• macg1
  • BONAMETAL
  • Offline
  • From: St. Petersburg, FL
  • Registered: 2010-01-21
  • Posts: 1,020

Topic: Would you Trade? Fender vs. Marshall

I have a 1966 Fender Bandmaster that is my main amp now.  I do love its tone but for most of the stuff in my band i have to run an overdrive or distortion pedal since it is a rock situation.  A local guy is offering to trade me a Marshall JCM 2000 DSL for the Bandmaster.  Would you guys do it?  The Marshall would give me two channels and the ability to loose my distortion pedals...  I paid 450 for the Bandmaster so monetarily I would come out ahead.

Amp: Firebird Musical Amplifiers
Guitars:62 LP SG , 02 FB VII, JB FB I, 76 Electra Omega, 64 Firebird V, 73 LPC, 61 Custom Tele, 59 and 60 Melody Maker
Effects: Mythos Chupacabra, Strymon Deco/Flint
  • Registered: 2008-10-10
  • Posts: 180

Re: Would you Trade? Fender vs. Marshall

macg1 wrote:

I have a 1966 Fender Bandmaster that is my main amp now.  I do love its tone but for most of the stuff in my band i have to run an overdrive or distortion pedal since it is a rock situation.  A local guy is offering to trade me a Marshall JCM 2000 DSL for the Bandmaster.  Would you guys do it?  The Marshall would give me two channels and the ability to loose my distortion pedals...  I paid 450 for the Bandmaster so monetarily I would come out ahead.

I'd keep the fender and add a marshall, you might be kickin yourself later for getting rid of a vintage amp for a not so rare DSL.  Monitarily you might come out ahead now but as values increase on vintage gear, you may regret the trade.  I'd buy a marshall and a blending switch, more gear to carry but so worth it tonally.

Where the hell does one get a black-backed gold top anyway?
  • macg1
  • BONAMETAL
  • Offline
  • From: St. Petersburg, FL
  • Registered: 2010-01-21
  • Posts: 1,020

Re: Would you Trade? Fender vs. Marshall

Partial2Marshall wrote:
macg1 wrote:

I have a 1966 Fender Bandmaster that is my main amp now.  I do love its tone but for most of the stuff in my band i have to run an overdrive or distortion pedal since it is a rock situation.  A local guy is offering to trade me a Marshall JCM 2000 DSL for the Bandmaster.  Would you guys do it?  The Marshall would give me two channels and the ability to loose my distortion pedals...  I paid 450 for the Bandmaster so monetarily I would come out ahead.

I'd keep the fender and add a marshall, you might be kickin yourself later for getting rid of a vintage amp for a not so rare DSL.  Monitarily you might come out ahead now but as values increase on vintage gear, you may regret the trade.  I'd buy a marshall and a blending switch, more gear to carry but so worth it tonally.

Yeah I was sort of thinking the same.  What actually will likely happen is that I will grab a Carl Martin Plexi Tone from a buddy instead of lugging a marshall and the fender.  I know pedal is not the same as amp, but I know it will get me hints of Marshall until i can save up enough for a proper amp.

Amp: Firebird Musical Amplifiers
Guitars:62 LP SG , 02 FB VII, JB FB I, 76 Electra Omega, 64 Firebird V, 73 LPC, 61 Custom Tele, 59 and 60 Melody Maker
Effects: Mythos Chupacabra, Strymon Deco/Flint
  • From: Scotland
  • Registered: 2009-02-11
  • Posts: 453

Re: Would you Trade? Fender vs. Marshall

Don't trade it for a marshall. keep the fender and like you said get a good marshall style overdrive for when you need it. A good pedal to look into is the blackstar ht-dual.

5 Reply by Billion81 (edited by Billion81 2010-03-12 18:29:35)

  • Registered: 2009-07-16
  • Posts: 105

Re: Would you Trade? Fender vs. Marshall

You will miss the Bandmaster. Believe it or not this is one of the most celebrated circuits as a flexible platform that Fender ever made. Bruce Zinky built the Vibroking based on this circuit which I have owned for years.

The issue with this circuit is how you do OD with it. I have found that Tube Screamers do not do well by themselves but more like an Eric Johnson set up you need two low gain OD pedals in a staged gain and the OD is as butter as you'll find.

Keep the BandMaster. JCM2000s are a dime a dozen and you'll find that while it may have some good gain the cleans might be limiting.

  • macg1
  • BONAMETAL
  • Offline
  • From: St. Petersburg, FL
  • Registered: 2010-01-21
  • Posts: 1,020

Re: Would you Trade? Fender vs. Marshall

I am convinced!  Bandmaster stays!

Amp: Firebird Musical Amplifiers
Guitars:62 LP SG , 02 FB VII, JB FB I, 76 Electra Omega, 64 Firebird V, 73 LPC, 61 Custom Tele, 59 and 60 Melody Maker
Effects: Mythos Chupacabra, Strymon Deco/Flint
  • Registered: 2008-10-02
  • Posts: 373

Re: Would you Trade? Fender vs. Marshall

I agree keep the bandmaster and buy a marshall offer him $450 for the DSL - they are nice amps but you will kick yourself for getting rid of a 66 Bandmaster.

  • Registered: 2009-01-01
  • Posts: 665

Re: Would you Trade? Fender vs. Marshall

Don't let that Bandmaster go! Or give it to me, I'll give you a DSL for it.  smile

  • macg1
  • BONAMETAL
  • Offline
  • From: St. Petersburg, FL
  • Registered: 2010-01-21
  • Posts: 1,020

Re: Would you Trade? Fender vs. Marshall

Well Bluesbreaker, I will trade the 66 BM for a Bluesbreaker!  tongue  or maybe a silver jubilee!

Amp: Firebird Musical Amplifiers
Guitars:62 LP SG , 02 FB VII, JB FB I, 76 Electra Omega, 64 Firebird V, 73 LPC, 61 Custom Tele, 59 and 60 Melody Maker
Effects: Mythos Chupacabra, Strymon Deco/Flint
  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: Would you Trade? Fender vs. Marshall

The Marshall WILL NOT have the same clean. So I guess what matters most: good distortion, or good clean?
...and it's not like they MAKE a 'clean pedal'

I'm just sayin'

If you can go double amps, I'd just save up. wink

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool
  • Registered: 2009-02-10
  • Posts: 470

Re: Would you Trade? Fender vs. Marshall

Personally I don't think theres anything wrong with using a good distortion or OD pedal.
Get yourself an OCD or something, that way you'll get a great OD and be able to get back to Fender cleans, which lets face it, are the best cleans  tongue

  • From: North Babylon , New York
  • Registered: 2008-04-06
  • Posts: 25

Re: Would you Trade? Fender vs. Marshall

KEEP IT

  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: Would you Trade? Fender vs. Marshall

Could you not finds some sort of Tube Preamp to use with it.  I've always heard its easy to get a good dirty sound, but its hard as heck to take a good dirty sound and make it clean.  Could you use a power break or something to control the volume if you cranked the Bandmaster up more to get saturation?

AD3THREE's Website

14 Reply by ken

  • ken
  • ken
  • Titanium
  • Offline
  • From: Orlando, FL
  • Registered: 2007-05-28
  • Posts: 949

Re: Would you Trade? Fender vs. Marshall

Check out an MI audio Crunchbox. I play it through the clean channel of my little Rivera (which has very fendery cleans), and it sounds very Marshally.

  • macg1
  • BONAMETAL
  • Offline
  • From: St. Petersburg, FL
  • Registered: 2010-01-21
  • Posts: 1,020

Re: Would you Trade? Fender vs. Marshall

AD3Three I use a tube pedal called a Budda Phatman.  I have owned a Crunch Box, a Lovepedal COT50, Lovepedal Purple Plexi, HAO Rust Driver, and Wampler Pinacle for the Marshall tone.  Of the three I like the Wampler best though it was a bit too noisy.  The Carl Martin Plexitone will be coming home with me next weekend.

Amp: Firebird Musical Amplifiers
Guitars:62 LP SG , 02 FB VII, JB FB I, 76 Electra Omega, 64 Firebird V, 73 LPC, 61 Custom Tele, 59 and 60 Melody Maker
Effects: Mythos Chupacabra, Strymon Deco/Flint
  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: Would you Trade? Fender vs. Marshall

How about a good Fuzz pedal?  Such as my favorite new pedal that my friends got this week, the Barber Trifecta Fuzz.  It is 3 fuzz types built into one.  My friend played Les Pauls for years but his back hurts so he got a Strat for weight relief.  Now he was bummed he didn't get the thunderous sounds of his Les Paul with the Strat.  So he got the Trifecta and it basically got as fuzzy as he needed for his thunderous sound, best of all it was great with his les paul too because of the slug knob.  You can dial in the muddiness for Strats and take it out for the Les paul.   

Another option would be convert the amps tubes from 6V6 to maybe a EL-34.  A good repair man can do that for you.  But that could get pricey

AD3THREE's Website

  • macg1
  • BONAMETAL
  • Offline
  • From: St. Petersburg, FL
  • Registered: 2010-01-21
  • Posts: 1,020

Re: Would you Trade? Fender vs. Marshall

I got the fuzz territory covered, with my Fulltone Soul Bender and the Seymour Duncan Tweak Fuzz. I use fuzz pedals exclusively for lead lines.  The conversion from 6L6 to EL34 is not something i considered...  probably should keep the amp stock.

Amp: Firebird Musical Amplifiers
Guitars:62 LP SG , 02 FB VII, JB FB I, 76 Electra Omega, 64 Firebird V, 73 LPC, 61 Custom Tele, 59 and 60 Melody Maker
Effects: Mythos Chupacabra, Strymon Deco/Flint
  • macg1
  • BONAMETAL
  • Offline
  • From: St. Petersburg, FL
  • Registered: 2010-01-21
  • Posts: 1,020

Re: Would you Trade? Fender vs. Marshall

Ha, just realized that you are from north carolina Ad3Three.  I just happen to be stuck in the Charlotte airport right now! hmm

Amp: Firebird Musical Amplifiers
Guitars:62 LP SG , 02 FB VII, JB FB I, 76 Electra Omega, 64 Firebird V, 73 LPC, 61 Custom Tele, 59 and 60 Melody Maker
Effects: Mythos Chupacabra, Strymon Deco/Flint