Dating my Bassman 100

[Tommybassman]

Can anyone please tell me from which year my bassman 100 head is?
Serial number: A 57261
choke:
021657A
606-3-22
Tranny: 6060973

Logo has got the 'tail'.
Can anyone help me out with this?

[Sifl]

Oh, oh! From the thread title, I thought you really really liked your amp...

Sorry, I am no help!

[Emm9T]

Originally Posted by Sifl

Oh, oh! From the thread title, I thought you really really liked your amp...

Sorry, I am no help!

I thought the same...

[armywalaby]

Myself as well. I was going to say something about the risk of electric shock if you guys get a little intimate...in this case, I would not lick before I stick.

[BassmanPaul]

I just thought he wanted to know when his Bassman was built; but there again I have no imagination!

[will33]

I thought we were supoosed to be a step above the animals, not act like them (at least not in public).

This should be of some help.

The Fender Amp Field Guide

If I understand, dating the pots should be close assuming they're original. Otherwise just date all the parts that haven't been replaced and pick the newest one. Some stuff could've been sitting in the warehouse since '72 but ended up getting installed in a new 1973 amp for example.

[Tommybassman]

Thanx Will!

Unfortunately I haven't found the correct date yet..There are too many different dates on the tranny/chassis etc.
Do you maybe have another clue?
Cheers

[will33]

Well, they were only called the "bassman 100" from '72 to '76 so fairly small window there. It's possible it could have parts in it from all those years. Parts are ordered in bulk, then re-ordered when supplies get low so it could have a '74 transformer and some '75 pots in a chassis made in '76 or something like that. Repairs may have been done along the way you don't know about and may be old enough repairs to not be obvious (replaced parts look old too, just like the amp).

Another thing that may have happened is somebody along the way had it "blackfaced" or partially blackfaced, meaning had the circuit or some parts of it changed back to the earlier Leo Fender designs. That could throw off your date codes or schematics don't make sense, etc. Purists will do that, there's a whole thing about having a "pre-CBS" Fender although, the first few years after the buyout are essentially the same amps. The changes were mostly cosmetic and they were still building out of the old warehouse parts stock.

So, couple things that may have happened there to throw you off. I would look up as many date codes as you can find, pick the newest one that falls between '72 and '76, call it that and consider it close enough. With some detailed pics of the guts, some of the local guru's here may notice something to get you closer but that's about all I can think of now.

[wallybill]

Mine has the date stamped on the inside of the chassis. Small black lettering located towards the rear of the amp, next to the space between the preamp and amp sections.

[coreyfyfe]

Originally Posted by Tommybassman

choke:
021657A
606-3-22
Tranny: 6060973

Assuming that's the correct code for a woodward-schumacher transformer, it looks like early 73 but the week and year code would be backwards on the OT in that case.

[Tommybassman]

I took a look at the inside, but there's no date inside..
Here you can find pictures: Notes (You also can see the wiring.)
Now I'm looking for maybe a 4x12" Utah cabinet or....anyone an idea?

[chadds]

First date?

[coreyfyfe]

Originally Posted by Tommybassman

I took a look at the inside, but there's no date inside..
Here you can find pictures: Notes (You also can see the wiring.)
Now I'm looking for maybe a 4x12" Utah cabinet or....anyone an idea?

Look at the components but be careful not to touch any of them. Aside from the pots, some of the larger caps, resistors, etc, will have date stamps as well (I was trying to decipher that large white one in the second picture but can't get good enough resolution). Look for anything that has a 7 digit code as that could be used to date the amp. It will be arranged as the 3 digit EIA ID, year, week as mentioned above. The link I provided previously has a whole list of manufacturers and their associated codes at the bottom.

[HeadyVan Halen]

Originally Posted by armywalaby

Myself as well. I was going to say something about the risk of electric shock if you guys get a little intimate...in this case, I would not lick before I stick.

Well, the born on date is really important before you do the above...really important.