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The Fender Super Bassman 300 thread
- Thread starter Tim1
- Start date
I stopped about 4 years ago. IEM gigs for me forever now. Just so easy to load in and out, however the SB is a beast of an amp, so I will keep it for now.
Me.
Tho with a V4B reissue as well, it only sees easy load in gigs
I'll be using it NYE
Owning both the 300SB and the 100-T. I find I’m going for the 100-T more often. I especially like the 25 watt mode which I was unaware of when I picked up the SB first.
I am planning to sell the SB freeing up space and money. I purchased used on CL I’m hoping to get what I paid.
I am planning to sell the SB freeing up space and money. I purchased used on CL I’m hoping to get what I paid.
To my ears the SB300 definitely seems to have more heft and juice behind each note. This is all the more prevalent in overdrive channel played both dirty or clean. Boosting the gain up and blend sound more natural and organic IMO.
Honestly though I’d be perfectly content if my Bassman 500 (not 800) was the last amp I ever played
@BrianVengeance, @Muziekschuur, @Bassi5t, @ArenW, @Jhili, @DB66, @Angry Mob With Pitchfork and any other Bassman owners I've missed, you're cordially invited to join the TalkBass Official Bassman Club simply by posting your model in that thread. Pix aren't required, but are appreciated. 
It’s been five juicy months of SB300 ownership and I’m still head over heels with this thing. During this time I’ve mostly played it at home alone, testing all the settings I can think of, from vintage to overdrive channels via the foot switch I have newly acquired for the amp. It’s a wonderful setup.
One thing I have noticed though is that my relationship with my pedalboard is slowly shifting. For example, I have always loved my Tone hammer pedal. It was an always on kind of thing with AGS circuit engaged for that overdriven sound. These days however, I feel like it gets in a way of SB300. Don’t get me wrong I still love the pedal and I have no plan of getting rid of it. I find it to be an essential tool when I switch to my acoustic bass guitar due to its sweepable mids control.
As for my trusty MBD2 pedal, this one gets used when I REALLY want to feel dirty by gain stacking on top of SB300 overdrive channel. It’s a ripper of a distortion only sparingly used when the time calls for it.
So my question to the fellow SB300 owners is; how do you use your dirt effects if you use one in a first place? Is the overdrive channel of the SB300 your primary sound? Or do you mostly rely on your effects for all things dirt???
All my basses are active varieties with pretty formidable onboard preamps ( Sadowsky’s and StingRays) so not using the tone hammer as a preamp doesn’t seem to bother me at the slightest at this point.
Here is the pic of my current board.
One thing I have noticed though is that my relationship with my pedalboard is slowly shifting. For example, I have always loved my Tone hammer pedal. It was an always on kind of thing with AGS circuit engaged for that overdriven sound. These days however, I feel like it gets in a way of SB300. Don’t get me wrong I still love the pedal and I have no plan of getting rid of it. I find it to be an essential tool when I switch to my acoustic bass guitar due to its sweepable mids control.
As for my trusty MBD2 pedal, this one gets used when I REALLY want to feel dirty by gain stacking on top of SB300 overdrive channel. It’s a ripper of a distortion only sparingly used when the time calls for it.
So my question to the fellow SB300 owners is; how do you use your dirt effects if you use one in a first place? Is the overdrive channel of the SB300 your primary sound? Or do you mostly rely on your effects for all things dirt???
All my basses are active varieties with pretty formidable onboard preamps ( Sadowsky’s and StingRays) so not using the tone hammer as a preamp doesn’t seem to bother me at the slightest at this point.
Here is the pic of my current board.
I don't use dirt into my SB I rely on channel 2 for dirt. I don't stack preamps in front of the SB either. They get used when I'm not using the SB. I rarely use compression into the SB, usually just when using envelope filters and other effects that can have bigger volume peaks.
I've played around with various drives - OE-DCX, MXR, DG etc. Eventually, I stripped it all back. The SB OD channel gives me all the dirt that I want or need. Nowadays, I'm just running a comp and the OE-DCX as a tone shaper. Couldn't be happier with the sound I'm getting between the vintage and OD channels. And my pedal board is nearly empty!
I tend to stick to tone shaper preamps that aim for a specific thing like the Bass Rig Super Vintage when I want to get a more Ampeg style sound/drive out of my SB. If I'm not looking for that sound I'll often swap it out to a JHS Color box for the DI/preamp last in the chain option. Otherwise my "always on stuff" is a DCX Bass for tone shaping and saturation plus a Cali76 bass compact for fattening and allowing me to play super lightly while keeping a consistent volume level, makes everything SUPER girthy and I sometimes have to shut the DCX off from time to time. For actual distortion I can use either the modern channel if I'm not going back and forth between drive and clean for a song or my DCX bass but mostly I have a Blumes sitting in between my octave and envelope filter in loop 1 that allows for more consistency if a song requires drive and clean tones. Other than that the only thing on my board is a HX stomp in the second loop of my EQD Flexi-looper for fun and any sounds a song might require.
I’m afraid I’m heading a similar path (yes, I’m afraid! What am I to do with all my dirt pedals!!). SB300 is the first full tube head I’ve owned so this is quite enlightening after all these years of using often an elaborate pedalboard. When you are on channel 2 where do you set your ‘blend’ knob?
OMG, this is exactly the type of response I was hoping to receive. Has the ‘stripping back’ process only started with the ownership of SB300? I love my pedalboard but I do have to let go of a ‘more is more’ attitude I have with my effects at times. When you use channel 2 where do you set your gain and blend knobs?
If you’re using your Blumes do you mainly use it with the clean channel for easy switch from clean to dirty?
Can't access my SB at the moment but I think blend is just over half. Mids are pushed a little for quite a crunchy tone when played with a pick. probably most like the tone at the 1 minute mark of this clip:
I just go - bass to amp. With no fx pedals 99% of the time, with all my tube amps. V4B, AD200B and Super Bassman.
Re the Super Bassman OD channel...
I found that the mid frequency control and mid level control have the greatest effect on the drive from the OD channel.
I can't remember exactly what the settings are, but I think I lowered the mid frequency control to around 9 or 10 o'clock, then boosted the mid VOLUME control up to about 2 o'clock.
Gives a good grunty drive for me
And on the V4B and AD200B, I use the gain and master volume controls in opposite ways
If the stage volume is loud enough, I'll just use the amps natural power tube drive, master fully on, adjusting volume with the gain control
If a dirty tone is desired at lower volumes, I'll push the GAIN control up full, or near it, and get some crunch there, and adjust volume with the master.
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I love Matty Freeman and that is a glorious tone! This clip keeps popping up in this thread and I watch it every time
I was waiting for you to drop in uncle Rod! I’m gonna try the settings you have suggested. Honestly, even not turning on the preamp pedal is quite a departure for me but SB300 is just so capable so I have to let my emotional baggage go I think.
What about a compressor? Do you use one with your tube heads?
The reality is for me, if I am purchasing OD pedals or keeping the ones I have it's because they replicate the SB OD as I have it set. They are usually only used when I don't take the SB to a gig. I still own an Aguilar Agro, TC Spark Booster, and a Tech 21 RPM Preamp as they can all do a good version of what I get out of the SB at various settings. The RPM with its sweepable mids in particular is a fave. The DCX Bass looks awesome. I'm gassing for it hard, but I don't need it. All my OD presets in my HX Stomp are trying to replicate the SB also.
Yes! Channel 2 really eliminated my need for any other OD/Dist. It is so pure and girthy, with as much hair and anger that I could want or need. I usually blend around 5-6 with the gain around 6-7, tweaking as needed, depending on the gig.
I'm running mine through the 610 Pro Neo, which is a HUGE part of the recipe that works for me. I've toured and gigged this rig with everything from OSDM, to funk, to country and there's nothing it can't do. Everyone I've shared the stage with has gushed over it. The crew I'm running with these days, soundman included, have a fit if I bring anything else out!
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