The Fender Super Bassman 300 thread

[bencue73]

I had the pleasure of visiting our national Bergantino distributer today. It was a rare privilege to be able to audition the various cabs ‘back to back’ so I thought I would share some of my impressions for others looking for potential cab options for the Super Bassman.

One of the premises of my visit was to potentially find a speaker cab to run with the Fender Super Bassman as a smaller, more portable, ‘less loud’ option to the Berg NV610 for the situations when the 6 x 10 is just too much cab.

After comparing NV115 x 2, HD212, CN112 x 2, Baer ML115, I can say all these sound great with the SB. (More info in the Club Berg thread).

The Berg HD210 was the surprise package though and the one I walked away with! Voicing sounded great as a stand alone single cab with the big tube amp. Had the feel of punchy 10’s plus the extended lows and highs of the ported / tweetered configuration. I felt that the ‘authority’ of the ceramic drivers and a bit more weight in the cab construction contributed to the surprisingly big sound of this little package. Nice present upper mid grind also. Quite nice form factor for the larger amp to sit on top without looking totally out of place. Little bit of overhang but nothing to really worry about. All rubber feet of the SB fit on the cab when the cab is laid on it's long edge. Nice price point for a single cab solution (and much better than having to buy 2 of anything!) and plenty loud(!). Should cover practice/ rehearsal and smaller to moderate gig situations very nicely. This cab is still small enough that the extra weight of the HD cab (over the neo models) is not a big issue at all. In fact it weighs less than the head(!)

I have owned another 2x10 cab in the past that just did not cut it but this HD210 is in a whole other league! The tone pairs wonderfully with the SB in a small, powerful package.

 

[smeet]

Also check that the Fender Bassman Neo 115 IS ACTUALLY 45LBS one I returned weighed nearly 60lbs

Are you saying that one of the Neo 115's weighed more than the others? Or do you think they are all that heavy?

 

[Tim1]

Based on Rod's comments I think you could safely go with the neo 115. He gigs regularly in a variety of styles and has a bunch of gear, so if he says it does most of his gigs then that is real world experience you can rely on. Plus the look cool factor of the matching head and cab is a bonus. If weight is a major then do check you get a light one, as Rod says.
I have just ordered a 212AV to go with my V4B but it won't be here before new year. Obviously I will try it with the SB300 as well, but cannot comment until it is here plus I have not played a 115 neo for comparison.
If it was me, I think I would be angling towards the Fender.

 

[Tim1]

I had the pleasure of visiting our national Bergantino distributer today. It was a rare privilege to be able to audition the various cabs ‘back to back’ so I thought I would share some of my impressions for others looking for potential cab options for the Super Bassman.

One of the premises of my visit was to potentially find a speaker cab to run with the Fender Super Bassman as a smaller, more portable, ‘less loud’ option to the Berg NV610 for the situations when the 6 x 10 is just too much cab.

After comparing NV115 x 2, HD212, CN112 x 2, Baer ML115, I can say all these sound great with the SB. (More info in the Club Berg thread).

The Berg HD210 was the surprise package though and the one I walked away with! Voicing sounded great as a stand alone single cab with the big tube amp. Had the feel of punchy 10’s plus the extended lows and highs of the ported / tweetered configuration. I felt that the ‘authority’ of the ceramic drivers and a bit more weight in the cab construction contributed to the surprisingly big sound of this little package. Nice present upper mid grind also. Quite nice form factor for the larger amp to sit on top without looking totally out of place. Little bit of overhang but nothing to really worry about. All rubber feet of the SB fit on the cab when the cab is laid on it's long edge. Nice price point for a single cab solution (and much better than having to buy 2 of anything!) and plenty loud(!). Should cover practice/ rehearsal and smaller to moderate gig situations very nicely. This cab is still small enough that the extra weight of the HD cab (over the neo models) is not a big issue at all. In fact it weighs less than the head(!)

I have owned another 2x10 cab in the past that just did not cut it but this HD210 is in a whole other league! The tone pairs wonderfully with the SB in a small, powerful package.

Ah, Berg gas. You simply can't go wrong with Jim and George. And George is about to ship me my Dingwall Combustion too

 

[rodl2005]

Are you saying that one of the Neo 115's weighed more than the others? Or do you think they are all that heavy?

I bought one 1st. It was 45lbs and felt nice n light and sounded great. So I thought I'd grab another. When my local got it in, I loaded it into my car and it didn't seem that light buti thought nothing of it. But a week or two later I used the two cabs and one was significantly heavier.
I started a thread about it as originally my local and Fender weren't gonna take it as a return.
Ended up all good

 

[smeet]

I bought one 1st. It was 45lbs and felt nice n light and sounded great. So I thought I'd grab another. When my local got it in, I loaded it into my car and it didn't seem that light buti thought nothing of it. But a week or two later I used the two cabs and one was significantly heavier.

Now that is really strange. Do you think the heavier one had non-Neo speakers in it? Did they sound the same? Different handle designs or identical in appearance?

Just as with my amp quest, none of the major chain stores here (Los Angeles) have either the Neo 115 or the 212av in stock, and they can't get one unless I am buying it.
I just don't get it. You can find this stuff in New Zealand but not in LA??? That makes no sense to me.

I guess I'll just keep a watch on the classifieds.

 

[rodl2005]

Different wood. Everything else was same. Still an excellent cab but not the 45lbs as was advertised. They've taken that off the later adverts. If you find a 45lb one, it's an early one I'd think.
Check my thread. Search Fender neo 115 and ya should find it.
Rob at Fender helped out greatly.

 

[smeet]

Or... Maybe I should be thinking about the neo 410 instead... Are they very different sounding than the 115? Nobody has any I can try out....

 

[smeet]

I'm brand new to tube amps. What are the guidelines for protecting and preserving my power tubes?
Here's what I think know:

• After turning on power, let it warm up for a minute before turning on the standby
• After turning off power, let it cool down for a minute before turning off the standby
• When taking a short break (how long?), put it on standby
• When taking a longer break (how long?), shut the amp down

So, how long a break is good for standby and how long to shut the amp down?
If I'm playing at very low volumes, are the power tubes stressed less than driving it hard, or is tube life related simply to time?

I'm loving this amp and using it for my everyday soft volume practice, so the power tubes can be on for a couple of hours+ each day.
Am I running my tubes down? How long should they last?

Thanks all!

 

[kzr750r1]

I don't own tubes yet... But this would be how I would hope to treat my SB300 when I get it.
1) Let the amp get warm. One min may not be enough. At least 3 to 5 if not more.
2) Let the tubes cool as much as possible before moving. Could be 10 min or more.
3) Flip it on standby and keep the temp you have.
4) Depends on how long but pretty much same as 3, so you don't have to warm it up again.

Would love to hear the feedback on stress questions.

Did you settle on a cabs Smeet?

 

[rodl2005]

Some gigs I'll leave it on standby for 10 mins to an hour b4 playing.
Don't stress it. Leave on standby for as long as you like between playing. If I wasn't going to be playing for an hour or more, then I'd Probly turn it off. No probs to leave on standby tho.
Turning off..... Just turn it off. Don't worry about standby at all.
Sometimes I'll flip it to standby 1st then off straight away...
Big ones are:-
Let warm up at least a minute b4 playing.
Let cool as long as possible b4 moving after use.
That's it.
Oh. ....& remember to ALWAYS have a speaker connected (correct impedance setting) BEFORE turning on.

 

[smeet]

Did you settle on a cabs Smeet?

No. I haven't found a place to try any of them out yet. I'll be fine with the fEARless cabs for now. They sound great, but I do want to get something traditional sounding. I'll probably wait until something shows up used, either 212av or neo 410 or 115.

 

[smeet]

Let cool as long as possible b4 moving after use.

This is one I didn't know. I play shows where I have to get off stage as quickly as possible after we play. Does the "wait before moving" apply to gently carrying it off stage and setting it down? Or does it just mean don't handle it roughly?

 

[Rezdog]

Greetings from the South,

Hey smeet.....just be gentle and handle with care when moving your tube head around. Being in Cali you shouldnt have to worry about zipping from the stage to a sub zero load out to often.

Rezdog

 

[rodl2005]

Yep. If ya gotta get off stage, fine. Do it. Just handle it gently. I handle all my tube amps gently always. .. so, no difference. Just treat as if there's glass inside.

 

[Rezdog]

Hey rodl2005 hope the holidays are goin well. Santa flew by and a couple of Faital Pro 15PR400's fell off his sled. Prolly won't get to install them for another week or two. So that will be my only renewal project for a while.

Rezdog

 

[rodl2005]

Santa dropped me a MONO DOUBLE electric bass case do he did real well for me.

2 Faital 15PR400's whoo hooo. What cab are you loading em into?
I've got a couple of Eminence 3015s I must do summink with in the coming year.

And a merry Christmas to you too Rezdog

 

[Rezdog]

Thanks! I'm going to drop them into the TC115 Traynor cabs that I changed the grills on last winter. Yup the ones I rebadged with the Cadillac insignias

And congrats on the double Mono.

Rezdog

 

[jeffgnr90]

SO i was playing at my other band-mates house through my Acoustic b600h head, with my 80's Peavey t20 and the depicted below pedalboard. on the head i had the notch filter (-10db) somewhere between 200-250hz and the 40hz almost dimed. it was a PUNCH monster, i'm assuming it had everything to do with the 40hz being turned almost all the way up, that's when things turned magical. now i'm home, trying to do a similar thing with the sb300 firstly with the vint. channel.

What confuses me is when I look up the manual for my b600h, though the knob says 40hz, the manual says its really centered around 63hz lol. so idk if I was boosting at 40hz or 63hz. plus i understand that regardless of where the knob is centered, it's acting as a parametric eq, not a graphic. where is the bass knob on both channels centered again? 40hz or 80hz?

 

[smeet]

Both 40Hz and 63Hz sound way too low to add punch IME, regardless of how the dials on your Acoustic were labeled or documented. If you've ever heard a 63Hz sine wave, it sounds LOW, more like "whooomp" you feel than "punch" you hear. The boost, notch, and the speaker response probably combine to do something more complex than a simple "boost at so-and-so frequency".

The only reliable way to figure it out (other than experienced ears) would be to put a noise signal through the Acoustic and peavy cab, mic it and record a few seconds with and without the eq. Then we could run an FFT analysis on the files and see what the actual difference is in the frequency response.

Then we could reverse engineer how to get a similar sound on the Fender. Actually, just feeding a noise signal into the amp and listening to the result might give you a good idea of what's happening since all frequencies are represented, unlike with your bass signal.

BTW, I had a similar experience recently at a rehearsal space that had an 80's Peavey TNT combo. Maxxing out the low "40Hz" slider on the graphic eq and scooping out all the mids gave a beautiful "punchy" and articulate sound. I know for a fact there was very little 40Hz being heard, and there were plenty of mids in the sound. So, how to duplicate that sound on my rig? I just tweak as best as I can by memory and by ear. Eq circuits are so different from amp to amp, and the speaker/cap response is so different, even the room comes into play.

Here's a nice simple online tone generator to familiarize yourself with what different frequencies sound like, generate different kinds of noise, etc:
http://onlinetonegenerator.com/

You'll need good headphones or monitors to hear the low tones, and BE CAREFULL WITH YOUR VOLUMES!!!
First, turn down your volume. You can blow out your speakers with low frequencies, or (much worse) your ears at higher frequencies.

If you want to send me any recordings, I can run a frequency analysis on it and send you the plots, if you think that might help.