Fender Bassman 215 Pro Cabinet

I already own a Bassman 300 Pro all tube head, and I have been looking for this cab for years becausd Fender stoped manufacturing it a while ago. I finally found this used at a store on the other side of the country and I negotiated hard to have it shipped from California to North Carolina. It's already worned out bad, but it sounds good and I love it.

As the Bassman 300 Pro amp, this was originaly manufacture by SUNN.

I play more Blues, R&B, Reggea, Southern Rock and Classic Rock. So I need round solid lows.

Simple old fashion 2x15 cabinet with vent tuned at about 50HZ with black tolex and side handles. Simetrical drivers allignment for max coloration. 41 inches high and quite light 87 lbs for the size, it's relatively easy to carry it arround despite its size.

No horn, no hasty X-Over.

It uses 2 x 15 inches hemp cones tunes old fashion way, that is not as low as a long throuw sub speakers.

I sold my SVT-810 to buy this cabinet, and I made a return of $500.

I believe that cab was originally sold for about $600.

Very good for recording. I use it mainly in my studio, but I also use it live. Loud enough for mid size venu inside or outside without PA.

Since it's 8 ohms, performance is better optimized with tube amp.

I used it with a Bassman 300 Pro, A fender Precision US 70' special run with 60' pickup, a US Jazz 2004 with Custom Shop pickups both with DR high beam strings, and a Japanese Precision 59' with Ernie Ball flat wond strings (love this one). I use distorted channel on the amp, as well as a BOSS ODB-3 Bass OverDrive, EH Big Muff, BassBalls envelope, Holy Grail reverb and Pulsar Tremolo.


This is a Vintage sound cabinet, meaning it's not high end. It doesn't go very high (still way high enough for my taste), but it handles lows properly since it's a 2 x 15. But it has a great Vintage tone.

You see I'm always desapointed when a band from the 70' is doing a reunion and they use cheeze modern gear. Modern gear sound good, but it's not the same tone and feel as original one. So when I play oldies classic with my band like Hendrix, Cream, and so on, we have a sound that is closer to the originals then the ream musicians with their new gear. And yes, old 60' and 70's albums sound VERY GOOD if you have a very good sound system.

Back to business.

It is not as loud as an SVT-810, since a 215 has about 75% air pumping surface of an 810. But it has much better and louder lows, much more throaty mids and fewer highs. It handles low B very well and the highs are limited at 4K instead of 6K for SVT-810.

To give you an idea, SVT 810 is limited to 65HZ but is useable down to 45HZ. This means a low G is still powerfull, but a low E gets seriously week. You need to cranck the lows with an SVT 810, but the drivers are giving up. The 10" eminence won't blow easily though because they are very tough.

This one is tuned to 50HZ ( I did the math with speaker building software) so the low E is much more solid and round and even a low B is very good.

Even though it's a bit less efficient then an 810, it's a more brutal sound and rounder lows. It's also easier to record then the 810 at a distance because the sound is slightly more focus.

I said slighty more focus, because in reality the simetrical allignment of the drivers and the total lack of damping material makes the box resonating and adding a lot of coloration. So the sound is as dirty as it can be.

It is a bit bore does it all then an 810, because it is both very loud, but is smaller, lighter and goes way lower.

This cab ias been designed to be used with the 300W tube head. Set flat, you get this great throaty sound of 15's, and with the mid notch you get this dark 70's psychadelic sound.

It's surprising bright, and I love it better then the SVT 810, because I thought the SVT was a bit too bright for me. Works very well with any kind of distortion.

Since the sound is very brutal, it doesn't have to be so loud and blow your ear drum to cut well through the mix. If you crank the highs, it gets transparent enough.

And it goes low. You see most bass cabinet I have tried with good low sometime have to mich low when crancked up. With this one is easy to manage your sound.

Even though the sound is smooth, when you reach the limit it distorts. So with a tube amp, you just cranck up the volume and you get this old fashion fuzz. Not my mojo, but I'm glad it's there. I would not recommand using this with a solid state amp. Tube is safer because it compresses instead of peaking.

I love the sound of the SVT-810, but the Bassman 215 simply suit my need better because I still have this vintage sound but I have more low.

This cab as already been beaten up bad, but it sounds awesome. Since I use the appropriate tube head, in case of abuse, the only damage would be tubes.

I have used Fender product for a while. Good support in general.

I have been playing as a hobyist for 5 years now. This is a discountinued product, so if it was stolen, I would simply cry. I can't believe Fender stoped producing this cab. The sad thing is that Fender did a VERY poor job marketing the Pro serie they acquired from SUNN (yes this was designed by SUNN originaly). It is still for sell in Australia under SUNN name.

I'm sure they were wrong to end the production. They should have advetized properly instead and make sure Guitar Center have them in stock to try.

I have been looking for this kind of gear for years. I went through expensive Bergantino and Ampeg cabs to end with a cheaper and beaten to death Fender 215 cabinet. I wasted a lot of money on the process. What's the problem here? It's a great cab and the drivers are Emminence, so there is surely not a shortage. And they are dying to manufacture more hemp cones.

It's best deal I have done. I'm looking for another one.