|
Dirty-South Blues Harp forum: wail on! >
Bassman '59 reissue question
Bassman '59 reissue question
Page:
1
Matti A
6 posts
May 28, 2013
9:02 AM
|
Hi all,
I have been looking at used Fender Bassman '59 reissues, and found one from 1990, but I was wondering if you would like to share your experiences with such amps, and also in what you would say would be a reasonable price for one in good shape?
What would hope the experts here could comment on is that is a reissue from 1990
1) good for harp overall (I expect yes, as they seem to be reasonably common and I will go out and try before buying of course, but it's quite a bit away so opinions are appreciated to save me some gas and time!)
2) what would be recommended to make it best suited for harp in terms of simple controls setup and also "upgrades" (tubes etc)
3) is the older (like this 1990) reissue better/worse for harp than a new reissue "LTD"
4) what would be a reasonable price to pay for one?
Comments very much appreciated!
Best regards,
Matti
|
ReedSqueal
438 posts
May 28, 2013
10:13 AM
|
Start with this link Here, and input " '59 Bassman reissue " (without quotes) and you'll be amazed! :-)
As for pricing, I've seen the reissues going for about $700 (and less!!) and anywhere from $50 to $100 for shipping.
Also try these terms:
bassman reissue price
bassman reissue cost
bassman reissue tubes
bassman reissue ltd
bassman reissue harp
----------
Go ahead and play the blues if it'll make you happy.
-Dan Castellaneta
Last Edited by ReedSqueal on May 28, 2013 10:17 AM
|
5F6H
1624 posts
May 28, 2013
10:51 AM
|
Any tweed 4x10" bassman style amp is a good basis for a harp amp.
The older RIs are 20yrs old now and some parts (usually just cheap resistors) can fail as they would on any amp of that age...these are easily fixed by a tech/someone with practical knowledge of tube circuits & safety protocols. The transformers in these amps are pretty much bulletproof...if these are good and you can get a beat up amp cheap enough, the amp can be rewired with a new circuit board...then, with a little care, it will outlive you!
Early RIs had blueframe Eminence 102 speakers (up to '96 at least), with a square magnet cover, these are as good a speaker as you will find for harp in a mass production amp of this era. If yours still has the puck SS rectifier, this can be changed for a 5U4GB tube, though I often like the SS puck with a tweak to the circuit.
Just before the LTD came out Fender switched to the Italian Jensen speakers. These have a little more metallic tone & less grindy mids, however, I wouldn't let that put me off buying the amp, as you can upgrade speakers, one by one if necessary, as time & money allow.
The LTD versions have a lacquered pine cab, came with a GZ34/5AR4 tube rectifier & a factory installed bias pot & bias read resistors on the PCB. Which cab sounds best comes down to the individual amp, both ply and pine cabs can sound great.
Latest LTDs have much paler lacquer & come with Groove Tube 6L6GE.
The stock Sovtek/Russian Groove 5881 tubes in pre-LTD & early LTDs are actually pretty good power tubes, reliable, lower gain than many other options, can benefit from rebiasing to taste (if you have no bias pot, substituting pairs can achieve this). As with any fixed bias amp, power tube bias should be checked when new tubes are installed, anywhere from 7-30mA per tube will work well enough...even some mismatch may be desirable if the hotter tube doesn't exceed much over 30mA.
Preamp tubes can be swapped without any need for tech time/rebiasing, there is no "right/wrong" whatever you like the sound of is best, as long as you have enough punch to gig with. I'd avoid very low gain tubes in V2 & V3 (the 2 little preamps nearest to the power tubes) as the plate resistors in the RI are a weak spot and these tube stress them harder...so try AX/AT/5751 here. Whatever you like in V1 (under the inputs).
Here in the UK they go for £500 upwards, £1000 would be too much for a 2nd hand amp, £600-800 being the norm...we seem to pay pretty much the same in £ as those in the US do in $?
----------
www.myspace.com/markburness
http://www.facebook.com/markburness
Last Edited by 5F6H on May 28, 2013 10:58 AM
|
Matti A
7 posts
May 28, 2013
10:56 AM
|
Hi,
and thank you very much Reedsquel - I seem to completely have missed the search function in this forum and now stand corrected, educated and more than a little embarassed to be honest - but thank you very much for the kind direction - very much appreciated. Now I will be quiet with the silly repetitive questions and read the already posted material for the next few days at least - quite a bit of discussion on the topic, very nice! :)
And 5F6H - thank you very much for the all the insight and comments and especially European pricing insights, I am also EU based so the prices seem to be closer to what you see.... Thanks!
Regards,
Matti
Last Edited by Matti A on May 28, 2013 11:04 AM
|
Rick Davis
1860 posts
May 28, 2013
3:45 PM
|
I have a 1991 Bassman RI that I have modded for harp, and it seriously rocks. I've written about it a lot here on this forum and at The Blues Harp Amps blog that I author. Search around and check it out if you like.
As for price, you should be able to find a good working example for under $800 if you are okay with some scuffs and soil on the tweed. I suggest you apply a new coat of "lacquer" on the tweed to protect it and give it that nice golden color.
Circuit tweaks to make the amp sound great for harp are quite simple. The early example you have has great speakers. 5F6H covered the tech points very well.
The first thing you will likely focus on is different preamp tubes. I use 5757-5814u-5751 in the three sockets. You will get lots of different -- and good -- advice on this. The best advice I can give you this: Try as many combinations as you can and see what sounds best for you.
And.... WHEELS! The amp is quite heavy, especially at 2:30am after a gig when it is time to load out.
Enjoy the amp. There is nothing quite like it.
----------
-Rick Davis
The Blues Harp Amps Blog
The Mile High Blues Society
Tip Jar
|
Rgsccr
163 posts
May 28, 2013
4:40 PM
|
After similar advice from the guys on the forum - Rick Davis in particular - and from harp pros I know, I broke down and bought a 90s Bassman about six months ago. I love it! Great crunchy sound and so far very dependable. I paid $550 including shipping, and then did some tube changes and had some rewiring done by an amp tech. All that brought my total to around $700. As Rick said, at this price point you are likely to get one that has been used and looks it, but, for me, that is part of the charm.
|
TKOTBH
1 post
May 28, 2013
11:10 PM
|
Hi, guys, I just joined the group. Wish I'd known about it sooner. I'm using a bassman LTD with my own mods after researching online. I put a Y in V1, 5751's in V2 and PI. I made my own beam deflectors outa plumers tape and 3.5 in. Dia. 1/4 in veneer wood that was layin around. Green bullet with Electrovoice element. 635 or something, not shure exactly, into ART mic preamp with 12AT7 in it, instead of X. Works great for sound I want. Thanks for all the great info. I love this site!
|
Post a Message
|
