Fender Bassman 100T Chapter 3

[husky123]

Guys, thanks a ton for all the useful info. Yeah, these heads sucked me back in. I've had a few since letting my SB300 go (including an SVT Heritage) but the split personality of these amps is just too cool. I'm looking forward to getting those power tubes growling on this 100 without killing small animals at 50 yards.

Trying to refresh my memory and the fender tone stack....1-10-1 is flat?

 

[edwinhurwitz]

So, do you guys mic the cabs with these rigs or use a DI or both? I've found a mic to be crucial to get my tube amp sound to the audience.

 

[GG7]

So, do you guys mic the cabs with these rigs or use a DI or both? I've found a mic to be crucial to get my tube amp sound to the audience.

I use mine in my home studio, and I run both when recording bass. I use the direct out from the amp, but I also mic the cab with a Sennheiser MD421, and from there through my ART Pro Channel II tube mic preamp.

Between the two I get a great sound out of mine, and record each feed to their own tracks so I can mix the two later when I have all the other music tracks on the song.

The direct out on this amp is excellent by the way! Prior to getting the 100t, I would always use a high end DI box for my direct channel, but I like the DI out of the amp better because it still sends that great tube amp tone through the DI output!

 

[Dan55]

Yep, the DI is after the power tubes, so it's very similar sound to micing. And you don' t have individual mic characteristics entering into it.

Dan

 

[edwinhurwitz]

I use mine in my home studio, and I run both when recording bass. I use the direct out from the amp, but I also mic the cab with a Sennheiser MD421, and from there through my ART Pro Channel II tube mic preamp.

Nice! 421s are great mics. I've been using an RE20, which does pretty well, too. I have had 421s on my wish list for a while, though.

 

[GG7]

Nice! 421s are great mics. I've been using an RE20, which does pretty well, too. I have had 421s on my wish list for a while, though.

The 421 is definitely my GO-TO mic for bass cabs, and guitar rigs too for that matter. Except when micing a guitar cab, I also use an AKG 451B condenser about 1.5 feet away from the speakers and mix it with the Sennheiser which I put right up to the grille cloth.

This amp with the 410 Neo sounds so freaking good though that you can even get a good sound out of something as basic as the built in mic in an Apple iPad! First time I made a bass demo video using this amp, I was amazed at how good the bass tone came through on the iPad mic! That is definitely an indicator of a great amplifier!

I just posted a couple of YouTube videos for a friend of mine to demo my two short scale basses. He is in the market and I wanted to show him what you can get for under $300.00 these days!

However, I also told him that my 100t can take a lot of the credit for the way both these basses sound on these demos! I am running both of them through the active tone stack side, and tweaked the amp specifically for the Gretsch Jr. Jet II, which has really cheap mini humbuckers on it, but as you will hear, the 100t wrings out every last drop of tone potential from both my Gretsch and my even cheaper Squire Jaguar SS.

Running DR Sunbeam Nickel 45-105s on both. The best short scale string on the planet in my opinion!

Both bass lines are my own original compositions, and may actually become part of my next recording project this fall. I often write my original songs starting with the bass line and working the rest of it up from there.

Gretsch G2224 Jr. Jet II demo

http://youtu.be/ElWiklFhDbU

Fender Squire Jaguar SS demo

http://youtu.be/dWRgo8W1TNs

 

[NOLA Bass]

Guys, thanks a ton for all the useful info. Yeah, these heads sucked me back in. I've had a few since letting my SB300 go (including an SVT Heritage) but the split personality of these amps is just too cool. I'm looking forward to getting those power tubes growling on this 100 without killing small animals at 50 yards.

Trying to refresh my memory and the fender tone stack....1-10-1 is flat?

That is what I understand it to be! The Spector through the Fender 100T (or 300 of course) is a glorious sound!

 

[husky123]

Thanks Nola!

Has Fender or anyone figured out what the hz run is on the semi-parametric mids? From xx Hz - xx Hz? From what I recall on my SB300 I think I ran the frequency right around 6 and to my ears that sounded to be about in the 800-1000 hz range.

 

[Lia_G]

Thanks Nola!

Has Fender or anyone figured out what the hz run is on the semi-parametric mids? From xx Hz - xx Hz? From what I recall on my SB300 I think I ran the frequency right around 6 and to my ears that sounded to be about in the 800-1000 hz range.

It might be in the Bass Gear Magazine review of the SB300. I can't recall.

Cheers,
Liam

 

[GG7]

Thanks Nola!

Has Fender or anyone figured out what the hz run is on the semi-parametric mids? From xx Hz - xx Hz? From what I recall on my SB300 I think I ran the frequency right around 6 and to my ears that sounded to be about in the 800-1000 hz range.

Not sure what the numbers actually are, but it has a very useable range and they used a really good pot for the sweep control!

Mine actually "Wahs" when I turn it fast.

 

[husky123]

It might be in the Bass Gear Magazine review of the SB300. I can't recall.

Cheers,
Liam

Not sure what the numbers actually are, but it has a very useable range and they used a really good pot for the sweep control!

Mine actually "Wahs" when I turn it fast.

Thanks guys. Yes, I remember the sweep on my SB300 being extremely useful and powerful. It was more just for curiosity sake.

 

[tombowlus]

It might be in the Bass Gear Magazine review of the SB300. I can't recall.

Cheers,
Liam

Tom Lees doesn't state it numerically in his technical review, but looking at his Link Removed, it looks like the peaks are about 220Hz to about 3.3kHz.

 

[husky123]

Tom Lees doesn't state it numerically in his technical review, but looking at his Link Removed, it looks like the peaks are about 220Hz to about 3.3kHz.

TomB for the win....AGAIN!

 

[Tim1]

I really need someone on this thread to do a comparison with the new Ampeg V4B. I still have renewed respect for my 100T since matching it with the Bergantino NV115 and it definitely won't be going anywhere, in fact the longer I own them the more I am coming to the conclusion that this and the SB300 are the best and most versatile tube heads I have owned. However, the taxman has been generous and I have permission to write off a major purchase so the V4B is in my sights to sit with the Fenders - but I suspect I may well be able to get a V4B tone from the 100T with a bit of tweaking on the overdrive channel EQ especially since they share the same power tubes.

 

[husky123]

I really need someone on this thread to do a comparison with the new Ampeg V4B. I still have renewed respect for my 100T since matching it with the Bergantino NV115 and it definitely won't be going anywhere, in fact the longer I own them the more I am coming to the conclusion that this and the SB300 are the best and most versatile tube heads I have owned. However, the taxman has been generous and I have permission to write off a major purchase so the V4B is in my sights to sit with the Fenders - but I suspect I may well be able to get a V4B tone from the 100T with a bit of tweaking on the overdrive channel EQ especially since they share the same power tubes.

I hear you Tim. As you probably know I've been watching the V4B carefully too. While I do think you'll be able to cop a V4-esque tone out of the 100T, I don't think you'll ever get that delicious overdrive/fuzz out of the V4. I could be totally wrong but I don't think I am having owned quite a few Ampeg's.

And that's fine, most don't want/need that level of overdrive the 100T/SB300 offer. Heck, I don't use it much in the band setting either but it sure is fun and helps break the monotony at times.

 

[GG7]

I really need someone on this thread to do a comparison with the new Ampeg V4B.

In a lot of ways, those two amps are apples and oranges tonally, but they can cross over in some areas and you can get one to sound like the other.

I LOVE the BIG Ampegs too! I've had several over the years, including a nice 1970 vintage V4B with the snazzy BLUE light up penstriping around the controls. Ran it through a Marshall 4x12 or an Ampeg 4x10 depending on application. Guitar or bass.

I bet you could probably get close with the Fender depending on what V4B tone you are after, but I would prefer to just have that sound out of the box so to speak. Are the new ones still using the 7027A power tubes? Haven't priced NOS versions of those in years, and not sure if any of the Russian makers are producing a 7027A that would compare to the vintage Amperex/GE version I preferred to run in mine.

That thing was a real workhorse in my recording studio back in the day. Used it for everything, both guitar and bass. I even ran my Hammond C3 through it a few times when I was going for a super wall of sound using the full organ (All drawbars pulled out) tone. I couldn't quite get what I was looking for out of my Leslie 122, and the V4 did deliver the goods in spades there too.

My only complaint.... BACK BREAKER! The heaviest power amp I have ever owned! Wouldn't want to have to gig with one on a regular basis!

 

[Lia_G]

The new v4b uses 6l6gc power tubes instead of the 7027. It's also no longer a backbreaker, at 40 pounds.

Tim, there's a guy posting in the v4b thread who has both. He hasn't posted a detailed comparison, but says he loves and is keeping both. I think his name is Dan55, but I might have that wrong. Maybe post a request for comparison in that thread and I bet he'll respond.

Cheers,
Liam

 

[GG7]

The new v4b uses 6l6gc power tubes instead of the 7027. It's also no longer a backbreaker, at 40 pounds.

Tim, there's a guy posting in the v4b thread who has both. He hasn't posted a detailed comparison, but says he loves and is keeping both. I think his name is Dan55, but I might have that wrong. Maybe post a request for comparison in that thread and I bet he'll respond.

Cheers,
Liam

Interesting! That would tend to make it sound closer to a 100t than a vintage version would with the 7027s in it.

40 pounds is a heck of a lot better than what mine weighed. I don't remember exactly how much it was, but I am pretty sure it was in the neighborhood of 80 lbs! That was just the head! Add one of the old Ampeg cabs with the 6 10s in it, and you were talking some serious lifting before and after a gig!

I bought mine for studio use exclusively. In fact, the guy I bought mine from was dumping it because of the weight. Most players were dumping them like crazy back when I scored mine, in favor of the new solid state rigs that all the ads were claiming were as good or better than these old tube boat anchors!

It was definitely a buyer's market on these for many years! I bought mine for $225.00 and it was in great shape for an amp that had seen a lot of stage use.

 

[GG7]

As a followup to my earlier post about the tube rolling results, here are some photos of the actual tubes I am using in my 100t.

GE 6L6-GC Power Tubes circa 1963

Preamp tubes:

The three winners of round 1 in foreground along with some of the runners up in boxes behind them.

Only difference is that I ended up going with two Mullards in V1 and V2 instead of the Telefunken in V2. The sound was nearly identical, but I thought it might be better to go with two close testing 12AX7a tubes of the same brand and date codes.

I am now running that Telefunken in the V2 position of my Fender Blues Jr. along with one of those Amperex 12AX7a in the V1.

 

[adivin]

Guys, thanks a ton for all the useful info. Yeah, these heads sucked me back in. I've had a few since letting my SB300 go (including an SVT Heritage) but the split personality of these amps is just too cool. I'm looking forward to getting those power tubes growling on this 100 without killing small animals at 50 yards.

Trying to refresh my memory and the fender tone stack....1-10-1 is flat?

Why did you let the SVT go? Just curious?