thumperbob 2002 Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 (edited) I finally bit the bullet and got one of these- Fender Bassman TV 15. [attachment=124192:Bassman TV.JPG] First Impressions- the thing is really quite big- not featherlight but about the same as my Hydrive 4 x 10. About that size too. Looks absolutely fantastic- real quality finish. Soundwise couldnt be happier- with bass on 3 ( out of 12) , Mid on 12 and treble on 3 get a lovely warm old school tone. The combo is really louder than I thought too. Could easily gig with this- mind you it is 350W. Though I gig with a LH1000W amp. Overall great combo- looks unbelievable- sounds fantastic and loud- the thing is- why were they not popular?- I suppose they were expensive- retailed at over £1000 RRP. Got mine for £699 from Dawsons- for what it is- bargain. Edited December 5, 2012 by thumperbob 2002 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ultima2876 Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 Congratulations, I bet it's fantastic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 I bet that sounds great. I love the sound of Fender bass amps - unfortunately they`re just a bit too heavy for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Telebass Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 (edited) Agreed. I tried one of these, and it was good, but far too heavy for me... Edited December 5, 2012 by Telebass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thumperbob 2002 Posted December 5, 2012 Author Share Posted December 5, 2012 Once you experience an ampeg v4b you truly know what heavy is. 60lbs is not heavy believe me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted December 5, 2012 Share Posted December 5, 2012 Beyond me, if I want to stand up straight, annoyingly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thumperbob 2002 Posted December 5, 2012 Author Share Posted December 5, 2012 Yeah I think bass players are spoilt now. 1000w in a small package - put it in your gig bag! I couldn't believe it when my postie handed over my lm2 at the doorstep! Just sold this to nice guy homer as I don't get lightweight anymore. I do think something gets lost in translation. That's why I gig with a hartke lh1000. Now this would be classed as a heavy amp but then just a tiddler. It's probably all psychological but I feel I need something with a bit more weight to my sound. Still a different world to a big valve amp and a 8 x 10! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thumperbob 2002 Posted December 10, 2012 Author Share Posted December 10, 2012 Couple of gigs last week with this amp so I thought I would do a mini review sort of thing First gig with amp- believe it or not a Miss Hull Daily Mail celebration party- about 150 family friends and competitors in the above beauty contest! So lots of eye candy- still.... I always have pa support and really just use my bass amp as monitor- I was really surprised as this amp is easily loud enough to gig- bit louder than my old ampeg portaflex pf500. I had the volume on full and the gain on half- 6- ( goes up to 12 ). No farting- rattles- just lovely warm defined tone. I recorded the gig on my H2 and this thing sounds amazing. Playing a Roadworn Jazz- sounds great both pickups full on- lovely slap sound ( no tweeter on these )- and for fingerstyle with neck pickup rolled back a bit sounds unbelievable. Actually this thing is probably the best tone I have had- probably ever. I am so surprised with this amp. Gig 2 - glitter ball in massive hall- about 300 people. Rather posh do- bit of a rickety stage- volume on half- lovely warm tone- easy to move- light- ( on castors though I take the back two off so I can hear the speaker better ) - though dont suppose it makes any difference anyway with this amp. Overall I think the only reason I would change this amp- or gig with another one- is for looks and Vintage vibe- and cannot see how I would gt the same vibe with anything other than an SVT stack or new Fender Bassman Pro-I like to have a backup and do buy lots of gear - I have to declare my band earnings so always spend what I earn on gear. I do fancy an SVT VR rig or bassman but am a little frightened re- weight of the things. This amp does it all- has that vintage vibe- sounds fantastic- is light compared to most of the combos I have had in the past and I love how it says Fender on the front. Overall very happy but will still go for an SVT or Bassman as backup. Think I`ll sell my Hartke LH1000 and Hydrive cab next year once I find another vintage looking rig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
niceguyhomer Posted December 10, 2012 Share Posted December 10, 2012 I saw Bob's combo in the flesh and it gave me GAS and a little dribble of wee down my leg. I want one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thumperbob 2002 Posted December 11, 2012 Author Share Posted December 11, 2012 Good one pal!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted December 11, 2012 Share Posted December 11, 2012 Looks great. If you want the valve thing in a lighter..altho not by much, , the DB750 is great for that. I think it does the whole Ampeg thing better... looks great, sounds awesome, doesn't have the valve cost and as I said, is lighter. You need a big stage though as these things have 'power' as opposed to volume. So, the Fender for the small stage/gig and the DB when you have to get out the beans... Totally agree about the weight thing... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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