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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

Permalink NAD '64/'67 Fender Showman Head - Updated Photos...

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I know you didn't ask, Snorre, but instead of spec-ing a cabinet to work, how about putting the two missing tubes back in, and use it as intended. I've always thought that pulling tubes was what you did when you had a big amp, and couldn't afford a smaller one, so you tried to make the big amp act smaller. I've seen your collection, you have the 2 tube amps covered cold!

"You can't tell where you're going if you don't know where you've been"

No worries! I was just exploring options with what I have to work with at the moment. I don't plan on plugging this puppy in until it's been to a vintage amp tech next week to give it the once over. I'll likely get the tech to restore the missing tubes, rebias, and whatever voodoo is needed.

I've got a Weber MASS 200 attenuator on order and I'll probably get a tone ring 1x15 cabinet made at Beaver Bottoms or RA Custom.

The doofus formerly known as Snorre
Surfysonic on YouTube
World Famous Philistines: 2014 - 2015
K39: 2013 - 2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv9JADQ4ukw

Last edited: Mar 02, 2018 22:44:48

Snorre wrote:

I'll probably get a tone ring 1x15 cabinet made at Beaver Bottoms or RA Custom.

Oooh, do it! Bob's work is incredible!

Matt "tha Kat" Lentz
Skippy and the Skipjacks: 2018-
Skippyandtheskipjacks.net
https://www.facebook.com/skippyandtheskipjacks
Otto and the Ottomans: 2014-2015
The Coconauts surf band: 2009-2014
www.theamazingcoconauts.com
Group Captain and the Mandrakes 2013
http://www.gcmband.com/
The Surfside IV: 2002-2005, 2008-2009
the Del-Vamps: 1992-1999, 2006-2007
http://www.dblcrown.com/delvamps.html

An update:

I took the Showman head into my local vintage amp tech. After a cursory look at it, he said some typical parts that fail over time have been upgraded, so that's fine. He's going to check out the current tubes and replace the missing ones (or replace all 4 6L6s if necessary. He'll let me know how it's going next week.

A minor change in plans...

Matt, when you were on the east coast, did you ever get to check out Atomic Music in Beltsville, MD? Lots of used gear (great, good, and not-so-good). The folks there are always willing to give a very reasonable discount as well. I recalled the last time I was there, I noticed a few blonde Fender cabs under other cabs. I thought it might be worth the trek out from Frederick to see if they possibly had a 1x15 cab. They didn't.

However, they did have three supposedly early '60s Fender Bassman cabs with Oxblood grilles.

The manager, who sold me my blue sparkle '65 Mustang a while back, told me that I could have my choice of the three for $260 (+ $15 for tax).

The first one I looked at was an early '60s rough tolex cab, but it was missing the handle, missing the Fender logo, missing the tilt legs, and was in pretty gnarly shape.

The second cab I looked at was a smooth tolex that was missing the same things as the rough tolex cab and was pretty much exactly in the same shape.

The third and other smooth tolex cab had the Fender logo (raised, not flat), the tilt legs, and was also missing the handle. I decided to get this one. The logo was probably added later on or maybe this amp is not a legit Fender cab. It really doesn't matter in the end.

So the plan for now is that I will use this Bassman cab for my El Sonido until I can find an early Bassman head down the road. I'll remove the speakers and baffle of the El Sonido cab and put in a 15x1 speaker and baffle and use it with my Showman.

Bassman cab photos:

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The doofus formerly known as Snorre
Surfysonic on YouTube
World Famous Philistines: 2014 - 2015
K39: 2013 - 2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv9JADQ4ukw

Last edited: Mar 04, 2018 01:26:32

Wow! Cool find! That cabinet is original and someone just changed the grille. It most likely had the gold sparkle because everything else looks correct for mid-63 to mid-64. The Jensens are cool and from late 1963. And they are C12Q speakers and those alone are worth more than what you paid for the cabinet. Fender usually used C12N if they used Jensens, so this is cool. Ampeg used a lot of C12Qs. Either way, you made a great find! It looks correct for the Bassman spacing for the lockdowns.

I never had the chance to go to Atomic, unfortunately. I planned on being on the East Coast for a lot longer, but my mom got ill and we moved back to AZ. Looking to move back there ever since my mom passed, so maybe soon.

Matt "tha Kat" Lentz
Skippy and the Skipjacks: 2018-
Skippyandtheskipjacks.net
https://www.facebook.com/skippyandtheskipjacks
Otto and the Ottomans: 2014-2015
The Coconauts surf band: 2009-2014
www.theamazingcoconauts.com
Group Captain and the Mandrakes 2013
http://www.gcmband.com/
The Surfside IV: 2002-2005, 2008-2009
the Del-Vamps: 1992-1999, 2006-2007
http://www.dblcrown.com/delvamps.html

Matt22 wrote:

Wow! Cool find! That cabinet is original and someone just changed the grille. It most likely had the gold sparkle because everything else looks correct for mid-63 to mid-64. The Jensens are cool and from late 1963. And they are C12Q speakers and those alone are worth more than what you paid for the cabinet. Fender usually used C12N if they used Jensens, so this is cool. Ampeg used a lot of C12Qs. Either way, you made a great find! It looks correct for the Bassman spacing for the lockdowns.

I never had the chance to go to Atomic, unfortunately. I planned on being on the East Coast for a lot longer, but my mom got ill and we moved back to AZ. Looking to move back there ever since my mom passed, so maybe soon.

Glad to hear the cabinet is original!

I'm so sorry about your mom's passing. If you do move back, we'll have to hit Atomic Music. I bet I can get our mutual friend, Brian Burgess, to come up, too. We'll have to get together and play some surf, too! I'm always happy to jump on bass. Cool

The doofus formerly known as Snorre
Surfysonic on YouTube
World Famous Philistines: 2014 - 2015
K39: 2013 - 2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv9JADQ4ukw

I've never met Brian. Is he still playing? It'd be great to check it out, for sure!

All I can say is that cancer sucks.

Matt "tha Kat" Lentz
Skippy and the Skipjacks: 2018-
Skippyandtheskipjacks.net
https://www.facebook.com/skippyandtheskipjacks
Otto and the Ottomans: 2014-2015
The Coconauts surf band: 2009-2014
www.theamazingcoconauts.com
Group Captain and the Mandrakes 2013
http://www.gcmband.com/
The Surfside IV: 2002-2005, 2008-2009
the Del-Vamps: 1992-1999, 2006-2007
http://www.dblcrown.com/delvamps.html

Matt22 wrote:

I've never met Brian. Is he still playing? It'd be great to check it out, for sure!

All I can say is that cancer sucks.

Oh, my bad - so Brian joined Group Captain and the Mandrakes when you moved back to Arizona? He's playing in a fun cover band now called Mama Java and the Caffiends. Here are some vids of us playing at last year's Baltimore-DC Gretsch Roundup. Brian is playing the silver jet. David Burch is playing the orange Gretsch, Mark Hempel (comic book artist known for Sandman) on drums, and I'm the svelte one on bass. Wink

The doofus formerly known as Snorre
Surfysonic on YouTube
World Famous Philistines: 2014 - 2015
K39: 2013 - 2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv9JADQ4ukw

That bass is rockin'! Is that a Gretsch? It looks so Bo Diddley and I believe he played Guilds.

Matt "tha Kat" Lentz
Skippy and the Skipjacks: 2018-
Skippyandtheskipjacks.net
https://www.facebook.com/skippyandtheskipjacks
Otto and the Ottomans: 2014-2015
The Coconauts surf band: 2009-2014
www.theamazingcoconauts.com
Group Captain and the Mandrakes 2013
http://www.gcmband.com/
The Surfside IV: 2002-2005, 2008-2009
the Del-Vamps: 1992-1999, 2006-2007
http://www.dblcrown.com/delvamps.html

Yeah, it’s called a “Billy-Bo” for Billy Gibbons and Bo Diddley. There is a guitar version as well. While it looks cool and sounds great, it’s not the most comfortable to play. I sold it later last year.

There is also a Gretsch Bo Diddley signature guitar, a very square shaped guitar.

The doofus formerly known as Snorre
Surfysonic on YouTube
World Famous Philistines: 2014 - 2015
K39: 2013 - 2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv9JADQ4ukw

Last edited: Mar 04, 2018 23:56:57

Hahaha! here is your new amp when someone else was selling it here on SG101. /same chassis code, 10057. Looks like it got parted out.

https://surfguitar101.com/forums/topic/29718/?page=1#p401489

Also,you probably got a better deal than $4000 for the set.

"You can't tell where you're going if you don't know where you've been"

Last edited: Mar 05, 2018 16:52:51

WOW! Shock Looks like this amp has been coast to coast. Crazy find, Chris! Good detective work. I wonder if it was stolen? I'm always a bit leery of the first post guys wanting to sell gear.

Matt "tha Kat" Lentz
Skippy and the Skipjacks: 2018-
Skippyandtheskipjacks.net
https://www.facebook.com/skippyandtheskipjacks
Otto and the Ottomans: 2014-2015
The Coconauts surf band: 2009-2014
www.theamazingcoconauts.com
Group Captain and the Mandrakes 2013
http://www.gcmband.com/
The Surfside IV: 2002-2005, 2008-2009
the Del-Vamps: 1992-1999, 2006-2007
http://www.dblcrown.com/delvamps.html

How crazy! It does look to be the same head. It looks like between then and now, someone removed two of the tubes and put the 100 watt sticker (now partially broken off) on the back of the chassis to the left of the Ground label. Scuff marks and such look to be identical based on my photos provided on the first page of my posting.

I do hope it wasn't stolen. That would be a bummer. Somehow, it ended up from San Diego to Indiana at a Guitar Center (where I bought it online).

Looking at his cab, it looks like a 2x15 cab? Interesting. I pulled the trigger today on a set of two used JBL D-140F 15 Inch Speakers with plans to only use one of them and I would figure out what to do with the other one down the road.

The doofus formerly known as Snorre
Surfysonic on YouTube
World Famous Philistines: 2014 - 2015
K39: 2013 - 2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv9JADQ4ukw

Sonichris wrote:

Also,you probably got a better deal than $4000 for the set.

That's so freaking stupid...

Aren’t D140s bass speakers?

Squink Out!

JObeast wrote:

Aren’t D140s bass speakers?

Yes and they don't sound too good with guitar. Very dark and muffled.

The Hicadoolas

Last edited: Mar 05, 2018 21:36:13

I always loved my D140s and mostly used them for guitar and liked the fact that I didn't have to worry about using a different cabinet for Bass.

Matt "tha Kat" Lentz
Skippy and the Skipjacks: 2018-
Skippyandtheskipjacks.net
https://www.facebook.com/skippyandtheskipjacks
Otto and the Ottomans: 2014-2015
The Coconauts surf band: 2009-2014
www.theamazingcoconauts.com
Group Captain and the Mandrakes 2013
http://www.gcmband.com/
The Surfside IV: 2002-2005, 2008-2009
the Del-Vamps: 1992-1999, 2006-2007
http://www.dblcrown.com/delvamps.html

According to Ampwares and The Fender Amp Field Guide, JBL D-130F or JBL D-140F have been used with Showman amps, so I'll give the JBL D-140F a try.

I have the stock JBL D-130F in my '60 Vibrasonic and sounds wonderful. I'll likely be satisfied with one of these old JBL-140F speakers, too. If it doesn't work with the Showman, I'll try something else.

The doofus formerly known as Snorre
Surfysonic on YouTube
World Famous Philistines: 2014 - 2015
K39: 2013 - 2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv9JADQ4ukw

Last edited: Mar 06, 2018 12:48:53

I got the Showman head back from my amp tech on Saturday. It's all checked out and good to go with 4 all new 6L6 tubes to bring it back to it's 100-watt glory.

I emailed Bob at Beaver Bottoms today about building me a 15" Tone Ring cabinet to go with the Showman head. Hopefully, I'll hear back from him soon.

I'm going to leave the El Sonido cab as is and likely sell it with the El Sonido head in the near future now that I have the '62 Bassman head and cab. Nothing wrong at all with the El Sonido, I just don't have the room for it and it should go to someone who can use it. Cool

The doofus formerly known as Snorre
Surfysonic on YouTube
World Famous Philistines: 2014 - 2015
K39: 2013 - 2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv9JADQ4ukw

Last edited: Mar 12, 2018 15:53:01

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