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The Fender Super Bassman 300 thread

#2,682
Down_Low said:
I wasn't able to find one in Brisbane, although one store did have a 100T in stock that I spent a bit of time with. So I ordered the Super Bassman without ever having played through one. Best amp-related decision I ever made. Helped that a mate runs a store that's a Fender dealer and gave me mates rates too!
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Nice. That's what I did too
I actually informed my local ABOUT the amp. ..this was in 2012 abouts. . They gave me a good price, so. .. they were very impressed when it arrived too, as I was. Still am.
 
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#2,687
rodl2005 said:
I WOULD be interested in your views on how it DOES sound etc in the hotter or colder bias settings tho
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I've only had a chance to try it a 'bedroom volume' so far, so hard to tell the difference. Band practice this week though (will will try at volume then), then we start recording next weekend, so was wondering if it's worth worrying about for that.

The manual does say:

WARM: More aggressive (dirtier) tone, faster attack. Shorter tube life, higher power consumption.

NORMAL: Typical setting. Good balance between tone and tube life.

COOL: Less aggressive (cleaner) tone, smoother attack. Longer tube life, lower power consumption.
 
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#2,688
Hey guys. I have mine set on "warm"..been playing it that way since I took it out of the box,so I really can't comment on how it sounds compared to....but I can say it has an awesome warm sound. And it's got a little give to it. So to speak. Maybe a little squishy...tough to explain not sloppy in any respect. But the sag is definitely there. And I'm consistently getting complimented on my tone..from guys who are into gear as much as I am. And I love it..
 
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#2,689
So bummed! A driver blew in my Bassman NEO 410, and it's out for 3 weeks for warranty repair. It's only been 5 gigs and the Master on my SB300 hasn't been turned past 6. The tech says it looks like a manufacturer defect because of the way the paper has torn neatly around the pleat. I guess I should be thankful this happened during the warranty period!
 
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#2,691
Bill Bohlen said:
So bummed! A driver blew in my Bassman NEO 410, and it's out for 3 weeks for warranty repair. It's only been 5 gigs and the Master on my SB300 hasn't been turned past 6. The tech says it looks like a manufacturer defect because of the way the paper has torn neatly around the pleat. I guess I should be thankful this happened during the warranty period!
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I know they can handle it, but master on 6 through the 410 is LOUD! Mine normally doesn’t go much above 3 (except for the time someone bumped it to 10 at a gig - the first note I hit really got everyone’s attention!).

One thing I do actually wish the SBM had is a switch to put it into lower voltages like the 100T has. The SBM is a ridiculously loud amp and no chance of ever getting power tube breakup.
 
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#2,692
I'll get it into power tube break up thru one 115 cab sometimes. I sometimes purposely just take one 115 cab so I CAN do this. The Bassman Pro Neo 115 seems to handle the power ok
Usually I'll take both 115s or take my Berg NV215... but, as I said, sometimes. ...
That said, the master vol isn't usually past 6 or 7...mayyyybe 8... :woot: and I do keep a close ear out for the speaker. :thumbsup:
On another topic. .. Aussie "legendary" rockers...COLD CHISEL played down here in Hobart earlier this week. ..the pics in the newspaper showed their bassist with a cuppla Super Bassmans behind him. Good to see another person using Super Bassman amps in my town.
He had Ampeg 810's under each SB300 :thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
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#2,693
It's not the Super Bassman, but I have a question on the 500t if anyone can answer.
I notice there is a big difference in volume between the vintage and od channels, even if all eq is flat and no od dialed in. For instance, I just now set it with the master volume at just under 3, both channels flat with volume at 4, overdrive and gain both at 1 for a clean signal. It doesn't matter what bass I use, active, passive, 4 string, 5 string; or which input I plug into, the overdrive channel is twice as loud. At these settings, the volume of the vintage channel at 6 matches the 4 on the od channel. And if I use the overdrive at all, I'm turning down that channel's volume to keep it manageable.

It's a loud amp, I get it. But is it normal for one channel to be so much louder than the other, or is there an issue somewhere (with me or with the amp)?
 
#2,695
Papazita said:
It's not the Super Bassman, but I have a question on the 500t if anyone can answer.
I notice there is a big difference in volume between the vintage and od channels, even if all eq is flat and no od dialed in. For instance, I just now set it with the master volume at just under 3, both channels flat with volume at 4, overdrive and gain both at 1 for a clean signal. It doesn't matter what bass I use, active, passive, 4 string, 5 string; or which input I plug into, the overdrive channel is twice as loud. At these settings, the volume of the vintage channel at 6 matches the 4 on the od channel. And if I use the overdrive at all, I'm turning down that channel's volume to keep it manageable.

It's a loud amp, I get it. But is it normal for one channel to be so much louder than the other, or is there an issue somewhere (with me or with the amp)?
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I no longer have the 500 but when I did I noticed the same thing; the OD channel is considerably louder than the vintage and your settings seem about right to get them level to each other. I mostly used the OD channel 99% of the time especially for live shows.
 
#2,697
Down_Low said:
I know they can handle it, but master on 6 through the 410 is LOUD! Mine normally doesn’t go much above 3 (except for the time someone bumped it to 10 at a gig - the first note I hit really got everyone’s attention!).

One thing I do actually wish the SBM had is a switch to put it into lower voltages like the 100T has. The SBM is a ridiculously loud amp and no chance of ever getting power tube breakup.
Click to expand...

Yep, my normal volume is at 3 for practice. I might bump it up to 4 or 5 for a gig, depending on FOH. Once I got to 6 "to see how loud it would go" that was enough. I get good breakup even at lower overall volume by setting the channel Volume/Gain at around 7.

So my Neo410 is now at the repair shop for 3 or 4 weeks... the repair guy said it sure looked like a manufacturer defect, so he's going to see if Fender will replace all 4 drivers. Here's what it looks like:
cab_driver_blown.jpg
 
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