ID Help Fender Showman Bass Cab

Already In Use · #1 01-23-2013, 03:15 PM

Is this a 1960's fender Showman? Has an Electro Voice SRO 15 in it. Is that a bass speaker or a guitar speaker? I was told that the SRO's didnt come out until after the 60's. Thanks...Peace..

Bassmec · #2 01-23-2013, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Already In Use

Is this a 1960's fender Showman? Has an Electro Voice SRO 15 in it. Is that a bass speaker or a guitar speaker? I was told that the SRO's didnt come out until after the 60's. Thanks...Peace..

The EV SRO is a great full range speaker so it will do very well for either up to the inevitable fart volume.
You won't blow it if you don't fart it out but it ain't going to flap your flares much with the VLF.

PS Don't worry about cabinet design with this loudspeaker versus the original, (if it isn't) because these cabinets didn't have a cabinet design, other than a box that's not quite big enough.

Already In Use · #3 01-23-2013, 03:31 PM

For 200 bucks is it a decent vintage piece to have around in your opinion? Probably would never leave the music room at home. Not "needing" it...liking it and "wanting".

B-string · #4 01-23-2013, 03:32 PM

Not able to see the images.

Already In Use · #5 01-23-2013, 03:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B-string

Not able to see the images.

I dont know how to fix that. Naturally I can see them using Chrome..the links to the images are goggle mail view pages.

Already In Use · #6 01-23-2013, 03:37 PM

The speaker looks like this in a black cab...

Oren Hudson · #7 01-23-2013, 03:41 PM

No pics for me either, but I can tell you that EV's did not come in a 60s Showman, or any Showman that I know of. Showman upgrade was JBL D130F - a great speaker. Not to say that EV's aren't good speakers, just not original to a Showman cab.

What Bassmec said is pretty true as to cab design. Not nearly as specific as later years became - so just use what sounds good to you.

Bassmec · #8 01-23-2013, 03:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Already In Use

For 200 bucks is it a decent vintage piece to have around in your opinion? Probably would never leave the music room at home. Not "needing" it...liking it and "wanting".

It will record very well indeed lots of good mid and top to pop through a mix for a fifteen.
If you put a modern fifteen against it, the modern one will sound a lot more lifeless and a lot duller.
Perhaps you could use it loud live biamp'd with an eminence 3015LF sub under it. A sharp active Crossover point at 125Hz should get you right there.

PS I think the chances are the speaker is original.

B-string · #9 01-23-2013, 03:47 PM

If it is a Single Showman (one 15" with a "tone ring") it is actually a very good design. The best example of Fender actually trying to make a decent cab. The cab is a Helmholtz design. Do not toss the metal ring that the speaker is mounted to, is is the key along with the double baffle to make the resonator design work.
EV was not a supplier in the 60's.

Bassmec · #10 01-23-2013, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B-string

If it is a Single Showman (one 15" with a "tone ring") it is actually a very good design. The best example of Fender actually trying to make a decent cab. The cab is a Helmholtz design. Do not toss the metal ring that the speaker is mounted to, is is the key along with the double baffle to make the resonator design work.
EV was not a supplier in the 60's.

The reason i think it might be original is I have a mate in this band that has a vintage showman cab with an SRO in it.
http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=B7eQa...Qa2x-AIc&gl=GB
Who says the cab is as early as the sixties and if it was a tone ring cab it wouldn't be sixties would it?

PS I see they did make tone ring cabs in the sixties, well why did they stop making a good cab and make a lot worse one later?.

B-string · #11 01-23-2013, 04:04 PM

Tell that to my 1968 Single Showman cab!
This article seems to point out the Helmholtz was first used in the late 50's to early 60's http://www.vintageguitar.com/11198/the-fender-showman/

Further research suggests my cab was one of the last as they were to end production of the Helmholtz in 1967.

Already In Use · #12 01-23-2013, 04:41 PM

Another try at pics...

200 bucks an Ok deal..regardless of originality? Thanks!

christw · #13 01-23-2013, 04:43 PM

I've got a band mate with a Showman and JBL loaded tone ring cab that he's had for ~30 years. It sounds great but I want to take the cab and rebuild the tone ring bit to knock out the nasty rattle it has.

For $200 I'd be all over that. I think I saw an equivalent EV on eBay go for more than that.

Already In Use · #14 01-23-2013, 04:45 PM

dhsierra1 · #15 01-23-2013, 04:50 PM

I agree with B-String that the SRO likely isn't original to the Fender Showman cab of that vintage. It was either JBL D130 or D140F's as the premium upgrade from the regular Jensen/Utah, mainline. Unsure if they ever used Altecs.

That said, I use a Dual Showman cab from that era with D140Fs as my main cab, but I modded it so it's tuned/ported a la the tone ring.

Not the deepest bass but still plenty of low end and that mid/highs richness of character as pointed out by BassMec that's hard to come by in modern drivers.

So for 200 clams I'd snag it and use a lower powered tube amp (under 100 watts) for vintage greatness, I'm also a big EV fan, great drivers

Already In Use · #16 01-23-2013, 04:52 PM

Cool! Thanks a bunch man!

B-string · #17 01-23-2013, 04:52 PM

Well it is not a Helmholtz cab. Still a good deal with the driver that came in it.
Fender stopped making the tone ring (Helmholtz) cabs for two reasons. 1) Very expensive and labor intensive build. 2) They were not finding any single driver in those days that would not be cooked by the Showman's 85 Watts rms. They also made a more rare single 12" "tone ring" cab.

ScottTunes · #18 01-23-2013, 10:19 PM

The story was that Dick Dale kept blowing the single JBL at shows, and complained to Leo about it... The "fix" was to use the same cabinet, but instead of the fancy HiFi port design, Fender "stuffed" 2x15" JBLs into it and called it a day. That worked quite well for guitar, and it was never intended for bass (this is the so-called "smaller" Showman 2x15 cab's origin).

I had one of these cabs that I loaded with two 15" SROs (which weren't available until the very early 70s, IIRC), which I powered with a '72 Bassman 100, and gigged with for over a decade. Sounded great in a loud 5 piece Chicago Blues band! The cab's "sound" is nearly identical to the early 60s Vox T-100 cab McCartney used... Well, slightly better with the SROs I'd say! And there are several Beatles concerts available on youthtoob to hear The Beatles...

That cab is worth the price just because of the EV SRO!!!

ScottTunes · #19 01-23-2013, 10:23 PM

I believe your cab's speaker baffle was altered... It either came from as a single 15" with port ring, or as a 2x15... To my knowledge, it was never offered as a sealed single 15...

I don't remember any early to mid 60s baffles made of MDF... That SRO speaker is way too heavy for it, and should be remedied...

In fact, it could be a "copy" cab. There should be a date code in the cab somewhere... If none, then it's likely a copy...

I'd recommend making it into a 2x15, actually (take a look at JohnK_10's Skyliner cab).

Jim Carr · #20 01-23-2013, 10:29 PM

IMHO, the baffle looks like newer particle board.