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Topic: Bassman Head into Combo? |
Rick Abbott
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 8 Dec 2017 9:08 am |
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Who has tried making a Blackface Bassman into a 1-15 combo? What are the pros and cons of doing so? I have a Bassman head and was thinking of making a combo for rehearsals and small gigs. I have a Session 400 for big venues.
I put a request in on "Wanted to Buy."
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RICK ABBOTT
Sho~Bud D-10 Professional #7962
Remington T-8, Sehy #112
1975 Peavey Pacer 1963 Gibson Falcon |
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Bob Carlucci
From:
Candor, New York, USA
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Posted 8 Dec 2017 1:11 pm
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Makes no sense to me at all.. The bassman head is so small and light, just match it up to a small well designed 1x15 cabinet, and carry one in each hand easily.. thats how I did it for many years.. That way, as money allows, you can find a small 1x12 cab, a small [or BIG] 2x12 cab, a 2x10 cab, a 4 x10 cab, and mix and match with not only the Bassman head, but any other head you might like... Keep it as is, it will retain its value that way, and sound great into any speaker cab you care to match it with...
bob
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I'm over the hill and hittin'rocks on the way down!
no gear list for me.. you don't have the time...... |
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Rick Abbott
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 8 Dec 2017 2:46 pm
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A very valid response, Bob. As far as losing it's value, I wouldn't ruin anything, and I'd keep all the parts. I like the idea of a combo, but a 1-15 cab would be a cheaper and/or more sane way to go.
Let's see what others have to say.
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RICK ABBOTT
Sho~Bud D-10 Professional #7962
Remington T-8, Sehy #112
1975 Peavey Pacer 1963 Gibson Falcon |
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Ken Pippus
From:
Langford, BC, Canada
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Posted 8 Dec 2017 2:58 pm
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| I agree with Bob. I have an open back cabinet with a 15” 4 ohm neo. Add that head to this cabinet and your have a fabulous lightweight tube outfit. Combo would be heavier and far less versatile. |
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Tim Marcus
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 8 Dec 2017 3:08 pm
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Mojotone used to make one
Combo amps are convenient 
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Milkmansound.com |
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Mark Fowler
From:
Minnesota, USA
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 9 Dec 2017 8:50 am
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Yeah, I had a Bandmaster 1x15" combo years and years ago, sort of a bastardized Vibroverb. Of course, the pros are that you only have one piece to haul, and if you stick tilt-back legs on it, it can easily be tilted back in one piece. You can do that as one piece with a piggyback, but the head needs to be secured - an original Bassman cab has the connector to do that, but the cab itself is overkill. Might as well haul around a Session 400 or Twin Reverb, which is what I normally do.
The cons, of course, are that the one piece is heavier and you no longer have the flexibility of easily matching with other cabs. Myself, I don't mind a bit heavier amp when I'm playing pedal steel - it balances out the heavy steel when I'm carrying both at the same time and the pair is only one trip. My biggest problem with carrying heavy stuff is that if the weights are unbalanced on each arm, it messes with my hip. But I admit, I gotta work out and do weights or this starts getting old real fast with a Twin Reverb on one arm and a D-10 on the other.
At this point, if I did something like this, I'd make the cab with a high-power/high-efficiency 1-12" speaker instead of 1-15". I bought my current Session 400 already cut down vertically a few inches with a Telonics neo 12" speaker in it. I love it, and it weighs about the same as my Deluxe or Vibrolux Reverbs.
Decisions, decisions ... |
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Jack Hanson
From:
San Luis Valley, USA
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Posted 10 Dec 2017 6:18 am
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I have a '64 6G6-B head that is an excellent guitar amp, depending on the speaker(s) it's hooked up to. It also makes for a passable bass amp when plugged into a gigantic old Peavey 2x15 cabinet. I thought it may also make a fine amp for pedal steel, so I hooked it up to the newer Black Widow that sounds just wonderful in my '77 LTD 400.
Two thumbs down -- just didn't cut it, in my opinion. |
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Chris Reesor
From:
British Columbia, Canada
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Posted 10 Dec 2017 12:24 pm bassman head for steel
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Those blond Bassman heads are great for guitar; a old jamming buddy had one, but I haven't heard one with PSG.
Silverface heads are quite different animals, though. I saw Jeff Bradshaw playing his 3x4 lacquer PP loafer through a Goodrich pedal driving a drip strip head ('68, AA868 circuit I believe)into a K130 with just a digital reverb pedal,an RV3 probably, and that rig got as pure and clear a vintage steel sound as you will hear anywhere, at moderate volume levels.
Couple of things I noticed about that 6G6B circuit; it has a rather unique circuit in the bass channel, with the tapped treble control. Also, the two channels appear to be out of phase so jumpering channels or using the second channel as a parallel effects loop with tone controls won't sound the same.
I just rehabbed an old AA270 Bassman 50; looking forward to seeing how it sounds for steel.
To get back on topic, I'm just going to leave it as a head.
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Excel Superb U12, MIJ Squier tele, modified Deluxe Reverb RI, Cube 80XL, self built acoustics & mandolins |
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Rick Abbott
From:
Indiana, USA
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Posted 13 Dec 2017 6:01 pm
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I think I'll just use a 1-15 cab. The cost of a combo cab is too high. There are lots of good arguments above. I have the original 2-12 cab and it's just too big to drag around, but it also does little for the PSG sound I need, so storage for it, and a nice 1-15 for the head. Thanks for the thoughtful input.
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RICK ABBOTT
Sho~Bud D-10 Professional #7962
Remington T-8, Sehy #112
1975 Peavey Pacer 1963 Gibson Falcon |
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Jim Sliff
From:
Lawndale California, USA
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Posted 16 Dec 2017 10:01 pm
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FWIW It works just fine if you want a light, non-reverb combo with decent output. IMO since they make much better guitar (of any kind) amps than bass amps a combo arrangement can be vary handy for exactly your intended use.
And in case you don't know (or anyone else who finds this thread doesn't) any vintage tube amp should be checked out to make sure it's been properly serviced -
The filter caps and bias cap should be less than 10 years old, preferably. If they're over 12 years old or you can't tell (no date codes or service record) just replace them. It's not worth taking a chance on a blown power transformer if a questionable filter cap bites the dust.
The low-voltage electrolytics should at least be checked. They're not potential "amp bombs" if they go bad you can lose gain and/or it may just sound "off".
Other than checking/setting the power tub bias, checking other parts & making sure the tubes are up to the job the only other "absolute" is installing a 3-prong power cord.
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No chops, but great tone
1930's/40's Rickenbacher/Rickenbacker 6&8 string lap steels
1921 Weissenborn Style 2; Hilo&Schireson hollownecks
Appalachian, Regal & Dobro squarenecks
1959 Fender 400 9+2 B6;1960's Fender 800 3+3+2; 1948 Fender Dual-8 Professional |
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Bob Carlucci
From:
Candor, New York, USA
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Posted 17 Dec 2017 6:37 pm
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Rick,, What I would do is make or buy a cabinet thats open back, but with a well fitting, easily removable panel.. It can be fastened with Velcro,,, Its like having 2 different amps.. One room you will like the closed back, and in another you might prefer the open back, it really works very well, and it takes only seconds to remove or replace the back panel... i did it for years.. No reason not to give it a try... bob
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I'm over the hill and hittin'rocks on the way down!
no gear list for me.. you don't have the time...... |
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