RCA outputs to speaker cables?

[otokomae]

I've got a Fender '59 Bassman ReIssue that's got 4 outputs, meant to go to 4 seperate speakers. The weird thing is the outputs appear to be RCA plugs, and each one is meant for a seperate speaker. I can't find a cable anywhere that has an RCA on one end and two speakers cables at the other end.
Has anybody else got a '59 Bassman, or do you know if this is normal for Fender tube amp combos? Also, does anyone know where to get the connector cables for this? Thanks!!!

Pictures:

[whatsnext]

You'll have to make them yourself unless you get real lucky at some music store. Thank you for the diystompbox link.
John........

[teemuk]

I have never seen anything like that in a Bassman amplifier and usually the speaker plugs in guitar amps are, or at least should be, standard phone plugs. Are you sure those really are speaker plugs and not for example plugs for an effect chain or reverb tank?
Four speaker plugs with RCA connectors seems very strange and unreliable because i'd figure that RCA connector can't handle as much current as a phoneplug. Even the fact that there are four plugs should raise some suspicion...

Teemu K

[otokomae]

yeah, I followed the schematic, and these are meant to go out to the speakers. But this is a really odd setup. I've been told that in the early 90's Fender was making 2 different amps with this exact same chassis: the 4x10 Bassman we all know, and a 2x12 combo called the Bass Breaker, using a pair of custom 4 ohm Celestion V30's. When you look at the pic of the connectors from the inside, there's a wire going into one of them, then the rest are connected by jumpers and just one wire goes back to the amp, so I guess you could plug any speaker or combination of speakers into any of the plug-ins, as long as it added up to a 2 ohm load... something like that, anyway. But yeah, these apparently are the speaker connections; a seperate connection exists for EACH speaker, which is as confusing to me as it is to everyone else who has seen it so far...
so, maybe I should just take these RCA jacks out and replace them with 1/4" jacks? Really, if anybody has a good suggestion for rectifying this problem, let me know...
Oh, and for anyone interested, check the Tubes forum to see the crazy ground plug that this amp came with...

And to let everyone know, it's a 1990 model, which I believe was the first year that these were reissued, making it Rev A if anyone's looking up the schematics.

[otokomae]

Oh, thanks to everyone who's taken a look at this, btw!!! I've gotten some really good advice and interesting comments since I joined this forum just 2 days ago!

[otokomae]

Hey, here's a quick picture of the original layout that this amp is supposed to be based off of:
[IMG][/IMG]
It shows 4 seperate jacks going out to the speakers as well. However, it doesn't say that they're RCA jacks, and it's just terribly inconvenient trying to find a cable for this thing.

[Enzo]

That is absolutely stock, and though not in groups of four, you will find RCA jacks as speaker outs on any number of OLD Fenders. No reason you can't install the jack of your choice in their place other than retaining the stock-ness.

The reissue came out about 15 years ago, but they kept the RCAs as a tip of the hat to the old amp. In the parts list, it is #024018 Phono Jack (As opposed to the phone jack at the input.)

You want cables? MAke them. Seriously, get some pair wire of appropriate size - 18ga ought to do - and wire RCA males on the ends. You want 1/4" on the other end? Put them there. If it is a combo, wires can go direct to the speaker terminals. Or get 1/4 to 1/4 spkr cables and lop one end off, then mount an RCA male. No one is going to have 1/4 to RCA speaker cables. SIgnal cables in that arrangement are common, but they should never be used for speakers.

OR

wire the speakers conventional and mount a 1/4" jack on the chassis.

[thedoctor]

Sure, they will handle the current. This setup is for four 16 ohm speakers. Must have been meant for a 4 speaker combo is all I can figure. The original Fender, Gibson, Peavey and Standell combos used RCA jacks for the individual speakers. Now they just run a light cable pair through the metal enclosure with a stupid grommet. Remember that all your speaker connections are in parallel! You do need to make your own cables with the old solder-through-the-pin RCA plugs to get a good connection. Noone has made this type of cable in years. Find an OLD television repair shop near you and they will have these plugs by the billions.

[Enzo]

Yes, it was a four speaker combo, and each driver got its own cable.

[tom daghdha]

If it took the current when the amp was built why shouldn't it take it now?