'72 - '79 silverface Fender Bassman 100 head

[Giraffe]

Here is a great deal for someone looking for a medium powered, point-to-point tube bass head. This is a silverface Fender Bassman 100 head, in excellent condition. The tube chart isn't dated in any way that I could tell, so I am not sure of the exact age, but they were manufactured from roughly 1972 through 1978 or 1979. This one is all original, from what I can see. It sounds great, clean and strong through the whole frequency range.

This amp has four chassis-mounted 6L6 power tubes (currently loaded with Groove Tubes), one 12AT7 and two 7025's (another designation for 12AX7). Two channels: "Bass Instrument" with volume, treble, and bass controls plus a "Deep" switch, and "NORMAL" with volume, bass, middle and treble controls plus a bright switch. There is a global master volume. There is a ground lift/switch, standby switch, and two 1/4" speaker outputs. This amp operates at 4 ohms. It has a three-prong power cord with the original red plug.

There are a few minor scuffs in the tolex, and a few very minor scratches and dents on the front panel. Just the very beginning of rust on the outside of one of the transformers. Condition is an honest excellent compared to the way these are generally graded!

I haven't had this head in the shop since I got it about seven or eight years ago, but there are no operational problems with it at this time. It sounds like it might be time for a tune up, possibly new power tubes, but that is to be expected with these amps. The pots are clean, everything works, it has a lot more headroom than the 50 watters, and it is very clean sounding. It really doesn't want to overdrive, even with the preamp dimed, but this could be modified if that is what you want.

Both channels sound very similiar to me. I am not one for tube power amps for bass, so it is time for this one to leave to make room for something else.

I think $600 plus shipping is a good price for this head in this condition. I was considering pulling two of the power tubes and using it for guitar, but it was just too clean for my taste, so here you go. Hand wired, point-to-point, huge transformers, excellent condition, oh, God.

If you have something to trade, plus-or-minus cash, let me know. I am trying very hard to make some room, but I am weak, and you should go ahead and tempt me, especially if you have a good keyboard, a point-to-point or Mesa Boogie guitar amp, a lightweight bass head like an AG500, or a Nikon D series digital camera.

[bassfacedesign]

Hey, are they 100 watts

[Giraffe]

Yes, this head is rated at 100 watts output. It sports four 6L6's in the power stage.

[kaiser_sosea]

Bump for a great head, i've had mine for 5 years now and it has never missed a beat, i don't treat it like vintage gear, it is my main gigging head and has been super reliable. Its heavy as hell though, but you can't beat the sound.

[Giraffe]

Kaiser, I know what you mean about reliability. A heavy-duty tube amp tech put it well.

"Nothing can go wrong with this thing that is not easily fixed."

[Giraffe]

I have had a revelation. $ 500 is a much better price for this amp, so there it is. $ 500.

[TAZ]

Ah...yes, such a warm, rich, tone.

[pbass2]

Great deal here. If the tax man wasn't coming up the front walk I'd be all over this, esp. for recording. Somebody grab it before I do something financially un-sound . . ..

[Dr. Riddim]

Very cool piece of gear here. Somebody needs to give this baby a new home.

TTT

[DLEE]

I sold my Bassman last weekend and miss it so bad I had to buy Funksters YBA 200 this week. Trust me, a Bassman 100 is pure sweetness!!! And it doesn't hurt that it makes a nice guitar rig too!

[Giraffe]

This one sold for $450 to a guitar player looking for big Fender clean tones and a lot of headroom. We cranked it through some Jensen C12K's and every dog in the county was up and barking! It's no wonder so many guitar players can't hear the dinner bell.

I am pretty sure he will be happy with it!

[norbusser]

Originally Posted by tombrien

Yes, this head is rated at 100 watts output. It sports four 6L6's in the power stage.

What kind of cabinets/speakers did you run it through? I'm rebuilding 2 70's fender cabs (2X15 and 2X12) for one.

[Giraffe]

I ran it through the same boxes I used for modern amps. This head is bright, and a lot of guys get them "blackfaced" or returned to some semblance of earlier specs to make them warmer and a little less stiff. I would be looking for a rounder top end when I select speakers for it. Beyond the volume limitations, the head really isn't the big problem, though.

One of the reasons these made such lousy bass rigs as issued was they used a very shallow sealed cab, usually with very little or no stuffing in there. They used a lot of stamped frame Oxfords, Utahs, whatever was cheapest that day, and none of them sounded very good beyond moderate volume. I would measure the box and search hard for appropriate drivers. I wouldn't discount seeing if there is any way you could fit a port in there as well, especially if you are going to use the cabinets together. Maybe try porting the 15" box and going with the sealed 12" box. The sealed box I had with my 60's silverface was big enough to accomodate 15's, even though it was loaded with twelves. Make a new baffle for the 2 x 12, load it with fifteens, and light up four fifteens with that head. I bet some of the volume/headroom problems would go away!

The head really seemed to get confused when it saw an 8 ohm load. It sounded and reacted more like a practice amp! On the other hand, mine wasn't maintained like it could have been, so what do I know.

[ryan20]

Would you trade a micro korg (mint condition) for this head?