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Fender Studio Bass Club!
- Thread starter gjesse
- Start date
Sorry to revive this old thread and doubly so because I just joined and have a question about the Fender Studio Bass.
I just bought mine on Saturday. It is a 1978 combo with original tubes etc. The speaker has been replaced with a Radio Shack musical instrument speaker, and I just replaced that with a Eminence Bass speaker that I happened to have.
I disconnected the ground switch, extra receptacle, and got rid of the death cap. I hooked it up through a variac with a current limiting light bulb and brought it up to see if there were any obvious problems.
The light bulb comes on dimly, but will get brighter if you crank it up and play it hard.
Other than that, it sounds great, plays great, and all else appears to be normal.
Is it possible that it simply draws that much current that it will light up the limiter bulb, or is there a problem I should be concerned about?
Thanks for your answers in advance.
BTW, I read all 16 pages of this thread to get here.
I just bought mine on Saturday. It is a 1978 combo with original tubes etc. The speaker has been replaced with a Radio Shack musical instrument speaker, and I just replaced that with a Eminence Bass speaker that I happened to have.
I disconnected the ground switch, extra receptacle, and got rid of the death cap. I hooked it up through a variac with a current limiting light bulb and brought it up to see if there were any obvious problems.
The light bulb comes on dimly, but will get brighter if you crank it up and play it hard.
Other than that, it sounds great, plays great, and all else appears to be normal.
Is it possible that it simply draws that much current that it will light up the limiter bulb, or is there a problem I should be concerned about?
Thanks for your answers in advance.
BTW, I read all 16 pages of this thread to get here.
I found some information that may help answer my own question here.
I've discovered that my 250 W bulb is not really big enough for an amp that pulls 4.8 amps, and I have started his troubleshooting procedure, and have tested the tubes for shorts. The tubes all test good. I've had the electrolytics on order since Monday and hopefully they will arrive today.
I'll replace the electrolytics and see what the bulb looks like after that.
The amp is probably fine. I just don't want to take a chance on damaging something in such a wonderful vintage amp.
I've discovered that my 250 W bulb is not really big enough for an amp that pulls 4.8 amps, and I have started his troubleshooting procedure, and have tested the tubes for shorts. The tubes all test good. I've had the electrolytics on order since Monday and hopefully they will arrive today.
I'll replace the electrolytics and see what the bulb looks like after that.
The amp is probably fine. I just don't want to take a chance on damaging something in such a wonderful vintage amp.
After changing the electrolytic capacitors, the amp is dead quiet. The current limiting bulb pretty much acts as before, but I don't think there is anything wrong other than it pulls more current than the bulb is built for.
I'm very happy with the amp and appreciate everyone's interest.
I'm very happy with the amp and appreciate everyone's interest.
Just got a '78 Studio Bass head today. Was looking for something louder for when the 60w Basset Hound I love to death isn't enough. Didn't have very high expectations anything could come close the the Alessandro but the Studio Bass is a phenomenally great sounding amp I wish I'd discovered sooner. It's going into a similar vintage EVM 15B loaded TL606 I've had forever. The extra switch on the front is going to the rear panel EQ footswitch jack to engage/disengage the EQ section. I wouldn't have drilled a hole in the faceplate to do this but now that it's there I guess I'll leave it. This amp is going to be a good one for me.
Have owned a Studio bass for almost a year now and I have never been happier with my tone. Have a 13 ply birch natural finish head cab on order from DGN guitars, need to recone the original EV but Ive been using an old guild thunderstar 1x15 with an EV15b and I can't get enough of this amp. Once the rig is completed ill take pics
glad to see this thread is still alive, and everyone is still enjoying their Studio Bass amps. I had stopped using my Studio Bass amp regularly in favor of a Mesa Walkabout (another great tube flavored amp). I recently picked up a new gig that called for a bit more grunt and so I went through my current rig options and ended up stacking the Studio on top of a Berg NV610. What a great combination. The new band also runs its own fairly significant PA (with sound man and small crew so moving gear has become very easy) and so I have also been able to discover the beauty of using the Line Out/Recording output of this amp as my DI. Again, amazingly great.
Ed Jahns of that era of Fender certainly knew how to design and build a bass amp.
Link Removed
Ed Jahns of that era of Fender certainly knew how to design and build a bass amp.
Link Removed
as long as this thread has me thinking of the amp again, has anyone who has the converted head version of the amp (not the original combo format), and gigs it regularly, considered putting vents in the headcase like those found in the Bassman 135 ? (side vents on either end of the cabinet).
also, has anyone one got a road case for their Studio ? As I am starting to gig this thing way more these days, I was considering getting a decent, mid-weight, road case for it. The band is planning a US tour next year and I'd like to take the amp and keep it protected.
also, has anyone one got a road case for their Studio ? As I am starting to gig this thing way more these days, I was considering getting a decent, mid-weight, road case for it. The band is planning a US tour next year and I'd like to take the amp and keep it protected.
enjoy. it's a great, overlooked gem from the Fender bass amp family. the foot switchable EQ provides something similar to a 2nd channel, or like the "solo" setting on many of the Mesa amps. very cool feature.
I bet it sounds killin' though that big Berg. It looks great too. Sitting on the Bag End S15 cabs I'll probably use the most with this head it overhangs quite a bit. Not quite the total "T" effect but kinda goofy looking.....man I got me some 1st world problems.
Y'know, if you wanted fans and a road case rather than deface the original box you could re-case it in an Anvil type box with fans installed in it. That'd be some serious road warrior ****.
Y'know, if you wanted fans and a road case rather than deface the original box you could re-case it in an Anvil type box with fans installed in it. That'd be some serious road warrior ****.
yeah, it is sort of silly but I kinda hate that T-bone rig look too. I have another cab, LDS 2x15 loaded with Faital 15PR400's, that I had made specifically for the Studio (pics are upthread somewhere). I told Don at LDS I needed the cab to be wider than the Studio, which is quite the trick considering these are typically 26" wide.
I'll have to look into the idea of a roadcase with fans built in.
I just picked up one of these heads yesterday, no cabinet. It's in a homemade plywood spray painted black fugly enclosure. I see many of you have put the head in a Fender style enclosure & found the mojotone site with the cabinets. I didn't see a cabinet on the site listed as a Super Twin cabinet which is what I assume I'm looking for. Would appreciate if someone could link the one I need? Thanks.
The head sounds great through my Ampeg 810. I payed $200 for it & picked up an Ampeg b15n head only as well from the same seller for $50. Best deal I've come across yet, even if they both need a tech visit.
The head sounds great through my Ampeg 810. I payed $200 for it & picked up an Ampeg b15n head only as well from the same seller for $50. Best deal I've come across yet, even if they both need a tech visit.
Last edited:
Passinwind
I know nothing.
- Dec 3, 2003
- 23,069
- 46,010
- Disclosures
- Designer/Toaster Tech @ Passinwind Electronics
I think he's just looking for the appropriate size [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] but also going by the somewhat incomplete Wikipedia page info which lists the Super Twin and Super Twin Reverb as similar amps to the the Studio Bass. Since Mojotone doesn't list cross compatibility or dimensions it's kinda tough to tell which case might work for the Studio Bass. I'd call them.
Has no Fender amp geek done a site that lists all these amps with at least pics if not specs? I'm trying to research the Studio Bass I just got and there really isn't a lot of useful info out there.
Passinwind
I know nothing.
- Dec 3, 2003
- 23,069
- 46,010
- Disclosures
- Designer/Toaster Tech @ Passinwind Electronics
That whole production era is fairly underappreciated IMO. I've seen a few excellent dedicated sites for the Rivera era ones, but not much for the ones just before that, like the SB and my Fender 30 guitar combo. I'd love to be wrong about that though.
There is a Fender history that covers the Ed Jahns period at Fender (before Paul Rivera, and overlapping with Rivera). Many of the designs that Rivera is credited with are actually Ed Jahns designs, at least up to around 1982 (?)
I think Jahns was also the designer behind the PS400 and 300 amps as well.
I think Jahns was also the designer behind the PS400 and 300 amps as well.
