This was the first real amp and cab I ever owned. I bought it off a local legend named Bob Smith in San Jose, Ca. for $250. It had a master volume mod and Bob could make it sound like anyone. When I went over to buy it, I recall him saying, "Mahavishnu?" and after rapidly turning the knobs a bit, he ripped a few fast McLauglin licks. Then, "Yes?" and more knob twiddling and he played some Steve Howe licks. This went on for a while and every artist or band he named, he sounded exactly like them. I was impressed and handed over the cash. I took it home but didn't quite get the same results 😜
I traded a Squire Standard from 2000, and $60. for a Fender amplifier about 10 years ago. I knew nothing about the amp, until after the trade was done, all I knew was that it would be worth it. It turned out to be a 1960 (first year of production) Blonde Fender Showman with a maroon front cloth. Serial number in the low 200's. That amplifier is so powerful that my 10 year old son named it, the Blonde Monster. I heard someone, with more guitar talent than me, play it and it was amazing. I even sent Mathew Scott an email to see if he wanted to buy it, but he either didn't see the email or didn't want the amp. From what I've heard, the Showman was not a popular amplifier. I don't know why, they sound amazing.
Hats off to Leo Fender for helping to design and make both the instruments and amplifiers that helped shape modern Americana music. Gibson and others hold their respective places but all of them are behind Fender. And that cannot be argued by anyone.
Apart from the gear you are demonstrating,and always done so well,it is so refreshing to hear an instrument played with style and grace and not some,look at me, thousand mile an hour buzz show.thank you for a very enjoyable video.
I have a friend that had this same rig back in the late 60's early 70s. To this day it was one of the best amp tones that I have ever heard. This was back in the day when most guitarists did not use effects or pedals. His tone came from a Gibson ES335 running straight into the amp. This amp had the perfect breakup when you cranked it up a bit. You could hear both the crunch and the bite when you turned it up a bit and dug in. Overall one of the best sounding amp and speaker combination ever made.
Wow, that's the tone. Impressed that you get that kind of full tone, especially with the Strat directly into the amp at that volume level. Love your content and the way you present vintage gear. Your knowledge and research is admirable. All the best from Norway! Thor
You are an excellent musician. I appreciate your affection for these old amps. I’m an old codger who started playing in bands in the sixties. When I first started, almost everyone used Fender amps. The first amp I ever owned as well as the other guitarist was a Champ. Our bass player had a 50 watt Silvertone head with 2 \15” cab. The organist had some generic 50 watt head with 2 \ 15”cab. With a Farfisa organ. Our drummer had the 3/4 scale drums . At first we played a lot of birthday parties. So, for a PA we used a Bandmaster head with 2\ 12” cabs . One on each side of the stage . (There weren’t many PA’s back then.) If we were playing in a house , the drummer would play easier, the organ and the bass would turn down a bit, and we would crank the Champs to 10 and go up and down on the volume. If we were playing in the auditorium at school, the guitars would take 3 Champs and stack them on top of each other. You would put your guitar cord in channel one on the first one , and then jumper it to the other two. (Cords from two to one and two to one) . The Bandmaster was a 68 silver face with 67 blackface circuitry. I still own it. Later on after we had played a few years and saved our gig money, equipment evolved and so we got a real PA. I used my Bandmaster and the other guy got a Super reverb. I replaced my 2\12”Jensens with Celestions in the late 70’s . They still sound great. But back then the guitar players would use Bandmaster’s and the bass players would use Bassman’s. The best cab for the Bassman was the big Fender cab with 2 \15” JBL’s. I apologize I didn’t mean to ramble on. I don’t use the old Bandmaster anymore. I’ve got a small studio and go into a small effects pre amp and then straight into the board. Ever now in then , I’ll crave that old sound and crank the old Bandmaster up. I write songs, play the instruments, sing the vocals , and record them. I make CD’s and give them away. Folks for years tried to get me to put my songs on social media but I wouldn’t. I did finally put 14 songs on TH-cam @Larry Buck Barker Original Songs. Anyway Mr. Mathew keep up the good work, I’m a big fan. By the way I had a 54 Strat with a maple neck back then. It was stolen from in 1969. I was devastated for a while, but finally moved on . They definitely have their own tone. I hope all have a happy and healthy day. Cheers!!
Wow that sounds incredible you put the time in to find these amazing amps and guitars and your reward is the amazing tones they emit from your fingers and soul
I have a ‘67 black panel bassman for nearly 30 years now. Mostly I played it through a Marshall 1922 closed back 2x12 celestion speaker cab. These amps are really amazing tone machines especially if you get into using some overdrive pedals. Nice demo!
@BKDocHoliday believe it or not my favorite amp is my red knob twin. It is the best Pedal platform I've come across in my 35 years of playing. I just bought another one today the fender Super 60. I also have a 1984 Fender concert though that might be the sweetest clean I've ever heard. Lots of fun tones on my TH-cam channel.
I used one of those for 2 years. Awesome amplifier for rock for sure. Classic rock that is. Haven't tried anything through but clean tones but we all know Fender is famous for clean tones.
I use headphone, the sounds amazing.. Not only the amps that amazed me, ofcourse your strat.. I feel it. And im a big fan of a fender stratocaster🎉cheers
One of my favorite amps. Try strapping the normal and bass channels it sounds even more better. You may have to reverse the polarity of the cable depending on the circuit.
I saw that you sold this on Reverb, Matt. These AA864 Bassmen are great amps and are a bit rare. I own an AA864 which was built the 50th week of 1964, just in time for a young bass players Christmas gift. A bit of history: The AA864 was designed in August, 1964 and was the first "blackface" bassman in the new line, however the true first "blackface" bassman was the 6G6-B with black faceplate which came out in December of 1963. I actually own one of those as well. However the 6G6-B that I have still had blonde tolex. In the spring of 1964 that tolex changed to black, however the circuit stayed pretty close other than a couple small changes. Those were known as 6G6-C circuits, although Fender never officially put "6G6-C" on any tube charts or schematic. These are known as the "tuxedo" Bassmen and are rare and desirable. Anyway...after the product line changed to the official AA763 and then AB763 "blackface" platform, the AA864 Bassmen came out with changes in the tone stack from the 6G6-C, and also the Presence knob removed with the Bright switch added instead. AA864s shipped up through approximately March, 1965 however there was some overlap in circuits. On January 5, 1965 Don Randall signed the agreement to sell Fender Electric Instruments to CBS, with Leo Fender's approval. There was a transition period that followed with the guitars and amps. With the amps some curious things happened. The AA165 circuit was designed in Jan. 1965 to replace the AA864 Bassman however very few of those were made. Probably less than 500. Those were quickly replaced by the much more common AB165 Bassman Circuit. The AB165 started shipping in approximately Feb. 1965, however some AA864 chassis which were still hanging around shipped at the same time. Another anomaly was that the early AB165s got AA165 tube charts because Fender printed up too many and had to get rid of them. Some of those AB165s with AA165 tube charts shipped well in to the Fall of 1965 when they finally got rid of them and all of the Bassmen got AB165 charts. To give you an illustration of the weird transition period, my Dec. 1964 AA864 Bassman has a Fender Musical Instrument front panel, a Fender Electric Instrument Back Panel and an AA165 tube chart...it clearly was a transitional amp and most likely shipped in late Jan or early Feb. 1965, though the chassis was built in Dec. 64. Unfortunately the date code on the tube chart has been torn off so I don't know exactly when it shipped. Approximately 6000 AA864 Bassmen were made, less than 500 AA165 Bassmen and about 28000 AB165 Bassmen were made. AB165 was by far the most common and that circuit shipped way up through May of 1968 in to the Silverface era. Anyway thats the history thanks for reading.
Good info, thanks! I own two ‘67 Bassman Amps. I made one into a BluesMaker and I built the other one into an ab165/aa864 hybrid. Both are the best sounding amps that I own, which includes a ‘65 Super Reverb and a ‘66 Twin Reverb.
I fell into the ownership of a 1965 Pro Reverb and I took the original fender speakers out for preservation and installed Jensen C12K's. I love the way it sounds and I use it all the time.
I have a ‘67 bassman head that I bought in ‘89 for $75. New Svetlana tubes in 2012 with a hotter S1 tube. Had it recapped and fully gone over in 2021. It really breaks up and sizzles for guitar. It’s plugged into a circa 1970 Traynor sealed 212 cabinet. It’s loud!!!! I use a Weber Mass 100 between the amp and speakers to attenuate the volume so I can dime the amp. WOW!!!!
I haven't read thru the comments and it's probably been suggested, but jump those channels! You get both with a lot more power and a ton more tonal variations. I have an all original "66 with cabinet and it's great. Also a tip I was given years ago was to lay the cabinet face down when swapping out speakers. FAR less awkward and you're not fighting gravity. Another really great one Matthew
The AA864s do not have the same number of gain stages in both channels, so when you jumper them they will be out of phase. However on the AB165 Bassmen, which started shipping in about Feb. 1965, you can jumper them because they have equal number of gain stages in both channels.
I had borrowed one from a friend of mine, Baseman 50 I believe it was, only had one 12 inch speaker. I personally LOVED it! For such a simple amp it IS VERY versatile! Takes peddles well... I could go on but I'll just add that it's my personal opinion that Leo DID IT RIGHT!!!
Love that sound. Great with old speakers and even better with those new ones. Might also be cause I love P-90s. Just a great pure tone. The only bassman I had was a combo with 4x10s reissue I bought used in San Francisco in the early 90’s. Took pedals well, but what I really wanted was a Princeton Reverb
Have had an AB165 Bassman for nearly a year now and I haven't used any other amp since I got it. Such amazing sounding amps, and the breakup just plays with you and feels so natural and responsive. Great video, would have loved to have heard the original speakers with the same ribbon mic used to record it. I swapped out the originals in mine for Jensen C12K speakers as they can really handle the output and drive I'm after.
I was lucky to find a 64 Bassman head (AA864 circuit,European version) in Germany 4 years ago. It isn’t fully original as it has been serviced but it’s now my main live amp. I love it.
Matthew, sooo glad to see you back. You should be very proud of getting us guitar players through the pandemic with your videos. TH-cam is probably a HUGE WASTE OF TIME, RIPS OFF VIDEO PRODUCERS LIKE YOU! but I can assure you that we support you. I would love to pay for tickets to a show here in California (Bakersfield). Hope to someday see you play live!
Sounds great Matt!! About 30 yrs ago I was gigging a blonde Bassman head thru a pair of EVs for a while. Dumble first heard Robben Ford playing live thru a Blackface Bassman just like you've got there ('63) with a Tube Screamer in front. He then designed his first ODS Dumble for Robben based on that sound. (I'm sure you already know that story. 🙂)
I love all Bassmans. But my favorite is AB165, the circuit that came right after this one. It has an extra gain stage (in both channels), so it gets really gritty. If you turn it to even just 5, with a humbucker guitar, it’s nice and crunchy. Almost more Marshall-like. Turn it to 6 or so, you’ve got instant Malcolm Young-esque sound. The most versatile Fender amp there is, in my opinion. This amp, and you, sound amazing! Thanks.
@@MatthewScottmusic my humble advice would be to leave it alone - it sounds great! I have a '65 AB165 and it's nice too, but they're still plentiful on the market and not too crazy expensive yet - just own both! :D
Yep, I also have a 67 AB165 that I specifically got for the extra gain stage. It's the best high watt amp I own. Johan Segeborn's video is what sold me on this specific circuit.
@@MatthewScottmusicyou should keep this one as it is cause I believe they’re quite rare, and find a more common Silverface to make the mod. But that’s just me ;)
I think Jupiter makes speakers that are literally identical to the vintage Fenders and Magnatone. Anyway, cool amp and smart thinking preserving the original ! 👍
I think that Bassman sounds great. I see them for a pretty reasonable price sometimes. One thing I would like to see is you doing a demo on a Fender Quad Reverb. I have one that will shatter windows in an enclosed space but I've never been able to get a reasonable tone around the house with it. It seems like it was super clean no matter if the volume was on 1 or on 10. I haven't messed with it for years.
I love Bassman amps. I have a silverface 100amp er...amp, and a much more modern rumble box. I need to get it to a technician though. I just like the sound of them and used it for rhythm guitar, rightly or wrongly. I played it back when everyone got themselves a Marshall, and while there is nothing wrong with Marshalls, they were too pricey for me and not what I was into anyway. That one you have is a pearler.
Hey Matthew! love your playing! I'm wondering if you can plug in a les paul style guitar (with PAFs) into those fender amps? Really curious what that will sound like with your style of playing.
If you tried it out before it was recapped, that’s probably what you were hearing. Certain internal components that are out of spec can certainly sound liken to a blown speaker/voice coil rub.
Great video! Your org. Jensen speakers sounded much more real than Mojo, which makes it sound more like a Fender Reissue. I was the happy owner of a Bassman 50 from -78, also great amp. Never had the org. cabinet/speakers though..
Matthew I absolutely love your channel, appreciate and relate to your lifestyle as people who dedicate their lives to music. You always post high quality gems which is inspiring, without any bullshit or dishonesty, We that love and find a meaning in the way these particular instruments make us feel, these frequencies keep an open heart and a genuine belief. Keep it real man
My father's cousin who backed singers like Percy Sledge bought a 65 new, flipped it to my father. His band opened for the Byrds a couple of times. I took it over 25 years later.
You're in for a real treat. It'll sound good right out of the box but after a good 30hrs of playtime, it evolves into the sweetest sounding 12" American voiced speaker on the market. I can't believe they're only $85...
I bought my 68 ab165 bassman head for $300 about 20 years ago from a little music store that had 2 to choose from. If I’d had any sense I would have bought them both. Favorite amp I’ve owned. Still have it though it needs some work.
I have two Bandmaster Fender Amp Heads. One I bought second hand in 1975 and the other (believe it or not) was given to me. I had to repair it but now it works great. The Bandmaster is different than the Bassman you have but the sound of the Bandmaster is some of the best cleans I have ever heard. Used these amps in many bands during the 70's and love them.
When you get one of these mid 60s Bassman amps cranked, the treble is just so different than on the other Fendrer amps. So aggressive and mean. Still Fender, but different.
I have to agree with many of the players commenting here, in that Bassman's in general are great sounding amps. Many years ago I had one like yours around but I sold it back in the early 70's. I currently have one of the '59 reissue versions and gigged with it from ~1996 to 2010. It's very clean and works fine!
Great video Matthew! You make our speakers sounds great! Big thanks from North Carolina!!
Thanks a lot you guys rock! 🙏🏻👊🏻
@@MatthewScottmusic we'd love to hear what you think of these speakers Matt !
I made a cab with a Mojotone BV-25M 12" and it sounds fantastic! Love from Switzerland🎸🤘🏼🎸
Sounds so much better with the MojoTone speakers though… especially with that LP Special…😃
@@bobhewitt5047 High five!
This was the first real amp and cab I ever owned. I bought it off a local legend named Bob Smith in San Jose, Ca. for $250. It had a master volume mod and Bob could make it sound like anyone. When I went over to buy it, I recall him saying, "Mahavishnu?" and after rapidly turning the knobs a bit, he ripped a few fast McLauglin licks. Then, "Yes?" and more knob twiddling and he played some Steve Howe licks. This went on for a while and every artist or band he named, he sounded exactly like them. I was impressed and handed over the cash. I took it home but didn't quite get the same results 😜
Tone is in the fingers :)
Actually its in your soul, the fingers are just the conduit
My 1962 Blonde Bassman is the best amp ive ever played through. These amps are incredible. Would love to try a Blonde Showman one day
I really hope to demo one of those someday.
I’m thinking about selling mine with its married 15” tonering soon
@@MatthewScottmusic They're killer
I traded a Squire Standard from 2000, and $60. for a Fender amplifier about 10 years ago. I knew nothing about the amp, until after the trade was done, all I knew was that it would be worth it. It turned out to be a 1960 (first year of production) Blonde Fender Showman with a maroon front cloth. Serial number in the low 200's.
That amplifier is so powerful that my 10 year old son named it, the Blonde Monster.
I heard someone, with more guitar talent than me, play it and it was amazing.
I even sent Mathew Scott an email to see if he wanted to buy it, but he either didn't see the email or didn't want the amp. From what I've heard, the Showman was not a popular amplifier. I don't know why, they sound amazing.
Brian Setzer would agree with you, so do I.
Mike Ness is the reason I want one of these. Great playing, man, really make that strat sing 👏
Hats off to Leo Fender for helping to design and make both the instruments and amplifiers that helped shape modern Americana music. Gibson and others hold their respective places but all of them are behind Fender. And that cannot be argued by anyone.
I have a '64 one, it's a great amp for sure! Don't be afraid of turning EVERYTHING up on that bass channel, it sounds killer!
It rings like a bell, amazing amp and the mojo speakers are incredible
Wow there is a universe of tone available just by plugging straight into that. No need for a rig rundown. Straight on in!
Love the clean sound on the Strat.
Apart from the gear you are demonstrating,and always done so well,it is so refreshing to hear an instrument played with style and grace and not some,look at me, thousand mile an hour buzz show.thank you for a very enjoyable video.
I have a friend that had this same rig back in the late 60's early 70s. To this day it was one of the best amp tones that I have ever heard. This was back in the day when most guitarists did not use effects or pedals. His tone came from a Gibson ES335 running straight into the amp. This amp had the perfect breakup when you cranked it up a bit. You could hear both the crunch and the bite when you turned it up a bit and dug in. Overall one of the best sounding amp and speaker combination ever made.
One of my all time favorite amps.
This one sounds great with both sets of speakers. Not surprised, these are incredibly consistently sounding amps.
Wow, that's the tone. Impressed that you get that kind of full tone, especially with the Strat directly into the amp at that volume level. Love your content and the way you present vintage gear. Your knowledge and research is admirable. All the best from Norway! Thor
You are an excellent musician. I appreciate your affection for these old amps. I’m an old codger who started playing in bands in the sixties.
When I first started, almost everyone used Fender amps. The first amp I ever owned as well as the other guitarist was a Champ. Our bass player had a 50 watt Silvertone head with 2 \15” cab. The organist had some generic 50 watt head with 2 \ 15”cab. With a Farfisa organ. Our drummer had the 3/4 scale drums . At first we played a lot of birthday parties. So, for a PA we used a Bandmaster head with 2\ 12” cabs . One on each side of the stage . (There weren’t many PA’s back then.)
If we were playing in a house , the drummer would play easier, the organ and the bass would turn down a bit, and we would crank the Champs to 10 and go up and down on the volume. If we were playing in the auditorium at school, the guitars would take 3 Champs and stack them on top of each other. You would put your guitar cord in channel one on the first one , and then jumper it to the other two. (Cords from two to one and two to one) .
The Bandmaster was a 68 silver face with 67 blackface circuitry.
I still own it.
Later on after we had played a few years and saved our gig money, equipment evolved and so we got a real PA. I used my Bandmaster and the other guy got a Super reverb.
I replaced my 2\12”Jensens with Celestions in the late 70’s . They still sound great.
But back then the guitar players would use Bandmaster’s and the bass players would use Bassman’s.
The best cab for the Bassman was the big Fender cab with 2 \15” JBL’s.
I apologize I didn’t mean to ramble on. I don’t use the old Bandmaster anymore. I’ve got a small studio and go into a small effects pre amp and then straight into the board. Ever now in then , I’ll crave that old sound and crank the old Bandmaster up.
I write songs, play the instruments, sing the vocals , and record them. I make CD’s and give them away. Folks for years tried to get me to put my songs on social media but I wouldn’t. I did finally put 14 songs on TH-cam @Larry Buck Barker Original Songs.
Anyway Mr. Mathew keep up the good work, I’m a big fan. By the way I had a 54 Strat with a maple neck back then. It was stolen from in 1969. I was devastated for a while, but finally moved on . They definitely have their own tone. I hope all have a happy and healthy day. Cheers!!
❤
Matthew, you are my favourite youtuber, ever. Your tone is the best I've ever heard, and you're my inspiration.
Wow that sounds incredible you put the time in to find these amazing amps and guitars and your reward is the amazing tones they emit from your fingers and soul
I have one from 1965, on the attic i realised when i did see you! No cab, but it will never leave me! Thanx for posting. ♨️🎸♨️
Love the sound of the bassman. I have a 66 bandmaster blackface and couldnt be happier
I’ve got one too-awesome amp, but I’m in the lookout for a matching cab!
I have a sweet 1966 (same year as me).
I have the original speakers, however it's loaded with some sweet Weber 12f150's
Sounds amazing!
I have a ‘67 black panel bassman for nearly 30 years now. Mostly I played it through a Marshall 1922 closed back 2x12 celestion speaker cab. These amps are really amazing tone machines especially if you get into using some overdrive pedals. Nice demo!
Thanks for playing these old amps pure and "unpedaled." Great historic information and well-recorded tones. Appreciated.
I wish I had an hour long video of all your guitar and amp demos strung together with no talking just playing. I would listen to that every day.
That Bassman is badass man.
a fine addition to any color pallet
I have this exact same amp. I love it. Probably my second favorite amp.
What's the favorite?
What’s the favorite? We all are curious. No judgement.
@BKDocHoliday believe it or not my favorite amp is my red knob twin. It is the best Pedal platform I've come across in my 35 years of playing. I just bought another one today the fender Super 60. I also have a 1984 Fender concert though that might be the sweetest clean I've ever heard. Lots of fun tones on my TH-cam channel.
@@BeefNEggs057 v
One of my favorite Amps. Unfortuantely never got to play one except a digital version of it...but already sounds amazing through the video!
Absolutely right about the bass channel. My first good setup in the mid 70s was a blackface tremolux and a 65 SG JR. Wish I still had 'em.
I have an original 68’ Silverface. Love it.
Thumbs up sweet either set of speakers
I used one of those for 2 years. Awesome amplifier for rock for sure. Classic rock that is. Haven't tried anything through but clean tones but we all know Fender is famous for clean tones.
Love that TV yellow special!
I use headphone, the sounds amazing.. Not only the amps that amazed me, ofcourse your strat.. I feel it. And im a big fan of a fender stratocaster🎉cheers
My first real amp is a 66 ab165 bassman I bought it when I was 18 and have had it for 3 years now and it’s never leaving!
Love my 66’ Bassman!
I’ve got a 50w blackface Fender head. It rocks with a set of speaker cabinets set stage right and stage left!
One of my favorite amps. Try strapping the normal and bass channels it sounds even more better. You may have to reverse the polarity of the cable depending on the circuit.
Nice find. Love the Bassman. My first amp was a 64 Bassman and a 64 P Bass! Thanks for sharing!
I saw that you sold this on Reverb, Matt. These AA864 Bassmen are great amps and are a bit rare. I own an AA864 which was built the 50th week of 1964, just in time for a young bass players Christmas gift. A bit of history: The AA864 was designed in August, 1964 and was the first "blackface" bassman in the new line, however the true first "blackface" bassman was the 6G6-B with black faceplate which came out in December of 1963. I actually own one of those as well. However the 6G6-B that I have still had blonde tolex. In the spring of 1964 that tolex changed to black, however the circuit stayed pretty close other than a couple small changes. Those were known as 6G6-C circuits, although Fender never officially put "6G6-C" on any tube charts or schematic. These are known as the "tuxedo" Bassmen and are rare and desirable.
Anyway...after the product line changed to the official AA763 and then AB763 "blackface" platform, the AA864 Bassmen came out with changes in the tone stack from the 6G6-C, and also the Presence knob removed with the Bright switch added instead. AA864s shipped up through approximately March, 1965 however there was some overlap in circuits. On January 5, 1965 Don Randall signed the agreement to sell Fender Electric Instruments to CBS, with Leo Fender's approval. There was a transition period that followed with the guitars and amps. With the amps some curious things happened. The AA165 circuit was designed in Jan. 1965 to replace the AA864 Bassman however very few of those were made. Probably less than 500. Those were quickly replaced by the much more common AB165 Bassman Circuit.
The AB165 started shipping in approximately Feb. 1965, however some AA864 chassis which were still hanging around shipped at the same time. Another anomaly was that the early AB165s got AA165 tube charts because Fender printed up too many and had to get rid of them. Some of those AB165s with AA165 tube charts shipped well in to the Fall of 1965 when they finally got rid of them and all of the Bassmen got AB165 charts. To give you an illustration of the weird transition period, my Dec. 1964 AA864 Bassman has a Fender Musical Instrument front panel, a Fender Electric Instrument Back Panel and an AA165 tube chart...it clearly was a transitional amp and most likely shipped in late Jan or early Feb. 1965, though the chassis was built in Dec. 64. Unfortunately the date code on the tube chart has been torn off so I don't know exactly when it shipped. Approximately 6000 AA864 Bassmen were made, less than 500 AA165 Bassmen and about 28000 AB165 Bassmen were made. AB165 was by far the most common and that circuit shipped way up through May of 1968 in to the Silverface era. Anyway thats the history thanks for reading.
Good info, thanks! I own two ‘67 Bassman Amps. I made one into a BluesMaker and I built the other one into an ab165/aa864 hybrid. Both are the best sounding amps that I own, which includes a ‘65 Super Reverb and a ‘66 Twin Reverb.
Matthew, you have a way of finding the things that i want, Rock on, Cousin Figel
That LP sounded gnarly!!
A great sounding amp! The best of the best!!
I love that. I just bought a super clean 65 Bassman head.
In the late 70,s they were 100 bucks each. Id buyem and flip them for 150 if i could but it wasnt easy at 150
I fell into the ownership of a 1965 Pro Reverb and I took the original fender speakers out for preservation and installed Jensen C12K's. I love the way it sounds and I use it all the time.
Great find! I just fitted a Mojotone Anthem to my 6g3 Deluxe- sounds pretty good so far.
Cool find! Love the history inside the amp! Sounded great as well!
Great demo, great sound wow
I have a ‘67 bassman head that I bought in ‘89 for $75. New Svetlana tubes in 2012 with a hotter S1 tube. Had it recapped and fully gone over in 2021. It really breaks up and sizzles for guitar. It’s plugged into a circa 1970 Traynor sealed 212 cabinet. It’s loud!!!! I use a Weber Mass 100 between the amp and speakers to attenuate the volume so I can dime the amp. WOW!!!!
Man goose bumps the fender pair 😍 u got the mind bender from the Gibson fender dual 👌
Sounds fantastic.
I haven't read thru the comments and it's probably been suggested, but jump those channels! You get both with a lot more power and a ton more tonal variations. I have an all original "66 with cabinet and it's great. Also a tip I was given years ago was to lay the cabinet face down when swapping out speakers. FAR less awkward and you're not fighting gravity. Another really great one Matthew
The AA864s do not have the same number of gain stages in both channels, so when you jumper them they will be out of phase. However on the AB165 Bassmen, which started shipping in about Feb. 1965, you can jumper them because they have equal number of gain stages in both channels.
great playing matt from a fellow Oakie!! that bassman growls. honestly one of the nicest sounding amps ever.
I had borrowed one from a friend of mine, Baseman 50 I believe it was, only had one 12 inch speaker. I personally LOVED it! For such a simple amp it IS VERY versatile! Takes peddles well... I could go on but I'll just add that it's my personal opinion that Leo DID IT RIGHT!!!
Wow, warm an rich sound , mid levels of harmonic love !!! 8:09
Love my ‘65 Bassman. Killer amp.
Love that sound. Great with old speakers and even better with those new ones. Might also be cause I love P-90s. Just a great pure tone. The only bassman I had was a combo with 4x10s reissue I bought used in San Francisco in the early 90’s. Took pedals well, but what I really wanted was a Princeton Reverb
They are great sounding amps wish I still had mine
Have had an AB165 Bassman for nearly a year now and I haven't used any other amp since I got it. Such amazing sounding amps, and the breakup just plays with you and feels so natural and responsive.
Great video, would have loved to have heard the original speakers with the same ribbon mic used to record it. I swapped out the originals in mine for Jensen C12K speakers as they can really handle the output and drive I'm after.
I was lucky to find a 64 Bassman head (AA864 circuit,European version) in Germany 4 years ago. It isn’t fully original as it has been serviced but it’s now my main live amp. I love it.
thanks for sharing this . i have a couple of these a bandmaster and a deluxe reverb great old amps
Incredible
Love the Augmented cord...
Kick on the 'deep' switch, turn it up, just gets better, thanks Mathew!
Hey Matthew awesome video! Also that’s a really cool shirt! Any chance you could guide me in the right direction to where you may have bought it?
Matthew, sooo glad to see you back. You should be very proud of getting us guitar players through the pandemic with your videos. TH-cam is probably a HUGE WASTE OF TIME, RIPS OFF VIDEO PRODUCERS LIKE YOU! but I can assure you that we support you. I would love to pay for tickets to a show here in California (Bakersfield). Hope to someday see you play live!
Sounds great Matt!! About 30 yrs ago I was gigging a blonde Bassman head thru a pair of EVs for a while.
Dumble first heard Robben Ford playing live thru a Blackface Bassman just like you've got there ('63) with a Tube Screamer in front. He then designed his first ODS Dumble for Robben based on that sound. (I'm sure you already know that story. 🙂)
Nice demo
I love all Bassmans. But my favorite is AB165, the circuit that came right after this one. It has an extra gain stage (in both channels), so it gets really gritty. If you turn it to even just 5, with a humbucker guitar, it’s nice and crunchy. Almost more Marshall-like. Turn it to 6 or so, you’ve got instant Malcolm Young-esque sound. The most versatile Fender amp there is, in my opinion. This amp, and you, sound amazing! Thanks.
I'm considering converting it to that circuit.
@@MatthewScottmusic my humble advice would be to leave it alone - it sounds great! I have a '65 AB165 and it's nice too, but they're still plentiful on the market and not too crazy expensive yet - just own both! :D
Yep, I also have a 67 AB165 that I specifically got for the extra gain stage. It's the best high watt amp I own. Johan Segeborn's video is what sold me on this specific circuit.
@@lukebaldwin3682same here!
@@MatthewScottmusicyou should keep this one as it is cause I believe they’re quite rare, and find a more common Silverface to make the mod. But that’s just me ;)
Thanks for another fun ass video. This old man loves it. You just played through one iconic sound to another.
Mojotone Anthem or Jupiter M12C's would sound killer! Either do the vintage Fender/Jensen/Oxford thing very well.
Matt as always, Nice Work! WooF!!🐶🐶
I was also made in 1964. But i don't sound anywhere near as good 😂. Love your content. Your appreciation for the instruments and playing are a joy
It's reminds me of a band master I think it was called made 64-67 neat amps fenders tubes were very good clean and easy tp make natural overdrive.
I think Jupiter makes speakers that are literally identical to the vintage Fenders and Magnatone. Anyway, cool amp and smart thinking preserving the original ! 👍
Your Strat into the bass channel sounds particularly wonderful.
I'm really enjoying you're album! Amy is a favourite song at the moment, cheers. Have you done a vid showing what gear you used for the album?
I think that Bassman sounds great. I see them for a pretty reasonable price sometimes. One thing I would like to see is you doing a demo on a Fender Quad Reverb. I have one that will shatter windows in an enclosed space but I've never been able to get a reasonable tone around the house with it. It seems like it was super clean no matter if the volume was on 1 or on 10. I haven't messed with it for years.
I love Bassman amps. I have a silverface 100amp er...amp, and a much more modern rumble box. I need to get it to a technician though. I just like the sound of them and used it for rhythm guitar, rightly or wrongly.
I played it back when everyone got themselves a Marshall, and while there is nothing wrong with Marshalls, they were too pricey for me and not what I was into anyway.
That one you have is a pearler.
Hey Matthew! love your playing! I'm wondering if you can plug in a les paul style guitar (with PAFs) into those fender amps? Really curious what that will sound like with your style of playing.
If you tried it out before it was recapped, that’s probably what you were hearing.
Certain internal components that are out of spec can certainly sound liken to a blown speaker/voice coil rub.
Yes, legend amp. 35 years ago, I played a red Marshall head for bass with my strat, it was absolutely magic too !
Great video! Your org. Jensen speakers sounded much more real than Mojo, which makes it sound more like a Fender Reissue.
I was the happy owner of a Bassman 50 from -78, also great amp. Never had the org. cabinet/speakers though..
Matthew I absolutely love your channel, appreciate and relate to your lifestyle as people who dedicate their lives to music.
You always post high quality gems which is inspiring, without any bullshit or dishonesty, We that love and find a meaning in the way these particular instruments make us feel, these frequencies keep an open heart and a genuine belief. Keep it real man
My father's cousin who backed singers like Percy Sledge bought a 65 new, flipped it to my father. His band opened for the Byrds a couple of times. I took it over 25 years later.
Sounded great.
I totally have a Anthem speaker coming to me and really wanted a solid demo! Welp, I got it!! Can't wait to put it into my 5e3 build!!
You're in for a real treat. It'll sound good right out of the box but after a good 30hrs of playtime, it evolves into the sweetest sounding 12" American voiced speaker on the market. I can't believe they're only $85...
Sounds amazing! I have a 66. Love it to pieces. Does a very Marshally sound when dimed.
Wish I’d never parted with my blonde Bassman head and cab… but yours sounds great with the new MojoTone speakers.
I bought my 68 ab165 bassman head for $300 about 20 years ago from a little music store that had 2 to choose from. If I’d had any sense I would have bought them both. Favorite amp I’ve owned. Still have it though it needs some work.
The Black Fender Bassman sounds incredible. Great find!!
The Fantastic Country Colonels! Great name! :)
The misspelling of it as shown could have gone very pear shaped!
Yes very mid-rangey on the bass channel ' a great find ...that band imagery on the back panel is straight out of the back of my schoolbooks ' ha ha
Beautiful with either set of speakers, it's all good, Thanks Matthew
I have two Bandmaster Fender Amp Heads. One I bought second hand in 1975 and the other (believe it or not) was given to me. I had to repair it but now it works great. The Bandmaster is different than the Bassman you have but the sound of the Bandmaster is some of the best cleans I have ever heard. Used these amps in many bands during the 70's and love them.
The Bassman - one of my all-time fav amps.
Always fun watching being a Fender amp fan… I have a small collection of 65’s…
Sounds good
sounds glorious
When you get one of these mid 60s Bassman amps cranked, the treble is just so different than on the other Fendrer amps. So aggressive and mean. Still Fender, but different.
Another mighty fine video, will never tire of your content. Always a pleasure hearing you play and demonstrate any gear. Thanks for sharing 🎸🤠👍 PEACE
I have to agree with many of the players commenting here, in that Bassman's in general are great sounding amps. Many years ago I had one like yours around but I sold it back in the early 70's. I currently have one of the '59 reissue versions and gigged with it from ~1996 to 2010. It's very clean and works fine!