salem Posted August 16, 2005 Posted August 16, 2005 Hi. I e-mailed Ben Fargen, asking him out of the blue if he had a Blackbird in his shop already built that he could ship to me. He responded saying yes, with a picture of a wine red low power Blackbird. I think I might do this.The problem is, I live on the other side of the country, on the east coast. Do you think there will be shipping damage? I emailed Ben Fargen this morning with this and other questions.With this and a Clark on the way, I am going a little crazy here. But I can afford this. I have been studying amps and I really like Fargen. The simplicity, the understated beauty, and the vintage Blackface vibe. I very much appreciate the help of fellow Hamer board members. Is there any advice I should follow? Any last minute opinions about Ben Fargen Blackbirds?
edgar_allan_poe Posted August 16, 2005 Posted August 16, 2005 The problem is, I live on the other side of the country, on the east coast. Do you think there will be shipping damage? I emailed Ben Fargen this morning with this and other questions.Absolutely not. When I had my Bordeaux shipped, Fed-ex kicked the shit out of it but it arrived pristine. Ben uses an extremely thick currugated (sp?)cardboard shipping crate that can survive WWIII. I called him immediately to thank him for going the extra mile on packing. Do it bro...he knows what he is doing.
hardheartedbill Posted August 16, 2005 Posted August 16, 2005 dude lighten up, he ships amps all over the world and they come in fine, there is a chance yours will be damaged but jeez, it's just a chance you'll have to take LOL, why worry like this when your getting 2 kickass amps!
MCChris Posted August 16, 2005 Posted August 16, 2005 I have no experience with the Blackbird but Mike Lee brought a MiniPlex he was selling to the most recent Midwest Jam. Within 30 seconds of plugging into it I was reaching for my wallet.
salem Posted August 16, 2005 Author Posted August 16, 2005 in reply to:"why worry like this when your getting 2 kickass amps! "A Clark and a Fargen. I think I'll be set after this! How easy is the Blackbird to bias, does anyone know? Are there bias adjustment jacks on the amp?
BCR Greg Posted August 16, 2005 Posted August 16, 2005 Ben makes great amps. Having tried a few, I can say that as an amp snob, I like his stuff. He is a terrific guy, and will talk to you for wuite a while on the phoone if you have any questions.*disclaimer*I am NOT a Fargen dealer, this opinion is unsolicited. I will receive NO compensation for this opinion. So there.
Schlep Posted August 16, 2005 Posted August 16, 2005 Salem -I wouldn't worry too much about shipping damage. The odds are pretty low that anything will happen to it.My 2 cents: I've owned a Fargen BB (6L6 / 40 watt version) for a year and a half (honeymoon over), I also own a 1967 Deluxe Reverb. One day I got around to playing them back to back, switching speaker cabinets and such - bottom line (for me anyway) is that I have no issue parting with the DR (and will do so when I have the time). Listening to the BB through the DR cabinet is what truly sold me on the BB; I all the "improvements" Ben made on the design (tighter bottom and less brittle high end) were valid to my ear. Another thing I learned how much the cabinet influenced what I heard. If I would do the BB again, I would request a DR sized cab. YMMV. Wine is a cool color !Additionally, I like a Weber California in mine better than the Weber "Jensen" that came with it.No bias Adj on the back of my BB, I have to pull the chassis.Craig
El Kabong Posted August 16, 2005 Posted August 16, 2005 Congradulations on the Blackbird purchase. You will not be disappointed with either amp. IMO, you bought the two best amps for your wishes that can be found at real world prices.Remember to let your amps warm up on standby for a few minutes before switching them on. Return your amps on standby for a few seconds before you turn off the units. The speakers and tubes will mellow with time. Any 'edge' will wear off after a month of playing.If you want the sweet sounding compressed high gain tone at home, you will need an attenuator to play at lower volumes. This one can hide in your amp. You will also need to buy one more set of internal speaker cables to do this.https://weberspeakerscom.secure.powweb.com/weber/atten.htmSome extra reading on attenuators:ATTENUATORS (from http://emusician.com/mag/emusic_low_volume_fat/ )When you turn on an amplifier, it expects to feel the impedance, load, and resistance of a speaker. That's why you should never switch on a tube amp without any speakers plugged in — you'll blow its output transformer in no time. However, while the amplifier needs to see a particular load from a speaker, it doesn't necessarily need to send a specific volume to that speaker. That's where an attenuator can come in handy.Attenuators function as a master volume after the amplifier and before the speaker. They contain a “dummy load” so the amplifier still receives the resistance it needs, and they pass on only a portion of the actual sound to the speaker. That means you can crank your amp to the volume at which the preamp tubes and power-amp tubes interact optimally, and then reduce the volume to manageable levels before the speaker. Many attenuators also include a line-out jack to allow direct connection to a speaker simulator or mixer for recording.Attenuators usually fall into one of two categories: resistor based and speaker based. The resistor-based THD Hot Plate (see Fig. 1) is perhaps the most successful attenuator on the market. Andy Marshall, president of THD Electronics, explains that the Hot Plate contains “a constant-impedance network of resistors, capacitors, and inductors. This network divides the signal fed in from the speaker output of a tube guitar-amplifier and diverts a specific percentage of the signal to the speaker.” The extra power from the amplifier that's not sent to the speaker is dissipated as heat. The unit also offers Bright and Deep tone switches, as well as a line-out jack.Speaker-based attenuators use an actual speaker coil and motor (without the cone) to react with the tube amp. The MASS attenuator by WeberVST is one popular speaker-based attenuator. Ted Weber, president of WeberVST, argues that this type of attenuator offers a “more dynamic interaction between the load and the output circuit of the amp, which provides more character and texture to the overall tone.”You should keep a couple of points in mind when considering an attenuator. Speaker-based attenuators are rated for the maximum wattage they can handle, and you risk damaging such a unit by pushing more watts through its motor and coil than it can handle. That won't happen with most resistor-based attenuators. On the other hand, if you purchase a poorly constructed resistor-based model, the quality control on the resistor network might be inadequate, and your amp might not receive the load it needs, which (as I mentioned previously) can blow the output transformer. Attenuators generally cost between $100 and $300.One last, yet import thing to consider:I have tried most of the high end cables that are available today. Without spending an insane amount of cash, I found this cable to be a bargain at $100. The sound is thicker, warmer and has a great dynamic response than any cable I tried up to $200. It is a modern, audiophile type sound that gets the most out of your guitar and amp. But, it does also have an insanely long break in period. Analysis Plus, Yellow Oval:http://www.musictoyz.com/guitar/gtrstuff/analysis.phpBut if you want simply clean, clear tone, George L's are a bargain and require no soldering.http://www.vintageamps.com/va/georgel.htmlLet us know what you think after about a month, when the 'honeymoon period' has past. Enjoy!
edgar_allan_poe Posted August 16, 2005 Posted August 16, 2005 Remember to let your amps warm up on standby for a few minutes before switching them on. Return your amps on standby for a few seconds before you turn off the units.Oh lord...here we go again. ROTFLMAO!!
El Kabong Posted August 16, 2005 Posted August 16, 2005 Poe just reminded me, as I almost forgot. You also have to also use your *left* hand to toggle the standby when powering down to avoid ground shock, *if* you're holding the guitar with your right hand.
BCR Greg Posted August 16, 2005 Posted August 16, 2005 El Kabong's post are so informative, he needs his own section of the HFC. I LOVE reading well thought out stuff like this!Totally unlike that clown Poe! LOL
tgoss Posted August 16, 2005 Posted August 16, 2005 Sounds like you've got your mind already made up.If you can afford it, go for it.As for you other guys, you're hilarious.
salem Posted August 16, 2005 Author Posted August 16, 2005 Does anyone know if the "Weber Blue Dog" stock with the Blackbird is ceramic or alnico?
edgar_allan_poe Posted August 16, 2005 Posted August 16, 2005 Does anyone know if the "Weber Blue Dog" stock with the Blackbird is ceramic or alnico?It doesn't matter. Ben will put what he feels is the best match for the amp in there...no compromises. Trust the guy, he made the amp, he will put the speaker that best matches the amp in the cabinet.
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