Fender Bandmaster (Blackface)

These Fender amplifier's a really fun amplifiers. They have a great tone and a brilliant clean tone that is very inspiring and works quite well with whatever guitar or effects that you use in combination with it. These amps have a familiar tone that is been use on countless records and live recordings and he has been seen on many stages around the world. These are the kind amplifiers that take effects pedals quite well, so if you're using overdrive or distortion pedals or any type of effects modulation then you can get it really cool tone that will fit whatever the persons desired tonal needs are.

UTILIZATION

One of the things I really love about these old Fender amplifiers is your ability to really allow the person's unique style or whatever guitarist gives will be amplified in a way that will be complementing to their specific tonal needs. These are the kind amplifiers that really compliment a players dynamics and tone that sometimes they can cover up mistakes. So if you're a sloppy guitar player it could be beneficial to you in some aspects that it hides mistakes or bad technique. On the other hand that might not help you become as efficient or better as a guitar player. However it makes playing a little bit more fun. The set up of the amp is pretty self explanatory. Everything is laid out and labeled the way it describes. Even a monkey could probably figure out this amplifier was just a few twists of a few knobs.

SOUNDS

These amps have a great sound and a great tone for most styles of music. They're highlighted in the clean section and can give you a really sparkly chimey type tone. They do not to give you a load of distortion and they're certainly not to give you that thick warm British tone that you would hear out of Hiwatt or Marshall amplifier's. This is a basic American Standard clean type tone that you need to use overdrive pedals or distortion pedals in conjunction with. These amplifiers take effects pedals very well and really highlight the nuances and feel of every panel let's look into it.

OVERALL OPINION

You can find these amplifiers pretty easily and most used classified sections and circulated throughout eBay from time to time. They're very common amplifiers and they're pretty much in overall generally a good amplifier for a type of guitarist. It's pretty much a amplifier that will be as common as you can get so that it really transcends most guitarists styles very easily. These are fun amplifiers that have a vintage tone. If you don't want the vintage thing then go with something more modern.

The Fender Band Master is a tube based guitar amplifier that has both a amp head and a very large speaker cabinet.  The speaker cabinet consists of four separate speakers and the amp has two channels.  The left channel is simpler than the second one as the second one also has controls for vibrato.  Each channel has two 1/4 inch inputs and the head has a speaker cable output in the back.  I'm not sure the exact wattage on this amp, but this guy can really crank pretty loud.  The left channel has parameters for volume, treble, and bass while the right channel has the same parameters as well as knobs for speed and intensity to control the vibrato effect.

UTILIZATION

Getting a good sound from the Fender Band Master is quite an easy task and this amp has a great inherent tone to begin with.  Depending on which channel you are using, the parameters are pretty limited but there is enough there to get a variety of tones for different types of genres.  I generally use the right channel as I love using the vibrato effect, but both channels sound great.  I haven't seen a manual for the Fender Band Master so I can't say if it would be helpful, but anyone with experience with any sort of amp shouldn't have much trouble getting by without one.

SOUNDS

I usually use the Fender Band Master for recording with a Fender Stratocaster as nothing can beat the Fender on Fender tone quality.  I will sometimes use an overdrive pedal like a Boss DS-1 or a T-Rex Dr. Swamp, but generally like the sound clean from this amp and will use that most of the time.  I love the vibrato effect on this amp and it is really one of the best features of this amplifier.  No matter what type of music you are playing, the Fender Band Master will probably work great if you are looking for good clean tone quality for your electric guitar.

OVERALL OPINION

I've been using the Fender Band Master for recording on and off for a few years and it is always a pleasure to use.  However, I would really recommend it for live shows simply because the speaker cabinet is so big!  That's why it is probably best to use the head with another cabinet if you want to use it for shows or just keep it in the studio.  The price is reasonable for this amp if you can find one, which isn't always easy as they are somewhat hard to come by.  All in all, the Fender Band Master is a great guitar amplifier made by the masters of their craft.

Tube amps of the 60 or 70, the old circuit (wiring by hand with high quality), 2 power tubes (45 watts), 2 channels with boost, 3 pots (volume, bass and treble), vibrato .

UTILIZATION

Use and simple setup. The sound is achieved very easily

SOUNDS

The sound is round, warm, dynamic but still very cozy.
It does not crunch quickly because the turnaround is not light.
No channel distortion (or reverb on mine). Provide good effects pedals.

This amp is very versatile. He excels in all styles: Funk, Rock, Reggae ... And Jazz! It is not clear to come across a great jazz amp sounds to find the great masters (Burrell, Kessel, Hall, Benson ...) This amp does the job!
I play Ibanez RG with a basic (Micro Seymour) and an old George Benson 80 '. Anyway, this amp would sound a cow!

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for two months in rehearsal (practice, there is the head to carry) or apartment. Obviously it is better not to have neighbors if one really wants to exploit the grain of this amp.

I obviously try amps lately (Fender reissue 65 ... for example) to ring the UK and play jazz ... Nothing doing on that side.

In terms of sound quality and design, there is no denying the old Fender (silver and black) are still and always at the forefront of what is happening in the market, to be discussed with a few technicians. I would recommend this regard Tube Audio Service for revisions in the Paris suburbs, because the technician is a very serious and respectful of stuff. Yet for these amps certainly very robust, particularly where there is precious capacitors are no longer these days and that greatly affect the sound (Mallory molded), caution when looking for a technician!

The positive point is the quality
The downside: no reverb ... (But is that really matters?)

Choice I would do, of course ...