SurfGuitar101.com | Forums: '69 Fender Bassman 50: to buy or not to buy, that's the question

Badger

Joined: Nov 16, 2013
Posts: 4537
Wisconsin
United States

Posted on Jun 25 2014 01:10 PM

Beau-ti-mous!

I must say that's the first time I've seen that front plate before; like...

they couldn't just put a big warning tag on the back or something about the mains voltage???

Anyway, congrats - that thing will kick butt.

—

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

Top

cambeezy

Joined: Jun 26, 2007
Posts: 399
Cleveland, Ohio
United States

Posted on Jun 25 2014 02:09 PM

SaschaReynders wrote:

I'd love to know the exact type of speaker though.

Nice score Sascha! They are alnicos but not sure if they're Eminence or Jensen. Have you cranked it yet? How does it sound? I'd like to build a lightweight pine 2X12 closed-back cab with two Jensen P12Qs that I have. My '64 Bassman cab is just too heavy to lug around.

Top

LeeVanCleef

Joined: Oct 05, 2011
Posts: 744
France
12 Map Pins

Posted on Jun 25 2014 04:46 PM

Badger wrote:

I must say that's the first time I've seen that front plate before; like...

they couldn't just put a big warning tag on the back or something about the mains voltage???

The export models have a warning label AND a big red knob to select mains voltage (which means they work in the US too).

I gotta say, that's the first time I've ever seen an amp with "export" spelled out on the front plate too. After a quick look on Google Image Search it appears Fender only did this on Bassmans.

Anyway, Sascha, what a beauty! And I'm sure it sounds at least as good as it looks. 800 Euros for the head + cab is a pretty good price in these parts too. Congratulations!

—

Old punks never die... They just become surf rockers.

Top

Badger

Joined: Nov 16, 2013
Posts: 4537
Wisconsin
United States

Posted on Jun 25 2014 05:22 PM

LeeVanCleef wrote:

The export models have a warning label AND a big red knob to select mains voltage (which means they work in the US too).

Merci, I learned something again at this forum.

—

Wes
SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel

DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices.

Top

SanchoPansen

Joined: Jan 04, 2011
Posts: 1588
Berlin L-Berg
Germany

Posted on Jun 26 2014 02:50 AM

That's a real cool looking amp. I've never seen it before. I only knew that the export models have the red backpanel with the voltage selector.

—

The Hicadoolas

Top

SaschaReynders

Joined: Dec 26, 2013
Posts: 251
France

Posted on Jun 26 2014 08:04 AM

Thanks again guys, I'm real happy with my new toy I'd never seen this kind of "Export" faceplate either, but as Lee said: it seems to be a Bassman-only thing, mostly on early silverface models.

cambeezy wrote:

Nice score Sascha! They are alnicos but not sure if they're Eminence or Jensen. Have you cranked it yet? How does it sound? I'd like to build a lightweight pine 2X12 closed-back cab with two Jensen P12Qs that I have. My '64 Bassman cab is just too heavy to lug around.

Thanks Cambeezy, I'm pretty sure they're Eminence speakers, Jensens would have a code starting with 220 instead of 67.
And it sounds great (not very informative, I know...), but completely different from what I'm used to with my other amps as The Bassman has a lot less clean headroom at high volume (yes, I cranked it all the way up ). So far I've only played my Jazzmaster through it though, so I need a bit more play time with my Jaguar, Strat and other (humbucker) guitars to get a better picture of what this amp can do.

—

"Duck Tape is like The Force: it has a light side and a dark side and it holds the universe together"

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Speedball-JR/151771678181829?fref=ts
https://twitter.com/SPEEDBALLJR
https://itunes.apple.com/be/artist/speedball-jr/id389972205

Top

JObeast

Joined: Jul 24, 2012
Posts: 2762
Finknabad, Squinkistan
Turkmenistan

Posted on Jun 26 2014 11:42 AM

"Played it both dry and with my '63 Reverb in front of it, and with the reverb I noticed I had to turn the dwell way down to about 4'ish otherwise it sounded like I was in the Hall of the Mountain King... Maybe that's because of the two 15" speakers ?"

The apparent increase of reverb is probably the result of heavy compression
the amp & speakers exert on the guitar signal. Maybe bi-amp with a 'dry' amp next to it, and dial that amp's volume to the point of best clarity?
Overkill? Yes.

—

Squink Out!

Top

SaschaReynders

Joined: Dec 26, 2013
Posts: 251
France

Posted on Jun 27 2014 04:12 AM

JObeast wrote:

The apparent increase of reverb is probably the result of heavy compression
the amp & speakers exert on the guitar signal. Maybe bi-amp with a 'dry' amp next to it, and dial that amp's volume to the point of best clarity?
Overkill? Yes.

Now that's an idea, run the Bassman and the Vibrosonic side by side with a line selecter: 150 watts of power blasting through three 15" speakers...

Overkill? Definitely! But I bet that would create an awesome wall of sound

All I need now is a car with a bigger trunk...and a roadie And maybe some ear plugs...

—

"Duck Tape is like The Force: it has a light side and a dark side and it holds the universe together"

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Speedball-JR/151771678181829?fref=ts
https://twitter.com/SPEEDBALLJR
https://itunes.apple.com/be/artist/speedball-jr/id389972205

Top

poisonmanu

Joined: May 13, 2011
Posts: 81
Belgium
Belgium

Posted on Jun 27 2014 04:41 AM

Just in case, this is what I use with the Deluxe and the Prosonic :

http://silverbladeaudio.com/hx3.html

60 euros and do the job !

—

www.facebook.com/hello.tiki.1
www.facebook.com/SonicNightmare

Top

SaschaReynders

Joined: Dec 26, 2013
Posts: 251
France

Posted on Jun 30 2014 08:40 AM

Thanks for the link Manu, but honestly: I don't see myself hauling 80kgs of amps to a gig

In the mean time I've checked with the guy who restored the amp, and it turns out to be an AB165 for real.

—

"Duck Tape is like The Force: it has a light side and a dark side and it holds the universe together"

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Speedball-JR/151771678181829?fref=ts
https://twitter.com/SPEEDBALLJR
https://itunes.apple.com/be/artist/speedball-jr/id389972205

Top

Tremeloverb

Joined: Apr 11, 2016
Posts: 13
United States

Posted on Oct 16 2019 11:31 PM

( Nevermind! Found an answer. 1969 would be an AC568 circuit)

Last edited: Sep 07, 2020 13:28:33

Top

SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »

'69 Fender Bassman 50: to buy or not to buy, that's the question - BOUGHT IT: NAD !!!

Badger Joined: Nov 16, 2013 Posts: 4537 Wisconsin	Posted on Jun 25 2014 01:10 PM Beau-ti-mous! I must say that's the first time I've seen that front plate before; like... they couldn't just put a big warning tag on the back or something about the mains voltage??? Anyway, congrats - that thing will kick butt. — Wes SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices. Top
cambeezy Joined: Jun 26, 2007 Posts: 399 Cleveland, Ohio	Posted on Jun 25 2014 02:09 PM SaschaReynders wrote: I'd love to know the exact type of speaker though. Nice score Sascha! They are alnicos but not sure if they're Eminence or Jensen. Have you cranked it yet? How does it sound? I'd like to build a lightweight pine 2X12 closed-back cab with two Jensen P12Qs that I have. My '64 Bassman cab is just too heavy to lug around. Top
LeeVanCleef Joined: Oct 05, 2011 Posts: 744 France	Posted on Jun 25 2014 04:46 PM Badger wrote: I must say that's the first time I've seen that front plate before; like... they couldn't just put a big warning tag on the back or something about the mains voltage??? The export models have a warning label AND a big red knob to select mains voltage (which means they work in the US too). I gotta say, that's the first time I've ever seen an amp with "export" spelled out on the front plate too. After a quick look on Google Image Search it appears Fender only did this on Bassmans. Anyway, Sascha, what a beauty! And I'm sure it sounds at least as good as it looks. 800 Euros for the head + cab is a pretty good price in these parts too. Congratulations! — Old punks never die... They just become surf rockers. Top
Badger Joined: Nov 16, 2013 Posts: 4537 Wisconsin	Posted on Jun 25 2014 05:22 PM LeeVanCleef wrote: The export models have a warning label AND a big red knob to select mains voltage (which means they work in the US too). Merci, I learned something again at this forum. — Wes SoCal ex-pat with a snow shovel DISCLAIMER: The above is opinion/suggestion only & should not be used for mission planning/navigation, tweaking of instruments, beverage selection, or wardrobe choices. Top
SanchoPansen Joined: Jan 04, 2011 Posts: 1588 Berlin L-Berg	Posted on Jun 26 2014 02:50 AM That's a real cool looking amp. I've never seen it before. I only knew that the export models have the red backpanel with the voltage selector. — The Hicadoolas Top
SaschaReynders Joined: Dec 26, 2013 Posts: 251	Posted on Jun 26 2014 08:04 AM Thanks again guys, I'm real happy with my new toy I'd never seen this kind of "Export" faceplate either, but as Lee said: it seems to be a Bassman-only thing, mostly on early silverface models. cambeezy wrote: Nice score Sascha! They are alnicos but not sure if they're Eminence or Jensen. Have you cranked it yet? How does it sound? I'd like to build a lightweight pine 2X12 closed-back cab with two Jensen P12Qs that I have. My '64 Bassman cab is just too heavy to lug around. Thanks Cambeezy, I'm pretty sure they're Eminence speakers, Jensens would have a code starting with 220 instead of 67. And it sounds great (not very informative, I know...), but completely different from what I'm used to with my other amps as The Bassman has a lot less clean headroom at high volume (yes, I cranked it all the way up ). So far I've only played my Jazzmaster through it though, so I need a bit more play time with my Jaguar, Strat and other (humbucker) guitars to get a better picture of what this amp can do. — "Duck Tape is like The Force: it has a light side and a dark side and it holds the universe together" https://www.facebook.com/pages/Speedball-JR/151771678181829?fref=ts https://twitter.com/SPEEDBALLJR https://itunes.apple.com/be/artist/speedball-jr/id389972205 Top
JObeast Joined: Jul 24, 2012 Posts: 2762 Finknabad, Squinkistan	Posted on Jun 26 2014 11:42 AM "Played it both dry and with my '63 Reverb in front of it, and with the reverb I noticed I had to turn the dwell way down to about 4'ish otherwise it sounded like I was in the Hall of the Mountain King... Maybe that's because of the two 15" speakers ?" The apparent increase of reverb is probably the result of heavy compression the amp & speakers exert on the guitar signal. Maybe bi-amp with a 'dry' amp next to it, and dial that amp's volume to the point of best clarity? Overkill? Yes. — Squink Out! Top
SaschaReynders Joined: Dec 26, 2013 Posts: 251	Posted on Jun 27 2014 04:12 AM JObeast wrote: The apparent increase of reverb is probably the result of heavy compression the amp & speakers exert on the guitar signal. Maybe bi-amp with a 'dry' amp next to it, and dial that amp's volume to the point of best clarity? Overkill? Yes. Now that's an idea, run the Bassman and the Vibrosonic side by side with a line selecter: 150 watts of power blasting through three 15" speakers... Overkill? Definitely! But I bet that would create an awesome wall of sound All I need now is a car with a bigger trunk...and a roadie And maybe some ear plugs... — "Duck Tape is like The Force: it has a light side and a dark side and it holds the universe together" https://www.facebook.com/pages/Speedball-JR/151771678181829?fref=ts https://twitter.com/SPEEDBALLJR https://itunes.apple.com/be/artist/speedball-jr/id389972205 Top
poisonmanu Joined: May 13, 2011 Posts: 81 Belgium	Posted on Jun 27 2014 04:41 AM Just in case, this is what I use with the Deluxe and the Prosonic : http://silverbladeaudio.com/hx3.html 60 euros and do the job ! — www.facebook.com/hello.tiki.1 www.facebook.com/SonicNightmare Top
SaschaReynders Joined: Dec 26, 2013 Posts: 251	Posted on Jun 30 2014 08:40 AM Thanks for the link Manu, but honestly: I don't see myself hauling 80kgs of amps to a gig In the mean time I've checked with the guy who restored the amp, and it turns out to be an AB165 for real. — "Duck Tape is like The Force: it has a light side and a dark side and it holds the universe together" https://www.facebook.com/pages/Speedball-JR/151771678181829?fref=ts https://twitter.com/SPEEDBALLJR https://itunes.apple.com/be/artist/speedball-jr/id389972205 Top
Tremeloverb Joined: Apr 11, 2016 Posts: 13	Posted on Oct 16 2019 11:31 PM ( Nevermind! Found an answer. 1969 would be an AC568 circuit) Last edited: Sep 07, 2020 13:28:33 Top