All of these pdf files are available for free download. Rightclick to save the file or leftclick to open from your browser. Just a quick point here for information sake as that the 6g6 and 6g6a bassman also came with a single 12. By 1966 all bassman were of the ab165 circuit type. The early silverface bassman amps could have an ab165 circuit or an ac568 circuit. Think it also has a high end gain channel for some more marshall crunch type of stuff. These piggyback amps had a separate head and cabinet. This is what the front looks like without the name plate put on yet.
They are available for free download to help you with your amplifier repair and modifications. The fender bassman 5f6a family of preamplifier circuitsa. Fender 59 bassman reissue fender stratocaster guitar forum. Replace it with a 10kohm potentiometer, and thats it. Although there is a rubber stamped number on the back of the frame which is 01. Pcb assembly chassis assembly cabinet assembly miscellaneous schematics diagrams fender musical instruments corp. This circuit is a tube powered amplifier which is used as a bass guitar amplifier. The next example will demonstrate this quite nicely.
Even though its called a bassman its really just like another guitar amp circuit. There has been some talk all over the internet about the modding the bass channel to become marshall or tweedlike. Pcb assembly chassis assembly cabinet assembly end item schematicsdrawings fender musical instruments corp. Besides being a popular and important amplifier in its own right, the bassman also became the. The previous version of the bassman 5f6 had a 25uf25v bypass cap on the second tube 12ax7 across the 820 ohm cathode resistor. Bassman 5b6 5d6 5d6a 5e6 5e6a 5f6 5f6a 6g6 6g6a 6g6b aa165 aa270 aa371 aa864 ab165 ac568 bassman bassman 10 bassman 20 bassman 50 bassman 60 bassman 70 bassman 100 bassman 125 bassman 5 super bassman bronco aa764 ab764 champion 5b1 600 twotone 800 champ 5c1 5d1 5e1 5f1 aa764 cbs champ champ 12 champ 25. The bass channel uses a nontypical fender tone stack, maybe its a baxandall, i dont know. At the time the bassman was designed there wasnt much difference between a guitar and bass amp. Here you will find our collection of fender schematics. I have a bassman that started out a blackline dripedge ab165. Been checking out fender bassmans but someone told me that the fender supersonic sounds much like the old 66 bassman, but with extra components to model the 65 vibrolux. How to bias a fender bassman ab165 the 6l6 amplifier i chose is a 1969 fender bassman head ab165.
These are invaluable reference tools if you are digging around inside of your vintage fender amplifier. Schematics and layout diagrams vintage fender amp repair. Dont ever open up a tube amp unless you clearly understand which. I have a 66 fender bassman ab165 with the 2x12 cabinet that just isnt getting me there. The bassman was a combo amp in the tweed era with the 1. Aa864 tube layout seen from behind, v1 is to the right side. This is topical considering i just got a replacement chassis for my fender bassman reissue. Fender bandmaster 5e7 schematic fender bandmaster 6g7 schematic fender bandmaster 6g7a schematic fender bassman 5b6 schematic. Ive heard of several people either having this done or doing it themselves with good results though. Fender bassman 5f6a tube amplifier schematic design. Input channels are wired in phase so you can plug into both inputs at the same time for endless possibilities of clean, crunch, and high gain tones.
The real deal cosmetically, it looks just like the real deal with the exception that the tweed doesnt come laquered. However, the reality is that fender made many improvements to the blackface circuit, so there isnt really one single blackface circuit. Channel one v1 is fairly conventional, while channel two v2 uses a second tube with additional opamp gain. Here is our collection of tweed and brown face era fender guitar amp schematics. Use care when setting and adjusting volume levels during use. Her condition is excellent there are no marks or tears anywhere on the amp, the control panel is also exellent and it was just checked out by voodoo amps and in perfect working order. Need help in dating a fender 59 bassman 410 reissue i need help in dating my fender amp and if anyone can attach a value to her that would be great. The blackface bassman with black tolex covering and black knobs existed basically unchanged until 1967. It sounds fantastic, and takes pedals incredibly well. This amplifier was designed to provide the ultimate bass playing experience, with two channels vintageoverdrive, classic good looks and modern technology designed to maximize classic tech nology. Channel one v1 is fairly conventional, while channel two v2 uses a second tube with additional opamp gain u2b to provide a 60s style overdrive sound.
That being said i own a 65 pre cbs bassman with the ab165 circuit even though the chart says aa165 and love it. The layout notes that from this switch comes a white wire, which enters the filter capacitor. There is also the 6g6b model which has a blackface but is really brown or white in the nature of the circuit had a presence control, and had white barrel knobs so it is really not a part of the blackface. Well, by following this guide, you can decide which bassman head is best suited to you. So with that being said, here are a few pictures of my copy of the fender bassman 5f6a guitar amplifier. Im looking at building a fender bassman 100 and have been studying pictures, the layout and schematic, and while im no expert i think i have a theory as to the mystery white wire. This leads to some poor soul complaining that his bassman doesnt sound like the one used by his favorite guitar player. Aug 10, 2014 add to this the fact that the first marshall amplifiers were largely leveraged from the bassmans circuit design which in turn spawned a countless array of further clones as time passed, and its easy to understand why the fender bassman was the first amplifier chosen as a tweed reissue in the early 90s. This was a period that encompassed fenders 1965 sale to cbs and the summer 1966 start of fenders illfated experiment with solidstate electronics.
That it is a fender bassman and in pure working condition, makes this amp extremely interesting. The date code from the qa sticker indicates it was made in. Unfortunately, when i look to trade it in at a music store, they cant even get me all the way to a silverface princeton. Fender schematics bassman ab165 prowess amplifiers. The fender bassman is a bass amplifier introduced by fender during 1952. Nov 15, 2011 bringing a blackface bassman in from the cold by jeff bober now lets move to the mixer circuit and the output stage. When a cable is inserted, this connection is broken and.
Tweed refers to the twotone woven fabric that covered many early amplifiers. For what its worth, i built my project 5f6a with the schematic here and with the reissue schematic, and i like the old one better with 2. Not enough high end, and i really need that famous fender sparkle and shimmer. These mods have made the amp much better overalla really good fender tone that can totally roar. Fender bassman 5f6a amplifier project by edmund henke on. While there are schematics for fender tweedera bassmans, bassman 10s, bassman 70s, bassman 100s, bassman 5s, 12watt bass amps, 200watt bass amps, and even fenders behemoth 300watt bass ampsa schematic specifically labeled bassman 50 is simply nowhere to be found.
Tube amplifiers home schematics fender schematics bassman ab165 schematic. The pictures below are of the third oldest known 4x10 amp ever made. Biasing a fender 59 bassman ltd, 67ma reading max with pot. Jul 04, 20 im looking at building a fender bassman 100 and have been studying pictures, the layout and schematic, and while im no expert i think i have a theory as to the mystery white wire. I rewired the gawdawful bias balance circuit into a true bias adjust circuit. Looking at all the paperwork i have that came with the original amp, the schematic is dated 1996. It is a 100 watt amp, and you would think it would simply be a larger version of the 50 watt bassman tops of the 60s and 70s. There are many versions of the blackface bassman out there. The 50 watt tops had an extra tube mixing stage between the preamp and the power amp, and the 100 does not. While dating fender amps made before 1994 by serial number is all but impossible as records of these numbers were never kept.
The first 4x10 bassman amplifiers started with a batch of prototypes in november and december 1954, model 5d6. Schematics and layout diagrams here are hundreds of original fender schematics and layout diagrams, available for free viewing and download. If ordering for an older discontinued amp, please include photos or as much descriptive information on the product as you can. Add to this the fact that the first marshall amplifiers were largely leveraged from the bassmans circuit design which in turn spawned a countless array of further clones as time passed, and its easy to understand why the fender bassman was the first amplifier chosen as a tweed reissue in the early 90s. Launched in 1951, the bassman was one of fender s original iconic amps. The mystery of the fender bassman 5f6a schematic cracking the. The bassman 50 specifically used two 15inch speakers and 50 watts. Teaming the precbs fender stratocaster and the late 1950s tweed fender bassman amplifier has been a dream for most every guitarist at least once in their playing career, and more stars have used this combination of gear or something extremely similar to make memorable music than perhaps any other coupling of guitar and amp.
Prowess amplifiers fender schematics bassman ab165. Fender amplifiers and loudspeaker systems are capable of producing very high sound pressure levels which may cause temporary or permanent hearing damage. Launched in 1951, the bassman was one of fenders original iconic amps. Fender amp heaven schematics tweed blackface brownface. This included a transistorized version of the bassmana 105watt piggyback beast with. The amp is dependable with these mods as i have gigged it about 50 times at least, and it sounds great. Starting in 1972, fender produced a number of variations on the bassman with varying wattage and speaker size.
Do you have a fender guitar or bass tube amp that needs repair or modifications. The video below compares a bassman ab165 to a princeton reverb and a deluxe reverb. Though your amp is a blackface, the ab165 circuit is a transitional unit. From the blonde era fender made the bassman as a amp head and 2. Thank you for choosing the fender bassman 100t, 100. We believe that this is the most complete, highest resolutio. Most serial number charts do not include the 1954 fender 5d6 4x10 bassman.
Bassman 300 this is the model name for warranty claims circuit description preamp the preamp section employs two 12ax7 tubes. Mods for fender blonde, blackface, and silverface bassman. Do i need to adjust the bias on my amp fender 63 bassman 6g6 circuit. Pcb assembly chassis assembly cabinet assembly miscellaneous schematicsdiagrams fender musical instruments corp. Please see the block diagram of the bassman 100t amplifier. Tube amplifiers home schematics fender schematics bassman ab165 layout. At least i believe it is a 65 based on the serial number. On domestic us versions of the amp, there is a ground switch. While i havent cracked it open and compared it to the schematics, the tube sheet inside the head says it is an. Im thinking that maybe ill convert this channel to the 5f6 bassman preamp circuit. Need help in dating a fender 59 bassman 410 reissue my.
A simple circuit, but supposedly a fantastic sounding one if you can open it. No schematic for the 5d6 circuit has ever been found, but ken fox and frank roy. The amp was factory made with a mix of aa371 and ab165 and a. Fender literally wrote the book on electric basses, laying the foundation for musical innovation and evolution. It was breaking up really early, turns out there was some sort of limiting circuit coming off the transformer and it was only putting out 25 watts.
The mystery of the fender bassman 5f6a schematic cracking the code. Bassman amp aa270 bassman schematic bassman 5e6a bassman 5f6 bassman 5f6 layout bassman 5f6a bassman 6g6 bassman 6g6a bassman amp aa864 bassman amp ab165 bassman old bassman ten champ amp 5c1 champ amp 5c1 layout champ amp 5e1 champ amp 5f1 champ amp 5f1 layout champ amp aa764 champ cbs champ amp super concert. Mod your bassman reissue for vintage tone to start i. Here the schematic diagram of fender bassman 5f6a tube amplifier. Fender just continued to use up old tube charts til they were gone. Tube amps on the left hand tab of the bass control looking at it from the back is a 6. Fender bassman ten 50watt 4x10 vintage silverface guitar. I did not change any resistor value in the bias voltage divider circuit, which may have been a mistake.
No schematic for the 5d6 circuit has ever been found, but ken fox and frank roy have created a few from originals, and copies are freely available online. I appreciate your help, and since i posted my question i found out that the manufacture date for the late seventies version of the bassman 5 can be determined from the number stamped into the transformer. Its completely possible that fender didnt calculate the bias correctly when converting over for the reissue, or didnt change the bias values, to run 6l6, and simply carried over the stock bias specs, which were running 5881s. Looking to get a fender head for an avatar 2x12 with a vintage 30 and greenback. I only have two tube stages, so id use an irf820 mosfet for the cathode follower. Both the aa165 and ab864 were very short runs at the end of 1964 and begining of 1965. There are a plethora of bassman heads out there, and just as many circuit variations. Fender bassman was a bass amplifier introduced by fender in 1952. Bassman 5b6 5d6 5d6a 5e6 5e6a 5f6 5f6a 6g6 6g6a 6g6b aa165 aa270 aa371 aa864 ab165 ac568 bassman bassman 10 bassman 20 bassman 50 bassman 60 bassman 70 bassman 100 bassman 125 bassman 5 super bassman bronco aa764 ab764 champion 5b1 600 twotone 800 champ 5c1 5d1 5e1 5f1 aa764 cbs champ champ 12 champ 25 super champ champ ii champ. The vintage channel offers a classic fender passive tone stack. The fender bassman is a legendary guitar amp known to both guitar and bass players. Adding a midrange control to fender amps that have no midrange control.
Brown 19621963, black 19631964 forward facing w white labels, controls numbered 1 10. The cab was cracked open on one end and i took it to my friend danny for repair. Nov 27, 2016 the early silverface bassman amps could have an ab165 circuit or an ac568 circuit. Unfortunately this channel sounds really muffled for guitar. Determining production date by serial number and transformer codes is better, and you.
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