Bassman Head

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Here's the amp I'm currently using full time. It's a modified 1971 Fender Bassman that has had a number of things done to it.

The first thing that I did with it after I got it is remove the tube rectifier that someone had installed previously. I didn't want it and it had been installed without a tube retainer so the the rectifier tube was GOING to rattle loose. Besides, I needed the room! It was impossible to get to the chassis bolts without removing the rectifier tube

The front end has been "blackfaced" which I really don't know why they say that when they leave the 8mF cap off of the preamp tube stage still in there. It's NOT blackface circuitry but hey, it's all a game anyway. The caps have been changed but I replaced them anyway so that I could start from scratch and get Sprague's in there. The SS rectifier section was replaced with 1N5408 3A 1000 PIV diodes. Done

The amp has had ALL of the transformers changed to Mercury Magnets units and the OT has multple taps. Right now it's set for 4 ohms but the next thing will be a 4-8 ohm selector switch. THe amp came without a back panel so I had to make a new one. The tolex on the back won't match but it IS black so that's all that is important for the time being. I"ve since also built a fan into the front panel. No, I didn't butcher the original front panel. I made a new one and the fan is controlled by the old polarity switch which wasn't being used anyway! I also wired the fan so that it is "hot" all the time so that I can let it run after I shut down the amp to cool the tubes for a fast getaway!

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