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As the title says, I got a cool Fender Bassman rig for Christmas. My wife knows I am a sucker for vintage Fender stuff, and most of my gear has been moving in the Fender direction for the last couple of years. My current number one guitar is a Fender Jaguar...anyway, I digress. This was a complete and total surprise. I did see it and tell her about it, but it was more in conversation not in an expectation of purchase - she researched, worked the deal, did the whole thing herself.
Here's the run-down. It is a 1965 blackface Bassman. It is 100% original - tubes, caps...everything. It even still has the 2-prong plug. The tube chart says AA165 with the stamp OF, which dates 1965 (O) June (F). The transformer and choke codes are all within the later part of 1964 through the first part of 1965.
I also got the original matching cabinet. It came with the original speaker wire!!
The entire rig is pretty much mint for being nearly 50 years old. No rips in the tolex or grille cloth. There are a few scuffs here and there, but overall this could be a museum piece. The bad part is that the filter caps need replacing - there is some cauliflowering on most of them.
Aside from some hum, the tone is amazing. Crank it up and it sounds like the best Marshall I have ever heard. Keep the volume marginal, it sounds like a Fender - clean but with some "bloom" on the notes. Here's the crazy part.....it sounds the most powerful when used with a Telecaster. Humbuckers are good, but this sucker was made for a tele....
I do intend to gig this rig. I am in a dilemma though - aside from the caps, do I change the plug too? I mean, logic dictates that I do - and keep the vintage part (2 prong plug) in case I sell it. Thoughts?
Pics:
You can see the bursting on the caps in this pic. I DO have the little cover that goes over the caps....
Gut shots...
original tubes. RCA 7025 preamp tubes and Sylvania 6L6GC power tubes:
Here's the run-down. It is a 1965 blackface Bassman. It is 100% original - tubes, caps...everything. It even still has the 2-prong plug. The tube chart says AA165 with the stamp OF, which dates 1965 (O) June (F). The transformer and choke codes are all within the later part of 1964 through the first part of 1965.
I also got the original matching cabinet. It came with the original speaker wire!!
The entire rig is pretty much mint for being nearly 50 years old. No rips in the tolex or grille cloth. There are a few scuffs here and there, but overall this could be a museum piece. The bad part is that the filter caps need replacing - there is some cauliflowering on most of them.
Aside from some hum, the tone is amazing. Crank it up and it sounds like the best Marshall I have ever heard. Keep the volume marginal, it sounds like a Fender - clean but with some "bloom" on the notes. Here's the crazy part.....it sounds the most powerful when used with a Telecaster. Humbuckers are good, but this sucker was made for a tele....
I do intend to gig this rig. I am in a dilemma though - aside from the caps, do I change the plug too? I mean, logic dictates that I do - and keep the vintage part (2 prong plug) in case I sell it. Thoughts?
Pics:
You can see the bursting on the caps in this pic. I DO have the little cover that goes over the caps....
Gut shots...
original tubes. RCA 7025 preamp tubes and Sylvania 6L6GC power tubes:
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