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Post subject: Bassman BandMaster Amps
Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 6:37 am
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I'm not sure exactly where to post regarding a Bassman amp. I know it says right there on it that it's a BASS amp but we all know... well anyway.

I recently came upon a couple diamonds in the garage of an estate sale.

The first one is a Blonde Bassman with a serial number of BP11285. I have located a couple "dating charts" and found this number to be kind of inbetween the given nomenclature of the given years in each years range. So I'm not really sure what year it is. I am also interested to find out what circuit is has in it since that seems to be the most important thing. It appears to be damn near mint inside. I can't see anything that even looks like it was ever touched right down to the original caps. It has a metal cover over what would have been a tube rectifier, so that narrows it down a little. I got a few numbers off the transformers.
125A13A
306337 Large silver trans.

125C1A
606-4-15 Small trans.

125P1D
606409 Large black trans.
with TB2664 stamped on white underneath

The grill cloth I guess is what you would call Wheat and looks 50 years old.

It was sitting on top of a matching cabinet with 2-12"'s in it. Took the back off and the speakers have been swapped out with some old Realistics.

The second one is a blonde BandMaster. This one has a serial number of A16001. It was also sitting on a matching cabinet with 2-12"'s in it. That cabinet had no speakers in it at all. It is so clean that I'm wondering if it has been re-tolexed and the Oxblood grill cloth on both the head and cabinet are almost perfect, another sign that maybe it was redone too. Inside the chassis I found a few of what look like to be more modern disc caps. Nothing too alarming. All the larger caps are original.

Numbers off the transformers are as best as I can see.
125A6A
606-5-47 Large silver trans.

125C1A
606-5-47 Small trans.

125P1(7)?D
606-545 Large black trans

Couple of number stamped in black ink on the chassic frame are TB566 and W29

Again there appears to be so much ambiguity with these amps and so many possibilites of what it may or may not be that I'm confused.

I know pictures.....

I'm working on it.

Unleash the guru's


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Post subject: Re: Bassman BandMaster Amps
Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 8:02 am
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Gotta see pictures ! 8)

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Post subject: Re: Bassman BandMaster Amps
Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 8:03 am
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Wow. Nice find. I trust you bought them?

The Bassman serial number reads as a 1964 6g6-B if I'm not mistaken, and the bandmaster reads mid '65. That'd make it a re-covered blackface amp, so you're probably right. Still cool.

Someone else'll chime in on the trans codes I'm sure.

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Post subject: Re: Bassman BandMaster Amps
Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 9:46 am
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Barely_Oakely wrote:
The Bassman serial number reads as a 1964 6g6-B if I'm not mistaken, and the bandmaster reads mid '65.


I concur.

The Bandmaster is an AB763.

If you carefully inspect the interiors of each cab (the heads and speaker enclosures) you may find a date ink-stamped or penciled within.

Original speakers for the Bassman would be the Oxford 12T6 or (slim possibility) the Jensen C12N.

For the Bandmaster, the Oxford 12M5, Jensen C12Q, or a similar-spec Utah (you'll find that those Realistic speakers were made by Utah but are not original to the cab).

HTH

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Bassman BandMaster Amps
Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 9:59 am
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What kind of deal you got on those? I need to go to Estate Sales.


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Post subject: Re: Bassman BandMaster Amps
Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 11:40 am
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This Bassman have '64 transformer
and Bandmaster '65 transformer.

http://www.thevintagesound.com/ffg/


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Post subject: Re: Bassman BandMaster Amps
Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 12:43 pm
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Pics? maybe?

https://picasaweb.google.com/1115692934 ... directlink

Sorry no pics of the cabinets, they're coming.
Trying to find someone REPUTABLE to give the heads a once over and see what I have here.


Last edited by swerve on Tue Apr 16, 2013 12:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Post subject: Re: Bassman BandMaster Amps
Posted: Tue Apr 16, 2013 12:56 pm
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Beautiful. I'd sure like to get my hands on that bassman...

The Bandmaster's clearly a BF that's been blonde'd.

All I ever find at estate/garage sales are beat up old squiers - well done.

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Post subject: Re: Bassman BandMaster Amps
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 2:47 pm
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Thanks for the help. Now the hard part, finding someone to look them over and power them up.

Tips? Tricks? Recommendations? I almost don't want to let them out of my posession out of fear of someone changing out parts or bastardizing a pretty pristine unit.

I definately don't need both so I wanted to keep the Bassman for now and sell off the BM but I'm not sure of value yet.

I'm sure the fact that it's been altered or re-faced will move the value but how much?


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Post subject: Re: Bassman BandMaster Amps
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 3:21 pm
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Take a look at completed listings on Ebay for amps of similar age and condition to gauge the value of yours, then price them accordingly.

HTH

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Bassman BandMaster Amps
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 4:02 pm
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Even though its been modified? I thought everyone was looking for unmolested specimens?
Thanks, I can't wait to get that bassman up & running so I can try to run the echoplex unit I also picked up through it.


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Post subject: Re: Bassman BandMaster Amps
Posted: Wed Apr 17, 2013 4:54 pm
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"Modding it back" to stock condition is always a possibility. If not, then document what's been done and include that data when you list them.

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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Post subject: Re: Bassman BandMaster Amps
Posted: Fri Apr 19, 2013 5:05 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
Take a look at completed listings on Ebay for amps of similar age and condition to gauge the value of yours, then price them accordingly.

HTH

Arjay


Key word there is "completed". I made the mistake once (only once!) of gauging value based on all listings. I am not stupid but sometimes I do stupid things.

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Post subject: Re: Bassman BandMaster Amps
Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 7:33 am
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Ok, I got my 2 amps up & running. As I don't play "out" I think I'm going to keep the Bandmaster due to its lower output and me playing mostly within a closed room these days...

After getting the Bandmaster back from the tech, I'm told that it was modded (quite professionally, he added) by by-passing the vibrato and turning it into an added gain stage on the second channel. So that makes the "Speed" knob useless. I definitely get more gain and earlier break up by just barely cracking open the "Volume" and opening the "Intensity".

Still pure clean on channel 1. Also was told that if I didn't like the Mod, it would be an easy fix to return back to stock.

Question is, am I doing anything detrimental by running it harder with that "Intensity" knob cranked halfway open?

It sounds freakin' awesome, but yesterday I started smelling "that smell" and it felt warm so I switched her off. Don't know if I should have it returned back to stock and use a pedal for the overdrive or if I might have toasted a resistor or something.

About to put the Bassman on Ebay.

P.S. What is "Jumpering"? Good/bad? Benefits/drawbacks/potential damage?


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