GASing for: a Vintage Fender Bassman 50 Head

[Armchair Bronco]

I've been looking for an amp that would be the clean equivalent of the Tiny Terror -- sort of the "Gold Standard" for a smallish clean amp the way the Tiny Terror is the gold standard for low-wattage tube amps with lots of gain. A vintage Fender Bassman 50 head from the mid to late 60's fits the bill.

Yeah, I know that 50 watts puts it outside the low-wattage territory of the TT. But at lower volumes, say below 4 or 5 where it starts to break up, the Bassman is a clean monster. I played a re-capped 1967 Bassman 50 at the Seattle Guitar Center yesterday through a 4x12 cab with Greenbacks. It was freaking awesome clean. I would love to hear my EHX Deluxe Memory Man through this head.



I think my quest is over. Now I just need to start saving my pocket money and keep my eyes open for a killer deal. GC wanted $599 for their Bassman, but if I get lucky I may be able to find one for less than $500.

[Tim Armstrong]

I had a 1968 drip-edge Bassman head (they didn't call it the Bassman 50 until sometime in the 70s), and yep, it was tonally delicious!

And yep, I'm the idiot that sold it!

Tim

[Armchair Bronco]

A lot of the reviews on HC talk about being able to patch the two input channels on the Bassman head. What does this mean?

[noisemaker]

who isn't?

[Tim Armstrong]

Originally Posted by Armchair Bronco

A lot of the reviews on HC talk about being able to patch the two input channels on the Bassman head. What does this mean?

You can run a signal into both channels simultaneously, and depending on what you do with the tone controls and volume controls, get a bigger, thicker and hairier tone.

This is something you can't do on Fender amps with reverb, generally, as the two channels are out of phase on those due to the one more gain stage involved in the reverb channel...

Tim

[Singin' Dave]

Ah.......my beat up "blackline" late '67 bassman head is pictured above. Must be on Google search somehow (though the picture title is "RspaceXXXXXXXX" so you must have found it in one of my other posts).

Anyway - GREAT amps! I bought the one above for all of $280 about 2-3 years ago and put another $170 or so into it w/ a full cap job. Love its beat up mojo and drop you in your tracks tone. With some patience, SF bassmen can still be had for ~$400 or so bux and are amazing and simple tone machines that can handle any venue. Very obtainable by all of those GASsing for them as there are thousands of them out there. I also have a BF '65 bassman which kills as well (see below).

I do actually like running them "jumpered" as Tim describes above, which provides a bit of a MV-like gain stage to them while inducing a bit of beef to the signal. My trusty Fender Reverb Unit placed above the head over a 2x12 or my recently acquired Showman 15 cab and I'm in Fender amp heaven.

Go forth good people and get yours soon! Someday people are going to catch on to the BF and SF goodness (vs. all the deserved love for the lucious blond versions currently) and the prices will indeed go up!

And just to torture you more, here is my '65 piggyback I scored for $200 (head and cab) on CList a couple years ago:

[Singin' Dave]

Originally Posted by Tim Armstrong

You can run a signal into both channels simultaneously, and depending on what you do with the tone controls and volume controls, get a bigger, thicker and hairier tone.

This is something you can't do on Fender amps with reverb, generally, as the two channels are out of phase on those due to the one more gain stage involved in the reverb channel...

Tim

Just clarify, you patch guitar into input 1 on bass side, then run a short cable from input 2 on bass side into input one on "normal" channel. YUMMMM

[Tim Armstrong]

Originally Posted by Singin' Dave

Just clarify, you patch guitar into input 1 on bass side, then run a short cable from input 2 on bass side into input one on "normal" channel. YUMMMM

Yep, that's the easiest way (works for me!). You can also get a Y-chord to split the signal, or run your guitar into a stereo effects pedal of some kind (don't have to actually USE the pedal, either) and then out to both channels...

Tim

[tazzboy]

I was going to suggest for him to come down here to Eugene, Oregon to McKenzie River Music cause Bob November (the owner)has a couple of those at his store