• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Fender Studio Bass Club!

#421
I have been using my Studio Bass mostly thru an LDS 2x15 cab loaded with Faital 15PR400's and no horn/tweet. Its a big-ish cab, although light due to the neo Faitals, and I have been considering seeking a smaller cab solution for the SB.

I believe the original Studio Bass combo was loaded with a Fender labeled EVM 15L and I kinda want to go in search of a 1x15 cab loaded with one of those EVM 15L's and wide enough for the SB to sit on without a t-bone overhang.

Anyone running their Studio Bass thru that EVM 15L ? want to share your perspective on how it sounds ?

Thanks
 
#423
866DDFD1-B61A-40C5-9EF3-AC28ED93DBBC.jpeg

Well, you asked for it!
Top TL has an EVM 15L, bottom EVM 15B.
Every now and then I try to replace these cabs...and fail. They just sound awesome, especially in “step-down mode”. Even just one is great.
I’m very tempted to get a couple of lighter 26” wide cabs built to match the head. I’d pop the EVs in to them.
I’m also watching out for any Pro Neo Fender cabs that might show up cheap.
:)
Oh, I should say that the EVs are very even and honest in their sound. Whatever you plug in they are very accurate in representing. They aren’t super extended in low end (although they have plenty) but have a lot of tops and a beautiful midrange, very sweet and musical. Very guitar-like.
They are definitely for lower wattage amps, and probably the best thing at it.
The wattage race is what killed the EVM in my opinion.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: mesaplayer83
#426
ok, well I just closed a deal with a fellow TBer for his 80's era Fender 1x15 cab loaded with an EVM 15L.
I believe its pretty much the same driver that was loaded in the original Studio Bass combo. So, I should have a full head and cab version of the Studio Bass rig shortly.

Here's a pic of the cab with the sellers Fender 100B amp on top, which will soon be replaced by my headcased Studio Bass amp.
The EV 15L should sound great with the Stuido Bass and the other cool thing is that the cab is 26" wide and so the amp will fit edge-to-edge on top just right. The combination will look very similar to this picture because my Studio Bass head has got the silverface Fender Bassman type light grill cloth material on the front face like the sellers 100B.

Fender 1x15 cab.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Groove Doctor, mesaplayer83, marsbel and 1 other person
#427
pfschim said:
ok, well I just closed a deal with a fellow TBer for his 80's era Fender 1x15 cab loaded with an EVM 15L.
I believe its pretty much the same driver that was loaded in the original Studio Bass combo. So, I should have a full head and cab version of the Studio Bass rig shortly.

Here's a pic of the cab with the sellers Fender 100B amp on top, which will soon be replaced by my headcased Studio Bass amp.
The EV 15L should sound great with the Stuido Bass and the other cool thing is that the cab is 26" wide and so the amp will fit edge-to-edge on top just right. The combination will look very similar to this picture because my Studio Bass head has got the silverface Fender Bassman type light grill cloth material on the front face like the sellers 100B.

View attachment 3563060
Click to expand...
Oh wow, that’s perfect! It’s an EVM 15F with the metallic dust cap and all! That’s the exact SB speaker!!
If you don’t mind, send me the cab model number. I might replicate it for my SB head.
Great stuff!!
 
#429
Chickenwheels said:
View attachment 3562079
Well, you asked for it!
Top TL has an EVM 15L, bottom EVM 15B.
Every now and then I try to replace these cabs...and fail. They just sound awesome, especially in “step-down mode”. Even just one is great.
I’m very tempted to get a couple of lighter 26” wide cabs built to match the head. I’d pop the EVs in to them.
I’m also watching out for any Pro Neo Fender cabs that might show up cheap.
:)
Oh, I should say that the EVs are very even and honest in their sound. Whatever you plug in they are very accurate in representing. They aren’t super extended in low end (although they have plenty) but have a lot of tops and a beautiful midrange, very sweet and musical. Very guitar-like.
They are definitely for lower wattage amps, and probably the best thing at it.
The wattage race is what killed the EVM in my opinion.
Click to expand...


I can tell you that my Super Twin sounds great thru a Bassman 115 Neo:
Fender Super Twin + Bassman 115 Neo(1).JPG
 
  • Like
Reactions: murphy, funkytoe, Chickenwheels and 1 other person
#431
funkytoe said:
Hey, nice catch on the 1x15 cab Paul. If you ever want to A/B your new head and cab set up against an all-original 1978 Studio Bass combo with the EVF speaker, just send me a p.m. I'm just down the road in Dublin. Nice score!
Click to expand...
hopefully. we'll see in a week or so once the cab gets here from MN. I don't use my Studio Bass amp very much these days, but it has survived a few gear clear-out episodes and I'd like to find a more useful cab match for it than the LDS 2x15 I typically use with it for now.
The LDS is a huge sounding (not surprisingly), very old school cab loaded with Faital 15PR400's and no tweet/horn. But it's bigger than I like to haul around for the most part so it's pretty much a rehearsal room prisoner these days. The EVM loaded 15 I have on the way will hopefully get some air time with one of the Americana/rootsy projects I currently have going on. We'll see.
 
  • Like
Reactions: funkytoe, mesaplayer83 and Chickenwheels
#435
mesaplayer83 said:
My guess is that the amp/cab setup will outperform the combo - IME, nearly all combos compromise the speaker cab part of their construction...
Click to expand...
yeah, the Studio Bass combo was somewhat well known for tipping over because of the fairly heavy amp section over a pretty shallow cabinet. A number of the Studio Bass heads I've seen in person or on-line exhibit face-plant damage. Mine was definitely like that when I first bought it. It had clearly fallen over on to its face with a guitar chord in the input jack at some point. The input jack was torqued upwards and the faceplate was deformed around it, and two of the control knobs had been cracked. The damage was easy to fix and mine looks in very good shape these days but it definitely demonstrated the downside of the combo design.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Chickenwheels
#436
ok! so I got the Fender EV15L cab today (thanks jazzyitialian) and here it is with my Fender Studio Bass head. Pretty nice if I must say so myself. I played it a bit and the cab sounds great with the SB. Right off the bat the EV cab has a lot more going on in the mids than the 2x15 Faital 15PR400 cab I've been using with the SB head. I'll have more time later in the week to play around and tweak it a bit.

Fender EV15L cab 21Oct2019 sm.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: Lovep, jazzyitalian, Groove Doctor and 5 others
#437
pfschim said:
ok! so I got the Fender EV15L cab today (thanks jazzyitialian) and here it is with my Fender Studio Bass head. Pretty nice if I must say so myself. I played it a bit and the cab sounds great with the SB. Right off the bat the EV cab has a lot more going on in the mids than the 2x15 Faital 15PR400 cab I've been using with the SB head. I'll have more time later in the week to play around and tweak it a bit.

View attachment 3571630
Click to expand...
Looks great. This should sound pretty sweet live, too. Keep us posted.
 
#438
ok, I've had a chance to run this rig a few times in rehearsal. Aside from the fact that it is quite a bit heavier than my usual rig (Mesa WD800 into a Berg CN212), it sounds great and DOES bring the beef that an old school 15 can.

I have been setting the Studio Bass controls to pretty flat .. say around 4-9-4 (vs 2-10-2). I also run a Noble DI into the front of every amp I use these days .. so given the Noble's Fender-like qualities hitting the SB's all tube set-up, it's a very full sounding rig going into the EV cab from the get go.

I have been mostly using the SB with an LDS 2x15 ported cab loaded with Faital 15PR400's and no tweet, and occasionally thru a Berg NV610 .. sealed 6x10 (now sold). Both cabs make the SB sound great ... very big and growly like you'd expect from a 180w Fender tone stack set-up.

Now the EV15L ... I'd say that the 15L brings a clearer mid/upper mid voice to the SB, while delivering just as much low end as the 15PR400's. There is definitely more definition using the EV. Tone wise, I feel like the EV is more aggressive and punchy sounding than the Faital 2x15 which is very smooth and full sounding ... sometimes almost too smooth ... almost pillowy. I have not turned the volume up on the SB/EV15L cab rig yet, but may take it out tomorrow night for an Americana/Rockish gig (Wolf Hamlin ... for Funkytoe). It's not a loud gig, but it will give me a chance to run the volume up a bit more than I have so far.

There is definitely something to the EV 15L voice ... sweet and clear midrangey thing that I have not heard from other drivers in the past. I may also be getting some of the (possibly mythical) ceramic tone compared to the neo's I am more used to in the Berg CN212 and the LDS cab (although the NV610 is ceramic).
 
  • Like
Reactions: jazzyitalian, jumbodbassman, Chickenwheels and 3 others
#439
pfschim said:
ok, I've had a chance to run this rig a few times in rehearsal. Aside from the fact that it is quite a bit heavier than my usual rig (Mesa WD800 into a Berg CN212), it sounds great and DOES bring the beef that an old school 15 can.

I have been setting the Studio Bass controls to pretty flat .. say around 4-9-4 (vs 2-10-2). I also run a Noble DI into the front of every amp I use these days .. so given the Noble's Fender-like qualities hitting the SB's all tube set-up, it's a very full sounding rig going into the EV cab from the get go.

I have been mostly using the SB with an LDS 2x15 ported cab loaded with Faital 15PR400's and no tweet, and occasionally thru a Berg NV610 .. sealed 6x10 (now sold). Both cabs make the SB sound great ... very big and growly like you'd expect from a 180w Fender tone stack set-up.

Now the EV15L ... I'd say that the 15L brings a clearer mid/upper mid voice to the SB, while delivering just as much low end as the 15PR400's. There is definitely more definition using the EV. Tone wise, I feel like the EV is more aggressive and punchy sounding than the Faital 2x15 which is very smooth and full sounding ... sometimes almost too smooth ... almost pillowy. I have not turned the volume up on the SB/EV15L cab rig yet, but may take it out tomorrow night for an Americana/Rockish gig (Wolf Hamlin ... for Funkytoe). It's not a loud gig, but it will give me a chance to run the volume up a bit more than I have so far.

There is definitely something to the EV 15L voice ... sweet and clear midrangey thing that I have not heard from other drivers in the past. I may also be getting some of the (possibly mythical) ceramic tone compared to the neo's I am more used to in the Berg CN212 and the LDS cab (although the NV610 is ceramic).
Click to expand...
Let us know your EQ and volume settings from the gig.
Hope you enjoy the EV. I think they’re pretty special and unique in the speaker world. I do love mine. I miss them when I get backline supplied lol.
 
#440
I’d forgotten about this, but the reason I ended up with my SB was because I’d been looking into getting a Noble for my Precision Bass.
Yonks back I would sometimes gig an old Bassman 50 through an JBL. This was my “knock-about” rig lol. Well, it was the 90’s. It sounded awesome with a Precision, so I kind of wanted that again...hence the Noble preamp.
Then I found the SB in a mate’s shop. My thoughts were “here’s an all-tube handmade Fender tone stack complete with a decent sized tube back-end.”
So I bought the SB!
I bet the Noble is nice though.
 
  • Like
Reactions: pfschim

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back