FENDER BASSMAN 1964 CRANKED to 10!

[@deathbykitty1954]

You can't get a bad sound from it. That's the true sign of a great amp.

[@randythomastheinsecures5404]

Check out my new band Randy Thomas & the Insecures kzbin.info/www/bejne/rYXHgX9-hJqZZtU&ab_channel=RandyThomas%26theInsecures

[@iLEE]

I love these "Cranked to 10" videos! Way more applicable than standard amp demo videos with pedals and whatnot.

[@coppulor6500]

why do you say that? how often do you crank an amp that loud? I'm not being an ass (although I am an ass) but I've never cranked a powerful amp to 10. would make me deaf (more deaf) in no time flat. maybe in an iso booth for recording?

[@coppulor6500]

But never cranked to 10. I'm not talking about something like the fender 7 watt bassbreaker which sounds freakin awesome cranked. I'm talking about a more powerful amps obviously. I love higher power amps be because the low end feels tighter. But not cranked to 10. Most speakers sound like doodoo at that kind of output anyway. And if you're playing through 100 watt tube amps turned up to 10 on a regular basis you might have some doodoo in your brain lol. I played in a summer festival type dealio in Charlotte once. The stage was hayooooj. Like 60' wide by 30' deep. It was so big that when I turned around to look at my rig, my 4x12 boogie cab looked puny that far away. Not the typical venue I was used to. Anyway, I had to crank my amp (rackmount tube amp) to hear it ( we all were wearing earplugs by that point) but that's totally different than blasting max volume in a practice room/garage. That's nuts. And if that's what you do then I hope you dig the look of hearing aids. The first sign btw, ither than the pewwwwwwwww ringing in your ear after a gig is having a hard time hearing people with lots of background noise.

[@coppulor6500]

dezionlion shit! Chopped off the first part. An I don't izzackly remember what it was other than something about the fact that I've played/practiced with very powerful amps hundreds of times but cranking to max is jess stoopid.

[@dezionlion]

+Coppulor come to Raleigh and hear some real rock

[@katsquirrel3955]

@@coppulor6500 Why buy a race car if you're afraid to drive it? I play a 66 bassman, 40/50 watt and it stays on 10.That doesn't mean I don't dial the guitar back in certain places but hell, that's why I bought it, to crank it. Had my hearing checked last year, perfectly fine and I've played on 50 watt heads for 25 years

[@chrisbradshaw159]

The sound in my head and heart!! Bloody stunning.Thank you.

[@tom.mihalis]

Excellent demo and playing!

[@ErikThomasMusic]

Nice tones and demonstration. I recently picked up a mint December, 1963 6G6-B with black faceplate and the raised Fender logo on smooth blonde tolex. The amp was one of the first made with the black faceplate and it has AA864 type filter cap values except it uses 100K balancing resistors in the doghouse, instead of 220Ks. Fender was clearly experimenting during those few months of late 63-early 64. I also have a December, 64 AA864 Bassman and the tones are quite different from each other, despite the similarities. The 6G6 is more wooly and warm and crunchy, and the AA864 is sharper, crisper with more gain. Both are great amps. It would be interesting to get a look at the circuit and filtering on yours for comparison. The 6G6-B really comes alive above 6.

[@barryw86]

I have had one of these amps for 40 years. It's an amazing amp. But I think you are missing out if you don't split your signal to both channels. I run the bass channel all treble and the normal channel all bass and use the volume knobs to set volume and balance the tone. I get an amazing sound that way. If you reverse the tone configuration, the result is a cleaner. The later CBS models were changed so you don't get the same result.

[@ki11er03]

What exactly do you mean? Just curious, thanks.

[@deadflo]

@@ki11er03 Plug your guitar into one of the channels, then get a small cable to make a jumper from channel two of the side you are plugged into over to channel one of the other channel. Then experiment with tone controls from both channels.

[@alecalfaras5936]

Hehe I bought one! I found a mint all original 63 blonde bassman. I love it. Running it thru greenbacks in a 4x12 Marshall cab and celestion v30’s in a Mesa 4x12 🤟😎🍻

[@deadflo]

@@alecalfaras5936 That sounds like an awesome cab to use! I also have a 63 Bassman, bought it in 1975 for a hundred bucks. Someone had painted it black. I got the black paint off in the 90's.Later i found an original blonde cab from a Bandmaster, I think its the same as the Bassman, it's loaded with Utah's, date code 1960.I found out the Beatles 63 Bassman had the same speakers. They used that amp on a ton of recordings. Paul, George and John all played through it.

[@barryw86]

@@alecalfaras5936 Sounds great. I have mine running through two Kustom 2-12 cabs with vintage Jensens. (The roll and pleated cabinets like they used in Glee.) One of the cabs I've owned since it was new - almost 50 years now. So I know you're loving the 4X12 cabs.

[@sharkair2839]

that sounds great! my bassman is tweed. i seriously did not know these amps sound just as good

[@ErikThomasMusic]

For the solo on Taxman, McCartney''s settings on the normal channel were 7 Volume, 9 Treble, 2 Bass and 10 on the Presence. He used a Tone Bender in front of the amp to drive it.

[@jakestewartmusic]

Pedals can sound great, but they will never sound like an amp cranked up. It's just so different. I love the way a cranked amp interacts with the guitar's volume knob and playing dynamics. Thanks for doing this!

[@Matt-Wolf]

Alot of pedals will sound great on a cranked tube amp though! :)

[@wildbillhackett]

Jake, actually, I think most of us prefer the sound of a nice pedal to a maxed out Fender. Cranking a Fender to the edge of distortion is generally preferable to cranking one as loud as it will go, which gets a bit harsh sounding, and any _good_ overdrive pedal will give you just as much control from your guitar's volume knob. About the only time you hear a maxed out Fender sound good is if it's been beefed up considerably. Phil Keaggy got the best cranked tone I ever heard from a Twin back when he was with The Glass Harp, but he had a guitar / amp tech who did a lot of work to make it sound that way. This Bassman sounds okay maxed out, but it would sound considerably better with something like a Hicks Mender in the preamp section. It takes a bit of extra work with a Fender.

[@jakestewartmusic]

Let's agree to disagree, cool? I'm not claiming to speak for anyone else on their opinions, only offering mine and thanking the poster for making this video. Most players might dig pedals with Fender amps over the sound of the cranked amp. That's cool. I've tried 30 or 40 OD pedals in the past two years and toured with several of them and discovered that I prefer power tube overdrive from a non-master volume amp. I personally like speaker breakup, cranked power tubes, feedback, single coil hum, and using my volume knob to dial back and get the sounds I want. I enjoy having that over-the-top sound at my fingertips when I need it. That's rock and roll to me. Works great for me and my band and all the artists I've sat in with lately. I have an Analog Man King of Tone when I can't get my stage volume loud enough. Otherwise, it's all amp for me and I'm sticking to it.

[@arensel84]

Jake Stewart Music check out a BK Butler Tube Driver. It’s my favorite for cranked amp like overdrive.

[@dezionlion]

+arensel84 he just said he preferred cranked Amp distortion to pedals arse nel

[@Heatfarmer]

Would love to hear more than just the Neck PU and see you fiddling around with the Presence control. That really impacts the amount of gain being send to the power tubes

[@RicardoSanchezMusic]

Now this is how you truly play tube amps!

[@user-rd1om2wx1e]

I love the amps sound !

[@sonicaids]

Your channel deserves way more subscribers.

[@sassulusmagnus]

These amps sound amazing through an old Marshall 4x12 at 4 ohms.

[@jannenurmi2216]

Oh yes! My friend (studio guy) has one and have played it quite some times. I highly recommend to google Swedish band The Cardigans and a song called "A Good Horse". At this very location, I've played with '62 Princeton, '60 Deluxe, '61 Deluxe, 65AmpsLondon, '72 Marshall JMP etc. But - every now and then, when it's the time for it - we fire the Bassman up.

[@dingbatjack1234]

8 was magical

[@xankyxankyxanky]

Dude, your tone is just awesome!

[@lilipearl1]

Very nice. Great demo.

[@sloppy_hand]

Hendrix licks to demo a bassman is a really clever choice!

[@peterosipov400]

Awesome sound! But why not jump channels together and then crank every knob to 10? :)

[@CNCTEMATIC]

I don't think you can (usefully) jump the channels in a Fender because the two channels are out of phase. That's certainly the case on the Blackface circuits.

[@peterosipov400]

I've heard about it too. But I've also seen guys doing it.

[@CNCTEMATIC]

Right. Was it on a Blackface or Silverface? I've tried it on my Blackface Deluxe and all it does is cut the low mids and gain by about 20%. It's a reasonably simple mod to change the circuit so the channels are in phase.But the Bassman may well have a different circuit. They say the JTM45 copied it, and you can certainly jump them Marshalls.

[@DaveGardnerMusic]

The blackface Bassman is a different circuit than all the other blackface Fenders, you should be able to jump the channels successfully since they're in phase, as opposed to any of the AB763 amps which will act just like you describe when jumped.

[@peterosipov400]

After some research I found (if I correctly understood it) that amps with tremolo and reverb had out of phase channels because of the extended internal path through fx. So bassman shouldn't have the same problem as it doesn't have effects.

[@Mr2greys]

Nice to hear what it sounds like, I have the same year (Ser# BP111154) and am too afraid to turn it up since we moved into a townhouse :)

[@ensignofindustry1033]

I’ve noticed a couple other videos where people get the breakup on their 6g6B at around 3 🤷‍♂️

[@KingDilph]

nice vid mate what kind of cab+speakers are you using?

[@Matt-Wolf]

This is a custom made cab with celestion greenbacks.

[@KingDilph]

Awesome I have a '65 Bassman great amps. Haven't had too many opportunities to crank it to 10. It sounds amazing when it does. Cheers man. Dig your vids

[@precisionbrown6829]

I had a 1949 Fender Bassman 😭

[@dumbdickler670]

@@precisionbrown6829 that's interesting because I'm ~90% sure the bassman started production in '52

[@tubedude1077]

good studio amp

[@kenmasters007]

Sounds good even at lower volumes...

[@DiedrichKnickerbocker1783]

Why did you not turn bass down? Especially when you were on bass guitar side.

[@bluerock5351]

Why buy a Dumble?

[@joseceraia]

I have the same, from late 1962.

[@less_concerned1221]

Does the cabinet have Oxford 12” speakers?

[@joshbimthedoctor]

Did he say what speakers he was using?

[@frantisca]

Amazing how the amp stays quiet at full blast: no rumble nor hiss...!

[@Matt-Wolf]

There is some noise, but it's relatively quiet compared to the sound of the guitar when volume is at 10 :)

[@HipsterEatinShark]

That's some soulful playing, but ungodly tone, my man! Well done.

[@dostacos1]

Fender amps definitely sound better the closer you get to breakup.

[@Uchison]

Awesome sound. Mine sounds nothing like this one. Which tubes do you have? Any particular stuff?

[@Matt-Wolf]

I can't remember, but maybe but i know the speakers were changed...

[@bo1ivarj]

How different is this amp from the 70s Silverface version?

[@Matt-Wolf]

The blackface is better? :)

[@jaredheld2672]

Not incredibly different. Not $1000 difference

[@mattgrimmer3337]

Here's what's strange, I own 2 of these amps, and it is by far my favorite tube amplifier of all time. That being said, the sound clips in this video, while still sounding stellar aren't really representative of what I think of with these amps. Usually these are very tight and growly and spanky when you crank them fully. I mean both of mine literally sound like Marshall's. I've played Hard Rock gigs with these This sound example, I hear alot of flubbyness and fizzy sound. I'm wondering if a higher rated spec speaker might be a better match, not sure if you mentioned what you're using here. My '64s both have Utah's with aluminum dust covers (actually original) and they seem to be much tighter and the breakup seems sharper. These also have a Solid Sate rectifier, in general they stay very tight. I mean, Rockabilly style playing is really the sound du jour kinda thing.

[@voxpathfinder15r]

I have to agree with this post. All the clips I've heard of these blond era fenders sound very barky, pushed mids and overall what I consider to be the beginning of that Marshall tone - this amp sounds more like the tweed era than anything.

[@Karmara7]

Matt Grimmer it could be so many things dude. Pickups, guitar, speakers. Who knows unless the guy wants to let us know how full signal chain. That's always helpful

[@darwinsaye]

Matt Grimmer If what you want from an amp is for it to sound literally like a Marshall, why wouldn’t you just buy Marshall’s? I always hear about people wanting Marshall sounds out of their Fender Bassmans and Traynor Bassmasters, and I know they share the basic design of the original Bassman, but seriously, if people want accurate Marshall sounds they should just buy Marshall’s shouldn’t they?

[@mattgrimmer9909]

Oh I wasn’t saying I wanted a Marshall, I’m just telling you typically when cranked these sound much like a JTM. I prefer the response on the SS rectifiers, I think these are actually better, at least for me.

[@johndodson4527]

What was guitar volume set at?

[@MrTee-qt1qo]

What speakers are you using? Also vintage?

[@josephsafa4714]

Yea what speakers and cabinet?

[@MrTee-qt1qo]

Joseph Safa I'll make a guess based on tone. He's using a reissue Jensen C12K or C12N.

[@dezionlion]

+Mr. Tee greenbacks, he already answered that

[@doggy7210]

But how do you do this without shattering windows and eardrums? When I turn mine to 3 it is mind boggling loud. Perhaps you have peddles turned down to compensate?

[@Matt-Wolf]

You need earplugs that's for sure, but the windows survived :)

[@doggy7210]

I'm glad your windows are ok.

[@breakfastbuddy5]

what is the output tube ? 6l6 ? it sounds bad on full blast , bass sound is crippled ,

[@CNCTEMATIC]

Nice tones man. I think cranked Bassmans really shine with old humbuckers, rather than the Strat it sounds like you're using. Still a lovely amp. What sort of speakers are in the cabinet?

[@Tonetwisters]

Probably has some killer electrolytics and a woofin' OT in it, if it stays pretty clean all the way up to EIGHT.

[@Moto_737]

my silver face bandmaster sounds like a marshall plexi when it’s only on 5

[@dostacos1]

Do you know the circuit? AA165?

[@wilson-rz8cz]

6G6B

[@martinskanal]

@@wilson-rz8cz ? I thought Bassman 64's had AA864 circuits?

[@michaelwoods9005]

"this is not a reissue" well that goes without saying, being as this amp has never been reissued.

[@Matt-Wolf]

Haha true! :)

[@Richard_P_James]

Not reissued, just ripped off by Jim Marshall ;-)

[@solerso68]

No... From 62 on these Bassman circuits have almost no resemblance at all to the 5F6A "59" Bassman amps that the classic Marshall design is closely modeled on. And don't be such a drama queen.There was a huge demand for those amps in Britain in the 60's which was not being filled by Fender. It wasn't like it is now. You couldn't just go buy a Fender amp in Britain in 1965 . In any case Marshall took the 59 Bassman design and continued to improve it and gave it back (kind of like the British did with Rock music) so that the design, stopped being Fenders a long time ago. For their part Fender has never wanted it back, except for a couple, high price custom shop tweed reissues.

[@sassulusmagnus]

Actually, there are a few builders making replicas.

[@DelusionalVoice]

Total shame that it hasn't been. Really simple circuit too

[@yassinjoris4497]

What circuit is this? 6G6?

[@JohnSmith-cw2wd]

It is probably a 6G6-B, given the year. 6G6 was the last year for the GZ34 tube rectifier.

[@averyadrian1534]

Les Paul please

[@ronnielawson8276]

Need to spray pots.

[@diegoin3]

But Mine goes to 11

[@kosmicwizard]

Tweeds go to 12

[@LastChanceRiders]

Nice. Check out a similar video I did with my modded 1968 Bassman :)

[@anonymusum]

Does anybody know if one of the Bassman heads goes along with a 16 Ohm speaker?

[@Matt-Wolf]

All amplifiers take 16 ohm, it never hurts to go higher in resistance. Going less than the supposed resistance can be danger though...

[@anonymusum]

Thanx a lot. I always mix up tube and trasistor amps .... OK - but a 16 Ohm speaker would divide the output power in half - wouldn´t it?

[@Matt-Wolf]

Yes it will be less loud, but sound volume works on a log scale, so you won't even notice the difference, it's not that you run your amps on all the time right?

[@anonymusum]

Thanx again. Why do you ask? No, I would use the amp just in case my first one needed a little support. Gosh - I had a 50W blackface, an old 50W Hiwatt and a very old AC30 and sold all of them only to regret it now. But I can recall that I liked the Fender the most.

[@Matt-Wolf]

Sorry i forgot a word there... it's not that you run your amps on "10" all the time, so if the volume is less with 16 ohm, just turn it up a little to get the same volume! :)

[@comicblueswithjonygitar36]

This head isn't the same as the Tweed 4x10 circuit that's so desired. These heads, bandmaster, bassman are cool paired with the right speakers but they aren't the grail amp, the tweed bassman, night and day

[@matthewgrimm5383]

It says 64

[@ohrofax]

bei 10 wackeln die wände

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

cranked thats the voodoo chile tone

[@deanherbig9178]

dam skippy

[@Rhythmicons]

Boo. It doesn't go to 11.

[@realbackingtracks8256]

That creamy tube + speaker distortion is great! poor microphone...

[@whynottalklikeapirat]

I own a quantum amp with unlimited volume. Everytime I turn it up a notch a new universe is created ... some of them are noisy as hell and inhabited by creatures with no sense of hearing or they would simply pop on the spot.

[@douglaslounsbury8898]

Definitely not a fan of the sound of this amp's breakup! Way too loose and mushy...I guess that's why it was designed as a base amp.

[@ignatiusjk]

Clean your pots.

[@dafxtone]

It's like a marshall. Not interest and not my favorite fender sound (i'm more a deluxe man !)

[@lapinpoeka]

Why people doesn't play these amps with BASS..... allways guitars meh....

[@Matt-Wolf]

Well, it's called a guitarman for some reason.... oh no wait... :)

[@moonman6932]

No 11!, that amp sucks.