Silverface Bassman 10

[slobake]

Just saw a 79 Bassman 10 for sale for $250.
Get my '79 Bassman Ten before the hippies do
Can you really get a decent bass tone/volume of this or is it better suited for guitar?

[T-Bird]

Hi.

There's been a few variations of the circuit and as the older techs have told in here at TB, they're hit and miss even within a specific circuit.

You can get a sweet bass tone out of one, but it's very low on volume.

Upgrading the speakers and/or using a separate, more efficient cab will help.

I have a less efficient 2*12 combo made out of one and it's decent for bass, in low volume applications.

BTW, it's NOT the Bassman10 that's the guitar players favourite, quite far from it, so don't buy it solely with the assumption that of it doesn't suit you, you can sell it easily to a guitarist.

For $250, I'd go for it if the exterior is in good shape, and the amp works. The potentiometers are always somewhat scratchy, so I wouldn't worry too much about that.

Regards
Sam

[JTE]

The Bassman 10 is NOT the same as the open-back tweed Bassman amps guitar players love. It was indeed designed to be a bass amp in the early '70s. It's essentially the then-current Bassman head (two 6L6 power tubes, "normal" and "bass" channels", etc.) rated at either 50 or 70 watts RMS depending on age. It has four 10" bass speakers in a sealed and ported cabinet. They can be VERY good bass amps.

I was a Fender dealer from '77 - '88 and in my experience these are wildly inconsistent. They either sound great or awful. We had two with consecutive serial numbers. One was wonderful, warm, punchy, clear, and rich. The other was constipated, constrained, thin, and nasal. We swapped heads, we swapped tubes, we used each head to drive other speakers, we used the same head to drive both sets of speakers, and the one amp was just a lot better than the other. So, try the specific amp you're interested in before buying it.

The problems with them is that they're bulky and (especially with the casters) can be top-heavy and prone to falling over when moving them. They are only 50 to 60 WRMS (even with the ultralinear transformers of the 70 watt series, I don't think they really get up there to 70), and the speakers aren't the most efficient in the world. But for relatively low volume work that doesn't require snappy transients they're great sounding amps. I used mine for a long time as a rehearsal amp, and for an occasional blues gig I did with a sane guitarist (i.e. no SRV influenced guitar diarrhea) and a Fred Below inspired drummer. I wouldn't use one for a gig where I had to slap/pop nor if I needed a big authorative bottom end in a loud band.

And my personal experience is that unless you're looking for a really really clean jazz guitar sound, the Bassman 10 also doesn't work well as a guitar amp. The focus on the changes to the Bassman circuit were to get a cleaner sound for bass over the years and this generation was the final version. It's very clean, and again not at all like the Bassman amps that guitarists love.

John

[slobake]

Thanks for your input. I was looking for a silverface bassman head when I ran across the bassman 10. I'm guessing that a 1970 Fender Bassman Amplifier head & VT 15 cabinet would be a better fit. I just saw this combination for sale for $695. For that price am I better off buying a new Ampeg?

[will33]

Originally Posted by slobake

Thanks for your input. I was looking for a silverface bassman head when I ran across the bassman 10. I'm guessing that a 1970 Fender Bassman Amplifier head & VT 15 cabinet would be a better fit. I just saw this combination for sale for $695. For that price am I better off buying a new Ampeg?

That's a little steep. For comparison, I paid I think 300 or 325 for my 135 in working condition. I gigged it for several months before it started getting a little squirrely. I then put about another $175 or so with a tech for general checkup, cleaning and some tubes. It been flawless ever since. Silverface bassmans aren't that uncommon and should be had for about 300something all day long. I'd give 500 for one IF it had a recent checkup/service and was no doubt good to go. Otherwise, 300 or so and plan on 100-200 more to bring it up to snuff.

[will33]

Oh, and I did have a bassman10 for a short time and just like the previous poster said, nice tone at low volume. It struggled at anything approaching gig volume outside of an acoustic group or very tame blues band playing a very small bar. Mine sounded nice on guitar, sometimes wish I'd have kept it for that. Nice fender cleans. You needed pedals for any other sound or effects but it took nicely to pedals. I ultimately sold it.

[fuzzy beard]

If you buy it and dont like it PM me and i will take it off your hands!!!!!

[slobake]

Originally Posted by fuzzy beard

If you buy it and dont like it PM me and i will take it off your hands!!!!!

The Bassman 10 or the Bassman Head?

[slobake]

Originally Posted by will33

That's a little steep. For comparison, I paid I think 300 or 325 for my 135 in working condition. I gigged it for several months before it started getting a little squirrely. I then put about another $175 or so with a tech for general checkup, cleaning and some tubes. It been flawless ever since. Silverface bassmans aren't that uncommon and should be had for about 300something all day long. I'd give 500 for one IF it had a recent checkup/service and was no doubt good to go. Otherwise, 300 or so and plan on 100-200 more to bring it up to snuff.

Thanks Willl. Is the price still steep if the head come with a cabinet?

[will33]

Maybe not IF everything's working properly, been checked out serviced recently. Meaning if you pay that price, you plug in, play and don't worry about anything, no tech fees coming out of your pocket after the purchase.

What are your volume needs? I found the bigger 100/135 bassmans and a 215 to be just barely enough for typical blues, rock covers with "controlled" drummers and guitarists. They could still drown you out if they wanted to but I was trying to keep it's warm but clean tone as best I could which meant laying back on the volume. High spl speakers like EV15L's or various vintage JBL speakers can make the difference with these things. They'll get you the volume. Typical newer "bass cab" speakers that run maybe 94-95db ain't quite enough. Some of the newer neo's play loud like that......one speaker also costs as much as the amp though.

[will33]

Personally, I might buy one for a little more like that if I was buying from someone I knew or if the work/service was done by a local tech that I could verify. Otherwise I'd rather pay a couple hundred less for one that needed some work, then pay for the work. Just so I know exactly what was done, when, by whom and how it's been cared for since.....obviously I'd be the one doing the caring for then. Power tubes are an easy sale/job for a tech. Sometimes they need them, mine did, sometimes they don't, it's just a moneymaker or the tech wants the vintage tubes that are in there. Know thy tube amp tech. I had who was at the time, the best guy in town here fix up my 135....it's been absolutely flawless ever since and shows no sign of any problem......that was 8+ years ago. Beware of guys who always say you need tubes...get one good set in there properly matched/biased etc. and they'll years if not decades. A cap job is a good idea just due to it's age but that's not expensive either.

[BluesBear]

If I saw a nice Bassman 10 for $250 I'd jump all over it.

[cheapbasslovin]

I have one around here that a friend let me borrow and I think it sounds great... when I plug the head into another cab. The cab is really boomy, or nasally, but either way without any real definition or serious bottom end.

If I wanted a low wattage tube amp I also would jump on it @ $250, if only to move the head into a separate enclosure.

[THEBASSCARVER]

can a 50 watt basman 10 be made in to a 70watt or higher can it be done or not

[THEBASSCARVER]

I am looking for one that is 70 watts if it plays nice and sounds good i will buy it for 300/500/1000$$$ i wont one may be some one canhelp me find me one thx

[taurus1]

I've had one for years. I've done a couple low volume gigs with it and it was fine. of course you'll run out of headroom in a loud situation. I've also used it in a loud band, I sat it on top of a 2x15 cab that was run by a Traynor Mono Block, I had the Bassman Ten almost full up getting a crunchy overdrive tone and blended the Traynor 2x15 rig with it to fill out the bottom end, it was an incredible tone. it also makes an great recording amp, with a precision plugged in and dialed in, it's about as pure a Fender tone as you'll ever hear.
as far as every one of them sounding different, that goes for any brand or type of amp.
I know of at least two semi famous guitar players who've championed the Bassman Ten, mine has the UL tranny and it has the sweetest breakup with guitar. the closed back cab gives you some 4x12ish type chunky bottom end that an open back Fender combo won't do. there's nothing I don't like about these amps, maybe I got a good one.

[will33]

Originally Posted by THEBASSCARVER

can a 50 watt basman 10 be made in to a 70watt or higher can it be done or not

Maybe, maybe not but the extra 20 watts is meaningless/pointless and not worth the cost. It won't be noticably any louder at all. 50 watts is pretty much what you get from a pair of 6l6's. Some claimed 70 due to different output transformers, etc. but they sounded like the same power to me.

[johnk_10]

Originally Posted by THEBASSCARVER

can a 50 watt basman 10 be made in to a 70watt or higher can it be done or not

IMO, the bassman 50's sound better than the later bassman 70's. i've actually modded the 70 watters to sound like the 50w, and the twins that were 135w to sound like the 85 watt ones. you really can't mod a 50 to a 70 without replacing both the power and output transformers, and even if you did, you be lucky if you could tell the difference power-wise.

[taurus1]

Originally Posted by johnk_10

IMO, the bassman 50's sound better than the later bassman 70's. i've actually modded the 70 watters to sound like the 50w, and the twins that were 135w to sound like the 85 watt ones. you really can't mod a 50 to a 70 without replacing both the power and output transformers, and even if you did, you be lucky if you could tell the difference power-wise.

what was the mod?

[johnk_10]

you lower the B+ supply voltage to blackface spec and change a few components in the preamp, phase inverter and bias circuit.