FENDER BASSMAN 500 HEAD?

[RandyJoHobbs]

Hey guys.

Anyone own one/played one yet? I have read all of the reviews I could find but need to ask something about these heads.

How well does the Fender Bassman 500 do the 'tube sound'?

Weighing up my options on which head to buy.
Either a Bassman 500, an old 70s Ampeg v4b or an old 70s Bassman 100.
Will be run through a 1971 fender Bassman 2x15 Cab(JBL).

will the 100 watts be loud enough for a 3 or 4 piece blues/classic rock band? or should I go with the 500?

Cheers
Daniel.

 

[jnewmark]

There are a couple of threads on this head already, but I would say, if you want the " tube " sound, nothing is going to do it like tubes.

 

[TricksteR]

I never tried the bassman 500, though I'm sure it is a really viable option. I have also read plenty of nice reviews about it.
Fender is known to build very warm and silky sounding pre-amps, so their hybrid heads may provide a pleasing "tube like" sound signature.

The 500 will be the more versatile, portable and powerful option. If you are after the tone of a full tube power amp, then the 100 will be the better choice (maybe at the expense of some additional maintenance (changing power tubes as needed, old capacitors, etc). If you like grit, looking for a relatively inexpensive all tube head solution that will be a bit more powerful while remaining lightweight, you may want to consider the Traynor YBA-200 (there is also a peavy option at this wattage and price tag)

A 100w power amp may be plenty lound for your needs, however this will depend on your cabinet(s) sensitivity. You'll need a cab setup that has a 100db sensitivity minimum should you need to sonically compete with loud drummer & guitarist in a rock setting. Also, a cranked up 100 watts tube amp may tend to change its tonal characteristics, adding harmonics, sustain, and grit to the sound- for the better (if you like it) or the worst if you crave for clean headroom.

Hopefully other TBs with first hand experience on either amp will chime in, as I'm just providing what I know from my experience with lower wattage tube heads vs hybrids.

 

[drlndrve]

I wrote a thread on my NAD with it, which was last week or so. I continue to like it more everyday. When hitting the tube mode, it can be adjusted enough, particularly at low blend, so I can add a realistic amount of grit into the tone. As I gradually increase the blend, it responds accordingly and sounds great to my ear... I realize that was a weird sentence--what I mean is that with Class D's that have an "overdrive" mode, you flip the switch, it comes on brashly and immediately and sounds fake and manufactured--you can tell no tubes are driving it. Now, I'm sure my ears and mind are fooling me, probably because of the $799 I laid out for it--but the only response I get from band mates on this unit has been "cool, nice growl". A final comment; with other hybrids, I've had to take the volume level much higher than I wanted to, to get the effect--this unit allows me to have the tube sound at "friends over to the house" jam levels. But it can get obscene with headroom to spare pushing my 410 HLF. Is it real, warm-all-the-tubes-on-the-leadsled, goodness? No, but it's a very suitable compromise to me.

 

[dalegreen]

I own a bassman 500 head and run it thru a GK neo 115 cab. As far as the micro head / classs D technology this one is the warmest to my ears. The tube preamp really warms it up nicely. As the other post mentioned, looks very cool too, and the weight is a bonus.
I also own the reissue ampeg V4B with the matching 212 reissue cab, incredible warmth and punch. It is my studio rig, has not been moved once since I bought it new in March 2013.
Now the nice thing is, you can pick up and move the bassman head with one finger and does just fine in a live setting. I use it in a blues / jazz trio, don't need excessive volumes, and it functions just fine. Very responsive as well and the overdrive channel has become my go to channel, lots of versatility and great clean headroom as well.

 

[mpdd]

i'd personally like to try the 500 with my dark driving pedal to see how that might work

 

[Jeb]

I'm interested in this amp. I have a couple of rumble 115v3 cabs that I'm very happy with and this head would be perfect especially as I love the tube warmth but not the weight. I like the really cool old school look of this head but the class Ds that I have now fit in a laptop bag and are less than 6 lbs. Now I carry this stuff with me every week, so that's an important consideration.

So I'm looking at the GK MB 500 fusion as well. Seems very practical but not the vibe of the Bassman 500.

 

[optimist]

I own a bassman 500 head and run it thru a GK neo 115 cab. As far as the micro head / classs D technology this one is the warmest to my ears. The tube preamp really warms it up nicely. As the other post mentioned, looks very cool too, and the weight is a bonus.
I also own the reissue ampeg V4B with the matching 212 reissue cab, incredible warmth and punch. It is my studio rig, has not been moved once since I bought it new in March 2013.
Now the nice thing is, you can pick up and move the bassman head with one finger and does just fine in a live setting. I use it in a blues / jazz trio, don't need excessive volumes, and it functions just fine. Very responsive as well and the overdrive channel has become my go to channel, lots of versatility and great clean headroom as well.

can you hear the fan in a quiet room while practicing?