I am using a 59' fender Bassman(reissue) right now, and I think it sounds great, but I was looking for something better with a good power and if it is possible, a litle lighter! I was looking for something like hg35 or just harp gear amps, sonny jr amps, or other custom amps made for harmonicas.. because the bassman is great but it is not that dirty and I really have to put it very loud to have a crunchy sound. Anyway, let me know what you think, thanks
If you're looking for a crunchy amp, I would suggest finding a used Sonny Jr Super Cruncher or Avenger. Unfortunately, they aren't going to be a whole lot lighter.
As Joe says, you are unlikely to find an amp of similar loudness, or even a shade quieter, that weighs noticably less than a bassman. For a 45W amp they are comparatively light.
The Jensens fitted to RI's from the late 90's aren't great speakers if you are looking for anything but a chimey fundamental note, so if you have these change them.
It's easy to make a bassman dirtier, get a tech to rebias to 7mA (seven milliamps) per tube idle bias current, maybe even fit a looser rectifier like a 5U4GB too (bias will need readjusting with rectifier changes, but if you start at 7mA with a 5U4GB than you don't necessarily need to adjust when fitting a 5AR4 or solid state rectifier). Also you might try a 12DW7 tube in the phase inverter (preamp tube next to the power tubes)...if you fit this, you simply won't get any cleans at all.
If any amp was "made for harmonica", the bassman is pretty much at the top of the list. ---------- www.myspace.com/markburness
i can relate to the weight issue but there is no substitute for 4x10's and that bassman circuit. i have decided to let my bassman go since i rarely get it out to a gig these days, favoring a single 12 silvertone instead. duo gigs are what i do mostly so it's hard to justify keeping the bassman. i have it listed on the for sale page here btw.
a gaincutter tube in p2 and p3 is a good idea as are weber speakers like the blue flame. i bridge the 2 channels with a short jumper cord and it has a good overdrive effect. i also have a lone wolf harp delay pedal which gives good slapback type effect and deepens the tone a lot.
i don't know how a reissue bassman sounds, mine is an actual replica of the original '59, hand built. this one sounds really awesome but with tendonitis and arthritis showing up in my life i am trying to lighten my load as much as possible. ---------- http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
Mark - i tried a 12DW7 in the phase inverter on my Bassman LTD with the Jensen reissues. I couldn't hear much of a difference. My hearing could be going.
A Bassman is light for a 45 watt amp. A Super Reverb is heavier. A Vibrolux Reverb weighs about the same but isn't a loud.
As far as Bassman tweaks, you could also check out the David Barrett's Bassman Chronicles. He and Mark Overman have been tweaking the reissue Bassman for the past year. They have gotten the reissue sounding really, really good.
Last Edited by on Aug 28, 2012 10:54 AM
@Harpwrench - I wouldn't recommend it for all amps, but the bassman is fixed bias (NEVER try this with a cathode-biased amp, you will stress the remaining power tubes) and does not run the power tubes at maximum voltage (when you reduce the current draw on the power supply by removing a power tube, you can raise the voltage on the remaining tube) so I say "go ahead & try it".
You won't halve the power of the amp, you will more likely quarter it as the single power tube has to run single-ended and cover both halves of the waveform, meaning that you only really get a maximum power output of half of what one tube can provide (whereas a bassman can typically produce 75% of what both power tubes can make between them). Nevertheless, the amp could still achieve giggable volume...I had power tube drop out many years ago, all I noticed at the time was how great my amp sounded that night! ;-)
All that said, I don't like the sound of it...but you might? Several manufacturers offer facilities to replicate the general effect, e.g. Victoria offered a power tube defeat switch to a pal who bought a 45410 for harp, this had the benefit of keeping both tubes installed at all times and subsequent plate current at both ends of the OT (reducing the chances of magnetising the OT, alternating which tube you pull out could help here too, but risk of magnetisation is very low).
@Joe L - It's possible that some of the effect was negated by the limited frequency response of the Jensens, they are very scooped in the mids (~400Hz) just where the extra grind of unbalancing the PI happens. The 12DW7 trick is like a halfway house towards pulling a power tube, I prefer to get the effect the 12DW7 way...you can also deliberately use unbalanced power tubes (regarding bias) if you make sure you are not burning up the hotter tube. Also if you have low gain preamp tubes elsewhere, you may negate the tonal effect of unbalancing somewhat. ---------- www.myspace.com/markburness
http://www.facebook.com/markburness
Last Edited by on Aug 28, 2012 1:56 PM
I thank you all very much, For the weight, I know that it is not that heavy, I was playing with a super reverb and that was alot of weight! The thing is that I want a dirtyer sound but not that distortioned.. like the sound that effect pedal gives.. The bassman seems too loud during the shows and jams. For the sound, I am looking for something not that CRUNCHER but a litle more like and old sound with a good brake up and still get a good sound when I jam, I want to be able to jam with a (loud) drummer too...! do someone ever heard an hg35? I heard good things about Harp Gears amp.. Thanks alot!
I've never seen a Harpgear 35. I had a Harpgear 30 for a while. I also have a Double Trouble.
The HG30 had awesome tone. It wasn't as loud as the Double Trouble. The threshold of feedback was much lower.
I brought both amps to a jam. I caught a bunch of crap for feedback. The HG30 couldn't be heard. Between songs, I swapped the Double Trouble and had no problem being heard. The DT doesn't have the same low end, but it cuts like crazy. If the band is really loud, you'll need to mic it.
RJ Mischo has the HG50 with 1-12" and 1-10" speaker. He really likes it a lot. When it comes to amplification, he's tough to please.
If the people you play with are really loud, you should keep the Bassman.
ok thanks, I'll check if they solve the feedback problem for the hg35. The tone is the most important thing and I just want to be able to play in jams, in the shows, I always have to mic my harp amp anyway.except litle bars of course. Thanks for the advice Joe
Really? RJ uses a 50? He came to Springfield this past spring with his drummer/guitarist. I sat in with him while he played his Dano, he was playing through a Super Reverb, guitar through one channel, harp through the other, '63 Reverb tank through the dry channel.
Is it just me, or isn't a Super Reverb bigger and heavier than a 50? ----------
