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The Fender Bassman 100T thread

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#321
rodl2005 said:
I've got my old Silver Face Bassman 100 with me for a week (I sold it to a friend back in '92 & he's lent it to me :) & I'm liking playing with it.
I got rid of it (in '92) as I needed more power.
I don't remember it ever giving me a lot of overdrive when pushed, it'd just get a bit dirty, get a but less 'fat' & basically not get any louder.
I used it mainly into 2 115"s.
I Won't be able to crank this up till the weekend, but am liking the tone.
Wondering how this old beast compares to the 100T?
Click to expand...

Anyone. I played this old Bassman 100 last night @ rehearsal & was lovely. I think THIS amp would benefit from new tubes tho. Looks like a mis-matched set of power tubes in there.
Still, it sounds fine & gets loud enough. Didn't overdrive much, but I only had 2 112's & I didn't wanna blow them, so couldn't run master maxed.
Anyone got views of the 100T in comparison? It'd been 20 yrs since I'd played thru an ol' Bassman, so I'd forgotten a lot of how it felt, reacted etc..
 
#323
Roadkill said:
Those must be some whimpy cabs! I have a cheap GK 212MBE and have run my Bugera 1960 (150w) into it on "11" with the input channels in series (Randy Rhodes mod) and the cab isn't complaining at all.
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Well, Berg AE112's are no Mr. Wimpy :D just I'm always careful. I've been using em with the YBA300 -300 tube watts, so peaks of....... , well, lots more.
So, I'm simply being careful. I s'pose I don't really need to be with the 100w Bassman tho.
 
#326
I have never felt the need to "turn the tweeters off" when playing loud or overdrive, but then I never have them on over half anyway (if the cab actually has a tweeter).
Rod, there is no comparison between the older Fender Bassmans and the 100T IMO - the 100T seems to have way more clean headroom than my memory of several old Bassman 100 and 135s I used to own back in the day.
 
#328
I have two interrelated questions:

1) If you crank the gain on the "Vintage" channel will you get a nice little breakup/overdrive?
2) Will it sound anything like this?:
'66 Bassman.jpg

It is a 1966 "Blackface" Bassman - the tone through a 15 with no horn (or tweeter turned off) is beyond bliss. It is the result of a slight tube breakup that just makes it...oh...so...wooly...

The clips of the 100T with some pros playing the "Overdrive" channel with the tweeter on (heresy, IMO) do nothing for me - buzzy overdrive is not appealing to me, but I want to know if you can get some smooth power amp tube overdrive out of it. Anyone tried doing this?
 
#329
Rod, I think the tone on the vintage channel sounds pretty much as they describe it (vintage) and is as I remember it to be on the earlier ones but with more useable volume. The modern channel has some nice Overdrive which can be used subtly to good effect (unlike the "in your face" examples on the Fender videos).
 
#332
hi tim, with your tube experience, have you found there is a volume and master area where the amp is giving its true voice, in the clean realm ? Can you underdrive a valve amp, and not let it speak ? im finding vol 5 master 5 is about right with the sb 300, as any more and its drowning the drums.
With your cab cover did you put slots for the skid rails to poke though ? I need to slide mine into my wagon , so a cover would drag without the skid rails i imagine. thanks
 
#333
I did not worry about slots for the skid rails, never crossed my mind to be honest. Besides, I normally fit mine into the van on its side. The cover doesn't seem to drag at all and I think that if you had long holes for slots it would be a pain and the cover would be structurally less effective. Dave Josland at Sundown covers in Christchurch certainly did a great job making my cover.
Interesting question - can you underdrive a tube amp? Almost deserves a thread of its own. I suppose if it you get so quiet that it is losing its character then the answer should be yes but it really depends on the amp. I haven't really thought about it but my gut tells me that in a very quiet setting a 100 watter might sound more "tubey" and would certainly be more practically appropriate than a 300 watter.
 
#337
Thanks for the response. I tried a Mesa Walkabout Scout and it sounded great but I did not like the fan noise so I am looking for other options. I am also interested in an all tube bass amp. I am thinking either the Fender Bassman 100T or the Mesa Boogie Bass Prodigy.
 
#340
On my SVT, I always go to standby first, then I'll shut it off. I also always make sure the standby is on before turning the amp on.

I don't know if it's a requirement or not, but I just think it's a good idea.
 
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