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Making the Fender Bassbreaker 15 more Bassman like

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  • Making the Fender Bassbreaker 15 more Bassman like

    I heard the Bassbreaker 15 circuit is a slightly modified bassman circuit so I thought I’d see how close I could get to a more traditional fender sound. Don’t get me wrong I enjoy the stock marshally sound I just found the low gain channel too warm & muffled & the high gain channel is too loud for home use.

    Anyway, first I thought I’d start small. I’ve put a EHX 12AY7 in V1 to drop the overall gain & make the master volume a little more useable. Seemed to work wonders on the low gain channel. It’s like a blanket has been removed from the speaker. I’ve found the EQ controls don’t need to be radically tweaked now between channels (between low & mid gain).

    Going off of others recommendations I’ve changed the stock tubes in V2 & V3 for 12AX7 Tung-sols to further push the amp to fender chimey territory.

    Really enjoying the sound the amp is starting to make now. I’m thinking about putting a 12” Jensen Alnico in there now if there is enough room (the stock Celestion V type is already very close to the power tubes. Just gotta work out what rating I need...

    Anyways would love to hear y’alls thoughts
    Oli

  • #2
    Re: Making the Fender Bassbreaker 15 more Bassman like

    Make a Bassbreaker 15 sound like a Bassman? Just turn the mids down and set it cleaner than usual.
    green globe burned black by sunn

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    • #3
      Re: Making the Fender Bassbreaker 15 more Bassman like

      Bassbreaker made more Bassman like... Sounds too good... I don't like this thread... If I go buying Bassbreaker you know who I blame.

      Seriously though, sounds brilliant!
      "So understand/Don't waste your time always searching for those wasted years/Face up, make your stand/And realize you're living in the golden years"
      Iron Maiden - Wasted Years

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      • #4
        Re: Making the Fender Bassbreaker 15 more Bassman like

        I would say an alnico speaker is more likely to fit, in the way they are mounted, alnico mags, especially smaller mags used in old-style american speakers, and are an issue of depth out the back of the cab rather than height clearing the power tubes.
        That said, a 25W speaker should handle your amp without blowing. Less than that and I would worry over the long term.

        Consider the Eminence Maverick with FDM technology if you find the amp too loud, I put the british version in my 22W amp, it's a little darker now than it was, but it plays like a 6W amp when turned down.

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        • #5
          Re: Making the Fender Bassbreaker 15 more Bassman like

          So I had a chat with the lovely people at Jensen and they recommended a P12R for my needs. I have just fitted it and it fits perfectly. I was worried the magnet would be too close to the power tubes but there is plenty of space. Having played for a little over an hour here are my findings.
          1. The cab is quite a bit lighter. The celestion weighs a ton in comparison to the jensen
          2. The low gain channel no longer needs the bright switch on all the time!
          3. The tone is overall brighter and more defined to my ears.
          4. Definitely getting more of a vintage vibe from the amp

          I'm still breaking in the speaker and I am yet to crank the amp but overall I am super happy with the results.

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          • #6
            Re: Making the Fender Bassbreaker 15 more Bassman like

            It's been a while so I thought I'd post an update. I just could not get on with the Jensen P12R, too much bass and piercing high end. Amp felt a tad too compressed with an alnico speaker aswell. I've since put in a Jensen C12N which is much better. Lovely for cleans and seems to handle Hendrix Marshall style cleans quite nicely. I've put back a 12ax7 in v1. Even though the cleans were spankier (think SRV Lenny) The EHX12ay7 felt like it doubled amp hum/ground noise. Contemplating putting a 5751 in instead when I've got a spare minute. I've given up on the low gain channel its too swampy, I have no idea how its supposed to sound. Not really fendery or marshally maybe its for Jazz? So now I just use the Mid gain channel.
            My biggest complaint about the Bassbreaker 15 is the cab. It's definitely degrading rather than enhancing the speaker sound. I wish I had bought a head version

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            • #7
              Re: Making the Fender Bassbreaker 15 more Bassman like

              Originally posted by LostInMyMindPalace View Post
              It's been a while so I thought I'd post an update. I just could not get on with the Jensen P12R, too much bass and piercing high end. Amp felt a tad too compressed with an alnico speaker aswell. I've since put in a Jensen C12N which is much better. Lovely for cleans and seems to handle Hendrix Marshall style cleans quite nicely. I've put back a 12ax7 in v1. Even though the cleans were spankier (think SRV Lenny) The EHX12ay7 felt like it doubled amp hum/ground noise. Contemplating putting a 5751 in instead when I've got a spare minute. I've given up on the low gain channel its too swampy, I have no idea how its supposed to sound. Not really fendery or marshally maybe its for Jazz? So now I just use the Mid gain channel.
              My biggest complaint about the Bassbreaker 15 is the cab. It's definitely degrading rather than enhancing the speaker sound. I wish I had bought a head version
              5751 could be a nudge for right direction. I had JJ one in Egnater for a while. It was great for cleans, really chimey and more lively JJ 12ax7. However when pushed it got really creaky and sizzly.

              Third time I returned 12ax7 in the amp I threw away the 5751 so won't get tempted again and ruin my tone...

              But it's bright sounding setup to begin with. To get rid of dullness it should work.
              "So understand/Don't waste your time always searching for those wasted years/Face up, make your stand/And realize you're living in the golden years"
              Iron Maiden - Wasted Years

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              • #8
                Re: Making the Fender Bassbreaker 15 more Bassman like

                They are pretty different sounding amps, huh? Perhaps a Tech 21 Blonde pedal into the effects return, or a Boss Fender Bassman pedal?
                Administrator of the SDUGF

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                • #9
                  Re: Making the Fender Bassbreaker 15 more Bassman like

                  Originally posted by Mincer View Post
                  They are pretty different sounding amps, huh? Perhaps a Tech 21 Blonde pedal into the effects return, or a Boss Fender Bassman pedal?
                  I'm currently using a Lovepedal Deluxe blackface & it definitely passes on fender blackface traits. Makes me think a Catalinbread 5f6 would be great with this amp. It seems like you can nudge the amp more marshally or fendery depending on the speaker+pedals you use with it (which may sound immensely obvious).

                  They are definitely very different amps. The Bassbreaker has a traditional fender tone stack rather than a bassman style tone stack which makes it sound quite different. The 45 Bassbreaker supposedly is very similar to a JTM 45 (which is basically a Bassman). Anyhow I've had fun experimenting.

                  Now I'm just going to find a reasonably priced blackface bassman head+cab

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                  • #10
                    Re: Making the Fender Bassbreaker 15 more Bassman like

                    I use nothing but the low gain channel on this amp. Not muddy or swampy at all in my experience. The higher gain channels are far more muddy than the low gain channel. Can be made very Fender Princeton like, but with a mid knob. These amps just have tons of low end available, but they also have enough range on the controls to pull it out if you don't want it. As far as I can tell, they have pretty much very little in common with an old Bassman. The 45 does, but not the 15, or even the 18/30 (which is like two old Deluxe circuits in the same cabinet). The way you describe your amp makes me think it's defective...or else you are using high output pickups (which are hard pickups to make use of through a 15W amp).
                    Last edited by ItsaBass; 03-09-2019, 12:47 PM.
                    Originally posted by LesStrat
                    Yogi Berra was correct.
                    Originally posted by JOLLY
                    I do a few chord things, some crappy lead stuff, and then some rhythm stuff.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Making the Fender Bassbreaker 15 more Bassman like

                      Originally posted by ItsaBass View Post
                      I use nothing but the low gain channel on this amp. Not muddy or swampy at all in my experience. The higher gain channels are far more muddy than the low gain channel. Can be made very Fender Princeton like, but with a mid knob. These amps just have tons of low end available, but they also have enough range on the controls to pull it out if you don't want it. As far as I can tell, they have pretty much very little in common with an old Bassman. The 45 does, but not the 15, or even the 18/30 (which is like two old Deluxe circuits in the same cabinet). The way you describe your amp makes me think it's defective...or else you are using high output pickups (which are hard pickups to make use of through a 15W amp).
                      I'm using a strat with vintage antiquity II pickups. In my experience with the low gain structure there's a sub like bass frequency I don't like. I find you have to use the bright switch all the time too. Just my experience with the amp

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                      • #12
                        Re: Making the Fender Bassbreaker 15 more Bassman like

                        Originally posted by LostInMyMindPalace View Post
                        I'm using a strat with vintage antiquity II pickups. In my experience with the low gain structure there's a sub like bass frequency I don't like. I find you have to use the bright switch all the time too. Just my experience with the amp
                        Isn't that the thing in Bassman sound? To have that lingering low end growl? Along with sweet wide highs.
                        "So understand/Don't waste your time always searching for those wasted years/Face up, make your stand/And realize you're living in the golden years"
                        Iron Maiden - Wasted Years

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