Played a Deluxe Roadhouse Strat through a Bassbreaker 15 yesterday

[david(j)]

and now I want both!

What a great combination. The strat at my local GC had some fret sprout (seems like everything does right now), but other than that it was awesome. I've been jonesing for a new axe lately, mostly looking at things with humbuckers, and I picked this up out of sheer curiosity. It sounded and played great, looked very cool, and seemed to be more "me" than a bunch of the humbucker guitars I have been playing.

The real surprise was the Bassbreaker! I must not have been paying attention - these things sound killer. I want one. It'd be a great apartment/small gig amp. Great tone, versatile, seemed like it would like my pedals, etc. I'm very impressed.

It was nice to be surprised in a good way.

 

[yacht_rocker]

The BB15's are dynamite. For a while I was using it 4CM with a Line 6 Helix and using the Helix for cleans and the high gain from the Bassbreaker. Now I'm back to pedals so the Bassbreaker is dialed in clean so I can et my gain from pedals. Very versatile amp with a great master volume. The only con I've found is that it is a little dark sounding and could stand to be a little brighter.

 

[Chuckracer]

Yep, my Bassbreaker 15 holds it's own with my Friedman Dirty Shirley Mini and 1x12 cab, played with my Knaggs Kenai and Tom Anderson Classic...hugely underatted amps!

 

[C-4]

I also tried a BassBreaker 15 at our local GC. It was the best Fender amp I had tried in years! I liked everything about it.
My only problem with it was that it weighed 40 lbs.! WOW.

 

[david(j)]

I also tried a BassBreaker 15 at our local GC. It was the best Fender amp I had tried in years! I liked everything about it.
My only problem with it was that it weighed 40 lbs.! WOW.

40 lbs is a definite bummer.

 

[PatrickE_FenderADV]

BB15 is a Blues Jr killer... Great little amp IMHO and Fender will cannibalize their own sales. LOL

 

[Brad8008135]

It was nice to be surprised in a good way.

If you want to be surprised even more, play through a solid-state Fender Rumble 100, and turn the built in distortion up slightly. You won't mistake it for a tube amp, but it's a wonderful sound.

 

[C-4]

BB15 is a Blues Jr killer... Great little amp IMHO and Fender will cannibalize their own sales. LOL

I understand that a lot of players like the Blues Jr. amps, but I never understood why. It's just the way I hear things. But the BassBreaker blows away the HotRod line, imho.

 

[Figaro]

40 lbs is a definite bummer.

Yes, too bad the BB 15's cabinet is so heavy. Fender should use a lighter wood, like pine.

 

[Luva]

As a borderline amp snob, I find the Fender Bassbreaker 15 to be a toneful little sucker. No one will mistaken it for a Sampson era Matchless DC30, but a great amp for the price. I found it to have plenty of different sounds, and all completely usable in my estimation.

 

[2HBStrat]

40 lbs is a definite bummer.

Sheesh.....40 lbs. is nothing!.....try carrying a Twin Reverb around!

 

[Neon Trotsky]

Yes, too bad the BB 15's cabinet is so heavy. Fender should use a lighter wood, like pine.

Hmm, this is actually a turn-on for me. I like heavier solid-feeling gear; one of the benefits of training heavy deadlifts regularly, carrying around a Super Reverb or a Twin becomes no big deal haha. I gotta check these amps out.

 

[kselbee]

How much gain is on tap with the BB?

 

[david(j)]

Sheesh.....40 lbs. is nothing!.....try carrying a Twin Reverb around!

Wait...how did we go from a 15w 1x12 with multiple gain levels that's a little heavier than I'd like...to a twin reverb???? Apples and watermelons, huh?

All kidding aside, part of the appeal to the bb15 is the form factor. If it was more in line with a blues jr. weight-wise, I'd fine it even more appealing. I still really liked it.

 

[2HBStrat]

Wait...how did we go from a 15w 1x12 with multiple gain levels that's a little heavier than I'd like...to a twin reverb???? Apples and watermelons, huh?

All kidding aside, part of the appeal to the bb15 is the form factor. If it was more in line with a blues jr. weight-wise, I'd fine it even more appealing. I still really liked it.

I think those amps are both fine for what they are, and lower weight is definitely a plus!

 

[Figaro]

Get a BB 15 head and a Mojotone Lite pine extension cabinet that only weighs about 10lbs.

 

[Jeff_G]

Adding my voice to the chorus of the BB 15 being a Blues Jr killer!

 

[dazco]

Wow, i didn't realize the BB15 was so well received here, as i haven't seen a lot about it. Has me wanting to try one. But at $650 i'm gonna have to pass in my current $ state. Perfect amp for me as far as features tho. Exactly as i'd want it including the 3 position gain which is a great idea because designing the circuit to have the same gain as gain #3 when the knob is on 10 would not allow the lower settings to be optomized. So fender obviously did that so each range would be optimized for its particular amount of gain. great idea, just would have liked to see it footswitchable.

 

[Braunzo]

I wouldn't compare the Bluesbreaker 15 and the Blues Junior. I think they accomplish entirely different things.

As far as the weight goes, I'm not so sure it's the cabinet that's heavy. I imagine to make that little amp sound big, they probably used bigger transformers. 15 watt amps are cool, but if you want them to sound big, especially once you get them up and cranking, you need a bigger transformer or they just sound weak.