Fender 400PS

iampoor1 · #1 11-19-2011, 07:53 PM

Hey all, long time lurker here. I know who most of you are and you dont know me muhahaha

Anyways, I have a chance to get a fender 400PS for a VERY good price. WHat are your thoughts on these amps? (Yes I have read the website devoted to them). It seems to me like the most logical option would to only run 1 set of output tubes, as to not kill children!

Is it true that the unused outputs all short to ground and lessen the tube life?

And alternativlly, what does one think that a head like this would fetch here?

Stumbo · #2 11-19-2011, 08:03 PM

I suggest you ask JohnK_10.

Soulfinger · #3 11-19-2011, 08:10 PM

I think it would be great to take a 6x10 and rewire into 3 2x10's or use it into 3 1x12's to get full power.

iampoor1 · #4 11-19-2011, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stumbo

I suggest you ask JohnK_10.

Ill send him a PM. Thanks Stumbo!

@Soulfinger: That would be pretty sweet! My only concern would be replacing all the tubes after using them for awhile...900$

walterw · #5 11-19-2011, 08:30 PM

yeah, but running at full power, you wouldn't be driving each pair of tubes as hard to get the volume you needed, so they would all last longer.

+1 on the 6x10 idea, that would just rock.

someparts · #6 11-19-2011, 08:48 PM

Not an amp to own if you are worried about cost, IMO. Excess is awesome but expensive!

iampoor1 · #7 11-19-2011, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by walterw

yeah, but running at full power, you wouldn't be driving each pair of tubes as hard to get the volume you needed, so they would all last longer.

+1 on the 6x10 idea, that would just rock.

True man, Options Options Options, right?

I think Im going to go back and make sure the tubes are matched and such, because I was thinking of just using one cab and rotating the power inbetween them.

Quote:

Originally Posted by someparts

Not an amp to own if you are worried about cost, IMO. Excess is awesome but expensive!

Im just worries about the tubes. Thats really the only concern now. I just want them to last long enough so I can use the amp for a while, then when it needs new tubes...well...I can hold on to it and suck it up once its worth more, if that makes sense xD

iampoor1 · #8 11-19-2011, 08:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by christw

How good is your price?

That Im getting it for, or selling it for if I get?

walterw · #9 11-19-2011, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iampoor1

I was thinking of just using one cab and rotating the power inbetween them.

what good is that?

you'd just be dragging around a 135 watt amp that's bigger and heavier than an SVT

don't be so scared of tubes; they'll last many years if they're in at least decent shape, especially old USA-made power tubes.

i once scored a well-used magnavox SVT head for like $300 years ago when i was young and poor (now i'm not so young and...wait...

)

i played it for a good two years without putting a dime into it, and eventually had to sell it (again for $300, knowing full well that it would be worth way more in years to come

).

point being, if you get that monster fender, don't be afraid to let it out of its cage.

johnk_10 · #10 11-19-2011, 09:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by walterw

what good is that?

.............point being, if you get that monster fender, don't be afraid to let it out of its cage.

+1!

PDGood · #11 11-19-2011, 09:20 PM

I had this amp back in the day. It came with an 18 folded horn and I got a second one, and then put a 2-15 bassman on top of each one. (Not sure how that was wired because it's been a few years.). Talk about crazy volume...

The load in was brutal. The head was tough to lift by yourself (do-able, just not pleasant). Then there were the folded horns.

The whole thing was insane now that I look back on it because we mostly played medium sized clubs. Of course the guitar players of that era were running stacks of HiWatt amps, so it was a competition as much as anything. Totally unnecessary and totally out of the question for this era where far more efficient smaller rigs are available. But it did have tube warmth that projected for miles and I enjoyed playing it.

The only problem I ever had with it was the big air vent on top of the head. A friend sat in on a few songs and put his Coke on the head which then vibrated and spilled into the vent. To this day, I avoid anything that vents in the top. Needless to say I run solid state amps now.

iampoor1 · #12 11-19-2011, 09:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by walterw

what good is that?

you'd just be dragging around a 135 watt amp that's bigger and heavier than an SVT

don't be so scared of tubes; they'll last many years if they're in at least decent shape, especially old USA-made power tubes.

i once scored a well-used magnavox SVT head for like $300 years ago when i was young and poor (now i'm not so young and...wait...

)

i played it for a good two years without putting a dime into it, and eventually had to sell it (again for $300, knowing full well that it would be worth way more in years to come

).

point being, if you get that monster fender, don't be afraid to let it out of its cage.

Hey, I never said it was ideal

True, but for the price Id be getting it...its also alooottt cheaper. And Im a drummer with a monster kit, so weight is the last thing on my mind in relation to a bass rig

Im going to go back and inspect the tubes. Im really familiar with tube gear (Im into collecting old radios and such), just the priuce of GE 6550's scare me. You are right thought, I shouldnt be so tedious twards that. The amp (from what I was told) has only had one owner, and was only used with one cab, so the tubes are probablly completly fine.

Those things always suck man :/

But I dont want to die...

@PDGood: Thats an awesome story! I bet you got lots of stares with that baby eh?

BTW: If you dont mind me asking, how much did these amps go for back in the day?

iampoor1 · #13 11-19-2011, 10:08 PM

BTW: Is it true that the unused outputs all short to ground and lessen the tube life? Hmm

Stumbo · #14 11-19-2011, 10:21 PM

FTR (for those who haven't seen this amp)

Seem more pics here: Fender 400PS

johnk_10 · #15 11-19-2011, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iampoor1

BTW: Is it true that the unused outputs all short to ground and lessen the tube life? Hmm

NO. if you don't use them, it doesn't shorten their life, and it would blow the output tranny if it shorted them to ground.

iampoor1 · #16 11-19-2011, 10:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnk_10

NO. if you don't use them, it doesn't shorten their life, and it would blow the output tranny if it shorted them to ground.

Alright thanks man. Ive been doing some research and I read that, and was pretty weirded out. Seemed like something was up, but one of the characteristics I inherited from my mom is having to double check everything, becasuse you never know

johnk_10 · #17 11-19-2011, 11:06 PM

if you look at the schematic, when you don't use one of the output jacks, it basically disconnects the two associated power tubes and they just sit at idle.

iampoor1 · #18 11-20-2011, 03:43 AM

Right. Would it be possible to just use say a single set of tubes in the amp then? Or would that through off the set bias?

mdogs · #19 11-20-2011, 05:52 AM

I had one of these that I used for about 10 years, I replaced the tubes one time. IMO, this is the holy grail of Fender big amps. Great tone, I used it with 2 Bassman 2x15 cabs, oh to be young again and carry around 100 pounds heads....

PDGood · #20 11-20-2011, 07:14 AM

If I recall correctly, it was like having three amps in one head. Each time you plugged a speaker in, you got another section being used that produced the same amount of power as the previous section. Maybe John K. can verify this.

Sorry, I don't remember the cost. I worked in a music store then and got deals. Plus I traded another rig (Peavey, I think) on the deal.

I only ever used one set of tubes, but I tended not to keep rigs for too many years back then. I traded in to get an Acoustic 370, also with folded horn.

I laugh when I see the one handle in the middle of that head. Anyone that can carry that head with one hand is a beast. It was hard enough to move using both arms on the end handles.