Fender AB763 vs. AB763 vs. AB763

Update :

This is what i got from the original builder, once i asked him if he can remember the 2011 build :

''Yes, it would be more like the AB763 - a Twin Reverb normal channel preamp with half output, plus master volume.''

This build does NOT have a Reverb/Trem channel.
Can I assume it is diode rectified, and not valve/tube rectified ?

Also, this build has a claimed wattage of 40, and runs into a single 12inch Jensen.
 
Also, this build has a claimed wattage of 40, and runs into a single 12inch Jensen.


The Bandmaster is rated at 40 watts and the blackface version did not have Reverb. It did have vibrato, but on one channel only.

Silicon rectifier. Not a tube. The Twin Reverb did not have a tube rectifier either.

The Bandmaster was a head only and came with a two 12" speaker cabinet.

To be honest, I didn't like the sound as much as the 40 watt Pro Reverb, which had two 12's and did have a tube rectifier.

IMO, the blackface Fenders with reverb sound better whether you use the reverb or not.

All my opinion and personal preference, of course.
 
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my buddy has two pro reverbs a '64 and '66 i believe. such great amps! i can borrow them whenever i want but barely ever need to since i cant even crank my dr the way i want most of the time. the pro has a little more give than a super reverb in my experience.

as far as the twin reverb normal channel amp... its probably ss rectified which isnt a bad thing really. it will probably be a fairly clean, fairly loud amp with a straight forward slightly mid scooped tone. the mv may help you get some dirt at lower volumes but with only two bf style tube stages, even with the preamp dimed, there isnt a ton of dirt. if its a post pi mv then you can get some pi breakup too. i dont love the newer jensens, especially compared to the old ones but speakers are easy enough to swap. its probably a very good pedal platform amp
 
my buddy has two pro reverbs a '64 and '66 i believe. such great amps! i can borrow them whenever i want but barely ever need to since i cant even crank my dr the way i want most of the time. the pro has a little more give than a super reverb in my experience.

as far as the twin reverb normal channel amp... its probably ss rectified which isnt a bad thing really. it will probably be a fairly clean, fairly loud amp with a straight forward slightly mid scooped tone. the mv may help you get some dirt at lower volumes but with only two bf style tube stages, even with the preamp dimed, there isnt a ton of dirt. if its a post pi mv then you can get some pi breakup too. i dont love the newer jensens, especially compared to the old ones but speakers are easy enough to swap. its probably a very good pedal platform amp

I switched to Deluxe Reverbs quite a few years ago.

Still love the Pro Reverb but like you, I can't turn it up loud enough to get the sound out of it I used to get "back in the day".

"Back in the day" meaning back when I was making myself deaf.
 
Yes, it is SS rectified which is why these amps have that tight low-end, a tighter tone all together. If you are looking for that classic "tube" rectifier sound that is where the master volume comes in. If you crank the channel the pre-amp tubes will give a bit of sag and you will get the classic bloom you would get from a tube rectifier then adjust with the master volume for the room. The master volumes on these amps are amazing if you know how to dial them in especially if you hit the front end with a little boost or overdrive.

i dont love the newer jensens, especially compared to the old ones but speakers are easy enough to swap. its probably a very good pedal platform amp

My older Jensens were beaten to crap after decades of gigging. Right before putting my amp in mothballs, I put Celestion Type A speakers in the amp. Here is a review.

​​​​​​http://www.tmrzoo.com/2018/73030/gui...is-newer-again
 
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my buddy has two pro reverbs a '64 and '66 i believe. such great amps! i can borrow them whenever i want but barely ever need to since i cant even crank my dr the way i want most of the time. the pro has a little more give than a super reverb in my experience.

as far as the twin reverb normal channel amp... its probably ss rectified which isnt a bad thing really. it will probably be a fairly clean, fairly loud amp with a straight forward slightly mid scooped tone. the mv may help you get some dirt at lower volumes but with only two bf style tube stages, even with the preamp dimed, there isnt a ton of dirt. if its a post pi mv then you can get some pi breakup too. i dont love the newer jensens, especially compared to the old ones but speakers are easy enough to swap. its probably a very good pedal platform amp

. . . thanks Jeremy ;)
 
Yes, it is SS rectified which is why these amps have that tight low-end, a tighter tone all together. If you are looking for that classic "tube" rectifier sound that is where the master volume comes in. If you crank the channel the pre-amp tubes will give a bit of sag and you will get the classic bloom you would get from a tube rectifier then adjust with the master volume for the room. The master volumes on these amps are amazing if you know how to dial them in especially if you hit the front end with a little boost or overdrive.



My older Jensens were beaten to crap after decades of gigging. Right before putting my amp in mothballs, I put Celestion Type A speakers in the amp. Here is a review.

​​​​​​http://www.tmrzoo.com/2018/73030/gui...is-newer-again

Seeing as this amp is hand build . . . does any one think you can convert this circuit to a valve/tube rectified circuit, ala 5E3-style ?
 
Seeing as this amp is hand build . . . does any one think you can convert this circuit to a valve/tube rectified circuit, ala 5E3-style ?

I wouldn't attempt that, and I've built amps from scratch.

For one thing, you might not have the voltage available from the power transformer to light up another tube without decreasing the voltage to your other tubes.

My brother Bruce owns Mission Amps in Denver and that's what he does for a living.

That amp looks nice but can you try it out before purchasing it?

It looks home made.

A presence control is not something you ever see on blackface Fenders, BTW.

Not that it's a bad idea.

When I removed the master volume control from a 70's silverface Twin Reverb for a friend, I replaced it with a presence control.
 
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looks like a cool amp and lew is right about the presence control though id assume professional builder rather than homemade i wouldnt bother trying to add a tube rectifier. youd probably need a different power transformer or to add a small 5v power tranny among other things. and that aint ever gonna be a 5e3, if thats what you want, this isnt the amp for you. the 5e3 is gonna be super squishy compared to this thing
 
A 5E3 and a BF Twin are about as far apart as you can get. Completely different tone stack, preamp circuit, phase inverter, lower B+, output stage, etc etc...There is no suitable 5v winding in a Twin Reverb PT so a tube rectifier would require a transformer that would supply that voltage and a nominal 2 amps. But you can replace the stock SS rectifier with modules that will drop some B+, similar to what a tube rectifier would do.
 
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looks like a cool amp and lew is right about the presence control though id assume professional builder rather than homemade i wouldnt bother trying to add a tube rectifier. youd probably need a different power transformer or to add a small 5v power tranny among other things. and that aint ever gonna be a 5e3, if thats what you want, this isnt the amp for you. the 5e3 is gonna be super squishy compared to this thing

Only reason I made the "home made" comment was because the lettering on the faceplate looks like it's handwritten. Maybe it's not.

The cabinet looks gorgeous!
 
it does, reminds me of a homestead i played through. i think the lettering is just a font that supposed to look like hand writing.

if its a hand wired amp, which i assume it to be, if you can get it for a good price id probably do it. it looks beautiful
 
I wouldn't attempt that, and I've built amps from scratch.

For one thing, you might not have the voltage available from the power transformer to light up another tube without decreasing the voltage to your other tubes.

My brother Bruce owns Mission Amps in Denver and that's what he does for a living.

That amp looks nice but can you try it out before purchasing it?

It looks home made.

A presence control is not something you ever see on blackface Fenders, BTW.

Not that it's a bad idea.

When I removed the master volume control from a 70's silverface Twin Reverb for a friend, I replaced it with a presence control.

Nope. . . unfortunately not.

The seller stays 7+ hour's car ride away.

I too thought that the Presence knob was a strange idea.
 
A 5E3 and a BF Twin are about as far apart as you can get. Completely different tone stack, preamp circuit, phase inverter, lower B+, output stage, etc etc...There is no suitable 5v winding in a Twin Reverb PT so a tube rectifier would require a transformer that would supply that voltage and a nominal 2 amps. But you can replace the stock SS rectifier with modules that will drop some B+, similar to what a tube rectifier would do.

Great news . . . thank you ;)
 
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