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Post subject: Best vintage Fender amps for bass?
Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2012 10:45 am
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I've never had much access to many vintage Fender bass amps. What ones should I be looking out for more? My current amps are an 80s Ampeg tube head (usually through an Acoustic 1x18) and a 70s Acoustic solid-state (usually through an Ampeg 1x15). I like enough head room that the signal won't break up, but I don't mind a little dirt in there for good measure.

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Post subject: Re: Best vintage Fender amps for bass?
Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 2:15 am
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Fender BLACKFACE DUAL SHOWMAN head. More powerful than a Bassman head of the same vintage and perfectly bass capable.


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Post subject: Re: Best vintage Fender amps for bass?
Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 2:16 am
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Post subject: Re: Best vintage Fender amps for bass?
Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 9:10 am
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Awesome! I see amps like this pop up occasionally, but like I said, I'm not sure which are best suited for bass. I've had a variety of 70s Acoustic Control heads, my Ampeg, a GK, etc. but never a Fender. I tried playing bass through my old Blues Deville for a small festival show once. It was alright since we were mic'd, but overall it just wasn't good for bass. Are there other non-Bassman heads I should keep an eye out for?

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Post subject: Re: Best vintage Fender amps for bass?
Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 9:21 am
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How about this one?

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad ... =6&search=

I need to research prices and such, plus I'd have to get my amp guy to look at it to determine repair cost and replace the speakers in the cab, which I assume is still worth picking up.

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Post subject: Re: Best vintage Fender amps for bass?
Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 9:43 am
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brotherdave wrote:
Fender BLACKFACE DUAL SHOWMAN head. More powerful than a Bassman head of the same vintage and perfectly bass capable.


+1

As much as it pains me to say it, Fender never really offered a credible bass amp during the halcyon days of the blackface or silverface eras. The problem rested more with the speaker enclosures than the amplifier itself since they were all adaptations of the basic guitar cabinet. The Showman head (or its closely-related Super Bassman, Bassman 100, and Bassman 135 stablemates) is a respectable platform, but only when used in conjunction with a decent bass cab such as an Ampeg SVT, Sunn 200S, or Acoustic 371. A true bass enclosure really needs to be deeper than 11.5 inches in order to develop the long waves that a bass instrument produces. An exception can be made for Fender's 4 x 12 Bassman 100 cab, which is quite punchy and fills a room nicely. There was also a 2 x 15 Bassman 135 enclosure that was based on the folded-horn design as used by Sunn. It too projects well and delivers a solid bottom end. IIRC, both of these cabs are 14 inches deep.

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Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Best vintage Fender amps for bass?
Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 1:24 pm
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Post subject: Re: Best vintage Fender amps for bass?
Posted: Thu Jun 07, 2012 1:31 pm
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I'm trying to work out a trade with that seller based on y'all's suggestion.

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Post subject: Re: Best vintage Fender amps for bass?
Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2012 2:49 am
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He asked about amps, not cabs. He made it clear what cabs he had to use. The Fender Blackface Dual Showamn is a lot like the Ampeg V4B or the Marshall SuperBass amps I had. Not an SVT by any means, but will compare well with those, therefore I disagree with the statement that, "Fender never really offered a credible bass amp during the halcyon days of the blackface or silverface eras." Your mileage may vary. But I know what I know.


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Post subject: Re: Best vintage Fender amps for bass?
Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2012 6:23 am
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brotherdave wrote:
He asked about amps, not cabs. He made it clear what cabs he had to use.


If that be the case then fine -- the Ampeg 1 x 15 cab should work well. However, it's an eight-ohm enclosure. The Dual Showman performs at its best with a four-ohm load. The Showman (with the 8-ohm output tranny) is clearly the superior choice.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Best vintage Fender amps for bass?
Posted: Fri Jun 08, 2012 7:22 am
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That's a good thing to know. One of the reasons I rarely use my Ampeg is because it sounds like poo in the 8ohm Ampeg cab. If I take out my huge Acoustic cab (presumably 4 if not 2 ohm), the Ampeg head RULES! That's usually too much for a typical show, not to mention a pain in the butt to load in and out, hence the preference to my smaller rig, but I like the idea of an old Fender head pushing my parts through the 15 of maybe a 4x10. I'm gonna wait for another one to pop up that's in operational condition and try it with the 15.

Other opinions and options welcome!

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Post subject: Re: Best vintage Fender amps for bass?
Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2013 3:34 pm
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For medium to small jobs, I use a Single Showman cabinet, the 15 with a tone ring. It's loaded with an EVM-15L. Really good sound, down to the low B on my bass! I'm not using a Fender head, though. When I was younger (LONG AGO!) I had a Bassman 10, the a 2-15 Bassman 50 and then the 4-12 Bassman 100. The Bassman 10 had the best overall sound, the 50 thumped the best. I never thought the 100 was all that great.


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Post subject: Re: Best vintage Fender amps for bass?
Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 5:58 pm
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Plugged my '69 Bassman (50W) head into the 4ohm Rumble 4x10 cab and it's awesome with and without the horn. But still, it is the typical 60's 50W head and has a limit to it's headroom. I have to agree with Brother Dave and Arjay that the Showman would be the best choice.

Art


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