Monster Fender rig - 400 PS

Tim Brosnan · January 26, 2014, 08:01:00 PM

I generally like Fender basses and amps, but sometimes they do goofy things, especially when it comes to amps. Maybe if this amp appeared 5 to 10 years before the SVT, it might have seemed like a good idea. But by 1969, you had the SVT, Acoustic 360, Marshall, and Sunn amps. Stages were getting bigger, music was getting louder, and bassists needed to be heard. It almost seems like Fender came up with a good concept, then stacked the deck against it so that it couldn't succeed like the aforementioned amps.

I think it's similar to the Studio bass. They built a nice 200W tube amp into a very large, thin, and top heavy combo. Now, if was never meant to leave home and /or your studio, it wouldn't be a big deal. But Fender's advertisements at the time said you could take this amp to stage or studio, so you could always get your sound no matter where you were playing. I haven't even seen a Studio bass amp in over 30 years, but I remember it being a big, HEAVY amp to move. I notice a lot of people who get them build them into a head format, to make it easier to move. Couldn't Fender have at least offered a head and speaker option when it was new? I think they could have really made a mark at that time with that amp if they did that.

gearHed289 · January 27, 2014, 09:38:29 AM

Never heard of these. Looks good on paper. Would look better a a head and a cab!

Psycho Bass Guy · January 27, 2014, 10:56:41 AM

Quote from: gearHed289 on January 27, 2014, 09:38:29 AM

Never heard of these. Looks good on paper. Would look better a a head and a cab!

It's the Super Twin, which ironically DID come as a standalone head, without reverb in a combo. The preamp tone stack is a little different, but not much. The Super Twin sounds likes crap for guitar but makes a nice bass amp.

rahock · January 28, 2014, 05:36:33 AM

Not a whole lot of Studio Bass amps around. Best sounding bass amp that Fender ever made and heavy as a tank.
Rick

Iome · January 28, 2014, 06:23:53 AM

I have had a Studiobass for several years, nice amp with tube driven eq. Didn't have as much volume as you would think (my Bassman 100 was loudere) but very nice sounding. The lack of volume was probably caused by the pour room in the speaker cab.

slinkp · January 28, 2014, 08:06:28 PM

Great thread. I would be really curious to hear the 400 with some decent cabinets. I wonder what cabs would be a good match for it (aside from the folded horn things... I'm dubious about those).

Psycho Bass Guy · January 29, 2014, 01:56:27 PM

I ran mine with three Bag End 2x12 subwoofer cabinets in a homemade SVT cab kinda way. It worked REALLY well.

fealach · January 29, 2014, 04:08:57 PM

Quote from: slinkp on January 28, 2014, 08:06:28 PM
Great thread. I would be really curious to hear the 400 with some decent cabinets. I wonder what cabs would be a good match for it (aside from the folded horn things... I'm dubious about those).

After reading years ago what cabinets Psycho Bass Guy used with his, I picked some up for mine. Was only able to find 2 used, I couldn't afford to buy them new. I've used them with a Carvin 10.2 NEO. Sounds good to me and to the people that have heard it, or so they tell me. At practice, I use a Sunn 415M instead of the Carvin. I use the Carvin at home, while the practice space is the only place I have room for the Sunn. I like it better with the Carvin. I also like being able to fit the whole thing in the car.

Psycho Bass Guy · January 30, 2014, 01:07:41 AM

That's the best use of a piano bench I've ever seen and if I ever get mine back, I'm using that the next time I have to play with a piano player with bad time (which is most of them).

"Sorry sweetie, you're going to have to stand like the rest of us working folks. Maybe then you'll pay attention to rhythm enough to keep time, and if you can't, I'll turn up."

It is possible to run three SVT cabinets simultaneously off the 400PS. I never tried that. Once life settles down for me, I'm chasing my amp and doing all that stuff..

amptech · January 30, 2014, 02:05:53 AM

Quote from: fealach on January 29, 2014, 04:08:57 PM

Cool. I never thought of using cannabis as a stage backdrop before, good idea

fealach · January 30, 2014, 07:47:21 AM

Sadly, it was some other variety of weed. Good thing it was there though, cushioned the impact when the drummer knocked his mic off the stage.

Highlander · January 30, 2014, 12:44:17 PM

One man's weed is another man's psychotic episode...

lowend1 · February 03, 2014, 08:23:49 AM

I had a Studio Bass several years back. It was everything said about it here, and truly underwhelming. PBG - your account of your PS400's whereabouts got me thinking - there is probably only ONE place in NJ that someone would send a 400PS for service. Is that where yours got to?

Psycho Bass Guy · February 03, 2014, 10:30:15 PM

Yep. And it was delivered by a friend, not shipped, confirmed received, and work supposedly started. I had good contact for about a month, then my phonecalls stopped being answered or returned. I waited a few weeks and tried again,and found out that there had been some emergency circumstances and work would be resuming, then contact stopped again. My health took a major turn for the worse about the same time, so I just let it ride.

lowend1 · February 05, 2014, 11:42:39 AM

Quote from: Psycho Bass Guy on February 03, 2014, 10:30:15 PM
Yep. And it was delivered by a friend, not shipped, confirmed received, and work supposedly started. I had good contact for about a month, then my phonecalls stopped being answered or returned. I waited a few weeks and tried again,and found out that there had been some emergency circumstances and work would be resuming, then contact stopped again. My health took a major turn for the worse about the same time, so I just let it ride.

If you get to the point where you just need too get the amp out of there, and your regular contact is not available, just let me know. That shop is about 1/2 hour - 45 minutes from me.