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All right, as some of you know Ive been searching for a high quality clean amp tone and there has been alot of threads around latley asking questions by others about the same thing.
After great reviews by Gear Joneser, Jeremy, and Lew, I decided to try out a tweed Fender Bassman LTD. I played on a silver face vibrolux with modded tubes and speakers less than a month ago and it blew away the cleans on just about any amp ide ever heard but it was instantly sold the same day it came in-go figure So I used that as my tone standerd-I wanted something that was of that tone quality.
I pluged in a fender strat-thats what I have-into the Fender Bassman LTD and presto, there was that tone again! beautiful thick cleans without the pearceing highs. Nice thick sweet midrange, and Ime thinking with a compressor pedle out front this thing would be fantastic. it does have jenson speakers and I had to wonder-if I thru in some webbers and celestions would it sound even better?
Joneser posted a mod for the amp and there is a mod on Curleys web sight for this amp. Also Jeremy posted that he uses a fender reverb unit out front and realy likes it in combo with the amp.
My thnx to everyone on this forum who have directed me to this amp and the info they have on it. I have always said quot;it pays to listen to people who know more than yourselfquot; -thnx again

some people say that Fender amps don't take Celestion speakers very well. They were built and voiced for Jensen speakers, there's a reason that Eminence is now trying to copy those speakers (the american side of their american/british voiced speakers)

Jensen's are good speakers

You could always build your own. Hand wired, point to point, top notch components. Probably same price as the LTD.


Originally Posted by Scott_FYou could always build your own. Hand wired, point to point, top notch components. Probably same price as the LTD.

man you pros could probabley do it but me? Ime a 9 to 5 guy that just loves to play. You guys know so much more than me and the sad thing is that over the years ive had the luxery of being lazy. I just see something, like it, and buy it and play it. Ive never taken too much time to know why or how it works. I have learned alot on this and other web sights and its a good thing but I dont feel competant enough to build an amp-sad but true

Philthis, are you in the southern Ca area? I might consider selling my Bassman LTD. Trust me, it's a hard amp to let go of, but I might consider it. $850 is what I need to get, but it's brand new with all the candy.


Originally Posted by CapoFirstFretsome people say that Fender amps don't take Celestion speakers very well. They were built and voiced for Jensen speakers, there's a reason that Eminence is now trying to copy those speakers (the american side of their american/british voiced speakers)

Jensen's are good speakers

You need to check out the fender bassbreaker. the custom shop built them in the 90s. basically a bassman ri with a smaller, better quality cab loaded with 2 celestion vintage 30s. An amazing sounding amp. I really like bassmans in general, but the bassbreaker would be my choice.

Vibro kings also come with an optional 2xV30 extension cab.


Originally Posted by Hot _GritsYou need to check out the fender bassbreaker. the custom shop built them in the 90s. basically a bassman ri with a smaller, better quality cab loaded with 2 celestion vintage 30s. An amazing sounding amp. I really like bassmans in general, but the bassbreaker would be my choice.

Vibro kings also come with an optional 2xV30 extension cab.

I owned one of those for a while. Great amp. Basically just a quot;normalquot; Bassman RI with a laquered tweed cab and as indicated above, 2 V30's.

Great tone fer shure.


Originally Posted by GearjoneserPhilthis, are you in the southern Ca area? I might consider selling my Bassman LTD. Trust me, it's a hard amp to let go of, but I might consider it. $850 is what I need to get, but it's brand new with all the candy.

I used to vacation down there about 4 times a year becouse my sister yoused to live down there but my primary residance is in Utah. 850$ is a smoking deal for that amp. However I do need 2 months to pull down a check I am recieveing thats around 14,500$ It will take 2 months to close that account out and send me the check. In the mean time Ive been doing some shopping for stuff. This fender base breaker amp thing is also intrigueing. Some custom shop thing? Scott F and Hot Grits seem to like them. But still the amp I want with the cool mod for 850$ damn thats very tempting. I would even drive down to get it and just pay cash and go boogie boarding wile Ime there as well and hit hollyweird and six flags and visit ol Curley at the Baked Potato as he seems pretty cool on the forum.
I have a little time to think on all this and I hate to tie up your amp for 2 months. how does the tone differ from the origanal with the mod? is it just sweeter or punchier or differant?
This whole base breaker has got me wondering too. How does a base breaker sound compared to a baseman? Scott F could probably build me one if I begged him too and I know he is competant.
Ya ime 2 months out but 850$ is hard to pass up if the mods have made the tone only that much better. All I want this amp for is thick fat sweet cleans.

reading this a second time joneser sounds like your bassman is a standerd bassman right? no mods? Dont know where I got the mods thing from. anyway, 850$ is hard to pass up for that amp but even so ime 2 months out from buying and I hate to tie up your amp if you need cash. Let me think on this 2 days. Also a base breaker sounds pretty cool as well. I love the tone of vintage 30's in a close backed cab. eather way tweed is so cool for a cab. whats up with the whole Fender blond thing anyway? is it just a new look or is there a tone diff? Some other thread was talking about it.

The brownface and blondeface eras bridge the gap between the tweed and blackface eras. to my ear, the blondeface amps I've tried have kept much of the feel and tone of the tweed amps, but moved toward larger wattages and more features, especially reverb. these achanges do affect the tone, but much less than the changes that happened when the blackface amps were rolled out.

Once fender started making blackface amps, the whole midrange character of their amp range changed.


Originally Posted by Hot _GritsThe brownface and blondeface eras bridge the gap between the tweed and blackface eras. to my ear, the blondeface amps I've tried have kept much of the feel and tone of the tweed amps, but moved toward larger wattages and more features, especially reverb. these achanges do affect the tone, but much less than the changes that happened when the blackface amps were rolled out.

Once fender started making blackface amps, the whole midrange character of their amp range changed.

great info, well done. I went back with my own guitar today and played the same bassman ltd and again I loved it. Next to it was a tweed twin 2/12 combo. I played it as well. While I love celestion 30's and it did sound solid and tight it did not-in my opinion-have that same sweet shimmering clean sound that you get from the 4/10 baseman. It had a very cool vibe and nice big headroom sound but still I gotta say for strictley clean tone I still liked the 4/10 bassman better. That tweed bassman made my strat sound oh so much sweeter. We tried other guitars into it and played it fairly loud, about half way up and the whole store shook but still the speakers would not fart out even on the neck position of a hollowbody jazz guitar they had. I just like the tone. Then some salesman came up and told me he heard some guy play one with a fender reverb unit that only made it sound even better and Ime thinking quot;Jeremy said the same thing in one of his postsquot;
I think the bassman is the amp I want at least to get the tone I like for my standard clean tone. my thnx again to everyone who offered advice and ideas.

You should buy it if you love it!

I'm really in no hurry to sell it. It's a spectacular sounding amp, and mine is in brand new store bought condition, with the cardboard example layout on top, the cover, and the hangtags. I'm on the fence about selling it or keeping it. Anytime I plug into it with my strat, I swear I'd be an idiot to sell it. My only reason is that I've got a Matchless Chieftain sitting next to it, and it's hard to justify owning two expensive clean tone amps. The best part about owning those two is that I've got the most beautiful American clean tone, and also the best British clean toned amp sitting next to each other for a pure tone comparison.


Originally Posted by GearjoneserI'm really in no hurry to sell it. It's a spectacular sounding amp, and mine is in brand new store bought condition, with the cardboard example layout on top, the cover, and the hangtags. I'm on the fence about selling it or keeping it. Anytime I plug into it with my strat, I swear I'd be an idiot to sell it. My only reason is that I've got a Matchless Chieftain sitting next to it, and it's hard to justify owning two expensive clean tone amps. The best part about owning those two is that I've got the most beautiful American clean tone, and also the best British clean toned amp sitting next to each other for a pure tone comparison.

if its still around in a few months when I can get my check cashed and you still want to sell it, I just may have to take that one off your hands. I know you probabley take care of your stuff. I realy like the tone of the amp and now I want to find a fender reverb unit and run it into the baseman to see what Jeremy has been talking about.