 12AX7 2 7025 tubes power panel lamp bulb is missing and 2 amp slowblow fuse is blown. front grill cover is missing but fender logo is still intact. took chassis out of cabinet. does,nt appear to have any hack jobs. everything looks original. problem i saw is that power leads that come from main transformer to 1st 6L6GC power tube has burned off cloth insulation for about half an inch on out going power lead that ties all tube filaments together.green power leads coming directly out of main transformer have gotten warm and softened and discolred the plastic insulation. i,d guess main transformer might be bad. not sure 6L6GC tube having shorted filament would cause this but could have. any ideas. gentlemen has little money tied up in this amp.i,m trying to help him from sinking more money into it verses selling it out right as is. this fender head will be up for sell in near future probably as is. any intrest or reason for it,s present condition welcome. Thanks James

Email sent.

The filament wires almost certanly did not cause the problem - they are a result. It sounds like it either cooked off the power transformer, or one (or more) of the filter caps on the other side of the chassis blew and took out the transformer with it (them). It's not a cheap fix - PT, full cap job, all tubes; throwing darts without seeing it I'd say a $400+ rehab job for an amp not very highly regarded. There are mods that can be doneto make it a good guitar (not steel) amp...but this is really an amp for a tech to buy. I assume thaat's what Andy's email is about and he gets "dibs" - if not, shoot me a note.

Thanks for info Jim. I called Bentley Guitars in parkville mo. today to find out who they have their amps serviced by. guys suppose to be really good and checks out everything for 40.00 then he tells you bad news on how much it,s going to cost to fix it. i,d like to see head working again if it,s not going to cost and arm and leg to fix it. but andy still gets first chance to make an offer as it sits right now. James

Jim,
Unfortunatly it sounds like the worse scenario applies here. The Transformers are expensive, especiallly good ones to bring it back to spec. (Murcury magnetics) A while back I bought two Super Reverbs for a good price, and one had a bad input transformer. I chose to repair it, and it was not cheap. It is a great amp now, though.
The Bandmaster is a pretty basic 40 watt amp. like a Super Reverb without reverb. Good guitar amp when running up to spec, but probably low wattage for steel (What Silverface, er Jim said).
I played many a clubhouse gig in the late 60's with my Bandmaster though. Good luck.
Lefty

email sent.
-andy-

Thanks for everybodys input. owner has changed his mind and keeping it. in condition it,s in now he,s being totally unrealistic on what it,s worth. sorry andy your offer was more than fair in my opinion. James

IIRC those BF Bandmasters were punched for 4 output tubes and probably all the holes for a mid control on the vibrato channel. I remember Fat Willie(aka Lord Valve) in Denver doing a "Beefmaster" mod to a few of those years ago. He put in Dual Showman xfromers and added the extra tube sockets, turning it into a LOUD Bandmaster.

your right jerry this chassis also has 2 other output tube socket holes punched out but their covered with screwed down plates. it would really cook then. it probably would be easy to wire them in existing circuit. with minimal expense. James