Help Identifying Old Bassman 2-15 Cab

[heatheroo1]

If anyone knows please educate me, but I thought 2-15 Bassman cabs from the 70s and 80s had handles like this. Mine has this type. I’ve never seen a Bassman with inset handles.
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Nope. My bought in 1980 Bassman 215 (from Cintioli's in NE Philly) has the inset handles as shown by the OP.......but as mentioned earlier has a single narrow port across the bottom.

 

[heatheroo1]

Thanks for your responses everyone, I think now I agree that this is a jacked with peavey cab. I was hoping there was a short run of these cabs that someone knew about but that’s just not the case!

The dimensions and baffle do not align with anything I’ve seen, and the other small details don’t add up either (no back screws, two input jacks).

For those that mentioned about the handles, Fender definitely had inset handles like these on their early 80s and some late 70s 2-15 cabs, I think the screw arrangement on this cab is wrong however.

The seller was not deliberately misleading, it was sold by elderly parents who had recently lost their son (their son had put this together) - I paid about the value of the speakers so I’m not upset either. I may even try out the EVs in my bandmaster cab as replacement for the square magnet CTS speakers. The EV speakers are fender badged.

Somewhere out there is a ~1980 Bassman cab missing its speakers and name plate!

Respectfully disagree......mine is: the same dimensions, same input jacks, same ID plate, back not removable, same corners, same handles. The only difference is the front port arrangement and grill cloth. I'm going with some replaced the front and replaced the grill.

I can take pics of mine if you are really interested. Its gathering dust in my garage.

BTW - Early on, I quickly blew the stock Fender speakers out of mine and replaced them with (1) EVM-15B and (1) EVM-15L. Both of those speakers have been re-coned at least twice.

 

[dhelmet2000]

Respectfully disagree......mine is: the same dimensions, same input jacks, same ID plate, back not removable, same corners, same handles. The only difference is the front port arrangement and grill cloth. I'm going with some replaced the front and replaced the grill.

I can take pics of mine if you are really interested. Its gathering dust in my garage.

BTW - Early on, I quickly blew the stock Fender speakers out of mine and replaced them with (1) EVM-15B and (1) EVM-15L. Both of those speakers have been re-coned at least twice.

I would love to be proven wrong and this to be a legitimate Fender. Can you please send me some pics of yours?

edit: “legitimate” in-so-far as the cabinet, speakers etc, obviously not the baffle/front plate

 

[wcriley]

My Fender 115 (that I once dated to ~1981) has inset handles, a front mounted driver, and non-removeable back panel.

 

[dhelmet2000]

I’ve found this cab, looks almost the same as mine except for the front panel and the baffle… the plot is thickening

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[Redbrangus]

In light of this evidence, I'm willing to accept that this is a short-lived, if modified, Fender cab. And it was news to me that you could ever order EV speakers in Fender cabs. Perhaps more surprising, this cab appears to have sufficient internal volume for two 15s, the concept of which seemed to elude Fender for so long.

 

[BassFishingInAmerica]

I’ve found this cab, looks almost the same as mine except for the front panel and the baffle… the plot is thickening

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Now there’s something I’ve never seen. I can only guess that this was made for a short time, then discontinued. Strangest thing to me is that it doesn’t even follow the dimensions of the original 2x15 Bassman.

 

[heatheroo1]

I’ve found this cab, looks almost the same as mine except for the front panel and the baffle… the plot is thickening

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yep. That's exactly what mine looks like.

 

[Redbrangus]

Poking around on that UK auction site, I found another weird Fender 'Bassman' cab - at least novel to me. This is a conventional 412 configuration in what looks like a "drip-edge" ('68-'69) Bassman or Dual Showman enclosure -- the dimensions aren't given. Personally, I don't recall there being a 412 cab in the Silverface era, other than the ill-fated 'pyramid' box, but everything about this one looks right. Anyone know this cab?

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[1n3]

Tolex looks wrong for Peavey, and, the baffle is tolexed, which I don't recall seeing on a Peavey cab... usually was just black paint. Grille construction is Peavey-esque, but the fabric is different.

Looking at the "smile" cutout on the baffle bottom, looks like it began as two round holes. Also notice that the speaker frames barely fit the baffle; almost touch at center, and top/bottom. So I wonder if this cab was originally a 2-12.

 

[Redbrangus]

Also notice that the speaker frames barely fit the baffle; almost touch at center, and top/bottom.

This is indeed true in the OP's suspect cab. On the known Fender cab cited on WorthPoint, there is considerably more room around/between the drivers. I'd still like to know the outside dimensions of the OP's cab -- in spite of the claim that someone has one the same size, I didn't find the dimensions in the thread. Is this one 37” x 26" x 16" (94cm x 66 x 41) like the one on WorthPoint is said to be? The spacing of the drivers leads one to believe it is not as tall as that example.

Also, that one on WorthPoint does have the full-width slot port at the bottom.

 

[dhelmet2000]

I’m not at home for the next 24 hrs or so I can’t get all the dims right now, but I did measure the depth and height yesterday. It’s 12” x 32” or thereabouts (31cm x 81cm) so that’s another thing that doesn’t add up…definitely smaller than that worthpoint one - I didn’t notice the dimensions there at first.

 

[Pilgrim]

Other things that are queer:

Two input jacks - the recessed dish is the right part, but 215 Bassmans only had one input jack, and it was in the upper right corner, as viewed from the rear with the cab stood up vertically.

The 215 Bassman cab had amp mounting studs - both on the top and on one side. It also had three strap handles on one long side.

The serial number plate is authentic, if not to this cab. IIRC, they were held on with small rivets, not screws, but I don't think that's necessarily an indication of anything - the cab could very well have been recovered.

If it ever was a Bassman cab, the baffle board has definitely undergone some modifications. The ports are not stock and no Fender cabs had front-mounted drivers.

That does indeed appear to be an early-era Peavey grill.

Interestingly, the drivers look as if they really are EVs.

I'm still waiting to hear if it's 11-1/2" deep.

My vote is it never was a Basman cab. Peavey seems likely, or shop-built.

Edit: Still another indication is that Fenders all had removable backs.

Thanks for the reminder:

My 2x15 had a pair of recessed mounting points for the Bassman head on the short dimension, so it was designed to be stood on the short end with the longer sides vertical. The mounting points received two chrome-plated bolts with knurled knob tops. Only one set of mounting points, though - not two - on mine.

And the backs absolutely were removable from the Fender cabs!

 

[6thplanet]

The cab in post 25 has similar handles, but located closer to the top.
The possibility that it was previously a 2/12 seems feasible.