Silverface Bantam Bass
Model/Circuit Number: ?
Years of Production: 1969 – 1971
Era: Silverface
Configuration: Combo
Controls: Silver, forward facing w/ blue labels
Knobs: Black skirted w/ chrome center, numbered 1 – 10
Faceplate:
- Front: Bass: In, In, Deep Sw, Vol, Treb, Bass – Normal: In, In, Bright Sw, Vol, Treb, Mid, Bass – Pilot Lamp
- Rear: AC Outlet, Ground Sw, Fuse, Power Sw, Standby Sw, Speaker, Ex Speaker
Cabinet:
- Dimensions: 24″ x 25″ x 10-1/2″ (61 x 63.5 x 26.7 cm)
- Hardware: Medium Chassis Straps 4 5/8″, 19″ Tilt Back Legs
- Handle: Black strap handle with Chrome ends
- Feet: Chrome Glides
- Corners: Chrome Corners with Lip
Tolex/Tweed:
Grill Cloth:
- Blue sparkle grille cloth w/ aluminum frame ~ 1969
- Blue sparkle grille cloth w/o aluminum frame ~ 1970-1971
Logo: Grille mounted, raised, chrome & black script “Fender” w/ tail
Weight: 57 lbs. (25.9 Kg)
Speaker: 1 x 15″/8 ohms
- Size: 15″
- Impedance: 8 ohms
- Model: Yamaha, asymetrical trapezoid shaped w/ white styrofoam cone
Effects: None
Watts: 30 watts
Tubes:
- Pre amp: 7025 (Normal) 7025 (Vibrato)
- Power: 2 x 6L6GC
- Phase Inverter: 12AT7 (long tailed)
- Bias: Fixed w/ Bias Pot
- Rectifier: 5U4
Comments:
Is this meant to be the “Bantam Bass Amp” ? if so why take away the photo, specifications & schematic ?
We currently do not have information for the Bantom Bass Amp. I have been adding blank articles so that a user who does have information about the specific amp may post it.
If you can source this information we will give you a 10% discount on a purchase from http://mojotone.com.
I have two 1970 BANTAM bass amps and you’ve misspelled it. Best kept secret of all fender amps and I’ve played quite a few. 30 watts tube rectified bliss. One of the fattest fender tones I’ve ever heard from your guitar not bass of course. The first thing you do is to build a new baffle to support two twelve inch speakers and throw out the old yamaha trapizoid thingy. Plug in your favorite les paul or strat and off you go. There kinda rare and only made from 1969 thru 1971.
I have a fender Bantam amp seems kind of beat up it’s at the text now is it worth keeping that foam speaker or replace it and will it affect the value debating weather to fix it and sell it or give it to the techfor parts thank you Vinnie
This is a great Fender amp for guitar! 30w, all valve/tube (5U4 rectifier). Very similar to a Super Reverb circuit (AB763) but with no reverb or tremolo. Although only ever a Silverface amp a Blackface Mod makes a HUGE difference. With only one gain stage (no reverb etc) both channels can be used together. There is no master volume so I use a Weber Mass Attenuator – the amp sounds best with the volume(s) at 6 (loud!) and Bass@2 Mid@3 Treb@6. Fairly strong in the midrange for a Fender amp it starts to sound a like a Marshall with both channels pushed. The Bass channel does not have a great sound on it’s own and breaks up quite early but adds great sustain and a lot more overdrive when combined with the Normal channel. With re-capping, new valves/tubes, a ‘blackface’ mod, a new speaker(s) and a couple of other reversible improvements this is a rare gem.
To change speakers to 2×10 – make a whole new baffle, for a 1×12 speaker – make a (1×12) baffle to fit over the original trapezoid speaker hole, use the the existing embedded screws & bolts/nuts.
Just to add for anyone interested in modifying the ‘bass’ channel, something I did is the “Gerald Weber tweed mod” (google) which converts the ‘bass’ channel to a tweed type channel (early break up & warm tone etc), it works great on it’s own (classic tweed sound) & adds deep ‘tweed’ body when blended with the ‘normal’ channel. After this mod I found using a 5751 (70% gain) valve/tube instead of a 12AX7 (100 % gain) provided more ‘clean’ gain up to about 6 (volume), a 12AX7 breaks up at about 3 (volume). The ‘gerald weber tweed mod’ (bass channel) is a simple, reversible mod which adds huge scope to this great amp.
Great information! I put my Bantam Bass head in a Bandmaster reverb head cabinet and added an Eminence Ragin’ Cajun 10” speaker. Very portable powerful practice amp.
I don’t use this for bass, just for guitar. Great amp. The normal channel I left untouched, the bass channel I modified into a guitar channel, but its sound differs from the normal channel. In my ears the normal channel sound warm with a sparkle. The modified Bass channel has more treble and more attack. I love this amp. Visit my photobucket site to see what I’ve done with the Bantam Bass Amp:
http://s839.photobucket.com/albums/zz318/jooptraynor/1969%20Fender%20Bantam%20Bass%20Amp/
I too have one of these. I built a new baffle, but went with a ’65 Jensen Concert 15. It is now a great guitar amp and it is very gig worthy! I left mine bone stock except for the speaker change. I would like to find another one and load it with two old Jensen C12Q’s I have and then use em in stereo!
I have a 69 fender bantam bass. Best fender amp ive owned other than a 63 fender pro. Im curious to see how much the styrofoam speaker goes for. I put a 15″ eminence kappa pro in it. I wanna sell the styro speaker. If anyone sees my comment and wants the speaker email me at dnewmie81@hotmail.com. Its got one little dent on the cone about half size of a penny and still works really good
how do you change speakers to 2 x 10″ or 12″ (celestion maybe)?
where can i find parts or refurbish kits for a bantam bass silver face?
I have one of these, great amp. I sold the cab and Speaker and put the head in a mojotone super reverb head. I replaced the small output transformer with a 69 Bassman OT and it sounds great for bass now. Basically a tube rectified Bassman or showman. I love the feel of a tube rectifier and love the tone of a Fender Bassman so this is the perfect amp for me. Great for bass once you replace the output transformer.
I bought one on eBay a number of years back , was pretty beat up cosmetically and stock other than the trapezoid speaker was replaced with a 15” but was blown, but the head part worked fine and and sounded great connecting it to various Cab’s.
I installed a 4 X 10 baffle of speakers a friend gave me from an old Yamaha SS amp he was parting out, no other changes or mods, It sounded phenomenal !
Corey, can you please lead me in the right direction as far as the dimensions for the baffle you installed?
I bought mine for $300, as I was selling my Super Reverb, an amp style I’ve played for 30 years or more. I just didn’t want to lug the super reverb around anymore and I had seen the Bantam collecting dust for a couple years. It was 100% stock and it’s still blew me away, after rotating the pots back and forth a bunch of times because they had been sitting for so long that it screeched and howled when I first plugged in. I do love the fender reverb and tremolo sound, but when you leave them out then the channels are in phase as someone said above, and that allows you to jumper both channels like a Marshall, or even run one channel dirty and one channel clean at the same time. I’ve already replaced the baffle with a 12″ low wattage alNico, and ceramic 10″ Mojotone. I just need to recap it, although they are 100% original and not humming or acting up but it’s just the smart thing to do. It’s designed around the 5u4 rectifier, which of the top of my head I think I can go up to a GZ34 or down to 5y3? I got to check the specs on the power Transformer vs rect. Requirements but I’m pretty sure I can do that. I might try doing the Fender Dumble mods or? I may just add a tone stack +/- on the first channel and be done with it. It’s so much lighter than an SR, and you can Crank It Up at 30 Watts it’s a lot easier to hit The Sweet spot without melting your ears like the SR.
Theres one of these for sale locally in a shop for $700 in decent condition. Are they worth 700? Has a single 15″ speaker. Thanks for any info
does anybody use this as a bass amp? there’s one for sale w\an Altec Lansing 421A..
hey..you’ve all seen the Bantam for sale that’s been re-tolexed, new grill cloth, Altec Lansing 421A 15″ bass speaker? I’d kinda like to use this as a bass amp w\my Precision bass..for guitar I have a MOD’d up Musicmaster amp and a ’76 Champ..
I threw out that Styrofoam thing and made a new baffle for a JBL E-140. I used to play bass a a local club and it worked quite well. Should be OK for guitar too.
I had a Bantam bass amp with the styrofoam speaker.
It was one of the best sounding keyboard amps I ever had
Schematic.
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2325/2729/files/Bantam-Bass-CFA7003.pdf?5926397210715640943
I Bought a one owner Bantam bass amp a few months ago. 1971 with its original cover and No mods. After discovering the styrofoam speaker had a 4 inch tear in it, I made a nice, (I’m a carpenter) new birch plywood baffle for it and installed a Celestion G 12 Vintage 30 speaker. Now it really rocks, Has the best deep fender tone out there with no other mod’s
These and many fender Silverface era amplifiers are getting pretty scarce. Thinking I might be downsizing a bit, getting older and playing acoustic more. This amp other than the speaker mod is museum quality. If interested drop me a note through this website, but prepare to pay a healthy price and I have tried and had no luck shipping amplifiers, so it’s local pickup only. I live in Kitsap co. across the pond from Seattle WA. Cheers!
I bought one of these amps with a 1976 Fender Musicmaster bass Guitar at a yard sale for 100 dollars for both. It sounds great through this amp. It has a Fender 15” speaker ( orange speaker frame).