
Hard-hitting, dance-punk duo Death From Above 1979 takes production into its own hands and delivers an onslaught of noisy dance mayhem on Is 4 Lovers.
For brash Canadian rock 'n' roll duo Death From Above 1979, the road to maximum impact has always been paved with as few elements as possible: drums, vocals, a bit of synth, and some wildly athletic and fuzzed-out bass guitar.
Bassist Jesse Keeler and drummer/vocalist Sebastien Grainger came out of the gate swinging in 2004 with their debut LP, You're a Woman, I'm a Machine, a record that proved the band's mix of unexpectedly sparse instrumentation, danceable rhythms, highwire vocals, and grimy, hardcore punk sonics to be a tremendously compelling sound. The duo imploded shortly after that album's release, but the waves created on that record would ripple long after the split as DFA 1979's legend grew.
Death From Above 1979 - One + One (Official Music Video)
When Keeler and Grainger regrouped in 2011 and set about recording their sophomore effort, The Physical World, there was tremendous pressure to nurture and preserve the sound of that first album in order to avoid alienating the fanbase they'd harnessed in their time away. Keeler explains, "When we started playing again in 2011, this idea of Death From Above was an external thing that had lived without us, so we came back to it not wanting to screw that up. We were working in service to this thing that had lived without us. That's exactly how the producers felt, so we had those producers to keep us being that band."
The Physical World, produced by Dave Sardy, made good on the band's intentions to hone the brutal dance-punk sound that made the band's debut such a smash, and the group's 2017 Eric Valentine–produced effort, Outrage! Is Now, opted to stick to a similar program. Rather than tread water for a fourth release, DFA 1979 has returned with a decidedly playful new record entitled Is 4 Lovers, which brings a new, defiant flavor to the band's discography.
"I have riff diarrhea. I have riff IBS and I just can't shut it off!" —Jesse Keeler
Is 4 Lovers takes listeners on a turbulent trip straight to the center of Keeler and Grainger's musical psyche. The record feels not unlike a sweaty, blistering live set as their dancy churn and gritty sonics remain intact, especially on tracks such as "Totally Wiped Out," and the two-part "N.Y.C. Power Elite." Elsewhere, songs like "Glass Homes" and "No War" show a new level of maturity in the band's sound as the combative edge that lined their past efforts has been replaced by a heavier dose of melody and a more thoughtful use of effects and synths.
This time around, Keeler and Grainger decided it was time to take production duties into their own hands. As a result, Is 4 Lovers may be the purest expression of what DFA 1979 is about since their debut.
Jesse Keeler's Dan Armstrong Lucite basses are all outfitted with custom pickups made by Kent Armstrong, son of Dan Armstrong. Keeler also swaps out the original fixed rosewood bridges for custom brass units milled by Canadian luthier Les Godfrey.
Photo by Debi Del Grande
Frustrated with how other producers changed their sound in the past, Keeler explains their decision: "We wanted to make it really apparent on this album that you're listening to the band—just the two of us. Part of being in a two-piece 20 years ago was dealing with people in the music business who thought it was a bad idea. They liked the music, but they thought it would need help. Producers always wanted to pad up the sound. It's not a knock to anyone we've worked with in the past, but if you're someone that's mixed all these records where the guitar is a really important thing and we ask them to do the same thing with our sound but without the tools they're used to working with, it can be tough. Doing it all ourselves, we don't have those hang-ups and we never come at it thinking there's this hole we have to fill in our sound."
The duo still makes a hell of a lot of noise on Is 4 Lovers, even without a producer pushing them to pad their sound with additional instrumentation. As longtime fans will expect, Keeler's bass tones kick the listener in the jaw with plenty of the square-wave filth he's reveled in since DFA 1979's inception. However, his rig has changed dramatically for the first time in the band's history. Rather than plugging into his trusted backline of a vintage Peavey Super Festival F-800B and an Acoustic 450 head—a pair of amps which Keeler has always described as defining elements of the band's sound—the bassist tracked his parts with a pair of Orange Bax Bangeetar preamp/EQ pedals that he modified himself.
TIDBIT: Death From Above 1979's fourth studio album, Is 4 Lovers, was entirely written and produced by band members Jesse Keeler and Sebastien Grainger and recorded all in one room.
Why the change after so many years? Part of it was the need to sidestep the isolation headaches of miking loud amps while the duo tracked Is 4 Lovers live, together in one room. But Keeler also found the modded Bax Bangeetars remedied some things he always disliked about his tone."The old rig sounded good through the monitors," he says, "but it had the same issues I've always had with it. I love how all the 300-500 Hz stuff sounds through the amps but recorded it can come out as mud and there's always some loss of clarity, especially when I'm competing with tones in the drums."
The Bax Bangeetars provided an ideal surrogate for the old amps, but not without a bit of tinkering from the tech-savvy bassist, who explains his handiwork: "Those pedals are a very simple circuit, but they have this power pump that takes the 9 volts in and charges up the cap, which slowly releases it at 24 volts. I found at high gain, even with the highest milliamp 9V power supply I could find, it couldn't keep the cap filled up fast enough. I had these science-grade variable power supplies and, if you wire around the pedal's stock power supply so that you can feed that cap directly, then you don't get that headroom loss at all and it sounds really good."
Jesse Keeler's Gear
Basses
- Ampeg Dan Armstrong Lucite basses (modified with custom Kent Armstrong pickups and brass bridges made by luthier Les Godfrey)
Amps
- Orange Bax Bangeetar Guitar Preamp & EQ (modified by Keeler)
Strings and Picks
- Ernie Ball Regular Slinky Nickel Wound Electric Bass Strings (.050–.105)
- Dunlop .73 mm Tortex Triangle
Effects
- Death By Audio Echo Dream 2
- Death By Audio Fuzz War
- EarthQuaker Devices Bit Commander
- FoxRox Octron3
- Ibanez CS9 Stereo Chorus
- MXR Ten Band EQ
- Overstayer Modular Channel Stereo 8755D
Keeler says that increased headroom has long been a special ingredient to his tone and adds, "The secret with my Peavey F-800B head and part of the reason why it's so special is that it's running on 36 volts. The schematic for that Peavey amp says 24 volts, so whenever anyone would clone the circuit, they'd do it to run on 24 volts and, when you try to play it like I do with the distortion cranked up to 10, it starts self-compressing and crapping out!"
Despite the major shakeup in Keeler's amp world, the bassist's primary muse remains his small collection of vintage Ampeg Dan Armstrong Lucite basses. Thanks to their skinny neck profile, short scale length, and easy access to all 24 frets, the bassist credits these instruments with unlocking his unconventionally athletic playing style in which he bends strings and frequently combines droning open notes with guitar-lead-like riffs that he plays simultaneously in the upper frets.
While these basses are a great fit for Keeler, he's found some need for modifications. All of his Dan Armstrong basses have been re-fretted with wider fretwire and outfitted with custom pickups made by Kent Armstrong, son of Dan Armstrong. The most important mod that Keeler does to all of his basses is to swap out the original fixed rosewood bridges for custom brass units milled by Canadian luthier Les Godfrey. Godfrey's bridges have fully adjustable saddles, which makes life a lot easier as Keeler used to struggle with the original bridge's intonation issues.
Jesse Keeler mainly sticks to his modded Dan Armstrong basses, but he also has several custom Rickenbacker 4030 models.
Photo by Jim Bennett
The brass bridges also offer an important tonal benefit. "The overall problem with that bass is that it sounds like talking with your hand over your mouth; it's a very muffled, low/mid sound with not enough brilliance, even with brand new strings on it," Keeler says. "I wanted as much bright attack as I could get out of it. When playing notes in quick succession, I want the initial attack of the note to be very present, so brass saddles and brass nuts really help with that." These modifications take a lot of effort, but he adds, "I did all this work to make them right because I love them so much."
For effects, Keeler pulled his usual pedalboard apart and got experimental in the studio. A pair of Foxrox Octron3 octave pedals appear on nearly every track, with each one sent to their own Bax Bangeetar and set to accentuate slightly different frequencies. The bassist also frequently called upon a Death By Audio Fuzz War but claims to have had the fuzz control barely on, using the pedal more for its powerful filter than its heaps of gain. One of the most vicious tones on Is 4 Lovers can be heard on "N.Y.C. Power Elite Part II," which he happened upon by plugging into an EarthQuaker Devices Bit Commander and turning the volume on his bass down to the point where it began to starve the synth box of enough signal to track its multiple octaves properly.
Bassist Jesse Keeler says he and drummer/vocalist Sebastien Grainger no longer have to talk about writing: They simply feel it out and intuitively know when an idea has clicked. Their shared killer instincts are palpable onstage.
Photo by Debi Del Grande
Songwriting is a collaborative process for DFA 1979, and something the duo has fine-tuned over the course of their discography. Keeler admits, "I don't really think of myself as a songwriter, I just vomit out riffs," he says. "I have riff diarrhea. I have riff IBS and I just can't shut it off!" He goes on to explain, "I try to distill my ideas down to make things musical enough that Sebastien can sing over, because he wants a melody. I've given him things in the past that became very hard to find a melody for because I would write things that you could only scream over," he says. "Sebastien is the one that moved me towards making songs and not just trying to create a feeling."
On Is 4 Lovers, the writing process came from shared instinct rather than intellect. Keeler says he and Grainger no longer have to talk about writing, they simply feel it out and intuitively know when an idea has clicked. "We made this record entirely within one room," Keeler says. "We'd hit record the minute we got there and play through the day, so a lot of what you hear on the record is the actual creation of those parts the moment they were made up. I'm really into that immediacy."
This method of writing and recording allowed the band to deliver a tight and focused record that totally aligns with how Keeler and Grainger want DFA 1979 to sound. "I think the results are amazing and I think this is the best sounding record we've made," the bassist says. "Not to take anything away from anyone we've worked with in the past, but this one sounds the most right to me because it's all us."
Death From Above 1979 - Holy Books (Live in Toronto)
Jesse Keeler's bass tone will explode from your speakers in this live version of "Holy Books" from Death From Above 1979's Outrage! Is Now. The bassist's heavily distorted riffs pummel along with Sebastien Grainger's hard-hitting grooves throughout the song's main sections, while he conjures a just-on-the-verge-of-feedback tone for the melodic breakdown starting at 2:23.
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This wonky Zim-Gar was one of many guitars sold by importer Gar-Zim Musical Instruments, operated by Larry Zimmerman and his wife.
The 1960s were strange days indeed for import guitars, like this cleaver-friendly Zim-Gar electric.
Recently I started sharing my work office with a true gem of a guy … one of the nicest fellas I’ve ever come across. If you’ve been following my column here, you might remember my other work mate Dylan, who is always telling me about new, fad-type things (like hot Honey guitars) and trying to convince me to use AI more. (What can I say, he’s a millennial.) But Steve, on the other hand, is about 10 years my senior and is a native New Yorker—Brooklyn actually, from the Canarsie neighborhood. Steve is a retired teacher and spent many years teaching in the Brownsville area of Brooklyn, and man, he has some amazing stories.
Mostly we talk about music and sports (he’s exiled here among us Philadelphia sports fans) and he’s just endlessly interesting to me. He has a huge appetite and can eat a whole pizza. When he talks, he sounds like one of the Ramones and he still has an apartment in Rockaway Beach. We both love Seinfeld and, like George Costanza, Steve knows where all the great bathrooms are across New York City. Since he’s been added to my circle (and is such a mensch), I decided I should work him into a column.
So here’s the connection: Back in the day there were many American importers, dealers, and wholesalers. A lot of them were based in New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles, but I only know of one guitar importer located in Brooklyn: Gar-Zim Musical Instruments. The company was run by Larry Zimmerman and his wife, and the couple had some success importing and selling Japanese guitars and drums. I used to see early Teisco imports with the Zim-Gar badge, which was the brand name of Gar-Zim. I’ve also seen Kawai guitars with the Zim-Gar label, but the Zimmerman’s seemed to sell cheaper and cheaper gear as the ’60s wore on, including the piece you see here.
“This build reminds me of the cutting boards I used to make in wood shop back in my high school days.”
The model name and factory origin of this guitar is a mystery to me, but this build reminds me of the cutting boards I used to make in wood shop back in my high school days. The guitar is just flat across the top and back, with absolutely no contouring or shaping. Its offset body is plywood with a thin veneer on the top and back. From a distance this guitar actually looks kind of nice, but up close you can see a rather crude and clunky instrument that offers little flexibility and playability. The non-adjustable bridge is off center, as is the tremolo. It was really hard to get this guitar playing well, but in the end it was worth it, because the pickups were the saving grace. Another example of gold-foils, these units sound strong and raw. The electronics consist of an on/off switch for each pickup and a volume and tone knob. The tuners are okay, and the headstock design is reminiscent of the Kay “dragon snout” shape of the mid to late ’60s, which is where I would place the birthdate of this one, probably circa 1966. Everything is just so goofy about this build—even the upper strap button is located on the back of the neck. It reminds me of that era when simple wood factories that were making furniture were tasked with building electric guitars, and they simply didn’t know what they were doing. So, you get oddities like this one.
Gar-Zim continued to sell guitars and other musical instruments through the 1970s and possibly into the ’80s. I once even saw a guitar with the label Lim-Gar, which is totally puzzling. I think there should’ve been a Stee-Gar designation for my new buddy Steve-o! Yes, good readers, with guitars and me, there are always just a few degrees of separation.
Dive into the ART Tube MP/C with PG contributor Tom Butwin. Experience how this classic tube-driven preamp and compressor can add warmth and clarity to your sound. From studio recordings to re-amping and live stage applications, this time-tested design packs a ton of features for an affordable price.
Art Tube Mp Project Series Tube Microphone/Instrument Preamp
Designed in Rochester NY and originally released in 1995, the Tube MP is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2025.
The Tube MP/C is the most fully-featured member of the Tube MP family, designed for recording guitarists and bassists. It is a tube mic preamp and instrument DI with advanced features including an optical compressor/limiter and switchable line/instrument output levels for use as a re-amping device.
In line with the MOOER’s recent expansion on the MSC range, the company is excited to announce the new MSC50 Pro, an Alder-bodied electric guitar with gloss finish, available in the new Magic Crystal color.
Featuring a roasted maple neck with a satin finish, a rosewood fingerboard for playing comfort, 22 frets, and a standard C shape, the guitar has been designed with classic guitarists in mind. This is beautifully emphasized with its beautifully resonant tonewoods, all while still being balanced perfectly with style and comfort of use.
The MSC50 Pro features all of the industry-standard features you might expect from such an impressively affordable guitar, such as bolt-on construction, a bone nut, and a dual-action steel truss rod. However, other features make the electric guitar stand out among others at a similar price point, such as its MTN-3LC locking tuning pegs, beautiful Abalone dot inlay, and, of course, its previously mentioned tonewood selection.
In order to capture the MSC50 Pro's balanced tonal profile, MOOER's luthiers have built it with three perfectly balanced pickups: the MSC-II N single coil neck pickup, the similar MSC-II M single coil middle pickup, and, best of all, the MHB-II B bridge humbucker. When these carefully chosen pickups are combined with the guitar's MPW 2-point chrome bridge, guitarists can make the most out of its tonal versatility, all while maximizing tuning stability.
To ensure that the guitar is suitable for a wide range of genres, both softer and higher-gain examples, the MSC50 Pro has a convenient coil split switch built into it, giving users better resonance control. Of course, this is also combined with a classic tone dial, a standard 5-way tone switch, and a volume control dial.
Overall, the MSC50 Pro reminds users of MOOER guitars that the company has never forgotten about its roots in classic-style guitars. Yes, the company is continuing to develop innovative guitar technology in other areas, but this electric guitar also represents a grounded approach, keeping things classic, sleek, and tonally versatile–all at a reasonable price point.
Features:
- Alder Body with a Gloss Finish
- Available in the Magic Crystal color
- Standard C-shaped roasted maple neck with a Satin finish
- Bolt-on construction
- 22-fret rosewood fingerboard
- Abalon dot inlay
- MTN-3LC locking tuners
- Bone nut
- Dual-Action Steel Truss Rod
- 12" radius
- 09-46 strings
- 25.2" scale
- MSC-II N Single Coil neck pickup, an MSC-II M Single Poil middle pickup, and an MHB-II B Humbucker Bridge Pickup
- Chrome guitar strap pin
- Coil Split Switch
- 5-Way Tone Switch
- Volume and tone dials
- MPW 2-Point chrome bridge
The MSC50 Pro will be available from the official distributors and retailers worldwide on 13th May 2025 at an expected retail price of USD419/Euro399/GBP339.
MOOER Expands Its Popular MSC Guitar Line with the MSC30 Pro and MSC31 Pro
MOOER has never shied away from innovation when it comes to its guitars. However, with the recently announced release of the MSC30 Pro and MSC31, the company reminds us that, sometimes, true innovation lies in mastering and enhancing a proven classic. With this philosophy, MOOER introduces two new exciting additions to their beloved MSC series of electric guitars.
Both the MSC30 Pro and MSC31 Pro continue MOOER’s philosophy of creating affordable guitars, but without sacrificing quality or performance, thanks to the poplar bodies and flame maple tops. Some guitarists will be drawn to the bright tones of the MSC30 Pro’s maple fingerboard, whereas others will prefer the warmer resonance of the MSC31 Pro’s rosewood alternative.
Each guitar features sturdy bolt-on neck construction, dual-action steel truss rods, bone nuts, and MTN-1 chrome tuning pegs (with the BK upgrade being reserved for the MSC31 Pro), ensuring tuning stability and comfort at all times.At the heart of both models are MOOER’s versatile MSC pickups, comprising the MSC-1N single-coil neck pickup, the MSC-1M single-coil middle pickup, and the powerful MHB-1B dual-coil humbucker at the bridge. Further complemented by a versatile 5-way pickup selector and exclusive coil split switch, players can effortlessly switch between a wide palette of tones, such as pristine cleans ideal for jazz or blues, or high-gain tones for heavier genres.
Tremolo support is also provided through both the guitar's bridges, with the MSC30 Pro featuring an MTB-1 2 Point Tremolo bridge, and the MSC31 Pro boasting an exclusive black MTB-1 BK 2 Point Tremolo bridge. Both bridges guarantee guitarists the ability to use tremolo bars in their guitar performances, without compromising the integrity of tuning stability.
Both guitars come with a selection of vivid new colors, complementing the guitar’s hardware with undeniable visual appeal. The MSC30 Pro is available in the classic finishes of Sunset Red, Lake Blue, Lemon Green, and Rose Purple. Meanwhile, the MSC31 Pro boasts its own selection of glossy finishes: Grey Burst, Blue Burst, Green Burst, and Purple Burst.
Overall, the MSC30 Pro and MSC31 Pro solidify MOOER’s commitment to combining quality craftsmanship, affordability, and versatility, giving guitarists of all levels the chance to own instruments that genuinely inspire.
Features
MSC30 Pro:
- Classic S-style design
- Poplar body with flame maple top
- Maple fingerboard
- Maple neck with satin finish
- Bolt-on neck construction
- 22 nickel silver frets, Abalone dotted inlay
- Coil split switch and versatile 5-way pickup selector
- MSC-1N/M single-coil pickups and MHB-1B humbucker
- 25.5" scale
- MTN-1 Chrome tuning pegs
- Available in gloss-finished Sunset Red, Lake Blue, Lemon Green, and Rose Purple
- Volume and tone dial
- Chrome strap pin
MSC31 Pro:
- Classic S-style design
- Poplar body with flame maple top
- Rosewood fingerboard
- Maple neck with satin finish
- Bolt-on neck construction
- 22 nickel silver frets, White Shell dotted inlay
- Coil split switch and versatile 5-way pickup selector
- MSC-1N/M single-coil pickups and MHB-1B humbucker
- 25.5" scale
- MTN-1 BK tuning pegs
- Available in gloss-finished Grey Burst, Blue Burst, Green Burst, and Purple Burst
- Volume and tone dial
- Chrome strap pin
The MSC30 Pro and MSC31 Pro will both be available from the official distributors and retailers worldwide on 2nd April 2025.
MOOER Gives Bassists What They Want with the New MBJ410 and MBJ420 Electric Bass Guitar Models
For 15 years, MOOER has built a critically acclaimed name for itself thanks to its cutting-edge electric guitars, pedals, and accessories. While the company is no stranger to building electric bass guitars, this has not been its focus for some time, hence why so many bassists are excitedly anticipating the release of the MBJ410 and MBJ420 electric bass guitars.
Both the bass guitars sport glossy Poplar bodies, keeping the price point affordable but without limiting their tonal resonance and versatility, whereas the MBJ420 holds the additional bonus of being built with a Poplar Burl top. Complete with roasted maple C-shaped necks (also accented with a gloss finish) as well as Roasted Maple fingerboards and White Shell dot inlays, the necks are designed to offer as much comfort as possible–a high priority for bass guitarists.
A 34" fret scale further enhances practicality for bassists, as does the neck's 12" radius. Strings are available in .045, .065, .080, and .100 gauges, providing something for any type of bass style - whether slapping, plucking, or picking techniques are preferred.Thanks to the industry-standard components of a dual-action steel truss rod and bone nut, the tuning and resonant stability of both the MBJ410 and MBJ420 models are also of a high standard. However, this is accentuated further by the guitars' strong and reliable BTN-1 tuning pegs, essential for heavier-gauge bass strings.
The tonewoods and structural integrity of the MBJ-series electric bass guitars wouldn't be complete without the accompaniment of the guitar’s two single-coil JB-style pickups. Combined with the MOOER BSC-2 bridge, both bass guitars have been carefully designed to amplify bass resonances excellently, complemented even further by their simple but effective tone dials. Two volume controls are also built in, ensuring that bassists can customize their sonic output to have the perfect tonal blend.
In terms of standout features, the main difference between the two bass guitars is the MBJ420's added poplar burl top, but most notably, the color selections. For the MBJ410, the bass guitar is available in Gunmetal Gray, Metal Green, and Metal Blue, perfectly suiting the stages of higher-gain performances. In contrast, the aesthetics of the MBJ420 are more classic, purchasable in Red Burst, Blue Burst, and Tobacco Burst. Finally, both guitars are topped with a chrome strap pin, enabling stylish and energetic live performances.
Overall, bassists will no doubt be excited to see MOOER return to electric bass guitars with the MBJ410 and 420 models. Of course, electric guitars will remain the focus for the company, but the release of these two new products is a reminder of just how accommodating MOOER is for its wide audience of musicians.
Features
- Electric bass guitar built with gloss-finished Poplar body (MBJ420 also features a Poplar Burl Top)
- Roasted maple C-shaped neck with a gloss finish
- Roasted maple fingerboard
- White Shell dot inlay
- 12” neck radius
- MOOER BSC-2 bridge
- VBJ-1 and VBJ-2 Single Coil pickups
- MOOER BTN-1 tuning pegs
- Bolt-on construction
- Bone nut
- Dual-action steel truss rod
- Pre-installed strings available in .045, .065, .080, and .100 gauges
- 21 frets
- 34"fret scale
- Colors available in Gunmetal Gray, Metal Green, and Metal Blue (MBJ410), and Red Burst, Blue Burst, and Tobacco Burst (MBJ420)
- Chrome strap pin
- 2 x volume control dials
- 1 x Tone dial
The MBJ410 and MBJ420 will both be available from the official distributors and retailers worldwide on 29th April 2025 at an expected retail price of USD319/Euro299/GBP249(MBJ410), USD399/Euro379/GBP319(MBJ420).
Our columnist’s silver-panel Fender Bandmaster.
How this longstanding, classic tube amp design evolved from its introduction in 1953.
I have a silver-panel Bandmaster Reverb that I don’t think I’ve talked about enough in this column. It’s one of the most versatile and flexible amps I own, so I use it for everything. It’s portable, has tube-driven reverb and tremolo, and has a full set of EQ knobs including the critical bright switch, which we discussed the importance of earlier this year (“How to ‘Trebleshoot’ a Vintage Fender Amp,” March 2025). The amp is not only pedal-friendly; the flexible 4-ohm output impedance will handle almost all speaker configurations and sound any way you’d like. Let’s take a deeper look at the Fender Bandmaster amp and walk through its development through the years.
The first Bandmaster was introduced in 1953 as a wide-panel tweed amp with Fender’s 5C7 circuit. This rare combo was loaded with a single 15" Jensen P15N and powered by dual 6L6GC tubes in push-pull configuration to produce a modest 25 watts. The 6L6GCs were cathode biased and along with the 5U4GB rectifier tube contributed to a forgiving sag, early breakup, and a midrange-y voice.
Fender made several changes when they launched that amp’s successor in 1955, the more widely known 5E7 narrow-panel Bandmaster, a well-proven amp that has come back as a reissue model. It was still a dual-channel amp—instrument and microphone—but the newer 5E7 model had a fixed bias and a negative feedback loop, providing a louder, firmer, and cleaner tone. Most importantly, the single 15" speaker was replaced by three 10" speakers, making it very similar to the narrow-panel tweed Bassman, the granddaddy of all Marshall amps. This Bandmaster had three speakers instead of the Bassman’s four, and it delivered 25–30 watts instead of 40. It offered early breakup with a midrange-y, big and full tone.
For those not acquainted with tweed amps, the volume and EQ knobs behave differently than on silver- and black-panel Fender amps. The volume pot can act like a distortion control, while the EQ knobs control the volume, and many players I’ve talked to have not really unlocked this secret. This works because, in these circuits, the volume pot sits right before the preamp tube, which allows it to push the tube into full distortion. Since the EQ pots are located right after and are capable of reducing the volume, you’re able to distort the preamp at low volume settings.
“Things became more standardized in 1964 with the arrival of the black-panel AB763 Bandmaster, an amp I have worked on a lot and appreciate for its robustness, simplicity, and versatility.”
In 1960, a short-lived and rare Bandmaster dressed in brown tolex and a black faceplate appeared with the 5G7 circuit. From here on, all Bandmasters had the modern top-mounted chassis. With this circuit, the Bandmaster started to both look and sound more like a black-panel amp. It kept the 3x10" speakers but got a diode rectifier and bigger transformers resulting in a 45-watt output. Tremolo was introduced for the first time, and both channels were now intended for guitar.
The following year, a blonde 6G7 Bandmaster followed as a smaller amp head paired with a 1x12 extension cabinet. It had the timeless early blonde looks with cream tolex, brown faceplate, oxblood grill cloth, large Fender logo, and white knobs. But halfway into the blonde era, towards 1964, things turned strange and rather confusing. There were suddenly two 12" speakers, black knobs, a wheat-colored grill cloth, a more slim black-panel-style Fender logo, a black faceplate, and all in various combinations close to the transition into ’64.
Things became more standardized in 1964 with the arrival of the black-panel AB763 Bandmaster, an amp I have worked on a lot and appreciate for its robustness, simplicity, and versatility. It offers a pure, clean, scooped black-panel tone that’s somewhere between a Vibrolux Reverb and Pro Reverb, which share the medium-sized 125A6A output transformer and dual 6L6GC tubes. With its medium/high power and flexible 4-ohm output impedance, it can drive all kinds of speaker cabinets—as long as you stay between 2 and 8 ohms, you are safe.
For a short time in 1967–68, there was a transitional Bandmaster with aluminum trim and black-panel innards before the all-new silver-panel Bandmaster Reverb replaced it in 1968. The small-head cabinet had grown in size and, unfortunately, weight to accommodate the reverb tank. The amp got a 5U4GB rectifier tube along with a few general silver-panel changes to the circuit. Several silver-panel models existed with minor differences until a 70-watt beast version came along in 1977 with master volume.
To my own 1968 Bandmaster Reverb, I have done a few adjustments. First, I made a custom baffle to hold two 8" speakers. I installed a pair of WGS G8C speakers that fit perfectly on the baffle board without colliding with the reverb tank or transformers. Sometimes, I use only one of the 8" speakers for bedroom volume levels. Second, I reversed the bias circuitry to standard AB763 specs, making it easier to adjust bias correctly on both power tubes. If you are into sparkling clean and funky Strat sounds, you would love this little 2x8" combo.