Musicmaster Bass Amp find. Is it worth it?

ntasca · May 3rd, 2006, 08:03 AM

Hi guys,

Having a bit of a jam at work today (i'm a school teacher), i came across an old(ish?) Fender Amp and nearly died! As far as i know its in non-working condition, but a few other guys i spoke to at work said they had been using it in the past few weeks.

It's a Musicmaster Bass Amp - only 2 knobs - the volume works as the on/off switch. 2 inputs etc. Haven't really had a good look at this amp up close, tried to look in the back of the amp and i think the speaker had Oxford written on it in pen or some sort of marker. It still had the back cover on it, so i couldn't spot a serial number etc.

2 questions:

- what are they worth?
- are they any good (ie worth trying to acquire it from school)??

Here's one i found on the net:

Twang · May 3rd, 2006, 08:29 AM

Hey.

You should try a search of MMB which is what the Music Master Bass amp is commonly referred to around here. You'll find a ton of information on them.

I don't know what they are selling for these days but they are great underrated amps. I've had mine for over a year and it sounds great. I've upgraded the speaker and the tubes...definitely one of those great bang for the buck amps.

You can also find some specs on it at the Fender Field Guide just scroll down on the left side.

Sidney Vicious · May 3rd, 2006, 09:09 AM

As a general rule at a minimum people change the speaker - other than that a few simple cheap tweaks to improve tone may be in order.

There are two versions - 6v6 with typical Fender amp knobs and the earlier 6aq5 tube model with black knobs skirted in metal. Both sound fine.

They are good cheap tube amps that are quite popular around here.

Ebay prices them in good condition at around 200 before shipping.

Brick · May 3rd, 2006, 09:40 PM

Figure they are well worth $250. Pay up to $200 and buy a speaker. Most bang for the buck in a vintage tube amp, and they distort nicely.

OaklandA · May 4th, 2006, 08:18 PM

provided the caps and guts are healthy...all you need to do is replace the tubes, speaker, and the power cord with a 3 prong cord and you'l have one helluva amp.

There are some excellent threads on MMB's if you do a search. On eBay, a MMB in good shape would go for 200-250.

Tremo · May 4th, 2006, 08:23 PM

Buy it. Basically, they do require a little work to really get the best out of them, but it's well worth it.

first off, the filter caps will need to be changed, but since the MMB is a real simple amp, it only uses a few so this is no big deal and not very hard, a tech can easily handle it. Also the cathode bypass cap for the output tubes should be changed, and that's about it.

Next is the speaker. The stock speaker is really crap. If you put in something better, the difference is literally night and day. HUGE improvement. Major increase in volume, and the tone is vastly improved.

Lastly is the tubes, just make sure the 12AX7 and the two outputs (either 6V6 or 6AQ5) are healthy.

Then just a little elbow grease to clean it up and wipe it down. You will have a fine sounding amp for home practice or small gigs. Well worth the time and money.

Rob DiStefano · May 5th, 2006, 06:32 AM

What Tremo said. MMB's are kick-arse li'l amps with great tone as long as you do the simple mods. Great Fender tone, too. IMO, this amp will only acrue in value - in fact, it already has since they used to sell for $100-$150 ... 8)

May 3rd, 2006, 08:03 AM	#1 (permalink)
ntasca Tele-Meister Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Victoria, Australia Posts: 114	Musicmaster Bass Amp find. Is it worth it? Hi guys, Having a bit of a jam at work today (i'm a school teacher), i came across an old(ish?) Fender Amp and nearly died! As far as i know its in non-working condition, but a few other guys i spoke to at work said they had been using it in the past few weeks. It's a Musicmaster Bass Amp - only 2 knobs - the volume works as the on/off switch. 2 inputs etc. Haven't really had a good look at this amp up close, tried to look in the back of the amp and i think the speaker had Oxford written on it in pen or some sort of marker. It still had the back cover on it, so i couldn't spot a serial number etc. 2 questions: - what are they worth? - are they any good (ie worth trying to acquire it from school)?? Here's one i found on the net:

May 3rd, 2006, 08:29 AM	#2 (permalink)
Twang Tele-Holic Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: Arlington, VA Age: 44 Posts: 684	Hey. You should try a search of MMB which is what the Music Master Bass amp is commonly referred to around here. You'll find a ton of information on them. I don't know what they are selling for these days but they are great underrated amps. I've had mine for over a year and it sounds great. I've upgraded the speaker and the tubes...definitely one of those great bang for the buck amps. You can also find some specs on it at the Fender Field Guide just scroll down on the left side. __________________ "we don't wear rhinestones because we think we're cool, we wear rhinestones because we think they're cool" - gp

May 3rd, 2006, 09:40 PM	#4 (permalink)
Brick Tele-Holic Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: San Jose Age: 58 Posts: 793	$200 Figure they are well worth $250. Pay up to $200 and buy a speaker. Most bang for the buck in a vintage tube amp, and they distort nicely.

May 4th, 2006, 08:18 PM	#5 (permalink)
OaklandA Tele-Afflicted Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Arizona Posts: 1,629 28 Photos	provided the caps and guts are healthy...all you need to do is replace the tubes, speaker, and the power cord with a 3 prong cord and you'l have one helluva amp. There are some excellent threads on MMB's if you do a search. On eBay, a MMB in good shape would go for 200-250. __________________ ________________________ _________________ ___________ That's what she said.

May 3rd, 2006, 09:09 AM	#3 (permalink)
Sidney Vicious Tele-Afflicted Join Date: May 2003 Location: New Orleans, Louisiana, USA Posts: 1,245 13 Photos	As a general rule at a minimum people change the speaker - other than that a few simple cheap tweaks to improve tone may be in order. There are two versions - 6v6 with typical Fender amp knobs and the earlier 6aq5 tube model with black knobs skirted in metal. Both sound fine. They are good cheap tube amps that are quite popular around here. Ebay prices them in good condition at around 200 before shipping.

May 4th, 2006, 08:23 PM	#6 (permalink)
Tremo Banned Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Silicon Valley, CA, USA Posts: 3,803	Buy it. Basically, they do require a little work to really get the best out of them, but it's well worth it. first off, the filter caps will need to be changed, but since the MMB is a real simple amp, it only uses a few so this is no big deal and not very hard, a tech can easily handle it. Also the cathode bypass cap for the output tubes should be changed, and that's about it. Next is the speaker. The stock speaker is really crap. If you put in something better, the difference is literally night and day. HUGE improvement. Major increase in volume, and the tone is vastly improved. Lastly is the tubes, just make sure the 12AX7 and the two outputs (either 6V6 or 6AQ5) are healthy. Then just a little elbow grease to clean it up and wipe it down. You will have a fine sounding amp for home practice or small gigs. Well worth the time and money.

May 5th, 2006, 06:32 AM	#7 (permalink)
Rob DiStefano Friend of Leo's Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Park Ridge, NJ Age: 63 Posts: 4,915	What Tremo said. MMB's are kick-arse li'l amps with great tone as long as you do the simple mods. Great Fender tone, too. IMO, this amp will only acrue in value - in fact, it already has since they used to sell for $100-$150 ... 8)