Problem with 59 bassman

G&Legacy

New member
I have a Bassman reissue and have come across a problem. It is starting to sound thin. When I use a distortion in front of it (a good distortion) it sounds thin and crappy. I have a crate tube amp and the distortion box sounds great on the clean channel. And I swear that the Bassman used to sound better with a distortion in front of it but it doesnt now. Any one know what might be wrong?
 
Re: Problem with 59 bassman

A full retube might be in order.

Do you bridge your channels with a small cable? If not, you really should!
You simply plug your guitar into the bright input 1, then send the bright input 2 over to the normal input 1. That way, you can use the normal volume control to thicken the tone. I guarantee there's no lack of fullness when you do that.
 
Re: Problem with 59 bassman

Hey thanks, I was thinking it was the tubes also. I will have to try the bridge thing.
 
Re: Problem with 59 bassman

Tweed Bassmans can sound both glassy bright and very bassy...but I don't hear them as sounding thin. I used to play mine with the bass control turned almost off...they have so much bass! If you used to be happy with it and now you're not, the problem is probably tube related. Also, you can use a tube rectifier with your amp if you want to...it'll make the tone a little warmer and spongier... it'll respond to your touch and picking dynamics more. Recommended if you're now using a solid state rectifier instead of of a 5AR4 tube rectifier. If you decide to retube it, and you've been using a solid state rectifier, try a 5AR4 instead and get the amp biased properly. Regarding jimping the channels: it will fatten up the tone...especially the mids. Give it a try. Lew
 
Re: Problem with 59 bassman

i ran my tweed bassman with the presance & treble at 6 or 7, mids at 12, bass around 6 for low volume and as low as 3 at higher volume. jumping the channels is a good idea to get more meat. i used to run the guitar into bright 1, out of bright 2 into a reverb unit then from there into normal 1. that let me get a fatter sound and i could use the normal channel volume to blend in the reverb
 
Re: Problem with 59 bassman

jeremy said:
jumping the channels is a good idea to get more meat. i used to run the guitar into bright 1, out of bright 2 into a reverb unit then from there into normal 1. that let me get a fatter sound and i could use the normal channel volume to blend in the reverb

Yeah, that's my favorite trick for adding reverb to a 4 input Bassman or Plexi.
Just bridge the 2 channels with something like an EH Holy Grail in between 2 one foot cords, and sit the reverb unit on top. That way, you're using the normal volume to mix in a little verb and warmth.
 
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