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Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 12:54 pm
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He doesnt even have a dealer in the UK these days. Quite a shame as they are amazingly clear sounding and versatile amps.
I think he priced himself out of the game from the outset. Were a conservative bunch us guitarists, getting us to accept anything new is a minor miracle. Add to that a high price and you may as well forget it. Thats one thing that does impress me about the Egnater amps. Their great quality tonaly at a very very fair price.


Now if they made one that shifted between kt66's and 6l6's for their american/british sounds, I'd be charging the music shop door to get one. A switchable modern cascading gain or traditional preamp section it would be utter perfection for me.

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Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 2:15 pm
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As well as perhaps a slightly higher powered model, (maybe 20 watts), I also would like to see more flexibilty in the FX section. The ability to mix the FX in any combination, as well as the abilty to adjust more parameters, i.e. depth AND speed on some FX as opposed to just intensity, would be nice.


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Post subject: SCXD A likable amp.
Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 11:02 pm
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Fender keeps improving year after year. In the SCXD they have hit on a versatile little amp. I received mine yesterday. It excels considering the cost. The different "voices" sound like what they're supposed to. Channel 1 gives outstanding blackface sound. Effects sound fine. No extra effects or voices needed by me. It's a great little all-in-one screamer. Louder than I expected.


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Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 11:12 pm
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63supro wrote:
philip602 wrote:
Bill_Seper wrote:
The Deluxe VM is a bit different. It's just a regular 2-channel amp but with some added effects. I haven't played one, so it may be a nice amp for all I know, but it's a different animal from the Super Champ XD. The big drawing card to this Champ (for me anyway) is that incredible 59 Bassman voice which really does sound like a 59 Bassman only better.

I'm assuming that the Deluxe VM is modeled after a blackface Deluxe which I was never too crazy about.

Exactly and what would be nice (possibly what you're saying) is all the great settings in the SCXD at VM wattage. I have one of each and they are different critters.

It would be nice to see an SCXD in the VM power range and with the VM abililty to have several FX operating at once. Then as Bill says, add the ability to switch between the clean setting and the "lead" setting, and I'd need few/no pedals at all.



However, this would also merge a number of Fender products into one. They'd lose unit sales and then maybe have to price the hypothetical SCXD-VM at closer to boutique levels. Given a choice, I'd rather they keep the less-than-perfect individual options than an out of price range ideal model.


Phillip, the SCXD and Vibro Champ ARE part of the VM family. The VM just means vintage molested er I mean vintage modified. :oops: The Champion 600 is part of the same family.
:D


Right on the "VM series" of course. I was referring to my Band Master VM but didn't spell it out. (Hey, I knew what I meant :) My intent was to compare the BM-VM I have with the SCXD I have, so now my comment probably makes lots more sense. It would be nice if they'd merge the fx in the SCXD with the (two really) non-redundant fx in the BM-VM and the ability to have more than one or two going at the same time.

In terms of VM ... there again, I agree with you. Not a lot of "vintage" in there. I sometimes play my 1986 Champ next to the SCXD and while the SCXD wins on features, the old 86 has a certain quality I'll call soul that the new one lacks.


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Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 8:40 am
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Fender has 3 "digital" amp series -

Cyber Twin SE

VM Series (includes Super Champ XD and Vibro Champ XD)

G-DEC Series

As Johnny S. pointed out in another thread, they're starting to discount prices on the Cyber Twin SE at retailers; my guess is that eventually they're will be 2 lines of digital amps to allow for higher-wattage versions, heads, etc. without stepping on the product lines of the other series. Time will tell.

On Tubes affecting tone:

When I had my Bandmaster combo redone/rebuilt, I decided to go with JJ tubes all around, knowing I'd eventually retube with better NOS or better tubes.

When I first got it back, it had that ice-picky sound in both channels; at first I thought it was the Weber Californias, but after talking with Weber, they said to look at the V1 or V2 tube - their Californias and the JBL D120's they sought to reproduce are anything but.

So...

had a JAN Philips 12AX7WA that was in my Princeton that doesn't get a lot of use and swapped that out for the V2 JJ. Ice pick gone.

Tubes do affect tone, and the great thing is, it's simple to check and A:B for yourself.

Great FAQ by Mike K of KCANOStubes.com on what tubes matter in your layout and some suggestions of new and old.
http://www.kcanostubes.com/content/fend ... mendations

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Last edited by nedorama on Sat Apr 10, 2010 8:55 am, edited 2 times in total.

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Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 8:50 am
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When I first saw the Bandmaster VM, I was hoping it would have been more like the original and not some cheesy effect laden digital buzz box. Just my opinion, no offense intended if you like the VM amps. So please turn off the flame throwers.:wink:

I like choosing my own effects and setting my own parameters, not having them set for me. IMO you'll never personalize your own tone that way. It can seriously stifle your creativity. It might be fun for a new player new to effects, but If you've been playing a while, It gets boring really fast if there's no variety.

For some reason the Bandmaster VM doesn't seem as loud to me as other 40-45 watt Fender amps and sounds nothing like the 73 Bandmaster I owned or any other I've played out of. A Fender tech I met at a bar told me the output tranny was undersized. Don't know how true that is though.

Like I've always said newer players like the newer Fender amps because they have no other reference point. But then again I never quite understood cranking the gain way up and turning the mids to zero, you'll never cut a mix that way. I think I'm just way too old AND old school. Sorry, just another rant by yours truly. :D


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Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 9:05 am
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It's also always interesting to see who a company is marketing to, as rarely do all things appeal one specific customer. Not a defense of any amp per se, but trying to throw a little perspective on their lines:

The GDEC series is a great "my first amp" with the built in drums, headphones, etc. That person may aspire to a DRRI one day, and it's the first step.

I'm guessing that folks looking to get a VM would never think about getting DRRI or older amp, as they're looking for newer sound, effects, price point, and whatever the competition has that's similar. Totally agree it's better to find your tone with pedals to a good amp, but for some that's a tough argument given the extra money for pedals as well as hearing them in the store.

Same with the DRRI or tweed/blonde/brown/black/silver amps - those folks wouldn't look at a VM amp, but might look at a Tone King, DRRI, etc. they might pick up a GDEC or similar as a 2nd practice amp, but they already have their holy grail amp (or are saving up for it!)

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Post subject: Fender SF & BF Amps/Peavey Classics/Vintage Modified/
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 12:13 pm
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Fender equipment has made electric music a pleasure for decades. Competition between amp makers creates better gear. I own a Classic 50 2x12 for blues. It has it's own sound, and is very reliable. My Peavey was just loaded with JJ tubes. I am extremely happy with these in this amp. The first tube change in my SCXD will be JJ. My SCXD does have a great amount of treble in reserve, that's for sure. Maybe this tube change will reduce any edges, not sure until I try it. I all ready have a few tubes extra. I don't mind if a particular tube isn't giving me the difference in response that I'm looking for. They are valuable to have in reserve for emergencies or that next amp.


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Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 12:35 pm
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To be clear - JJ's are good tubes and I'm happy with my 6L6's, etc. Wasn't trying to bash denigrate their tube line at all.

My point is that for little money and no invasive mods, you can decide for yourself if you like one tube or like another. My JAN Philips was only $36; I'm not retubing the whole amp, but one tube made a difference for me. JJ's are described as bright; my particular amp needed something a little less bright.

Also anxious to try a NOS Mullard CV4024 (12AT7) to replace the Phase Inverter - this for some can make a huge difference in tone. At $30, worth trying out.

Tubes are like fuzz boxes and ice cream - everyone has their own favorites.

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Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 12:58 pm
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My HRDlx had serious icepick in the forehead syndrome. The JJ's cured it and actually warmed the amps tone up a bit. I didn't find them bright at all. I did retube with all JJ's though. The preamp section too. That may be the difference. My HRDlx originally had GT labeled Sovetek 5881 power tubes not 6L6. They were horrible. They were also biased way cold too. Even bringing up the bias wouldn't help.


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Post subject: Tube Talk
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 1:07 pm
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I sure didn't intend to put down JJ tubes whatsoever. I like 'em a lot. Thanks for letting me know that they are a bright tube. I thought just the opposite from the response that I'm getting from my classic 50 full of JJ's. The only brand of tube I don't need to play with for awhile is Groove Tube. I should take a listen to some that I haven't tried yet. That's a nice Bandmaster Combo by the way.


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Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 1:36 pm
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Thanks for the compliment!

I got it a year ago in March, and when I got it, it was in a sad state - see the pictures for the refurbishment process:
http://gallery.me.com/nedorama#100188

Bought it off eBay from a drummer for very, very little money.


Here's what I did with the generous help of Harbor Music in Redondo Beach:
  • Faulty 2-prong power cord - replace.
  • Incorrect 3A/32V mains fuse installed - replace.
  • Big honking output transformer in the pictures you can see how the old one was jammed in there, hanging by 1 tab. Replaced with Mercury Magnetics.
  • Leaking power supply electrolytic caps - replace with F&T
  • Missing NORMAL volume pot and bright cap - install
  • New tubes (JJ)
  • Suspect power tube screen resistors - replace
  • Missing power tube grid resistors -install
  • Replaced cathode bias caps in preamp with Sprague Atom 25uF/25VDC
  • Replaced Bias Supply caps and bias resistor/diode with Sprague Atom 25uF/500VDC
  • Replaced tremolo photoresistor assembly with Surf Bug from Tonecraft
  • Replace Vibrato input jack and volume pot
  • Replace V2 JJ with JAN Philips 12AX7WA
  • Bought replacement combo cabinet from Newell Amps
  • Bought 2 Weber California Ceramic 12's with silver dustcaps (close as you can get to a new JBL D120)
  • New Chassis straps and hardware
  • Repro Fender logo - helps keep people guessing about this "mystery model"
  • Add Fender Tilt-back legs


All of the costs of buying the amp were paid for by selling old junk around the house and old band gear that I hadn't used in 3-4 years - mostly effects boxes, mixers, compressors, etc.

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Post subject: Bandmaster photo gallery
Posted: Sat Apr 10, 2010 9:36 pm
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Hey, you really know a lot about refurbishing a Fender in need of work. the replacement caps for those big Mallory's sure are smaller these days. I took notice that you must have checked the value of every component in that amp and only replaced what needed to be replaced. Leaving as much of the original as possible. To me, that's the sign of someone whom knows what they are doing. Some "techs" simply replace everything. Not interested in retaining any of the vintage circuitry whatsoever. Those types are not techs to me. I would call them R&R guys. "Remove & Replace" everything.


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Post subject: SCXD
Posted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 12:20 pm
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Most folks agree that the SCXD is a good value with some amazing tones available. The mention of an extension speaker with a 12" is a good idea and would provide an expanded (or larger) sound. I suppose, depending on the speaker there would be a moderate tone change. This is a great forum. I love Fender products.


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Post subject: Re: Bandmaster photo gallery
Posted: Sun Apr 11, 2010 9:23 pm
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pdyckman wrote:
Hey, you really know a lot about refurbishing a Fender in need of work. the replacement caps for those big Mallory's sure are smaller these days. I took notice that you must have checked the value of every component in that amp and only replaced what needed to be replaced. Leaving as much of the original as possible. To me, that's the sign of someone whom knows what they are doing. Some "techs" simply replace everything. Not interested in retaining any of the vintage circuitry whatsoever. Those types are not techs to me. I would call them R&R guys. "Remove & Replace" everything.


Thanks - it was definitely an involved process, where the goal was only to replace what was really wrong, broken, or way out of tolerance; this also mean several trips back, as by fixing some components, it revealed problems with other components that hadn't been used/stressed in 40+ years... Definitely a fun journey, and learned a ton along the way.

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