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Fender Super Twin Bass Head

#301
pfschim said:
yeah, its not magic or anything because the Output Tranny efficiency is going to be the real limit. But the 7581A's provide 35w plate dissipation vs the 30 or so of the 6L6GC's.

My experience is that switching to the 7581A's definitely gave the amp more overall clean volume (not that it was lacking in the first place). These tubes also seemed to make the low/low-mids more robust and defined ... no science to back this up, just my ears.

And as far as stability in the Super Twin/Studio Bass, I've had TungSol 7851A's in mine for 3 years and often run it at 4ohms (tap says 8ohm) and I have not had any problems at all.
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Part of my problem too is that I'm running it into an 8ohm cab, which I know is fine but it probably also means that I'm not getting the full power. I'd love to upgrade to a Barefaced Two10, but that just isn't in the cards. Tube-wise it's between the Shuguang 6L6GC-STRs and the TungSol 7581A's.
 
#304
I know for sure that my Studio Bass is tapped for an 80hm speaker. I had LDS build me an 80hm ported 2x15 loaded with Faital 15PR400's. When I use it with a 4ohm cab like my Berg NV610 it has noticeably more power than the 2x15 LDS cab. I can barely turn the master volume (output) past 4 0r 5 on the dial.
Of course, some of that volume difference will be due to different cab designs and some difference in total displacement.
 
#305
pfschim said:
I know for sure that my Studio Bass is tapped for an 80hm speaker. I had LDS build me an 80hm ported 2x15 loaded with Faital 15PR400's. When I use it with a 4ohm cab like my Berg NV610 it has noticeably more power than the 2x15 LDS cab. I can barely turn the master volume (output) past 4 0r 5 on the dial.
Of course, some of that volume difference will be due to different cab designs and some difference in total displacement.
Click to expand...

It gets confusing because the SuperTwin has only a 4 ohm output while the StudioBass has an 8 ohm. At one point they started using the same transformer in both heads and only had a speaker output jack connected to one of the taps depending on which model it got installed into, so you could modify the amp to have both taps-- I don't have one of those according to my tech. Perhaps you do!

The output difference you mention is likely due to the difference in cab efficiency.
 
#306
OK so I had to post an update. The SuperTwin was biased to 35ma, definitely a bit cool, I cranked it up to about 42 and brought it out to an outdoor private party gig. I discovered that running the tube compressor patch on my Line 6 M9 as a boost and then backing off the volume from my bass combined with the new bias setting really opened up the tone. It was huge.
 
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#307
what cab(s) were you using ?
I have found that the Studio Bass/Super Twin sounds good through both ported or sealed cabs, but IMO/IME it seems to really shine thru a big sealed cab. In my case the cab is a Berg NV610, but I got to run it thru a flatback 810 fridge cab a few years back and it worked really well through that sealed cab too.

enjoy!
 
#309
pfschim said:
what cab(s) were you using ?
I have found that the Studio Bass/Super Twin sounds good through both ported or sealed cabs, but IMO/IME it seems to really shine thru a big sealed cab. In my case the cab is a Berg NV610, but I got to run it thru a flatback 810 fridge cab a few years back and it worked really well through that sealed cab too.

enjoy!
Click to expand...

Barefaced Gen. 2 Compact. I've toyed with the idea of swapping for a Gen.3 Two10 or Four10 but after Saturday I'm going to stick with what I've got for a little while longer. 8x10s on the gig—which I have not yet had a chance to play with this head—especially provided backline, are awesome . After the gig? Oy. The Compact is about 25lbs and louder than my old Aguilar DB410.
 
#310
bassdrop said:
Barefaced Gen. 2 Compact. I've toyed with the idea of swapping for a Gen.3 Two10 or Four10 but after Saturday I'm going to stick with what I've got for a little while longer. 8x10s on the gig—which I have not yet had a chance to play with this head—especially provided backline, are awesome . After the gig? Oy. The Compact is about 25lbs and louder than my old Aguilar DB410.
Click to expand...
yeah, my opportunity to run the Studio Bass thru the 810 was a backline situation, so I had no load in/out issues.
Interesting to know that your Super Twin sounds good thru the Barefaced cabs. My Studio Bass sounds great thru my ported Berg CN cabs (CN112 and CN212) too.
 
#313
pfschim said:
yeah, my opportunity to run the Studio Bass thru the 810 was a backline situation, so I had no load in/out issues.
Interesting to know that your Super Twin sounds good thru the Barefaced cabs. My Studio Bass sounds great thru my ported Berg CN cabs (CN112 and CN212) too.
Click to expand...

I had a chance to play my Super Twin through an Ampeg 810 once. Total win. The best of two worlds, IMHO.
 
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#315
bassdrop said:
3 gigs so far on the SuperTwin. Sounding good but I think I can get a bit more volume out of it if I bias it hotter. I checked with the tech and he went for a 37ma on the bias, which I think is probably more than a bit cool, seeing typical ultralinear 70's Fender Twins are closer to 42ma or so. Curious where you guys that have biased your SuperTwins and Superbass's set your bias. Also, here's a pic from one of the gigs:
Click to expand...
I use my SB on an EV TL 606 like this sometimes, although lately I’ve been sitting the head in it’s side next to the cab. I trolley it in on it’s side edge, too. Minimal lifting!
Sweet rig. Loving this thread.
 
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#316
Charley Umbria said:
I had a chance to play my Super Twin through an Ampeg 810 once. Total win. The best of two worlds, IMHO.
Click to expand...
I used to put my SB into a pair of Ampeg SVT classic quad boxes (pretty much a fridge). Killer sound, but I’m digging EVM 15’s atm. They’re more portable, too!
Edit: I’ve found a cheap 810e that I’m tempted to buy and leave in our band’s AV van...if it’ll fit!
 
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#317
I just brought home my new-to-me Super Twin.
I took it as payment for repairing someone's Twin Reverb II (Rivera). Its a non reverb model.

I aim to make a standalone bass head from this.
My idea/spin is this:

1. Remove the distortion circuit.
2. Two independent channels, one with traditional TMB tonestack. The other with the inductor EQ.
3. Make the channels able to be played in parallel.

Im excited to have a new project.
 
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#318
the distortion in it does kinda suck but it makes an awesome bass head as is. i use the stock footswitch to turn the eq on and off and in one mode it is a slight boost so i run mine stock. it's the only head that i use for gigs now with the exception of a '67 showman with it's 15" tone-ring cab for quieter gigs.
 
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#320
Bumping for anyone who can provide any info on any differences there might be in the Super Twin Combo from year to year...I got my eyes on an earlier, all original model and have seen a few later models a few hundred dollars cheaper...was wondering why it might be worth the extra cash..
 

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