The Fender Bassman 100T thread

[Tim1]

Worth a headsup - my neo 610 developed a buzz. Pulled off the grille and thought it was the right front speaker. Pulled it out and there was a piece of velcro strip in the cavity, the type used to hold the grille in place. Removed it and all seems fine now, although I suppose it could also have been a lead vibrating as I made sure they were well clear when I replaced the speaker. I was surprised that the speaker screws/bolts were not very tight on all the speakers, but I suppose the wood compresses after the initial assembly tightening.

[MrCool84]

Originally Posted by Tim1

Just posted this on the Orange AD200 vs Fender Super Bassman 300 thread:

Also thought you all might like to know (since this is primarily a 100T thread) that if I could only have one it would definitely be the 100T. The SB300 has a little too much power for some gigs while the 100T still goes plenty loud - as a great proponent of headroom I never thought I would say that! I just consider myself fortunate to have both in the armoury

yea u lucky bstard jk im stoked for ya. for me i really think i wouldn't want 2 amps that sound the same but have different watts/headroom. i would want an array of tones in my arsenal. I really think id go SVT. Do ur bigger gigs not have FOH? But i tell ya what....if $ wasnt an issue...id have 2 of each plus 2 of each neo cabs!!!!!! ok maybe not but defs a SB300. Wow sorry for ur buzz on the 610. Hope its fixed. i tried to get my(610) grill off and felt i was on the verge of damaging it so backed off.

[pgk]

Originally Posted by One Drop

That amp has three 145w outputs, as it was meant to be used with up to three of those folded horns. With the horn design and the very efficient JBL speakers used in the day it must have been a very loud and extremely good sounding rig- but I believe it came out just as people were moving away from big rigs on stage to full-range PA systems.

As such it was a pro rig designed for big acts, and i guess it was considered that the roadies would haul it as they do PA systems nowadays. Back then roadies were within reach financially (or at least practically) for much lesser acts than today as well- there were more people around who would work for drugs and groupies, or to be around the scene, or to get a foot in the door, and gigs were plentiful and actually paid decently.

i always associate the mighty 400PS head with Berry Oakley, because that's what he used. the biggest, baddest, most utterly ridiculous bass head ever, to this day! nothing compares, nothing

[Tim1]

Hi Mr Cool. Yep, 610 is all good now - as new. I got the grill off by pulling on the Fender badge. I have owned a couple of all tube SVTs so was able to make an educated decision in running with the two Fenders. Yep, we have FOH at most gigs with my main band, but if the guitard pulls out the Marshall rig insted of the Vibroking then I like to have more power on tap. I tend to play with a clean tone and am not a great fan of an amp on the verge of breaking up and the SB300 avoids that. For some reason the SB300 seems a little more tonally versatile than the 100T to my ears, probably because of all that extra grunt in the engine room since they have the same preamp. I could certainly eq it close enough to the Orange hence the Orange can go, and I am quite sure that I can get an SVT tone out of it too. When I opened the SB300 box and first plugged it in it was disconcerting how like my old SVT VR it sounded - just a fluke of where the controls were at but shows what it can do. I do have gigs where I need the extra power of the SB300, but it is a thing of taste - like preferring a Harley big block over a sporty. I think when you get to the highest clean setting on the 100T, say 6 and 6 (or 5 1/2 if you like depending on your bass and settings) then go to the same volume (not setting) on the SB300 there is a clear difference in the vibe of the amps that is less apparent on quieter settings. That is why I pulled the trigger on the 300, but no doubt if Fender had not made the 300 I would have been happy with the staus quo. But dang that right hand channel is versatile, the sweepable mid is voiced just right for a huge variety of sounds .

[MrCool84]

Yea im sure the 6550 have a different taste then 6l6's. Glad for ya tim!! ur ready for anything!!! being able to swap 6l6's for 6550's would be a cool option in the 100t. Prolly not even possible tho. Yea i tugged on the grill logo but got nervous.

[chrisan2]

just looking at the block diagram, i see the main speaker has a earth back to the power side of the connector .Does this act as a dummey load in case amp is turned on without a cab ?

[Tim1]

I should also add with the neo 610 that I was (pleasantly) surprised when I removed the speaker to see that each pair of speakers is separately compartmented and then individually tuned. Must make for more efficient control over the response - plus increased cabinet bracing, I suppose. To me this cabinet is a real sleeper in the Fender range and probably won't get the general press and attention it deserves since Fender has not really been a first choice in bass cabs for many in the past. That may change if we see more of the big Fender rigs on stage with name bands now that there is a 300 watt tube head in the range. I suppose it is up to Fender marketing to get it out there with them.

[MrCool84]

Wow individual compartments. cool. Can any speaker/cab nerds chime in on pros and cons of this type of design, is it very common/uncommon, any other speaker manufacturers utilize this design?

[Tim1]

Don't know whether it is that unusual, just surprised me as I had assumed it was one open box inside with a bit of bracing. Ampeg 810 is similar but of course has no ports and I think there is a gap in the compartmenting of the Ampeg so air can flow between the compartments. I had always assumed that my Bergantino 610 was a sealed cab with no compartments inside, but nothing to base that assumption on.

[rodl2005]

So each compartment is ported? & one has a tweeter?

[Tim1]

Yep, that's the way it appears. Horn in the top one (nice crossover too).

[JerryD]

Got the 100T and 1 of the Neo 115 Cabs. The other 115 is on backorder and should be in in a couple of weeks.

[TorontoAlex]

Great looking rig JerryD. Are you going to use the rack in conjunction with the rig? Adding anything to it?

[JerryD]

Yes, but only have a Furman power strip and DTR-1 Turner so far in the rack.....I may change it to a 2 space instead of the 4 space.

[TorontoAlex]

I guess that would make sense. Either way, congrats on the rig.

As for me, I'm buying either the 100T or 300SB with the 4x10, I'm just trying to find the best deal possible at this time. As soon as I do I'll pull the trigger. Best bass amp out there IMO!

[adivin]

How would two Fender 115 neos compare to the 610 neo in volume?

[Tim1]

Haven't compared the Fender 115 neo to the 610neo, but I do have a GK 115 neo and the Fender 610 neo is considerably louder - as you would expect with just about any 115 vs 610 volume comparison given the extra air being moved.
Can't understand why the New Zealand importers won't bring in the 115 - I would buy one like a shot. 100T on the 115 for small gigs and SB300 on the 610 for bigger ones. Interestingly, and not surprisingly, they are finding it much easier to move the 610 than the 810. To be honest, on the odd occasion that I needed an 810 I would rather run two 610s side by side. Must add that my new SB300 into both the neo 610 and my Bergantino 215 is an awesome combination, cabs are almost the same size and if I was doing it often (or if my band would let me at any gig) I would put Fender grille cloth on the Berg.

[adivin]

Originally Posted by Tim1

Haven't compared the Fender 115 neo to the 610neo, but I do have a GK 115 neo and the Fender 610 neo is considerably louder - as you would expect with just about any 115 vs 610 volume comparison given the extra air being moved.
Can't understand why the New Zealand importers won't bring in the 115 - I would buy one like a shot. 100T on the 115 for small gigs and SB300 on the 610 for bigger ones. Interestingly, and not surprisingly, they are finding it much easier to move the 610 than the 810. To be honest, on the odd occasion that I needed an 810 I would rather run two 610s side by side. Must add that my new SB300 into both the neo 610 and my Bergantino 215 is an awesome combination, cabs are almost the same size and if I was doing it often (or if my band would let me at any gig) I would put Fender grille cloth on the Berg.

No I was asking about two 115s compared to the 610.

[Tim1]

Sorry, serves me right for rushing. Again I cannot compare directly Fender 215 vs 610 but without going outside and setting it all up my gut tells me that volume wise there was not much difference between the Berg 215 and the 610 neo. Nothing that you couldn't adjust, anyway. I am a huge fan of ffifteens and if I had a choice between two fifteens and a 610 without being about to compare them directly I would go with the fifteens.
Hope this is more helpful

[robert warren]

I have the 100T and 2-matching 1x15's...coundn't be happier!