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The Fender Super Bassman 300 thread
- Thread starter Tim1
- Start date
I have a countryman, but every time I've tried to use it at speaker level I've gotten nothing but strange looks and complaints from sound guys.
I want to hear my power tubes in the front of house, and sound guys just want a happy hole in the back to plug into, so if there's a way to please everybody, why not do it?
Are you saying that the speaker level DI ain't working or just that the sound guys don't like it?
If it's the latter. ... I'd be running it when I wanted. It's my sound. They're there to get MY sound out front. Not their bass sound.
If it's the latter. ... I'd be running it when I wanted. It's my sound. They're there to get MY sound out front. Not their bass sound.
I personally wouldn't mod an amp to accomplish something that can be achieved with outboard gear. I've also run a speaker level di with my head for a long time. It requires explanation to some sound guys. If they're not a complete tool they will understand especially if you offer a compromise of micing your cab instead
They don't like it, and sometimes use confirmation bias to identify it as the source of problems.
I could be more aggressive, but why make a stressful job any more stressful than it needs to be?
I've had it happen where I left it on stage set up my way and had sound guys "correct" it while I wasn't looking.
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Yeah I've had similar things happen, not to me but to our keys player.
Altho I actually agreed with our sound guy in this situation, I had to have a quiet chat with him stating that altho I DID agree with him that his way was the best way, the keys player is playing his instrument and wants HIS sound outta HIS speaker cab- so, wants his (old 60s) cab mic'd. Unless it's pretty much IMPOSSIBLE to do, we'll do it the way the muso I the band wants.
All had been fine since. Sure it's Probly a tiny bit extra work for our S.E. But. .... He's employed by us.
Altho I actually agreed with our sound guy in this situation, I had to have a quiet chat with him stating that altho I DID agree with him that his way was the best way, the keys player is playing his instrument and wants HIS sound outta HIS speaker cab- so, wants his (old 60s) cab mic'd. Unless it's pretty much IMPOSSIBLE to do, we'll do it the way the muso I the band wants.
All had been fine since. Sure it's Probly a tiny bit extra work for our S.E. But. .... He's employed by us.
I have regularly used the DI out on my SB300, with no complaints at all from any sound guy. I know it is pre power tubes but it still sounds pretty good out front (to my ears anyway).
On a different matter I posted earlier about my experiences with the Fender neo 810 and the SB300. I have since played another gig with it and had the time to experiment a bit. First point with this cab is that it is surprisingly different to the Fender neo 610 cab I traded for it. The neo 610 I think has a naturally warmer and less aggressive edge to it. The neo 810is more open, has the feeling of way more power and needs a bit of tweaking with the tone controls, it is very responsive to small adjustments. This is not necessarily a bad thing but means you do have to spend a bit more time than usual with a new speaker to sort your sound out, once done all is well. I ended up with 4.5 / 8/4 (B/M/T) on the vintage side and the variety of response with the active tone controls on the overdrive channel is inspiring. So.... the 810 is a great match to the SB300, huuuuuge grunt and efficiency and very clean at very loud volumes if you want. In comparison with my old Ampeg 810 I think the Ampeg gives you "that" sound instantly and is a little more plug and play friendly than the Fender cab, but the Fender is probably a tad more versatile, certainly lighter and I suspect louder - it really does punch it out.
On a different matter I posted earlier about my experiences with the Fender neo 810 and the SB300. I have since played another gig with it and had the time to experiment a bit. First point with this cab is that it is surprisingly different to the Fender neo 610 cab I traded for it. The neo 610 I think has a naturally warmer and less aggressive edge to it. The neo 810is more open, has the feeling of way more power and needs a bit of tweaking with the tone controls, it is very responsive to small adjustments. This is not necessarily a bad thing but means you do have to spend a bit more time than usual with a new speaker to sort your sound out, once done all is well. I ended up with 4.5 / 8/4 (B/M/T) on the vintage side and the variety of response with the active tone controls on the overdrive channel is inspiring. So.... the 810 is a great match to the SB300, huuuuuge grunt and efficiency and very clean at very loud volumes if you want. In comparison with my old Ampeg 810 I think the Ampeg gives you "that" sound instantly and is a little more plug and play friendly than the Fender cab, but the Fender is probably a tad more versatile, certainly lighter and I suspect louder - it really does punch it out.
You may want to consider either capping onboard di's xlr jack or unscrewing it from the chassis and pulling it inside the chassis so it's not even an option for the soundman to fudge with it. When they ask what happened to your di, just show them your outboard di. Cheap and easily reversed
So wanted to give you guys an update on my Super Bassman. Its a sad story with a few heros that make it a very good story.
So I bought a Super Bassman a year ago. About 5 months ago when I was playing it one day I experienced a weird volume drop and pulsing distortion that continued whether I played or not. I had just been reworking my pedalboard and assumed it was something to do with that. I turned everything off, set my pedal board to the side, restarted the amp and played for another hour with a note to myself to recheck the pedals later. A month later it happened again, but this time there was no pedalboard involved. It was just the bass and the amp. UH-OH!
Well, I asked on here if anyone had any ideas what it could be. Rob Schwarz, the Fender Customer Service Superhero, contacted me thru talkbass and asked me to take it in to my local service center and keep him posted. My local tech had it for a couple weeks but couldnt find anything wrong and told me to come get it. I contacted Mr. Schwarz, who forwarded authorization to my tech for more time reimbursement from Fender to do more diagnostics as well as advice from the in house techs at Fender for some possible causes to address. My local guy did as they suggested and I got the amp back a few weeks later. I took it home and to practice and played it and it seemed fine, and was for over a month, but a week and a half ago I turned it on and plugged in and it happened again. This time I had my phone handy and made a video to show to Mr. Schwarz. I emailed him that day and included the video to demonstrate what was happening. A half hour later I received a response from him telling me that a fellow named Mr. Wiggins would be in touch with me shortly and that they had already arranged to send me a full replacement amp. An hour later Mr. Wiggins contacted me and sent me a call tag for my amplifier and a tracking number for the new replacement that was being shipped that day to me! I received the new amp yesterday and packed up the old one into the box that just arrived and dropped it off to fedex to go back.
I cant say how impressed I am with Fender's handling of my issue, especially the responsiveness and attentiveness of both Mr. Schwarz and Mr. Wiggins. We have had a number of emails and they have been very personable and really taken the time to be thorough and complete in all our correspondence. Ive heard lots of disgruntled musicians talk about how the big guys like Fender dont really care, but my experience has been absolutely impressive. The head of the their customer service contacted me and helped walk me and my local tech thru a recurring problem and without any hesitation when that action didnt remedy my problem they shipped out a replacement amp the same day on their dime. The kicker is that I am not the original owner. I bought the amp from the original owner with the transfer of the warranty. My new amp came with a new 5 year warranty from the day it arrived.
Fender has been extremely top notch, and quite honestly, really surprising to me.
In my conversations with them I was told that while there have been a few isolated issues with this amp (as there would be with any product from any manufacturer) from various users that there has been no trending default to address and that my experience should be and probably is quite unlikely to be a common or much repeated experience for anyone. I believe that. They also said that if and when their in house guys figure out what was the issue with my amp they will keep me posted. I wish them luck in finding it as it was a issue that was very intermittent.
I just thought you guys should know. Youve heard about me having an issue with my amp, so I thought you should hear how much they stood behind it and how well. Definitely earned my respect.
So I bought a Super Bassman a year ago. About 5 months ago when I was playing it one day I experienced a weird volume drop and pulsing distortion that continued whether I played or not. I had just been reworking my pedalboard and assumed it was something to do with that. I turned everything off, set my pedal board to the side, restarted the amp and played for another hour with a note to myself to recheck the pedals later. A month later it happened again, but this time there was no pedalboard involved. It was just the bass and the amp. UH-OH!
Well, I asked on here if anyone had any ideas what it could be. Rob Schwarz, the Fender Customer Service Superhero, contacted me thru talkbass and asked me to take it in to my local service center and keep him posted. My local tech had it for a couple weeks but couldnt find anything wrong and told me to come get it. I contacted Mr. Schwarz, who forwarded authorization to my tech for more time reimbursement from Fender to do more diagnostics as well as advice from the in house techs at Fender for some possible causes to address. My local guy did as they suggested and I got the amp back a few weeks later. I took it home and to practice and played it and it seemed fine, and was for over a month, but a week and a half ago I turned it on and plugged in and it happened again. This time I had my phone handy and made a video to show to Mr. Schwarz. I emailed him that day and included the video to demonstrate what was happening. A half hour later I received a response from him telling me that a fellow named Mr. Wiggins would be in touch with me shortly and that they had already arranged to send me a full replacement amp. An hour later Mr. Wiggins contacted me and sent me a call tag for my amplifier and a tracking number for the new replacement that was being shipped that day to me! I received the new amp yesterday and packed up the old one into the box that just arrived and dropped it off to fedex to go back.
I cant say how impressed I am with Fender's handling of my issue, especially the responsiveness and attentiveness of both Mr. Schwarz and Mr. Wiggins. We have had a number of emails and they have been very personable and really taken the time to be thorough and complete in all our correspondence. Ive heard lots of disgruntled musicians talk about how the big guys like Fender dont really care, but my experience has been absolutely impressive. The head of the their customer service contacted me and helped walk me and my local tech thru a recurring problem and without any hesitation when that action didnt remedy my problem they shipped out a replacement amp the same day on their dime. The kicker is that I am not the original owner. I bought the amp from the original owner with the transfer of the warranty. My new amp came with a new 5 year warranty from the day it arrived.
Fender has been extremely top notch, and quite honestly, really surprising to me.
In my conversations with them I was told that while there have been a few isolated issues with this amp (as there would be with any product from any manufacturer) from various users that there has been no trending default to address and that my experience should be and probably is quite unlikely to be a common or much repeated experience for anyone. I believe that. They also said that if and when their in house guys figure out what was the issue with my amp they will keep me posted. I wish them luck in finding it as it was a issue that was very intermittent.
I just thought you guys should know. Youve heard about me having an issue with my amp, so I thought you should hear how much they stood behind it and how well. Definitely earned my respect.
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Very good to hear. Thanx for posting. Did you post the video of the problem online at all? Be interesting to hear it.
Rob Schwarz from Fender did right by me too when I received the differing Bassman Neo 115.
As luck would have it, a killer local deal on a SVT810 came up and I'd grabbed it just before Rob found me a matching Bassman Neo 115 cab.
I will grab another Bassman 115 neo but I'm gonna enjoy the SVT810 for a while 1st
Rob Schwarz from Fender did right by me too when I received the differing Bassman Neo 115.
As luck would have it, a killer local deal on a SVT810 came up and I'd grabbed it just before Rob found me a matching Bassman Neo 115 cab.
I will grab another Bassman 115 neo but I'm gonna enjoy the SVT810 for a while 1st
I did post a YouTube video, but I set it to "private" so I could show it to Rob and the techs. I didn't wanna make it "public" because those things can really take off online and before long everyone sees it and believes its a big issue.
Great to hear that everything worked out. I love my SB300. Nothing but compliments on the tone. The drummer in my band just loves it when I bring that amp to the gig.
Private school staff dinner tonight.
Fender Super Bassman and Bassman Neo 115 cab. G&L ASAT w flats & Warwick $ $ 5 w rounds. And my Korg micro keys bass.
The venue- restaurant Prickly Pear.
Our singers. Kalo & Kim
The 'stage'
My stuff
Fender Super Bassman and Bassman Neo 115 cab. G&L ASAT w flats & Warwick $ $ 5 w rounds. And my Korg micro keys bass.
The venue- restaurant Prickly Pear.
Our singers. Kalo & Kim
The 'stage'
My stuff
Thanks for the update... Makes me feel more confident jumping in when I get the chance.
Ok, I've never owned an all-tube amp, and this is really tempting me.
I want clean, fat, defined sound without boominess, and with nice definition on attack for fingerstyle funk. Lively bright tones as well as fat round ones. Relaxed big sound to stand up to loud drummers. I would be playing it through a fEARful 15/6/1 or 12/6/1, or both if need be.
Here's my main questions:
1) Clean headroom. Can it match the clean perceived volume of the current crop of class D amps like SVT 7Pro, MB800, etc?
2) Versatility. Can it take the place of a tone chameleon like the ShuttleMax 9.2? Bright modern tones, Modern slap, aggressive pick sounds a la chris squire, joe satriani modern fingerstyle grooves, Clean precise fusion grooves and soloing with lots of note and pitch definition? Or is it mainly suited to fat, supportive, old school rock and R'n'B grooves?
3) Wattage at 8/4/2 ohms? Is it always 300?
Ideally, I could do any gig with this head (hight/low volume, instrumental fusion, country, hard rock, jazz, funk, coffee house singer-songwriter, ...), as I would hate to have an expensive and awesome head that only works on certain situations.
Thanks y'all. I'm a tube nube, so excuse the naive questions.
I want clean, fat, defined sound without boominess, and with nice definition on attack for fingerstyle funk. Lively bright tones as well as fat round ones. Relaxed big sound to stand up to loud drummers. I would be playing it through a fEARful 15/6/1 or 12/6/1, or both if need be.
Here's my main questions:
1) Clean headroom. Can it match the clean perceived volume of the current crop of class D amps like SVT 7Pro, MB800, etc?
2) Versatility. Can it take the place of a tone chameleon like the ShuttleMax 9.2? Bright modern tones, Modern slap, aggressive pick sounds a la chris squire, joe satriani modern fingerstyle grooves, Clean precise fusion grooves and soloing with lots of note and pitch definition? Or is it mainly suited to fat, supportive, old school rock and R'n'B grooves?
3) Wattage at 8/4/2 ohms? Is it always 300?
Ideally, I could do any gig with this head (hight/low volume, instrumental fusion, country, hard rock, jazz, funk, coffee house singer-songwriter, ...), as I would hate to have an expensive and awesome head that only works on certain situations.
Thanks y'all. I'm a tube nube, so excuse the naive questions.
1. Abouts. It is 300w. But of course they'll produce far more wattage once the drive sets in. It'll blow the gizzards outta my 3015 loaded TL606 cab if I Cranked it enough that's for sure.
2. It WILL do all those things buti doubt it'll be AS CLEAN as the Shuttle. That's a mighty clean and transparent amp.
I play disco and funk with my Super Bassman every week and things like Le Freak -Bernard Edwards' bass line is just that- thick, punchy fat. . And clean. As clean as my old Shuttle? ??? Probly not quite. It sure cab be adjusted to be clean but tube amps like this always have an edge to em... so I'd say. .. clean but different.
Very versatile with its 2 channels. The footswitchable drive is beautifully gruesome!
3. Yes. Always 300w at 8/4/2 ohms as far as I know.
I'd sure be happy using this amp at ALL the gigs I do. It'd certainly do Jazz fusion funk country coffee shop etc. I use it for almost all those
2. It WILL do all those things buti doubt it'll be AS CLEAN as the Shuttle. That's a mighty clean and transparent amp.
I play disco and funk with my Super Bassman every week and things like Le Freak -Bernard Edwards' bass line is just that- thick, punchy fat. . And clean. As clean as my old Shuttle? ??? Probly not quite. It sure cab be adjusted to be clean but tube amps like this always have an edge to em... so I'd say. .. clean but different.
Very versatile with its 2 channels. The footswitchable drive is beautifully gruesome!
3. Yes. Always 300w at 8/4/2 ohms as far as I know.
I'd sure be happy using this amp at ALL the gigs I do. It'd certainly do Jazz fusion funk country coffee shop etc. I use it for almost all those
