My old Fender amp isn't worthless afterall.

[jpeaslee]

So I've been playing bass for awhile off and on. I've picked up some Guitar skills as well playing with some buddies from church. I've had my mom's practice amp that she's had since high school (Class of 1980). I never thought it sounded that great but not horrible either. I never looked at it too much other than just from the front and all. The other day i pulled it back out of my old room (Was off at college, but moved back to my hometown) and looked at it further. Alas! Its a tube amp (i'm sure many of you are thinking i'm incompetent at this point). I plugged my guitar in. Wow. It doesn't sound half bad. Did a lil research and turns out i'm pretty stupid to not have figured this out by now. I'm not planning on selling or anything.

 

On a side note, does anyone know what these are worth? Its completely original with only a few knicks in the tolex. I'm just curious.

[Samnite]

What amp is it? And will you take Paypal?

 

And "alas"? Old Fender tube amps are among the best amps ever made.

[jpeaslee]

What amp is it? And will you take Paypal? And "alas"? Old Fender tube amps are among the best amps ever made.

I meant to mention what it was. My bad. Its a Musicmaster Bass (1x12 i think). From what i read it looks like its a 70-74 because it has the ax7 and 2 6AQ5A tubes.

[jonny toetags]

Great amps with a speaker change!

They take pedals like a champ also!

The average price is between 300$ and 500$

I've seen a few mint ones go for 350$ BIN on Ebay.

[jpeaslee]

This amp hasn't gotten too terribly much playing time. I basically sat in my grandparents house from '80 till 5 years ago. I haven't played it too much since then. Would it need new tubes? I'm pretty new to tube amps. I definitely don't want to do any damage to the amp. Are there any sites out there for this amp?

[silverfacechamp]

Great amps with a speaker change! They take pedals like a champ also! The average price is between 300$ and 500$ I've seen a few mint ones go for 350$ BIN on Ebay.

 

 

You're a bit high. Those normally run around $250-$350 for a really nice one, less if its beat up.

 

They're ok amps, but a Champ they are definitely not.

[R0B0]

This amp hasn't gotten too terribly much playing time. I basically sat in my grandparents house from '80 till 5 years ago. I haven't played it too much since then. Would it need new tubes? I'm pretty new to tube amps. I definitely don't want to do any damage to the amp. Are there any sites out there for this amp?

 

 

Hard to say if it needs new tubes. It just might have some great old Sylvanias or something in there. DON"T throw them out without having them tested. The filter caps might be getting a little weak by now. Does it hum a lot? If it does, take it to a tech and have him check it out. I love them old Fenders, even silverface.

[Mikeo]

another member of the class of 1980 here.

Is this the amp?

http://www.ampwares.com/ffg/

[jpeaslee]

Mine looks just like that except without the switch. The volume knob is the on off.

 

As far as the tubes i think i remember one being stamped fender, if that happens to mean anything. I figured if I ever swapped out the speaker or tubes, i'd definitely hang on to the old ones. I just got done comparing it and my valve jr. I'm pretty much ready to toss that lil joker on craigslist.

[joel3000]

Find yourself a vintage amp tech and have it modded. You will not regret it.

[R0B0]

Mine looks just like that except without the switch. The volume knob is the on off. As far as the tubes i think i remember one being stamped fender, if that happens to mean anything. I figured if I ever swapped out the speaker or tubes, i'd definitely hang on to the old ones. I just got done comparing it and my valve jr. I'm pretty much ready to toss that lil joker on craigslist.

 

 

That's prolly a bright switch. Fender rebranded Sylvanias, GEs, Philips and other tubes. They rebrand GTs now I think. Definitely a good mod platform.

[jpeaslee]

When you say get it modded are you talking about just getting the caps and all that fixed up, or are you talking about other stuff?

 

And yeah, when i crank it up, it hums A LOT when its sitting idle.

[silverfacechamp]

 

That's prolly a bright switch. Fender rebranded Sylvanias, GEs, Philips and other tubes. They rebrand GTs now I think. Definitely a good mod platform.

 

 

Nope. It's an on/off switch. The earlier Musicmasters (the ones with the 6AQ5A tubes, built until 1974) had no switch. The later ones, with the 6v6's, had the switch. The later ones are a bit more desireable because the tonal characteristics of the 6v6 in that amp are better for guitars and modding.

 

A lot of people make the mistake of thinking they are a Champ variant. They are not....the circuit, especially in the power section is far different than any Champ. The MM's are a beast unto themselves. If you're looking for a mod platform, they're OK, but if you're paying someone to do the work, it may cost you more than the amp is worth to get it tweaked. I say take an OD pedal, plug into it, and turn it up. If you don't like it, and you can't work on it yourself, put it on ebay and buy something you like.

[R0B0]

When you say get it modded are you talking about just getting the caps and all that fixed up, or are you talking about other stuff? And yeah, when i crank it up, it hums A LOT when its sitting idle.

 

 

By modding I mean tweaking the circuit in some way or ways to increase performance or tone. Most tube amps hum to some degree or another, but one that old, the amount of hum can be an indication the caps are going bad. Some say ten years old is too long, I disagree somewhat, but it should definitely be checked out by a good tech. Catastrophic failure of the filter caps can make a mess, and be dangerous.

[R0B0]

Nope. It's an on/off switch. The earlier Musicmasters (the ones with the 6AQ5A tubes, built until 1974) had no switch. The later ones, with the 6v6's, had the switch. The later ones are a bit more desireable because the tonal characteristics of the 6v6 in that amp are better for guitars and modding. A lot of people make the mistake of thinking they are a Champ variant. They are not....the circuit, especially in the power section is far different than any Champ. The MM's are a beast unto themselves. If you're looking for a mod platform, they're OK, but if you're paying someone to do the work, it may cost you more than the amp is worth to get it tweaked. I say take an OD pedal, plug into it, and turn it up. If you don't like it, and you can't work on it yourself, put it on ebay and buy something you like.

 

 

I was just looking at the schematic for that amp. It is, quite different from the Champ, a rather odd circuit. I had a Champ in high school in the sixties. Been kicking myself in the ass for thirtysome years for getting rid of it. Just HAD to have something bigger,... like a stack.

[silverfacechamp]

I was just looking at the schematic for that amp. It is, quite different from the Champ, a rather odd circuit. I had a Champ in high school in the sixties. Been kicking myself in the ass for thirtysome years for getting rid of it. Just HAD to have something bigger,... like a stack.

 

 

I have two Champs....a '76 Champ and a '66 BF Vibro....both are beautiful amps. I'm a sucker for that Fender tube sound. I've played probably 20 Musicmasters over the years and have never found one I liked. They're odd ducks, for sure, and just a few years ago you could find them for $75 - $100 all day long, while the equivalent Champs were 3 times that much.

[R0B0]

I have two Champs....a '76 Champ and a '66 BF Vibro....both are beautiful amps. I'm a sucker for that Fender tube sound. I've played probably 20 Musicmasters over the years and have never found one I liked. They're odd ducks, for sure, and just a few years ago you could find them for $75 - $100 all day long, while the equivalent Champs were 3 times that much.

 

I'd love to play either of those, never played thru a Musicmaster tho. I've had several different Fenders over the years, a couple I don't even remember the models, I think one I had in high school was a Harvard. I still have my early '68 Bandmaster with a 2/12 cab, and a late '70s Twin Reverb. I'ma sucker for them too. Mesa Boogie is the only other amp brand I've ever kept for more than a little time. To me Fender is the standard of tube amp tone. Looking at that Musicmaster circuit, I think it could be modded into something worthwhile. Maybe another gain stage. Those old Fenders are easy to work on. I don't know if the Musicmaster is PtP tho, never seen one let alone the inside of one.

[silverfacechamp]

I'd love to play either of those, never played thru a Musicmaster tho. I've had several different Fenders over the years, a couple I don't even remember the models, I think one I had in high school was a Harvard. I still have my early '68 Bandmaster with a 2/12 cab, and a late '70s Twin Reverb. I'ma sucker for them too. Mesa Boogie is the only other amp brand I've ever kept for more than a little time. To me Fender is the standard of tube amp tone. Looking at that Musicmaster circuit, I think it could be modded into something worthwhile. Maybe another gain stage. Those old Fenders are easy to work on. I don't know if the Musicmaster is PtP tho, never seen one let alone the inside of one.

 

 

They're PTP, but they're built on a wax board, which sometimes had issues if something got too hot. Like I said before, you COULD mod it into something worthwhile, but for as simple as that circuit is, you could just build what you want from scratch and save the $$ that it would cost to buy the amp you're modding.

 

My little BF sounds great....but the SF kicks its ass all over the place. I've got a Weber 8A125 variant that Ted Weber tweaked for me back in the days before Weber got big, and the thing sounds amazing through the Weber and even better and louder through a 212 cab. I've gigged unmiked with that amp before and it sounds great.