1967(?)Fender Bass man info needed

Bassman8416 · #1 03-19-2011, 02:02 PM

A very good friend of mine has an old Fender Bassman head and 2x15 Cab. It was left to him a buddy who passed away. He wants to sell it. I know nothing about the worth of vintage amps. i do know the head powers up but there is distortion and "dirt" when playing through an 8ohm cab that I own, I never played through his cabs. I imagine it needs to have tubes replaced and other things looked into. It has sat in his house for years
(at least 15) without being touched. The serial # is A08076 and here is a pic. Anyone know what an as-is dollar amount would be?

theduke1 · #2 03-19-2011, 03:01 PM

I don't know but vintage blackface Fender stuff is very pricey

billfitzmaurice · #3 03-19-2011, 03:07 PM

The Fender Amp Field Guide
It's not a '65 speaker, late '67 at the earliest.

TomB · #4 03-19-2011, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theduke1

I don't know but vintage blackface Fender stuff is very pricey

That's mostly because guitarists like them so much.... bass players? ...it's a wonderful sound, but anything louder than a jazz combo drives it into distortion... nice distortion, but it limited their use as a stage bass amp. By the mid-70's, solid state and big tube rigs (including Fender models) had mostly relegated this model amp to the used market where guitarists quickly picked up on their value. Great amps that can be modded for amazing sounds!

As for the speaker cab, it reminds me of the Bandmaster cabs of '67-68, but I don't know for sure... I thought those cabs were more typical of the silver-faced products, but others here know more, I'm sure.

Bassman8416 · #5 03-19-2011, 05:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billfitzmaurice

The Fender Amp Field Guide
It's not a '65 speaker, late '67 at the earliest.

You are correct sir!!!!!

AwkwardLoudness · #6 03-19-2011, 06:09 PM

The '67 Bassman amp likely needs some restoration work including fresh tube and, since it sat untouched for a long time, new filter capacitors.

The head by itself would likely sell in the $700 to $900 range as a minor fixer upper. 50 watt Bassman amps are more desired by guitar players. The Bassman 100 and 135 Silverface models are a bit better suited for bass, but it depends on how much clean volume is needed.

billfitzmaurice · #7 03-19-2011, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bassman8416

You are correct sir!!!!!

I know because I had a '65 in '65, and remember when the larger '67s came out, in response to the Marshall 4x12. We all thought the larger Bassman and Bandmaster cabs were bogus, since they were as big as a Marshall 4x12 but were only 2x12s. And if yours is a 2x15 it's not even a 67-70. I don't recall a 2x15 Bassman before 1971. The grillecloth looks like blackface, but the 2x15 was silverface, with turquoise accent threads, until 1980, so you might have a 1980-83 cab.

michael_atw · #8 03-19-2011, 08:34 PM

I've actually been watching a '67 Bandmaster that's located in NJ - pretty close to you likely! It's about identical to this set-up; it's going for $800 including the shipping right now.

I have a '68 Bassman I use for both guitar and bass and I love it - I get great fat tone from it.

AwkwardLoudness · #9 03-19-2011, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billfitzmaurice

And if yours is a 2x15 it's not even a 67-70. I don't recall a 2x15 Bassman before 1971.

I assume that the Bassman head is sitting on top a Showman 2x15, and those were built during the 60s.

jimbilly · #10 03-20-2011, 12:35 AM

Those are great little heads, but about the least valuable of the Blackface Fenders. There's one that been retubed/capped/sorted out at the vintage shop near me for either $599 or $699. I also see them fs on Craiglist for $600 pretty regularly.
In need of service, you'd be smart to knock a couple hundred off.
I had a 'fully sorted' (new Sprague caps, new power tubes, good old USA preamp tubes) '66 Dual Showman head and very slightly newer vertical dual 15 JBL cabinet (that thing was awesome for bass), it took a really long time, but I think I got either $1200 or $1400 for the pair on Craigslist, -that was a year or two ago, and the vintage market is no better now than then. Considering that, I think it would be hard to get more than $1,000 for that pair in good working order.

billfitzmaurice · #11 03-20-2011, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AwkwardLoudness

I assume that the Bassman head is sitting on top a Showman 2x15, and those were built during the 60s.

The vast majority of Showmen were JBL loaded, which would be obvious. It could be they were replaced, of course.
The size of the cab and handle positions reveal it to be late 1967 or later; the 63-67 Dual Showman cab was smaller. And the missing 'Fender' logo position and feet indicate a vertical driver alignment, whereas the 63-67 was horizontal, there was only one handle, centered, and there were amp clamps on the longer side.

wcriley · #12 03-20-2011, 08:55 AM

I played through a black-faced Bassman for a while back in the late 70s.
The power supply sag worked well for skinny-string guitar, but I absolutely hated it for bass guitar, which I was playing at the time.

Roadkill · #13 03-21-2011, 05:47 AM

Hey, somebody wants to trade their Bassman 50 (Blackface) for my Ampeg Micro-VR + $50. It was recapped/retubed/gone-over a couple years ago so seems like a deal not to be passed by

- even if I have to go out and buy another new Micro-VR (about $250). I can't figure out when they made a blackface labeled "Bassman 50" - anybody know? I've seen it but didn't pay a lot of attention to the details at the time - I'll take a closer look next Saturday. I have a B25 cab I'll use it with but it will probably never leave my house. Maybe I can/should trade it for a B25 or V4B head?

JTE · #14 03-21-2011, 07:35 AM

There was a limited run of Fender amps with black face plates associated with the International Colors. If we commited to buying a certain number of International Color instruments, then we could order from a list of amps that would ship with black faces, but otherwise were identical to the silver faced ones. Much later the last of the pre-Rivera amps were all black-face too, but that should have been a Bassman 75, not a 50.

However, a lot if people are sloppy with their terminology and call any Bassman with 2 6L6 tubes a "Bassman 50".

John

Roadkill · #15 03-21-2011, 09:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JTE

However, a lot if people are sloppy with their terminology and call any Bassman with 2 6L6 tubes a "Bassman 50".

I'm 99% sure it is blackface and says "Bassman 50" on it. I'll check it out closer on Saturday but in any case it's a steal for $300 I think?

johnk_10 · #16 03-21-2011, 10:25 AM

the large vertical bassman 2x15 cab came out in late '66 and it looked exactly like the one in the OP's post. (i've owned a few of them i the past). in mid-late '67 they had the turquoise/silver cloth with the aluminum trim around the grill (referred to as 'drip edge') and came with silverfaced heads. McCartney used one on the let it Be album and on the rooftop, and that was in '69.

Bassman8416 · #17 03-21-2011, 11:19 AM

Thanks for all the input guys. Would he be able to get $800 for both as is?

johnk_10 · #18 03-21-2011, 11:49 AM

yes, but i've seen them go for a little less with the large 2x15 cab. the market is so soft right now.

billfitzmaurice · #19 03-21-2011, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnk_10

the large vertical bassman 2x15 cab came out in late '66 and it looked exactly like the one in the OP's post. .

Not as I recall, and I recall the 60s very well. OTOH don't ask me what I had for dinner last night, or where I laid my pencil down five minutes ago...

johnk_10 · #20 03-21-2011, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billfitzmaurice

Not as I recall, and I recall the 60s very well. OTOH don't ask me what I had for dinner last night, or where I laid my pencil down five minutes ago...

well, i've owned a few of them, and most of mine were '67's but i did have one that was a late '66.