Is a Band Master comparable to a Deluxe Reverb?

[David Meiland]

Idle thoughts swirling in my brain here... help me avoid doing something stupid.

I've been switching over to amp heads + speaker cabinets and away from combos. It's easier to play mix-n-match that way and experiment with different stuff, and everything is lighter and easier to move around. One of the last combos I have is a '68 SFDR. It's been recapped and is a spectacular sounding amp with a GA-SC64 in it. It looks like I could get a Band Master head and get the same AB763 circuit, minus the reverb that I don't use anyway.

Anyone done this or have both amps and have any opinions on making the switch?

 

[zook]

A bandmaster has a SS rectifier and 6L6s, putting out 40 watts. The DR has 6V6s and a tube rectifier.

 

[gmann]

A bandmaster has a SS rectifier and 6L6s, putting out 40 watts. The DR has 6L6s and a tube rectifier.

A Deluxe Reverb has 6V6’s.

 

[zook]

A Deluxe Reverb has 6V6’s.

Oops. typo, i will correct

 

[Ringo]

IMO it's just a lower powered Showman, same circuit and chassis, but only 2 6L6 tubes instead of 4.
Good clean tones, I personally prefer a Bassman head for more gain but that's me.

 

[KokoTele]

The Bandmaster, Pro Reverb, and Bassman are all similarly voiced. Big & on the warm side (for a Fender) with round lows, plenty of headroom.

The Super and Vibrolux Reverb have similar voices too. Less warm, tighter bottom, more sparkle in the highs, plenty of headroom.

The Deluxe has its own voice. Earlier breakup, looser bottom end, less sparkle in the highs, gets saturated more easily.

 

[RodeoTex]

I can't comment much about those two amps but I sure agree with the concept of separate heads and cabs.

 

[Milspec]

If you mod the Bandmaster to run quad 6V6 instead of the factory 2x6L6...you get pretty close with more headroom.

 

[Short on cash]

2 completely different amps.
If you like the DR you will have a difficult time getting that tone from a BM.

 

[David Meiland]

Well, sounds like I'd need to get a Bandmaster and see if I like it, see if the DR can go or needs to stay

 

[Phrygian77]

The amps without reverb have a very slightly different voice and little less gain. My guess is that you'll like it though.

 

[Erik Thomas]

I recently acquired a 1965 Band-Master head, which is close to being all original except for a few capacitors. It sounds amazing. Dead quiet and the prittiest, sharpest "cleans" of just about any amp that I have ever heard or played. I don't have a Deluxe, but I've heard others play them. Deluxe's break up earlier and to my hears have a more rock tone, heavy country or light Stonsey tone with great clean sounds but less pristine than what the Bandmaster does. However... when I crank the Bandmaster to 10 "diming it" and then run it though my Fryette, it just wails and becomes the best blues amp that you've ever heard. The Tremelo on it is deep and lush and awesome. I Love the Bandmaster. Its portable too. I'm starting to learn more about vintage amps because the sound is amazing.

 

[bigben55]

So long as you're looking for clean tones, pretty much all of the BF/SF amps are squarely in the same ballpark. Rectifiers, power tibes and speaker configurations yield subtle differences. But if you're looking to push it to break up, that's where they're different.

 

[NTC]

There is such a thing as a Bandmaster Reverb. It has a tube rectifier and 2x 6L6.

 

[68goldtop]

Hi!

My main amp is a ´66 Deluxe (no-reverb) - but I recently had a bf Bandmaster AND a Bandmaster Reverb
I liked both amps, but I re-sold them because I couldn't really use them...
Like the other guys said - the sounds are (somewhat) comparable, but the Bandmasters are MUCH louder/tighter, and they´re also a lot heavier.
The heads alone weigh (almost) as much as the DR combo

Wish I had kept the bf Bandmaster because it´s so cool, and it has a sound of its own - but I still wouldn't´t know what to use it for

The guy who picked up the Bandmaster Reverb + cab played it at our rehearsal-space for a while. It sounded great, and he was REALLY happy - but I knew right away that I won´t ever play THIS loud again



cheers - 68.

 

[ndcaster]

1970



I bought this in 1984 from a guy smoking cigarettes in his underwear

for free, he threw in an ungodly huge heavy plywood cabinet with a 15" JBL, which I sold shortly after

lots of history with this thing, seems like ages ago

my experience is the same as all the other posters: at a certain level, the cleans are similar and beautiful -- but when you crank them, the breakups differ

I came close to diming this one in a psychedelic reggae band a long time ago

 

[LostGonzo85]

Personally, I wouldn't ditch the DR for the Bandmaster, especially since you describe the SFDR's sound as spectacular. Yeah, the Bandmaster head is a few pounds lighter, but not as well balanced to carry as the DR - IMO, not worth it to swap for the weight savings. If you really want to shave a few pounds off, you could look at putting the DR into a headshell. I guess if money isn't an object, though, can't hurt to try the Bandmaster and see if it does what you're looking for.

 

[ballynally2]

I can't comment much about those two amps but I sure agree with the concept of separate heads and cabs.

Yep. I made my brownface 63 Vibroverb RI into a head. That way you can match the speakers to the type of gig.
Bandmaster head..go ahead. The Blonde or Brown if you can try one.
I do believe they came with the smaller PT and OT like my Vibroverb. 28w instead of the stated 40w. No matter, equally great. About as loud as a DR which is fine for most. Again, couple the head w some high efficient speakers and you are good to go.
In fact that has been a great way to change your sound. From 93 to 100spl. Need more than 3db to make a difference.
Personally i wouldnt bother w getting a bf Bandmaster.

 

[loopfinding]

would be cheapest/easiest to just put the DR into a head cab.

 

[Wally]

The Bandmaster has two channels that each have two preamp gain stages. The Vibrato channel has some gain loss due to the Vibrato. The Deluxe Reveb has three gain channels 8n the Vib channel…with a
some gain loss due to the effects but the third gain stage makes up for that loss so the Vib Channel is a bit stronger than the DR’s Normal channel. In the Bandmaster, the Normal channel has a bit more gain than does the Vib channel.
The Bandmaster Reverb is closer to being a higher power DR.