Reproduction Bandmaster/Showman/Pro Chassis?

[rccolgan]

Hello! I'm gathering parts to start a Dumble UltraPhonix Bandmaster build and I'm realizing that I'm having a hard time finding reproduction Blackface chassis for a brand new build. Through some research, I believe a BandMaster/Showman/DualShowman/ProAmp all share the same chassis. Anyone have a lead where I might be able to find a decent reproduction chassis (and corresponding faceplates, for a bonus?) The faceplates do not need to say Band Master.

Thank you in advance!
-Ryan

[martin manning]

Maybe this will suit? https://www.ebay.com/itm/324949959493

[rccolgan]

Maybe this will suit? https://www.ebay.com/itm/324949959493

Thanks, Martin! I'll have to reach out to them to see if they will consider the black face variant. This would certainly work however I'm looking for the BF bright switch, jack location, etc for now until I exhaust all of my options. Let's see what they come back with.

[martin manning]

What about Super Reverb?
https://www.tubeampdoctor.com/en/amp-ch ... b763?c=181
Too many knobs, and too big though.

What are the dimensions of the Bandmaster chassis?

[Stevem]

The twin reverb chassis like this from Mojo tone is the same as a duel showman.

[rccolgan]

What about Super Reverb?
https://www.tubeampdoctor.com/en/amp-ch ... b763?c=181
Too many knobs, and too big though.

What are the dimensions of the Bandmaster chassis?

Bandmaster Head Cabinet: 8″ x 24″ x 9″

The super reverb could be cool because of the middle pot but would have to make a dummy reverb knob or something.

I talked to ZH Music Parts on eBay and he said he thinks he did a run for Marsh Amplifiers so I reached out to them as well to see if they have any DIY chassis left over or would consider doing more.

ZH Music Parts said they could do a run with a MoQ of 50x which is intriguing.. It would still be worth it to invest in a new chassis run vs buying a single working vintage unit and gutting it. I think Dumble and I both have the same allergies working on old chassis

The twin reverb chassis like this from Mojo tone is the same as a duel showman.

Ah yes that's the dual showman reverb. I just went down the rabbit hole learning all the variations of chassis and model numbers lol..reverb vs non-reverb, etc. I might be crazy for pursuing this hard but I will feel better in the end

[martin manning]

Bandmaster Head Cabinet: 8″ x 24″ x 9″

So the chassis must be:
24.0 - 1.5 for side panels - 0.25 for Tolex and clearance = 22.25 (572 mm) long
9.0 - 0.13 for inset at front - 0.75 for inset at back = 8.13 (207 mm) wide

It's in-between the Deluxe and the Twin. This China-based seller has blank aluminum chassis, but not in that size. Also, in the description is "chrome plated," which would not be ideal. One of their listings says to contact them for special needs, though: https://www.ebay.com/itm/166547264782?i ... SwIqRloPBF

[rccolgan]

Bandmaster Head Cabinet: 8″ x 24″ x 9″

So the chassis must be:
24.0 - 1.5 for side panels - 0.25 for Tolex and clearance = 22.25 (572 mm) long
9.0 - 0.13 for inset at front - 0.75 for inset at back = 8.13 (207 mm) wide

It's in-between the Deluxe and the Twin. This China-based seller has blank aluminum chassis, but not in that size. Also, in the description is "chrome plated," which would not be ideal. One of their listings says to contact them for special needs, though: https://www.ebay.com/itm/166547264782?i ... SwIqRloPBF

Thanks again, Martin! I have an inquiry out with them

[rccolgan]

Two positive updates to share. I found a donor Bandmaster project chassis for the right price (Craigslist out of all places!) and it is being delivered today. The second update is that kad-audio https://www.ebay.com/str/kadaudio got back to me and are willing to make the chassis if I make the drawing.

So before I go through the effort of making a CAD drawing for them (which I plan on making "open source" to encourage more manufacturers to build this chassis), anyone of an existing drawing for a Bandmaster/Showman? I know it's a little bit of along shot so I'm preparing to draw up the chassis from scratch once I get the donor chassis and stripping it down to get all the measurements. Alternatively, I'll make things a little easier on myself by using the following drawings for dimensions, etc.

https://web.archive.org/web/20150107065 ... m/chassis/

[martin manning]

It will be great to see what the exact dimensions of the Fender chassis are. The SoulFA Deluxe Reverb chassis I recently used is a faithful replica in zinc plated steel, with stamped end plates like the original. Dies for those would be pricy, so I expect that some simpler design will be required, like the one-piece folded design kad-audio is doing. I think basically you want ~54 mm added to the length of one they are already making.

[rccolgan]

I did some measuring this morning.

‘64 Bandmaster Chassis Dimensions (in inches)

22 3/16 wide
8 1/16 bottom
7 5/16 top
1 ¾ height

It will be a bit before I start making the drawings for fabrication. Hope this helps to kick start the proper info for everyone

[martin manning]

Nice! Hit it within 1/16 ;^) You might be able to talk kad-audio into modifying their Bassman drawing to add 46 mm to the length.

[rccolgan]

Nice! Hit it within 1/16 ;^) You might be able to talk kad-audio into modifying their Bassman drawing to add 46 mm to the length.

Yes! Lol. You were extremely close. Fair point! I'll just need the cutouts for the faceplate to match a reproduction. Not the end of the world since I'm sure it's just two more holes I can drill

[rccolgan]

Question for everyone. In the 60s, were the fiber boards hand drilled to align the hold-down screws to the chassis or were the chassis cutout 1:1 exactly to the coordinates of the screw holes in the fiber boards? I'm wondering if I should be copying my chassis hole layout or if every chassis/board was slightly offset. Hopefully that makes sense.

(In my AutoCAD drawing, I'm trying to determine the importance of these locations)

[martin manning]

My best guess is that both the chassis and the fiber boards were pre-punched, ready for the assemblers to drive the self-tapping screws in.