Bassman Tweed in a pedal...?

AntonHunter · July 2023

My favourite recorded tone I've had in recent times was a Fender Bassman 4x10, I think a 5F6-A, but it was in a studio and I didn't question it too closely once it sounded good! Definitely Tweed, definitely 4×10", definitely vintage. Set clean with a bit of hair and then used a Rat to get more dirt.

Anyway, entirely impractical to drag a real one to gigs, or indeed be able to afford one, so... any pedals that get close? Is the Boss 59 Bassman worth trying to track down? Anything else?

gatheredinsong · July 2023

I found a bassman type sound in the BJFE Sparkling Yellow Overdrive that was fantastic. You could perhaps try the Goldilocks in the classifieds.

https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/251346/bearfoot-fx-goldilocks-sparkling-yellow-od3-open-to-offers#latest

Edit: worth checking out Mike Hermans' demos of the Sparkling Yellow too, rather than just the clip above.

munckee · July 2023

The cheap option is an American sound. It has a knob which goes from blackface to tweed and then you add a bit of gain.

You can also use it without an amp straight into a pa.

merlin · July 2023

I used to have a Catalinbread formula 5f6 that did a very convincing.....uh.....5f6.

AntonHunter · July 2023

munckee said:

The cheap option is an American sound. It has a knob which goes from blackface to tweed and then you add a bit of gain.

You can also use it without an amp straight into a pa.

Well this is embarrassing... I've got one of those... only ever used it on the more scooped settings... I'll explore further.

AntonHunter · July 2023

merlin said:

I used to have a Catalinbread formula 5f6 that did a very convincing.....uh.....5f6.

Yeah, I've seen that recommended. Had mixed experiences with Catalinbread pedals that I've tried but will do some listening

AntonHunter · July 2023

gatheredinsong said:

Edit: worth checking out Mike Hermans' demos of the Sparkling Yellow too, rather than just the clip above.

Yep, that sounds great. As he usually does!

rze99 · July 2023

I have a Bassman 59 reissue and nothing else really sounds quite like it in the flesh. Maybe it’s the 4x10 cabinet. The edge of breakup sound is sweet full throaty and present. I attenuate mine always because it’s a deafening beast.

Used with careful tweaking - I put a Unit 67 in front of mine - an American Sound pedal is a good low cost approximation.

markj · July 2023

My Bearfoot Goldilocks that’s for sale here on the forum.

ICBM · July 2023

rze99 said:

I have a Bassman 59 reissue and nothing else really sounds quite like it in the flesh. Maybe it’s the 4x10 cabinet. The edge of breakup sound is sweet full throaty and present. I attenuate mine always because it’s a deafening beast.

In my opinion it's a combination of the amp circuit, the four speakers and the lightweight, almost entirely open cabinet - the whole thing has an extremely complex, vibrant roar that just can't be duplicated with a more focused amp and signal processing, although I don't doubt you can get quite close. Similarly to an AC30, I think the lack of damping - the cabinet really is very loose, the baffle is little more than tacked into place at the corners! - as well as it having relatively little negative feedback (the AC30 has none) - makes a big difference to the responsiveness as well as the sound. It's definitely a 'whole amp in the room' experience to play through one.

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Bassman Tweed in a pedal...?

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