Thinking of shaking up my amp game...

[CyaNitrate]

So I've got a 1979 Vibrolux Reverb. 40 watts, 2x10 combo. I recapped it, blackfaced it, and revoiced the normal channel to a tweed/marshall sound, and turned that channel's bright switch into a bass/mid boost. WGS speakers, its pretty sweet. Buuut, the power tubes died, and it's just been sitting around for a bit, cause I haven't gotten around to getting new ones.

A really sweet 1969 Bassman just popped up semi-locally, with the drip edge and matching 2x15 cab, for what I think is a pretty good deal, $750. The thing looks stupid clean, was recently retubed and three pronged. Caps weren't done, cause the tech said it didn't need it (I would inspect them myself, i did all the work to my VR).

So it's only 10 watts more, but it would be 2x15, as opposed to my 2x10, and i could safely run a bass through it. I've been getting more and more into stuff like Sleep and Boris, And I feel like the 15's (which are JBL D140F's) would lend itself more to doomier, sludgier, C standard riffs.

So, would you put the VR on the block for the Bassman? I'd be losing reverb and trem, but gaining 10 watts and much more speaker surface area. And the thing looks amazing, mine is very road worn, which is kinda cool too.

[Iommic Pope]

Unless you are REALLY attached to the verb and trem, DO IT.

[PeteeBee]

I'd swap it up.

[CyaNitrate]

Unless you are REALLY attached to the verb and trem, DO IT.

This is the response I was expecting (and kinda hoping for). Welp. I guess I'll list it and see if I get any bites.

[Iommic Pope]

Hey, you know in your heart that a great pedal platform and more speaker surface is the right move to make your conversion to Weedianism complete.

[CyaNitrate]

Which is funny, because even though I love that theme, I've never been high outside of a dentist's chair.

[Adamadamadam]

I think bassman (bassmen?, bassmans?) are the absolute cat's pajamas. I say do it. Those 2x15's are absolute monsters as well. Is it the side-by-side, or the refrigerator-sized stacked one?

[crochambeau]

JBL D series are a very forward and bright speaker family. 140s are going to be deeper than the 130s, but if you're wanting to dive into doom/sludge you might want to consider swapping those out, especially if you ever pair up with more powerful amps. They'd probably play nice with the 50 watt Bassman (which are lovely amps), but they don't like 3 digits.

[CyaNitrate]

Refrigerator stacked style. I mean I suppose you could turn it sideways, but the speakers are straight as opposed to on an angle.

So any speaker recommendations down the line? I know little about 15s and have never had them. I looked on the Eminence page and they have a total of six..one red coat, one patriot, one legend, and three bass speakers.

I'm a guitarist first and foremost, but would/should I lean to the bass speakers? And conversely, would the guitar speakers be hurt by a bass? My thought was always yes, but I know around here a lot of people have amps and speakers that handle both instruments.

[crochambeau]

I wound up with an Eminence Delta 15 that will be going into my cab (which is a different design than the Fender, FWIW), no idea what it will be paired with yet, I've an Altec 418 in there IIRC. Honestly, the D140 is probably a fine starting point with the 50 watt head. I believe I planted 140s, it might have been 130s into a cabinet driven by a Traynor YBA-3 and the speakers did complain (and sounded way too cutting & forward for my taste) - so my comment there is probably more along the lines of "be careful in the future".

My feeling is that pretty much any 15 should accommodate a standard bass guitar as well, if you like to get weird and push subsonics then concern over mechanical travel of the driver might be more critical, but again 50 watts of tube (as in, output transformer coupled) power is going to be more easy going on drivers. Most of my speaker failures in the past have been P.A. related (and noise, so...), though I've had a number of cookouts at 100+ watts of tube whereas anything below 60 just seems to keep on going regardless of the source.

[rfurtkamp]

I love the JBLs for regular ol' music - weird and otherwise, but as noted, it's not going to get you to superdoom status.

The cab itself won't either, the old ones weren't really designed to get you there and are just boxes for speakers with no real thought to acoustics.

That said, you're not going to get realistically louder with a Bassman.

Don't get me wrong, I loved mine for years and they were my preferred touring amp, but...

Not going to be a huge change over what you're using now except speakers.

[CyaNitrate]

That's probably fine, because I'm not in a band or gigging currently, just play in my music room.

There are a few pre-1971 (no master volume) twins for about the same price, as well as a Traynor YBA-1 on CL. I figure the bassmaster will be in the same ballpark as the bassman, and the twins..would be stupid loud. It's an option, but I was leaning towards the head and closed back cab over another combo. I mean, I could gut one and make it a head, but I dunno.

[rfurtkamp]

Yea, both the Twins and the Bassmans aren't bad low volume amps to be honest.

Keep in mind you can pull half the output tubes on the Twin as well.

But realistically, do whatever makes you happy.

A Bassman is a fine, fine play at home amp.

I loved mine for that but at the time it was pay for bills or keep it, and I didn't *need* it.

Ended up replacing it a year or so later with a HRDeluxe and didn't look back.

As long as it's got a BF-tone stack and 6L6s, I'm generally happy if it's Fender.

[Iommic Pope]

Crochambeau is on it with the Deltas.
All the Doom Roomers running 15s on low guitar swear by the full range and power they can handle.
Plus if you want a bass cab, then you've already got one.