Help!!! My new Bassbreaker 15 (with the fix) is unplayable...

[Woowoo]

I just bought a Fender Bassbreaker 15 combo after trying it in the shop and falling in love with it. It is a new model with the black plastic thing that supposedly fixes the well-known effects loop hum issue.
I brought it home and plugged it in the same power outlet I've used with my DRRI and DSL40 without any issues, connecting exactly the same pedal board.
As soon as I turned it on I immediately realized I'm in trouble... as you can see in the video it's not just the effects loop hum, as soon as I increased the gain on any setting, the buzz becomes unbearable. I ran it through a UPS unit hoping that it would help with the quality of the line but it made absolutely no difference.
Any ideas?

 

[Steppin' Wolfe]

Just curious....What are those two plugs you are taking into the back of the amp? Then, in the last section there is something plugged into the input of the amp. I advise not to have anything plugged into the input when trying to assess the kind of problem that we hear in the first section.
Eliminate all variables outside of the amp, imho, if you want to start homing in on a situation like you have there.
Best bet....back to the shop...or at least to another circuit in your home/studio/wherever....and then to the shop if the problem is not found to be in the circuit off of which the AC is coming.

 

[Jeff Gehring]

Yep, I'd take it back. No reason to accept that...

 

[Steppin' Wolfe]

OKay, woowoo, I reread and now see that the cable in the back was for the effects loop test. Did you move the amp to another location to check that aspect?

 

[gldtp99]

If the OP's amp is indeed making this noise by itself (and not a result of bad cables or effects in the FX Loop)----- and the issue is not caused by bad AC power in the OP's home------ then this will be yet another faulty brand new amp built/sold by a big name company.

The Bassbreaker amps can have various noise problems, as seen in YT vids.

I semi-ranted against these types of amps in an earlier post here on TGP (the OP had problems with a new Bassbreaker) and was pretty much ignored.

Bassbreaker 15's cost @$650 in the USA.

It seems players would rather buy one of these amps that are poorly and quickly constructed with components that barely meet operational specs instead of paying for a high quality, hand built amp put together by someone who knows what they are doing.

Yes, i'm talking about well built amps that commonly last and sound great for decades.

Could the big name companies build high quality amps instead of these cheap, failure/problem prone, POS, snap-together toys ?

Of course they could.

But they are in the business of Making Money more so than the business of producing quality musical equipment.

And as long as players hurry and buy the newest cheaply built POS amp (repeat cycle over and over)--- this will never change.

You get what you pay for.

 

[Steppin' Wolfe]

gldtp69, I have never seen one of this Bassbreaker series. They seem to be built to the same price point/quality of the Blues/Hot Rod series amps to my eye...

Fender knows where the money is to be made, it seems. This construction looks a lot like many of the modern Marshalls, imho.....
I am glad I do not need to buy a new Fender amp.....they don't make one for me. Nor does Marshall.

 

[Jeff Gehring]

The thing I can't figure, is why anyone would put down money on one of these cheap PCB rigs, when for the same or even LESS money, you can buy a really nice late 60's silverface head (Bandmaster, Bassman) that will last indefinitely and which are among the EASIEST amps in the world to maintain. Every now and again I scour Reverb for these amps just to see if a person can still buy one for a decent price. Wasn't but about a month ago I ran across a '68 Bandmaster, cloth wire, Ajax caps, and squeaky clean, for $550. Not that I'm permitted to BUY them, mind you...

 

[Steppin' Wolfe]

Testify!

 

[Penguinchit]

I think people have to consider that not everyone has the knowledge base of what's available, what's good and what's bad. Selection and familiarity play a big part in the decision role. A lot of guys might not want to ask because here, they'll get a flood of info that is impossible to navigate or get flamed for not doing enough research. Before harping on someone's choice of gear, we should try helping first.

And as far as helping, I am of no use, partially because I have no experience with that amp and partially because I just am of no use.

 

[gldtp99]

Ok, I'll help !!

I suggest the OP take that amp back to where he bought it and use the warranty he paid for.

If he likes the amp's design/features he could get another one and hope that it works properly.

If the replacement amp does work properly then he should play the heck out of it and have fun.

We tech types do realize that most players aren't technical experts, and there's no good reason for them to be.

My ranting post was aimed mostly at the fact that poor quality amps are now very popular (not that I really expect this to change anytime soon).

Not against the typical player who just wants to buy a "good amp" and often will choose an amp produced by a "Big Name" company that has a long history of building musical equipment.

Sorry if I sound like an old guy "Yelling at Clouds".

I am a disillusioned "Old Guy" amp builder who is tired of players bringing me modern amps that are inop and expecting me to repair them for almost nothing (and I would have to re-engineer the cheap construction of these cheap POS amps, in many cases)

 

[Steppin' Wolfe]

(not that I really expect this to change anytime soon).

I believe that we can expect it to change....for the worse. there are 'tube' amps on the market right now that are imho not worth the time to open them up to understand that they are throw away amps if anything goes haywire. And...the general buying public has no awareness.
I was told today that a repair I made to the molded reverb cables that Fender uses looked 'cheap'. The owner of the amp didn't complain to me or inquire as to why I used the replacement plug that I did. He complained to someone else. He doesn't understand that you can't repair a molded end on a cable....you cut it off and put on a metal RCA plug that will last for decades instead of a year or two. OR...you order a new cable from Fender that won't last any longer than the last one did. This is a classic case of someone not knowing that they don't know enough to make an assessment of a situation.....and they don't want to learn.

 

[Jeff Gehring]

You should have fixed his mistaken 'cheap' impression with your bill!

 

[Woowoo]

"It seems players would rather buy one of these amps that are poorly and quickly constructed with components that barely meet operational specs instead of paying for a high quality, hand built amp put together by someone who knows what they are doing"

Being a hobbyist, I can neither justify nor afford spending 3K on a boutique amp. While I have no doubt that a Lamborghini is more well built than a Ford Fiesta, at the same time, I don't think it is unreasonable to expect a branded commercial product to work as advertised without major flaws, even it it costs only €600. My DSL40c and Tiny Terror (both bought used) are similarly priced and they work just fine.
Used vintage amps are hard to get in my part of the woods, and those available can be hit and miss for someone who's not very familiar with electronic circuits.
I took the amp back to the shop, it seems that it was a lemon so they gave me another one. I can't say that it is 100% silent, but the hum is at an acceptable level so I'm keeping it.

 

[cap47]

Since I have built two amps and am now building a third I have no interest in what is offered today. Besides I have the bug. When I have completed each build there is a let down because I really enjoy doing it. I am taking my time with each of the last two builds even building the cabinets too. The third one is taking me the longest (6g3 Head) because I already have two good ones done and am not as anxious to have it completed as I was with my 1st build mojo kit 5e3. My son can't understand why I keep building them since I already have a 60w Supersonic, a Peavey VK 50w and a Crate Acoustic amp. It doesn't make any sense because I haven't sold any of the amps I have and I have been investing in new tools for building the cabinets too. He says I am an Amp Hoarder LOL! I also have seven guitars. I am 70 so why do I want all that LOL!

It keeps me busy so what the hell! I can fix any of the amps I have built myself and don't have to fight with shoddy boards and parts mainly because I won't live long enough LOL!

I hope you have your amp problem sorted out by the swap. You could build an amp and learn and have fun too!

 

[Jeff Gehring]

Charlie, I'm right there with you! Personally, I'd probably watch every episode of "Amp Hoarders" (and probably appear in an episode as well).

 

[JJman]

I jammed with a guy who brought his brand new Bassbreaker. Mediocre tone to me but maybe they sound great.

 

[Woowoo]

I jammed with a guy who brought his brand new Bassbreaker. Mediocre tone to me but maybe they sound great.

There are 4 different Bassbreaker models, the only one I like is the 15w version that I bought. The other ones I didn't care for either. Too boxy.

 

[59Vampire]

Could these run NOS el84s?

 

[burner]

"It seems players would rather buy one of these amps that are poorly and quickly constructed with components that barely meet operational specs instead of paying for a high quality, hand built amp put together by someone who knows what they are doing"

Being a hobbyist, I can neither justify nor afford spending 3K on a boutique amp. While I have no doubt that a Lamborghini is more well built than a Ford Fiesta, at the same time, I don't think it is unreasonable to expect a branded commercial product to work as advertised without major flaws, even it it costs only €600. My DSL40c and Tiny Terror (both bought used) are similarly priced and they work just fine.
Used vintage amps are hard to get in my part of the woods, and those available can be hit and miss for someone who's not very familiar with electronic circuits.
I took the amp back to the shop, it seems that it was a lemon so they gave me another one. I can't say that it is 100% silent, but the hum is at an acceptable level so I'm keeping it.

Yeah....I took two brand new TRRIs back to the shop in one day, then i just opted for a new CVR.
Ha...do i need to even bother telling you how *that* turned out?

 

[bigtone23]

The thing I can't figure, is why anyone would put down money on one of these cheap PCB rigs, when for the same or even LESS money, you can buy a really nice late 60's silverface head (Bandmaster, Bassman) that will last indefinitely and which are among the EASIEST amps in the world to maintain. Every now and again I scour Reverb for these amps just to see if a person can still buy one for a decent price. Wasn't but about a month ago I ran across a '68 Bandmaster, cloth wire, Ajax caps, and squeaky clean, for $550. Not that I'm permitted to BUY them, mind you...

It's not all about maintenance. Comparing a BB15 to a Bassman/Bandmaster is apples to oranges. Does a stock Bandmaster or Bassman have switchable gain levels for plug and play distorted tones? Cab compensated direct out which is usable when the amp is in mute mode? Effects loop? An onboard 12" speaker (the OP bought a combo) and switchable impedance settings for the extension cab? Are they 15W via a pair of EL84? All that and there is a good chance that the bargain you got on the old Fender head is going to be offset a touch by some new tubes, maybe some caps and resistors, too.
I love my Bassman, but it took a little work to get it to be an amazing guitar amp, but it's nothing at all similar to the BB15 in tone and function.