SanchoPansen wrote:

I don't crank the amp up to 11. It just stays at the
sweet spot around 5-6. Like you said, your Blues Jr. is
extra violent at 3-4. I've put the Volume Pedal to the
end of the effects chain, even after the noise gate but
before the reverb tank (last unit in the chain). Hope
this helps and the VPs are cheap and easy to get

Oh I see. As I understand, when you lower the input volume to the amp - you hit the preamp less (not to mention the power tubes) and the sound should clean up - wouldn't stay in the sweet spot. So how come you preserve the grit? Well if it works for you it works, it's all relative anyway...
Does your amp has an FX loop? could be interesting putting the VP there.
The BJr. is different animal - it has pre and post gain (volume and master), so I can easily dial in preamp tube saturation and stay with conservative decibel level.
As I gather: to get a kind of Dick Dale distortion going, the amp does need to be cracked to work the output tubes and the speaker.
[and to lower the output - that's what attenuators are for. Of course the speakers then don't receive full power and it does change the sound, but you can't have it all.]
VPs are sure useful nevertheless, I would certainly like to have one.
Thanks for your answer.

JeffH wrote:

You can pull two tubes ... Check with the tech ...

I will look into it, thanks.

Some of the early blackface amps, Showman included,
were covered in blonde Tolex originally although those
were '64's.

That's interesting. I saw some amps like this online, didn't know what to make of it. They do look cool. The seller says the amp is late '65 (single, not dual).
Thank you.

Yeah!

Thanks all for the encouragement, I believe I made the right decision (that's really understating it, but my vocabulary's lame...)

1. Sound.
Tried it at the seller's (he's a tech, with lots of experience, cool and straight as an arrow). It sounds... wait for it... FABULOUS! what did you expect.
I played with assortment of Fender guitars he had (no Jazzmaster though, but no worries here), I played soft, played loud, played VERY loud. It is super clean, but beautiful, so characteristic. Amazingly quiet hiss-wise when cranked. You all know what it's supposed to sound like, well it does, and that's all I need amp-wise.

2. Tech.
Tubes are new NOS (that's new new, I know ). Inside (we opened her up), everything is 100% original [expect for 1 tremolo potentiometer]. Solder points, component values, cables, all perfect perfect to spec. This thing was build to last, such great engineering. Makes me warm and fuzzy inside.

The tremolo had a bit of stutter, so we tracked it down to the optical lamp thingy whachamacallit (looks messed with, the two strands were shortcutting and the shrink-wrap was cut). The tech will order one and replace it for me. Also gave me a year's guarantee on all the parts (It's not even a shop, just a pro working from home).

On one of the preamp channels, he put a different (lower rated but still in spec) tube, sounds a bit more Bassman-ish. I like the ability to bridge the channels and mix to my liking, versatility's good.
Except the trem thing which will be fixed, this is WIN.

3. Cosmetics.
As you can see, cosmetically it's not in the greatest condition, quite beat up. Cool with me, has it's charm, this thing is almost 50 years old after all. I'll rub and scrub (gently!) and try to restore some shimmer to the metal and plastic parts. Just because I wanna... give it some lovin'.

Some unknown past owner replaced the Tolex with cream. Great color, not great execution. You can see that, especially in the corners, some parts are not glued well or not straight. Just not clean work. It'll do for now, I bought this thing for it's sound, but I do plan in the future to re-do it like it should.

Also, the grill is '63 (this baby is '65), but look OK to me. I like this color combination better than the original '65's anyway, and it looks great with the blackface.

4. Future.
I'm so happy, this amp is going to serve me well. And I now hold a piece of Surf music history, that's just too awesome. This bitch is going to be played, tremoloed, surfed, recorded, gigged, the whole shebang.

Oh, and the same guy is going to build me a custom Reverb unit, with some vintage fender parts in a Marshall head box, same circuit exactly as the '63 tank. Going to be expensive, but not more than importing a reissue here, so that's my best option.

Now, the Showman is just sitting here, pretending to be furniture, haven't got a cab to it yet. This is killing me, I wanna blow off my ceiling. I plan to get one in the next few days, hope to make it right.
So many options! With tone-ring or w/o? 15" or 12"? x4 x2 or x1? Alnico or Ceramic? Paper or weed (ahem, Cannabis)? Open or closed back? ... I think I need to start a new topic on this...

5. Thank you!
SG101 is great. It's here I got the inspiration and motivation to pick up again on making music, and really dig into it this time. Where was Surf all my life? I missed out on so much, but never too late! Now I got the gear, no more excuses. I'm excited.

Peace, Jah love.

Thanks!
Now I need advice on speakers/cabs.
Does the wood matter at all (in terms of sound?)?
And all the questions above ^^^^^

Congrats on the super find! You'll have to see if this is a 4 or an 8 Ohm to determine which speaker configuration you'll need.

http://surfguitar101.com/forums/topic/9942/

Matt "tha Kat" Lentz
Skippy and the Skipjacks: 2018-2020
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

Last edited: Nov 01, 2011 12:52:05

You are correct about the speaker configuration. As long as the load is 8 Ohms, you're good to go.

Yes, Fender made a cabinet for a single 12" speaker with a Tone-ring for the Showman until 1965.

Matt "tha Kat" Lentz
Skippy and the Skipjacks: 2018-2020
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

Congratulations! It looks awesome!

The Hicadoolas