The master volume ultra linear is the silverface bassman 135 right? It isn't really like a model t too much. The model t is based off the bassman design, but the tweed bassman, not the black face/silver face. This is similar to the marshall jtm45, super lead, super bass, etc. The design of the later fenders changed a bit and, if i can trust the schematic I have, is more like a black face but with a bigger output section of 4 6l6s. Breaking it down for each channel it goes input gain stage, tonestack with channel volume, gain stage, both into master volume, output section. The model t has the extra gain stages going: input gain stage, channel volumes which then sum into, double gain stage (half of a tube feeding into the other half,) tonestack into, master volume, output section. So the model t gets an extra gain stage but it isn't like that adds a shit ton of extra gain pushing it into 5150 territory or something like that. My limited technical knowledge and jargon should be corrected if I am not understanding this right but I think thats the differences between the two. The bassman 135 will serve you well in being clean and loud, but it will have a different style voice then a model t. I have a bassman 100 that I need to put back together, but that is like the 135 but with a normal output section and not ultralinear.
Now the Fender model t. That is basically the fender "the twin" or "evil twin" red knob twin, or the red knob dual showman. They are almost exactly the same thing.
Thanks for the insight bro!!! I had only heard they were based on Fender Bassmans except with a different power section but wasn't sure on the exact details.
Iommic Pope wrote:
Skip, you rule. You hate people so much, you're willing to discredit all human progress, its awesome.
Cool, glad I could help a bit. I'm not as technically schooled as Nick but I have picked up a thing or two. I have been studying schematics a lot since I have gotten into building amps and pedals. The model t specifically because I have been thinking of building it.
As far as I understand it a lot of guitar amps come from the tweed bassman design, 5F6 or something like that, which I think is from a rca radio design if I remember right. Early marshalls are based off this design which is where we get the jtm, the super leads and stuff like that. Those in turn inspired the laneys, trainwrecks, dumbles, soldanos, mesas, etc. Its funny in how the more you learn about this stuff the more you see how similar a lot of the designs are.
But once fender moved into the black face era their designs changed a bit aiming more towards the cleaner side of things compared to the rawer sound of the tweeds. The sunn model t (original) is actually interesting in that it is very different compared to all their other designs. Sunn's stuff like the 100s, 200s, 2000s, Sentura, Sorado, etc. come from a hifi design and use tubes like the 6AN8 in addition to the 12ax7s or 12at7s that you normally see in most other guitar amps. You can find the schematics scattered across the internet. I was debating on building the 200s design and may still try in the future, but my next amp build is probably going to be a model t. Unless something else catches my attention and pulls me in a different direction.
i found a red knob twin for $50 at a garage sale last weekend. didn't buy it, but i probably should have. i just don't really want that amp and didn't want to end up having it for 6 or 8 months trying to flip it at $100. no one wants those. if i could only list it as a model t reissue i could have made a fortune.
ryan summit wrote:Damn these fuckin bullshit techherpes
So I already own a SF Bassman head but am currently in the market for a cab. I've found a matching bassman 2x15 on CL for a great price. Has anyone had any experience with these cabs? There isn't much info on the net about them and what I could find was far from a straight answer ("I love it", "it sounds terrible", "its loud", "not loud enough" etc). I know the answer to my question is to bring my head when I check it out, but I'd like to see what the forum has to offer me before I spend money for gas for something I might not even want. I'm going for a shoegaze sound, but want something I can do some heavy riffage with as well, so loud is important. I play a warmoth Les Paul. Will the cab's goofy sizing produce a goofy sound? Are the 2 15's going to be far too wobbly and bassy for "normal" guitar playing? My main worry is that the 2 15s will sound awesome for some things like droney chords and lower riffs, but consequentially, really lack in more basic things like a clean lead when I'm jamming with pops. There is plenty of info on 15s vs 12s vs 10s, but Im wondering about them specifically in the sf-era bassman cabs.
I think captain boxman just picked up a silverface era bassman 15 cab. You can ask him what he thinks of it. The only cabs from that era I have experience with, besides the combos, is the oversized 2x12. The other guitarist in my band has one and used it until he got his emperor 4x12. The bassman 2x12 is nice, but is past its prime. It is extremely oversized nearly being big enough to be a 2x15. It isn't extremely heavy as they didn't use super thick wood, but it certainly has its bulk. The oversize may help contribute to the tone but I don't think to any amazing degree.
But to answer some of your questions, I don't think a 2x15 will lack anything really, just give you something slightly different than the normal 12" setup. It will truthfully depend more upon the speakers you have in the cab rather than whether it is 12" or 15". So your quest may be to look at different speakers and see which one would fit your goals if you are interested in 15". I have a weber Michigan 15 and I think it sounds great and not lacking in anything.
I'm gonna second Dazed's reccomendation of the Weber Michigan 15. I've tried a lot of 15's and it is easily my favorite by far and is the only I would feel fine gigging with if I had no other speakers paired with it.
Iommic Pope wrote:
Skip, you rule. You hate people so much, you're willing to discredit all human progress, its awesome.
I'll have to look into weber. The ad claims that it comes with the stock speakers, but I don't have too much faith in their condition. I had really only considered eminence speakers since they're pretty affordable and seem to perform quite well.