It is VERY much appreciated! I've been a loyal customer for 25+ years and your effort also show me why I love Fender products.
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Fender Bassman 100T Chapter 3
- Thread starter Chef
- Start date
It is VERY much appreciated! I've been a loyal customer for 25+ years and your effort also show me why I love Fender products.
Tim1 and tombowlus:
Many thanks! That is very interesting read.
If I am not mistanken, my first amp had its bias chip (first operation) and pcb and ribbon cable (second operation) replaced. Still didn't fix it.
Many thanks! That is very interesting read.
If I am not mistanken, my first amp had its bias chip (first operation) and pcb and ribbon cable (second operation) replaced. Still didn't fix it.
My first amp went back twice. I believe they swapped the board both times, unsure about the connector cable.
Interestingly, the second time it went in, it was fine on the work bench. The tech swapped the board out anyway, but the replacement board failed! Once a third board was sourced, Fender Australia threw in a new set of power tubes for my trouble. I got three gigs out of it before the same issue developed.
Fortunately the store was amenable to organising an exchange, and I'm glad I stuck to my guns. The replacement has been going great - there was nothing else on the market that had the tone _and_ features of the 100-T.
Interestingly, the second time it went in, it was fine on the work bench. The tech swapped the board out anyway, but the replacement board failed! Once a third board was sourced, Fender Australia threw in a new set of power tubes for my trouble. I got three gigs out of it before the same issue developed.
Fortunately the store was amenable to organising an exchange, and I'm glad I stuck to my guns. The replacement has been going great - there was nothing else on the market that had the tone _and_ features of the 100-T.
This is the update I just posted on the other thread began by TB member Electrophonic ( i.e. Turn Off Automatic bias? thread). On that thread, Electrophonic had been contacted by Fender Director of customer service Rob Schwarz who stated he would help. I similarly reached out to Rob via PM two days ago and he answered me as well, informing he would also support me in addressing the similar issues with the 100T (bias issues).
I packed up the amp today and took back to local music store that had ordered in the 100T for me. Got there and the staff member, Jeff, told me that he had a 'first'. As an aside, Jeff is a great asset as he has been at this store for over 12 years and is 'second in command' at this small store.
He told me that he had received a phone call from a Fender manager the previous day asking questioned about my situation, confirming my having purchased the amp, previous service etc. Jeff told me that he was informed that this manager (from Fender HQ headquarters in Anaheim) stated he would be speaking with the local authorized Fender technician and that all issues would be resolved with this amp for me. Wow! Jeff, laughing, said that in his 12 years at this store, this was the first time he had received a call from Fender HQ. I told him the story from my end and we both shared positive comments about Fender's intervening in this manner, mere 2 days since I had been assured by Rob Schwarz that things would be handled. Many thanks to Rob and the intervening manager. It is nice to be able to inform you all of this event as I am, and remain, a Fender P and Bassman 100T user!!
I will keep you all updated.
I PM'ed Rob my thanks also. I added the observation that the power of social media is obvious in a real way to me now. Not just as a purveyor of the negative but also one of positive news!
Marc
I packed up the amp today and took back to local music store that had ordered in the 100T for me. Got there and the staff member, Jeff, told me that he had a 'first'. As an aside, Jeff is a great asset as he has been at this store for over 12 years and is 'second in command' at this small store.
He told me that he had received a phone call from a Fender manager the previous day asking questioned about my situation, confirming my having purchased the amp, previous service etc. Jeff told me that he was informed that this manager (from Fender HQ headquarters in Anaheim) stated he would be speaking with the local authorized Fender technician and that all issues would be resolved with this amp for me. Wow! Jeff, laughing, said that in his 12 years at this store, this was the first time he had received a call from Fender HQ. I told him the story from my end and we both shared positive comments about Fender's intervening in this manner, mere 2 days since I had been assured by Rob Schwarz that things would be handled. Many thanks to Rob and the intervening manager. It is nice to be able to inform you all of this event as I am, and remain, a Fender P and Bassman 100T user!!
I will keep you all updated.
I PM'ed Rob my thanks also. I added the observation that the power of social media is obvious in a real way to me now. Not just as a purveyor of the negative but also one of positive news!
Marc
Just got back from a friend of mine who owns a 100T and (rather sheepishly) told me that he had returned his 100T as it kept on going to about half volume aftter playing for a while. The shop very kindly gave him a new one on loan while his is being looked at. After about half an hour of playing at home (it is his practice amp) the same thing started happening with the new head. This caused him to check a few things, and on swapping out speaker cables the problem has gone away. His hypothesis is that once the amp heated up - and the speaker cable does plug into a very hot area at the back - then this caused the cable to fault since when he looked into the plug the connections/soldering were poor (I did not see for myself).
That is a very interesting hypothesis. I wish it IS that simple. But I have a few experienced that tells me it is not that simple:
- Usually the bias issue occurs after a while, but yesterday it happened maybe 30 seconds after goin out of standby.
- It has worked well, even when hot and being on for (say) two hours.
- I have switched cables (Fender's own high quality cables) and it still happened. Both cable could have weak points, of course.
- It seems to happen a lot more often to 100T than 300.
But I hope you are right! I will test with another speaker cable tomorrow.
- Usually the bias issue occurs after a while, but yesterday it happened maybe 30 seconds after goin out of standby.
- It has worked well, even when hot and being on for (say) two hours.
- I have switched cables (Fender's own high quality cables) and it still happened. Both cable could have weak points, of course.
- It seems to happen a lot more often to 100T than 300.
But I hope you are right! I will test with another speaker cable tomorrow.
Not suggesting it is that simple for every 100T, Electrophonic, just that in his particular case this is what happened, and he justifiably jumped to the conclusion that it was a bias issue when the problem apparently was simpler and lay elsewhere.
And yes, it does seem to have happened significantly more to the 100T than the Super Bassman - perhaps for the reasons Fender outlined in Tom Bowlus' post above that the autobias circuitry in the SB300 works differently than in the 100T.
And yes, it does seem to have happened significantly more to the 100T than the Super Bassman - perhaps for the reasons Fender outlined in Tom Bowlus' post above that the autobias circuitry in the SB300 works differently than in the 100T.
We are on the same page, Tim1. I am very curious to try my rig with a different speaker cable again. It is a bit Jekyll&Hyde; today I had it on for a good hour without problems.
I am very intrigued also. I think I will make sure the tech in question has my Fender speaker cable as part of his assessment.. Thanks to Tim1 and Electrophonic for the info.
Marc
- Feb 3, 2005
- 7,331
- 10,197
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist: Bergantino Audio Systems and GHS Strings
This is the update I just posted on the other thread began by TB member Electrophonic ( i.e. Turn Off Automatic bias? thread). On that thread, Electrophonic had been contacted by Fender Director of customer service Rob Schwarz who stated he would help. I similarly reached out to Rob via PM two days ago and he answered me as well, informing he would also support me in addressing the similar issues with the 100T (bias issues).
I packed up the amp today and took back to local music store that had ordered in the 100T for me. Got there and the staff member, Jeff, told me that he had a 'first'. As an aside, Jeff is a great asset as he has been at this store for over 12 years and is 'second in command' at this small store.
He told me that he had received a phone call from a Fender manager the previous day asking questioned about my situation, confirming my having purchased the amp, previous service etc. Jeff told me that he was informed that this manager (from Fender HQ headquarters in Anaheim) stated he would be speaking with the local authorized Fender technician and that all issues would be resolved with this amp for me. Wow! Jeff, laughing, said that in his 12 years at this store, this was the first time he had received a call from Fender HQ. I told him the story from my end and we both shared positive comments about Fender's intervening in this manner, mere 2 days since I had been assured by Rob Schwarz that things would be handled. Many thanks to Rob and the intervening manager. It is nice to be able to inform you all of this event as I am, and remain, a Fender P and Bassman 100T user!!
I will keep you all updated.
I PM'ed Rob my thanks also. I added the observation that the power of social media is obvious in a real way to me now. Not just as a purveyor of the negative but also one of positive news!
Marc
Great news!
I am so happy it worked out well for you in the end! The replacement is still well and healthy?
Interesting seeing the new Rumble series cabs in the black vinyl/silver grill cloth. And 1/2 or less the price of the Neo's, about 10 lbs. heavier. But for all I know they may be 1/2 the cabs as well. Coincidence that they made them so they're just 1.5" too narrow to work with the 100T or SB 300? Except if you lay the 410 on it's side, which could be funky depending on how the handles are seated. Just wondering if the difference in price is all neodymium vs. ceramic magnets, or if they really are a step down in driver quality?
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Now there's a very interesting thought Freight Train. I would be really interested in hearing a side by side comparison between the two.
I now have had my repaired 100T back from the shop about 3 months without any biasing issues. However my amp has developed a really annoying buzzing/vibration when I play certain notes- low G on the e string, etc. sound is definitely isolated to the amp. Took the back off to make sure tubes were seated properly- any other ideas?
The first two things that come to mind to me on that would be either the tube shields buzzing or perhaps the bolts and nuts that hold the Transformers in place might be loose.
I checked the shields previously but will check them again as well as transformer bolts thanks.
Got to thinking I once ran into a problem like that with the guitar players Blues Junior amp it would make a funny buzzing sound but the music didn't cut out and just had a weird vibration on certain notes turned out it was a capacitor on the circuit board where they hadn't used enough glue to secure it and even though it was connected fine it would be vibrate against the circuit board on certain notes. Took me a while to find it had to pull the chassis and check every component.
