• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Fender Bassman...The Quest Begins

selfblessed

selfblessed

Dec 29, 2006
1,171
2
Phoenix, AZ
#1
So for the last three weeks I have been saving my tips again(furniture delivery...dry summer for tips by the way), and I finally decided what I am going to save them for. I am going to try to get my hands on an old Bassman head and also load up this old Bassman cab I found for $40.

I have always kinda wanted one and I think now is the time. My problem is making up my mind which model I actually want to get. There are too many different levels mojo going on on each model that my head starts to hurt. Any pointers on which one is "better" for bass, then as a guitar amp would be great.

The cabinet is the 215 that is about the size of a guitar 412 cabinet. Since this is a quest I will update whenever possible. If anyone is interested.

So my starting amount is $111. We will see what the coming weeks weeks/months of deliveries bring and see if I ever get this off the ground.

Ohh and kinda hoping I am not winning this MXR Carbon Copy of ebay now...:hiding: That will help.
 
#7
If the 2 15"s are angled in the cab and it's almost square it's not useful for gigging. The interior volume is insufficient for the 15"s. I had one with original JBLs and it just wasn't great. No low end etc. Even tried a Marshall tube 100 watt head. Hope this doesn't mess you up. Search because someone on here has a restored head and cab featured.
 
#8
Yes that is the cab. I have heard bad things about the cabinet and thought of other options. At this point in my travels I am really trying to get my hands on the head. The cabinet is second. I almost would not mind just trying some cheap odd ball speakers. Modding the cab i.e. taking out the front part(baffle?:hmm:) and putting a new one with maybe one 15 or some other speaker combination has also crossed my mind since the cabinet was picked up so cheap and is a little beat up.

Does any body have any thoughts/experience on how it would sound on an Avatar 410?
 
#11
chadds said:
If the 2 15"s are angled in the cab and it's almost square it's not useful for gigging. The interior volume is insufficient for the 15"s. I had one with original JBLs and it just wasn't great. No low end etc. Even tried a Marshall tube 100 watt head. Hope this doesn't mess you up. Search because someone on here has a restored head and cab featured.
Click to expand...

Mine's not a 'Bassman' head, but it definitely has the 'Fender' tone. Its a 'super twin' that i converted into a head (i made a new 'head box' for it). The cab is the diagonal Fender Bassman 50 (or 75) cab, loaded with two JBL K140's. Yes, the cab is pretty small for 2x15's, but with the 180 watt head and the JBL's efficiency, i would describe it as loud as 2/3rd's of my SVT/810, which is easily enough for most large club gigs and has plenty of low end as well.
here's a pic of it:

supertwin-2-w.jpg
 
#12
2 15"s are angled in the cab and it's almost square it's not useful for gigging.

depends. i know a guy who used one forever in a LOUD dieselbilly trio and it killed, lodded with a pair of ev 15b's. toured with it for years, heavy sumbitch. he used it with everything from an svt to a gk800 and his tone was always awesome. the chipboard baffle finally imploded from the weight then he moved on to something else. i love that cab myself

regarding heads, imo the 50watt black or silver faces have the best tone, while the 100/135 have more power. if you want a double duty head (guitar and bass) go with a 50 watt. efficient cabs are a must, and if you keep that 2/15 a pair of emi 3015's would likely be the ticket for you
 
#14
chadds said:
To each his own. I prefer the whomp from a Sunn 200s or 2000s cab if I'm going JBL 15s. The Orange 1x15 will spank it. But hey I've gigged with an SWR LA-8 with a Celestion and it kills in the right setting.
Click to expand...

yeah, my Sunn center ported 2x15 JBL K140 cab (pictured on the left) is a little better (i.e louder) sounding cab than the Fender (also 2x15 K140's), but the sealed Fender is no slouch. i've played thru an Orange single 1x15, but in IMO the SUNN 2x15 JBL cab smokes it.

IMG_0004-2-3.jpg
 
#18
Just remember one fact and that is that the Bassman is a 50W amp at best. By todays standards that's barely a practice amp. I've gigged with a Bassman into a 4x12 Marshall but that was way back in the early seventies. I did own a complete new Blonde Bassman 2x12 rig for a week. It was the worst bass amp I'd ever used. Took it back as soon as I could.

Paul
 
#19
selfblessed said:
Yes. Also for recording and for guitar(here and there...well maybe).
Click to expand...

You may be much happier with it as a guitar amp than a bass amp. I had a '67 Bassman with a matching 2x12 cab. Never got to gig with it, but it sounded amazing by itself. However, I sold it to a guitar-playing friend who gigged with it for years. For some guitarists, this is the Holy Grail of tube amps. Can't say I've ever heard a bass player say that about the same setup.
 
#20
So I have decided that I am going to be using the amp mainly for gigs while playing bass. So I should probably be looking at 100's and 130's.

The guitar stuff I can do with a different amp. Another thing to note is that me and guitar are not too good of friends. But I do like the tones I have heard of Bassman 50s and guitar. There is a band out here that the guitarist uses one...pretty nice sounding. Anyways double duty on that part is not going to happen.

As far as over drive on these amps. I assume that people might stomp a booster pedal.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back