Fender Bantam Bass Amp

My Bantam is a 1970 model, Silverface, with the styrofoam Yamaha speaker still installed. Black tolex, etc. Mine is a really clean example of the Bantam, no rust, no tears in the grill, clean wiring, no gigging stains, etc. The standard two channels have tone control and that's about it. There's a deep switch, but the difference is negligible, so it might as well not exist.

The amp is really quiet for what it is. I play a tele and some other odds and ends through it, and have even used it to amplify a Wurlitzer 200a electric piano. It pretty much handles whatever gets thrown at it. The tone is great, with a bit more color in the bass end than the standard super reverb for guitar. I wouldn't put a bass through it for any large gigs, or when playing with a drummer, but for gigs where the bass takes a backseat, it has a really warm tone for the instrument for which it was marketed. I have a musicmaster bass amp that has this same quality, but it really doesn't do much other than let me practice with the bass.

It's a tank...what more can i say? As the other users have already lauded the old Fender reliability, i won't go farther than to say that they're right. If you maintain it, it will work like a dog for years to come.

N/A...there are some individuals who have been extremely helpful as far as information and whatnots.

I love this amp. It has just enough dirty on the loud end not to need a pedal if I want modest distortion. I don't know as far as differences in tubes, but mine breaks up more at 5 on the volume knob. I rarely turn it past 3 if I am looking for a clean sound. The tone is unsurpassed, even without a 4x10 swap. It's a tank, and I love it.

Made probably '69' or '70, Rectangular poly foam speaker was gone when I bought the amp, thank god. The guy I bought it from had a full range 15" speaker of some sort in it, which I tossed out and replaced with a new baffle consisting of 4x10's. 2 channel amp, no reverb or anything, but what a sound! 2x 6L6's , 30 watts. Absolutely Perfect for playing blues with a band in a bar.

This amp, now with 4x10 s sounds so good it worries me to death at the thought of losing it to a thief or something. It has THAT SOUND! Stevie to a T, I play alot of Stevie, and other great blues stuff, I play a collection of strats of course, FD-2, Fat boost, Verbzilla, and a Budda Wha. I m serious when I say that players are speachless when they hear it, I know the only thing going throught they re head is how can I get one of these. These amps are very special, the only reason I do not play it as much currently is because I bought a DR.Z Maz 18 Jr. which gives me more of anything Ive ever dreamed of, and more, WOW, but thats another story.

I have had it serviced By Dave Vidal, and I need not say any more, No problems.

Does not apply

Ive been playing for 40 years plus, and I love the Vintage fender tone and Am totally Goo Goo over my Z Maz 18 Jr. But for that Fender thing, After playing through some of the best super reverbs around. the tone I get from this Bantam bass with a 4x10 speaker situation, has got me forgetting all about looking for anything else period. When you have tried them all, hit the top, where else do you go. I know there are alot of other great amps out there, including Dr.Z, Bogner, and a host of other hand built amps. But if you love that Fender sound and love that whole stevie vibe for sound and tone, do yourself a favour and Find a bantam bass, get it serviced niceley, (cap job,tubes, etc.)load it with 4x10 s , and enjoy something special you ve always search for.

Probably a 70's model silverface amp. This two channel tube bass amp sounds amazing when played with guitar. A great old fender tone that sounds very bluesy at lower volumes and gritty at overdriven volumes. It only has high, mid and low tone controls and I wish it had spring reverb but it'is a reality just a bass amp. I've played bass through it and it sounded like crap, it wasn't low and deep enough and would distort even turned half way up. The amp I have does not have the original speaker but has a 15" paper cone replacement. I use a Gibson RD artist with humbucker pickups, and a Gibson Challenger with P90 pickups. I play blues rock, electric folk, and garage rock and this 40watt amp is loud enough to play small gigs.

I use a Gibson RD artist with humbucker pickups, and a Gibson Challenger with P90 pickups. I play blues rock, electric folk, and garage rock and this 40watt amp is loud enough to play small gigs.
Played clean it makes that sounds great for playing jangly sounding guitar, and played with a fuzz pedal it has that great warm grunge sound. It has deep switch on channel 1 that I use for great blues tones. This amp is as versatile as you can make it, It kinda reminds me of a fender champ on steroids.

This amp is very tough,built very solid it even has the angled arms to prop it up at a 45 degree angle. My Bantam Bass Amp needs some cleaning on the knobs because there is ocassionally some hiss and for that I wouldn't take it to a gig without a back up. However, when I get this amp serviced I know it'll be unstoppable.

Been playing electric for 15 years. I own a super reverb and a Kustom 100dfx. I play Gibson guitars.
I probably couldn't find another one if I tried especially at the price I paid. I love the fact that its the perfect size and just loud enough to practice and gig. The only thing I wish it had is reverb, but just hook up a fender reverb unit and its just as kick ass as a super reverb. When I bought it I also bought it with a bassman 10 for a good deal, and I'm glad I did, money well spent.

OK, I'm going to skip on the specs since it's covered. Not sure when it was made. Bought it used. Would be nice with reverb or that kind of complimentary effect, but this amp is a bit "different" than your traditional 60s/70s tube Fenders. I believe this was originally released as a bass amp!

So it lacks many useful features that you'll find in a guitar amp. I wouldn't recommend using this for bass. Oh and my Bantam also has a 15" replaced from the Yamaha speakers. "10" for a wonderful bare tube Fender amp.

Just nice and warm. Mmmm... For the power+quality of the sound vs the price, it's a great value! Specially compared to the 60s/70s Champ, Princetons, etc.

Tried playing bass through it and it does, but not that nice - not loud enough and lacks the bottom thuds. Guitar playing is just sweet - warm Fender tube sound! Well rounded - a bit too bass-y at times - but breaks into overdrive easily and LOUD for a practice/bedroom amp! I'd say "6" for a bass amp, and even though on paper it's a bass amp, if you're reading this by now, you should know this is meant for guitar and it is a "10" for that.

Btw, I use a hollow-body, single coil Gibson and I can get some hard rock, rock/pop, and a hint of jazz. Oh and there's definitely a bluesy tone to it!

Oh, I think I had it for a year or two. Works flawlessly and considering the age, you have to respect the engineering and craftsmanship. Old vintage Fender amps are amazing!

NA

Fantastic value! This Bantam is a hidden treasure if you really appreciate warm Fender sound, but can't understand/afford the popular vintage Fender amps. But ofcourse, like all amps, you have to take good care of it - service/tuning.

This amp was made in 1970 with two 1969 transformers and one 1970 power transformer. This amp would be perfect for blues/jazz these days because, everybody wants a louder bass amp. It has two channels (one can be used for guitar). No channel switching, no Effects loops, no Headphone jack. It has two speaker jacks (one external, one internal), the speaker load will be 4 ohms with an external cab. This is your basic bass amp with no effects but, Fender bass amps back then didn't have any effects. It's an excellent vintage practice amp for bass these days. I agree with what somebody else said about it having sensitive volume and tone controls. The volume and tone controls must be separate. I put a JBL 15" D130F speaker in the cab and, I can't turn it up past 3-4 because this speaker is also very sensitive. The Bantam Bass Amp is only 30 watts but, it sounds much louder than that with this speaker in there.

I had a blackface Bassman mod put on this amp. The blackface mod is very easy because, you only need to add some caps and resistors and, remove some other caps and resistors. With the proper ground and bias adjust setting, this amp is super quiet. The Bantam Bass Amp can produce excellent tones for jazz and or bass guitar. I have used this amp with the volume on 10 and tone controls on 5 on both channels and, it's not distorted at high volumes. I have even used it with all knobs on 10 and, the distortion sounds like a tube amp should be. Fender wasn't concerned about how amps sounded with all the knobs on 10 back then. Fender just wanted the amp(s) to sound clean (having the tone knobs on 5 and, volume on 10).

I've restored this amp and had a blackface mod put on it. I have used it a lot since restoring and blackfacing it and, it's very reliable. It has never broken down because I have it serviced once a year and put new tubes in it. I don't use it for gigs but, I'm sure it will work fine for two hours straight. I have practiced on this amp for two hours at a time also.

The first time I've got it repaired was from an authorized Fender service center and, that was only because of one bad 470 ohm resistor. This amp was made in 1970 and, I'm not sure how many other people have owned it since 1970. The warranty is long gone because of how old this amp is also.

I've been playing guitar since the late 1980's. I own three silverface Fender amps, one Fender Strat and two Gibson Les Paul solid body electric guitars. Nobody would dare steal my stuff with two German Shepherd dogs here. I would only sell my stuff if I really needed money. The Bantam Bass Amp is perfect for a blackface mod and, I like the way it sounds.

This is a very weird '69-'72 Super Reverb sized amp with 2 6L6's. The first channel is Vol, Trb, Bass with a deep switch. The second has an additional mid control and a bright switch. No Verb or Trem. The most distinguishing feature is the strofoam Yamaha 15" assymetrical trapezoidal speaker.

I got this amp because it was very clean and dirt cheap. My thoughts are to replace the baffle board and replace the original speaker with a 15" to use it for jazz. As it is with the original speaker, the sound is clean with some sizzling highs and boomy lows at low volumes and really farty at high vol, using the 2nd channel. The first channel needs a new tube. With the orig speaker unplugged and a sealed enclosure employed with a 12" Brown Soun Tone Tubbie, this thing rocks pretty hard. Louder but not as sweet as a Deluxe with a little more clean headroom. Unbelievably sensitive tone controls. Small changes make huge differences, especially on the bass control.
Volume is not up to a Super or a Pro. The weird original speaker is rated at only 30 watts, so I think that the amp circuit has reduced output compared to those amps. This is not necessarily a bad thing. I need to get this to a good tech to get the skinny.

It's a silverface Fender, so unless this just happens to be a lemon, it ought to be very reiable.

Never tried.

I'm a fairly versatile player and have a rotating collection of single coil Strat types, humbucking solid bodies, archtops. I use lots of pedals. My other main amp for the last 5 years has been a Victoria Bassman 4x10 and before that, a '68 Super. Both of those amps sound majestic but lacked a certain clarity and depth in the low frequecies that I really like for my archtop. I hoping with the speaker transplant, this will be it. So far so good.

I use a Bantam Bass Amp with my guitar, a Fender Telecaster. I bought it second-hand (or more) with a regular 12inch speaker in it. I was told that it would sound best with two of them (more powerful), but my opinion is that my sound with the one speaker is great already. Amazing how loud you can go with this amp. I play in a rock band and it occurred to me that, during rehearsals, I could hear myself perfectly well while the whole band was playing (including our drummer, who is a real wood-cutter). At gigs, when the drum kit is amplified as well, I ask for a little monitoring, but not much.
I use the second channel ('Normal'), because it sounds warmer than the first channel ('Bass Instrument'). The sound is quite transparent (also with my Ibanez 'Fat Cat' distortion pedal), because the back of the amp is open, but it never sounds thin. Maybe that is because it is originally a bass-amp. It has more than enough bass: at higher volumes I always cut the bass a bit.
If you turn the volume halfway up or more, the clean sound gets a crunchy edge and that's what I like best about this amp: because it doesn't have a very high wattage, you can get the nice tube sound without having to play abnormally loud.
This amp has no fx loop, no distortion-channel, no reverb, tremolo or other effects, but it provides a great basic sound for your guitar.

I'd like other users of a Bantam Bass Amp to get in touch with me, I don't know anyone else that has one

This amp was made in 1971&72.I origionally played one of these amps in 1972 when I was 12 and playing electric bass for the school band. The amp was owned by a student teacher that was playing trio gigs with it. I could easly over power the 60 piece band. Lots of clear mids. The unusual part of this amp is that it has a square stirafome speaker made of the same material like a stirafome cup by Yamaha for Fender, email me for pics. I just aquired one of thease amps and it did sound good. Lots of tubes. A good loud 40 watt. About as much ass as a working man 12, less lows more mids. Not a gig amp by my standards but probably great for recording. Way better than a flip top. I have 8 of them. simple, down and dirty, 2 chanel, deep on one, bright on the other, mid on both.

I probably sounds best with a jazz bass. Good for what it does. It is quite, has enough EQ to tune it differant basses. Sounds like a jazz bass to me.

40 years op proof on the amp side. The speaker is a Stirafome cup. How long would that last in a land fill?

I dont know.

I have a BA in music. Been playing 30 years live, still do. currant rig. 2 Eden world tour 800. 4 Eden 2X12 bass cabs. I prowd to have the amp. If lost I would get an other. Great jazz bass mid tone.