What did I buy??

[Fndrgrl]

View attachment 3103979 View attachment 3103982 View attachment 3103979 View attachment 3103980 View attachment 3103982 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.

It is 11 and one half inches deep.

 

[Fndrgrl]

It is 11 and one half inches deep.

There are two holes on the back of the cabinet. Starting to wonder if its part of a PA system.

 

[Bassbeater]

Mind your amp wattage when playing through it. It would be a shame to blow that old speaker!

 

[WoodyJ]

Dang, I was wrong again, this time regarding the Fender logo (that is located in the wrong spot). That isn't an earlier "flat" fender logo after all, it is the 1963 -73 "raised" logo with a "tail". So, since I've been batting zero, I won't guesstimate the age of the cabinet even though I am certain it was made in 1964-68.

Now I need a beer and I rarely drink beer.

 

[Fndrgrl]

Dang, I was wrong again, this time regarding the Fender logo (that is located in the wrong spot). That isn't an earlier "flat" fender logo after all, it is the 1963 -73 "raised" logo with a "tail". So, since I've been batting zero, I won't guesstimate the age of the cabinet even though I am certain it was made in 1964-68.

Now I need a beer and I rarely drink beer.

Love it!! This item has been a conundrum. It has two holes in the back. Ill have to look at an amp head and see how it hooks up. Ill definitely get help. You have been incredibly helpful. Can you tell me again if its a bassman or what type. I'm getting confused about it all. I sincerely appreciate your help!! If I ask something in the future Ill do a better job with measurements and photos too.

 

[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?

 

[Fndrgrl]

I have a combo amp and speaker in the form of a fender Studio Lead. I also have a small tube amp speaker combo. I don't have a separate amp head for this cabinet. I bought the cabinet at a charity auction from non players who were guessing at what it was. It is possible that someone else got the amp but I don't know. I've learned a lot from this believe me!! Oh and thanks for educating me its appreciated.

 

[Fndrgrl]

Dang, I was wrong again, this time regarding the Fender logo (that is located in the wrong spot). That isn't an earlier "flat" fender logo after all, it is the 1963 -73 "raised" logo with a "tail". So, since I've been batting zero, I won't guesstimate the age of the cabinet even though I am certain it was made in 1964-68.

Now I need a beer and I rarely drink beer.

 

[Fndrgrl]

View attachment 3104808

Isn't she a beauty??

 

[Fndrgrl]

Dang, I was wrong again, this time regarding the Fender logo (that is located in the wrong spot). That isn't an earlier "flat" fender logo after all, it is the 1963 -73 "raised" logo with a "tail". So, since I've been batting zero, I won't guesstimate the age of the cabinet even though I am certain it was made in 1964-68.

Now I need a beer and I rarely drink beer.

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.

 

[Fndrgrl]

This beauty is 11.5 inches deep 20 inches wide and 32 inches tall. Thanks for your kind help!!

 

[TomB]

Hello!!!
Forgive me in advance. I don't play bass. I bought what I was told was a bass amp on the secondary market. I told the individual that there was nothing to plug into. After a difference of opinion I bought it thinking it was a vintage speaker. It is actually a cabinet without an amp. Its a fender vintage cabinet with the fender logo underlined. As far as I can see it was made between 1968 and 1974. Where is a good source of information??? Fender tried to help but couldn't. The serial number as far as I can determine is M 18020 or M16020. I have no clue as to whether it would work if had an amp. Or if it could be used for a fender guitar that isn't a bass. Would there be no treble or midrange?
What the heck is going on??? Any ideas??

What did you buy? A 2X15 Fender bass cab. Hope it works out for you! Tom

 

[Fndrgrl]

What did you buy? A 2X15 Fender bass cab. Hope it works out for you! Tom

But is it a bass man or band master??

 

[TomB]

But is it a bass man or band master??

No idea, really. Most of the Bandmaster cabs I used to see were 2X12. The 15's were later Bassman (earlier Bassman were 212).

 

[GrooverMcTube]

By 'holes in the back' are you referring to the input jacks on the back of the speaker cabinet? That would be where you plug the speaker cable from the amp into the speaker cabinet (assuming the impedence of the amp and the cabinet are matched). Many cabinets are manufactured so you can run more than one cabinet in series (that is, you run the signal from the amp through the speaker cable into the first cabinet then run another speaker cable into the second cabinet. Since you don't have a second cabinet, you only need to plug into one of the input jacks with your speaker cable (doesn't matter which one).

Your speaker cable looks exactly like your instrument cable (the cable you plug from your guitar into the amp), but they are different and you should never confuse the two. Put nail polish on the speaker cable or some other way of identifying it or you can possibly fry your amp. The speaker cable has much thicker wire that carries the signal from your amp to your speakers. The instrument cable carries the low voltage signal from the pickups of your guitar to the amp where the signal gets amplified so it can power your speakers.

Is there only the one speaker inside the cabinet? If you only have the one speaker then the impedance would be 16 Ohms. You might be able to safely connect your tube amp to the existing speaker to hear if it sounds good or not (assuming the amp can handle a 16 Ohm load). You might consider posting a picture of the back of your tube amp and let one of the experts weigh in on that before you try it though.

FYI - James B. Lansing = JBL

 

[Jeff Scott]

This beauty is 11.5 inches deep 20 inches wide and 32 inches tall. Thanks for your kind help!!

What did you buy? A 2X15 Fender bass cab. Hope it works out for you! Tom

Not likely given the dimensions.

Fndrgrl, note the knurled screws on either side of the handle. That is for mounting a Bassman or BandMaster amp (depending on the spacing between the two of them) head to. Those amps (and other models, too) have bars with a hole in each one on the bottom of the amp case that slide out to be mounted to the speaker cabinet with those knurled screws.

 

[Fndrgrl]

Not likely given the dimensions.

Fndrgrl, note the knurled screws on either side of the handle. That is for mounting a Bassman or BandMaster amp (depending on the spacing between the two of them) head to. Those amps (and other models, too) have bars with a hole in each one on the bottom of the amp case that slide out to be mounted to the speaker cabinet with those knurled screws.

So if I measure between the screws O would know the type of cabinet it is and then would know what amps would be compatable correct??

 

[Fndrgrl]

 

[Fndrgrl]

Please know that I'm not plugging anything in at all!! I'm just trying to understand this cabinet speaker situation before I buy an amp. I feel like it will help if I have some idea how it all works. From knurled knob to knurled knob its about 23 inches and the amp will hook into those holes with the knobs off right?? The inside speaker 16 ohms will have to be rewired and in some way the amp and the speaker has to be connected. There are holes in the back. They must play a role in connecting everything together right?? Am I catching on here?? I will have the help of a professional with this here locally.

 

[Fndrgrl]

Please know that I'm not plugging anything in at all!! I'm just trying to understand this cabinet speaker situation before I buy an amp. I feel like it will help if I have some idea how it all works. From knurled knob to knurled knob its about 23 inches and the amp will hook into those holes with the knobs off right?? The inside speaker 16 ohms will have to be rewired and in some way the amp and the speaker has to be connected. There are holes in the back. They must play a role in connecting everything together right?? Am I catching on here?? I will have the help of a professional with this here locally.