Fender Silverface Bassman
Model/Circuit Number: AA165, AB165, AA270, AA371, AA568, AC568, AA864
Years of Production: 1968 – 1983
Era: Silverface
Configuration: Head
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, Bass – Pilot Lamp
- Rear: AC Outlet, Ground Sw, Fuse (2A), Power Sw, Standby Sw, Speaker Jack, Ex. Speaker Jack
Cabinet:
- Dimensions: Head: 8-1/4 x 22 x 9-1/2, Cabinet: 40 x 29-1/2 x 11-1/2 ~ 1968-1971, 30 x 28 x 12 ~ 1972-1983
- Hardware: Knurled studs ~ 1968-1976
- Handle: Black strap handle with Chrome ends x3
- Feet: Casters
- Corners: Chrome Corners with Lip
Tolex/Tweed:
Grill Cloth:
- Blue sparkle grill cloth with Aluminum frame ~ 1968-1969
- Blue sparkle grill cloth without Aluminum frame ~ 1970-1979
Logo: Grill mounted, raised, chrome & black script
Weight: 105 lbs
Speaker:
- Size: 2 x 12
- Impedance: 4 ohms
- Model: Oxford 12T6, Utah, Rola or JBL D140 8ohm (For more info, check out the Jensen Replacement Speakers)
Effects:
Watts: 50 or 70 watts
Tubes:
- Pre amp: 7025 ; 12AT7
- Power: 2 x 6L6GC
- Bias: Fixed
- Rectifier: Solid State
Comments:
Bassman ~ 1968-1971, Bassman 50 ~ 1972-1976, Bassman 70 ~ 1977-1983. Fender switched back to the blackface era cosmetics some time in 1980. Bassmans produced between late 1980 and 1983 have a black control panel and silver sparkle grill cloth.
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I have a ’74 Bassman 50. It sounds great for guitar provided you dial the bass down a little. One night at a gig I used it along side a Hot Rod Deluxe with an A/B box that allowed either or amp but not both. Conclusion: Much richer sound and more character than the Hot Rod.
I got my Fender Bassman 50 year made was 1970-1971. The amp sounds so good, but i also have a secret weapon inside my 2×12 cab. Eminence George Lynch Super V’s. The sounds that come out of this thing just amaze me all the time. If you jump chan 1 to chan 2 and run reverb pedal inbetween chan 1 and 2, Sounds killer. You can dial in your sound by jumping Chan 1 and Chan 2 just like Plex Marshal style. It wont hurt your Bassman 50 for sure.
I have one from -67, that is one year before your “year of production” any way it sounds amazing.
Patrik
Hello,
I have 1974 Bassman Export with 4 x 10 cabinet. I play Strato with Damage Control Liquid Blues Overdrive and it sounds great!
Hello,
I recently change my Eventide Time Factor Delay for a Fender Bassman 50 head and also I have a DC5 from Mesa Boogie, but when I heard the Bassman I was shocked with that clean and deeper sound. My cabinets are not so good, just normal ones, 2xLaney LV412S but I’m in love with the sound of the Fender Bassman more than the Mesa Boogie. I’m never fell more happy with the change cause the guy that gives me the Bassman 50 for the Eventide doesn’t know what he is loosing… but I know.
I have a Blackface Bassman/Bandmaster cabinet (21×32) with a pair of Jensen C12N, 220804 … 4th week of 1968. They have Jensen labels, not Fender. What are the chances they are original to a last minute cabinet from January ’68? I would have thought it was the other way around if anything, that Silverface amps started showing up in late 1967. Besides, the guide only lists Jensens in Bassman cabs through 1967. Maybe a previous owner just decided to swap them out, or they were replaced under warranty? Anyway, sounds great with my AA864 !
You can see and hear my Silverface here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vBRLOKTJsc
Br, Eeko
I just purchased a Bassman 50. I had a 68 SF that I was using on pedal steel that I should NOT have sold. Going to find someone to mod this one and optimize it for pedal steel. Wish I could learn to do the work myself so I could have it quicker.
At 50, many silverfaces shave or ride a bike.
105lbs?? How?
Silverface Fender amps ‘model year’ began in 1968. You know how you can buy a 2019 Toyota or Chevy as early as August of 2018? Your Toyota or Chevy is still a 2019. In 10 years it will still be a 2019. Same thing with amps. My ’68 Bassman has trannys with date codes to 1967. All of the potentiometers are dated 1967. 50 years later, it’s still a 1968 Bassman, no matter what dates to components say. It’s a Fender… whaddaya expect?
And you have the sought after circuit…no matter the date .
How can you know what the Schematic number is on a silverface bassman amp if you can’t see any?
I have one of the late Silverfaces from 80-83 with the Blackface panel. I was wondering if this bad boy would have the necessary oomph to run KT66 tubes instead of the standard 6L6GC.
I have a pair sitting around from an amp I no longer have and was curious how they might sound in Bassman.
I guess I’d also like to know if my ’68/’69 might be able to run them as well?
Oh, and I’d also like to know how to properly ID the schematic for my ’80’s Bassman. would it just be the most recent one linked above?
Here is some background information about my ’68 Drip Edge Bassman 50. My amp tech stated the original circuit had been modified, and not in a good way. He subsequently modified/upgraded it to the AA864 circuit, common in earlier blackface versions. The preamp tubes were replaced with old stock RCA grayplate 12AX7A’s and an RCA blackplate 12AT7 for the phase inverter. Power tubes are Groove Tube GT-6L6-GE. I paired the amp with an open-back Silvertone 2 X 12 cabinet loaded with Weber 12F150’s with a 4 ohm output. The speakers have ceramic magnets and rated at 50 watts. I selected these speakers because they bring out more of the high end with an amp that tends to be full in the low end. I placed a review on Weber’s website, which you can see here: https://tedweber.com/12f150/
So, how does it sound? In a word, awesome. I play rhythm guitar in a blues band. My guitars are a Fender Strat and Telecaster, a Washburn semi hollow body, and a Gibson Les Paul Standard. I use a pedalboard loaded with various overdrives, and other tone shaping pedals. They mesh well with the amp.
Volume is not an issue, there’s plenty. I generally run the amp volume set between 3 to 4, and that is loud. I use the normal channel set in the bright position, then dial in bass and treble based on the space and guitar in use. The amp compresses slightly when you up the volume. I rarely use the Bass Instrument side of the amp. If playing guitar, the deep switch is recommended. Without any effects the amp plays very clean with plenty of headroom. The 6L6 tubes give the amp a bit more fullness. You can get the amp to break up at higher volume, but rely on pedals for overdriven tones.
I have a 1973 Silverface Bassman 50 in tip top shape. I am now almost 70 and am downsizing so plan to sell it. The head & speakers together are $1200. Any takers?
Where are Bassman 100 and 135?