Fernandes Revolver Pro Guitar

Fernandes FR-95S / Fernandes Revolver Pro Guitar
Made in Japan
1990's






This guitar is a Fernandes FR-95S (or a FR-85S?) model which is AFAIK, marketed only in Japan. It is a superstrat-shaped guitar with Ash body and H-S-S pickup configuration. It has a nice, thick (full 1/4") and relatively flat-radiused rosewood fretboard with 22 medium frets and gold colored Gotoh tuners.

The guitar has the Fernandes FRT Tremolo system and is equipped with the FSK-401 Dual Mode Fernandes Sustainer system.

This guitar is the pre-cursor to the Korean/Taiwan-made Fernandes Revolver Pro guitar marketed to the US, EU and other markets.

The Fernandes Sustainer system is one of the more successful innovation to the electric guitar next to the Floyd Rose trem system. The sustaining effect sounds and feel natural and not gimmicky. The guitar still sound and feel like a guitar and not like a synth or an organ.

Steve Vai, U2's The Edge, and many others use the sustainer system very successfully. I particularly like Vai's use of the sustainer effect in 'Whispering A Prayer' and 'For The Love of God'.

Fender Dual Showman 1966

Fender Dual Showman 1966
Serial No. A 07787

The Fender Dual Showman has a 4-ohms Output Transformer impedance vs. an 8-ohms Output Transformer impedance of the Fender Showman. The only other minor difference is a resistor value in the Negative Feedback loop in these amps. The Dual Showman has a 100 ohms vs. a 47 ohms resistor value in the Showman. Aside from these, the Fender Dual Showman is identical to a Fender Showman.

The intended cab for the Dual Showman features two 15", 8-ohms speakers connected in parallel in one cabinet. Hence the 'Dual' designation.

Fender Silverface Dual Showman Reverb 1968

Fender Silverface Dual Showman Reverb 1968
Serial No. A12705

The Dual Showman Reverb Amp is the "head amp" version of the Fender Twin Reverb. It has exactly the same chassis, circuitry and parts (for contemporary models of these 2 amp) but in a more manageable size and weight package (head amp cabinet). That said, the heft of the head unit is still quite substantial, obviously due to the substantially oversized power and output transformers.

IMO, the relatively big and heavy power and output transformers together with the solid state rectifier in these amps are the main factors that contribute to the well-known fender clean tone. The power supply can take large transient/spike load hit (power chording) without or with very little sag. The big iron core in the output transformer just couldn't get saturated that easily either. Result? Fender clean tone for days!

My particular amp says "Showman Reverb Amp TFL5000D" in the faceplate instead of "Dual Showman Reverb TFL5000D". It has the transition "cloth wire" and not the irradiated Teflon "thin wires" widely used in 1968 and 1969 model Fender amps. The D in TFL5000D, means that this amp is a US Domestic model and therefore has a 110V power transformer.

It still has all its original transformers and all original capacitors. The big power filter capactors for sure will need to be replaced for safety reasons.

A Hammond choke was used to replaced the original choke which I found to be open.

The cathode bypass electrolytics were replaced with sprague atoms.

The bias supply cap was also replaced with a sprague atom.