Fender Amp Dudes...Dual Showman?

[Farkus]

Hey guys,

I'm looking at my current stable of gear and I'm wanting to add another Fender amp to my lineup. I'm wanting something with reverb. I've been looking for Vibroluxes but they're just too pricey (mostly b/c I want to stay BF). Anyone have experience with the Dual Showman? I've got my eye on one that is a 1st year SF (supposedly). I'd like to stay with older amps (no reissues)...what do you guys think of this amp?

 

[kmcguitars]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes...Dual Showman?

A Dual Showman Reverb ? Pretty much a Twin in a head version. You won't find a BF Showman w/t verb. The 1st year for the verb model was 68'. Pretty cool amp. Only thing I never liked about them was the extended cab. Fender put them in.(In a attemp to keep the reverb tank from the tranny's) Oddly I once bought a Twin reverb that someone put in a dual showman reverb cab.?
After a month or so ,I located a Twin cab. and made it back into a combo.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes...Dual Showman?

I could answer these questions but KMC nailed it! SF Dual Showman Reverbs are cool amps (aside from the looks...not that that really matters) as are BF Dual Showman amps but there were no BF Dual showman amps with reverb. Like KMC said the Dual Showman Reverb pretty much IS a Twin Reverb in head form...I have a 1969 Twin Reverb and if you need to be loud AND clean it's the ONLY way to fly IMO...great amp and I don't think I'll ever sell it. However, there is little to no crunch to be had unless you realy crank them and at that point there is still not much crunch but it loud as hell!

I'll be honest with ya...there are really no deals left in the BF world except non reverb amps, even BF Vibrochamps have gotten out of hand IMO...a non reverb Deluxe or Princeton can still be had at a decent price as can Tremoloux and Bandmaster heads, and things like that. If you are dead set on a BF Fender WITH reverb yu really have 2 choices...pay a lot or look HARD for a deal, find an amp that need some work and get it cheep and put money into it.

 

[Farkus]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes...Dual Showman?

So the Dual Showman Reverb is the same deal as the Bandmaster Reverb then...the first year they're available with reverb is as a silver face. The Bandmaster Reverb is a new circuit (differerent than the blackface); is it the same deal with the Dual Showman Reverb or is the BF Twin Circuit in a SF package?

On a different option, have you guys ever tried a Fender Reverb Tank stand alone? Would the tone be the same as the onboard reverb?

I don't mind putting some money into an amp as long as I'm not 'rebuilding' it from scratch...

 

[Farkus]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes...Dual Showman?

Okay, I checked the Fender Amp Field Guide and see that it's a different circuit. Bah.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes...Dual Showman?

Both the Bandmaster reverb and the Dual Showman Reverb are ONLY SF amps, they both came out in 1968 as a SF w/ drop edge trim and both are different from say a BF Bandmaster and a BF Twin however both can be Blackfaced. On to the Fedner reverb tanks...COMPLETELY DIFFERENT very that what you find built into a BF Fender amp.

 

[LJ King]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes...Dual Showman?

The earliest silverface Dual Showmans were not the Dual Showman Reverbs. The addition of reverb to both the Bandmaster and Dual Showman models was a mid to late 1968 introduction, after the silverface trim was incorporated into the line.

 

[modophoto]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes...Dual Showman?

68' Pro Reverb.
I'm playing through one right now, and I gotta tell ya
It's pretty sweet

 

[krankguitarist]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes...Dual Showman?

Okay, I checked the Fender Amp Field Guide and see that it's a different circuit. Bah.

I've got a '68 Showman Reverb. As far as the amp goes...It's really not all that different from a blackface twin reverb. There's a few component value changes here and there, and they add a couple of caps, but all in all if you wanted to blackface one it wouldn't be too difficult at all.

This wouldn't be true of some of the later 70's models though, when they started using the ultralinear transformers. I'd say stay away from those if you're lookin for BF vibe.

And yeah...the showman reverb head is ugly as hell. Its functional though :smokin:.

 

[More-Gear-Than-Skill]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes...Dual Showman?

I've found that when i'm in the mood for some reverb, i can jumper back out of the neighboring "in" (on the normal channel) and send that onward to a small reverb equipped amp. Make the little amp brightish and very wet with reverb... And that way, it's very "wide" sounding and convincing reverb! With the BF mojo still dry and punchy too! Perfect. Mines a '64 Showman. Man, it sounds wonderful any way you try it...

PS, if it's loud enough, you won't need verb!

 

[B Bent]

Re: Fender Amp Dudes...Dual Showman?

I can't imagine having a Dual Showman Reverb just because of the loudness issue, but that's just me. I am expecting a 1973 Bandmaster Reverb to show up at my office even as i type.

To me the 40 watt Bandmaster w/ Verb should be killer. I imagine it will sound like my Vibrolux but in head form.

I for one actually like the really tall cabinets. It really is a shame Fender didn't make more options for heads with reverb.