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Post subject: New tube amp owner please help me!
Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2011 12:38 am
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I just purchased a 1967 Blackface Bassman Head only, it was described to be in excellent condition off Ebay for $665.00 I thought that was a good deal. So now my family, who knows even less than I do wants to kill me and I feel really stupid for doing it.

1. Reason why I bought it:
I am a huge Social Distortion and Mike Ness fan and I was tired of not getting their tone from my solid state amps. I spent a lot on my les paul guitar even putting Mike Ness's SP90-2 hot pickups in it (seymour duncan custom p90s) and overdrive pedals, but could never really get their tone, so I finally decided the only way I was going to get it was to get the amp they use which is a 1967 blackface bassman. There head is modded by Billy Zoom and later by Divided by 13. Social Distortion has some of the best p90 bassman tones you'll ever hear. Mike runs the head through a 4x12 marshall 1960s cab.

2. My problem

I know absolutley nothing about tube amps. I haven't received the head yet. I don't know how many ohms it is rated for or if it has been modified in any way which if it has been would add to my confusion. My problem is magnified cause I don't have a cab to hook it up to even see if it works? I would like to get it checked over by a tech but where? And I would like to hook it up to see if it works and how it sounds.

If I can see if it works properly what cab do I get for my purpose which would be garage jamming alone about a hour or two a week? I want to get Social Distortion's tone but without blowing the roof off my house. I think a 4x12 marshall 1960's cab would be way too big and loud. Do I go with a 2x12 marshall cab? if so which one? I wouldn't want to go over $600-$700. I would want it to have greenback speakers cause that's what Ness uses, I'm unsure about the specific model greenback speakers he uses and what ohms and watt they are. But if I can get a 2x12 with greenbacks will that get me their tone?

Another concern I have is I know I want to have the Mike Ness mod to my head (for $250 so I read) will that cause a problem if I do decide on a 2x12 setup? Like will it become incapatable say like change how many ohms it has therefor damage my setup if I run it in a 2x12 with a modified head? I have to mention the head will be sitting alone for months until I can get a cab. Is that bad to leave it sitting in a cold garage that long?

Those are my concerns the rest is just basic stuff for you guys like what are the steps of turning on and off the amp without hurting it? I think it has a standby switch but I'm new to all this and don't know what that does or how to work it. I know tube amp are very touchy which is why I want to make sure I have the right setup I want while not doing any damage.

I appretiate any help I can get.


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Post subject: Re: New tube amp owner please help me!
Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2011 12:53 am
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I can post the ebay pictures of the head if you like. I can also post pictures of Ness's amp setup and some videos of his tone to show you what I'm after.


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Post subject: Re: New tube amp owner please help me!
Posted: Sun Dec 11, 2011 3:28 am
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Bassman head need a 4 ohms cab. You can use it for test only a 8 ohms cab to hear if you like the tone , if it's work.


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Post subject: Re: New tube amp owner please help me!
Posted: Tue Dec 13, 2011 7:43 am
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Vintage tube amps have an annoying habit of having old electrolytic capacitors go south, especially if they haven't been used in a while. I've worked on my share of them. If there's a loud hum in the audio when you get it running, then that's a sure sign they will need to be replaced.

The standby switch is to extend the usable life of the tubes. Always turn the power on with the standby switch in "standby". This lets the tube filaments heat up before the high voltage is applied to tube plates. Let it warm up for about 30 seconds, then you can flip the standby switch on. Turning off isn't as important, although I usually turn the standby switch to standby first and then turn the power off. If you're taking a break between sets, turn the standby switch to standby, but leave the power on. The tube filaments last longer if they aren't being cycled on and off, but the useful life of the rest the tube is longer if the plate voltage is off.

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Post subject: Re: New tube amp owner please help me!
Posted: Wed Dec 14, 2011 11:14 am
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I agree. I'd take the amp to a good tech for a once over and to be sure it wasn't molested in any way. Now for the bad news. It's very doubtful you'll get Mike Ness's tone even if you used Mike's rig. Tone is a tough thing and there are so many variables involved. Even two identical amps made the same day could sound slightly different. I would take a great amp like that and try creating my own tone. Chasing someone elses' tone can be both frustrating and expensive. I did that in my way younger days. Now at 56 I have a great tone that's all mine. :wink:

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