Here are the Pics of the insides of my '66 Bassman

jerryjg

jerryjg

PinkElephantologist
I got around to takeing it apart tonight and here are the pictures of the Inside and Transformers. I think that one resistor comeing off the ground switch is the death cap and should be clipped? Caps all look in decent shape I guess, and original. Power Transfromer # is ; 125P7D and 606601. The output transformer has a similar sets of numbers. Any input would be sincerely appreciated.;

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Re: Here are the Pics of the insides of my '66 Bassman

other than the two orange drops, most of the caps look original

whether that's good or bad tone-wise is another matter, but it's still pretty cool

most techs are gonna say the filter caps need replacing every 10 - 15 years (keep the old caps if you do, 'cause some people will buy 'em.)

about the only mod I'd suggest if you're going to keep it, is to mod the bias balance to a "regular" bias scheme ... a fairly simple mod for a good tech.

so the question is, how's it sound?
most likely, if you haven't already, you need to **CRANK** it through a good cab to really see what's there
 
Re: Here are the Pics of the insides of my '66 Bassman

He needs one of the old 2x15 Fender cabs. Those old Bassmans sound awesome with a 2x15.
 
Re: Here are the Pics of the insides of my '66 Bassman

Yes I'd be looking closely at all the electrolytic caps and probably replacing them all. Very likely the big 470 Ohm resistors across the power tube sockets too, as they tend to get cooked by the heat and sometimes crumble when touched. A tech would be able to go over the whole amp and give it a thorough check, and at that point it's a matter for the owner to decide the originality v's reliability issues. If it's going well and sounding good and not humming too much, just enjoy it, but be aware that after a period of time some parts will probably begin to cause trouble and eventually give out. No biggie, just depends on whether you want to wait or get in ahead of the game with some preventative measures.
 
Re: Here are the Pics of the insides of my '66 Bassman

Hard to tell - but the ground switch cap looks to still be in circuit.

Screw being original..... get it out of there a.s.a.p.

Otherwise it's beautiful in it's simplicity.

I have a '62 (6G6-A) and I think you will be as pleased as the cat that got the cream with the sound. I run a 4x12 Celestion/Fane for growl, and a 2x12 Celestion for ice-pick..... but there are innumerable options, and I would love to try the 2x15 cabs sometime.

Enjoy, but stay safe :cool2:
 
Re: Here are the Pics of the insides of my '66 Bassman

Nice to see one that hasn't been "improved"... :)

As mentioned above, the bias upgrade would be worthwhile if you're gonna keep it since Fender (for whatever reason) designed their bias control as a "hum balance" which only adjusts the voltage on one tube - the other remains fixed. Tubes were built better then though...
I would also replace the 470's on the output tube sockets with 5W ceramics if I was going to make it a player.

Anyway - nice stuff.
 
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Re: Here are the Pics of the insides of my '66 Bassman

Regarding the filter caps, don't touch them - you can get knocked on your butt from the voltage that's stored in your filter caps even when the amp is not plugged in.

But do look at them closely. You'll probably see dimples protruding from the ends. If so, replace them.

That steel cover Fender puts over the filter caps serves a couple of purposes. One is to keep you from touching them and killing yourself but another is to prevent a big mess inside the amp when a worn filter cap explodes!
 
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