| Author |
Topic: Fender Showman Amp..........Any Details? |
Ted Nesbitt
From:
Northern Ireland
|
Posted 14 Jul 2013 3:32 pm |
|
I have just bought myself a Fender Showman amp. Its a combo amp with a 15" Fender speaker (probably Eminence) I have searched the Fender website to get details on this amp, but came up with nothing. Can anyone give me details on this rig? I know its a re-issue model. It was made in USA, but I have no idea what year it was made, and if Fender still make this model. Any imformation would be welcome.
 |
|
|
|
Ron Whitworth
From:
Yuma,Ariz.USA Yeah they say it's a DRY heat !!
|
Posted 14 Jul 2013 4:34 pm
|
|
Hello Ted;
I had one of those amps in the late '80's - early '90's.
They came out in about 1983 - here is a link to the Fender amp catalog from 1983 & it shows some of those same style/types of amps. They were near the end of the Fender Rivera amp era I think -
http://www.stratopastor.org.uk/strato/amps/twoseriessolidstatefenders/rivera%20era%20amp%20catalogue.pdf
And a link to 4 pages of schematic here >
http://www.stratopastor.org.uk/strato/amps/twoseriessolidstatefenders/showman83.pdf
I hope this helps you out some..
I sold my amp like that in the mid '90's..
As I remember it was quite adjustable with all the pull out knobs + the slider graphic eq.
My best to you.
Ron
_________________
"Tone is in the hands. Unless your wife will let you buy a new amp. Then it's definitely in that amp."
We need to turn the TWANG up a little
It's not what you play through, it's what you play through it.
They say that tone is all in the fingers...I say it is all in your head 
Some of the best pieces of life are the little pieces all added up..Ron
the value of friendship. Old friends shine like diamonds, you can always call them and - most important - you can't buy them. |
|
|
|
Miguel Saldana
From:
San Antonio, Texas
|
Posted 18 Jul 2013 3:26 pm
|
|
Ted, I wouldn't consider your amp a re-issue. Like Ron stated, this era of Fenders is from the mid-eighties ('82 - '86 Rivera Era - although this solid state amp was more likely designed by Bob Haigler and Bill Hodges according to a post I found on the web). A departure from older Showman circuits, this amp is solid state, 200 watts, and came as a combo rather than head/cab
If you post the serial number or some identifiers, someone should be able to help determine the date of the amp. And no, these amps are not made any longer.
It should be a worthy steel amp. The catalog even claims "optimum for steel guitar...playing." Enjoy! |
|
|
|
Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
|
Posted 24 Jul 2013 3:42 pm
|
|
As noted, it's not a reissue, but instead a "reuse" of the name on an "everything but the kitchen sink" amp designed by Paul Rivera for Fender in the 80's. They are not highly regarded in the 6-string world. Might be OK for clean steel but there's SO much extraneous circuitry between the extra EQ section, effects loop etc that a lot of the natural tube tone just gets buried in excess electronica, whether you use all that stuff or not.
When it comes to tube amps, the consensus is "the simpler the signal chain the better the tone". Rivera was trying to compete with Mesa and other "modern rock" amp makers. Most feel he missed the mark by a long shot. OTOH, some of his own, simpler Rivera-label amps are pretty good if you like high gain....
_________________
No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
|
|
|
Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
|
Posted 24 Jul 2013 4:24 pm
|
|
| It's probably one of Fender's better solid-state amps. I had a chance to buy one about 15 years ago, but I passed since it was beat to hell. Easily as heavy as a Twin Reverb, even though it's solid state, but I think it's actually a better steel amp due to the graphic EQ. |
|
|
|
