Modding a Frontman 15

Tube or solid-state, this section goes to eleven!
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Clavo
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Joined: 17 Jan 2014, 03:21
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Post by Clavo »

Hi all.
I came across this forum looking for a volume fix for a DOD FX50B and I found it, which was really great after not using that pedal for that particular issue.

So... I began playing the thing through some amps and finally got to my little Fender Frontman 15 which we all know are not "quality" amps.
That being said, I won't sell it and got to think about modding it up:

1.- Adding a reverb tank. It has the circuit printed, so... could I just solder the missinf components and build a tank using some spring and transducers?.

2.- Removing the leds. I'm not sure about this one, but Youtube says that removing the clipping leds in a Vox Pathfinder 10 provides more volume a better gain tones...

3.- Adding an external speaker jack. It has one on the front panel but it disangages the internal speaker, which is plain crap, but could I run a cable from the stock speaker's + to the + of that jack and the same for the - connectors so I could drive both speakers in parallel?.

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I'd start by number 3. Can that be done?.

Thanks in advance!.

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invader_lex
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Post by invader_lex »

I modded mine, I removed all the preamp and put inside a joyo american sound just for fun. I kept the power amp and the reverb and I changed the speaker to a jensen, it sound better, but the problem with the amp is the small enclosure. it was a fun project, mine is the old made in mexico with the speaker out it sound huge using it as a head.

I own the 25R and I modified the preamp but now is used only as a 1x10 cab for DIY tube amp. The mods I did in the 25R was, a mod to fix the vol, without the mod all the vol knob range is between 0 - 2, is useless, now i have a better control, in the dirt channel in the first gain stage i removed the clipping diodes, I removed all the soft clipping circuit in the loop of the second gain stage and put a simple 2 led + 1, and I change the capacitor going to ground to a TS value. I put an FX loop between the pre and power. and the best mod you can do is change the speaker. all those mods can be done in the 15R, the preamps are very similar. The amp now a passable hard rock amp instead of trying to be a high gain 90s metal tone and failing miserable at it.

you can Look for mods for the 25 and the 65 the preamps are almost identical.

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