yeah, they have overdrive. you just crank 'em.
hey, I remember a while back reading about someone who had a bassman and had it modified by the guy that did mikes amps. What did it cost? If you dont mind saying. The bassman doesnt have overdrive does it? Is it modified to have overdrive? Does mike just use the boss pedal for overdrive? Sorry for allthe questions. I am in the market for a new amp and was looking at the bassmans and was just looking for some info or some help. Thanks
<font color="#FFFF00"><font size="1">[ January 30, 2007 03:46 PM: Message edited by: ghosttownblues ]</font></font>
<font color="#FFFF00" size="1">[ January 30, 2007 03:59 PM: Message edited by: ghosttownblues ]</font>
yeah, they have overdrive. you just crank 'em.
what kinda mods does mike get?
When shopping for Bassman's keep in mind that there are different kinds out there...Tweed, Blackface and Silverface...named after the period they were made.
All have a very distinctive tone and sound different and I'd suggest you try out some to see if you like the sound or not.
I myself prefer the sound of the Tweed kind i.e. the very first that came out in the late 50's...unfortunately they cost a fortune and are hard to get.
Fender makes a reproduction that is close both in looks and soundwise.
Another thing you should consider is that Bassman's are loud and not exactly neighbor-friendly. You gotta crank them to get the smooth natural overdrive they produce (you can also put a pedal up front but it's not the same).
So...if you're not playing in a band and mainly need the amp for playing at home...I'd suggest you check out Amps with a little less wattage instead of trying to rehash Mike's sound. BTW...when Social D played here in Germany Mike did not take his amp with him but borrowed some Marshalls...to my ears he sounded the same!
If I were to shop for a new amp I'd buy a new one (Fender Tweed Deluxe, Marshall 18Watt, Dr.Z or a kit) because I've dealt with vintage amps and sometimes they can be a hassle when it comes to reliability.
<font size="2" face="verdana, arial">I believe the main modification is an added master volume control that allows Mike to crank the amp and still control the overall volume.Originally posted by ghosttownblues:
what kinda mods does mike get?
I'm probably the guy you're thinking of. I sent one of my Bassman heads (Blackface, 1965) to Mike's amp tech Billy Zoom. Billy performed the exact mod to my Bassman that he does to Mike's. It's a mod to the Bass channel only. Yes, Bassman's do indeed have plenty of overdrive already in the amp. In fact, the Bass channel has an extra gain stage that the normal channel does not. That's part of the magic of the amp. But, to get that tone, you have to crank it up LOUD! I mean LOUD. The amp will start to overdrive around 3 or 4 on the volume, that's exteremly loud for home playing. You'd want a power attenuator like a THD Hotplate to help there. Or, a smaller sized/power amp for home playing. A Fender Deluxe Reverb would be another good choice.
The Normal channel on a Bassman cranked is in the AC/DC territory of overdrive. The Bass channel has a bit more (funny, it wasn't the intent of the original design by Fender back in the day!)
As far as the actual mod goes....Billy Zoom just tweaks the Bass channel a bit. Adds a bit of top end, a touch more mids, and a bit more drive. It's not a super high gain mod by any means, it that's what you're looking for. You can always slam the front end of the amp with a nice overdrive pedal (not distortion pedal). Mike personally uses a Boss OD-1. Not made any more, but there are plenty of overdrive pedals that will do the trick.
Hope that helps.
guys, i am so over having to tote around a 4x12 cab and a marshall or fender head. I downsized a little to a mid 70's silverface Fender Twin Reverb and Its my favorite amp i have ever owned. God do i love this thing!!! I just run it through a simple Boss overdrive pedal and it sounds really good. Good to see a new crop of gearheads on here lately.
steve
The Boss SD-1 is the successor of the OD-1. If you've the tone knob ofthe SD-1 at 11 o'clock the sound is very similar to the OD-1. All I know is that Mike's actual pedal has 3 knobs, so it's for shure not the OD-1, could be the SD-1 or the OD-3 (introduced 1997).
I had a 1967 Blackface with no mods, and when I turned it up it sounded great. Nice natural overdrive. The Boss pedal made it sound even better. If you do pick up an old Fender, just get the power cord updated to 3 prong.
On the same topic, Boss just came out with a couple of new Fender pedals. A Bassman and Twin Reverb pedal. I haven't tried them (yet) I'm kind of curious though.
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