Rattling Showman 15

[Tcheairs]

I would like to gig with my 1965 Blackface Fender Showman single 15, but there is a rattle in the cabinet at moderate volume levels. I've installed a JBL K140 which is in good shape in my single 15 tone ring Blackface cabinet. I'm using the original AB763 head with new tubes. I've tightened everything in the cabinet I can find and also installed a seal where the cabinet back attaches, but still get significant rattles when playing at a reasonable volume level. I've removed the casters and placed the cabinet on a piece of foam, still rattles. This is a tone ring cabinet. Is the tone ring sufficient porting for bass work? or do I need additional porting to quieten the cabinet. Any suggestions..?Any hope of coming up with a giggable Showman 15 setup?

Thanks, Tcheairs

[johnk_10]

i've found that the tone ring cabs are excellent for bass (my personal favorite cabs), but they often have issues with the dual baffle's support struts slightly coming loose after many years of transporting them.

i had a rattle/buzz/vibration in one of mine that as hard to find, but narrowed it down to the strut so i reglued all of them.

here's some pics of another one of them that had all of the struts come loose since UPS dropped it several times during shipment to me.





gluing it back together:



done:


of course, most of them are not this severe, but can have one of more of the struts become slightly separated, in which case, you can run a bead of thinned aliphatic resin glue along the problematic strut and clamp it. that's what i had to do on one loose strut on my '68.

both of my showman cabs have abosultely NO rattles now, and i can crank them as loud as i want.

[Tcheairs]

John, Great informative reply. I'll pull it apart and look for loose baffles. When I'm serious about sound, I use my Super Redhead, but I'm 65 years old and very sentimentally attached to my vintage gear. Do you know whether or not the Bassman piggyback can be rigged to play bass? I have one with dual D120s.

Thanks again for the reply..

Thomas Cheairs

[johnk_10]

Hi Thomas.
they way that i found the minor vibration/buzz in my '68 was to open it up and i knocked on it in several places until it exposed it. you could also have it open and while playing a bass thru it, use the palm of you hand while the note is sustaining and push on the baffle from the rear until it goes away. that will tell you the one that's loose.

i used to play thru a bassman with two D120F's and i loved the way that it sounded. with the JBL's it could actually get quite loud, but you have to be careful with them since they can't handle a lot of low end which will make exceed their tiny mechanical (x/max) limit which is only about 1.52mm.