Fender Bassman 500 Head

[Band Mom]

Thanks for the quick response! Yes, my cab is 4 ohm. I have another Schroeder 1x12 at 8 ohm, but I don't know what happens when I try to combine cabs of different values.

I mean, yeah, I've read the math behind it, but I've never tried it, so I don't know what it would ultimately do for my volume.

 

[outoftune]

Yeah, when I was running through the D800+, I was usually around 2 o' clock on the master. Do you feel like the Bassman is inherently warm? Different warmth is OK, as long as it's warmth.

The Bassman gets decently warm. It really is everything the 100T and 300 are besides the tube roundness, heft and warmth that tubes give.

 

[rodl2005]

Don't plug anymore than a single 4 ohm cab in.... nasty smoke will escape!

 

[Down_Low]

My band is loud, and while we always have front of house support at gigs, at practises we don’t. I don’t own the 500, but do have an Aguilar Tone Hammer 500 for when I don’t want to drag my Super Bassman along, and used to run it through a 4 ohm Berg 212. Never had a problem keeping up with it. As Rod said, your cabinet size will have a lot more impact on volume than your watts.

The Bassman tone is also a beautiful thing. Really tempted to swap my Aguilar for a Bassman 500 so that my lightweight option still gives me ‘that’ tone.

 

[Band Mom]

Yep. I'm GASing bad for the 500 right now. Also, my home rig is a Peavey Minimax at 500 watts, and I had forgotten that I had used that head once at practice with no problems, so the 500 probably won't be a big deal.
Though I'm now thinking I'll probably hold on to the Orange and swap out the Minimax for a Bassman and simply grab whichever amp suits me for practice that day.

 

[PotsdamBass8]

I just traded a bass in at GC for one of these. I loved the way it sounded in the clips I’ve heard. I haven’t been able to hook it up to my cab yet, but I did play it a little into my computer from the DI.

A question to other users about the overdrive: does it have a tendency to be fizzy? I only plugged the DI in so obviously it will sound different into a cab, but it didn’t sound as smooth on the top end as the clips I’ve heard.

 

[rodl2005]

Three drive channel's sweepable mids are your friend here.
I've got the Super Bassman - all tube- and I swapped out the Drive's tube for a board 5751. Made it a little smoother.
But really. .. that mid frequency control and the mid volume along with the blend and gain ALL abt on the drive's sound. Experiment !

 

[PotsdamBass8]

Phew, tried it last night at practice into my LDS 15/6. That overdrive is fantastic. I usually use a Darkglass Vintage Deluxe for my overdrive sound, but I dialed in a blend of the overdrive on the head and didn't touch the darkglass the whole night. It was really, really good. It was simultaneously more growly and dirty, while still retaining more clarity and punch. Everyone noticed a difference. I was totally expecting the overdrive to be a bonus that I didn't really use because of the DG.

The peak light did come on periodically with the hardest notes, but I think I'll have plenty of volume for my needs. If I ever do need more volume I can consider a matching LDS 15.

 

[Stanny Bouchard]

I recently had a TH500 and have never really cared for the tone. Sold it, and ordered the Bassman500.

After reading all these forums, you guys have me worried and second guessing my choice. Does anyone think I will have trouble keeping up with a loud band? I used the Aguilar and an Orange Terror Bass 500(and an Ampeg SVT-CL) and have not had ANY trouble keeping up with my Fender Pro Neo 610...

 

[PotsdamBass8]

I recently had a TH500 and have never really cared for the tone. Sold it, and ordered the Bassman500.

After reading all these forums, you guys have me worried and second guessing my choice. Does anyone think I will have trouble keeping up with a loud band? I used the Aguilar and an Orange Terror Bass 500(and an Ampeg SVT-CL) and have not had ANY trouble keeping up with my Fender Pro Neo 610...

You should have no problem. I’m using it with an inefficient cab (15/6) that’s 8 ohms so it’s only giving the 350 Watts, and with a very loud hard rock band with two guitarists with 100 watt tube amps. I still have volume to spare. With a 610 you will crush.

 

[DJCalamari]

Volume is not a problem. I’m running mine through a Rumble 410 in my very loud metal band with two guitar players and a heavy-handed drummer and I’ve never turned it up past 5.

 

[MLC_BassPlayer]

I play a Bassman 800 through a Bassman 410 Neo. I have tons of volume to spare. A 500 through a 610 will be stellar indeed.

 

[takkya]

Hi, I am thinking of getting a Bassman 500, already tested at the local store several times.. One thing that I concern is the mains voltage coverage. Officially it only covers 120V, when purchased in the U.S., and there are different models for overseas, according to the local voltages.

I am just wondering, if it runs with a class D power amp, and there should be a voltage switch or jumper on the circuit board so that I might be able to switch it. But I am not sure what kind of the class D power amp the Bassman 500 head has. Has anyone tried like this before? Please advise.

 

[rodl2005]

Dunno. But I DO know that Fender class D amps...Rumbles ... don't have a 110/240v selector ... unlike many other amps of similar style.
Obviously. . being here in Australia, I've bought a cuppla (class D) amps from the US and simply switched the voltage selector to the correct setting for here.
Not so with the Fender class D. They obviously wanna keep their huge profits and not let us poor struggling muso's cheat em
Not that we are. .. but we are doing the Aus dealers outta their cut.

 

[takkya]

Dunno. But I DO know that Fender class D amps...Rumbles ... don't have a 110/240v selector ... unlike many other amps of similar style.
Obviously. . being here in Australia, I've bought a cuppla (class D) amps from the US and simply switched the voltage selector to the correct setting for here.
Not so with the Fender class D. They obviously wanna keep their huge profits and not let us poor struggling muso's cheat em
Not that we are. .. but we are doing the Aus dealers outta their cut.

Thank you for your comment, rodl2005.
For the rumble lineup, I've done switching mains voltage before. I knew that Rumble has IcePower class D amps, on which the voltage can be switchable using jumpers on the PCBs. But I am not sure the Bassman Pros have the same power amps.

 

[rodl2005]

Think they have the same power section as the Rumble 500

 

[tombowlus]

Think they have the same power section as the Rumble 500

Yep. Here is a direct quote from an email I received from Fender in response to this question:

"Bassman 500/800 and Rumble 200/500 amplifiers use class D + SMPS modules from ICEpower in Denmark. This is no trade secret, and many MI companies use the very same modules. These modules were designed for 230V operation and employ a (mains) voltage doubling configuration for 115V countries, a common technology for SMPS. At 115V (100-120V range) the mains voltage is doubled to 230V for the SMPS and the unit otherwise operates the same but at slightly lower efficiency. This requires a jumper setting on the module and when in 230V setting the voltage doubler is not active. However, to minimize cost as the voltage setting was assumed set by the factory, over voltage protection circuits were omitted in the event the voltage selector jumper is set to 115V but is connected to 230V AC mains - this will permanently damage the module. If set to 230V, the unit will not power up at 115V range mains with no risk of damage. The product markings reflect the factory setting and therefore the intended market (ie 100-120V or 220-240V). Opening the unit and changing the setting would void the warranty.

The general trend in class D + SMPS is universal mains operation (100-240V) without any need for user or factory set voltage selector switch. This is already present in some newer Fender products (Acoustic, Mustang GT, Rumble Stage/Studio) would be expected for future offerings."​

 

[takkya]

Yep. Here is a direct quote from an email I received from Fender in response to this question:

"Bassman 500/800 and Rumble 200/500 amplifiers use class D + SMPS modules from ICEpower in Denmark. This is no trade secret, and many MI companies use the very same modules. These modules were designed for 230V operation and employ a (mains) voltage doubling configuration for 115V countries, a common technology for SMPS. At 115V (100-120V range) the mains voltage is doubled to 230V for the SMPS and the unit otherwise operates the same but at slightly lower efficiency. This requires a jumper setting on the module and when in 230V setting the voltage doubler is not active. However, to minimize cost as the voltage setting was assumed set by the factory, over voltage protection circuits were omitted in the event the voltage selector jumper is set to 115V but is connected to 230V AC mains - this will permanently damage the module. If set to 230V, the unit will not power up at 115V range mains with no risk of damage. The product markings reflect the factory setting and therefore the intended market (ie 100-120V or 220-240V). Opening the unit and changing the setting would void the warranty.

The general trend in class D + SMPS is universal mains operation (100-240V) without any need for user or factory set voltage selector switch. This is already present in some newer Fender products (Acoustic, Mustang GT, Rumble Stage/Studio) would be expected for future offerings."​

I really appreciate your quote!!!

 

[PawleeP]

Found a small not that great demo finally posted on Youtube but it does give a small glimpse of what this head sounds like.

where are these made? (the 500 bassman)

 

[warnergt]

Made in Mexico.