The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Bass Amps & Effects => Topic started by: Denis on May 17, 2009, 02:54:31 PM
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So, yesterday afternoon I was practicing with the Dano (replacement neck installed) and the Fender Bassman Compact (solid state) and all was well. Put everything away and went to a cookout in the afternoon, where I saw Pamlicojack and talked basses for a while.
This afternoon I pulled them out again and absolutely no sound out of the amp at all. The on/off switch light's on, fuses good, compressor light flickering and dead silence. Took the speaker out and it's in perfect condition, including the wiring. Nothing is looks or broken, so I suspect something on the board is bad or the "transformer" for lack of a better word, has gone bad.
Ideas? Thanks!
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Try a different cable connecting instrument to amp - they can break. Also, double-check every switch and knob on the bass and the amp.
Assume NOTHING about any connection - often the problem is solved by pushing a cable all the way in, or by turning up an unnoticed gain control.
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Just tried a different cable with the Telecaster on the amp and still no dice. The Master dial is at 8 with all the others (volume, bass, middle, treble and compressor) between 4 and 8. No dice. Seriously, I changed NO settings between when I put it away last night and when I pulled it out this morning. This is perplexing...
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Any engineer types know what kind of voltage he should see from tip to ring on a speaker cable with the other end of the cable plugged into the output of an amp?
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Like Pilgrim said, look hard at all connections. Also , when you look at those connections, check the color of the solder too. If you find one that is considerably darker in color than the others, it could be a solder joint gone cold/bad. Everything appears connected but the solder isn't doing it's job. Sometimes a visual check can catch this .......sometimes not.
I had a problem a few years ago that I looked right at a dozen times and still didn't see. It took a pro to point it out to me. Pissed me off too, the SOB spotted it in seconds. After he pointed it out to me , it was obvious :P. Moral of the story......I didn't know what I was looking for until he showed me .
Rick
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Just tried a different cable with the Telecaster on the amp and still no dice. The Master dial is at 8 with all the others (volume, bass, middle, treble and compressor) between 4 and 8. No dice. Seriously, I changed NO settings between when I put it away last night and when I pulled it out this morning. This is perplexing...
Is that a combo amp? My first thought was that it was a separate amp and cab.
You could polish the contacts on the fuse and check it with a continuity meter...make sure it's good.
Aside from that, seems to me you don't have a lot of options before having a tech look at it.
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Thanks everyone. I looked at everything I could think of without getting all electrotechy on it (not my strong suite), so I called Darren Riley's shop and am taking it in this evening. From my description of the problem he's pretty sure there's a bad solder joint somewhere. What stinks is that both of the reputable amp repair shops around here have a 2-3 week backlog. Could be more, could be less.
I think I need a spare bass amp. ;D Maybe one of those swell tuck and roll Kustoms from the '60s or '70s.
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You might consider a moderate size amp and a separate 2x10, 1x12 or 1x15 cab. They're very portable and they give you more mix & match options down the line.
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Cool, thanks! I realize everyone has their favorites but have you any suggestions?
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I use a 1970 Hiwatt 100 and am trying to put a 1968 Marshall 50 back into serviceable order as a back-up - both are viciously loud... 8) 8) 8)
Never used trannie amps (Mark, just don't... ;D) ...
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Balancing portability and power is always a challenge.
My thoughts....
If you need only as much power as the 150W in that Fender, there are a number of worthwhile amps. I'm a cheap type, so I tend to think in terms of used Peaveys (heavy but solid), Ashdown, Gallien-Krueger and even Behringer, although many people don't like Behringer because they copy other manufacturer's equipment.
When I think about it, the GK 400RB is one of the most-acclaimed workhorse amps in history. It pushes 200W and isn't overly large or heavy. There are usually some on Ebay. Here's one that closes in a couple of days: http://tinyurl.com/p2z2ho . People seem to hang onto this amp forever and praise it for dependability.
If you don't have a more powerful amp than this and think you may need one in the future, then I'd go 300W or more, and just turn it down for low volume applications.
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GK Backline 600 head goes for $300 new at GC. 300 watts/4 ohm and 180 watts/ 8 ohm and they sound great. Best bang for the buck out there IMO.
Rick
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Last night I saw a used GK Backline 600 head for $199 at a local guitar shop. Should I get it?
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Talk them down a little. I bought mine used but in perfect condition for $100. You can get a brand new one from Guitar Center for $299.
Honestly, the main reason I bought mine was because I knew it had hardly ever been used and the price was right. I had no idea that I would like it as much as I do. They really are a great sounding lightweight head and they have a nice little 10db cut switch for use with a preamped bass.
What kind of cabinet are you going to use with it?
Rick
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One of the guitar shops here has a '72 Fender 4x10 Bassman 10 I'm thinking about. It's in pretty good condition and they want about $550 for it.
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Well, here's what I brought home the other night. The Danelectro sounds incredibly cool with this thing pushing it. Life is good. :)
(http://i94.photobucket.com/albums/l111/bigtreebluesea/dummer005.jpg)
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Looks like a Fender combo 4x10...?
Model number and specs, please......?
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You are right, sir, it's a 4x10 combo. I'll dig up the specs for you.
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Chances are pretty good that you can either find an owner's manual online or order one From Fender for about $5.
http://www.fender.com/support/electronic_products.php
You never know what you'll find out from an owner's manual!
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Is that an open back amp?
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The head portion is open, yes. It has plenty-o-zing!
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Geez Denis $550 for a 72 model seems like a bargain. well done.
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Thanks! I'm pretty happy with it!
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That's a really nice score ! bet it sounds great :o
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Hey Denis, did you ever get your Fender Compact fixed? I'm curious about what the actual problem was.
Rick
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I love those old Bassman 10 combo's. A buddy of mine in High School used one in the late 70's and used a Fender Precision bass with it. A great combination.
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Hey Denis, did you ever get your Fender Compact fixed? I'm curious about what the actual problem was.
Rick
Hi Rick,
Yep, I sure did! Several of the solder joints had in fact deteriorated to the point where it just stopped putting out sound. I took it to a local amp shop where I was told it might take 3 weeks, might take 4, might take 2 due to the backlog. 5 days later the shopped called told me it was ready and apologized for it taking so long. I thought that was funny and told them I'd wait a week for anything so no worries there.
The amp sure sounds great though!
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Glad to hear you got it fixed :). Freakin' cold solder joints can make you crazy ???. At least yours was polite enough to die all at once. I had an intermittent issue with one that caused my amp to go from perfect to distorted ,to cutting out, to volume loss, and back to perfect. I was releived when it finally quit altogether ;D
Rick
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Hahaha, I can definitely appreciate a total failure rather than a slow death. Funny, mine didn't even quit while playing it but decided to sleep on it before not working the next day.
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The head portion is open, yes. It has plenty-o-zing!
I meant the speaker section. I would not want a closed back tube head, wouldn't last very long with no ventilation. I was trying to figure out if that was a bass amp or a guitar amp, if it has an open back speaker section, it's a guitar amp.
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if it's a bassman 10 it should have a closed back. i saw willie dixon's bassist play a rick thru one. not exactly a blues rig when you think about it but it sounded fine.
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I meant the speaker section. I would not want a closed back tube head, wouldn't last very long with no ventilation. I was trying to figure out if that was a bass amp or a guitar amp, if it has an open back speaker section, it's a guitar amp.
Like I said, the head portion is open. The speaker section is closed though.
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It's a Bassman 10. The guitar version was called the Super Reverb and it had an open back for the speakers. They also made a Super Six Reverb that had six 10 inch speakers.
(http://i44.tinypic.com/29wqvkl.jpg)
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That's the one!
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Like I said, the head portion is open. The speaker section is closed though.
I hate to sound like an A-hole but saying the head part is open did not answer my question, an open head does nothing for the sound and does not denote whether it is a bass or a guitar amp, open heads prolong tube life and almost all tubes amps are open as they need to be. Almost all bass amps are closed back unless they're ancient like the original Bassman and Ampegs, when people ask if the amp is open back or closed back they almost always mean the speaker section, if it's a tube amp it's assumed the head back will be open.
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I agree with Bob. One instant clue to a guitar vs. bass cabinet enclosure is whether the speaker cab is open or closed-back. Guitars often use open-backed speaker cabs, but few (if any??) basses do. I suspect the reason is to reduce the total speaker excursion so the speakers don't over-travel. (I'm probably either over-generalizing or missing the point, but if so I am sure others will clarify.)
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An open back cabinet has frequency cancellations from sound coming out the back (from the speaker moving backwards). It's especially noticeable in the bass frequencies. And the speaker has to work harder to pump out the bass notes than if the back is closed up. Sorry I can't be more technical.
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I hate to sound like an A-hole but saying the head part is open did not answer my question, an open head does nothing for the sound and does not denote whether it is a bass or a guitar amp, open heads prolong tube life and almost all tubes amps are open as they need to be. Almost all bass amps are closed back unless they're ancient like the original Bassman and Ampegs, when people ask if the amp is open back or closed back they almost always mean the speaker section, if it's a tube amp it's assumed the head back will be open.
Not sure what you mean since I've said repeatedly it's a bass amp (and wrote "Like I said, the head portion is open. The speaker section is closed though."). Hornisse's post, which you may have missed, contains specs and a photo of what my Bassman 10 is like. Here's the pic and specs again...
(http://i44.tinypic.com/29wqvkl.jpg)
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I think he just missed the post where you said it. Nothing more than that.
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Revised my post accordingly...
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Sorry I can't be more technical.
That never stopped you before! :mrgreen: :mrgreen: