What did I buy??

[Fndrgrl]

Oh you're still welcome, we only fire the drummers here. That cab and speaker will sound nice with whatever instrument you plug in. Go middle of the road, get a bandmaster head and a bass VI.

I guess some of these questions sound ignorant because I'm used to a combined speaker and amp set up and not the two items being separate. There is so much to learn about gear I need supervision!! I seriously will get local professional help before blowing up the whole neighborhood by plugging stuff in that I don't fully understand!!

 

[SactoBass]

Everybody's doin' it!!!

 

[Fndrgrl]

View attachment 3103898

I'm loving it!! The dog needs a guitar amp and the cabinet from hell like the one I bought with fire shooting out of it!!

 

[Fndrgrl]

Everybody's doin' it!!!

View attachment 3103901

Good Lordy!! This is a creative witty group!!

 

[Munjibunga]

I guess some of these questions sound ignorant because I'm used to a combined speaker and amp set up and not the two items being separate. There is so much to learn about gear I need supervision!! I seriously will get local professional help before blowing up the whole neighborhood by plugging stuff in that I don't fully understand!!

There's no shortage of "supervision" around here.

 

[Fndrgrl]

Check out the original price of that speaker. That was an expensive speaker in the 60s.
View attachment 3103868

I loved that picture so much I downloaded it. Where did you find that?? I really really appreciate it!! Thanks a million!!

 

[BassFishingInAmerica]

That's incredible thank you for finding that!! I love it!! Will I lose treble and mid range if I play a guitar other than a bass through this speaker??

I recall that Dick Dale used D130’s (the 15” version of the D131). My guess is that the 131 would work well for guitar.

 

[BadExample]

Awe, just havin' fun.

I used to test internet connectivity at work by punching a bunch of random characters into into what ever search the user uses (trying to hit something they have not gone to, so it is not cached). Got naughty results once, so now I go for:

puppies at DuckDuckGo

kittens at DuckDuckGo

pony at DuckDuckGo

bunnies at DuckDuckGo

or even philippine carabou calf at DuckDuckGo

 

[Fndrgrl]

There's no shortage of "supervision" around here.

Gear can be complex and intimidating. When I took lessons my teacher set up a lot of my gear or advised me on what I needed. That's fine but I need to take the initiative and learn what I need to learn to function independently. There's so many products out there its hard not to make mistakes.

 

[BadExample]

Gear can be complex and intimidating. When I took lessons my teacher set up a lot of my gear or advised me on what I needed. That's fine but I need to take the initiative and learn what I need to learn to function independently. There's so many products out there its hard not to make mistakes.

There are plenty of people here that failed at bass and went to guitar.

You can ax geetar questions here.

@honeyiscool is one that plays both and is very helpful.

 

[Fndrgrl]

There are plenty of people here that failed at bass and went to guitar.
I respect bass a lot. Bass kind of holds everything together in a sense like percussion. As a guitar player you depend on bass a great deal. Oh and thanks. This is a fun group!!!
You can ax geetar questions here.

@honeyiscool is one that plays both and is very helpful.

 

[Fndrgrl]

Awesome!! I can understand how playing both would be great and give you flexibility in a band and more opportunities!!

 

[Michedelic]

Okay so don't throw up I don't play bass. I didn't understand why it was called a bass cabinet. I can get an amp and play my guitar through it I think. Yes I know that's so ignorant it IS funny!! Good gosh!! Shoot me in advance every one will die simultaneously when they read this.

Here’s the deal...in those days, early/mid 60’s, most amp companies, save for Ampeg and their B15, didn’t really put that much research and effort into coming up with proper bass amplification and cabinets. That started to happen just a few years later courtesy of Sunn, Acoustic, Ampeg(who really rose to the occasion), and to lesser extent, Kustom. Vox, another big name of the era, didn’t really get it together. Fender was surprisingly uninterested or misguided with their bass amp design. Although, yes, in the 50’s they introduced the first mass marketed bass guitar, and offered the tweed “Bassman” amp to go with it, it was inadequate as it was an open back combo(for some reason they didn’t figure out that bass required a sealed cab). The earliest models actually featured a single 15”, but they quickly switched to 4x10’s to prevent blown speakers, but ironically it was a bigger hit with guitarists. By the time they switched to the separate head/cab ‘piggyback’ format, the all-purpose Showman model, paired with one or two 15”’speakers, was the top of the line with higher wattage. While the then-new Bassman head did have a tone section that was more bass frequency friendly, it was only 50 watts, and came with a smaller 2x12” cab, Fender assuming that it would be adequate for bass. The similarly configured Bandmaster guitar rig was its matching sibling. The major problem was that ALL Fender cabs at that time were no more than 12” deep, owing, I suspect, to materials and manufacturing efficiency. The Showman boxes were taller and wider, but as far as bass was concerned, the Bassman, with only the dual 12’s and a shallow enclosure, just couldn’t deliver, especially after the Beatles hit, crowds got larger, and there was a demand for louder amplification. Fender did eventually increase the size of the cab, but stayed with only two 12’s for awhile, too little too late. That’s when all those other companies stepped in with better ideas. All that being said, your cab can certainly make for a great guitar box with the right drivers, or, with matching bass specific 12’s, a low volume bass cab. Just don’t expect too much low end from it in that capacity. If that’s what you want to do, I’d suggest selling the JBL(which, yes, is fairly heavy)and taking the money and getting some Neo’s to cut down on weight. But then, you might have a use for the D131 in a single 12 guitar combo. It’s up to you. What kind of head do you have for guitar purposes?

 

[Munjibunga]

Gear can be complex and intimidating. When I took lessons my teacher set up a lot of my gear or advised me on what I needed. That's fine but I need to take the initiative and learn what I need to learn to function independently. There's so many products out there its hard not to make mistakes.

Just stick around.

 

[Fndrgrl]

Awe, just havin' fun.

I used to test internet connectivity at work by punching a bunch of random characters into into what ever search the user uses (trying to hit something they have not gone to, so it is not cached). Got naughty results once, so now I go for:

puppies at DuckDuckGo

kittens at DuckDuckGo

pony at DuckDuckGo

bunnies at DuckDuckGo

or even philippine carabou calf at DuckDuckGo

Oh my. I've never tried that!!! Thanks.

 

[5StringBlues]

Back in the 60's and early 70's bass players were big burly men who had day jobs like lumberjack or cattle puncher. They could carry two 8x10s in one hand while rolling a cigarette in the other.

Sigged. What a strange thread.



Welcome to TB!

 

[Fndrgrl]

Here’s the deal...in those days, early/mid 60’s, most amp companies, save for Ampeg and their B15, didn’t really put that much research and effort into coming up with proper bass amplification and cabinets. That started to happen just a few years later courtesy of Sunn, Acoustic, Ampeg(who really rose to the occasion), and to lesser extent, Kustom. Vox, another big name of the era, didn’t really get it together. Fender was surprisingly uninterested or misguided with their bass amp design. Although, yes, in the 50’s they introduced the first mass marketed bass guitar, and offered the tweed “Bassman” amp to go with it, it was inadequate as it was an open back combo(for some reason they didn’t figure out that bass required a sealed cab). The earliest models actually featured a single 15”, but they quickly switched to 4x10’s to prevent blown speakers, but ironically it was a bigger hit with guitarists. By the time they switched to the separate head/cab ‘piggyback’ format, the all-purpose Showman model, paired with one or two 15”’speakers, was the top of the line with higher wattage. While the then-new Bassman head did have a tone section that was more bass frequency friendly, it was only 50 watts, and came with a smaller 2x12” cab, Fender assuming that it would be adequate for bass. The similarly configured Bandmaster guitar rig was its matching sibling. The major problem was that ALL Fender cabs at that time were no more than 12” deep, owing, I suspect, to materials and manufacturing efficiency. The Showman boxes were taller and wider, but as far as bass was concerned, the Bassman, with only the dual 12’s and a shallow enclosure, just couldn’t deliver, especially after the Beatles hit, crowds got larger, and there was a demand for louder amplification. Fender did eventually increase the size of the cab, but stayed with only two 12’s for awhile, too little too late. That’s when all those other companies stepped in with better ideas. All that being said, your cab can certainly make for a great guitar box with the right drivers, or, with matching bass specific 12’s, a low volume bass cab. Just don’t expect too much low end from it in that capacity. If that’s what you want to do, I’d suggest selling the JBL(which, yes, is fairly heavy)and taking the money and getting some Neo’s to cut down on weight. But then, you might have a use for the D131 in a single 12 guitar combo. It’s up to you. What kind of head do you have for guitar purposes?

I have a combined amp and speaker set up in the form of a Studio Lead. That's why its so confusing to me. I bought the vintage cab at a charity auction from non guitar players who gave me the best info they could. I need an amp. I appreciate the great technical information you provided so generously. I need to take a deep breath and think carefully before I proceed. I clearly lack the necessary knowledge here but I'm learning. Thank you very very much.

 

[Michedelic]

Fndrgrl, I am pretty sure that what you have is a Fender Dual Showman cabinet. The JBL D-131is a 15" speaker, used primarily for bass but it works well for guitar as well.

I assume the outside measurements are 36"x 24"x 11.5". As mentioned earlier in this thread, the Bassman and Bandmaster cabinets (which are 2x12") are 32"x 21"x 11.5".

The Dual Showman was Fender's top of the line amplifier at the time and was used for both guitar and bass. The head on the pre-1970's versions was advertised at 85 watts at 4 ohms but in reality, was closer to 100W.

The cabinet you have was used between 1962-67. In mid-'67 and later Fender introduced a larger cabinet that was vertically oriented instead of horizontal.

Also, there was a "regular" Showman which had a single speaker, either a 12" or later, a 15". The single speaker was 8 ohms, not 4 like the Dual Showman.

The Fender emblem on yours is an early "flat" version that was used on Showmans and Dual Showmans from 1960-1963. Those were covered in blonde Tolex and had either an oxblood, wheat or gold grillcloth depending on the year of manufacture.

Here's my '62 Dual Showman that I used for bass for several years with a surf band I was in back in the 1990's-early 2000's. It has E-V bass speakers but I still have the JBL D-130F's that it was born with.

PM me if you have any questions as I am a huge fan of the Fender Showman and Dual Showman amps. I am also a guitar player who ended up playing bass as well.

View attachment 3103952

Definitely NOT a Showman cab; in spite of the compromised original photos, it simply isn’t that big, the proportion relation and size/dimension to the logo is all wrong, and the vehicle appears to me to be a standard SUV; a Showman would take too much space. The JBL D131 is a 12”, a supposed forerunner of the D120, not a 15. It’s gotta be an earlier Bassman/Bandmaster.

 

[WoodyJ]

Apologies for my brain fart, as the D-131 is a 12" speaker. I deleted my post due to my faux pas.

I agree that Fndrgrl's cabinet is a Bandmaster or Bassman. Due to the early Fender logo, I am curious if it is an older blonde cab painted black or is a '64-67 black Tolex one. Whatever version it is, it is definitely restorable to like new condition if she so chooses.

 

[Fndrgrl]

Sorry for the poor photos and my lack of knowledge. I measured the cabinet. It is 20 inches across the front. It is 32 inches high. The fabric on the front is dirty. Where it is clean its light in color with silver threads. The cover is of the cabinet is black. It is vertical. My camera can't read this very well.