I'm looking to purchase a bandmaster head. Anyone have any insights on what to look for? Do these break up similiarly to a super reverb type head or are they really clean like a twin? Thanks for any insight. Any clips of a bandmaster AT VOLUME would be appreciated.
Check on youtube. I have found several goos clips there. As for their sound it can vary greatly on which circuit is in there. There are some with the same circuit as the SR (AB165 I think) but not all. They break up earlier than a twin but later than a Bassman. Their sound is also affected greatly by the speaker setup. I use a 2x12 piggyback but some go with a 4x10 or even other setups.
Stock Bandmasters are somewhat limited in themselves. They don't have the reverb recovery gain stage that gives the amps with reverb a little more gain in the reverb channel, but since the two channels aren't out of phase you can bridge them to fatten up the sound. They also have a relatively small output transformer compared to a Super or a Bassman. A common mod is to replace the OT with the bigger one from a Bassman, which gives you better low end response, and generally a bigger sound. They also have a solid state rectifier (like the Bassman and Twin, but unlike a Super or Deluxe) so you don't get the little big of sag that some really like in the cleans.
I have a Bandmaster Reverb Head ,a Silverface model, they are great amps and sound great as well. Mine has a tube rectifier that is stock. Theses amps are nice cause they break up a bit sooner than a SuperReverb,plus you can run any speaker configuration provided you don't go below 4 ohms. Mine has some mods done like spliting the reverb on both channels , a switch to take the vibrato out of the circuit, this gives a couple extra watts, and a master added for both channels, this allows breakup at lower volumes. I may be selling this one soon, check back if interested.
thanks much.. In talking to a tech friend of mine (that I trust), his first words were to think about upgrading the OT with something a bit bigger.. as I would want an 8ohm tap (as all my cabs are 8 ohms).. something i would do anyway.. Al Sort of funny, but I do like a bit of sag in the cleans, but I don't like much sag when I'm playing dirty... I'd be using the bandmaster mostly for dirtish cleans.. if that makes sense
I still gig with my '64 Bandmaster (non-reverb). It will stay clean up to about 6 on either channel with a single coil p/u... and that's pretty darn loud. I usually bridge/blend the channels to fatten it up a bit (who need a larger OT?). I run it into a 2x12 semi-closed back 4 ohm cab loaded with a vintage 30 and a Jensen P12Q. It's got the coveted AB763 blackface circuit, it's handwired, and they're cheap!
Some thoughts - - Run a search on the term "Bandmaster" and you'll find lots more discussions, descriptions, and tech info. - Think before you replace an OT. All-original ones are getting scarcer. If you need more power, get a Bassman. You can run an 8-ohm cab with a Bandmaster's 4-ohm output, just not 16 ohm cabs. =K
