is anyone using a Bassman Head or an Evil Twin?

Nicholas Dedring · From: Beacon, New York, USA

One of each is on sale locally... anyone using either/or on this stuff? the Bassman is a 1968, but supposedly to a blackface spec. I can look it over up close, as I can with the evil twin... is it worth taking a look at either of them?

for the bassman, what kind of cabinet at what cost would be good?

Good things/bad things/experiences with them?

what's a fair price?

Ray Minich · From: Bradford, Pa. Frozen Tundra

My dad finally gave me his 1967 Fender Bassman head and speaker cabinet. When I looked on ebay to see what the stuff was going for I found the head to be running about $400-450 and the speaker cabinet about $300-350. That was 8 months ago. A fair price, depends on condition. I know I gotta put a new power transformer in the head one of these days, the insulation on the high voltage secondary leads has deteriorated and the xfmr really could use a new one.

Also, I need one of them chrome thingys that attach to the head and that slip under the speed nut on the speaker cabinet to hold the head to the cabinet.

CrowBear Schmitt · From: Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France

Nicholas, i've got an Evil Twin (red knobs) and i'm not that crazy about it.
matter of fact i want to move it
i had to service mine, and i really did'nt enjoy the green circuit board
you can find a better Twin than that one.

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

The Bassman would work for steel, but wouldn't be advisable unless it was very cheap. (A SF Twin is much preferred, as it has more power, a reverb unit, and can be had for about the same price as the Bassman head plus a speaker.)

The "red-knob" (evil) Twin ain't much good, period.

[This message was edited by Donny Hinson on 03 October 2003 at 06:36 PM.]

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

I found a 68ish Bassman head at an estate sale for $25. Pretty beat shape. I recapped it and swapped the bias circuit and every thing else in it to Blackface specs and it sounds great. I have been gigging with it for several months and my buddys just sort of shake their heads when they see it, but when they hear how good it sounds they are even more baffled!

Bob Hoffnar · From: Austin, Tx

Bassman good (not much headroom though)
Red Knob Twin bad.

Bob

Bob Metzger · From: Waltham (Boston), MA, USA

Bassman heads are really cool guitar amps but I'm not convinced for steel guitar. Why not a silverface Twin Reverb? That's a all-tube (except for the rectifier) amp that's generally pretty cheap and cheerful (and plentiful) and will do a better job with steel guitar than the 2x 6L6 Bassman.

Bob M.

David Doggett · Posted 4 Oct 2003 5:00 am

Is the Bassman head about the same as a reissue Bassman combo?

JB Arnold · From: Longmont,Co,USA (deceased)

There's a reason it's called an Evil Twin. They don't sound very good and weigh a ton. Our rhythym guitar palyer had one and hated it-too mucj stuff on it. Get a reissue if you must have a twin (as I must, so that's what I have.) But leave that red knob beast alone.

JB

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Fulawka D-10 9&5
Fessenden D-10 8&8
"All in all, looking back, I'd have to say the best advice anyone ever gave me was 'Hands Up, Don't Move!"
www.johnbarnold.com/pedalsteel
www.buddycage.net

http://www.nrpsmusic.com/index.html

Nicholas Dedring · From: Beacon, New York, USA

thanks for the responses, all.

The reason I asked was because folks who are local were selling the above stuff... it's nice to know one can (with a certain hassle) look at the gear in question, and play through it first. Older Twins are also monstrously heavy, but are also monstrously expensive (a lot of them). One in good shape for under $500 was an interesting thought. Bassman head is being sold by another dude, for much less than the twin is.

I was kind of considering going to take a look at one or both, but that seems like it might not be worth the aggravation... thanks again.

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

Hey Nick---obviously everything depends on how you plan to use it (the bassman). I'm planning on playing thru the Deluxe Reverb tomorrow for the first time. It is probably shorter on power than the Bassman. I'll find out what it's capable of then. Possibly not a stadium rig but is it up to the task of working a room like Hank's? We'll see. BTW---I'm carrying that PV pedal so anytime you want to collect it, you got it.

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

Well, waddaya think? hint: the correct answer is "the Deluxe Reverb kicked serious ass." I'm beside myself with how happy I am with this amp. Tell me how it sounded to you back in the house. Didn't even run it past 7. We got a tad raucous later on and it still stood its own. I even ran this 6 foot tall gal's fiddle thru CH 1 in the 2nd set with no problem (aren't you sorry you left?)

But the one thing I think you would regret in the Bassman is the lack of reverb.

Nicholas Dedring · From: Beacon, New York, USA

I thought it sounded incredible... as you will find in your emailbox.

The dude selling the bassman has somehow bumped up the price, and there are discrepancies... he describes his '68 as a "Pre-CBS" which I don't think it could be, based on the fact that, it's a '68.

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

I am always confused on this--yes, '68 is CBS but I believe it could be 'transitional' meaning essentially blackface circuitry which some people may think means pre-cbs. But this certainly sounds like a no-brain walk away and don't look back deal. Plus, you describe it having been modified or hacked.

Nicholas Dedring · From: Beacon, New York, USA

There was a six foot tall fiddle player there???

Work be damned... I woulda stayed for that

Turns out it's someone else who bumped their price... this one is still $250... which seems like it might be a deal, though not a steal outright.

Jon Light · From: Saugerties, NY

Yup. With a whole lotta belly button. Can't say she was the most appropriate fiddler for what we do--somewhere between rip-saw style "Bile Them Cabbage Down, Boyz" and Papa John Screech but with the New Jack Ramblers, musical quality isn't exactly at a premium.

An amusing sidenote though was how when she was playing thru my amp we often (until I shifted to something else) were both in the same pitch range and very similar timbral ranges. So I'd be playing and I'd hear an extra harmony in a two string pad and stare down at my strings trying to figure out where the extra ringing string was. We laughed about it later because she was getting turned around by the same thing.

Larry Bell · From: Englewood, Florida

I HAVE a '65 Bassman, but would never use it alone. Just not enough headroom. Breaks up too quickly. Not bad in stereo along with another amp or in the studio with good mics. I prefer it with an open back 15 cabinet, rather than the 2x12's.

It's a great old amp. Sounds great for bass, too -- but it's the same deal there -- just not enough headroom.

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2003 Fessenden S/D-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro, Standel and Peavey Amps

John Steele · From: Renfrew, Ontario, Canada

I'm assuming the "red knob" or "evil twin" is the later model called "The Twin".
Probably due to the chorus of Boos from guitarists everywhere, I found one in excellent condition real cheap last year, and picked it up.
I use it as a practice amp at home, and couldn't get that tone out of my Nash 1000 no matter how I set it. I will concede that it doesn't cut through the band on the bandstand like the Peavey, but the tone is much less brittle.
Most of the other posters here have forgotten more about amps than I'll ever know, but I have to confess I can't figure out why they're despised so much.
-John

Brian Davis · From: San Francisco, USA

Actually, John, I think people just assumed this Twin had the red knobs. I had a later "Evil Twin" myself that had the reissue blackface tolex and face-plate design. This looks the same as a Twin Reverb reissue except no "reverb" on the faceplate. 2 channels, 2 distortion levels, reverb and vibrato(i think). It was a pretty good amp, the light distortion was ok, but the heavy distortion was just not right.

I ended up using only the clean channel and then using a TS9 Tube Screamer for breakup. My next amp was a 135 watt silverface Twin Reverb and it just blew the Evil Twin away...the cleanest and heaviest amp I ever owned. Traded her in for a '68 Deluxe Reverb. A lot easier on the back and that sweet, sweet all-tube breakup at only 22w.

Still miss that Twin Reverb, though. Somewhere in there I pickup a '62 blonde bassman as well...not as bright sounding as the deluxe, but still some breakup and with a sweet "presence" control...why they discontinued that feature in the blackface models I will never know. Got a matching '62 reverb unit to boot and presto...not a bad rig.

To get back to the thread....the "Evil Twin" red knobs or otherwise is just trying to do too much in one combo. You don't want a distortion channel for steel, much less 2 of them. The Bassman can be a nice rig for steel, if you like a little breakup in your sound...kinda "old-timey"? Anyway, if you want a squaky-clean tone you should be able to get a late model Silverface Twin for around $500.

Brian

[This message was edited by Brian Davis on 08 October 2003 at 07:18 AM.]

Chip McConnell · From: San Francisco, California, USA

Might as well chime in here, having owned an "Evil Twin" as well as a '68 transitional Fender (Super Reverb). The Twin, to me, always sounded very thin and harsh, had a lot of bells and whistles that I did not find useful (a lot of pull-boost knobs and the like) and weighed a ton. I did only play 6-string through it. It was exceptionally loud, but that's about the nicest thing you could say about it. And at reasonable levels the tone was poor. By the way, these seem to sell for $350-450 at best.
A silverface Fender cannot be "pre-CBS". It may have the pre-CBS designed AB763 blackface circuitry, but it may not. If it has the aluminum trim around the outside of the grill cloth, that is a good sign. But the only way to know for sure is to open it up. Of course, the later silverface circuitry may be more desirable to you for steel, as they generally provide more clean headroom, but even a silverface Bassman would seem to be a stretch for steel. But either way, a full silverface should be significantly less then a "transitional" model, just as a transitional should be significantly less than a true blackface.

Bob Metzger · From: Waltham (Boston), MA, USA

To set the record straight: CBS purchased Fender on January 5, 1965. Some changes were almost immediate to certain products; others took a couple of years to realize. There are no Pre-CBS silverface amps, period.

Fender amp circuits were almost always constantly evolving (or de-evolving, depending on your point of view). If they weren't changing the circuit (remember, there's more to it than AA 763, AB 763, AC 568, ect. ect - check the 'Rev' in the lower right corner of the schematics. Some revs go as high as 'H or 'J' before a new model is created.), they were changing suppliers for the type of parts (especially caps) which can change the sound of the amp. Fender amps were always a 'work in progress', especially the Bassman, with more changes and revisions than any other Fender amp. Leo couldn't really decide on this one.

A Bassman head (models 6G6 thru AA371, Bassman 50, 70, 100, 135) has very little in common to the 4x 10 5F6-A Tweed Bassman or its reissue. In my opinion, only the name is in common and, of course, the manufacturer.

If you don't like the weight of a Twin Reverb, consider a Bassman 100 or 135. They need some work to be made steel guitar ready but you get 4x 6L6s with massive transformers and it's a head only so you can choose your speakers/enclosures and reverb type yourself. These amps are current undervalued in the marketplace and when properly tweaked, they can sound very good.

Bob M.

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