Blackface Fender Showman....Sucks with Pedals

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yalesmith
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Blackface Fender Showman....Sucks with Pedals

Post by yalesmith »

I have had this Blackface Showman for a while and was hopping the amp would be a good platform for pedals but it is not. The clean sounds awesome but hook up a dirt pedal to it and it blows. I have tried 3 to 4 different cabinets and about 20 different pedals and no luck!

I would like to know if there are any mods I can do to make the amp pedal friendly?

Thanks in advance.

David
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Phil_S
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Re: Blackface Fender Showman....Sucks with Pedals

Post by Phil_S »

In unhacked condition these amps are considered desirable. Sell it and get something that does what you want.
brewdude
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Re: Blackface Fender Showman....Sucks with Pedals

Post by brewdude »

Seems surprising. I generally expect the AB763 would be a good pedal platform.
I wonder what you don't like? And, what you are used to? Or, what were you expecting?
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norburybrook
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Re: Blackface Fender Showman....Sucks with Pedals

Post by norburybrook »

Phil_S wrote:In unhacked condition these amps are considered desirable. Sell it and get something that does what you want.

yes don't mess with a stock fender ,the silver face era amps are now 40 years old and starting to fetch good prices.


sell it and build your own.


Marcus
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ToneMerc
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Re: Blackface Fender Showman....Sucks with Pedals

Post by ToneMerc »

Phil_S wrote:In unhacked condition these amps are considered desirable. Sell it and get something that does what you want.
I agree, it would a shame to molest it.

TM
Stevem
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Post by Stevem »

PM , I work at Alto music in Middletown.
When I die, I want to go like my Grandfather did, peacefully in his sleep.
Not screaming like the passengers in his car!

Cutting out a man's tongue does not mean he’s a liar, but it does show that you fear the truth he might speak about you!
yalesmith
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Re: Blackface Fender Showman....Sucks with Pedals

Post by yalesmith »

yeah... I keep thinking this amp is only worth the 3/4 hundred i paid for it. i built a Dr Z Stangray a few years ago for my brother....maybe i should do something like that again
Stevem
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Post by Stevem »

Your Showman and a Stangray are two very very different amps and expecting a 85 watt RMS Showman with 6L6 output tubes to give up the goods like a 30 watt amp with EL84 output tubes is very unrealistic even when pushing the Showman with whatever stomp box you care to use!!!
When I die, I want to go like my Grandfather did, peacefully in his sleep.
Not screaming like the passengers in his car!

Cutting out a man's tongue does not mean he’s a liar, but it does show that you fear the truth he might speak about you!
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M Fowler
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Re: Blackface Fender Showman....Sucks with Pedals

Post by M Fowler »

Your Showman is worth some good cash as is.

I like old Fenders in stock circuit but like you I have never gotten good distortion from one.

The best pedal platform amp I have built has been the Trainwreck Rocket with either stock four EL84 power section or my favorite 50w power section using 6L6GC or 6550 tubes. No need for an effects loop with the Rocket but wouldn't hurt to add one.

I also have one of Doc's Stangray heads with his 212 Celestion Blue/Gold speakers in it. Great amp for country, blues or classic rock.

Mark
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sliberty
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Re: Blackface Fender Showman....Sucks with Pedals

Post by sliberty »

>> The clean sounds awesome but hook up a dirt pedal to it and it blows. I have tried 3 to 4 different cabinets and about 20 different pedals and no luck!


What exactly does "it blows" mean to you? Thin, muddy, buzzy, too scooped, too much mid hump ...
yalesmith
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Re: Blackface Fender Showman....Sucks with Pedals

Post by yalesmith »

It just does not sound good, apparently after a bit of research this seems to be a common complaint. Thinking about it, the amp is probably too scooped. Most of the pedals i use are tube screamer derivatives, and you know the mid-range on those. The pedal that works the best is one of those dumble pedals, a hermida zendrive clone. and that makes sense.
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norburybrook
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Re: Blackface Fender Showman....Sucks with Pedals

Post by norburybrook »

have you tried turning the amp up full and backing off your volume on the guitar for clean and then if you want OD turning up the guitar volume?

I was working with a guitar player last week who's rig was two super reverb 4x10's and two deluxe reverbs. All 4 amps were dimed,volumes on 10. Guitar straight in (vintage 60's firebird) no pedals and it sounded fantastic when overdriven.


Or am I missing the point and you want a quiet clean amp and get OD from pedals?


Marcus
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sliberty
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Re: Blackface Fender Showman....Sucks with Pedals

Post by sliberty »

There are lots of pedals that won't sound good through a heavily scooped amp, and there are lots that will sound great. Of course all of that is a matter of taste, so I won't try to sway you one way or the other. I will, however, suggest that you watch some of the videos on Youtube on the "That Pedal Show" channel. These two guys (Dan and Mick) are great players, and funny, but more importantly they know so much about how pedals interact with amps and each other that I never fail to learn something from their vids. I remember specifically that on one video they were using a Fender amp (might have been a Deluxe Reverb, but not sure) and a Victoria amp (or is it Victory - no matter, it was Marshall voiced), and they showed how some pedals just sucked through one or the other of the amps, and other pedals sounded fantastic. And interestingly, a pedal that worked in one, didn't necessarily work in the other. I don't remember which episode it was, so I can't link you, sorry. But look for it - its worth your time.
Stevem
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Post by Stevem »

If you neeed that power level that the amp has for gig use and want to keep it, change the normal channel over to a Tweed and maybe even with just a single tone control , but whatever you do the PI output coupling caps need to be dropped back to .022 uf.
Also on any blackface or silverface Fender that you play above 4 on the volume control the Bass needs to be rolled back a ton to keep the farting at bay!
A good way to do this is to swap out the number 2 input jack for a terminal rotor switch to shift the first gain stages bypass cap to 5 uf and .68 uf as you play the amp louder and louder.

Theses things will help, but as posted the normal Fender tone stack in these amps just ramp down too much mid!
When I die, I want to go like my Grandfather did, peacefully in his sleep.
Not screaming like the passengers in his car!

Cutting out a man's tongue does not mean he’s a liar, but it does show that you fear the truth he might speak about you!
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M Fowler
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Re: Blackface Fender Showman....Sucks with Pedals

Post by M Fowler »

I think the only way to get that Fender to sound good with your pedals is if you had an effects loop with a Dlator. Everything sounds great through the Dlator.
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