software

pros and cons of the older 59 reissue Bassman reissue and the new LTD as well as the Bassbreaker...any help is good help...Gearjoneser, where are you!

Older Bassman RI's are pretty cheap used. Sound great.

Bassman Ltd's add a few options that are pretty cool, espeically the bias. Laquered Tweed as well perhaps? Can't remember.

Bassbreaker.... older bassman Ri circuit board with 2 Vintage 30's in a laquered tweed cab. Awesome sounding rig, like a low powered tweed twin.

Oh yeah, they ALL sound great. Do you want a 4x10 or a 2x12? That's the first question. Then decide if you want to spend a bit more on the Ltd.

Is the Bassbreaker a PCB amp? Also...I have heard thet the first reissue Bassman amps are a little lacking...what do you think? I think I would prefer the 4x10 set up, but 2x12 is also cool...Originally Posted by Scott_FOlder Bassman RI's are pretty cheap used. Sound great.

Bassman Ltd's add a few options that are pretty cool, espeically the bias. Laquered Tweed as well perhaps? Can't remember.

Bassbreaker.... older bassman Ri circuit board with 2 Vintage 30's in a laquered tweed cab. Awesome sounding rig, like a low powered tweed twin.

Oh yeah, they ALL sound great. Do you want a 4x10 or a 2x12? That's the first question. Then decide if you want to spend a bit more on the Ltd.

Originally Posted by the guy who invented fireIs the Bassbreaker a PCB amp? Also...I have heard thet the first reissue Bassman amps are a little lacking...what do you think? I think I would prefer the 4x10 set up, but 2x12 is also cool...

Yes it is PCB. The other wierd thing is those two Vintage 30's are 4 ohm speakers and not so easy to replace in the future. I have a 2003 '59 RI and I replaced the four P10R Jensens with two P10Q's and two Celestion (English made) Vintage 10's. Replaced the pre-amp tubes with 12ax7-EHs and the power tubes with SED 6L6s biased to 40ma with 496 volts at the plates. No more farty bottom end and scratchy high end that can plague the stock setup. I run a Tone Bone Hot British in front of it and it rocks. These amps are built like a tank, love pedals and crunch on their own when the volume hits 4-5. The new LTDs differ by adding a laquer coating on the tweed, a solid pine finger jointed cab (as opposed to pine plywood), a bias pot built in, GE power tubes and a 5AR4 tube rectfier (which the '59RI has the option to run). All these additions can be added to the '59RI except for the cabinet (which the pine plywood is miles better than MDF or particle board that a lot of amp makers use today). The used '59 RI are a good deal.

thanks Rude...Saturday morning BUMP!

one more bump

Even though all these amps are technically PCB, they used respectable components on a simple tracer circuit board, and all the pots and jacks are hand-wired to the board. They also have good transformers.

I have a LTD, and owned a 90's Reissue 59 Bassman years ago. The LTD sounds better richer and a little less honky in the mids. I think the main problem with 90's reissues and the Bassbreaker is that the tubes never seem like they're biased perfectly.
They use a median bias point, so you've got to make sure you get tubes that bias nicely in it. The LTD allows you to adjust it, plus all the extra features Slightly Rude mentioned.

I'm a bigger fan of 2-12's, so I love the Bassbreaker! If I had a choice, I'd love to have my Bassman LTD with 2-12 Vin 30, rather than the 4 10quot; Jensen P10R's.

One thing I purposely did, when seeking out my favorite amps was to have the greatest clean British blues amp sitting next to the benchmark clean American blues amp. I have the EL-34 Matchless sitting next to the 6L6 Bassman, and it's interesting that both have an incredible clean tone, but they're two distinct flavors of clean.

GJ...forgetting the bias issue...with good tubes, a tube rec, and good speakers could the 59 hold it's own with the LTD?

i also have an ltd and its a great amp. i had a few resistors and caps changed but even stock, i think its the best sounding of the three.
i never used to use 10quot;s but now i love em after using this amp for less than a year

Yeah, with the amount of bass it puts out, 11's can almost be too much for those Jensens. Jeremy, what did you do to change the circuit, and what was the benefit?

i basically had the circut made exactly like my friends real tweed bassman, either a early '59 or late '58 i cant remember. there was just a handful of componants (4 i think) that were not the same value. it sweetened up the top end a little it wasnt as dramatic as i was led to believe that it would be, but i could tell the difference.

i use 11's too and depending on how high the volume is, i usually keep the bass around 3 or 4 to keep the low e nice and tight on the first couple frets.

my quot;optimalquot; setting is channels jumped, bright vol 10, normal vol 8, treble 9, mids 10-12, bass 4, presence 9
i plug into bright one, run a cable from bright two into my reverb unit then into normal one so it lets me use the normal volume as a reverb blend

whats your favorite setting joe?

Love the bassbreaker. Yet to try an ltd, but want to. I like the pre-ltd bassman ris I've tried, but something about them has kept me from buying one.

Thanks for all the replies guys! I think the pre-LTD reissue is what Im gonna get...I already know Im gonna put new speakers and tubes in it...and from the sound of things a few small tweaks to the circut as well! Im still gonna wait to try a few out...there is a place downtown that I think has one of eash as well as a Victoria and maybe even a real 59...anyway, unless the LTD is head and sholders above the older reissue im gonan grab one of the older ones...unless a Bassbreaker shows up on Ebay first!

i would go with the ltd just because of the solid pine cabinent...the origional RI's dont right? bought a bassman ltd a month or so ago from guitar center, i esentially bought it out of desperation to have a working amp at home.... found the clean to be a tad sterile and bright and harsh distortion spent 175$ for some NOS power tubes and JJ 12ax7's popped the back off pushed up the bias from 11o'clock to 2 ....IMEDIATLEY became my main rehersal/gig amp... its a bit loud but man its crazy good hendrix meets neil young classic stuff really sweet open overdrive


Originally Posted by jeremymy quot;optimalquot; setting is channels jumped, bright vol 10, normal vol 8, treble 9, mids 10-12, bass 4, presence 9
i plug into bright one, run a cable from bright two into my reverb unit then into normal one so it lets me use the normal volume as a reverb blend

whats your favorite setting joe?

P 7, B 5, M 4 1/2, T 7 I bridge the channels with a Holy Grail in between the inputs.

And Christian, the 90's Reissue could use new speakers and tubes, and you'd probably be happy with it. That's mainly what the LTD addressed.

why go through all the trouble of customizing an amp - just buy your self a victoria amp - its a bassman perfected

man, i played on outdoor gig yesterday and before we went on i asked the sound guy how loud i could be, he said as loud as you want so i set the amp as i said above. wow, what a killer sound.

after the show i asked the sound guy how loud i was, his responce quot;who f*****g cares if you have tone like thatquot;

like guyman said, the older bassman ri's dont have a solid pine box which i really like

joe, i think one of the things that was changed in my amp was the middle control values. on yours is the mid brighter or darker?


Originally Posted by newking70why go through all the trouble of customizing an amp - just buy your self a victoria amp - its a bassman perfected well...new speakers and tubes is not really customizing...it's more like fine tuning and I do that to ALL guitars and amps that I buy. As for the Victoria, they just cost too much...I could get into a 90's reissue Bassman for 500-600, and even after speakers and new tubes be way less money that a Victoria and not have to worry if it gets a tear in the tweed.