All user reviews for the Fender Bassman 200

I bought my amplifier from the BASS PLACE in Tempe, Arizona for $495.00 in May of 2002.

The pseudo-parametric equalizer is completely user friendly with all "good" settings throughout the full range of settings (much better than many "fussy" equalizers with only a narrow selection of "useable" settings?! I also like the balance of the case in relation to the recessed handles. It's well engineered to be able to pick up easily and handle without throwing your back completely out?!

I am a 3 day a week working musician (with a regular "day" job in the Aerospace Industry) and treat my equipment with extreme care since I know it will only remain dependable if I take care not to abuse it. However this amp is a night-mare for both reliability and repair?! I had mine in 4 times in seven months for various problems varying from squeal through both the XLR and the external speaker (bad ground loop and "runaway thermal" problems) to extreme, random "popping and cracking" also coming out of both the XLR and the external speaker. The fifth time my amp just randomly "dropped out" with no sound but all the lights still lit? A short bang on the top of the cabinet would get it running again briefly and then it would drop out again. The one main repair facility in Phoenix was just "shot gunning" parts out in an effort to "guess"```````````````````````````````` the nature of the problem. It was a classic example of "one thing being fixed and another dieing" in just a short while afterwards. Finally, the "straw that broke my back" was when Fender sent an brand new amplifier from their factory warehouse to replace my "lemon" and literally "HOWLED" with feedback and noise at the very first turn on?!!!

The repair facility found "cold solder joints" or POOR circuit board workmeanship. This is for the benefit of new buyers out there.......DON"T buy this lemon!!!!!!!!! Why do you suppose there are so few on the music store floor????? Guess?........quality. Additionally I strongly suspict a poor amplifier design in this amp. A good amplifier design would be a lot more robust than this "TURKEY"

Poor quality, inept service available, Also very thin sounding bass on the bottom end next to similar 200 watt amplifiers available for a slightly higher price range like the Ampeg BA115 HP that I bought new to replace this "thing". I've owned a bassman 100 tube amplifier for over 20 years of club, playing throughout the 70's and only had a cracked magnet on a speaker over all the years I owned it. Now, I told Fender directly in their corporate offices in Scottsdale, Arizoan that I'll NEVER buy a Fender amplifier again.........ever!!!!! They've lost control of their quality process and I have little hope they'll gain it back? I just don't have time when I'm busy playing gig's to worry about the reliability of the equipment I buy so Fender is HISTORY.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

I went ahead and stayed with a local music store named Sound Stage here in Fresno, CA. They've always been friendly and very fair to me. I needed a quality combo amp for use at church and in practice and giging. I kinda played "price wars" between two stores until I was sick of it. I ended up getting her for $625 out the door (and they even threw in a set of strings).

This is an amazing sounding bass amp. The lows are stongly supported, the mids have great body, and the highs...The highs just glisten through the horn. The versitility of this amp can range from great jazz tone to a mean slap configuration all of the way to a quality punk tone. The tone is so versitile due to the great control fender gives to the user: Low, mid, mid freq. (offers drastic changes), high, room balance (compensates for acoustic extreems such as carpeted, crowded room to hard wood floor in a large gym - comes in handy 100% of the time), enhance botton (in - slap, out - finger picking, tap, ect..), compressor, and a limter (this saves you if your dumb enough to peak this equipment). I'm also quite content with it's passive/active botton which comes in handy when you use both. The back of this unit is very nice because it has another contol pannel just for the sound guy (this keeps them away from your settings, I hate that) that features an xlr line out for p.a. feed or recording, and their line out level. My last favorite thing about this amp would be the tuner out, it makes it a lot easier then unplugging or running through the tunner.

It's hard to really say something bad about the amp. If I have to pick on somthing, it would be the speaker. I'm not big on fender bass cabs (I'm more for ampeg) so I'm not to fond of the 15", but there's not much I can do about that. The bassman preamp makes up for it 100 times over. This repaces my peavy minx 110 (I strongly discourage you from buying peavy, they sound like cheap car stereo), so I feel bad complaning about such a small deal.

This amp is a brick. I'm not so sure that I could break it if I wanted to. Well, maybe, but I wouldn't try. It has a great metal grill to protect the speaker. Despite the strength of this unit, it is somehow a very bearable weight to gig around with. The thing has a 5 year waranty on it. Fender seems pretty confident in it's construction and quality. I've had it just under a year and tote it around everywhere I go, it still looks brand new.

All in all, this is my favorite combo amp, moderatly ranged of course, that I have played yet. It has met every need I have yet run into. I suggest you at least check one out.

This review was originally published on http://www.musicgearreview.com

It's been a year since my bassman 200 and jen am delighted!
In concert, when you can not dub bass, no problem, just push it to half a room for 300 people ...
Another + for concerts, gnralement it through the bass live by a DI then goes to the amp ... But bassman200 an XLR output to avoid losing a piece of the quality of its ...
The only ngatif I got his HP is 4 Ohms, which does not connect speakers suplmentaires ...

UTILIZATION

I have rarely seen an amp as simple to configure, in 1min you find your sound, I prfre TRS far as the radial potentiomtres bassman that qualiseurs linear much longer configure ...
For those who are seeking to avoid mdiator and sound mtalique, there is a button enhancer that will smooth the sound ... and if that's not enough, use the compressor Intgr ...

SOUNDS

I play principalemnt Reggae Ska with still a month ago an Ibanez SR400 and now a ibanez GWB2. amplifier gives its trs round, and for those who love the slap, the tweeter provides superb attack ... I put every note without hsiter the maximum because I love the sound of the fender! But it's all about musical styles and got ...

OVERALL OPINION

Before you buy, try jai
the Marshall lamps and transistors, they are known for guitars but for low EST horrible.
Artke: Brands trs known but also most appropriate style punk rock I think ...
Peavy: I got horrrible
BSE: prstige brand but did not sduit ...
Behringer: only make small amps <120 Watts
Ashdown: I have good amps hsiter
Laney: If you have a small budget, it is not hsiter they are well
That's basically what I try, and it's fender has won my heart

Transistor amplifier

Power 200 Watts

Adjustments rather basic (bass / treble / medium /) etc ... but have the MRIT to be simple and effective ..

+ Rglage of the horn.

UTILIZATION

Simple is easy, little button, little rglages.

argler sound is easy, thanks to the potentiometer to adapt his sound to the config of the room in which we play (full and carpet / tile vacuum and ...)

SOUNDS

Rather versatile use, I had a little trouble finding a good sound Departure of the fact that it is not too suited to Metal or similar .. it's Fender do not forget ....

but after some adaption me I found her a rather honest, we must not forget that the bass also has a role to play, and in my case I have a Yamaha RBX 370. which is a very versatile bass has a penchant for metal it seems ...

but should probably have all the fan of Slap ...

OVERALL OPINION

I use it for 2 years it took me a while to adapt to rgalges and I find that I like her really. because this is my first amp. I tried a few models 150 watts before acqurir but they all had equalizers, which seemed inrglable for the novice that I am ....

I love: its ease of use

I Naime not: those 30 pounds!

good value quality / price, but you should know that I bought in prdiode balance ... a - 30%.