Fender Bassman

Mine is a 67 silver face. My research indicates there were no bad cbs changes to this year. There were 5 circuit designd in 67 for the bassman. Two have the regular bias. Dont know which circuit this one is but it has the bias. Turned to its lowest it still idles at 9 watts per tube. Breaks up alittle easier. Doesnt have the effect on volume that the twin reverb I have does. When i HAD THE chassis out the parts on the board were all original. Amazing that a 42 year old set of parts still work and work well. Simple feature set. treble bass on each channel.

I play custom built tele's. They sound really good thru this amp. Has some of that high pitch whine at higher volumes but not noticeable when playing. My bandmaster has the same sound. This amp sounds very much like my bandmaster. The treble and base dont sound the same on the same settings. For a base amp this thing is not as bassy even on 10. May need some new filter caps. The twin reverb cabinet I play it thru is a lot basier than this, but it has had a complete cap job and of course has bigger mains. It a word this sounds like a fender. The only fender I own that does have that distinct sound is my pro junior. The bassman and bandmaster take pedals better than the twinns do.

great amp, if you like the fender sound, which I do.

I own a 1966 blackface Bassman, rated at 50W at 4ohms. There are 2 channels: bass and normal, and two jacks (high and low gain) for each side, summing to 4 in total. The schematic is a slightly modified AB165. Mine is outfitted 3 Sovtek 12AX7-LPS tubes, and a GE 12AT7. The modification is fairly minor, and applies only to the power tube section in order to accommodate 2 Sovtek KT88s (yes, KT88s.) Note that this era of the Bassman featured a solid-state rectifier. Otherwise, it's pretty much to spec.

There's 1 volume knob, 2 tone knobs, and 1 tone (presence) switch per channel. The Bass side has the deep, and the Normal has the bright. This amp (might be specific to particular circuits, not sure) also features the ability to jumper the channels to get extra preamp and tone from each side's circuit. So, you simply dial in, and you get sound. The volume knobs dial in a mix of the preamp and power section. The tone knobs also add preamp, which is important to note, and (when jumpered) dialing in your preamps differently on either the Bass or Normal channels will produce different tones. So, in terms of tone versatility, it's all there.

In terms of how powerful the head is, subjectively speaking, it's a full 50W FOR SURE. To compare, I have an Ampeg V5 100W head running half power (2 tubes instead of 4, running at 4ohms). The Bassman definitely keeps up. The cab I used is a 200W 4x10 equipped with Jensen MOD50 speakers. The Bassman sounds just as loud as the neutered V5.

In terms of features, hell, you won't find any. No effects, no weird connections in the back for PA or pedal hook ups. It's the guitar to the amp to your speakers. That's it. You can hook up pedals between the amp and guitar, sure, but it's as bare as you get...

Personally, I'm giving it a 10, because I love the way this amp sounds. I find too much preamp overdrive or some pedal effects can sound like garbage. Appropriate in some forms of music, sure, but man, it's toneless. Then again, I don't need loops and PA outs. Read on, you'll see what kind of tone this thing can put out.

This head is great for anything rock and roll and blues, and with some amount of overdrive. If you want to play a cleaner style at the loudest signal volume possible on the Bassman, look into a Twin Reverb or a Dual Showman and plug some 6550s or KT88s in it to get more clean headroom versus the standard 6L6.

Currently, I have some modded piecemeal Fender Stratocaster guitar, priced used 10 years ago at $500. The pickups, well, no clue, but I think they're the higher-end versions of Strat pickups; I find compared to other Strats, this guitar sounds louder and more accurate. It has 5-setting tophat with 2 tone knobs. But, the thing sounds freakin' amazing. I've found newer guitars lack a lot of tone and that full sound. Albeit used, modded, and probably made up of several other guitars, it's a beast, and I get a great range in sound.

If you're going to play a bass through this amp, well, don't. Get a Showman, hahaha. Seriously though, The Bassman is prone to overdrive even at lower volumes. I found the best setup with a bass guitar was to plug into the Bass side on jack 1, and jumper jack 2 to Normal side's 2. This way, you can adjust your tone a little better. Trick is to use VERY low preamp and adjust using mainly your volume knobs.

The tonal range of the Bassman is actually quite diverse. It has a very strong midrange presence, and you dial in how light or heavy you want to otherwise be. Do note that I have KT88s. My overdrive sounds different. It's not as creamy as it is crunchy (also thanks to the LPS preamp tubes). Also, I have a tad more headroom before my power tubes overdrive. So, I guess you'd say I get a bit more transformer tone.

I'll start with the Normal channel. The bright switch should always be on, it really brings out the subtleties of the guitar's natural tones. This channel is louder than the Bass side. This is a characteristic of the circuit though. My brother owns a 400 PS, which uses a quasi-identical circuit for the Bass channel, and it's quieter than the Normal side's as well. That said, it get's louder quicker. I start to overdrive a tad at around 4-5, depending on how the preamp is set. At 5.5-7, it's moderately but consistently crunchy. Passed that, it's smoother and more consistent overdrive. I think at these levels, your preamp knobs have somewhat less effect, and it's really for bringing out highs or lows. Overall, it's a brighter sounding channel. Good for lead and rhythm.

The Bass channel is actually quite unique, I find. The deep switch brings out incredible lows, and as it was with the 400 PS. It brings out these frequencies that you don't hear upfront and in your face; you instead feel the bottom-end travel through you and lodge itself in the back of your throat and ear canals, and STAYS there for as long as the guitar is playing. This is actually quite accurate of a description, in my opinion. Tonally, it's very heavy, muddy even if you don't turn up the treble. What I love the Bass side is that you match your volume knobs when you jumper the sides (cable reaches from 1 on the Bass side, to 2 on the Normal). The result is just OUT OF THIS WORLD tone. You get this perfect, full-sounding mish-mash of natural tone between your highs, mids and lows.

One thing to note about the Bass side is that because it's a quieter channel, you can get more overdrive out of your amp with a touch less volume. At 8, you get a freakin' sweet kind of crunch, almost metal-like, but slightly less intense than what you'd get out of a high-gain head. So, combine this with your Normal at 7, and adjust your preamps to taste, and you'll get a crazy kind of sound, so unique I can't describe.

Also, I'd say this thing is made for break-up. If you dial in about mid-way, you essentially get your 50W. But, it's a sensitive 50W. if you play hard, the amp will produce a great overdriven sound. Play softer, and the amp reacts accordingly. All-in-all, it's quite sensitive to the player's touch.

My brother and I saved this amp out of a friend's basement. It caught fire one day after haven't being used in years, and roasted some the circuit in a pyroclastic fury. But, $400 later in parts and servicing, it was back up and running like new. Our amp tech, Richard, was simply floored by the tone it put out. Hooked up to an Ampeg 4x10 at our local music store, Steve's Music in Ottawa, it quickly became a conversation piece amongst the staff.

Since then, there haven't been any issues. It once roasted a tube, but that's on account of the tube being flawed. Other than that, there was a loose solder point, but that was fixed no problem. Suffice to say, it's VERY dependable. Would I gig with it without a backup? Yes. I would certainly bring it to my amp tech beforehand, but I wouldn't doubt this amp's ability to hold up to the punishment. It's done it before and it'll do it again!

And if you look at it in the grand scheme of things, if something goes on this amp, whether a resistor, filter cap, or even a transformer, you replace it. Most of these parts are still floating about, or they have equivalents. I'd argue that the maintenance on this amp is far easier and less expensive than a modern amp that uses PCB boards or that is fully solid state. They may sound great, but I'd hate to be the guy that owns one when they bust. The Bassman was free/quasi-gift, I'll give it that, but it still only cost $400 of repairs for restoring a piece of musical history. Heck, if you look around for long enough, you'll find a cheap old amp on Craigslist or local used directories. I found my Ampeg V5, a SUPER rare amp from the early 80s during the MTI era which was later became (with some modifications) the SVT-100, for $500! And it had the original GE 6550A tubes in it. C'mon, people. This is a JOKE.

How much do newer amps cost that sound as good and are reliable enough? These amps are older than I am, and still kicking... Let's see if newer amps can stand the test. I believe there's an amount of planned obsolescence in electronic equipment these days, everything from TVs to iPods. Some products are essentially designed for failure. They use cheap parts to save on costs. It means servicing, it means people need to produce and sell parts, and wasted money on our parts. It wouldn't surprise me if this bad practice rooted itself in these markets as well... Simply put, I don't trust new amps.

No need, too old, hehe...

I've been playing for only about 2 years now. I'm not a great guitar playing and I don't own a lot of gear per se, but between my brother and a few of his friends, and Steve's Music, I've heard and fiddled with quite a few amps, too many to mention. I must say that the Bassman is one of the BEST sounding amps I've ever heard for that pure rock and roll and rockabilly sound. I can't hate anything about this amp. It does what I want it to do, and does it quite well! If I could change it, sure I would, I'd add a high-gain switch to get some metal tone out of it, or beef it up to 90W by turning it into an AB2 setup (been done by Richard K at http://www.timeelect.com/). There's only love for this amp, and anyone who's owned one would say the same.

Get one. If you can't, find the parts that would best suit the project and make one!

This is easily the most versatile amp I own for the price. It was made in 1965 and has a black face front. Great for guitar, but not loud enough for stage use with bass. It has two channels, but I tend to only use the "Normal" channel, even with bass. No frills. Volume, Bass and treble. No effects loop. I've used this as a preamp through a 900 Watt solid state amp for stage bass.

I tend to only use it for recording nowadays and I'll put it through a Hiwatt 4x12 cabinet with Fanes or a Super Reverb cab with 4 Jensen c10q's. For recording bass, this amp is a must. Through an SVT 810, this thing will kick through a mix like nothing else! Breaks up at about 4. Really cranks above 8. Simple controls really help in getting a straightforward sound out of this amp. Lacks a mid control, but that shouldn't stop you from getting a good sound with an EQ pedal. I've also used this amp to preamp other amps when recording. For instance, run a guitar into the "Normal" input and crank it to about 5. Use the "ext cab" output into a Marshall Super Lead or a Twin Reverb and you can really dial in some fantastic preamp gain at relatively low volumes.

Played for about 5 years with no problems whatsoever. This amp was really a workhorse until it started to hum. I suspect that the caps need to be replaced. Haven't repaired it because I am sticking to a '68 Super Reverb for now. It has all of the original preamp tubes!

Great for a touring guitar amp. Not a whole lot of tubes to fail. Tough case, just be careful for the switches in the back.

I just happened to buy this amp for $100 and it has easily been the best $100 I have spent for studio recording. Bass, guitar, even vocals. I have even heard that people will preamp a snare drum through these amps! I've convinced a lot of my friends to pick up some silverface Bassman's and they just love the simplicity and rawness of the vintage Fender circuit. If this was stolen, I would probably go out and buy a vintage tweed Bassman in the 410 cabinet, but use it for the same stuff-just bypass the 410s when recording bass.

1963 Fender Blonde Brown-Face Bassman 40 watt head with matching blonde 2X12 cabinet. Two channels bass instrument and regular instrumen each with two channels. tube - 2 6L6 and 12ax7 preamp

Classic Fender Clean, Consistent Break-Up, Powerful Highs and Lows, LOUD!!!

Its 45 years old, In mint condition, no serious poroblems. Only repair was to get a grounded plug.

Fender does not deal directly with people, they deal with dealers, you have to contact a dealer for the fixing of the product, through the company. Otherwise take it to a genious like George Alessandro

GGGGRRRRRREEEEEAAAAAAATT. Wish it had reverb, but you can get the reverb unit for that.

1967 Blackface Fender Bassman head. This amp is as basic as it gets. It is all tube needless to say and it sounds very warm and round. Guitar players covet this amp and I have been told that I could not gig with this amp because it would not have enough power at 50 watts. But this amp will fill small to medium size club. It has 2 chanels and both have Volume, Bass and Treble knobs. Pretty basic but there is not a bad tone that comes out of this vintage tube amp. I play a bastardised version of brit pop with some americana thrown in. When blues players want to sit in it sounds right at home. No Channel Switching, no Effects Loop, no Headphone jack. I can't think of anything that I need. Before I got this I used an Ampeg B2R with a compressor and this Bassman blows it out of the water. It is not a loud but it sounds 10X better. I am giving it an 8 for features because it is bare bones but it is all that you need.

I mostly play a Rick 4003 through it but I have also used my US 75 Jazz reissue and my US P bass. They all sound great but the Rick is my main bass. The bass amp is very responsive and it sounds deep, rich and creamy. It sounds like all of my favorie records. Our guitar player plays a Rick into an AC30 and I can get a great Jam style sound as well as the Kinks and the Band plus many more. I always thought that I needed a solid state amp with lots of power but this is the sound that I have been searching for. I play it at around 5 or 6 on volume and it sounds big and round with some slight tube overdrive but it is not like distortion. It sounds rich and natural.

I have just replaced the tubes, I have had it for a while but just plugged it in on a whim about 6 or 7 weeks ago. I have gigged with it 5 times and I have brought a bass pod as a backup to play into the PA if I have a problem (don't get caught with your drawers down!) So far no problem and it is from 1967 so I would think that it will hold up just fine. From what I understand the worst thing that you can do to a tube amp is let it set unplayed. It is like letting a car sit for years without starting it. After I have had it for a year or so I will leave the POD at home.

I have delt with Fender before and they are helpful. No problems with the head but this should be 101 for most competent Amp guys. There ain't much to it.

I have been playing guitar for 30 years and bass for about nine. I own a locker full of gear, both vintage and newer stuff. I prefer the Classic stuff like Fenders and Ricks as well as Martin and Gibson Acoustics. If it were stolen I would find another. I don't think that the blackface has that much to do with it. I would think that a later one would sound great. I love the size and weight.

I have owned it for a while, bought it with an Allen cab with 2 10 inch Weber speakers to play guitar through. I got a wild hair and pluged it into my Ampeg 4X10 cab and the whole band was blown away. It sounded like a bass amp should sound.

1965 fender bassman picked through by skip simmons. when skip got done, it sounded better than ever. breaks up at about 3 with buttery overtones or stinging bite, whichever you chose. still has the original two channels with no modifications just cleaned and polished.

I'm playing with a 1961 gibson melody maker which i modified by adding 2 bartolini humbuckers as sweet as a les paul and much lighter. the combination works much better than my tinny 68 strat. this combo produces some of the lowest overtones without distorting the high end, oh by the way the original bottom is still in use but with two celestions instead of the original jensens.

i always take a spare but in thirty plus years i've never had to use it. this bassman has never broken down, though i once replaced the 12at7 preamp tube [still running the original RCA's] amp was once thrown across a dance hall by some drunk gypsys at a wedding we played took it to the next gig and never missed a beat'

if my bassman ever did breakdown i would send it straight to skip simmons. this guy is strickly into preserving the original fender tone.. and a very nice and modest fellow

i've been playing since i was thirteen, that would have been 1970. i also own a 70's peavey bandit[underrated] an ampeg v4,and an old orange 100 watt monster. the bassman is the tone master of my collection but i don't think i could find another one like it, it's an AA864 circut and pretty rare. of course i would like to have maybe a bandmaster reverb unit hooked to it, on account of the digital reverbs sound kinda plastic. I have owned a twin reverb and a bandmaster and a deluxe reverb' the bassman makes them all sound quite silly!

Blackface Bassman (64-66)

I used it for Blues, heavy rock, country, anything.

Had a midrange pot put in where the second input would otherwise be. Turns out there is a place for it to naturally be, so the modification was easy. Gives a little more tonal variety.

Wish it had reverb, but I use a Boss DD3 to wet the sound up... seems to work okay, but a real reverb would be nicer.

Play Gibsons and Fenders with it. Gibsons sound better. Fenders are a little to brittle.

Plenty loud for guitar. Painfully so. Good for bass, if you play a country style. Anything louder and you are all maxed out.

Sound gets woolly when turned up. Would like to hot rod it, so I could get that at a lower volume.

Best for blues and heavy blues rock.

Still get an occasional shock from it, when I go to sing. Not happy about that.

It fried on me in 1990. It had never been worked on. Got a new transformer and tubes, and also changed cord to a 3 pronger. Still can get shocked. Also got an original back panel for it.

Most people can work on them, if they do Fender Tube Amps.

Find a good local guy.

Avoid people who will change the tubes, and charge you an hour's labor.

It's an antique. I keep it at home, and rarely use it.

Will never sell. Too much projected value.

I have heard people use them in a 2x10" closed cab. Sounded great.

I have used it in a closed 2x12", and an open 1X12", but not enough low end.

Been playing for 20+ years.

Sounds like a heavier Fender, but not the mid range and high that a marshall can give you. Something missing in the presence department, and reverb would be nice, but for dirty blues & grungy rock, you can't go wrong. Find one used, and hang onto it.

Just make sure you are grounded.

1966 Blackface head. Two channels, bass and normal. Two inputs per channel, but there's no difference, so I don't know why... 50 watts, tubes: 2 6l6s, 3 12ax7s, 1 12at7. I bought this amp because it sounds great for guitar. 50 watts doesn't give me as much headroom as i'd like, but I have other amps. I bought this for the tone, the feel. But it only has a bass knob, a treble knob and volume. That's it. I give it a three because it doesn't have reverb. The head I got had just been retubed (including some old GE 6l6s and a mullard!) and had the output transformer replaced and had just been gone through and recapped.

I use a les paul standard with stock p/u's and a casino. It gets pretty damn loud, and a nice distortion when you push it all the way. It's a little bright, but crunchy and a great feel. The amp stays clean until about 4 on the volume knob, which is pretty loud for a 50 watt head, although I wish it had a little more. I am tweaking various tube combos to see if I can eak a little more clean volume out. The feel of this amp is amazing, very touch responsive. I love the vintage crunchy overdrive, it's almost Marshally. I'd give it a 10, but there's some microphonics when you turn it up, and that's a little annoying. But hey, it's 40 years old.

Never had a problem, but I've only had it a month.

Fender's support sucks, but the warranty on this is LONG gone, haha.

I really like this amp. I didn't buy it for super loud clean tones or for lower volume distortion, cause it's sort of in the middle. But it has a great tone, both clean and overdriven. Simple interface, two tones and a volume. Great feeling, very responsive. I've been horribly addicted to music equipment for about 6 years, and I've been playing that long as well. I just wish I could play it overdriven without my ears bleeding afterwards.

I own a '74 Bassman 50. The reason why I bought this top is because I think you get the best clean sound out of it. I use it together with a Matchless Hotbox and a TS-9, together with these pedals I can get every sound I need. I just miss the reverb, herefor I use a Electro harmanix Holy grail reverb. For crazy things I use a Line-6 DL4 Delay moduler. I use a Kustom cabinet loaded with 4 x EVM12L. half open this gives me the lowest sound. I did need to work on how to set with high gain because the cabinet is actually to much for the amp.

I use ES335 solid body with '57 pickup, I use a USA Stratocaster with a seymour duncan Pickup and a Telecaster Custom (1 HUmbucker- 1 Single coil)

With these variety of guitars and gear I can play every sound.

Never had a problem with it.. I do need a flightcase for it because I am very carefull with it.

This is an old amp and I think the warrenty is gone a while ago.

I own it for about three years and I love this amp. Because it is just 50w my ears like this more than my 100w JCM800.

1965 bassman piggyback w/ 2-12 oxfords. Just ot this amp at a second hand store. The amp is in good shape and the cabinet is original.
the tube chart is wrong..it says "showman" AB763 with 4 6l6's.
after some research it seems to be the AA864 cicuit. the amp was
noisy when i got it home.put some different tubes in and it quieted down, no white noise or microphonics anymore! T I thought 700.00 was a little high, but the guy lets me take gear home and pay on it. I'm practicing tomorrow night.then we''see if it holds up at stage volume.

i'm using a mim strat and a epiphone les. I'm gonna try a Signal Flex
a/b box I just got. It will give the bassman channel switching ability.
i've had a few distortion pedals,,never really liked any too much. I guess i need better than a boss overdrive/dist and Korg AX100 to get a nice, even, singing
distortion like my jcm 900 gets. i may a/b between the 900 and Bassman. We'll see how that sounds. here's a coupe songs from my website, http:www.myspace.com/selfunited

I don't know yet..i do know that i have a buzzing 66 Bandmaster, and the pre-amp gone in my HotRod deluxe. i hope this one lasts a while before it hits my Fender junkyard. I will repair these someday,just can't resist any old Fender, my grandfather left me a blackface deluxe in 85'. lost it to a bandmember in lakeland florida that year.needed 20.00 more to get my plane ticket, he said "if you come back, you can have your amp'.
that was 30 years ago. So every time I see an old fender i can afford, which has only been twice. i bought it.

I've never called them or had any warranty work,,my hot rod died
on it's 6 th year.The warranty is supossed to be 5, i think. so basically ,i'm screwed..

from what i'm hearing at home, this amp should cook onstage.can't wait till' saturday! We'll see if it's another tube lemon or a diamond in the rough. For 700.00 in hope it works well and sound good!