Fender Bassman 10

always heard these were awful amps. a silverface w/ a master volume? forget it. folks, I beg to differ. I'm a bass player. It's a bass amp. Jeez. I play a a 1991 Ernie Ball.

I play guitar too. See below.

For bass, the combo has a great sound at low-medium volumes. Don't try to turn up the volume. Like all Fenders, it has the notorious low-end farts at high volumes, and the speakers just won't tolerate that forever. If I want to rock, I have an Ampeg SVT w/ two cabs.

Now, I play guitar through it as well - a 71 Les Paul Custom. The low-end farts don't bother me, but I think it lacks a lttle distinction at high volme. I tend to dime the whole outfit, and it ain't dead yet. Has GT tubes, which concerned me at first. But no worries. It'll part your hair a different way.

The first night i had it, it sounded off. So I figured I'd let the tubed get hot for an hour or two, come back and try again. Brain fart. Went to bed, left it on all night. Next morning, nothing.

A year later, toted it to repair shop. Amp guy tightened the chassis, aired it out, and it's worked like a hound dog on field trip ever since.

A Fender warranty is useless new. So, no warranty work.

Been playing since 1970. Blew up every Fender I ever owned, except this one. Had tons of guitars and basses. The Ernie Ball, the Les Paul, the SVT and the Bassman 10 are all I'll ever need. Loads of luck folks. Enjoy life and be good to others. shankins@newwavecomm.net

I have a 1972 Fender Bassman Ten.

All original. In ridiculous condition. this thing looks like it was kept under a cover in a temperature controlled room for its life. a couple little dings and some minor wear but damn, it looks great!

bass/ normal channel with two inputs, deep switch, bass, treble, and volume controls.

bass/studio channel with two inputs, bright switch, bass, mid, treble and volume controls.

this amp also has a master volume.

the amp takes two 6L6GC's and three 12ax7's. i put a 12at7 in v1 and the phase inverter section, and a 12ax7 in v2. three prong cord, casters, and a removable grille. this amp is 50 watts, and damn its loud!

This is my second Bassman Ten. the first was a 78 and you can read my review for that a ways down this page.

the 78 had a sweet tone that i loved, but this 72 just seems to just surpass that and everything ive ever heard. the 78 had an ultralinear transformer, and i think that may have messed with the tone a bit. this one is just pure point to point all tube heaven. 50 loud ass watts.

when you crank all the channels and the master volume, its the creamiest, smoothest, nicest overdrive i have ever heard. loud as hell, but so nice sounding. the speakers break up real nice on account of them being broken in. even when i have the amp reigned in and clean, the tone is just amazing. so thick and rich and dynamic. and this amp LOVES pedals.

i use a boss ge-7, a boss od-3, and a digitech bad monkey to boost this amp.

no built in effects so i got an ehx holy grail reverb in front and that sounds amazing. such a great tone.

i like to have the amp running a tad hot and i use my volume knob and the boosts to change the overdrive characteristics and it works really well. i cant rave about the tone enough. its pure bassman thump and grind.

i play an epiphone sheraton II, a fender telecaster with 52 reissue pickups, and a squier jagmaster with a sd phat cat in the bridge. they all sound amazing through this amp. i tend to use the studio channel the most, but i like jumpering the channels at home. i may try it live, but i like to open her up on stage.

solid as a rock. not too heavy, and has casters!!! never had a problem. is really great for swapping out different tubes. i dont have any worries with this amp.

this amp is too old for customer support!

i dont hate a damn thing about this amp. i worried about it being top heavy and too thin and just falling over, but so far so good. its sturdy, loud as hell (i need loud) and it sounds better than anything ive ever used. this is MY amp and im never letting her go.

My Bassman is a 1972 Bassman 10 (silver face)converted into a head, all tube of course. So the original features are all the same minus the Jenson 10" speakers. I bought it this way. Anyways, it has two totaly seperate channels which I use both with an A/B switch, it is 50 watts and each channel has 2 inputs, but you can't switch between the channels without an A/B switch. The bass side (left channel) has no mid which really sucks and has a deep switch that really (in my opinion) does'nt work well with guitar, so I never use it. The guitar side has mid, and a bright switch which really sparkles when played clean, which is all this amp can do unless you crank the master and the channel volume, very Gordie Johnston (Grady/Big Sugar). It has no reverb, and I know it was originally a bass amp but over the years you figure they would have added some reverb to the amp. It is more then loud enough for live and it can be a little crazy and heard to tame for practice, but hey it's a stack. The amp would not be versatile enough for me if I did'nt have my Radial Tonebone Trimode (or any good overdrive/distortion for that matter) because the only way to get any distortion (mind you it is awesome, awesome tube overdrive/ditortion) is by cranking it, master and channel. As you can probably tell I play modern hard rock, Breaking Benjamins/Army of Anyone (non metal) original stuff and with the pedal and the amp I sound like a god screaming from high above the clouds!

I can't beleive it, this is the only other amp, besides my Traynor YCV40WR, that DOES NOT produce any noise! I use a Gibson Les Paul Swamp Ash Studio, Gibson Les Paul Double Cut Faded (P90's) and an Epiphone Explorer (with Gibson pickups, and it is used for drop A tuning) through it and wow! This thing is crystal clear, chimy, beautiful clean with tons and tons of headroom! I play it through a Peavey 4x12 cab, loaded with 4 Peavey Scorpions. I know what you are thinking but the Scorpions have never ever failed me in previous Peavey amps I have owned and the take to high gain and effects very well, plus they work well of this head so think what you want, the are rock speaker made in the USA! I had RUBY tubes in it originally and I hated them, they break up way to early and when they do they sound very farty so I switched them for JJ's and my god! What a difference JJ tubes make! This amp screams when I put the distortion on and like I said before, it is a beutiful clean. I use the guitar side for my rhythym channel and I use the bass channel for lead. The bass channel, well it sounds like a bass amp but add an EQ pedal in the mix and your in solo heaven!!!! I just use a cheap Behringer EQ-7 pedal and run it all the time on the lead channel and I sound exactly how I want to sound. I love the option of the channels when you have a good distortion pedal. Now, about that reverb issue I had previously stated, I bought a Line 6 Verbzilla and it has 2 inputs and 2 outputs so it works for my lead and rhythym channel, but thats another review. All in all, if you have a good distortion and an EQ pedal (reverb pedal if you're into it) it can be any amp you want it to be, and if you strictly play clean then this is the amp for you. It is very touchy though, to go up one notch on anything does a lot. I will say that I can tell this amp will not be for everyone but it suits me very well, even with out the tubes I added.

I have'nt had it long enough but it seems strong, who cares it ROCKS! No, I can't give you an honest answer fo a little while yet.

It's is from 1972! But I did email Fender to get the internal specs for the amp and they responded very quickly (next day). With more then I asked for.

I have been playing for 14 years and I have owned every type of tube amp from Marshall, Fender, Peavey, Traynor, and many more and I gave up a Marshall JCM800 for this amp. I own 7 guitars that are all excellent to good quality and tons of pedals from boutique to cheap crap, so I do try alot of different things. It can do it all if you have the right tools and even if you have just a nice guitar it can still put a smile on your face. If it were lost or stolen I would buy another one right away, I already have insurance on it. I wish it had reverb and a mid knob on the bass channel but everything else just blows me away. Don't foget though, this review is the head through a 4x12 cab. But, the price on these old Fender Silverface Bassman amps is not very high so maybe you should give it a try. The best clean amp that can also handle beefy distortion extremely well. Find yourself a diamond in the ruff like this, or any other piece of gear, and you just might surprise yourself. I love it!

i'm not using it for its designed purpose (bass amp) so i won't comment on features.

killer amp. i put modern speakers in mine: 2 ragin cajun and 2 ramrod so i can mic one side or the other for difft character. i put in old RCA 12ax7's and current production jj 6l6's - that was my first guess and it sounded great so i didn't try anything else. lately i go into the left channel with no jumper, but the different options of channels and jumper/no jumper all have their charms. i use a homemade booster with treble and bass tone controls (fat bastard for DIYers), or sometimes a java boost. you have to goose the input to get it to break up. here is a sample: http://seriousgoose.com/mp3samples/pickups/HB/Stanard%20HB.mp3

it's kind of it's own thing - i don't have any other amps like it. i like that it has tons of character and that it's unique. it has the feel of a small amp to me - very touchy and responsive, but it is ungodly loud. also the breakup seems more controllable on this amp than any other - i.e. i can easily find a sweet spot in terms of breakup, and i can control it with my hands very easily. very nice to play and it fits in mixes well

my gits: i have pretty much one of everything. lately i make my own, but they are all common formulas. i make my own pickups, too - again all on the same formulas everyone has used since the 1950's. with a little tone control on a booster in front of this amp, any guitar i have can sound great. i have handmade and big name amps, but this old clunker is one of my all-time faves. this amp actually is handmade - it was just handmade on an assembly line - many hands.

very well put together. i won't recap it or anything until i notice it starting to slide. looks like it was assembled by someone who knew what he was doing. the cab looks like it has been on some unmanned flights down staircases and loading docks, but everthing but the tolex is still solid. it needed a fuse, tubes, and biasing when i got it. it is a balance type bias.

been playing for decades. pro player, arranger, teacher, author
killer amp. too loud for most applications, i imagine. if you have an iso room for guitar cabs you can use it. or if for some reason you need gorgeous fender cleans at 50W plexi SPLs, this amp will do it.

Mine's a 1977 Bassman Ten Silverface. I've owned it for a few years now, it being my first "good" amp. Very simple, 2 channels, one low, one high. No onboard reverb, no effects loop, but hey - I'll live. 50 loud watts (after a little tweaking), and I run both channels jumpered together.

Considering that I run a Fender Ultra Chorus SS amp with it for stereo sounds, it's more than enough amp to play a good sized club and be heard.

Playing anything from bluesy stoner-rock to Jesus-Lizard style chaos, this amp is perfect, (especially nice with a Boss DS-1 to liven it up.)

Alright, this is obviously what sold me on the amp. I've never heard a better sounding amp in my life. The clean, glassy tone of the "studio" channel is about as soulful and rich as it gets.

Being a bit of a "noise-head", I use an outboard distortion fairly often, but when the channel volume is cranked on this thing, it can get some fairly raunchy distortion. I recommend jumping the 1st channel to the second, and plugging into the second, as well. This gives a little bit more darkness to the tone, and beefs it up significantly.

The amp was severely quiet when I first got it, so I put a new set of 12ax7's in it, with some Svetlana 6L6's for output. Kill ground mod, bias adjustment, a few more minor things. It retained it's character and tone, and just got louder/more dynamic.

It's not a noisy amp (for a tube guy), and really sings with a Strat. I use a Mexican Strat (3 singles) and a Korean PRS (2 stock 'buckers) and they both sound heavenly through it. More than a lot of other comparable tube amps, this thing really brings out the personality of my guitars, and has spoiled me on tone. (The Fender Ultra Chorus I own is cool and loud, but a toy in comparison.)

I use it pretty much exclusively in my band, with is rife with chimey guitars and chunky bass, and with a DS-1 it suits perfectly. The sweetness of its clean tone makes me almost feel embarrassed for distorting it.

Considering that it's 2 years older than me, (I'm 28), and has no control-glitches or connection issues, and still sounds like a beautiful beast, I have faith that it'll be around after I'm gone. It's a testament to the amps of old. It also looks like it just rolled off the assembly line, so it's built tough, as well.

People love to fix these things. Old guys will give you discounts for repairs, 'cause it's refreshing to not work on Line 6's for a change.

I've been playing for about 14 years, and feel as if I wasn't really a guitar player until I stumbled upon this amp. If it were lost, I'd probably wither up and die.

I use the guitars I listed above, through a Dunlop Crybaby, a Boss DS-1, a Big Muff, a cheap stereo delay, and a cheap Behringer reverb. It sounds great with all of these. I split the reverb/delay between the Bassman and my Ultra Chorus, and the sound is massive and lush. (I do wish I could get ahold of another Bassman 10, though.)

Overall, an amazing amp, with the best tone I've ever heard (and I've heard a ton.) It's nice that I got it very cheaply at a flea market, as well.

I bought one of these used in 1982. Based on the low volume output, I believe it was one of the earlier, 50 amp output models. That would put the year of manufacture between 1972 and 1980.

There are two channel inputs usable simultaneously. Ironically, the channel for bass has less bass response than the "recording" channel. I understand this is typical of Fenders of the era.

As a tube amp, it delivered a warm, indistinct tone that hovered somewhere between muddy and mushy.

It was utterly wrong for the loud rock and metal I was playing at the time with my Rickenbacker 4001. The distortion on this low-volume amp rendered the bass sounds emnating from it farty and fuzzy.

The amp was also noisy as all heck, but this was probably due to old tubes and poor maintenance.

A tube went out on me during my three years of owning it, but that was no big deal. It was when I smelled ozone and saw thin blue smoke drifting up out of the unused input jack that I knew for sure it was time for a new amp. I believe it was the transformer that went.

n/a

I hated this amp and was secretly happy when it burned up. I don't even remember what I did with it.

I'm sure they are good as a guitar amp, but I'm a Blackface Super Reverb man. However, there is nothing better than a Bassman 10 CABINET: Sealed-back,solid and toneful. I bought a couple of B-10 cabs which were parted out from a couple of blown amps, and slid my Super Reverb Chassis right in there... a VERY tight fit with the tranny hanging down and the reverb pan, but it will go with no alterations if you configure it JUST RIGHT. Threw some JBL D110's in one, and some kendrick Blackframes in the other... MOTHER OF GOD! There is no comparing it to the Super cab, it's SO much better; punchier, more sustain, more rich TONE!

With this set-up I can get these amps to do whatever I want... with one chassis stock, and the other heavily modified by gerald Weber and crew. Run them in stereo, and switch between as need also.

These cabs are built SOLID... I would say one could depend on them giving you a hernia if you are not careful!

Never dealt w/them.

I have been playing over 35 years. I deal in vintage amps, amd have owned every cool vintage amp u can think of. The Bassman 10 CABINET is the best, hands down.

mine is build in 1976, a bassman 10 all original
4 inputs, 2 channels, treble bass en volume, the studiochannel has a middel knob.

very versatile, just the main american sound, wich you can ajust with pedals or something like that.

it doesnt have much features, but has way more than i need.
i only use 2 volumes...

the sound is typical bassman sound , georgeous fender cleans.

i use it with gibson flying v??s only)because that??s my thing!
it works great with semi/high output.

i connect the 2 channels, the bright??s eq en de studio??s eq set up all the way up to 10, en the master volume also all the way up.

then i dial in the studio/volume for the overall volume, it has a piercing sound really when eq is set to 10.
and then when that??s right, the normal channel comes in, for the bass, the groove, the twang, what you call it that makes this amp sound so sweet. i connect the 2 channels using a visual sound H2O with 2 outputs, but a simple cable will do from 1 to the other channel. when combined this amp is the sweetest thing i??ve ever heard!
the amp breaks at the volume set to 3.5 after that the overdrive gets muddier. i like the volume set to 4-5 and put severall tubescreamer for my feet, only working as a boost.
ofcourse i've had a tubechange, and the major change was putting tung-sol 12 ax7 in my pre-amps in place for the 7025's, the tung sol sings more and has more gain. next month i will even re-tube the outputstage, and replace my jj 6l6's by 5881 of tung sol(the same that setzer uses in his bassman's. these are less efficient, and probably make the amp 40 watts instead of 50, but i like the break-up, and the amp is loud enough for any event. this amp can also be clean, by playing with the mastervolume, and cracking the pre volume up, but i like the overdrive very much!

i played severall amps, and this one is really the best sounding for me, played even marshall jtm45, fender super-reverb and mesa boogie

i play jazz, blues, funk, rock ??n roll, hard-rock, even hip-hop and my amp fits all styles.

ofcourse this amp is 30 years old, and has a few things like little things in the tolex, but 30 years is for me the fact that this amp is build to last.

never had problems during gigs, i only use this amp, without back-up.
instead of my colleage guitarist in one of my bands who's using a koch powertone(dutch boutique amp, 120 watts with all options included like 6 channels and reverb and so on, i've never had problems with my amp, it's too simple for that kinda stuff!

warranty? long gone, no opinion, because i never had problems with the amp.

i've been playing for 13 years now, had a kitty hawk junior before(a german clone of mesa boogie mark 1) but my gear and my guitars wanted the bassman badly!!!

i play gibson flying v's through a phaser and a chain of 3 overdrives(2 tubescreamers and 1 bluesdriver) working purely as boost, not as distortion-unit. and ofcourse my H2O, wich has an incredible good sounding chorus when the signal is splitted in a wet(goes to the studiochannel) and a dry signal(to the bass channel)

if it got stolen, i probable would buy the same amp, or any bassman with 50 watts, (not the bassman 70,100 or 135, they are too clean and too loud)

love: the sound ofcourse!
hate: the weight and size, but hey i've got a car so what the heck!
wish it had a power attuenator for cracking the output tubes at home, or in the studio at low volume, like the new princeton recording amp has

The Bassman 10 I own was built in Oct. 1976.
I play harp and at first this thing was WAY over powered (i.e. Feedback City) I had the voltage plates lowered, and now, I wouldn't sell this amp for ANY price.I play mostly Chicago style blues and swing, and this amp is really all I need. It has 4 channels, but I used only #1 Normal. I use absolutly NO effects; plug in and go..It has all the "features" I need..bite..volume..and tone..period.
Although it has a "solid state" rectifier, it doesnt seem to affect my sound, and I recently retubed the amp with JJ 6L6GC's and Mullard preamp tubes 12AT7's and a Mullard 12AX7.

I don't play guitar at all, and since the voltage has been lowered, I dont suppose any guitar player would use my amp. Nor like the sound. I play through several diffrent mics. Mostly an Astatic T-3, with a Shure 99A element..I also use 2 other Astatic JT-30-C's, with real NOS MC-151 elements in them..which are almost non existant.. (and I don't mean the Mexican ones or the fakey "new" MC-151's)
I generally set the volume on 10..both the main & master..treble off or up to 2..bass 10..middle 10, and use the volume on my mics to do the rest of it..Pretty much no frills, straight harp to amp.
I can't believe, and other harp players that have heard me honk through this thing, cannnot believe that this thing isnt a tube rectified amp. I dont care, really, since it does what I want it to. It breaks up wonderfully, and works for me, hence I dont see myself ever having to shell out 1500 to 2000+ dollars for one of these new "boutique..made for harp" amps. Ill keep my silverface, thankyouverymuch..

When I got this amp, I completely tore it apart. I hated the size of the cabinet and the speakers were..well..NOT good.
I had the voltage lowered, as I said earlier, retubed..then I rebuilt the cabinet, making it about 4 inches shorter than the stock size. its also 9? inches in width rather than 11. I also made it an open back, making the back panels similar to the Super Reverb. Top and lower..plus the tubular shaped cutout holes. I have 2 10" Celestions in the upper position, and 2 10" "blue" Fender alnico's in the bottom..Odd combo, maybe, but..again..it works for me. The amp overall feels about 10 lbs lighter and much more "man-handle-able"
I used #2 pine, and the finish has 6 coats of Zinszer Amber shellac.
Its never broken down, and just keeps on crankin'.Dependable as can be.

I have a friend who is an amp repair master, so I bring all my amps to him. I suspect Fender would laugh at me if I ever called them!
<(???)>

Ive been playing harp professionally for 25+ years. I also own a Bassman reissue, with lowered voltage plates, and tubed with JJ 6L6GC's, Mullard 5AR4 rectifier, and the rest are all Mullard preamps. I also use a silverface 1973(?) Vibro Champ,(also with JJ power and Mullard preamps) and a Fender Bronco, for smaller venues.

If my Bassman 10 were stolen or lost, Id buy another one the day after. Most guys laugh at my rig till they hear it; then ..for some reason, they arent laughing anymore. I chose it because of the price, honestly, then when I cranked it..well..thats all I needed to hear. These amps seem to get a bad rap from a lot of guys I know, but..oh well..to each his own.
The major complaint I had..was its bulkiness, (which I changed) and I hated the solid back (which I also changed). I dont see myself ever selling or trading this amp for anything. I love the simplicity of it, myself, and as I dont use any effects, Im very happy with it.

1978 Fender Bassman 10 4x10. A little beat up, it used to be owned by a middle school. My producer got it from the school for free for doing sound for their graduation, and he gave it to me cuz he didnt need it. SWEET!

It has two chanels, Bass and Normal. The bass channel has a deep switch with a three band eq and a volume knob. the normal channel has a three band eq, a bright switch, and a volmue knob. both channels have two inputs each. this amp also has a master volume.

four ten inch speakers, origibal. fender special design, i dont know hwo made them.

no effects loop, reverb, vibrato, nothing. just pure point to point tube heaven.

I play a fender telecaster with hot rails in the bridge thourgh a boss me50, line 6 echo park, and a digitech bad monkey.

this amp sounds amazing! the clean sounds are full and buttery. so smooth, no harshness from the top end.

when cranked, this baby sings!!! i havent heard such an amazing overdrive sound in a long time. its so hard to explain. i didnt expect to get such an amazing tone from a silverface bassman!!!

this amp seems to really like hotter pickups better, as the hot rails is pretty hot. it just breaks up so nice. and volume? jesus, this amp could bust out all the windows in your house, then level it!!!

This baby was built in 1978, given to a middle school, then to a touring musician. this thing is built like a damn tank. it is a little beat up, a bunch of bumps and the tolex is torn here and there, but other than that, its sturdy as hell. i know i can depend on this baby for tour.

i've never had to deal with fender, but i did have a chat with a custom shop guy about getting me a custom starcaster made. very nice guys, just a little hard to get ahold of.

I've been playing guitar since i was 8 and im 20 now. i own a peavey classic 50 4x10, a marshall 1965b 4x10, haha, i obviously love 10 inch speakers.

if it where lost or stolen, id be super pissed, cuz you dont just come across free bassman amplifiers. if i could replace it with the same model, i would for sure.

i really really wish it had built in vibrato and reverb. but its ok i can get some pedals for that. fender vibrato is to die for, though,. im thinking about designing an outboard tremolo unit, kind of like the fender reverb unit. tube driven, tweed box, you know, the whole nine yards...

i also wish it had an fx loop. but no biggie.

basically, this amp has the best tone in any amp i have played in a long time. its just so sweet sounding. it goes from mellow to raunchy in seconds flat. i love this amp.