The Fender Bassman, Blonde, Black and Silver: A Short History

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Johan Segeborn Bassman comparison video: • This is what each of t...
You know, I thought I could wait to make this, put something in between...but then I got swept up in wanting to know. In particular, WHY do all the rig rundowns with session guys ALWAYS include a piggy back Bassman head? And so... I went and found out, and if I can overcome my desire to build one from scratch to be that "one great amp", well maybe you can too. I think after all this I'd want the first blonde version, the "6G6". Tube rectified, about 35 watts from the 5881 power tubes (one of my favorites) and maybe stir the second channel with a more British flavor...Yeah, I might be able to resist, and if I can't...you'll be hearing about it here. :)
Hope you enjoy this.
Keith

[@theyoungamptech320]

Please continue this amp series Keith! Twins, vibroluxs, Concerts, Pro's, and super reverbs need their stories told by you.

[@coryfraser8588]

Don't forget the tremolux

[@chipsterb4946]

The 6G16 Brown Vibroverb deserves its own video. Tube driven spring reverb with bias vary tremolo was basically everything wonderful and Fender.

[@barkeater9606]

I prefer the late 50’s high watt tweed twin. But, I think Joe Bonamassa bought them all.

[@willdenham]

Have one built. That's becoming the only way to do an early design these days.

[@JordonBeal]

Black panel Bassmans are, believe it or not, one of my favorite amps for heavy modern rock and metal. Boosted properly, it rips for heavy music.

[@robnorris8053]

Absolutely..!!!

[@davidpepper442]

The piggyback blonde Bassman is about the coolest looking amp ever. Really stands out on a stage. Simply iconic!

[@larryn2682]

Absolutely! I'm guessing they helped inspire the (probably) custom color white Ampeg amplifiers used by the Rolling Stones and The Faces in the seventies, plus the white Peavey amps of Lynyrd Skynyrd.

[@scaramanga7696]

When I was a child, my dad had one in the living room displayed, it's now in mine 😅. Awesome looking amp!

[@samuelhatman8995]

I work enough to "age" your videos a day or so. And then savoring the moment, Keith, I "lean" in!!! In the faith world we use the word conduit to convey efficiency and sharing and living the truth. I hope you know you ring that bell for me. It keeps me coming back for the service you share. Two wonderful vintage Fender Amps, retired, adorn my living room. Some think I am a bass musician, others wonder how far back my acoustic devotions go. But you... you capture it all in the way that encourages each viewer to take note and preserve heritage for a use in the present day. Hey! I'll just say it with no blush at all. God Bless you, Tim, Robin, and each and every presenter you share with us to define the icons of music reinforcement in a way the benefits our play. Wow... just, Thanks again Keith. Sam. Ok, I'm gonna play this one a third time. Seee ya!

[@dannaaa330]

The Bassman videos were amazing, just like all the Short Histories. Would love to see one about the Ampeg SVT

[@fivewattworld]

I plan to make the B-15 and the SVT

[@numberfourthree]

After years of searching, the 6G6B is my favorite amp of all time. Super versatile, simple and easy to maintain. I own a 62, 63 and a tuxedo (just in case).

[@edc3093]

Keith, that was an outstanding installment of "A Short History". Thank you for getting into the detail of the changes in the mid '60's to the amp. In fact, I am in the process of evaluating a 1966 Bassman. Many thanks for all you do. I look forward to your next installment of "A Short History".

[@davidjoel111]

This is a dream amp for me, a buddy of mine ran a late 60s bassman head thru a mesa 2x12, a tech 21 drive pedal, a carbon copy delay and a 7 string for a covers gig, best tone I’ve ever herd!

[@karmadave]

I love these amps. Especially the Blackface Bassman head. There is a common modification that gives one of the channels a Marshall flavor. Great video 🤩

[@RobertNolan]

Arguably one of the greatest amps of all time. This, a Tele, and a fuzz is all you need.

[@calebfisher7345]

I’d say a bassman, a les paul and a delay is all I need

[@RobertNolan]

@@calebfisher7345 that works quite well too! 😎🤙

[@breilly66]

Amen to that.

[@breilly66]

​@drsrsv8884 This for that instant Elvin.

[@RobertNolan]

@@breilly66 I top mine off with a tube reverb unit and all is right in my world.

[@jbrobertson2758]

Excellent as usual, I'm ready for the Short History of the Band Master!! I have a 1968 head combined with a 4x10" Marshall closed back cab. Thanks Brother

[@pmkrak]

I just want to correct you about something. It was the AA165 that only lasted a couple of months. There were very few ever made. The circuit only lasted from January to February of '65 until replaced by AB165 in March. The AB165 circuit lasted over three years before being replaced by the AA568 circuit. Also, there never was a AB864 circuit.

[@davemarriott9332]

Great video....I'd love to see you interview Mike Ness. He's an old acquaintance of mine and sold me my first Les Paul back in '87. He's got an amazing amount of gear and his studio is full of music history that's right up your alley.

[@batmandeltaforce]

Thank You, Tim Pierce, for the awesome music:)

[@ae3898]

Knowing we’ve got some sweet Tim Pierce outro playing to look forward to always helps us hang with you to the end.

[@littvay]

I would have loved to hear more about the silverface Bassman 50, 70, 100, etc. amps and their story.

[@jasondorsey7110]

I have a '71 super bassman, 100 watts non-master volume...stupidly loud, nothing but warm clean headroom...the perfect pedal platform

[@captainkirk70]

Early silver face drip edges?

[@tmcwilliams]

Great video as always. I’m lucky enough to own a AA864 ‘64 Bassman, it’s incredible. My favourite amp and the one I will never part with.

[@SteveWoodyMusic]

Man, so cool! That piggyback look is the absolute coolest. I wanted a piggyback bandmaster for a long time. Sigh i had a bassman now!

[@sonicdeath2]

You missed the silver face bassman 100 not super that came with a 4x12

[@joshjenkinson1929]

These all have the potential to be amazing amps. I own a 1970 silverface bassman and the key to it sounding its best is to make sure it’s working properly electronically and valves / bias etc and then pairing it with the right speakers for your sound / guitar. Also there’s so many circuits, some parts of which stifle the tone - it’s worth experimenting with capacitors in critical areas to open up the amps sound. Obviously you need the safety and electronics knowledge of working on amps or a good tech.

[@MrWhit30]

I have a 71' SF 50w head that I picked up practically free in the mid 80s. Had it recapped about 10 years ago but not modified. I run it thru a homemade open back pine cab with a Weber Cali 15". Awesome pedal platform. It sounds great cranked but I value my ears so I rarely do that.

[@diondost7041]

I’ve got the Bassman 800 and the 410 that goes with it. It truly sounds like a 60’s rig with the right bass guitar! There’s also a full tube 300W model called Super Bassman and there used to be a Bassman 500 hybrid before the 800 watt version. The 500s still float around on the used market!

[@EricCirca]

My friend who is also my amp tech sent me a link to this video. Call me a nut, but I own most of the the amps in this video which includes a 1960 4×10 Bassman, 3 blonde Bassmans and 2 blackface Bassman. I also own a 1990 reissue Tweed Bassman which I thought sounded great from day one. Recently my tech replaced every in the circuit to original spec and now it sounds phenomenal. The original Emenice speakers are well broken in and sound great. I also own a 2002 Bassbreaker which have Celestrions in it.,

[@JoelWetzel]

You're getting warmer. The Dual Professional put out the best clean guitar sound I've ever heard but I only played one once, and haven't even seen one since. I heard it was Buck Owens' favorite but that's the end of what I know. I will finish this video and get back to hoping you cover the DP someday. Peace.

[@MichaelSmith-rn1qw]

I bought a used 68 Drip Edge, Blackline, Silverface Bassman 50 watt head in a pawn shop in Houston in 1988 for $100. (still have the receipt). Finally did a cap job on it a couple years ago. I built a 2 x 12 cabinet and loaded it with UK made Celestion Vintage 30's. If I play bass thru it I use a 2 x 15 Peavey cabinet, that also sounds decent for guitar.

[@1Rockstok]

Loved the video Keith!

[@jacobpittman1996]

Thank you, Tim, indeed!

[@1Rockstok]

Good grief Keith! I like all of your videos but the Fender history (with lots of Japan info) and this are incredibly well researched and clearly presented! Thank you very much for these. Keep it up!

[@alasdairmunro1953]

Great intro an outdo from Tim. Learnt a lot with this one. Great job Keith! 👍🏻

[@Mr2greys]

LOVE my early 64 Blonde (blackface, with wheat grille). I bought it in 1999 and no regrets although all I do is noodle on it in my basement. Its a definite player model and seen touring before I got it with the cigarette burn and beer stain :) . ETA, I had to get the capacitors replaced and the tech said it was interesting to look at it as has the later transformer but was definitely not replaced. It must have been one of the last ones before the change

[@dennisflock3958]

Hello from Kankakee, Illinois (Chicago area).

[@aaronhuisinga2531]

I think we need to keep going with the history of the Bassman up to now. Even if it takes 2 parts!

[@stephenleake81]

I used a Fender Bassman 50 all through the 70’s.

[@sassycat]

Looking forward to the short history of Dumbles and hopefully the Super Reverb. 😺👍

[@edkutschke814]

Thanks Keith, Great job as always!

[@ericdavidberkus2950]

Keith, please don't forget, on the inset of Wings Over America, Paul McCartney's silverface Bassman is on top of 2 Marshall 4x12's, and Jimmy McCulloch's two blond Bassman's are pictured behind him!

[@stuartmenziesfarrant]

Love the bassman sound!

[@jeffdixon847]

To get the Space Echo preamp sound, (like Setzer into his Bassman) check out the awesome Nocturne Brain pedals. I’m not a rockabilly guy, by those preamps are always on with my Gretsches and Fenders.

[@leo.ubios.guitar]

I see Bassman and click the like button.

[@matt786us6]

Keith could you do a short history of the Leslie speaker? Very little is out there on KZbin and I don't know much about this unusual/iconic speaker. It would be very interesting as all of your shorts history videos are. Thank you my friend, Matt

[@fivewattworld]

Interesting

[@broscosmoline]

circa 1981 i acquired a silverface bassman with a 3x12 fender cabinet - which, in retrospect seems like an odd pairing. The cabinet had a banner over the grill that said "solid state", but the head was certainly a tube amp (i distinctly reecall sifting thru bins of surplus tubes, looking fir 6L6's). So, a mongrel rig, but i wonder - did Fender, at any point, make a 3x12 cabinet for bass?

[@KRAZEEIZATION]

This is the go to amp channel, pardon the pun!

[@daviddikeman7423]

It's the greatest amp. Love the Dirty Shirley take on this amp.

[@jeffsquires6620]

Fantastic episode, many thanks.

[@Tonetwisters]

You gotta great show, mister.

[@pierheadjump]

⚓️ Thanks Keith 😎

[@artrogers3985]

My first amp was a big Bassman when I got my first bass back in 1970.

[@taggmanibanez]

You forgot the bassman 10, bassman 50, bassman 100, and the 200w Studio Bass.

[@deeess6027]

My fender bassman 10 is a workhorse! Love it!

[@billhannaford4488]

Blackface and Silverface are all great amps. Love my bassman

[@pgmorrow]

As a bass player, I am highly offended by the so called "normal" input! ;-)

[@fivewattworld]

Love it

[@davidmacleod9313]

I Wonder what gear (!!!! 8:56 !!!!) ….as soon as I’m about to type “I wonder what gear Brian Setzer used throughout his career”…and BOOM there you are talking about exactly that! Lol Great minds? 😊😊😊❤it!

[@MisterAndrewBuckley]

It appears that playing guitar can make wearing crocs look cool 😂

[@abijag100]

Another sensational post.....any chance of an article on the Fender 300 and 400 PS series ?

[@jeffreybabino8161]

The first time ever saw a fender bassman amp I was about 12 years old my neighbor had one he was a bass player

[@kbkman7742]

It is said the ab165 isn't desirable... With a few tweaks they are excellent rock n roll amps and the only model with three stages per channel. The blackface amp Johan Segeborn demos is the AB circuit.

[@FarmerSlideJoeBob]

This History Videos are damn good😃🔥

[@dominiquecoladon8343]

Excellent video 👍 very interesting 😎

[@aminahmed2220]

What a fantastic video have a good weekend Keith also if you could play a guitar from the 1950s or the 1960s what would it be have a good weekend

[@fivewattworld]

1960 slab board Strat, my birth year…they run around $30k now so unlikely, ;).

[@aminahmed2220]

@@fivewattworld I have to agree

[@BJester91]

A “the Guitars of Tom Petty” would be great!

[@joeylenus8230]

What about the fender bassman 500?? I have one what makes it different

[@captainkirk70]

Drip Edge silver faces? I have one that has the blackface circuit still.

[@rickhill6277]

Great Vid Keith! That’s what I cut my teeth on was the Black Face Tuxedo and the Black Face Head and 2x12 Cab. The Bandmaster wasn’t used as much as the Bassman generally adding a Reverb unit to it for a little fuller sound. Great Job!! Please keep up the Good Work! Love your Channel and Content! Cheers from Salem, Ohio US.

[@markscott4830]

I just purchased a 66 blackface bassman head did I make a boo boo or did I{ make a score, please feedback.

[@daniellarson3068]

This video might have demonstrated someone playing a bass through the Bassman.

[@svenkaahedgerg3425]

Great video again. 👍 Any chance of a Fender Super Reverb video coming too?

[@fivewattworld]

Oh that’s coming

[@svenkaahedgerg3425]

@@fivewattworld Great news 😁 I have had mine since 1994 and it is a great amp but I think that the Super stands for its shifting temperament and level of pain carrying it. It's a 1965 pre CBS.

[@slimkickens]

Blonde and brown Fenders are the best amps ever

[@kenbailey4732]

Awesome video. Curious, are the current reissue bassman amps worth the time?

[@christopherfidler3019]

can you please do a video on Sunn amplifiers? Fender is reviving the brand (countdown on website) Thank you.

[@alecalfaras5936]

Great video but not a peep about The Rolling Stones?? Keef famously used them early on

[@fivewattworld]

They used Showmans actually.

[@deanbibb3680]

Well, mine as an AB165. I wonder what I was missing?

[@fivewattworld]

Opinions vary. Such is the beauty of things.

[@aliasdandavisofficial]

I know I'm not the 1st person in this thread to request this (& you're probably working on this anyway). BUT ... Dumble. Please make a Dumble video. Plus, Mesa/Boogie.

[@fivewattworld]

I made the Mesa video. I’m working on the Dumble research.

[@Mr.Saltwater]

These blackface were $100 bucks back in the late 80s in pawn shops . One shop I went to probably had 40 of them at a time. Blow one up? Take it to another shop and go back to the other one.

[@sonikboom007]

6g6b for life

[@dat219]

Why did you strobe the beginning turn it off or give warning

[@fivewattworld]

Uh?

[@dat219]

At the start of the video on the words 5-watt world are Rapidly blinking . That to me is like a strobe light . Besides that your show is super I've been a subscriber for several years. About a year back I wanted to buy one of your t-shirts it was only available in medium. I don't recall the total circumstances but I don't think there was anyone to get in contact with. I'm mostly playthrough a blackface Princeton Reverb & 68 Deluxe Reverb amps using Telecasters and sometimes 68 Stratocaster.Thank you have a good day.

[@geraldcalifornia5923]

No one talks about the fender bassman 100. 😢

[@MrSparks54]

The only thing missing for me, a bassist, was a demo with a bass, after all it's a Bassman.

[@HarryMarctai]

Exactly my thoughts

[@willdenham]

McCartney played through them on the two albums Keith mentioned. Also he played through a silverface on Abbey Road.

[@wesst.422]

I'm in love with my Bassman 10! I never name my gear but she's the exception. I had a cat growing up named mariah who would sit on my amps whenever I played, she was deaf so the volume never bothered her and I think she liked the vibration and the warmth of the tubes. Once I brought my bassman home I cranked the volume and felt the whole room around me rattle, I knew it had to be her name!

[@darwinsaye]

When you said they can still be found for “reasonable” prices and showed the one for sale for $1500, it just made me remember in the 90s seeing black and silver panel Bassman heads in my local store for $350 on a regular basis.

[@joelhague5515]

Hell, I bought a '68 drip edge 50 watt head with its original cab (just one speaker in it, though) for $700 flat back in 2015. Flipped the speaker, replaced the caps, a couple of bleeding resistors, and put two Eminence speakers in the cab (can't remember the models). It sounded great.

[@joshuamihalow6054]

I once traded a 1x12 Marshall Valvestate 40 watt hybrid combo for a clean blackface Bassman with one of those oversized 2x12 cabs in the mid 1990S. Man, looking back I should have kept it, but blackface Fender amps were easily gotten in those days…

[@darwinsaye]

@@joshuamihalow6054 I have a 1966 Princeton Amp that I got on even trade for an ‘80s solid state Marshall Lead 30 in the late 90s. And I had gotten that Marshall for free, so basically I got my 1966 Princeton for nothing. Those days are over, ☹️

[@joelhague5515]

Just remembered the brand of speaker that cabinet came with...Altec Lansing (same brand Randy Rhoads used, but it wasn't the same model speaker). Couldn't remember it for the life of me!

[@stefanoidili]

Even up to 2010’s

[@RickBeato]

Hypes, I wish I could find one of these. Tim’s sounds amazing!🔥🔥🔥

[@fivewattworld]

He really does.

[@jeffmaloney8701]

Tim makes everything sound amazing!

[@JustinOstrander]

Was happy to see some love for the Tuxedo Bassman. Mine is home base as well.

[@larryn2682]

@@JustinOstrander home Bassman?

[@badxxxmonkey5541]

Are we to really believe Rick doesn't have one? We've all seen his studio.

[@smelltheglove2038]

I have one of the 68 reissue Vibrolux that had a “custom” channel which is a bassman circuit. I love fender amps. The reissues are pretty damn good. I have tried all the “classic” amp brands, Vox, Orange, Marshall, I always come back to a Fender. Maybe I’ll get a two rock one day, but for now, it’s fenders.

[@jbdupuis10]

Same thing with the 68 reissue Deluxe Reverb! The Bassman circuit on the custom channel is a gem. Love it.

[@jamesduck1069]

I have two Bassman amps, a '65 Blackface and a '69 Silverface. I've had the Silverface since 1980 - bought it out of the Recycler here in L.A. for 150 dollars with the 40" cab!

[@MrGixxer1300r]

I have never used a Fender Bassman, but this was all great knowledge, and content. I also want to add the music by Tim Pierce was great along with Tim's huge smile which I have never seen him without. Awsome content Keith.

[@kevinmorris7722]

These short history videos are the absolute best. Love hearing what was and still is. Great job making these. Love it.

[@hearpalhere]

I always loved Brian Setzer's sound and his amps looked super cool too. Thanks for another awesome video Keith, rock on!

[@Strat642001]

Man, I had one of the early 59 Reissues....what a fantastic amp. I kick myself for letting it go years ago. GAS got the better of me 😢

[@clarencevickrot3531]

Happens to everyone.

[@jeffpfannenstiel1011]

I stumbled onto a 1967 BF piggyback at a Music-Go-Round store in KC back in the late 90s...for $350. Even had the OG hang tags. I still have it and will never let it go. It's the perfect amp.

[@catzdollz9810]

can I be in your WILL?

[@jeffpfannenstiel1011]

@@catzdollz9810 🤣

[@captainkirk70]

I got a 67' from Midwestern music for $500 in 2012.

[@johnnyexponential7229]

My favourite part of the bassman story that you didn't mention is that I own a pair of 78 silverfaces- a 50 and a 135. I call the big one 'the monolith' and run it through a 2x15 cab with a pair of 500-watt drivers in it. People know about it when you turn that thing on. Absolute beast.

[@larrypower8659]

A black panel Bassman head and a Marshall 4x12” cab (with greenback Celestions) is a formidable and classic guitar sound. I used that combination for two decades. Now I’m too old to carry that 4x12” beauty, but it’s alive and well! Great combination of amp and cab, and with any guitar.

[@akleperp]

I've owned several Bassman heads over the years and still have 2 '66 heads but the silverface Bassman 50 are still some of the best sounding ones I've owned and played.

[@akleperp]

BTW, every Bassman head sounds 10x better through Celestions than Jensens.

[@hypocycloidiaspora]

I loved this pair of videos on the Fender Bassman - and I'm a little bummed it stopped around the end of the sixties. Like many other commenters, I have owned or used Silverface Bassman Ten and Bassman 100 amps, and they worked great for my bass. I suppose by the seventies, there were plenty of other options for guitarists, and the Bassman became just an amp for bassists... but I'd still like to hear you talk about them! As an aside, I had no idea until reading the comments of this video, that Fender had a Bassman 50 and Bassman 70 model in the seventies - such a wide array of amps for the age of funk and disco.

[@alexcrouse]

It's been quite a while since i first heard "I just make the videos", and i've watched every video since. I've never been disappointed. Thanks, Keith, for another fantastic video!

[@jamesvisceglia3971]

I have a AA165 blackface Bassman with the cab and is it worth every penny, watt, and ounce. It sings, it screams, it rips. And it was a bargain for a vintage fender amp. I leave it on between 2 and 3 most of the time. It is So dynamic. But very loud…

[@metalmover]

Love all these videos…..glad to see the part 2 to the bassman

[@sixstringsick]

Great video Keith! Would love to see a short history of the Analogman King Of Tone. Looking forward to the next one!

[@sonicboompole2774]

I've been enjoying these little history of videos recently so thanks for making them. I have a Pignose G40V based on a 59 Bassman circuit and love it. Paid about $200 for it. That amp, a guitar and a fuzz/boost pedal really makes me smile, especially with an external cab. I was struck by a comment you made around the 5:30 mark in this video re: the Beatles. You say that while they had the new Fender they also still had their trusty Vox amps and that you can't be sure which was used on what songs/tracks. That statement alone should really make people think hard about chasing tone and spending money on expensive "vintage" gear. Those amps are so different from each other and have unique characteristics that should be audible but aren't obvious in a mix. I bet most people can't tell either.

[@WTF-Cubing]

“The most music, from the least gear.” Essentialism. Not only a great philosophy for music, but life. Love what you do Keith, thanks for being. EDIT: I don’t know if you’ve covered this yet, but I’m interested in hearing your take on some new innovations like NuTube tech. My reasoning is that I’m at that stage in my musical life where I’m looking for my “forever gear”, and the tube crisis we’re in is making me hesitant in investing in something that could become an expensive paperweight in the future. The Vox NuTube amps sound great to me, and I currently use a NuTube equipped Vox Silk Drive pedal to add that tube harmonic sparkle to my Boss Katana.

[@steveburchfield5576]

I remember meeting Shawn Lanes sister when I worked at Shiloh Music near Nashville. She was looking for a Bassman head or Bandmaster for her brother, Shawn Lane. He was known to pick a note or two. Later Bob Gjinka made him a Power of 10 amp. Good show Keith.

[@cliffhendrickson4749]

Maybe next you could do a "Short History" on either the Gibson EB-0, the EB-3, or the EHX Big Muff pedals.

[@aaronalter2000]

When I was in 7th grade, I got to try a 1965 black-panel Bassman and it seemed like heaven to me!