Bassman 300 tube amp for steel?

[David Doggett]

Fender has a new Bassman 300 all tube amp head that may be the mother of all tube amps.
http://www.fender.com/gear/gear.php?partno=0213302010

I know steelers have used the old Fender Bassman tube amps, and was wondering if anyone has tried this monster tube amp for steel. It uses six 6550 tubes, has 300 watts, a 10-band graphic EQ, two channels, reverb, a headphone jack, and a mute switch for tuning - a helluva package. Coupled to one or two Black Widow 15' speakers, this would seem to be an awesome amp for steel. Supposedly it will play clean with miles of headroom, but also can be dialed in dirty. The main drawback is that it weighs 75 lbs.

I'll probably never in my lifetime play a venue where I would need this monster. But I can't help but drool a little and wonder what it would sound like with steel, even at moderate levels. Has anyone tried one of these?

[Donny Hinson]

It would probably work out pretty good, especially with the graphic EQ built in. It might require some tweaking or mods to get good highs, but then you'd be home free!

(Uhhh...that is...until you had to re-tube that monster. Plan on spending about $200 for a new set every couple of years.)

Chalker would have loved it, I'm sure.

[Pete Burak]

http://shop.fendershop.com/product.lasso?c=US&-Session=shop:9CC757D0247AEB1413CD9B5E9DC243F5&pr=21970

[David Doggett]

Sure looks cool too, with that see-through grill and all those big tubes sitting in there. You could probably also use it for low-level lighting and heat. Now that's my idea of a really romantic setting.

[Bobby Lee]

I used to build an amp when I worked at Mesa/Boogie in the 1980's that had a similar configuration. It was a rackable bass head called the D-180. Like the Bassman 300, it had six 6550 output tubes.

I remember turning it on in a big dance hall, and watching all the lights in the place go dim while the filter caps charged up. It did sound great for steel, but it was too powerful for most rooms.

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[Jerry Knapper]

Ampeg has had the 300 watt tube head since the late 1960's for bass. Crate introduced a 300 watt guitar head with three channels in 2002 on the basis of the ampeg 300 chasis.
The crate head is crystel clear and has all the depth, warmth and clarity available without any modifications!
Check it out at www.crateamps.com

[Michael Holland]

I know of one Forumite with a Mesa Series 300 Mark III head. Here's a look at a '84 Series 300 Mark IIC+ 1-15 combo. Click on the hardwood combo to see 'em all.






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[Steve Schmidt]

I recently picked up an old Fender 400 PS head. It has 2 input channels, one labeled bass, and the other labeled guitar. It has a reverb pan. It has a single 6L6 that drives 6 6550A tubes. The plate on the top says 435 Watts, but in reality it is 3 seperate 145W output channels. It actually sounds very good with the steel played through it, and is as loud as you'll ever need, however, I will probably just keep it for nostalgic purposes. The thing weighs about 90 pounds. I priced 6 new matching GE 6550A tubes and a set of 6 comes in at about $300. Great sound, expensive to maintain, heavy to carry.

[Ray Minich]

Roast marshmallows over the filaments.....

Ah... for the days 40 yrs ago when 6L6's were available by the bushel & peck.

Now they're approx. $18 each from Peavey parts.

If only they could make a lightweight transformer, I'm sure it's the power and output xfmrs that weigh this thing down. Nothin's free.