# '59 Bassman reissue



## vanderkalin (Sep 4, 2009)

ok so I played a '59 bassman reissue yesterday and was blown away. my current amp is a HR DLX. Any opinions? on the Bassman? is it wired or pcb? does it matter? Would it be better to get the bassman head from Ceriatone and build a cab? or is the Fender that good? its alot of scratch to drop and find out there was something a bit better that you could have discovered with a little research.


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## vds5000 (Apr 14, 2008)

It's PCB. How much? If it's over $1300, try to find a used Victoria.


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## Powdered Toast Man (Apr 6, 2006)

It's PCB, but there's nothing inherently wrong with that. Average price for a used Bassman RI is around $800-$850. 

I felt the same way after I plugged in to a Super Reverb RI. I immediately sold my HR Dvl and bought the SRRI.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Powdered Toast Man said:


> It's PCB, but there's nothing inherently wrong with that.


Correct. It's the thickness of the PCB, the thickness of the traces, and the layout, not the fact of a PCB.


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## 4345567 (Jun 26, 2008)

__________


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## StevieMac (Mar 4, 2006)

nkjanssen said:


> If it blew you away, you should buy it. End of story.


Not slagging the Bassman in any way but, compared to a HR DLX...no contest!


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## vanderkalin (Sep 4, 2009)

nkjanssen said:


> If it blew you away, you should buy it. End of story.


Well the one I played was new, so a bit pricey, but I will Either look for a used one, or what does everyone think about the Ceriatone kits? hard wired, is it going to sound as good?


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## vanderkalin (Sep 4, 2009)

mhammer said:


> Correct. It's the thickness of the PCB, the thickness of the traces, and the layout, not the fact of a PCB.


does this mean you know the amp, and the pcb on it is a good quality?


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Sadly, no. But I have yet to hear people slagging it with respect to repairs, etc.

I paid $30 for mine, but then, it WAS a little over 30 years old at the time, so, y'know...... depreciation and all. ;-)


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## bagpipe (Sep 19, 2006)

StevieMac said:


> Not slagging the Bassman in any way but, compared to a HR DLX...no contest!


Hmmm ... you're saying the HR DLX is way better than the reissue Bassman? Not in my experience. That whole 2 channel/2nd dirt channel thing on the HR Deluxe is a waste of time/space in my experience. Give me one smoking good clean/slightly dirty channel and I"ll get the rest via pedals.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

If was even run into a big cash windfall and be able to buy a place in the country with nice practice studio where I could crank things, one of the first amps I would buy would be some form of '59 Bassman, despite all the booteek amps out there.


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## hollowbody (Jan 15, 2008)

bagpipe said:


> Hmmm ... you're saying the HR DLX is way better than the reissue Bassman? Not in my experience. That whole 2 channel/2nd dirt channel thing on the HR Deluxe is a waste of time/space in my experience. Give me one smoking good clean/slightly dirty channel and I"ll get the rest via pedals.


I thought he meant that compared to a HRD, anything sounds good, but not to take that as a slight to the Bassman. And yeah, that drive channel on the HRD is pretty useless. The cleans are alright, though.

As for the PCB "issue," it's really not a big deal. Sure point-to-point, hand-wired turret boards are all the rage, but there's lots of kick ass PCB amps out there. The Marshall JCM800 that everyone loves is a PCB amp. Like mhammer said, if the PCB isn't paper-thin, it should be fine. It's a little more difficult to work on if there needs to be repairs compared to a PTP amp, but that won't matter too much to a skilled amp tech.

And yes, I'm not surprised that you liked it better. The Bassman is a fantastic amp! I have a JTM45, which is Marshall's take on the Bassman circuit, and I love the hell out of it!


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## vanderkalin (Sep 4, 2009)

hollowbody said:


> I thought he meant that compared to a HRD, anything sounds good, but not to take that as a slight to the Bassman. And yeah, that drive channel on the HRD is pretty useless. The cleans are alright, though.
> 
> As for the PCB "issue," it's really not a big deal. Sure point-to-point, hand-wired turret boards are all the rage, but there's lots of kick ass PCB amps out there. The Marshall JCM800 that everyone loves is a PCB amp. Like mhammer said, if the PCB isn't paper-thin, it should be fine. It's a little more difficult to work on if there needs to be repairs compared to a PTP amp, but that won't matter too much to a skilled amp tech.
> 
> And yes, I'm not surprised that you liked it better. The Bassman is a fantastic amp! I have a JTM45, which is Marshall's take on the Bassman circuit, and I love the hell out of it!


I am scouring fleabay daily, but these aren't easy to find.


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## StevieMac (Mar 4, 2006)

bagpipe said:


> Hmmm ... you're saying the HR DLX is way better than the reissue Bassman? Not in my experience. That whole 2 channel/2nd dirt channel thing on the HR Deluxe is a waste of time/space in my experience. Give me one smoking good clean/slightly dirty channel and I"ll get the rest via pedals.


No, *hollowbody* had it right: I VASTLY prefer the Bassman RI over the Hot Rod Deluxe. 

If *vanderkalin* is persistent, he should be able to find one used for under $800...which is a good deal on a $-for-tone basis IMO.


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## vanderkalin (Sep 4, 2009)

StevieMac said:


> No, *hollowbody* had it right: I VASTLY prefer the Bassman RI over the Hot Rod Deluxe.
> 
> If *vanderkalin* is persistent, he should be able to find one used for under $800...which is a good deal on a $-for-tone basis IMO.


looking every day, got any other tips where to look other than e bay, harmony central or fender forum?


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## StevieMac (Mar 4, 2006)

vanderkalin said:


> looking every day, got any other tips where to look other than e bay, harmony central or fender forum?


Was going to suggest thegearpage.com but not sure if you're a member there. I have seen the LTD versions going for $750 US on feebay lately so perhaps you just need to be persistent. Good luck...


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