I'm a hobbyist jamming with a drummer in my basement. Got a fender bassman 150 and it's output is barely loud enough to be heard above acoustic drum kit. When I played guitar, I had a fender frontman 25. I'd read many posts about an better/improved speaker for that amp, and it did really improve the output. Therefore, wondering if there is a similar recommendation for the bassman 150.
Thanks
It's unlikely that a speaker change will improve the situation. According to reviews on Talk Bass the Bassman 150 is a loser, worthy only for bedroom practice. One thing you might try is to switch the compressor off and check to see that the speaker control switch on the rear of the enclosure is not in the -6dB position.
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
I plugged my bass into an Orange 25 watt bass amp and it was just a tad quieter than the Fender, albeit sharper sound due to 8" speaker. As an amateur, I would have thought that 150 watt amp would be much louder than the 25 watt.
If the amp is under warranty, take it to an authorized Fender service center for a check-up. It sounds like something may be amiss.
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
First off, thanks for taking the time to respond. Unfortunately, this was bought used from GC a while ago. I've confirmed the settings you spoke about in your earlier response. I've no problems "opening it up" and looking inside and testing things out but would only likely see the amps/volts/ohms output (digital multi-meter) to the driver rather than actually testing inside the amp.Originally Posted by phantomman
As I peruse different bass forums, I'm getting a much better understanding of how all this stuff works. Since I like to research and build things (built an electric bass body from scratch), and since it's unlikely that I'll gig (I'm 71), I just want my rig to be heard over the acoustic drums. I've been researching the design and build of either a 2x10 or 2x12 cab, about 250 - 300 watts and connecting the amp from the 150 to the cab. the driver in the 150 is 4 amp. I am curious about the performance of a cab with greater capacity than can be supplied by the amp.
thanks again
A more efficient speaker system would improve the amp's performance but to what extent I cannot say. Theoretically a 150-watt amp should provide ample power to drive a 2 x 15 folded-horn enclosure but such a physical layout would run counter-intuitive to the concept of a small, portable combo amp.
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
I'm not sure how Fender measures the 150 Watt output of that amp, but with a single 12" speaker, you are not likely to get that much volume. You said you built your bass guitar. Are you sure you are getting enough output from the pickups?
I get plenty of volume from my 50 watt (RMS) Fender Bassman into a 2 x 15" cabinet, but this rig is anything but portable, although I have had it out to a gig or 2, before I built a 1 x 15" home made cabinet.
"When You're Riding Down the Highway at Night, And You're Feeling that Wild Turkey's Bite" ZZ Top
+1
Try plugging a different bass into the amp and see how its volume compares to that of your own instrument.
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
I've got several bass guitars. My favorite is a Rogue into which I installed SD P-J pickups and replaced all the pots, tuners and output jack. Also restored a Beatles bass with fleabay humbuckers, new pots and frets. My DIY bass has vox-like single coils. They all perform, volume wise, similarly with the two amps. Is there a way, using a digital multi-meter, to measure the amp output, like volts and amps?
Portability is not a concern since I'm jamming in my basement, so getting separate components is not an issue. In effect, looking for an easy change like I did with my Fender guitar amp.
Thanks all
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