I Turned this Fender Bassman Amp into a Total TRAINWRECK...and that's a GOOD thing!

This is a 1968 Fender Bassman that I modded a while back for a customer with what I call my "ABNormal Channel Mods". It's a non-destructive way of taking a stock Bassman and utilizing what's already there, drilling NO EXTRA HOLES in the chassis, and bringing out the fire-breathing Master Volume Marshall or Ken Fischer Trainwreck hidden within. I was even able to add a Presence Control without drilling. This one had already gone to the customer and came back once with a "frying bacon" noise issue. I thought I had fixed the problem and everything was 100%, but nope! The amp is back on the bench once again to track down a pesky noise issue. But frankly, I'm glad, because I ended up spotting a couple opportunities to improve the amp anyway. In this video, we'll track down the source "frying bacon" noise issue and I'll detail another easy mod that improves upon my previous design.
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[@producerman10030]

That's a nice mod on that Bassman. Do you have a price list somewhere?

[@TheGuitologist]

It's in my head. And it goes something like this: Fender: standard charge Gibson: standard charge Ampeg: standard charge Marshall: slight upcharge if it's a DSL or TSL Mesa Boogie: i'll disassemble it for FREE!

[@drdrums1]

@@TheGuitologist What about Vox?

[@rickdalton6272]

@@TheGuitologist I have a Double Rectifier I need upgraded.

[@lutboy2909]

@@TheGuitologist so no more mesas hehehe after that nightmare I'm totally agree with you

[@EdgarsLS]

@@drdrums1 well it's basically standard charge for simple amps, ones that don't have like complicated PCB layouts and stuff, most vox's would fall into that category. I think...

[@scottdunn2178]

As someone who was friends with Ken Fischer since 1988, I can say with certainly that Ken would have been very impressed with you, Brad. He was one of a kind. Sure miss him.

[@TheGuitologist]

You made me smile. Thanks for that.

[@scottdunn2178]

@@TheGuitologist Sure thing, Brad. Hope all is well.

[@lroyshredding3850]

Ken Fischer Jesus Christ. Well just about the same. 🤘

[@bobbystereo936]

Brad! Are these heads 4ohm? Those are the old fender m-80 cabinets which I love! Not sure which input you had it in but 8ohm won't hurt will it?

[@Stereostupid]

That's awesome!! I thought that and I don't know both personally 😂

[@Chinaguitarsceptic]

I love how you use a marshall head as a stool man!! Great video as always!

[@Chinaguitarsceptic]

@West Coast Cartoon what has that got to do with a great amp video buddy? Aggression can be passive as well as active and never looks good on anyone.

[@CalebePriester]

Hey, Brad! You played some nice licks, good stuff! The feedback sounds awesome!

[@meesterprofe007]

Glad to see and HEAR you are back Brad!!! A most amazing repair you have done😊

[@rickdalton6272]

All killer no filler! Great job dude! I had an old Bassman back on the day. That one sounds awesome! Metal!!!!

[@mikeh892]

Oh hellz yeah! Brad and a Trainwreck. Been waiting for this one.

[@butchlauer]

WOW! A well deserved jam after a tricky shakedown of one sizzling resistor. Seems that amp got even better in the end.🤘🤘🤘🤘🤘

[@darkallyrecordings4931]

I love watching you work your magic. Amazing stuff! I've learned a lot of trouble shooting tactics thanks to you man. Amazing playing!

[@daves9551]

I really enjoy your videos. I’ve been working on old tube radios for awhile and am starting to get into amp repair. Very informative stuff, and really like the way you edit your footage.

[@Stereostupid]

Dude this might be the best tone in the world! I love tge trainwreck Liverpool and this might be better! Pete thorn has a fantastic trainwreck demo !

[@yusdiy]

PRS Brad the guitologist signature series. To be release in 2021. Dont delay, request today 👍

[@timmooney7528]

Congratulations on restoring the ship of Theseus.

[@JPilot2]

G'day, Brad! Great job on this Fender Bassman Amp! "It's as loud as any Marshall!!" Enjoyed the Video! Thank you! Cheers! 😊✌🏼🎸❤️

[@sski]

WOW! What a monster when all's said and done. Nice work, Brad!

[@chokkan7]

I'm surprised that I didn't catch this when you first put it out, Brad; glad it showed up in my feed on the rebound. Another awesome job...

[@TheSixfinger1]

That’s a great sounding amp dude! Some nice chops there!

[@houseofshred3725]

Woah! Sounds monster! You have some pretty good shred chops too, man.

[@jeffrozeaxe3715]

beautiful harmonic feedback is what love about these amps ! Nice work!!

[@florisbackx1744]

Great vid and great job on the amp, it sounded amazing at the end, also due to your fine playing my friend : )

[@jorbv8]

I contemplating buying one... Played one about three weeks ago, just incredible tone, sustain and feedback for days... Really dig it

[@thomascoulter6121]

Lovely sounding amp. You did the right thing! Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[@williambock1821]

Wow man that DOES sound good! This was a great learning video for tracing problems. Even if I didn’t completely understand why you made certain changes yet. Thanx!

[@kuitaristi3003]

Haha, sitting on Marshall. Marshall really do everything :)

[@thechrisricci]

It's for the vibe.

[@jamesschenk1963]

The bacon 🥓 was making me hungry in the beginning of the video but I found myself reaching for my drum sticks in the finale.

[@MrWilly2204]

That's the meanest sounding Bassman head I've ever heard. Dang. You're a killer guitarist, man. You should call yourself the Shredding Guitologist, lol.

[@sundogaudio851]

Shredologist.

[@lroy730]

Great idea but, All the Shredding's are trademarked or being used by a KZbinr or email name. That's why I spell my name with 1D.

[@jonathansteadman7935]

Had one of these heads back in late 90s, shoulda had it done like this.....sounds awesome.

[@Ireland831]

I remember I built a Blackface Deluxe Reverb and when I finished I had some noise and squeal when the amp was turned up. I tried lots of things...in particular I cleaned up my grounds and some of my wire routing and length and couldn't find it. I changed out a few items that I though would cure it, but had many hours of trouble shooting and couldn't figure it out. I ended up buying an Oscilloscope. I checked the signal at the output and could see the wave form get these weird spikes, (that I guessed was parasitic oscillation). I ended up looking at the wave stage to stage. 1st stage was fine - second stage was fine, etc. I forget the exact spot but it was somewhere after the second stage and it was right near around the trem circuit. Turns out I had scrounged up one resistor from my box of parts that came from an unknown source, but was my only one of that value I think it was the 4.7M resistor coming off the reverb feeding the grid of the next stage. Yanked that resistor and put in a new one and bingo! That was my first experience with a signal generator and an oscilloscope. Great vids! Keep up the good work!

[@thomasgwilliams7957]

Great job as usual Brad!

[@phillippitts6294]

I’m steady checking my local GC dumpster! Nothing yet . But you never know

[@jacobdowler1]

Brad shreds. looks good sounds great! i see you got in the zone...Nice jam!

[@nevillegoddard4966]

Oh man that amp ROCKS! You totally busted the ass in that annoying noise problem didn'tcha! One GREAT amp Brad well done!

[@StahlsBlues]

WOW! BEAUTIFUL TONES AND GUITAR PLAYING! YESSSSSSSS!!!!!!

[@Msoulantzos]

Awesome playing man!

[@tonyduncan9852]

Kudos for fantastic effort. As usual.

[@TonySkiens]

You are so much more actual hands on than Uncle, he’s good for a quick overview but you get into the meat and potatoes. You are the king of this genre.

[@TheGuitologist]

Well thank you, but Uncle Doug is and always will be the King of the amp video genre. His 30,000ft overviews of the parts of amps are a must-see for anyone wanting to repair or mod this stuff.

[@IndianaDoug]

To say Brad is the next generation after the Uncle Doug era, would be more accurate imo. Although, in your defense Tony, Brad takes on solid state flavors and more. So, I won’t discredit his abilities which are Fkn super good👍🏻

[@TonySkiens]

@@IndianaDoug uncle Doug is THE guru, don’t get me wrong. His series on the various components on the amp is the best there is. His technical knowledge his sense of humour his ability to talk in reality rather than theory is bar none. Since he’s covered so much ground in his videos he doesn’t like to repeat himself. You don’t see uncle Doug actually soldering anything anymore he skips all that and just presents his completed work which makes the videos very easy and fun to watch. My point is Brad still shows him mucking around in the guts finding the problems and then fixing them. Really a different genre altogether.

[@TonySkiens]

@@TheGuitologist yes very true. The fact that uncle doesn’t like to repeat himself he’s covered so much ground in past videos he just shows his completed soldering etc. We never have to sit there while he’s mucking around. It’s also great fun to see a guy really get into the guts of the amp to find its flaws. Really a slightly different genre you two. Very complimentary.

[@nicholasstanziola]

Perseverance paid off! Good work

[@joelspaulding5964]

Love the intro. Great BBC comedy memories. Keep em coming Brad!

[@robertnewman1341]

It was Thames, an ITV franchise

[@trillrifaxegrindor4411]

wow,you can really tear shit up and i mean that in a positive light.your playing is otherworldly and could easily send some "Nashville stars" packing along with most of the hard rock guys in L.A as well.you have some otherworldly chops,i dont know if you are aware of this FACT but man,you can play.im awed and ive been at it for 35+ years.i can play but you can make jaws hit the floor

[@micheldevries7975]

I subscribed to this channel because of you calling out rick beato (which was fun). But watching that I didn't expect these kind of videos. Very cool!

[@Purpleleader1]

Holydamn, Brad you kick ass on that guitar! And on repairing amps! And on speaking truth. I love this channel

[@Mark-ry3ij]

nice to see some amp repair vids again. i missed it man!

[@jayguitar]

Some smoking hot playing there at the end man! Woooooooo! 😊🤟🏽 I enjoyed that. Thanks for another awesome video Brad. Have an amazing day!

[@rosscoupland5833]

I love the tone, reminds me of 70's Santana. Great vid

[@edwardhannigan6324]

Hiya, nice amp and interesting repair.Very informative, and what a nice beast of an amp..Great test afterwards, nice playing..! Thanks for sharing, and more knowledge gained....Ed..U.K..😀

[@Terry3Gs]

That sounded awesome at the end brad !! :)

[@dwightbailey5994]

Awesome looking Amp 🤟🤠🤟🔊🔊🔊🔊Great work Brad 🤟🎸🎸🎵

[@robertlathan4639]

Another AWESOME job brother!!!!

[@captainsparky]

Wow! it's nice to see a video with no massive mental breakdown or conspiracy theory.

[@jenniferwhitewolf3784]

Its not conspiracy theory.. Mostly its facts...

[@caifanesdelaaalaz8529]

DUDE IT SOUNDS FREAKING AWESOME!!! THANKS FOR THE LESSON TOO!!!

[@shaneaintit2171]

Great playing!!!

[@unhexhexium4966]

Amazing guitar playing bro, keep the spirit up.

[@davidflint12]

This is why I came to this channel awesome!

[@shovington67]

Great noodling Brad!!! You have a really interesting and special personal repertoire that is unique and melodious. I hope you can arrange to record songs with people associated with your channel and the work you do in the very near future. I think it would be very uplifting for YOU as well ! We all need good in our lives, and the reminder that we are good. BRAD LINZY & KENTUCKY QUARANTINE would be a great name.

[@mysticmusic6045]

sounds really nice! Many times have good players dispelled the myth that silver panel Fenders suck. Well done.

[@motorosso3349]

Brad, that was some nice playing at the end.

[@nicwilson89]

Jesus Christ that amp sounds amazing... Great job on rescuing the video with the voice over instead after the audio failed, too

[@gregmadden5474]

Brad buddy you were about too catch that guitar neck on fire lol always enjoy watching the show God bless!

[@mstecker]

I'm that amp's owner! Thanks so much for the work, Brad! Can't wait to have it back home.

[@nevillegoddard4966]

@mstecker gidday you lucky guy! Hey how does the amp sound for you now that you've got it back? Brad had it sounding just amazing!

[@texasfreedomlover4730]

When all else fails read the schematics.

[@TheDogPa]

Then we wouldn't have a trainwreck to watch...once again. "We're Gonna Need Another Timmy" 😂

[@dank8865]

Aesthetically speaking, was never big on PRS guitars. But that red one is gorgeous. Like the old BÖC song, "...red & black, that's our color scheme". Yeah - hard to eff up with a red guitar, regardless of brand. Btw, that amp sounds killer & that's thru my phone. Can only imagine what it's like being in the same room with it & a good cab.

[@thechannelforeverything2170]

I have a 1967 Bassman that has the original glass with it and it's an amazing sounding amp. It's a life time piece for sure.

[@goatlord6255]

Holy crap that thing is a BEAST!!

[@Byron_Blue]

Nice work Brad!

[@pauldavis6356]

Brad The Solderist - Fastest heat pencil in the East ! Appreciate the sped up soldering job - we get to see all the work in a quarter of the time - excellent !

[@davidflamee]

Brilliant, from start to finish.

[@canigetachannel]

Brad, you're fuk'n wicked smart when it comes to amplifiers, dude !!!

[@luthiervandros]

My two most used tools: chopstick and hemostats. Sometimes the board will become conductive after being exposed to moisture.

[@carlrae7129]

Luthier Vandros Yep! I’ve run into that too. Enough moisture and the fiber board will begin to conduct.

[@luthiervandros]

Yah if there are strange noises and all the components check out, I’ll run the meter over the board to the lugs and see what it’ll pick up. You can take a hair dryer to the board and it’ll work to remove moisture sometimes.

[@PapaWheelie1]

@@luthiervandros - alcohol will dry it and clean up any gunk too 👍

[@lroyshredding3850]

I used a Walnut dowel sharpened at one end. It's longer for those hard-to-reach Mesa boogie amps.🤘

[@justinfbabay]

Good job dude sounds rad af!!!

[@albertkotze8974]

Cool high gain tone there at the end! That "Trainwreck" in the amp title would look pretty cool on an amp... some sort of nasty rock machine or something

[@albertkotze8974]

@@VincentVader I did immediately after making the comment and was quite surprised, cool amps

[@lonnieo4676]

lol.. Fender Trainwreck would be more like it... sounds unbelievably awesome...

[@Whitewolf4869]

You do great work. Thanks for sharing.

[@drew945101]

Not sure what Fender was thinking with the ab165.... I mean, I do get it. Stiffer and cleaner was the phrase of the day with all of the silver face amps, but simply taking out all of the local feedback loops makes such a huge difference.

[@markarita3]

Nice fix, nice chops!

[@glenndavis6793]

Beautiful sounding amp

[@angusorvid8840]

That kicks rhinobutt. What an amp! Fantastic tube tone.

[@PATMAN0910]

killer! great job and video.

[@DDE_ADDICT]

brad is back

[@brentstewart59]

Jeez Brad that's pretty wicked sounding... it's not a Fender anymore though it's some kind of bumper or bush bar now I think lol great video

[@Mauitaoist]

Wow....always love your playing

[@bretrich]

11:48 I love how you're working on this thing at 3:24am. I tend to do this too from time to time. The house is nice and quiet.

[@utubehound69]

Good Knight !! That thing is a Tone Mach.

[@jcwear89]

Sounds excellent!!

[@christophersambuco9414]

Killer video, Brad. Thanks

[@jeanpauldoe]

I really enjoy your vids.

[@jeffm8262]

Thanks for the diagnostic video. My skill set with soldering iron is confined to pickups, capicitors and push pull pots. I would never trust myself to tinker with the power amp. Too many shocks from an old Ampeg amp from the early 1970's to remind me of the potential.

[@MrArjen1960]

Sounds killer !

[@scottsymonds6717]

Great video. Love a BassMan.

[@peehandshihtzu]

Cool Brad, glad you found it, I'll bet it was starting to drive you nuts, take it easy Man, :)

[@RJDCR]

kool , I'm confident that you'll be able to get my old Musicman working again .....A ray of sunlight , on an otherwise cloudy day .....She's in overall good condition , 2 owner....only cons are...non-original speaker , purple velvet grill cloth & missing the small HD112 placard on the front....but does still have the larger Musicman placard , top corner front......As I've said , I owned 'er for over 30yrs , and it was always a great little gem amp...I'm going to miss it....truth be told , my house is just so small , that I have nowhere to keep it....especially when I get my new one.....So anyway , I'll hope to get back w/ ya after the holidays.....Hope you have a happy Holidays there...Rock onnnn , soundin' kick ass on that test out Robert

[@JaniceLalla]

You sound great and the amp, too, was well worth fixing!

[@stevenkimsey7039]

I enjoy these very informative videos and I always learn useful things. Brad and Uncle Doug are great resources AND are very entertaining 👍🍻

[@tonyduncan9852]

Except Uncle's playing sux bigtime. Pets and hotrods compensate for this. a bit.

[@jenniferwhitewolf3784]

Uncle Doug is far and away superior in electronics knowledge and the ability to teach it , but Brad has come a long way from his first muddling around in an amp. Brad IS a very excellent guitarist ...

[@tonyduncan9852]

@@jenniferwhitewolf3784 I couldn't agree more. But Uncle Doug's playing still sucks as bad as Brad's politics. (I know, one should never say so). They both aim for the same amplifier characteristics, and I sure appreciate that. I look forward equally to posts from both of them. I trained as a mechanical aerospace engineer in the 60's, and made guitars and amplifiers for our 5-man rock band when we couldn't buy them. We created 50W amps using EL34s and heavy duty twin-cone 12s in twin bass reflex enclosures, so Brad and Doug bring back many pleasant memories.

[@stevenkimsey7039]

@@jenniferwhitewolf3784 Yes, Brad can play well.

[@stevenkimsey7039]

@@tonyduncan9852 Interesting information Mr. Tony 👍. I spent a couple of years around aircraft in the early 80's. Sweeping floors and taking out the trash from the hangar. I got to change the oil on our Piper Aerostar a few times.

[@nathanbouton6700]

Really fantastic sounding amp. Outstanding playing also.😏

[@jasondorsey7110]

Silverface fenders are finally getting their due, funny when I see people who used to turn their noses up at these now saying how much better they are than what's being made these days

[@mike70s]

Cool video, the great fryin bacon hunt

[@richardturk7162]

Had a 68 Bassman a few years back and it was pretty awesome.

[@timwhite5562]

Damn that Bassman sounds killer.

[@MinimGuitars]

20:10 you could go out for a bite and you'll still be hearing that one! You're a really good guitar player, Brad - even after I remember to switch off 1.5x speed :P

[@Stereostupid]

God what a beautiful tone

[@AlvinWar]

I liked this more streamlined type of video with overdubs. More to the point! Not that I don't like your normal commentary, i like all your troubleshooting videos!

[@jetsonIFY]

great vid. love baseman's!!!

[@jedishaw6771]

Bloody good guitarist!!!