...It all started about eight months ago, I was doing same ol' thing I do every day. I usually get up fairly early, grab a cup of coffee, and check out the cool stuff on Craig's List (that's Musical Instruments) to see if there is anything I can't live without. That's when I happened upon this diamond in the rough. The ad read 69/70 Bandmaster Reverb for sale. Being a vintage Fender amp lover, that grabbed my attention, so I had to check it out. When I opened the ad up and I saw the posting was from a man named Jim in Lincoln, Ca, that I had done business with in the past. Jim is a square deal kind of guy who also builds custom amps. Well, I gave Jim a call and we discussed Bandmaster Reverb. The price was reasonable, but he said he had an interested party that was stopping by that evening to check it out and "maybe" buy it. That was all I needed to hear. I told Jim I had cash in hand and could be there in 20 minutes. Jim replied, "First come, first served".

When I arrived a Jim's he had several guitars set out and a couple of speaker combinations to try. Jim gave me a run down on what he had done for his inspection and pointed out the cord needed to be replaced and a few other minor things. He also had schematics for 69-70 Bandmaster, 65 Super Reverb, and a chart for doing a "Blackface" mod. The overall appearance was very bad to say the least. The vinyl had been stripped off and the case was spray painted gloss black. The faceplate had been cut off just past the last knob and someone had pasted a Boss sticker where the void was. Jim said it looks bad, but it sounds sweet. He was right. It only took a few notes to hear the potential the amp had and it was a done deal!

After doing some research online I decided to convert the Bandmaster Reverb head into a 2-10 combo amp. My rig of choice for some time now has be a Custom Vibrolux Reverb. The 2-10 40 watt combo formula works for me in clubs and concert venues. It's small, easy to transport, and has plenty of headroom.

My first stop was Roseville's Lincoln Street Music (http://www.lincolnstreetmusic.com/), where my good friends Mike and Walt steered me to a list of parts suppliers that could provide me with everything I needed for the conversion. While I was there, I ordered a pair of Jensen C10Q's.

Cabinet builder JD Newell (http://www.newellamps.com/catalog.html) was first on my list. JD puts out an excellent line of cabinets that are designed for conversions just like my. I gave JD a call and he walked me through all the available options. His Bandmaster Reverb cabinets are available for 2-10 or 1-12 inch speaker(s). You can have one built, like mine, with interchangeable baffles (picture below shows the 1-12 baffle). Other options include Fender tilt-back legs, and wiring harnesses. The 2-10 harness is a must if you go for the 2-10 baffle. It was close to Thanksgiving when I talked to JD and he was slammed with orders, but he said that he'd start on my order in a day or two. I was pleased when, in about a week, my new combo cabinet arrived at my door. It was meticulously wrapped in layer after layer of cardboard. Each layer was covered with a layer of shipping tape to protect the precious cargo. When the last layer finally came off it revealed a piece of art that even Fender would be envious of. JD's cabinets are constructed from finger jointed pine boxes with 3/4" birch 10 ply plywood baffles and 1/4" plywood back panels. He uses the highest quality vinyl and grill cloth and applies them like a true master.

The next item was a new faceplate. I could write a book on this one!

I know a faceplate is purely a cosmetic item. If the one I had was in one piece and in fair condition, I would have used it, but it wasn't. My search for a replacement started with ebay which landed one used faceplate that was in poor condition. Because Bandmaster Reverb amps without a master volume were only produce for two years, there's not allot of them out there to choose from. Next I tried to contact Vintone Amps, who specialize in custom faceplates. There was no response when I tried to get information, and an extended web search revealed that the owner was missing in action with a bunch of dissatisfied customers trying to find him. Time for plan two. Mojo Amps has replacement faceplates minus the Fender logo available, so I ordered one that was supposed to fit my chassis. The key word here is "supposed" to fit. Don't get me wrong now. The Mojo replacement faceplate is a high quality item, but it just didn't fit. The alignment for the knobs was off by just a fraction, and the holes for the pots were far too small. It took about 3 hours of re-drilling filing and dry fitting it before finally bolting it down.

I need to mention the new faceplate logo. When I received the logo-less faceplate from Mojo I considered it an opportunity to truly customize my new creation, so back to Lincoln Street Music for more ideas. Mike and I go way back. He is a Harley man and had a shop in Roseville for years before opening the music store. He recommended Nate at Artistry Unlimited (http://www.artistryu.com/). Nate is known for custom paint and detailed pin stripping. I did a quick design on my computer for what I wanted and left the rest to him. Nate did a fantastic job. Not only did he get the design on there right, he matched the paint color and height of the paint so well it looks like the logo was always there. Thanks again Nate.

Ok, we're getting close now... After striping the original case of anything usable, it was back to Lincoln Street with the chassis in hand. Walt put in a new set of power tube and set the bias, replaced the power cord, did a final inspection, and sent me home with a set of new knobs and reverb tank wires. It's time for assembly!