Members t-rey Posted December 29, 2011 Members Share Posted December 29, 2011 Found a 76 Bassman 50 locally for $400 with fresh tubes and a 3 prong power cord. It is a non master amp - only 3 controls on each channel, which I believe makes it closer to the late 60s Bassman amps instead of the ultra linear models that nobody seems to like all that much. My questions are this - is that a fair price? Will it work okay with an 8ohm cab? I won't be able to crank it on a regular basis, so is it a good clean pedal amp at low volumes? Could I play bass through it (at reasonable volumes) through the Sunn 410s cab I will be using for guitar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RoboPimp Posted December 29, 2011 Members Share Posted December 29, 2011 not my favorite SF fender amp stock but not the worst thing in the world. IF you need an amp it would serve the purpose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members t-rey Posted December 29, 2011 Author Members Share Posted December 29, 2011 There is a fine line between need and want, my friend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 I really like the 50W non-master volume Bassman heads. They can get really loud, and they have a nice crunch when you crank them up. $400 seems about right I guess - they are one of the least expensive Fender heads you can get - they went for $250 - $350, depending on condition, for quite a while, but I suspect they've gone up a bit. Still, they're great 50W amps on a budget, are easy to mod, etc. Yes, they're good with pedals. Yes, 8 ohms is fine. Yes, of course you can play bass with it - it's a bass amp. Just be careful about the volume levels and blasting the low notes for the sake of your (guitar) speakers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members t-rey Posted December 29, 2011 Author Members Share Posted December 29, 2011 What are some good/common mods that are usually done? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 Changing the tone stack on one of the channels is fairly commonly done; optimizing one for guitar, and leaving the other one set stock. Most are set up with the channels in phase, so you can combine them / run them simultaneously. You can mod them to blackface specs (different mods to the power amp and bias, depending on which version you actually have), remove the negative feedback, add a DC heater mod to it, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members youngpedals Posted December 29, 2011 Members Share Posted December 29, 2011 If you get it, make sure you change the screen resistors, those amps like to eat the (under-powered) stock resistors that Fender used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dkal24 Posted December 29, 2011 Members Share Posted December 29, 2011 I believe they are 50 watts into 4 ohms Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dkal24 Posted December 29, 2011 Members Share Posted December 29, 2011 And yeah an 8 ohm cab will work but 4 is ideal. You might lose a little volume with the 8 ohm cab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members t-rey Posted December 29, 2011 Author Members Share Posted December 29, 2011 That's what I have been reading. I have also seen some stuff about people using 6v6s instead of 6l6s to bring down the wattage - anybody know about that? Are their any particular dirt pedals that match really well with them? I was thinking about an EQD Monarch or something like a Catalinbread SFT. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members echodeluxe Posted December 29, 2011 Members Share Posted December 29, 2011 Get some good tubes in there and it will be great. Price is right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brown, Charlie Posted December 29, 2011 Members Share Posted December 29, 2011 Great with mods, okay for guitar stock. $400 is fair for a point-to-point wired amp with big transformers. The stock 50's have a 'scooped' sound since they were supposed to be bass amps. Yours could be the ab165 circuit or 4 other circuits that fender tried in the 70's. I'd try a midrange-y dirt pedal. Better yet change the tone caps on one of the channels, also try jumpering the two channels together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members echodeluxe Posted December 29, 2011 Members Share Posted December 29, 2011 Awesome with the boss od3 or fulldrive, also with any other other ts type od. I didn't like the muff with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 That's what I have been reading. I have also seen some stuff about people using 6v6s instead of 6l6s to bring down the wattage - anybody know about that? Not without lowering the plate voltage and doing the associated mods to run 6V6's in it - otherwise, those 6V6's won't last a day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WeStartToDrift Posted December 29, 2011 Members Share Posted December 29, 2011 I almost bought one of these last year, but it was way too dark sounding for me. I think I'm way into Twins and SS amps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members crohny Posted December 29, 2011 Members Share Posted December 29, 2011 That's what I have been reading. I have also seen some stuff about people using 6v6s instead of 6l6s to bring down the wattage - anybody know about that?Are their any particular dirt pedals that match really well with them? I was thinking about an EQD Monarch or something like a Catalinbread SFT. Run the amp with the correct ohm cab. Don't mod it for 6v6 tubes. If it is anythign like my amp, you'll want those 6l6 tubes in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 I believe they are 50 watts into 4 ohms You are correct sir. You can run one at 8 ohms, but a 4 ohm load is better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members t-rey Posted December 29, 2011 Author Members Share Posted December 29, 2011 Very good point. the 100k ohm preamp resistors should probably be replaced too - that will cure any bacon sizzling and soft "popping" the amp may make in nearly all cases. For that matter, the amp may be in need of a recap job - hard to tell without hearing and seeing it. You are correct sir. You can run one at 8 ohms, but a 4 ohm load is better. How would I be able to tell if it needs new caps? The owner said he had them checked when he had it retubed, but people do tend to say things like that when they are selling things. Would it be terrible to run it into an 8 ohm cab on a regular basis, or would I really need to get a 4 ohm? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 Run two 8 ohm cabinets and you're presenting a 4 ohm load to the amp. No, it probably won't hurt it to run an 8 ohm cab on a regular basis - I used to do that with mine, and I did it regularly for a few years without killing the amp. It's inefficient, and while not terribly hard on that amp, it's not going to give you the amp's full volume potential either... ideally, you should run it at the rated 4 ohm load, but chances are good it will run fine at 8 and not give you any problems... but I can't guarantee that. As far as the recapping, it just depends mostly on what you see and hear. If it's humming like mad, then it probably needs new filter caps at the minimum - and those tend to be big and fairly expensive. The other caps are much less costly. Any dried out or "burst" caps is an immediate no-go / bad sign. The only way to know that is to open the amp up and look inside, but that only helps if you know what to look for, and know how NOT to get killed by high voltage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members crohny Posted December 30, 2011 Members Share Posted December 30, 2011 Doesn't like muffs?!?! Guess that's an excuse to buy some other fuzzes.That's what I thought. I had seen a couple threads on TGP (I think) that mentioned it, but I had a feeling there was waaaaay more to it than they were letting on.I only have 8 ohm cabs, so I was really hoping to make that work since I don't have amp and cab money. Did you rewire one of yours for 4 ohm?How would I be able to tell if it needs new caps? The owner said he had them checked when he had it retubed, but people do tend to say things like that when they are selling things.Would it be terrible to run it into an 8 ohm cab on a regular basis, or would I really need to get a 4 ohm? My jet city cab has a 4ohm out on it. Run two 8ohm cabs and you're golden. As far as caps go, you need to take it to a tech. It's an older amp and you should have it looked over. If the owner can show he had it looked at prior to sale that is a plus. If he can't then you should do it yourself. My tech is rad and will look over {censored} for me free of charge. It's worth the effort if it's anything liek my 68. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ispunk Posted December 30, 2011 Members Share Posted December 30, 2011 You could try JJ 6V6 tubes. They can handle way more plate voltage than any other 6V6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Brown, Charlie Posted December 30, 2011 Members Share Posted December 30, 2011 If you get it, make sure you change the screen resistors, those amps like to eat the (under-powered) stock resistors that Fender used. Are weak screen resistors a problem with older bf twins/showmans, or is this just a bassman thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members t-rey Posted December 30, 2011 Author Members Share Posted December 30, 2011 My jet city cab has a 4ohm out on it. Run two 8ohm cabs and you're golden. As far as caps go, you need to take it to a tech. It's an older amp and you should have it looked over. If the owner can show he had it looked at prior to sale that is a plus. If he can't then you should do it yourself. My tech is rad and will look over {censored} for me free of charge. It's worth the effort if it's anything liek my 68. What - now you think you're better than me with your fancy 4 ohm cab??? How does yours do with the Supercollider? I know echo_d said his didn't like muffs, but whatabout the more middy muffs like the Musket, Supercollider, Megalith, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members crohny Posted December 30, 2011 Members Share Posted December 30, 2011 Mine does perfectly fine with the Supercollider and the Pharaoh. And does fine when stackign both. Go in through the bass input and you wont have an issue. Now if you play in the normal side it wont take it well at all. Or anything really besides delay and reverb {censored} like that. Bass side is key! Buy the amp. If you don't like it, I will buy it off you. Haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members youngpedals Posted December 30, 2011 Members Share Posted December 30, 2011 Are weak screen resistors a problem with older bf twins/showmans, or is this just a bassman thing? A lot of the older Fenders used this resistor (labeled "470 1W"); bandmaster, twin-reverb, showman, bassman. I've worked on a couple Bassmans (one SF, one BF) and they've had that problem. One took a few supply caps with it. Same with a SF Showman, which was an absolute nightmare, that being just one issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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