Fender Bassman 100T Chapter 3

[Freight Train]

After purchasing my Bassman 100T/410Neo rig over 3 1/2 years ago I finally got a live recording that captured the sound of the rig's glory. It's my honor to be playing with Dallas blues shouter Miss Marcy and Her Texas SugarDaddy's. We played the legendary Lee Harvey's here in Dallas last Friday night, and the gods of Deep Ellum blues were smiling on us. These were recorded with a Sony PCM-D60 using its built in mics, centered about 25' from the band mounted on a cross beam above the crowd. I didn't do any eq or processing to this other than kissing off the top 2dB or so of peaks to get it up to some level, but no eq or compression as I wanted to present it 'as is'.
Being a blues band I don't use my Jack Casady Epi with the round wounds, so you'll be hearing my '68 Telecaster type I strung with GHS bright flats that are a little over a year old. I'm running the 100T in 25 watt mode, passive channel volume 6, eq 4-7-2, master on 7. DI in 'post' for just a touch of FOH support. I don't use any pedals, this is stock '68 Tele, original single coil pup, plugged straight into the 100T.
Don't want to beat everyone down, but I'm posting a number of clips as we play a pretty varied list and it's a chance to hear the rig with several sounds and styles.
Here's audio evidence of several things I've been saying about this rig over the years:
First and foremost the beautiful creamy tone when it's round, and the nasty bark and growl when it's angry. I play mostly at the base of neck with my fingers, smacking the strings down on the neck (I discovered this in 1969 when I was 16, what I call 'chunking', and it's been the basis of my sound ever since.) It adds a percussive 'chunk' and a springy kind of boing, like a big rubber band. Point is, even though the 100T is in 25 watt mode and the power tubes are just at the point of breaking up, the percussive chunk and the boing and still there, the amp is not choking up. That's the sign of a well-designed tube amp. Many tube amps, especially vintage ones, will go mushy as they approach max power tube output.
Second is the beautiful self-compression from the power tubes when being driven this hard. Listen to how it sits right where it belongs in the mix and stays there. There's certainly no pedal compressor that could approach this, and you'd have to go several $k in a tube studio compressor to get close. This and all of the harmonics coming from the distorting power tubes makes it tight and present.
Third is the ability of the rig to deliver nuance even when driven hard. That's as much to do with the 410 Neo as the 100T, but the ability to express subtle detail in the middle of chaos is again the sign of an excellent tube design.
ANYway, enough disclaimer. Here's what we do in Texas.

Big nasty primitive blues drone. (Pardon the derailed Freight Train at the first change, this was my first time to do this with these guys):
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Texas roadhouse blues:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Here's that chunk & boing:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Texas shuffle:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Big creamy blues:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Texas swing:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

This is what I love about this rig, and this bass, and flats. Nasty growling bombast. And here's the train from whence I got my nickname:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Aggressive riff:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Light touch and muted. Creamy sweet:
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Impromptu shuffle jam, featuring the overplaying bassist (sorry about that):
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[rodl2005]

Awesome stuff! That's the closest I've heard the 100t sounding like the Super Bassman ever too.
I've used tube amps since 1975 and I'm more impressed with this current Bassman series than ANY. EVER!
I only bought a V4B reissue coz I wanted a different "flavor: to my Super Bassman. .....Otherwise I'd've grabbed a 100t also.
Nice playing and great sound

 

[Tim1]

Nice toons, but the bass didn't come across particularly strong on my PC sadly . Will try putting it through a better system at home. Thanks anyway .

 

[joemer]

After purchasing my Bassman 100T/410Neo rig over 3 1/2 years ago I finally got a live recording that captured the sound of the rig's glory. It's my honor to be playing with Dallas blues shouter Miss Marcy and Her Texas SugarDaddy's. We played the legendary Lee Harvey's here in Dallas last Friday night, and the gods of Deep Ellum blues were smiling on us. These were recorded with a Sony PCM-D60 using its built in mics, centered about 25' from the band mounted on a cross beam above the crowd. I didn't do any eq or processing to this other than kissing off the top 2dB or so of peaks to get it up to some level, but no eq or compression as I wanted to present it 'as is'.
Being a blues band I don't use my Jack Casady Epi with the round wounds, so you'll be hearing my '68 Telecaster type I strung with GHS bright flats that are a little over a year old. I'm running the 100T in 25 watt mode, passive channel volume 6, eq 4-7-2, master on 7. DI in 'post' for just a touch of FOH support. I don't use any pedals, this is stock '68 Tele, original single coil pup, plugged straight into the 100T.
Don't want to beat everyone down, but I'm posting a number of clips as we play a pretty varied list and it's a chance to hear the rig with several sounds and styles.
Here's audio evidence of several things I've been saying about this rig over the years:
First and foremost the beautiful creamy tone when it's round, and the nasty bark and growl when it's angry. I play mostly at the base of neck with my fingers, smacking the strings down on the neck (I discovered this in 1969 when I was 16, what I call 'chunking', and it's been the basis of my sound ever since.) It adds a percussive 'chunk' and a springy kind of boing, like a big rubber band. Point is, even though the 100T is in 25 watt mode and the power tubes are just at the point of breaking up, the percussive chunk and the boing and still there, the amp is not choking up. That's the sign of a well-designed tube amp. Many tube amps, especially vintage ones, will go mushy as they approach max power tube output.
Second is the beautiful self-compression from the power tubes when being driven this hard. Listen to how it sits right where it belongs in the mix and stays there. There's certainly no pedal compressor that could approach this, and you'd have to go several $k in a tube studio compressor to get close. This and all of the harmonics coming from the distorting power tubes makes it tight and present.
Third is the ability of the rig to deliver nuance even when driven hard. That's as much to do with the 410 Neo as the 100T, but the ability to express subtle detail in the middle of chaos is again the sign of an excellent tube design.
ANYway, enough disclaimer. Here's what we do in Texas.

Big nasty primitive blues drone. (Pardon the derailed Freight Train at the first change, this was my first time to do this with these guys):
Dropbox - Catfish Blues snippett.m4a

Texas roadhouse blues:
Dropbox - Sugar Brown snippett.m4a

Here's that chunk & boing:
Dropbox - Lonely Ave. snippett.m4a

Texas shuffle:
Dropbox - Sugar Daddy snippett.m4a

Big creamy blues:
Dropbox - The Only Fool snippett.m4a

Texas swing:
Dropbox - Whiskey and Cocain snippett.m4a

This is what I love about this rig, and this bass, and flats. Nasty growling bombast. And here's the train from whence I got my nickname:
Dropbox - Cock a Doodle Doo snippett.m4a

Aggressive riff:
Dropbox - Kill My Baby snippett.m4a

Light touch and muted. Creamy sweet:
Dropbox - All Your Love snippett.m4a

Impromptu shuffle jam, featuring the overplaying bassist (sorry about that):
Dropbox - Swing Jam snippett.m4a

Great sound Freight Train I can hear that great 25W tube breakup fine with my headphones on. Maybe I will bring out my 100T this coming weekend. I tend to default to my LM2 due to weight concerns but I'm just being lazy!

 

[adivin]

I am having a persistent problem with my 100T. I loose sound and ALL of the bias lights go COMPLETELY OUT. If you power down and restart it works again for awhile. I brought it to a certified Fender warranty shop and they cleaned the bias connectors and said it was fixed. It did it again!

 

[Agent_Smith]

I have been using a TCE RS750 +RS210 for a couple of years now. Works great with my Jazz bass, but as a recent P bass convert, I can't seem to get a sound I like out of it. So I have been looking at lower wattage tube heads. I narrowed it down to the new Ampeg PF50t + 2 115s, Ampeg V4b RI + SVT212AV, or the Fender Bassman 100t + 410 Neo. (Yes I like things to match!) Unfortunately, there are no stores anywhere near here that carry these rigs. I have read ALL of the relevant threads on TB and watched as many Youtube videos as I could find. I like how they all sound, at least from the limited sources I've heard.

Well, I finally took the plunge today and ordered the Fender set up from Sweetwater. The versatility of the head and the weight of the cab won out. I have to admit though I am concerned about the reliability of the auto bias, but hopefully Fender has it worked out by now. Still feels a bit like gambling.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to some true, glorious tube break up!

 

[Tim1]

I think you will find the autobias is fine. It was an early problem which Fender seems to have sorted by now, as you would expect. Out of your options I too would have selected the Fender, primarily because if it was to be my only rig I would want a 410 over a 212 - even though on the head side I would lean towards the Ampeg for my purposes.
Congratulations, you have chosen a highly versatile setup which should serve you well in a wide variety of situations. The new Fender neo cabs are killer!

 

[Agent_Smith]

Okay...

So.... I love this rig! I can't believe how good it sounds! I don't think there is a bad sound in this amp. Just different flavors of awesome. At least in my living room. I'll be using it at church this weekend, so it will get it's first test then. Then a country gig later this month and a few blues festivals later this year. Should be perfect for all of that.

I kick myself thinking of all the money I have spent in the past on various amps and pedals. This is what I was looking for all along.

 

[OldogNewTrick]

After purchasing my Bassman 100T/410Neo rig over 3 1/2 years ago I finally got a live recording ...

Big nasty primitive blues drone. (Pardon the derailed Freight Train at the first change, this was my first time to do this with these guys):
Dropbox - Catfish Blues snippett.m4a

Texas roadhouse blues:
Dropbox - Sugar Brown snippett.m4a

Here's that chunk & boing:
Dropbox - Lonely Ave. snippett.m4a

Texas shuffle:
Dropbox - Sugar Daddy snippett.m4a

Big creamy blues:
Dropbox - The Only Fool snippett.m4a

Texas swing:
Dropbox - Whiskey and Cocain snippett.m4a

This is what I love about this rig, and this bass, and flats. Nasty growling bombast. And here's the train from whence I got my nickname:
Dropbox - Cock a Doodle Doo snippett.m4a

Aggressive riff:
Dropbox - Kill My Baby snippett.m4a

Light touch and muted. Creamy sweet:
Dropbox - All Your Love snippett.m4a

Impromptu shuffle jam, featuring the overplaying bassist (sorry about that):
Dropbox - Swing Jam snippett.m4a

Hi, the links dont work for me (15. Jan 2016 11:30 CET)
expired ? or is it simply me ....

 

[wyrtti]

Hi, the links dont work for me (15. Jan 2016 11:30 CET)
expired ? or is it simply me ....

The links didn't work for me either.

 

[Freight Train]

Sorry guys. F'd up my own links. I'm like a freight train in a china shop. I think they're fixed now.

 

[bassman74]

What a great amp! I've tried the 100T 3 times over the past month; I can'T believe what I'm hearing...

The first two times was with a fender neo 115 and the last time it was with the neo 410.

Jazz basses sounded great with both cabs but the Precision sounded better through the 410. IMHO

Unfortunately, I can't afford it unless I find a used one. Anybody compared the 100t to the bassman 500 head?

 

[Agent_Smith]

What a great amp! I've tried the 100T 3 times over the past month; I can'T believe what I'm hearing...

The first two times was with a fender neo 115 and the last time it was with the neo 410.

Jazz basses sounded great with both cabs but the Precision sounded better through the 410. IMHO

Unfortunately, I can't afford it unless I find a used one. Anybody compared the 100t to the bassman 500 head?

I think the 500 uses the same tube preamp section as the 100T and 300. I would have to think it sounds pretty dang close to the all tube heads with more headroom (more than the 100t at least) but no power tube sound qualities.

 

[Freight Train]

I think the 500 uses the same tube preamp section as the 100T and 300. I would have to think it sounds pretty dang close to the all tube heads with more headroom (more than the 100t at least) but no power tube sound qualities.

Just IMO that wouldn't even be comparing apples and oranges, that's like apples and Slim-Jims or something. If you think you need 500 watts, and if you think just a tube preamp will get all the tube tone you want, why wouldn't you just go with a small high powered class D head and find a tube preamp pedal for that part? The whole reason for dealing with the inconvenience of the size and weight of a 100T or SB300 is the tube AMP, and the flexibility of switching between tube or solid state preamp sections to drive it. I chased my tail for 4 decades trying to achieve the sound I wanted with tube pedals or preamps paired with solid state amps. After making a WAG and getting a 100T, it turned out the sound I was chasing all along was the sound of a tube amp, not a tube preamp. And in my case the sound I was wanting was a tube amp right on the edge of stressing out, which the 100T does beautifully without being so loud you're blowing doors, especially if you run it at 25 watts, which I do almost exclusively now.

 

[rodl2005]

Yep. Find a 2nd hand one....

 

[Agent_Smith]

Just IMO that wouldn't even be comparing apples and oranges, that's like apples and Slim-Jims or something. If you think you need 500 watts, and if you think just a tube preamp will get all the tube tone you want, why wouldn't you just go with a small high powered class D head and find a tube preamp pedal for that part? The whole reason for dealing with the inconvenience of the size and weight of a 100T or SB300 is the tube AMP, and the flexibility of switching between tube or solid state preamp sections to drive it. I chased my tail for 4 decades trying to achieve the sound I wanted with tube pedals or preamps paired with solid state amps. After making a WAG and getting a 100T, it turned out the sound I was chasing all along was the sound of a tube amp, not a tube preamp. And in my case the sound I was wanting was a tube amp right on the edge of stressing out, which the 100T does beautifully without being so loud you're blowing doors, especially if you run it at 25 watts, which I do almost exclusively now.

Well I'm not really going to argue with that. No doubt there is a certain quality that power tubes provide that solid state just can't replicate. My career has been much shorter than yours, but I have also chased after a certain sound using pedals, etc, and found it in the 100T as well. I told my wife if my kids were to all take up bass, they'll be fighting over this amp when I die.

 

[trebbihm]

Oh man, I am in love with this amp. Just came in the mail yesterday, bought from a member in the marketplace here.

The 25w mode is just perfect, I love dirt and breakup, and now I finally have both together. Sorry SVT, you can have a rest until I need an artillery cannon again.

 

[I am Soma]

howdy guys - looking to replace the tubes in my 100t. anyone have any good experience/brands/sites they are using? i use lots of distortion. thanks!

 

[Freight Train]

howdy guys - looking to replace the tubes in my 100t. anyone have any good experience/brands/sites they are using? i use lots of distortion. thanks!

I'm currently using Tung Sol 6L6GC's that I like very much. Tried Winged-C's and they just weren't my cup of tea. Loved the original GT's, like the Tung Sols a little better. It's all personal preference.

 

[I am Soma]

I'm currently using Tung Sol 6L6GC's that I like very much. Tried Winged-C's and they just weren't my cup of tea. Loved the original GT's, like the Tung Sols a little better. It's all personal preference.

What didn't you like about the winged cs?