Mid-70s Fender Ultralinear Amps

[basicchannel]

So in the mid-70s Fender produced Twin/Pro Reverb Ultralinear amps that everyone hated because they wanted it to breakup all Fendery and it didn't because it had shitloads of headroom. Has anyone tried to use these as a pedal platform for ripping dicks and pussies off with violent fuzz assaults?

[waltdogg]

basically that. i had a bassman 100 with the ultra linear power section it was so freaking loud and took to pedals like an atomic bomb going off.

[basicchannel]

basically that. i had a bassman 100 with the ultra linear power section it was so freaking loud and took to pedals like an atomic bomb going off.

Thanks for the confirmation. Seems to me these amps are sleepers, then (no pun intended, I swear).

[emptyparadigm]

Oooooh. Color me interested. Where can I learn more about which models were ultralinear?

[waltdogg]

the late 70s bassman 100 and 135

[braaandooon]

Most UL Fender amps were produced between '76-'81. I own a '78 UL Super Reverb, it's pretty beat, holding up nicely over the years though as it's bone stock and has never needed a repair. Definitely a good clean pedal platform. I've always thought Jason Simon and the Ole' Rev Horton Heat got great results out of their UL Super Reverbs. It's just booze lawyers trying to cop SRV tones spreading the hate on the UL Fenders.

[maggot]

I had a UL 135-watt Twin for a long time. Probably did more damage to my hearing than any other piece of equipment I've ever owned. The volume was intense. Sounded like a Twin otherwise.

[braaandooon]

UL Twin also has to be the heaviest amp ever manufactured, although my back says the UL Super Six may be a tad heavier. Anyways, DS-2 + UL Twin = later Cobain tones.(In Utero, Unplugged) Only example of fuzzy dick, pussy ripping UL Fender abuse that comes to mind.

[jrfox92]

Anyways, DS-2 + UL Twin = later Cobain tones.(In Utero, Unplugged)

I thought most of In Utero was the Sansamp?

[braaandooon]

Sansamp was mainly used on the In Utero tour. Could've been used on some of the recording. I know Albini kept a journal of those sessions that I've read somewhere online, it's been awhile since I've read though. I do know that Kurt used Albinis' Travis Bean to track a few of those songs on In Utero, and was trying to locate one for himself around the time he passed. Unplugged was definitely a DS-2 though.

Regardless I'm just trying to think of examples of blown out UL Fenders, outside of the weight, I love em'.

EDIT: Kurt used Albinis' Veleno, and not the Bean.

[braaandooon]

http://www.livenirvana.com/sessions/stu ... h-1993.php

In Utero session notes, although not the Albini notes I remember reading, but some good stuff here. Also mentions Kurts use of an aluminum guitar Albini provided for recording.

[hatshirt]

i have a late 70s maybe 1980 UL 135 watt silverface twin reverb that is my main gigging amp right now. it really kicks ass, a real genital ripper! i can relate to the comment about hearing loss with these amps, its the loudest amp i've used. it is great as a pedal platform too. proco rats and sovtek big muffs are my favorite dirt pedals to use with the twin. the boss fz-2 also sounds rad into it. and the reverb is awesome!

[potatofarmer]

I have an '81 135W Twin Reverb. They aren't really technically "ultralinear" but you have to measure the screen taps on the OT to find that out. Basically Fender just did this to protect the screens while they pushed the plate voltage higher (~520V), but keeping the tone closer to pentode-mode. They're definitely not going to get you Model T tone or headroom though. Taking the screen taps from the OT gets you better bass response, at least.

#1 best thing you can do is to remove the NFB loop - the screen taps on the OT give a little NFB anyway. I had mine on a switch for a while, but I never used it so I took it out completely. Plus with it removed, a PPIMV works great. At least clip out the bright cap on the existing master volume; no idea what they were thinking.

The bias balance control is essential for filtering power supply noise. Well, it doesn't really filter it - screens are very sensitive to noise, so the Model T uses a pair of chokes, while Fender just uses the opposite tubes to cancel it out. So don't take out the balance pot if you want a bias pot, just add one upstream. I put mine in the "line out" hole because who the hell is ever going to use that? Also the balance pot makes bias-vary tremolo impossible, or at least I can't figure out a way to pull it off and I've tried just about everything. I finally went with VibroChamp-style tremolo, injecting into the first stage. It works really well, but I never use tremolo anyway.

They also did something weird with the speaker jacks; plugging into the external jack puts the two jacks in series and connects to the 8-ohm tap on the OT. So you can use one 4-ohm load, two 4-ohm loads, or one 8-ohm load and still be matching. Kind of a complicated way of not mounting a third speaker jack, but it is really crowded in there so I guess it makes sense.

Pretty sure all this applies to any of the 70W or 135W Fenders from the late 70s-early 80s. Oh and the wattage numbers are pretty reasonable (as far as manufacturers' claims go) - my Twin puts out right around 115W clean.

Oh and the stock speakers mine came with were crap - Utahs probably only rated for 50W. I put in a pair of Swamp Thangs which seem to fit the sound really well but the huge increase in sensitivity made it much much louder.

[ole jason]

I have an UL Twin in a head shell (still heavy as fuck) and it rips the paint off of walls through a 4x12. The volume on tap really can't be overstated, it is absurd. Sounds great with a Pharaoh, HM2, or FZ2.

[moose23]

UL Twin also has to be the heaviest amp ever manufactured, although my back says the UL Super Six may be a tad heavier. Anyways, DS-2 + UL Twin = later Cobain tones.(In Utero, Unplugged) Only example of fuzzy dick, pussy ripping UL Fender abuse that comes to mind.

Simms Watts AP200 will be heavier and ultra linear.