Fender Bassman 250/115 Combo

I went to all the music stores in my area and I tried all the amps I could find. I have to say for the price (650 Can) IT seemed to have the most options. BUt the thing that got my attention was the size. I also have a Rumble 100. The only reason I wanted to upgrade is because the 100 didn't have enough power. But the size of the combo made it easy to fit perfect in the trunk of my Saturn. All the other amps didn't fit (+1).

I am Playing a Fender American Jazz and a P-Bass Lyte. The amp just seems to be made to make the Jazz sound as good as it can possibly be. The pbass lyte sounds like crap through it. But then it sounds like crap through any amp.

THE CASTORS SUCK !!!!

Other than that it has been to about 100 gigs never had a problem. And I never use a backup. That is what the PA and a sansamp is for.

Never needed yet

If it got stolen I would hunt the bastard down and force them to listen to Britney Spears or equivlent for a week with no break. Or I would by a new one asap. I love it, no amp is perfect but this one is definatly worth looking into.

This amp was purchased on eBay from a Music Store that used it as a demo and it was in perfect shape when I got except the casters (I will explain later). I believe it is a 2006 or 2007 model, but not sure. This amp is the ultimate regarding tonal versatility. It is a single channel solid-state amp and has many nice features: Effects loop, CD player Input, Headphone Jack, Ext Speaker Jack, Solid State. 250 watts RMS into one 4 Ohm 15" Eminence Speaker. These speakers kill the standard speakers in the Rumble and earlier 90's Bassman amp's. The output is huge and more than I have had on 400 Watt Combo amps. I cannot say enough about the speaker...simply awesome. Relatively light for it's size, with good side handles and casters included. Love it!

I use a 5-String Fender P-Bass with passive standard Fender Pick-ups and it is beautiful sounding. Lots of tight, rich and thick,blooming low-end that shakes without muddiness. All true musicians that hear it give you a thumbs-up when you start groovin' on it...fills the room without over-powering. The Room Balance and Contour controllers are fantastic. I just set all the tone controls in the center and adjust the Room Balance and contour buttons to taste - done. No noise or hiss even at higher volumes, but I have never had to turn it up to like 4 with the Preamp volume in the center and compressor in the center. The compressor is very subtle and compresse as needed without squashing the sound.

The only problem I have is the casters do not have a good screws (too short) and they are not mounted too well - strip out easy. Just watch it and get longer screws if needed. Amp does not seem to get very warm and does not overheat after three hours of use. So far so good. The cabinet is built like a tank and has good plastic corner guards. I actually prefer the hard plastic corner guards as the metal ones tend to come loose and rust over time. Also, i found a dealer selling the new Fender-made and logoed black nylon cover for $30 - get this they are VERY nice and will give you the extra protection from dust, humidity, moving it, etc. They look very sharp too.

No experience. I have heard if you need support is to go to a dealer and not Fender direct.

I have been playing for 25 years and have owned a lot of different gear. I got rid of a Carvin 400Watt BR615 combo to buy this as this amp blew away the Carvin in tone, power, and versatility!! I really think the new Fender bass amp line over all is excellent. I love my Fender American P-Bass through it and everyone that sees and hears it comments on the good tone and looks. I like Ampeg, but I find you have to pay twice as much and although the tone is good, the power output is not as good at this level.