how do you date tube amps?

robert(original) · Post by **robert(original)** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 5:24 pm

im trying to figure out when the bassman amp i got from aen is from.
anyone know how to correctly dat this stuff?

More Cowbell · Post by **More Cowbell** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 7:07 pm

PM James.

Or look for a date stamped on the inside somewhere?

Justin J · Post by **Justin J** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 9:52 pm

on the tube chart there should be two letters stamped. look them up on:
http://www.fender.com/support/amplifiers.php

you could also look at transformer and pot codes for more accuracy.

robert(original) · Post by **robert(original)** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 11:45 pm

ooohhh thank you.
there is a stamp on the side, i can;t remember what the first bit of it was but i know the last two digits were 68.
i don't feel like taking it apart again right now, but it seems like it could be anything from a 67-75 so far.
it sounds great tho! a year is just a tag i get to brag about anyway.

Justin J · Post by **Justin J** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 2:20 am

got any pictures of it?

More Cowbell · Post by **More Cowbell** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 3:22 am

I can't believe I missed a perfectly great oppurtunity to answer the question/title of this thread by replying with...

Well you can try buying one a drink first.

bah doom tish.

Bacchus · Post by **Bacchus** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 3:27 am

More Cowbell wrote:I can't believe I missed a perfectly great oppurtunity to answer the question/title of this thread by replying with...

Well you can try buying one a drink first.

bah doom tish.

I've been waiting for this reply all day.

robert(original) · Post by **robert(original)** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 3:45 am

yeah, i got a load of pics but tracys camera is being a bitch again.
silver face, silver, white black blue cloth.
2 channels(bass intrument, normal) with two inputs each.
volume bass, and tone per channell.
and its says bassman - amp, instead of bassman - 50 like the later 70's ones say.

aen · Post by **aen** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 4:09 am

Heyyyyyyyy, I bet you forgot that it was alittle bit hot rodded to be louder, and becasue of that only the normal channel works, i think? DID YOU ROCK IT YET?

Justin J · Post by **Justin J** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 4:42 am

does it have aluminum edging along the grill cloth?

robert(original) · Post by **robert(original)** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 6:03 am

the bass and the normal inputs work just fine.
ther is some mesh around the top of the cab itself, is that what you speak of?

robert(original) · Post by **robert(original)** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 6:05 am

here are some shots of it

aen · Post by **aen** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 6:15 am

robert(original) wrote:the bass and the normal inputs work just fine.

Ohaha, NM.

robert(original) · Post by **robert(original)** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 6:21 am

i took the amp itself out and cleaned all the pots, and studied the soldier joints. 95 % of them looked Original, but there was a few that looked tampered with.
im not 100% on this tho.
it sounds great either way, i have tried two guitars and 1 guitar 1 bass with it so far and its passed with flying colors, it defenitly dirites up really nicely.

robert(original) · Post by **robert(original)** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 6:24 am

more pics

light rail coyote · Post by **light rail coyote** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 9:30 am

that like the first year of silverface. all of the first year silverfaces had that chrome ring around the grill cloth. It's porbably a 67, or 68.
My 71 has a date stamp inside it for the day, month and year it was inspected

robert(original) · Post by **robert(original)** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 1:25 pm

how many bassmans do you have?

light rail coyote · Post by **light rail coyote** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 5:27 pm

I had 2. sublimedo has my other one now though

paul_ · Post by **paul_** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 1:55 am

BacchusPaul wrote:
More Cowbell wrote:I can't believe I missed a perfectly great oppurtunity to answer the question/title of this thread by replying with...

Well you can try buying one a drink first.

bah doom tish.
I've been waiting for this reply all day.

To be honest, I thought "PM James" was meant to be one of those. Call up The Ladies Man while you're at it, we'll square away the tarting up and the learning of the lines in one intensive seminar.

LimpDickCheney · Post by **LimpDickCheney** » Tue Dec 02, 2008 4:21 am

That is a late 67 or early 68. It has the "drip edge" around the grill and thin black lines separating the controls. The way to be certain is to get the date codes from the transformers and the pots. If you tell me the numbers from the transformers, then I can tell you the year and week it was likely built.