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Vintage Fender Bassman 4x10 vs current production Bassman RI.

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  • Vintage Fender Bassman 4x10 vs current production Bassman RI.

    ATT all the Fender amp gurus.

    Quick question : albeit, probably one, with a long answer.

    I understand that the new re-issue 4X10 Bassman amps sounds nothing like the vintage models.

    Except replacing the stock speakers of the RI, what can you do to the circuit (by a decent tech) to get a 2012 model, much closer to the one in the clip below ?

    Here I am still experimenting with the amp settings. I turned the presence and treble up, as well as the volume to 6. I did not jump the channels. I may t...


    ALL info will be greatly appreciated.



    Formerly known as; SirJackdeFuzz (7400+ posts)

  • #2
    I'm not a guru, but I own a couple other reissues and have compared them to friends originals.

    My first question is: if you set your amp to the same settings as that video, use a period-correct Strat, what exactly sounds different between yours and the video? (The distortion? The bass response? The presence?)

    It's interesting I heard a reverb sound on the video, but I didn't see a reverb unit on screen. Not sure what else he's running through.

    I've found the RIs actually don't sound that bad stock and, after recording with mics and mixing them in music, I'm convinced the RIs sound not too far off from what the originals might have sounded like when they were new. (It didn't take many turns of any knobs to match old famous records for me.) They have pine cabinets and are built pretty solid, Jensen speakers, pretty true to the originals, as best as can be with parts available now. (Vintage NOS tubes might help a great deal, but I haven't felt the need yet.)

    The problem with comparing RI to originals now, like that video, is many parts on the original have aged badly and others have been replaced over time just to keep it running, so it sounds different now than when it was new. (I gigged for a year or more with a friend who had an original Bassman that his father had bought new in 1959-1960.) His was very dark and ugly sounding. I was surprised. If you notice in the video, the guy has the bass rolled almost all the way off and the mids scooped way down just to get it to sound like it might have when new.

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    • #3
      I can maybe speak to this.

      I've owned a 59 Bassman RI LTD since around 2011. It was all stock when I started. It's a good sounding amp. First mod I did was to change the speakers. I'm not a fan of the spaghetti Jensens and I find them harsh when pushed. I put in a pair of Weber 10A125's and another pair of 10F150's. Man did that thing POUND with that speaker combo in there. I used to call this amp my "heavy artillery" when I wanted there to be no question about being heard at a gig. It wasn't just volume though, the amp has a big spread with the open back 410 cab and with the natural mid focus it slices through a mix without having to be turned up.

      Anyway some years went by and as a combination of boredom and reading too many gear forums I got caught up in wondering how different an actual vintage spec 5F6A Bassman would sound. So I took my trusty BMRI to my local tech and had him completely gut the chassis and rebuild it to 5F6A spec. And I'm talking everything - I even got Mercury Magnetics period specific repro transformers.

      I got it back and it sounded different. There's definitely a change in the tone and response. It's still in the same ballpark, but the actual 5F6A is more delicate and 3D sounding. I actually ended up pulling the two 10F150 speakers and picked up another pair of 10A125's so now I have a matching quad in there. After the circuit was changed I found the 10F150's weren't well suited to the amp anymore. They were too much speaker - too bold. Now with the quad of 10A125's it sounds just gorgeous. It's got a touch response that the original LTD didn't have. It's really hard to put into words. Was it worth the expense of gutting and rebuilding? Probably not. Would I do it again? Also probably not. What I should have done in hindsight is sell the LTD and then just buy a 5F6A from one of the many independent builders out there.

      How different are they? They're both unmistakably Bassmans. I guess it would be like the difference between the base model of a vehicle and the optioned out top trim level of the same car.
      -
      My Rolling Stones tribute band: The Main Street Exiles

      At the battle of the bands, the loser is always the audience. -Demitri Martin

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      • #4
        Originally posted by SirJackdeFuzz II View Post
        ATT all the Fender amp gurus.

        Quick question : albeit, probably one, with a long answer.

        I understand that the new re-issue 4X10 Bassman amps sounds nothing like the vintage models.

        Except replacing the stock speakers of the RI, what can you do to the circuit (by a decent tech) to get a 2012 model, much closer to the one in the clip below ?

        Here I am still experimenting with the amp settings. I turned the presence and treble up, as well as the volume to 6. I did not jump the channels. I may t...


        ALL info will be greatly appreciated.


        Well, no new amp is going to even sound like itself until the speakers are broken in -so bear in mind, those re-issues have to get stressed for months to approach what they are suppose to be.
        “For me, when everything goes wrong – that’s when adventure starts.” Yvonne Chouinard

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        • #5
          the circuit is pretty similar but i think they did make some changes. comparing the two schematics would probably show you what needed to be changed to get it back to strict 5f6a specs. the speakers make a big difference. i put some p10q's in instead of the p10r but i think weber is the way to go if you are going to replace speakers

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          • #6
            I have the bastardized alternative universe version of the bassman Randall did after he left Fender. Probably the weirdest amp I own. They added tremolo, a master volume, and gain. Still 2 channels but 120 watts of solid-state goodness through 4x10s. It is a pretty sweet amp especially for acoustic but screams with the right dirt stomp. Loud as freaking hell.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by SirJackdeFuzz II View Post

              I understand that the new re-issue 4X10 Bassman amps sounds nothing like the vintage models.
              I wouldnt say that at all. I wouldnt say they sound the same but no 2 amps sound 100% the same. The reissues are definitely close, In most contexts I think it would be hard for people to identify it as a RI or original just by judging sound alone.

              I say try one if you can it just might suprise you.
              "It keeps you fit - the alcohol, nasty women, sweat on stage, bad food - it's all very good for you." -Bon Scott

              "Let me put it this way: the 5150 will treat
              you better than any girlfriend, because it screams louder, it's easier to pick up, and it shuts up when you take your plug out." -Rip Glitter

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