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Fender Bassman 100T Chapter 3

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.

May I ask what you mean by : "After making a WAG..." ?
 
I too put in winged Cs and was surprised how much I preferred the original groove tubes when I put them back in to sell it.
BTW I loved the 100t but unlike Freght Train my tone is clean so I moved to the Super Bassman which gave me some extra volume without breakup. That said, my Rick 4003 never sounded so good as when I played it into the 100t and a Bergantino NV115 one practice.
 
I will add my voice to the 25w chorus.

I had been using it in 100w mode and read about how people were liking the 25w mode for the 'tubiness'.

So I switched it and forgot about it.

When my buddy came over to jam I used my Gibson SG first (we always start with Sunshine of you love) and was really liking the sound. Then we switched to some Led Zeppelin and Hey Joe so I dialed up the neck and back on the bridge (like I always do when using that bass).

The thick rich sound that came out blew me away. I started raving about how I was loving the SG tonight and played it all night, which I never do (I always mix it up to get all the basses in the rotation).

It was only the next day when my head (pardon the pun) was clear that I remembered I had changed the power setting.

Thanks for reminding me how versatile this amp is.

Some day I'll have to step on the foot switch and try the other side. :*)
 
Well, my 100T rig is gone. LOVED it but everywhere I play now is "no amps and IEM's." Sad day for me, though.

I'm also in a downsizing mode as I am retiring in a couple of years. Couple of really nice basses should be on the block soon.

Dan
 
What didn't you like about the winged cs?
The only word I could come up with to describe it was that they sounded 'dry' to me. I have no doubt they're extremely good tubes, and probably would be great in a high-end stereo tube amp for hi-fi or studio use. But just to my ear my 100T lost its tube mojo with the Winged C's - it sounded more solid state than tube to me. The last thing I was looking for when I purchased the 100T was accuracy - I want big ol' fat tube grease.
 
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May I ask what you mean by : "After making a WAG..." ?
Oh sorry. Wild Ass Guess. I just guessed that the sound I'd been seeking and failing at was power tube distortion rather than preamp tube distortion, and that turned out to be right.
 
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TWO THINGS I CONFIRMED
1.) Saturday before last my band had the honor of playing the T-Bone Walker Blues Festival, which provided a marvelous backline including an SVT with refrigerator for the bass. My first time to use an SVT in 40 years, and gotta say I prefer what I get from the 100T. Now of course that's just my personal preference, but adding the versatility of switchable channels I am more than happy with the sound (and weight) of my T. I had brought the 100T not knowing exactly what the backline would be, and I really wish I'd had them swap heads so I could finally hear the 100T through 8x10's.
2.) We also do scaled-down trio gigs with just me, the guitarist and the vocalist, for which I use a little GK 12" combo. I wanted to get an OD for this, but I'm not a pedal guy at all, so I had not a clue. After reading over some OD threads here and watching a few youtube things I decided on a Blueberry. Used it on a trio gig Friday night and thought it was great. Had a full band gig Saturday night and thought I'd compare it heads up against the 100T's overdrive. Lord there was no comparison at all. The Blueberry sounded great by itself, but in ensemble it just disappeared. I've never had that problem with the 100T's OD, even trying it with no blend. But like I say I haven't used pedals since the early 90's so I don't know what's out there. Is the 100T's OD that good or are there pedals that beat it?
Sans%20Marcy%20copy.jpg
 
Train, last summer I stumbled across an old beat to crap fridge for dirt cheap. I picked it up solely for the curiosity of pairing with the 100T for an outdoor 4th of July bash we were doing. all I can say is WOW! now I haven't used it since, but I have been fixing her up. not that the T doesn't sound great with the bassman 410 neo I normally use, I will do the schlep with no complaining when the occasion calls for it.
 
Train, last summer I stumbled across an old beat to crap fridge for dirt cheap. I picked it up solely for the curiosity of pairing with the 100T for an outdoor 4th of July bash we were doing. all I can say is WOW! now I haven't used it since, but I have been fixing her up. not that the T doesn't sound great with the bassman 410 neo I normally use, I will do the schlep with no complaining when the occasion calls for it.
Dang I wish I'd swapped those heads when I had the chance. I'm going to keep my eye out for a used 410 Neo. I just can't justify buying another new one. I'm going on 4 years of steady gigging with this rig and I haven't needed anything beyond the 1 cab yet. But the stack would look so great and I don't doubt the sound would be ferocious.
 
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Not mine.. but appears to be still for sale!
For Sale - Fender bassman 410 neo
Dang I wish I'd swapped those heads when I had the chance. I'm going to keep my eye out for a used 410 Neo. I just can't justify buying another new one. I'm going on 4 years of steady gigging with this rig and I haven't needed anything beyond the 1 cab yet. But the stack would look so great and I don't doubt the sound would be ferocious.
 
greetings,
great thread, thanks to all

i have owned a 100t for a while and love it

question is
would it power an aggie 1200 watt GS 412 sufficiently
and
secondly, could I silently power it up ( no cab hooked up) send DI to FOH, and take the preamp out to an eden 1000 watt power amp then to gs 412 cab for more adequate power
thanks for any input
 
greetings,
great thread, thanks to all

i have owned a 100t for a while and love it

question is
would it power an aggie 1200 watt GS 412 sufficiently
and
secondly, could I silently power it up ( no cab hooked up) send DI to FOH, and take the preamp out to an eden 1000 watt power amp then to gs 412 cab for more adequate power
thanks for any input
According to the specs, the GS 412 at 101dB 1W 1M is more efficient than the Bassman 410 Neo that I use, and it gets plenty loud. So the 100T should be a monster with the GS 412.
Definitely yes to part 2; when it's in silent record mode the preamp out works like normal, so you could feed an external power amp with pre out while sending the D.I. to FOH.
 
Doesn't it need a cab hooked up anyway? Or can it operate without a load totally? My Super Bassman does the silent record but has to have a cab connected. Even tho there's no sound going to that cab. Is the 100T different in this regard? I know you get the full power tube sound and my SB just gets the DI out from pre amp....but wondering on the no load situ? ??
 
Doesn't it need a cab hooked up anyway? Or can it operate without a load totally? My Super Bassman does the silent record but has to have a cab connected. Even tho there's no sound going to that cab. Is the 100T different in this regard? I know you get the full power tube sound and my SB just gets the DI out from pre amp....but wondering on the no load situ? ??

The Bassman 100T amp does not require a cab load in the silent record mode.