59 Bassman help

[tag101]

A good friend of mine has an original 59 bassman. (Actually, its a 60). I have owned many, many vintage Fenders, but always found new ones to sound pretty much just as good for the most part. I have a SRRI that I like every bit as much as my old 65. and sold my pro reverb because my newer fenders sounded just as good to me. This is NOT the case with the bassman. This amp sounds like what you THINK a vintage amp should sound like based on the hype on the net over vintage amps and guitars. So I dragged my bassman LTD over, and put it next to the original, and lights out. fender obviously did a MUCH better job with the Super reverbs than with the bassman RIs. The tone is pretty much the same as far as EQ, and the volume and distortion are similar, but the vintage one has a 3D quality to it that is beyond belief. It sounds like it has some kind of totally natural 3D enhancer that we will make for amps some time in the future. We had my bassman, a Dumble Ultraphonix, and an UP clone all connected together, and the original bassman STILL sounded bigger and more 3d than all of those amps together. How that is possible, I have no idea, but I NEED that tone. His amp has webbers in it now (he has the stock ones as well), so I think I am going to start there, but am I wasting my money? Is there anyway I can get my RI to sound that good, or do I need to skip what I did wasting all those years and $$ on Dumble clones, and just buy the real deal? Has anyone gone through this? I played the fender and Victoria 59 bassman side by side, and found the fender to sound much better, and closer to the real one. there are clips on you tube showing the 3 together, and it shows exactly what I heard for myself, and thats 3 different amps than the ones I played. Same results. This bassman is probably the finest sounding amp I have ever played, and that is saying something. Any help, mods that will really work, or advice would be greatly appreciated.

[tag101]

By the way, here is a video showing pretty much exactly what I heard between the 3 amps, but it is even a bigger difference in person. The clip is making things sound more similar as usual.
Listen to that 59!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3Yln8SfHlo

[Reeltarded]

Take money to real ones and keep trying them until you find magic.

Magic, you can't plan or make an appointment for it. You can get close with planning but there is no substitute for authentic awesome.

So maybe 20 amps in you find a special one. Maybe less, maybe more. The trick is to stop buying stuff with a shotgun and pick the winners.

pow

[Bob-I]

I could hear it even through iPad speakers. The Vicky doesn't really haves similar tonality, missing some highs and mid complexity. The LTD is close but I hear what you're saying, especially after I put on the cans to hear it better.

I miss my 59. Poor thing was killed in a bizarre roadie accident back in the 70s.

[vibratoking]

Everything is for sale...buy it from your friend and save the arduous search. I bet it won't sound as good once you own it.

[Reeltarded]

+2

[HeeBGB]

sigh....the only thing that video taught me is that I really need a tweed bassman.

[tag101]

Everything is for sale...buy it from your friend and save the arduous search. I bet it won't sound as good once you own it.

Lol! Thats usually the way it goes, but it sounds SOOOOO good. The real 183 is there, a Quinn clone, a Dumble Ultra P and two clones, many other excellent amps, but all I want to play is that bassman. Its in a totally different league all by its self. There are many for sale, I just have to come up with the coin at this point I guess. I am going to skip the clones/mods as guys have suggested. That never gets you the right tone, and just makes you want it even more. My LTD is a very fine sounding amp in its own right, and is very close actually. It will hold me over until I can grab an original with that magical 3D tone.

[tag101]

sigh....the only thing that video taught me is that I really need a tweed bassman.

The LTDs are REALLY nice, and you can grab them in near mint condition for around $600! (Thats what I did) They take pedals really well too!

[Randall]

Then on the other hand, I gutted a perfectly good DRRI, and re-built it as a stock AB763, and it now sounds much sweeter and 3D then any RI I've ever played.

So there you go.

[overtone]

I don't build as many amps as the others around here but I know a new build is good when the 3D thing happens. I don't get worked up about the tone that much, only the 3D thing.
For me, it is not the speaker that makes it happen, though some may let it become more apparent.

My hunch is that it is a combination of induction and resistance in certain OTs, or it could just be that I have been reading up too much on phase shift and all-pass filters recently and need to get the iron hot again

tony

[billyz]

Transformers, tubes, capacitors, and resistors all make a difference ! Vintage ones used different metals and physical construction methods from modern equivalent parts.

[M Fowler]

I have had heard some original 59 Bassman's that were very good sounding your right.

I like my home brew 5F6a 4x10, used it on my last gig and plan to keep on using it unless I get a good price for it.

The V1 definitely works well with 12AY7. The new Jensen's will soon break in for even more wonderful tone.

Mark

[Zippy]

It'd be interesting to see whether the '59 keeps that character with a different set of tubes.

[Reeltarded]

Funny as all Hell you say that as my eyes caught the next thread as this was loading and I see a topic aboit burned 59 bassman screen grids.

That was a little timely. Oh sheet. I thought you were psychic.

I like them until they get just beyond breakup, and then there is nothing in this Universe with half the sinus cavity of a 4x10 Bassman. Clean is stunning though, huh?