Fender Bandmaster

A 1966 blackface Band-Master. This score is low because the Band-Master doesn???t have reverb and tone controls for bass and treble. No effects loop, line out, headphone plug, or 8 ohm speaker out. But, this amp was state of the art when it was designed in the 1950???s. If you want an old blackface Fender, you???re not really worried about the features. I love this amp for its musicality.

Sound quality is the best I???ve ever heard. Its tone is even better than the Super Reverb or Twin Reverb because of the monster closed cabinet. I was hoping for a Super but this amp came up and I couldn???t pass it by. I own two Dr. Z???s (Carmon Ghia and Z-28) and they sound incredible. I never imagined tone could get better than the Dr. Z???s but this big, beautiful monster is better. Incredible clean tones. The amp loves peddles ??? add a tube screamer and you can get super crunchy. Great bass response. At the some time its chimney and bright. If all amps are carbon and the great amps are crystal, the blackface Band-Master is a diamond.

I can???t comment on reliability because I???ve only had the amp a week. But, it???s over forty years old and still running strong.

Not really applicable because of the age of the amp.

mine is a 66 blackface. Every thing works flawlessly on it including the trem. Everything is original (maybe even the tubes). It still has the old cord on it.

I have 3 70 era fender silverfaces, some modded some original. I build electric guitars and have 2 teles and an esquire type broadcaster. This amp make the broadcaster sound absolutely magical. ( for reference forget swampash, use solid pine way better tone than swampash. This amp has a tweedish sound to it breaks up some at about 4 or 5. doesn't get nasty after that tho. Takes pedals well. I have two hardwire pedals that give a Paisley sorta sound. I have a 67 bassman, this amp actually sounds better to me than the bassman. Mine is a head of course, I play it thru the cab of a 73 twin reverb.

great amp.

This is a 1964 Bandmaster head and 2X12 cab. Piggy-back mounts, tilt-back legs, JBL D120f speakers. Beautiful tobacco aged grille cloth on head and cab- give it that well played vintage Fender black-face look. A ton of power- too loud for most small clubs I play in. Sounds great at our outdoor gigs. Power is provided by a pair of 6L6 power tubes. I occassionally wish it had reverb, but I think that the simple design is part of what makes the amp sound so good. It takes pedals very very well- maybe better than any other amp I've owned. This adds to the versatility quite a bit.

I plug several guitars into this Bandmaster. An old Epiphone Casino, a newer Gibson ES-137, a Rickenbacker 360\12, a Gibson Melody Maker, and a Fender Strat. All sound like a great version of themselves through this amp. It is very warm, and chimey- thicker sounding than many other Fenders I've played through. The amp is loud and clear up until 4 or so on the volume knob, above that it starts to compress and overdrive in a very musical sort of way. Plugged through the JBL's and using the ES137 (ceramic humbuckers) I can't be in the same room as it past 5 or 6 on the volume knob because it is so loud. Past that it doesn't get that much louder-just more overdriven and aggressive sounding. I have tried using the head with a 16 ohm Vox cab with celestions, and find that I can get to 5 or 6 on the volume knob with less volume. JBL's are loud speakers!! With the celestions I could dial in some very good classic rock tones moving closer to marshall territory without losing that smoother Fender sound. I really love the sound of this amplifier!! It is maybe the most under rated Fender amp around- why I don't know! I also have a 63 Bassman head, a 66 Showman head, and a Deluxe Reverb combo, and the Bandmaster sounds as good or better than any of them. It is kind of a half way point between the Bassman and the Deluxe in terms of tone. Maybe not quite as fat as the Bassman, or as bright as the Deluxe, but a wonderful blend of the two. It sounds a lot like the Showman, but is much more gig friendly because of the more usuable volume level. Believe me, a Showman is only going to give you clean sound at a gig, but the Bandmaster can give you a little grind if you need it at more reasonable volumes. It is an excellent example of classic black face tone, and while the prices are affordable- get one!! That's all I can say. It won't be long before the prices on these babies sky rocket! The word is getting out, and people aren't using as large of amplifiers any more. Everywhere I go stage volumes are coming down, and people are using smaller amps. Blackface twins cost much more than Bandmasters at present, but I don't know where people plan to use those amps. And I'm sorry- running an amp at 2 or 3 on the volume knob isn't really making use of the amp! The Bandmaster with a strat is a wonderful combination- my favorite actually. You can push the Bandmaster to 5 or 6 with the single coils, and get a nice snappy, slightly compressed tone, great for blues, funk, reggae, or fusion. Beautiful!

The funny thing is- I bought this amp 5 or 6 years ago. Out of habit I took it straight to my tech to have it looked at. He said it was still running on the original caps and tubes! Blew my mind. I had him replace the caps with some new of high quality, and new tubes. (Although I kept the old ones for posterity) Since then, I haven't had one problem with the amp. It's been to at least 150 shows during that time, and never once have I had a problem! 45 years old now- and still running strong. I'm impressed with it to say the least. Glad I found this amp when I did!

In this case customer support has not been necessary or possible. However- when Fender made this amp 45 years ago...they made a bullet-proff tank of an amp- one that is still running strong. And that is the best customer service you can give.

I've been playing guitar for 13 years now. I'm 28- and I gig proffessionally at least twice a week. I often take out my JMI AC30, along with one Blackface Fender....and at least 3\5's of the time I choose the Bandmaster. Every time I do, I wonder why I don't just sell the rest of my amps- including the AC30, and buy a recording studio worth of equipment with the extra money. Maybe in the end that's what I will do. When I started obsessing over amps 10 years ago, I never would've guessed that in the end the Bandmaster would be as good as gets for me- especially considering how affordable they are. But- it has been a very pleasant surprise. And it's one of the only amps I can count on firing up for me every time!!!

I have an amazing pre-CBS Bandmaster from 1964. I was fortunate enough to purchase it around ten years ago from the original owner. He played it a handful of times and then placed it in his attic. I was truly interested in teh 1964 Jazzmaster that was for sale with the amp. I have another '64 Jazzmaster that is worn and beaten, but plays so smooth. So when the opportunity came to purchase as backup, I could not resist. I do not collect, I play. ....back to the amp. I replace the capacitors and put the old vintage RCA tubes away for safe keeping. They rumble a bit too much. The set up comes with the original 4x10 Jensen cabinet. The screw knobs and angle brackets are also there. Tilting that amp back is something out of the Buddy Holly story. I have also been partial to my 100W Marshall Superlead and 4X12 25w greenback Celestion cab, but this amp has grown on my in recent months (it only took 10 years). It is a we warm cutting tone. I play a lot of dissonant noisy chords and the amp has the ability to provide nice clarity. I use a couple of older Rat Distortion pedals to achieve my loud and louder settings. It really requires little distortion on the stomp boxes to give a nice piercing crunch from the amp.

Manufactured probably in 1968, since it has an aluminum surround on the grill cloth. It is the blackface circuit. No reverb, but a killer tremolo.

Its sound without any effects is classic Fender clean, up to volume setting of 5, after which it becomes raunchy. It doesn't particularly like a lot of effects, but given the right combination, it gets a very mean sound. I use a Power Soak with it. I take advantage of its allegedly 'wimpy' output transformer, which acts as a natural compressor and when everything's working right, it provides a subdued attack followed by a blooming growl that can be very effective. It has a very bright clean sound when you take the modern pedals out of the chain. I had to replace the 470 ohm resistors on the power tubes, and I recapped it. Its clean sound is very bright and chimey, but it begins to break up at around 5. It's obnoxiously loud, but never painfully loud like a Twin. I still use a Power Soak to take advantage of the power tube growl at a comfortable volume. I use a homemade cabinet with 2 cheap 12's, which are rated at 150 watts each. It probably needs better speakers with a lower wattage rating.

Since I replace the old fried carbon comp resistors on the power tubes, I feel it's as reliable as anything and I'd gig without a backup. With no PA, it's loud enough to compete with a loud drummer. You will need something like a Twin to get a clean sound that won't quit, but for dirty blues it's great.

Made in 1968; I think the warranty period has passed.

Been playing since 1979. I've played in noise bands, and used to use a Fender Super 6 for sheer volume; now I'm more into tone and I have a Fender Vibro-Champ, blackface, and now this, which I bought for playing onstage with. It won't break any volume records, and it won't do death metal particularly well, but it will do Black Sabbath and Deep Purple, and anything remotely bluesey. I use a Dallas Rangemaster treble booster, which provides treble boost and overdrive, and that wakes it up if you have a dark-sounding guitar.

Mine is a 1968 Bandmaster (AB763). If I date it correctly, it was made in June. I play multiple styles of music, from blues to punk, and this amp is pretty much versatile. It always has the nice tube tone and I think this has been quite possibly one of the best vintage tube amps I have ever owned. It's got 2 channels, one normal, one vibrato (the vibrato is really tremolo, not vibrato). This amp has about 40-50 watts, so it isn't the loudest amp on the planet, but when cranked up to the max, it is loud. It suits my needs, basically

This amp has great tube tone. The clean channel can get a little (literally very small) distorted at high volumes, but that's only because of the speakers I have it running through (2x12 Jensen C12Q re-issue). I have a late 60s strat and it sounds sweet through it. Then I have a SG copy, and a Les Paul Jr. copy which both sound very nice into it. Whenver anny of my pals plug in, it always sounds sweet. It has the great tube tone of more expensive amps

Since this is an older tube amp, I could somewhat depend on it. If it was brought to a gig with care, etc, i'd use it.

Fender would never be able to help you with an old amp like this. Bring it to a local guitar shop and maybe they can help you.

I got this amp for a nice price and it's great. I would definitly replace it with another if it got stolen. The only thing I wish it had was greater power, but other than that, its perfectt

68 sliverface, all blackface specs.

I now own this 68 & have owned a 65 & 66.
I also owned another early 68 a few years ago that I have regreted parting with 10 minutes after I sold it.
There's something about the 68 silverface tone that I dig more than
the Blackface Bandmasters I've owned.
If you put a pedal in front of this amp you can do anything. It generates tone that is second to none, with or without a pedal.
My SG, LP Jr & LP Standard all sound amazing thru this head. i play it thru a 4 ohm Avatar 2x12 cab w/one Eminence Governor & Wizard.
Also have a 1x12 with a 4 ohm Jensen Mod 70.
Between this head & my 68 Bassman I can't go wrong.

These heads may make some strange odors form time to time, or
strange noises.
Have an amp tech check them out every couple years no matter
how often you play it. It will cost you next to nothing & is
worth it in the long run.

Fender has little support. New or Old products.

For Rock & Roll this amp can do it all. They have tight Low-end & very thick clear tone for a 30 to 35 watt amp. I've tried most of Fenders new amps & they can't come close to the vintage Bandmasters & Bassmans.
Don't be affraid of the Silverface Bandmasters. The 68's & 69's are usually Blacface specs. If it's a Silverface & has the drip rail around the grill cloth chances are it has Blackface guts.
Before you buy some bullshit Boutique amp try a Bandmaster or Bassman from the 60's. Remember, Marshall built his first amp based on the Fender Bassman. JTM's & Plexi's don't sound too bad either.
The Fender Bandmaster is a steal on Ebay at the present time.
New amps do not sound anything like these old tone machines.

My bandmaster is a 1964 model with smooth blonde tolex and tone like nothing else. The head has everything you need and nothing you dont if you love vintage amps. The bandmaster features two channlels, one normal channel and one vibrato channel. The vibrato chanel, is the normal channel with speed and intensity(depth) knobs. Each channel has its own bright switch. The amp is powered by two 6L6GB power tubes, three 12AX7 and one 12AT7 in the preamp section. Chances are, if you have this amp, it has everything you need. The speakers is the matching blonde cab are oxfords.

The bandmaster is a very clean tube amp for 40 watts. More headroom than other 40 watt amps from the era. When volume is past 6 the amp really sings. In my opinion, it sounds so much better with single coils. It is a tube amp from the 60s so there is some background hiss, but very little. I was actually surprised by how quiet it is. The normal channel is a little fuller than the vibrato channel and here is why. Larger blackface amps such as the bandmaster have the vibrato put right into the circuit of the vibrato channel. This means that the signal is a little worn by going through this. But it still sound bloody amazing!!! Play around with the tubes, mostly is the preamp section and you will fall in love with it.

Never had any problems with it. Change the tubes and service it once a year and you will love it even more.

No warranty after 42 years, sorry. I only dealt with fender when I complained about the metalhead amp, and even then they answered me! And just for that they get a 10

I love fender, period. Guitars, amps, effects, i love it all man. So the 10 overall is nothing weird. The bandmaster is pure fender tone at a price that is incredible. Get one before it goes up in value, and they will. You wont be sorry.

1968.A4763 CIRCUIT. BLUES,ORIGANAL MUSIC,AM RECORDING ARTIST WITH HEADLINER.NORMAL AND VIBRATO. USED AT SMALLER VENUES.45 WATTS. PLENTY OF JUICE.ALL TUBE HAND WIRED. FOR THE PRICE, THERE IS NOTHING ELSE THAT COMPARES.

VINTAGE STRATS.FRALIN,KINMAN,VANZANT PICKUPS.ALL HAND WOUND.ITS PERFECT.NO NOISE,EXCEPT WHEN NEAR NEON LIGHTS.AND THAT IS DUE PARTLY TO PICKUPS.60 CYCLE HUMMMMM.ECT.HARMONICALLY RICH TONE, WITH BOTTOM AND TOP CLARITY.TURNED ALL THE WAY UP,GIVES YOU GREAT ROCK AND ROLL ALLA STONES TONES.

38 YEARS NOT A PROBLEM YET.

BILL HUMPHREYS DOES ALL THE WORK ON MY AMPS,ORIGANAL GUITARIST FOR SUPERSTAR.HE'S THE AMP GURU OF ALL AMP GURU'S OF ALL TIME.

BEEN PLAYIN 40 YEARS. I OWN BAD CATS,TOP HATS, BOGNERS, DUMBLES,DR Z'VARIOUS FENDERS YOU NAME IT. IF I LOST THIS ONE I'D PROBABLY GET ANOTHER HEAD JUST LIKE IT,IF I COULD FIND ONE.THIS HEAD JUST REPRESENTS WHAT MY GENERATION OF MUSIC IS ALL ABOUT.ITS PERFECT. AND JUST SO ANY OF YOU ALL GUITARISTS OUT THERE KNOW,THAT TONE,TALENT,YOUR INTRUMENTS,ARE AN EXTENSION OF YOUR SOUL.SO ITS GOOD TO LEARN AND LISTEN. TAKE CARE AND GOD BLESS. BIG B SMILES

Actually I own two blackface bandmasters - a '63/64 Electric Instrumnets and a "Musical Instruments" '65/66 version. I bought my first one used in 1968, and played it more or less constantly for years in all sorts of garages, bars and gymnasiums. It was always up to the task, with adequate volume, sustain and definition. Many years later I purchased a 2nd one (with a smaller 2-12" speaker cabinet)for $250 because I liked my 1st one so well. I don't really miss the reverb. Most venues have enough air about them and playing at home it does not really matter.

This amp works well with any instrument. I used many guitars over the years, and found it complemented each of them, whether equipped with Humbuckers, P90's, Strat or Tele single coils. It never detracts from the musical character - just adds a little more cream as the volume knob rotates up. I usually bridge the channels,which allows you to dial-in just the right blends of treble and bass. It's never flabby or shrill. As heretical as it may seem - I think the solid state rectifier sounds better than the mush-(I don't means sustain)-tone you can get with a tube rectifier.

This amp defines simplicity and reliability . . The primitive solid state rectifier is possibly one of the reasons. Together with the very best materials and craftsmanship, makes this a highly reliable amp. Change the caps and tubes once every 20 years and you'll be all set.

These amps are easily serviced and will have parts available till the cows come home.

This is just the amp to have. Perfect to play at home
(sounds good at low volumes) or out ( sounds good at high volumes) - the size and the 40 watts is just the most ... I like the separate head - it affords flexibility in using other cabinets and looks just as cool as it did in the '60's.