Fender Bassman

menamestom

Hmm.  I've just decided it might be a good idea to hunt a Bassman down.   I would like some more mids than my princeton and more spread.

What's it like owning a Bassman, any negatives?  They don't seem to heavy, 24kg.    I've played a blues deville 4x10 and that was nice.    What are the Fender reissue Bassmans like?

TheMarlin

Go for an old one.  Are you after blackface or Tweed, head or combo?

lustycourtier

I had a 90s one that was heavier than an ac30 and more awkward to move due to being taller. Wonderful though 

newi123

The model you describe sounds a little girly........

menamestom

newi123 said:

The model you describe sounds a little girly........

Yeah noticed that.  Fat fingers!

menamestom

TheMarlin said:

Go for an old one.  Are you after blackface or Tweed, head or combo?

Tweed combo was my thought.  An old one would probably cost a fortune would it not?

leerocker

bassman is my fave fender amp, i use a 64 blonde head and 2x12 cab, best amp  i have had for my rockabilly band, I like the blues deville too great band for buck from them, you missed a stupidly cheap tweed bassman reissue on here the other week, The reissue bassmans are good sounding amps unless you have about 6 grand then you can get an original one!

uncledick

Have you heard this?   

Dominic

Sounds horrible to me.......fuzzy,and flabby with electronic synthesiser overtones 
but what do I know ,perhaps this is what a lot of people like
One mans meat I guess

fretfinder

Can you turn it up wherever you're going to use it? The reissue 4x10s are loud!

newi123

Played an early reissue 4x10 at a local rehearsal room. Sounded fab - either cranked (although too loud then) or else with a pedal. Surprisingly compact and light too I thought! Would love one......  

richardhomer

@miserneil had one recently but had issues with volume IIRC 

Bridgehouse

Do they actually sound any good if you put a bass through them??

Winny_Pooh

Bridgehouse said:

Do they actually sound any good if you put a bass through them??

I knew a player who used a re-issue in conjunction with 1x15 SS bass combo. He used it with the lows rolled off to add some upper end warmth. Apparently a nice tone but I never saw the rig in action myself.

IvisonGuitars

richardhomer said:

@miserneil had one recently but had issues with volume IIRC 

I did indeed Richard, I think mine was the stupidly cheap one that @leerocker mentioned (which is probably why it sold within an hour!).

Beautiful cleans and lovely break up tones but you need to crank it to get the grind and it becomes far too loud in a normal band situation. I don't use pedals for dirt, I want it to come from the amp, so for me it was not suitable. Actually, a 20w version would be ideal. Anyone make anything like that?

I didn't find it heavy or awkward to move, I thought it was surprisingly light given the size....although I am used to a BadCat....and I'm of impeccable muscle tone and strength, not to mention exquisite good looks and modesty.

menamestom

fretfinder said:

Can you turn it up wherever you're going to use it? The reissue 4x10s are loud!

Yes, by varying degrees, but would use a pedal. 

ICBM

fretfinder said:

Can you turn it up wherever you're going to use it?

Yes, if you use an attenuator - although it's not as easy as with a lot of amps because of the speakers being connected with separate RCA plugs. You'll need a custom cable and connection box.

Bridgehouse said:

Do they actually sound any good if you put a bass through them??

They're OK for a very trad country/blues type of sound, although not loud - you *might* be able to gig one on a modern 'quiet' stage, but unless it's a tiny room it will definitely need to be mic'ed as well. They sound nice at low volume though, so one would be a good choice for a guitarist who occasionally plays bass at home.

For what it's worth, the reason the speakers are each connected with their own separate RCA plug is because the originals blew one or two about every gig, so Fender intentionally made them as easy as possible to replace! They supplied the speakers with the cable and plug already soldered on.

57Deluxe

Had an unhappy experience with a 2007 59 LTD. Looked great, smelled great but was ice-picky at anything past 4 and had no Grrrr unless pedalled-up. The Jangly Swirl was nice though.

In the end, my Pignose G40 (same circuit but with master) had that brown sound aplenty and made the Bassman redundant - I traded the 59 for a 57 Deluxe and now have best of both...

http://i57.tinypic.com/25tw8ds.jpg

Bridgehouse

ICBM said:

Bridgehouse said:

Do they actually sound any good if you put a bass through them??

They're OK for a very trad country/blues type of sound, although not loud - you *might* be able to gig one on a modern 'quiet' stage, but unless it's a tiny room it will definitely need to be mic'ed as well. They sound nice at low volume though, so one would be a good choice for a guitarist who occasionally plays bass at home.

For what it's worth, the reason the speakers are each connected with their own separate RCA plug is because the originals blew one or two about every gig, so Fender intentionally made them as easy as possible to replace! They supplied the speakers with the cable and plug already soldered on.

Hmmmm. I'm going to have to build a Bass patch on my Helix and use the Bassman amp model with a suitable cab combo and see what it's like.

At least Line 6 didn't model the speakers blowing every gig

ICBM

Bridgehouse said:

I'm going to have to build a Bass patch on my Helix and use the Bassman amp model with a suitable cab combo and see what it's like.

Is it a Tweed Bassman or a Blonde/Blackface Bassman model?

They are totally different amps. Almost the only things they have in common are the name and the valve types. There's a fair difference between the Blonde and Blackface too, but they're much more similar than either are to the Tweed.

Bridgehouse

ICBM said:

Bridgehouse said:

I'm going to have to build a Bass patch on my Helix and use the Bassman amp model with a suitable cab combo and see what it's like.

Is it a Tweed Bassman or a Blonde/Blackface Bassman model?

They are totally different amps. Almost the only things they have in common are the name and the valve types. There's a fair difference between the Blonde and Blackface too, but they're much more similar than either are to the Tweed.

It's a 58 Tweed with no master, with 4x10 Jensen alnicos...