'67 Drip Edge Bassman | Part 1 : The Initial Inspection

Not all old Fenders are full of horror. This one is quite sweet but still needs some TLC.
Oh, and I didn’t mention the white 150M replacing the old 10nF ceramic. Other than that I think I described everything else.
And towards the end I said “grid leaks” when I meant “grid stoppers.” Sorry about that.

[@shanedingz]

I appreciate the improved video quality and how you’ve seriously stepped up your editing game in recent videos. Best amp repair channel on KZbin.

[@PsionicAudio]

Well, best amp repair channel in my house at least. But I have been trying to step things up - it means a lot that people are noticing. Thanks!

[@michaelfuller34]

Lol - at first I thought you scrubbed so hard that the black panel turned silver. 😮

[@coldacre]

stark contrast to the last one!

[@scottwilcox6313]

Really enjoy your videos with the narration. It's refreshing to see someone work with passion. The new lighting and camera are game changers. Dont sell yourself short. You're a legend. Keep up the great content.

[@ThadBrown]

Nice video again, sir. Like some others here, I think you're video editing game/gear is getting noticably better. Nice work. Re: that lovely bassman. One of my top two or three dream amps is a brownface bassmen 50 watt head. I always thought 'one day' I would buy an early 70s silverface head a bit like this one and have someone, like you, who really knows what they're doing 'brownface' it for me. But with 70s bassman heads getting some vintage hipster attraction to themselves, not sure if that's such a good idea financially or, I dunno, historically at this point. As I keep on saying, endlessly and annoyingly, I remember in late 80s when you could go into the local free classified adds weekly that made all of its money from used cars and find early 70s Princetons, Champs, and Bassmans for less than $300 and all they'd need is some new tubes. Wish I had filled a garage with them.

[@illi-the-wolf]

NICE to see a relative cakewalk compared to some of the real doozies you see there. Good stuff, tysm for sharing!

[@K707OR30]

I almost scored one of these in who knows what kind of condition for pretty cheap recently (cheap enough to gamble on condition issues) but it fell through sadly. Glad to see there’s still some of these in this condition. I agree, keep it as original as possible.

[@BradsGuitarGarage]

Yep, I see notes on chassis all the time. Stuff that really shouldn't need noting down, too. As well as bias, current and voltage measurements. Most seem to have the same handwriting, too. Surely a notepad or AT LEAST a piece of masking tape could be used if they felt it absolutely necessary!

[@SteverRob]

Found one of these at a Music-Go-Round. Sales people had it tagged as a mid 70s head (this was in the 90s, before a lot of us became so much more educated on these amps) and I knew what it was and gave them the $200 price they listed. As I walked out the door, I told 'em what it was. I still have it.

[@sgt.grinch3299]

Thank you for the video.

[@danecklund3830]

Great channel! I just discovered it a few days ago and I’ve already learned so much. In both your amps below $500 and $1000 videos you mentioned that the Marshall DSL40 is a pretty solid amp for the price. What are your thoughts on the DSL20 head? What do you think about the old Marshall Artist 3203 and 4203? Are they worth being serviced? Thank you for any input.

[@yobaby14]

I have a late '74/early '75 with the tweed and BF mods. It sounds great, but inside it's something of a rats nest. The seller wasn't sure what the added pot on the back panel was for, but the pictures show that it's wired to V1 and V2, and from the picture there appears to be a cap across the pot contacts. The seller thought it might be a presence control, and the guy he got it from thought it might be mids. Instead of a pot with a knob, it's the type you adjust with a screw driver. This is only a guess, but I'm thinking I'm the third owner that hasn't braved turning the pot, leaving well enough alone. I haven't opened it up, but the seller posted some good pictures when he listed it on Reverb.

[@fiddlix]

Great assessment Lyle, I had much rather keep this bassman stock and put a good Dumble style pedal in front the amp.

[@PsionicAudio]

Well, there are no good Dumble style pedals, but otherwise I agree.

[@plgplgplg]

@@PsionicAudioEver try an original Zendrive?

[@ramilrodriguez8340]

Hello. Nice. I saw one of your videos where you installed a wgs speaker on an amp, I believe, and you finally installed other because of the low end response. Can’t remember and find the video. Which one was the speaker you ended up using? Et10, g10c? Other?? Thanks.

[@jonathanhorne6503]

Do you find heater phasing on power tubes to be a noise issue? Pin 2 to pin 2 and pin 7 to 7. I find fender was random about that. I had one amp, my 67 Deluxe Reverb that had a minor but persistent hum noise and that was the cure. It didn’t matter what tube pair I used. It’s currently running Brimar CV511 and has been for a few years.

[@PsionicAudio]

It’s a very rare problem.

[@richardlynch5632]

😎👍

[@geezberry8889]

Bassman 135, suitable for guitar? needs mods?

[@PerryCodes]

Just a tad less rust on this one!

[@mikewithers299]

🤣🤣🤣 yes only a tad less

[@Calypso993]

when do you expect the next video about the rusty blackface bassman will come out?

[@PsionicAudio]

Waiting for some goodies to arrive.

[@joshuahek4564]

You mentioned something in the video about building the customer a custom amp. Is this something you do regularly or just once in a while for a good client? I don't know if i could afford your work, but as I've seen in your videos and others, new amps just aren't made as well and need maintenance too soon. I've been saving for a good tube amp, and am nervous to spend a bunch of money on a tube amp that is gonna break down...

[@PsionicAudio]

I don’t do it regularly but I do the occasional custom amp. This client loved a Dumble modded Fender that sold for like $50K. Which is nucking futz. I may make him one that does that thang, but I think he may be just as happy with this Bassman given some select tweaks.

[@BradsGuitarGarage]

@@PsionicAudio Build one for $25k. 50% off, mate!

[@joshuahek4564]

@@PsionicAudio Thank you for your response. I definitely don't have Dumble money, if I did my house would be paid off... I'm really leaning towards a Princeton Reverb. I saw the video about some of the cheap capacitors and what not. If I can find a decent amp tech in the northern Idaho area, do you think it would be worth it to get a reissue and have a tech just go ahead and take care of the problems that are gonna happen in the near future with bad parts? Is the money worth the added cost, or am I barking up the wrong tree? Are you tired of my questions? Probably... Anyway, thanks again for your initial response, I know you are busy, so I won't cry if you don't answer these questions.

[@edgoswick1271]

Hi Lyle; sorry to hijack this video, but I tried a super chat during the livestream on Sat. and the message would not go thru. My question was: My current project is a clone of a '57 GA40 Les Paul Amp. Is there any part of the circuit better served using carbon film rather than metal film? Also, should I use shielded cable to connect the phase inverter grid to the volume pots' center lugs; if so which end to ground? Thanks, I know you are busy.

[@PsionicAudio]

Try CF vs MF and see what difference if any you hear and what you like. Both are safe, you can make a good circuit with either, so after that it’s all subjective. With telescoped shielded runs in theory the noise rejection is best with the shield at the destination. But in practice It doesn’t make much difference inside a chassis and it’s usually easier to tie the shield at the source (volume pot or jack typically).

[@sam_uelson]

Is it nice to come across an amp thats been worked on well before you get to it?

[@PsionicAudio]

Absolutely. I never wake up in the morning hoping to be negative about things.

[@TheDizzack]

Small piece of painters tape with a sharpie would have been better than the butter knife etching. If I was serious about my work, a custom decal would be nice.

[@PsionicAudio]

It’s just pencil or pen, but still.

[@TheDizzack]

@psionicaudio thanks for your work, Lyle

[@sneifert1968]

Is it possible to get one of these older bassmans dead quiet off standby.

[@PsionicAudio]

Yup. Stay tuned.

[@Satchmoeddie]

I am guilty of modding a lot of the old Bassman amps. These amps used to be cheap, plentiful and easy to find for sale. Do I doing regret it? Nope. I am old enough that they were like a used Hot Rod____, ____Deville, Junk Jr. & _____ Deluxe of today, only those amps are trash. It's a Fender pre 1986 eyelet board amp and I was usually pretty disciplined about not making any new holes or chopping things up.

[@PsionicAudio]

Any old Fender that wasn’t carved up can be put back to stock. I just wish all those techs had saved the blue Ajax caps and returned them with the amps. And that owners had kept track on them. I see so many old Fenders full of orange drops and I know an incompetent tech was there…

[@kbkman7742]

​​@@PsionicAudioin around ten years over here in Australia I only saw one blackface bassman with the original blue moldeds intact. I made sure to buy it. Every other one that pops up is full of ODs or eBay Russian caps and has been 'improved'...

[@Dwightpower88]

Forgive my ignorance on this, but I've only ever seen Bassmans in modelers. Was it originally meant to be a bass amp? And why is it not used as one usually?

[@brucehayes7251]

The bassman was originally intended to be bass or guitar amplifier. Some guitarists adopted them for the sound they created, Brian Setzer being one. 5 watt world has an excellent posting on the history of bassman plus many other amps

[@Dwightpower88]

@@brucehayes7251 cool I'll check it out

[@blairmichaelhogan4502]

Yeah, initially it was made for bass and guitar, back when electric bass was brand new and there was no bass amps with anything close to modern specs. Guitarists took to them right away, and by the early 70s they just weren’t nearly enough amp for what the average bassist required. An old Bassman can still sound good on bass with a 15 inch speaker at low volumes. The modern Bassman is a proper, more heavy duty bass rig at something like 400 watts.

[@jasondorsey7110]

​@@blairmichaelhogan4502The 50 watt bassmans aren't powerful enough, but the variants that are 100 watts or more can push an incredible amount of air through a good 2x15...I have a '71 super bassman and was using it at shows back in the nineties without the need to mic it

[@mikewithers299]

I know its not my amp, but a clean vintage example like that should stay original. He could find a pedal or pedals to simulate the sound he wants or have you build it. Awesome amp btw

[@PsionicAudio]

I agree as does the owner after seeing this.

[@mikewithers299]

@psionicaudio thank you Lyle for preserving this piece of history. I love learning from your collection of videos.

[@setheverhart]

Are you wearing an Arnie?

[@PsionicAudio]

In this one, yup.

[@setheverhart]

Those are fun.

[@PsionicAudio]

Since I’ve gotten it I haven’t been attacked by Pedators even once. So right there, totally worth it.

[@joek81981]

You got a brood of Bassmen in your basement, buddy.

[@PsionicAudio]

I’m gonna feed ‘em after midnight…

[@goodun2974]

​@@PsionicAudio, uh-oh; we've seen evidence that one of them already got wet! 😳

[@sneifert1968]

Pretty sure that’s a 68. I have one😅

[@PsionicAudio]

That would explain the ‘67 stamps and ‘67 datecodes on everything. LOL

[@pdx_angler9760]

Sorry to be pedantic and I enjoy your content but when you say "high tolerance" you actually mean low tolerance or high precision.

[@PsionicAudio]

Yeah, hazard of recording what I find as I find it. I sometimes misspeak because I'm trying to make a larger point. At that moment I was actually asking myself "should I say 5% is tight enough or should I go down the possible benefits of 1%?" but decided not to go into it, so I just said what I said, and goofed.

[@Lu_Woods]

Dang. 45 minute ads are gonna drive me away from your channel.

[@PsionicAudio]

I don’t do long ads. They’re all 4s long or skippable and only at the beginning/end. If you got a long one maybe you didn’t see “skip.” I hate long ads and would never subject y’all to them.

[@BradsGuitarGarage]

@Lu_Woods yeah, something is wrong there. You should be able to skip after 5sec like on my channel, too. We take a hit on revenue, but we have real jobs anyway (not just professional KZbinrs) and want to present the least annoyance to viewers.

[@PsionicAudio]

By any chance was it at the end of one of my videos? KZbin might have autoplayed a video on another channel. Or maybe there was an ad bar beneath my video and you accidentally clicked it - I have no control over that crap. But I promise any 45 minute ad was despite all my efforts.

[@Lu_Woods]

I hear ya, and trust you are doing your best to make great vids...and you do. Thanks. I wasn't physically near my mouse, but figured an ad or two would play for maybe a minute...that's fair play (literally). But KZbin tacked on that sweetwater gearbattle thing or whatever they call it. So...a data point: It is not in my video history, therefore not an autoplay. It was an ad. No banners were clicked. I was out of the room. It's KZbin f*ckery. Got it. Loved the Brad vid BTW. ; ) @@PsionicAudio

[@Lu_Woods]

Thanks Brad, it was skippable...if I was in the room. Just didn't plan on have sweetwater thugs bantering in the background for 40 minutes after Lyle's vid. KZbin is pushing it...hehe @@BradsGuitarGarage