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fender bassman??
- Thread starter neo27ny
- Start date
Well from what I could find, it's an old 50 watt head from between '64 and '67. It does not power up so I'm thinking about replacing the tubes and maybe swap out/upgrade the resistors and what not. Any ideas? They do seem to be worth something but that's in good working order. This one's a little rough looking, so what can I do to it without dropping the value of it. Do I have to use all original parts cosmetically?
I've got a 67 Bassman that I've been playing through for almost a year now. Also is the AB165 circuit. Sounds great.
Hi.
I've found the potentiometer codes and the somewhat unlikely inspection label to be the best sources to narrow down the date of manufacture.
If You really want to get the best (money out) of the amp, stop trying to "power it up", since you most likely have done more harm than good with that already.
Take it to a tech who's versed with vintage tube amps, and knows how to treat 'em accordingly.
It will be well worth the money spent.
If You however, say, destroy a set of decent/good vintage tubes with malfunctioning circuitry, that may be a few $100 down the drain. A few modern tubes totaled is quite a bit of money as well, but most probably the tubes themselves are easily replaceable.
Congrats on the fine (guitar
) amp BTW.
Regards
Sam
I've found the potentiometer codes and the somewhat unlikely inspection label to be the best sources to narrow down the date of manufacture.
If You really want to get the best (money out) of the amp, stop trying to "power it up", since you most likely have done more harm than good with that already.
Take it to a tech who's versed with vintage tube amps, and knows how to treat 'em accordingly.
It will be well worth the money spent.
If You however, say, destroy a set of decent/good vintage tubes with malfunctioning circuitry, that may be a few $100 down the drain. A few modern tubes totaled is quite a bit of money as well, but most probably the tubes themselves are easily replaceable.
Congrats on the fine (guitar
) amp BTW.Regards
Sam
Hi.
I've found the potentiometer codes and the somewhat unlikely inspection label to be the best sources to narrow down the date of manufacture.
If You really want to get the best (money out) of the amp, stop trying to "power it up", since you most likely have done more harm than good with that already.
Take it to a tech who's versed with vintage tube amps, and knows how to treat 'em accordingly.
It will be well worth the money spent.
If You however, say, destroy a set of decent/good vintage tubes with malfunctioning circuitry, that may be a few $100 down the drain. A few modern tubes totaled is quite a bit of money as well, but most probably the tubes themselves are easily replaceable.
Congrats on the fine (guitar
Regards
Sam
I've done nothing to it besides plug it in and try to turn it on. One of the tubes was out of it lying inside the casing so I just popped it back in. Thanks for the congrats, I am proud of it especially since I got it for free. I found it in the dumpster LOL.
I had an old Bassman 50 in my garage from 1972 that still powered up but had no tubes and no front grill cloth or back plate.
I placed some brand new tubes and it worked great, I replaced the front grill with new Fender cloth, cleaned it up and sold it for $600CDN.
It sounded ok at low volumes but broke up way too quickly to be useful as a bass amp, they do make great guitar amps though.
I placed some brand new tubes and it worked great, I replaced the front grill with new Fender cloth, cleaned it up and sold it for $600CDN.
It sounded ok at low volumes but broke up way too quickly to be useful as a bass amp, they do make great guitar amps though.
Hi.
If the fuses were there and the cord was functioning as intended, it's a strong possibility that You unfortunately at least cooked the electrolytic capacitors. Not that You would've been able to use 'em anyway, but bad caps usually make a terrible mess if nothing else.
You did have a speaker load on the output, right?
Some amps, Fenders included, have shorting jacks on the output(s), so the destruction isn't immediate, but better safe than sorry.
All more reason to take it to a tech. You may get a great amp for mere service fee, something you have to do or get done every once and a while anyway.
Dumpster diving is something the fairer sex constantly tries to make us stop doing, but every time I see a pile, I get the urge.
Regards
Sam
If the fuses were there and the cord was functioning as intended, it's a strong possibility that You unfortunately at least cooked the electrolytic capacitors. Not that You would've been able to use 'em anyway, but bad caps usually make a terrible mess if nothing else.
You did have a speaker load on the output, right?
Some amps, Fenders included, have shorting jacks on the output(s), so the destruction isn't immediate, but better safe than sorry.
All more reason to take it to a tech. You may get a great amp for mere service fee, something you have to do or get done every once and a while anyway.
Dumpster diving is something the fairer sex constantly tries to make us stop doing, but every time I see a pile, I get the urge
.Regards
Sam
congrats, would love to find one the way you did. As alluded to in a few of the posts, it's 50 watts which isn't much for bass applications in band settings unless it's largely acoustic. Guitarists love them for their great tone.
To get the most out of these you need multiple high efficiency speakers. I have a Showman amp of the same era, 85 watts which really isn't noticeably louder (better headroom, though) which I sometimes use w/a 2-15 Showman cab loaded w/old JBL D140s. Very high efficiency and is loud enough for use w/drummers and guitarists in small settings if they demonstrate some volume restraint.
Get it looked over by a qualified tech and never let it go unless you want to sell it for a bigger bass amp that's more gig-worthy.
To get the most out of these you need multiple high efficiency speakers. I have a Showman amp of the same era, 85 watts which really isn't noticeably louder (better headroom, though) which I sometimes use w/a 2-15 Showman cab loaded w/old JBL D140s. Very high efficiency and is loud enough for use w/drummers and guitarists in small settings if they demonstrate some volume restraint.
Get it looked over by a qualified tech and never let it go unless you want to sell it for a bigger bass amp that's more gig-worthy.
Does anyone know an approximate selling price on one of these? At the moment I'm not sure if I want to keep it or not. What parts subtract from the value if replaced? It doesn't look bad considering I picked it out of the dumpster and it's from the late 60's. Anyway if I keep it I was thinking of wrapping it with new tolex. Is that a good idea or no?
*It was a scrap metal dumpster, not garbage just to clarify LOL
I was looking for some steel to fab a part on my 4 wheeler. People abuse it and throw non-metal crap in there but it's mostly metal.
*It was a scrap metal dumpster, not garbage just to clarify LOL
I was looking for some steel to fab a part on my 4 wheeler. People abuse it and throw non-metal crap in there but it's mostly metal.
take you Silverface Bassman 50 to an amp tech: for about US $75 they can diagnose what's going on with your new amp. Those amps are "alright" for bass playing...but they are SUPER-EXCELLENT for guitar... can be worth a pretty penny in good working order... US $650-$750 or so...
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