1959 Bassman or Carr Rambler?

[Bodhisattva]

I'm getting ready to trade in a lot of so-so, RI gear and go for a good Tele and a Fender(ish) amp.

Found a '59 Bassman (recovered but other than that and the 3-prong A/C plug it is stock) for roughly $6,000 which is what i've always wanted. However i also played a Carr Rambler today for less than half that, which sounds just fantastic as well.

So i suppose my question comes in, do you go for the coolness of the vintage amp or a modern, possibly more stable amp that sounds pretty good itself?

[rhythmrocker]

ah . . . well, if you got a lot of disposable income, get the 59. If you a poor middle class joe, forget it - get the Carr, a GREAT amp.

Then when you are on stage getting paid John Mayer bucks, get the '59.

[Bodhisattva]

yeah i'm a middle class Joe. I suppose that should have been put into perspective when i just realized who was playing next to me. Kid Rock's guitar player , Kenny Olson. I didn't want to ask who he was but the salesmen were really catering to him so I had to find out.

That's the kind of guy who needs an amp like that. A guy who earns his living that way.

My gut tells me the Carr too.

[Shiny McShine]

I'm getting ready to trade in a lot of so-so, RI gear and go for a good Tele and a Fender(ish) amp.

Found a '59 Bassman (recovered but other than that and the 3-prong A/C plug it is stock) for roughly $6,000 which is what i've always wanted. However i also played a Carr Rambler today for less than half that, which sounds just fantastic as well.

So i suppose my question comes in, do you go for the coolness of the vintage amp or a modern, possibly more stable amp that sounds pretty good itself?

I had a Carr Ramber for a bit and while the Blackface Fender thing isn't where I'm going, it really was an incredible grab and go combo. It's got both reverb and Trem which makes it wonderful for low volume playing. My Strat with 9's sounded thin but the guy I sold it to used a Tele with 11's and it was fat sounding with that amp. (I'm more of a Hendrix guy so you can see that the fit wasn't right). If I were gigging a lot, I'd go for the Carr.

OTOH, The Bassman would suit me. I'd rather just get a less desirable one and have my amp tech convert it to older specs. He can even drop in vintage transformers. He's offered to do that for me for a total budget of around $1200 and his work is outstanding.

[bgoez]

if you've always wanted the 59 get it... I personally always liked the Rambler better than the bassman.

[Bodhisattva]

Good lord man! so many choices , so little money.
Here's the deal, I want to get rid of all gear that is collecting dust and get one or two really good pieces of gear. I want a Tele and a really nice fender type amp so i can play along with Let It Bleed and jam with my buddies.
I'd say the Bassman is a bit much for my life and that the Carr is much more practical but i sure would like to have a nice old Fender.

[3 Mile Stone]

59 Bassman combo? Are they really 6K???

[amp boy]

i think you can get more for your cash than that Bassman......and i would not cater to anything kid rock related.....i actually would had said something to his guitar player, the sales people were lame.........anything to do with kid rock is total shit.
rip off warren zevon.........i don't have words for that low.....and it sound like shit to boot !!

ack......now i'm worked up a bit....hahahhaha.....

[56Tweed]

I really love vintage tube amps. I've had at least two dozen of them, mostly Fender, but also a few Marshall amps. Some are/were cleaner than others, but all of them played very well, but they tend to be fairly simple and not nearly as versatile as a modern boutique amp like the Carr.

As much as I love vintage, I couldn't pay $5-6k for a '59 Bassman. Honestly I would have a hard time paying the going rate to replace my '56 Deluxe at this point given what I paid 13 years ago. If it were just between the Bassman and Rambler, I would probably go with the Rambler.

Another option though, would be to consider taking a Blackface Bassman chassis and put it in a custom cab with a 4x10 configuration. Matched with a good cab, these amps really rock for much less than the Rambler. Not sure what the going rate is, but I think I paid about $700 for the head and a custom antique pine 4x10 combo loaded with weber's speakers.

[Shiny McShine]

Good God man, that's what I'm trying to tell him too. I recently saw a really nice Blackface Bassman rig come through the Portland CL for around 1300. It's not the year that matters, it's some other things which I don't mention here. Your good amp tech and steer you onto an approach for way less than $5K. You could get a Mad Professor for that.

[rhythmrocker]

Good God man, that's what I'm trying to tell him too. I recently saw a really nice Blackface Bassman rig come through the Portland CL for around 1300. It's not the year that matters, it's some other things which I don't mention here. Your good amp tech and steer you onto an approach for way less than $5K. You could get a Mad Professor for that.

Yes - this is the "other way." I've got a '68 Bassman that has been re-capped, runs KT-77's, AA864 on the clean side, London Power Scaling in the head. It's all I mean ALL good. Yep get a tech to go through a Silver Face one and you have an amp for life (one of several, perhaps).
Here ya go: http://cgi.ebay.com/1969-Fender-Bassman-head-Tube-Amp-50-watts-RCA-Tubes-/120695712545?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item1c1a066b21#ht_499wt_1159

[ce24fan]

get the Carr. amazing sounding amp that is built like a tank, oozes fender goodness, and will give you years of trouble free service. Steve Carr is a cool cat. added plus, they hold their value pretty well. i could kick myself for ever getting rid of my Carr Imperial (serial 003!).

[Pa'ani]

I love my Carr Rambler it's my "To Go" amp, great tone and very nice size. Also have you checked out any of the Victoria amps? The Victoria 45410 Bassman is a spectacular amp!

[secndshft]

I wouldn't limit my search to those two. There are some amazing amps out there that are well under the cost of the two mentioned. I agree with the "couple nice pieces" mentality. I try to stick with that as well. I've owned amps that were way above my league, those that should be in studios or on tours. FWIW, there was a full Bassman rig in the emporium for $1000 a few days back if I recall. I'd keep my eyes peeled for a deal.

Best of luck.

[Sweetwood]

If you've always wanted a Bassman, you should probably get that. $6k is way too high. I'm sure you could find a better deal. Victoria makes Tweed clones that might even be better. That being said, the Rambler is an amazing amp too. There are a zillion great choices these days. Never been a better time.

[Bodhisattva]

59 Bassman combo? Are they really 6K???

THis was the Guitar Center Platinium Room in Nashville. I'm sure i could talk them down a bit but that's where it starts. I wondered if that was a bit much. It's been recovered.

I don't have a link to the one in Nashville but here's one in CA. http://www.vintageguitars.net/products/dispProd.cfm?id=193615

Thankful for this group. I was like an alchie about to go for a drink last night. I can't pay that much, i'd much rather have a victoria and the Rambler is much more realistic. I just need a small combo that i can play a tele through with good fender cleans that will take a Tim and Screwdriver pedal ok. The whole Bassman thing came from me wanting to get the tone Hendrix got on Voodoo Chile (the long one from Ladyland)

[Bodhisattva]

I really love vintage tube amps. I've had at least two dozen of them, mostly Fender, but also a few Marshall amps. Some are/were cleaner than others, but all of them played very well, but they tend to be fairly simple and not nearly as versatile as a modern boutique amp like the Carr.

As much as I love vintage, I couldn't pay $5-6k for a '59 Bassman. Honestly I would have a hard time paying the going rate to replace my '56 Deluxe at this point given what I paid 13 years ago. If it were just between the Bassman and Rambler, I would probably go with the Rambler.

Another option though, would be to consider taking a Blackface Bassman chassis and put it in a custom cab with a 4x10 configuration. Matched with a good cab, these amps really rock for much less than the Rambler. Not sure what the going rate is, but I think I paid about $700 for the head and a custom antique pine 4x10 combo loaded with weber's speakers.

Nice suggestion there. Just so happens i have a Silverface AB165. Didn't really think about that. Do you just buy a new chassis or fit the existing one into a 4X10 cabinet?

[Bodhisattva]

btw, the signature is a joke. It's what i had in high school. I probably need to change that.