Picked this up and got a great deal. I found it at an electronics repair shop. They said they have gone through the amp. They replaced the caps, cleaned the pots and adjusted the bias. I am going to put the amp in a head box. It is so heavy as a combo, but will make a nice small head and cab amp. It has a Electro Voice speaker. I'm not sure of what year it is yet. I will be checking out the inside goodies tomorrow. More pics to follow.
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NAD Fender Studio Bass
- Thread starter sjrash
- Start date
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- fender nad studio studio bass
Superb acquisition even if beat all to hell. Shows it's been well used and enjoyed by many. Although you may relocate the amp into a new head box, be sure to keep the combo box exactly as it is. The real collector value is in 100% originality.
Oh yeah. I will be holding on to the cab for sure. I suspect I got it so cheap because it is not cosmetically pristine. Like you said, I like the wear on vintage gear. It makes you wonder about where it has been, who has played through, type of music, etc.
The Studio bass was made from 1977-1980. I think the black grill look came out in 1979.
I bought one new in 1978 (w/silver grillcloth) for $900. Forced to sell in 2005 for $1,000. Mine was in pristine condition. Not many were made. Email your serial number to Fender and find out.
I bought one new in 1978 (w/silver grillcloth) for $900. Forced to sell in 2005 for $1,000. Mine was in pristine condition. Not many were made. Email your serial number to Fender and find out.
great find. these are killer all tube amps even if the combo is a bit awkward in terms of being too tall/narrow and top heavy. The combo with the EV hits very hard.
I agree with Linnin about trying to keep the original unit for its full "vinatge value" but putting the amp section into a headbox is a very common approach. It's not a small amp btw, its a quite wide 26" and weighs in at about 68lbs (estimate).
Another thing you can consider with this head is replacing the 30w 6L6 power tubes with the readily available and plug compatible 35w Tung-Sol 7581a power tubes. This will get your available power/wattage up to just a bit over 200w.
There is a TB thread about the Studio Bass and the Super Twin (basically the same amp with a slightly different EQ range and distortion control for the guitar version). Mojotone makes a silverface style headcase that will fit the amp perfectly. I seem to recall that another TB member built their own headcase and did it in a tweed style that looked great too.
I certainly love mine
enjoy!
I agree with Linnin about trying to keep the original unit for its full "vinatge value" but putting the amp section into a headbox is a very common approach. It's not a small amp btw, its a quite wide 26" and weighs in at about 68lbs (estimate).
Another thing you can consider with this head is replacing the 30w 6L6 power tubes with the readily available and plug compatible 35w Tung-Sol 7581a power tubes. This will get your available power/wattage up to just a bit over 200w.
There is a TB thread about the Studio Bass and the Super Twin (basically the same amp with a slightly different EQ range and distortion control for the guitar version). Mojotone makes a silverface style headcase that will fit the amp perfectly. I seem to recall that another TB member built their own headcase and did it in a tweed style that looked great too.
I certainly love mine
enjoy!
I bought a 1979 (black grill cloth) new. Traded it in 1982 for a Martin D-28. While I did well in the trade over the long term, I miss that amp. Killer tone.
This ad has a copyright date of 1978, but my '78 had silver grill cloth. I'm pretty sure that it was the '79 and '80 models that had the black grills.
Nice score! For me, 6x6l6gc hits the sweet spot for slight saturation with out insane volume. I would also consider the 7581 reissue if I needed more headroom.
here's mine .. on top of a custom build (LDS) matching silverface 2x15.
Fantastic amps these. Here's me playing an Ibanez Musician Fretless into mine DI'd & mic'd.
Also, I've played the amp thru a Berg CN212 & it sounds amazing. A '51 P with TI's sounded incredible thru it.
I wish it was lighter though coz I'd still be gigging it.
Also, I've played the amp thru a Berg CN212 & it sounds amazing. A '51 P with TI's sounded incredible thru it.
I wish it was lighter though coz I'd still be gigging it.
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Beautiful song, and perfect bass part for that tune!
Thank you! Minimalist parts individually, but lots of layers.
I've actually been thinking of putting the amp section back into the combo, and getting a new set of wheels. It was my only amp for 17 years... I put my bass case on top & wheeled it everywhere. Stairs were a PITA though.
I've never heard a Studio Bass live, but a friend has a SuperTwin he's trying to sell. I really like the convenience of modern class D amps and neo cabs, but these wonderful tube machines do make me pause! I had one in the 60's at college (Fender Bassman), shortly after the earth cooled!
Thanks. They do have a certain cool old school charm to them.
I bought mine already in the Mojotone headcase. I had Don at LDS build me the 2x15 (great guy to deal with BTW - solid build, high quality components and a very fair price).
I wanted a cab wide enough so that the Studio Bass would not overlap the cab ( I hate that t-bone look personally), so it ended up being pretty wide (28") by modern cab standards (where 18"- 22" is common). The Berg NV610 is close at 24" wide, but the Studio Bass still hangs over an inch on each side, close enough.
There is just something about the roar of a full tube, big iron amp at full throttle - works magic on the right gig.
Don't get me wrong, my every day/goto rig is a 10lb Demeter VTBP-M-800D on top of a 47lb Berg CN212, and I love what that combination can do and totally dig the portability. But when I roll out the Studio Bass and the 2x15 or NV610 and dial it up, it puts a smile on my face every time.
great amp. hope you enjoy yours.
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I did a shootout of all 12 of my basses with my FSB head, Berg CN212. Here's the best bits....
FENDER STUDIO BASS HEAD
1. Squier JV Jazz/EMGs/TIs.
Perfect bass sound. Lots of tang, full but not extended lows, fat without mud.
2. JV Precision/Fodera Nickel rounds.
Incredible!! Bliss. Rich lows. Gets that Doobie Bros "Takin' it to the Streets" tone very nicely.
3. '69 P/Roto rounds.
Clear, fat, slightly growly, nice extended 'glassy' treble (not brittle). Heavy attack it starts to roar.
4. Fender CIJ P/Sadowsky Flats.
Great with sharper attack (pick/fingernails). Rich mids, pleasant highs. D&G strings sound strong.
5. Duesenberg Starplayer.
Really open 3D sound, great match. Jaw dropping good - My favourite vintage bass tone.
6. Tobias Classic 5/DRs. Very deep, rich, full. Incredible Tubey tone, but Monique a better match in active mode.
Wasn't so good with my DB & other piezo basses, or my Full hollowbodies (Aria, Coronado).
FENDER STUDIO BASS HEAD
1. Squier JV Jazz/EMGs/TIs.
Perfect bass sound. Lots of tang, full but not extended lows, fat without mud.
2. JV Precision/Fodera Nickel rounds.
Incredible!! Bliss. Rich lows. Gets that Doobie Bros "Takin' it to the Streets" tone very nicely.
3. '69 P/Roto rounds.
Clear, fat, slightly growly, nice extended 'glassy' treble (not brittle). Heavy attack it starts to roar.
4. Fender CIJ P/Sadowsky Flats.
Great with sharper attack (pick/fingernails). Rich mids, pleasant highs. D&G strings sound strong.
5. Duesenberg Starplayer.
Really open 3D sound, great match. Jaw dropping good - My favourite vintage bass tone.
6. Tobias Classic 5/DRs. Very deep, rich, full. Incredible Tubey tone, but Monique a better match in active mode.
Wasn't so good with my DB & other piezo basses, or my Full hollowbodies (Aria, Coronado).
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Nice!
I had one that was made in 1980. It sounded amazing, but I found the built in 15" speaker on the weak side. I ran it through a standalone 410 cab instead. Thought about changing it into a separate head instead, but from what I can remember the speaker output was 8 ohms only, and I wanted a Ampeg 810 cab. Eventually the Studio Bass plus the 410 cab got to big and cumbersome, so I sold it the get something else. Still miss it sometimes, tough.
From what I can remember I paid about 450 dollars for mine. The crazy grill cloth was not included in the price =)
I had one that was made in 1980. It sounded amazing, but I found the built in 15" speaker on the weak side. I ran it through a standalone 410 cab instead. Thought about changing it into a separate head instead, but from what I can remember the speaker output was 8 ohms only, and I wanted a Ampeg 810 cab. Eventually the Studio Bass plus the 410 cab got to big and cumbersome, so I sold it the get something else. Still miss it sometimes, tough.
From what I can remember I paid about 450 dollars for mine. The crazy grill cloth was not included in the price =)
