Vase Bassman 100 Head

vase 100 bassman, early 70's model, three inputs guitar, bass and organ,
yes it has plenty of power, have a look inside

you can get a nice slap out of it,but eh pull out the bass knob and produces very deep bass yet doesn't mush the notes

yeah it's reliable, only broke down once, simple cause i wasn't running the cabs in correct ohms, i have now reloaded it with fresh valves and also fitted a speakron jack on the back aswell

well no not really, but you can still get the same type of valves for it

i had the vase 100 bassman handed on too me by my father who purchased it new, it came with a 4 12bin, but i am currently sourcing a 8 ohm 2 15in bin whihc will make it sound a lot sweet, i play a 74 fender jazzbass with hotter pickups through it, sounds awesome, yeah and i play hard rock too

Made sometime in the 60's / 70's in Brisbane Australia. It's a pretty basic head but is all tube so is great for producing that vintage 70's sound.

The amp is apparently modeled after the 70's Fender Bassman series but produces nicer lows to my ears.

Rated at 100w but this is conservative as the amp puts out more than that before tube compression starts kicking in.

Two channels with 3 inputs Guitar / Bass and Organ - two EQ knobs, treble and bass each with a pull pot boost that gives the head a bit of extra grunt. I pull the bass pot out at 3 o'clock and leave the treble pot in at 9 p'clock for a nice even bass tone.

It's kind of a one trick pony and doesn't have the sort of features (7 /12 band EQ,, DI, etc.) found on most contemporary amps but what it does it does well.

Only 1 x 1/4" speaker out and no clear direction as to what exactly the rating is but I'd assume 8 ohm is a safe bet.

Bit heavy, but the tone is worth it.

I use a Canora 70's P-Bass Clone and play funk / soul / r+b / jazz type stuff - very into James Jammerson, Larry Grahame and Donald Dunn and this amp can pull a great Motown sound with no effort. Similarly I could easily pull a great vintage blues, funk, jazz, soul or rock sound out of this head

Being a tube head the amp overdrives at high volumes but can pull a great slightly gritty sound before descending into heavy overdrive (and unbearable listening levels).

It's a little bit noisy and probably needs a re-tube but this is par the course with valve heads of this vintage.

Suits my playing and style perfectly, as I said before the amp isn't really 'versatile' in a contemporary sense but what it does do it does wonderfully. I love the sound of this amp.

It's apparently been gigging for 30+ years without breaking down. i imagine I'll have to retube at some stage in the immediate future as the previous owner told me he hadn't changed the tubes in 20 years (the screws on the back of the head are actually rusted) and thought they were probably the original ones that came with the amp.

From what I can tel, these amps were point to point hand wired and I expect to get many years gigging and studio use out of this puppy.

The original Vase company has been out of action for years and the amp builder died a long time ago, however there is a local Brisbane businessman resurrecting the Vase name so I am very excited to see what develops!

I've been looking around at new gear for a while and couldn't find that elusive sound I was hearing in my head. High end Eden gear got me really close as did some GK stuff but given the price I paid for this amp, the build quality and the tone Vase put everything else to shame. Vintage Aussie tube amps are a wonderful thing - might not be the right thing for everybody but suits me to a tee!

My Vase Bassman 100 Head was made in the late 1960's in Brisbane, Australia.Originally I bought it for acoustic guitar, having sampled 'guitar' amps and found them annoyingly trebly.The Vase didn't suit acoustic guitar at all, but rocked with cello (thru effects) and then my life changed when I tried an electric guitar through the Vase.

You can get all the lush, warm, golden, honeycomb tones you want, with all the natural bass present to make your guitar sound really BIG and FULL.It is always clear and bright and has the quality of a bell at times.
I play pop and heavy rock thru my Vase and it is perfect.you can use the natural distortion when it is cranked loud,but it works well with pedals, so long as they are for bass instruments otherwise the peddles suck out the lower frequencies before you get your signal to the amp, giving you a lame arse sound.
One bonus about the Vase is that it is really easy to use. Plug into the bass input (ignore Guitar and Organ channels)and pull out the bass and treble buttons for extra of each, and you are set.Volume up around 4 (or 10) is really loud and cranks the valves so they start to crumble a little for that genuine tweedy warmth.
I match my Vase with a Sovtek 4 x 12" speakers cos the Vase Speakers it came with sucked.This is Big and loud and great. Not much hiss either.
Also, the Vase is indestructable. It can survive aeroplane flights and being dropped off stage by drunken musicians. It even comes with two metal handles on the top, just in the right place to carry it easily after a show.

If you find a Vase then keep it. It will be your best friend. It is a fine Australian invention.

Vase are really sturdy. They take obscure fuses though, but in 5 years of loving, I have never needed to replace mine.The Valves have worn out once, but they were very old. Could do with regular servicing but are generally reliable.

No customer support available as Tony Trughton has passed away. There are some good analog repairers around tho,if you can find them.

i have been playing for 18 years. I own lots of other stuff but my Vase is my best friend. If it were stolen or lost I would leave no stone unturned to get it back.
The Vase shits on all other comparable products: Fender, Goldentone, Marshall, you name it.

This is a basic two valve, two channel head that was made in Brisbane, Australia. Not sure of vintage, but I'd guess early to mid 1970s by appearance. Inputs for guitar, bass guitar and organ, outputs for eight ohms speaker load. Vinyl-covered ply case is fairly compact but unit is heavy with two big Fergusson transformers. Unlike the 150 Deluxe, this model only has a single PVC 'D' handle that is screwed on with four countersunk wood screws. I plan to replace these with set screws and nuts/ washers before I take it anywhere, because I don't trust wood screws into plywood. Ventilation is even less than the 150 Deluxe, but being a smaller amp it doesn't need as much. Anyway, like the bigger version, it's easy enough to remove the back panel to improve air flow. It doesn't have much in the way of features, but as I've said elsewhere, who the hell cares?

Like the 150, it's a great guitar amp, but once again I don't know what it's like with bass guitars or organs.

I haven't had it long, but if it's anything like the 150, there'll be no worries here. I can say I've had the chassis out of it, and it looks 100% original, so I imagine it's served its previous owners well.

Nil. I read in one of the other Vase reviews that the bloke who built these amps is no longer with us - God rest his soul. Anyhow, there're still plenty of people around who can repair these jobs.