Fender Launches New Bassman Heads and Bass Cabinets

Bassman 300 (Click for a close-up of the controls)

Bassman 300 Rear Panel (Click for a close-up of the connectors)

Bassman 1200 (Click for a close-up)

Bassman 1200 Rear Panel (Click for a close-up)

Fender Musical Instruments Corporation (FMIC) expands its family of revolutionary bass amplifiers this summer with the introduction of two new bass amplifier heads: the Bassman 1200 and Bassman 300 amplifiers. Designed with contemporary electric bass players in mind, the newest Bassman amps from Fender are feature-loaded to equip working pros with the tools to get the job done in any situation, from the smallest club to packed halls, from home recording to high-powered session dates. The addition of two new bass speaker cabinets, the Fender Bassman 410 Pro SL cabinet and the Fender Bassman 215 cabinet, are ideal compliments the new bass amplifiers.

Working with a hand-picked team of pro bass players for design and feature input, Fender's Research & Development team has created two new amp heads that offer power and versatility, and that are compatible with a number of different speaker cabinet combinations.

Says Shane Nicholas, marketing manager for Fender amplifiers, "With the success of our Bassman combo amps, we've realized just how far we've come in the arena of bass amplification. We now have two full-blown professional bass amplifier heads that we are extremely excited about."

The Bassman 1200 is just that: a 1200 Watt, fully featured amplifier. Powerful enough to play any professional venue, the Bassman 1200 is structurally engineered to travel--a road worthy, portable head weighing only 32 lbs, and that will conveniently fit into a two-space rack format.

The 1200 features two 12AX7 preamp tubes with a Fender solid state power amp. It comes equipped with a ten-band graphic equalizer, built-in compressor, tube overdrive and channel switching. Additional on-board features include an effects loop, active/passive input pad selector, tuner out jack with mute, balanced line out, EQ active indicator, and Master Volume, Gain, Low, High and Mid Notch controls.

Available in stores August, 2002. US MSRP is $1,599.99.

An ideal compliment to this powerful new head is the Fender Bassman 410 Pro SL cabinet. An all new hand built speaker cabinet with birch ply construction and professional black carpet covering, the new Bassman 410 Pro SL features 4x10" custom designed cast-frame speakers built in the United States by Eminence. The cabinet also features a unique slant baffle design hat directs the sound towards the player for a superb stage sound.

A compression driver horn with attenuator control and protection circuit gives any desired level of high frequency response, with power handling at 300 Watts continuous, 600 Watts program and impedance at 8 Ohms. The Bassman 410 Pro SL also features heavy duty hardware and metal grill, making it extremely road-worthy. Dimensions are: Height, 25.5"; Width, 25.5"; Depth, 18.5", and; Weight, 78 lbs. US MSRP is $ 799.99.

For bassists who like to drive their amps hard for a "tougher" sound, Fender is proud to introduce the all tube Bassman 300. A toneful and powerful amp with a "traditional" feel, the Bassman 300 features a two channel tube preamp coupled with the monstrous power of a six by 6550 tube power amp.

Features for the Bassman 300 are the same as the Bassman 1200, including a ten-band graphic equalizer, built-in compressor, tube overdrive and channel switching. Additional on-board features include an effects loop, active/passive input pad selector, tuner out jack with mute, balanced line out, EQ active indicator, and Master Volume, Gain, Low, High and Mid Notch controls.

Available in stores August, 2002. United States MSRP is $1,699.99.

Complimenting the new Bassman 300 amplifier is the new Bassman 215 cabinet. This new hand built speaker cabinet features two custom designed 15" Eminence speakers, birch ply construction with black textured vinyl covering, heavy duty hardware and metal grill. Power handling is 300 Watts continuous, 600 Watts Program, with an impedance at 8 Ohms. Dimensions are: Height, 41"; Width, 25.5"; Depth, 17", and; Weight, 87 lbs. US MSRP is $ 649.99