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The Fender Super Bassman 300 thread

#3,841
I've resisted many temptations over the course of last few months and slowly stashed coins away to finally being able to afford another Bassman Neo 115 cabinet.

And it's worth it! This purchase is definitely more on WANT than NEED basis but I only live once and I have turned a halfway point awhile back so don't stop me now 🤣

IMG_3161.jpeg
 
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#3,844
Question for you folks! I had some weird volume and low end dropouts with some fizzy tones last night at practice with my Super Bassman, does this sound like possibly tubes starting to go? I've never retubed this amp in the past 6 years of use, but didn't see anything light up or flag on the auto bias either
 
#3,845
Mr123Clark said:
Question for you folks! I had some weird volume and low end dropouts with some fizzy tones last night at practice with my Super Bassman, does this sound like possibly tubes starting to go? I've never retubed this amp in the past 6 years of use, but didn't see anything light up or flag on the auto bias either
Click to expand...

Pre amp tubes are usually my 1st port of call.
Try the ol' tapping em with a chopstick or pencil.
 
#3,846
Hey folks! Brought my 100t to practice to confirm that my Super Bassman had some tube issues, which definitely sounded apparent. First trouble shoot step will be replacing preamp tubes before dropping the coin on power tubes (auto bias still says the power tubes are fine)

While I've got my SB on the workbench I was contemplating replacing the fan with something more powerful/reliable from the PC market a la Noctua. Does anyone know if the 2 pin fan header on the SB is a 5v or 12v?

Have people done fan mods before? Would love some insight
 
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#3,847
Need some info, I have a SB 300 , has new power tube matched, I checked! new preamp 12ax7 and the 12at7, The auto bias lights are all blinking / flashing green, yes it is connected to 410 cab and yes the mute switch is flipped to on - not mute, yes I reset the bias control, tested fuses , still blinking and has a low hum.
this is not my head, helping a friend out before taking it to repair shop, got to I am jonesing bad to try this head out, wondering how different from ampeg svt cl it is .
 
#3,848
BassBeginer64 said:
Need some info, I have a SB 300 , has new power tube matched, I checked! new preamp 12ax7 and the 12at7, The auto bias lights are all blinking / flashing green, yes it is connected to 410 cab and yes the mute switch is flipped to on - not mute, yes I reset the bias control, tested fuses , still blinking and has a low hum.
this is not my head, helping a friend out before taking it to repair shop, got to I am jonesing bad to try this head out, wondering how different from ampeg svt cl it is .
Click to expand...
Think they're supposed to blink when MUTE is engaged, but should stop a few seconds after its off
 
#3,851
I just put together my dream rig! Super Bassman 300 and the matching neo 610. What a sound!

I know fender is on everyone's hate list these days, and I've never been a fan myself. Ironically, I decided this was my ultimate rig at the same time that the world started hating on them. Luckily I bought both pieces used, so my conscience is clear. :)

I have a question about the "Speaker Off" switch on the back (NOT the pull mute on the master volume). It seems to shut off power to the power tubes, making it safe to practice without a speaker connected. I run it this way in my practice room, with a DI to my mixer, giving me a beautiful direct sound. My understanding is that this puts zero wear on the power tubes, even if I leave the amp on for long periods.

Am I correct that this is a safe and reasonable way to use the amp long-term? Does it really put no wear on the power tubes?
 
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#3,852
smeet said:
I just put together my dream rig! Super Bassman 300 and the matching neo 610. What a sound!

I know fender is on everyone's hate list these days, and I've never been a fan myself. Ironically, I decided this was my ultimate rig at the same time that the world started hating on them. Luckily I bought both pieces used, so my conscience is clear. :)

I have a question about the "Speaker Off" switch on the back (NOT the pull mute on the master volume). It seems to shut off power to the power tubes, making it safe to practice without a speaker connected. I run it this way in my practice room, with a DI to my mixer, giving me a beautiful direct sound. My understanding is that this puts zero wear on the power tubes, even if I leave the amp on for long periods.

Am I correct that this is a safe and reasonable way to use the amp long-term? Does it really put no wear on the power tubes?
Click to expand...
I have used it like that on my SB but not for extended periods of time. I think you are still getting high voltage to the plates to keep them warm, but what do I know? I know @Wasnex or @agedhorse would definitely know.
 
#3,854
smeet said:
My understanding is that this puts zero wear on the power tubes, even if I leave the amp on for long periods.
Click to expand...
AFAIK there is not a schematic for this amp in the wild, so I can't really say for sure.

There are different ways to implement silent recording. For example, the output tubes can be totally turned off, or the output section can be muted. My perception, is muting the output section is the most common way of doing it. With a mute applied, the output section continues to idle, but does not receive a signal. So the tubes continue to experience the level of wear that occurs from standard bias. With this approach the speakers may be disconnected and the output section shunted to ground to provide an additional layer of protection for the tubes.

You may be able to tell if the tubes are still operating by observing the auto bias indicators. If the tubes stay on in mute mode, the auto bias should continue to operate normally. If the tubes are turned off, it should be the same as leaving the amp in standby.

The OM says this:
1785867442879.png

The last sentence suggests the tubes are in standby when the speaker is muted.

Sorry this is the best I can do with available resources.

I am sure @agedhorse can answer directly and definitively.
 
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#3,855
RobertAuCoin said:
I will need to try this! I have always understood (or just assumed) that the power tube section contributes a lot to the SB tone and sound.
Click to expand...
I think that is true. The DI sound lacks some of the muscle that I hear from the speaker, but the sweetness and compression is still there. My online teacher noticed it right away, saying my sound was much better than it had been, and that was compared to a WD800 and a Sisma, neither of which is a slouch. He doesn't know what my signal chain is or that anything had changed.

I would like to hear a power amp DI (or whatever it's called) to compare.
 
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#3,856
Wasnex said:
AFAIK there is not a schematic for this amp in the wild, so I can't really say for sure.

There are different ways to implement silent recording. For example, the output tubes can be totally turned off, or the output section can be muted. My perception, is muting the output section is the most common way of doing it. With a mute applied, the output section continues to idle, but does not receive a signal. So the tubes continue to experience the level of wear that occurs from standard bias. With this approach the speakers may be disconnected and the output section shunted to ground to provide an additional layer of protection for the tubes.

You may be able to tell if the tubes are still operating by observing the auto bias indicators. If the tubes stay on in mute mode, the auto bias should continue to operate normally. If the tubes are turned off, it should be the same as leaving the amp in standby.

The OM says this:
View attachment 7550284
The last sentence suggests the tubes are in standby when the speaker is muted.

Sorry this is the best I can do with available resources.

I am sure @agedhorse can answer directly and definitively.
Click to expand...
Thanks! Not that this means much, but the manual states:
IMG_0837.jpeg

The auto bias shows all LEDs flashing at a slow rate (same as standby). There is a faint orange glow at the base of the power tubes, but I don't know if that is a LED for cosmetic effect.
 
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#3,857
Mr123Clark said:
Hey folks! Brought my 100t to practice to confirm that my Super Bassman had some tube issues, which definitely sounded apparent. First trouble shoot step will be replacing preamp tubes before dropping the coin on power tubes (auto bias still says the power tubes are fine)

While I've got my SB on the workbench I was contemplating replacing the fan with something more powerful/reliable from the PC market a la Noctua. Does anyone know if the 2 pin fan header on the SB is a 5v or 12v?

Have people done fan mods before? Would love some insight
Click to expand...
Leave the fan alone, it's sized properly and is a necessary part of the safety certification of the head.
 
#3,858
Wasnex said:
AFAIK there is not a schematic for this amp in the wild, so I can't really say for sure.

There are different ways to implement silent recording. For example, the output tubes can be totally turned off, or the output section can be muted. My perception, is muting the output section is the most common way of doing it. With a mute applied, the output section continues to idle, but does not receive a signal. So the tubes continue to experience the level of wear that occurs from standard bias. With this approach the speakers may be disconnected and the output section shunted to ground to provide an additional layer of protection for the tubes.

You may be able to tell if the tubes are still operating by observing the auto bias indicators. If the tubes stay on in mute mode, the auto bias should continue to operate normally. If the tubes are turned off, it should be the same as leaving the amp in standby.

The OM says this:
View attachment 7550284
The last sentence suggests the tubes are in standby when the speaker is muted.

Sorry this is the best I can do with available resources.

I am sure @agedhorse can answer directly and definitively.
Click to expand...
I don't know for sure what Fender did, but I would suspect it's actually putting the amp in standby in this case.
 
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