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Fender Musicmaster Bass

Picture
Yet another Ebay win. What attracted me to this was the unusual use of a transformer for the phase inverter and a pair of 6v6s.  Although there was no picture of the rear of the amp in the listing, there were lots of pictures of the original user manual and circuit diagram that came with it.  When I went to pick up the amp, I was fully expecting to see a pair of 6v6GT output valves, so was rather surprised to find the smaller bottle 6AQ5 tubes instead.  However, we plugged it in and there was a lot of crackling to which the seller said, "Oh, that never happened before."  A quick wiggle of the pre-amp valve and it settled down.  I strummed a few chords and turned up full volume and although it had a good distorted Fendery sound it was very weak and trebly, nowhere near the stated 12 Watts.  Oh well, bidder beware!  Not all sellers are totally forthright in their description of what they are selling.

Anyway, all was not lost.  I quickly ascertained that one of the differently branded output tubes (an RCA and a Brimar) was not glowing, even after the sockets and pins were cleaned.  A quick check on the valve tester showed the filament was open circuit.  Luckily I located a NOS pair of Brimars just around the corner from me for £10!  They turned out to be excellently matched too.  The chassis and speaker appeared to be totally original with no sign of any previous work being done. The dates on the transformers and chassis range from 1973 to 1976, which is slightly odd but not unreasonable.  I tested all the passive components and replaced three electrolytics which read well below par, although the main filters read substantially higher than their stated 20uF so I left the orange cardboard cigar in place.

After completing the service, the amp plays absolutely brilliantly!  What a transformation.  It is loud!  There is a hugely improved bass response, a very balanced transparent tone, no hum whatsoever, no strange crackles and a good crunch at full whack.  My mate reckons it's the best Strat sound of all the amps I've got or ever had, including the Twin Reverbs, and I don't disagree.  It's definitely a keeper and effects pedals work great too. I must get back into recording again soon, and this is the amp to do it with.  The only thing left to do is perhapse install an in-line fuse holder as for some strange reason Fender decided it didn't need one.  For now theres a 1 Amp fuse in the plug.
Musicman RP 112 Sixty-five            JMI Vox AC 10
Elpico AC52                                     Carlsbro CS 60
Filmosound Amplifiers                      Hiwatt Lead 50R
Lab Series L2                                   Burns
Lab Series L5                                   Fender Twin Reverb
Selmer Constellation 20                   Fender Musicmaster Bass
Selmer Treble & Bass Mk 2              Impact 60
Schaller KV40                                   Northcourt 50
Fender 5F1 Champ                           RSC Bass Major
Traynor YGL 3 - Mark 3                     Mystery Amp
Watkins Westminster                         Denco 912-Plus
Denco 912-Plus                                 Interesting Waveforms
Wem Dominator Mk 3                        Mullard 5-10
Wem Watkins Copicat Mk 3               Decca Amp
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  • Repairs & Servicing
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  • Filmosound
    • Filmosound Guitar Amps
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    • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Amps & Stuff
    • WEM / WATKINS >
      • Watkins Clubman
      • Watkins Westminster
      • Watkins Westminster Mk 9
      • WEM Control ER15 No. 1
      • WEM Control HR 30
      • WEM Dominator Mk3
      • Watkins Copicat Mark 2
      • Wem Watkins Copicat Mk 3
      • Wem ER100
      • Wem PA100
    • Baldwin Burns Amplifier
    • Carlsbro CS 60 PA
    • Elpico AC52
    • Leo Fender >
      • Fender Concert Repair
      • Fender Twin Reverb 1977 Silverface
      • Fender Twin Reverb 1972 Silverface
      • Fender Blues Deluxe
      • Fender Musicmaster Bass Amp
      • Musicman RP 112 Sixty-five
    • Gibson >
      • Gibson Mercury
      • Gibson Falcon GA19RVT
      • Lab Series >
        • Lab Series L2 Service and Repair
        • Lab Series L5 100W Combo (Gibson/Norlin)
    • Hiwatt Lead 50R Combo
    • Marshall >
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      • Marshall Superbass Mk2 100W Head and Cab Service Repair
    • Miscellaneous Amps >
      • Harmony H307x
      • Hotpup 5F1 Champ
      • Impact 60
      • Mystery Amp
      • RSC Bass Major
    • Orange >
      • Orange OR120 1970s Service and Repair
      • Orange TH 30 repair
    • Schaller KV 40
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  • Blog
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