converting a re-issue Bassman

[Stratosaurus46]

I have a re-issue 5F6-A Bassman with the PCB. Who makes a good kit with circuit boards and components? Don't care if it's a fiberglas or fiberboard. Any info or direction would be appreciated.

Thanks!
Stratosaurus46

[Jazz P Bass]

I am confused by this post.

You want to change the Fender pcb to an aftermarket pcb?

[Stratosaurus46]

I am confused by this post.

You want to change the Fender pcb to an aftermarket pcb?

I want to replace the current PCB with a point-to-point board. I wanted to use new components on the board, keep the current PS, and add adjustable bias. Any ideas you've got would be appreciated. Thanks!

[Leo_Gnardo]

I did a few of these in the early 90's: Doug Hoffman is your friend. Now available in several forms, pick one that works for you:

http://hoffmanamps.com/MyStore/perls...ER_ID=!ORDERID!

[Stratosaurus46]

I did a few of these in the early 90's: Doug Hoffman is your friend. Now available in several forms, pick one that works for you:

http://hoffmanamps.com/MyStore/perls...ER_ID=!ORDERID!

Thanks for that. Hoffman's site has a list of all the components I'll need, circuit boards, and even sells the parts. I'll have to get over my ADD and get it done. Thanks for the info.

[loudthud]

Then there is this: Fender Style 5F6 A Tweed Bassman Tube Amp Board Set with Components | eBay

[jbltwin1]

I hate to be the SOB that asks this BUT___Why in the hell would you WANT to take a perfectly good and OPERATING amp and do that? Why not wait until it pukes and THEN work on it? I mean, if it's trashed, that's one thing but to just do it because it is PCB sound like trouble to me. It's hard enough to fix this stuff when it's ORIGINAL, much less after it's been altered to THAT extent. JMHO. Mike.

[Stratosaurus46]

Then there is this: Fender Style 5F6 A Tweed Bassman Tube Amp Board Set with Components | eBay

Thanks for that. I also found Ceriatone, somewhere in Malaysia. I'm checking on whether it'd be cheaper to order the unassembled board there, the eBay offering, or ordering the separate components from Hoffman. Frankly, I'd rather do business with Doug, just to support a somewhat-local source.

[gui_tarzan]

Because he can?

[Leo_Gnardo]

I hate to be the SOB that asks this BUT___Why in the hell would you WANT to take a perfectly good and OPERATING amp and do that? Why not wait until it pukes and THEN work on it? I mean, if it's trashed, that's one thing but to just do it because it is PCB sound like trouble to me. It's hard enough to fix this stuff when it's ORIGINAL, much less after it's been altered to THAT extent. JMHO. Mike.

That little pinch of clarity, what you get with a ptp wired turret or eyelet board. After having done a few, I had another customer who wanted me to build a 5F6A Bassman from the ground up. I recommended he get a reissue, see how he liked it. Liked it so much he bought a backup, then never had 'em converted to ptp. Takes all kinds... FWIW it's rare that anyone around here wants it done now. Must have been trend of the month mid 90's.

[Stratosaurus46]

Well, I forgot to mention that it had been modified to include the bias pot mod, and two of the resistors fried, requiring removal of the original PCB to repair. I had owned the amp originally, sold it 20 years ago, and the current owner wanted me to fix it. I wanted to improve accessibility for future repair/modification. If it was fully functional, I wouldn't mess with it.

[Stratosaurus46]

I really liked the sound of the re-issue Bassman, but in order to get the sound I wanted, the amp was too loud for most situations in which I was involved. I think perhaps that I'll build one for myself, but with 6V6s with an output level switch so I can run it at 10 or 20W. I can build the cabinet out of hardwood or pine, but if I do it with pine, I'd have to have someone cover it. If I make it out of beech, I can do a light stain and tung-oil it. I'd just buy a standard baffle from Mojo with the oxblood/stripe, and use Jensen re-issues.

[Chuck H]

Sounds like the amp is aching for an upgrade

But I'm typically on board with jbltwin1. Extensive surgery often causes more problems than it fixes. And we've seen many cases here where a novice dove in and couldn't get back out, even with our help. Amps that ended up sold for pennies on the dollar as "projects" on *bay no doubt. And the more experienced here sometimes scoop 'em up. If you don't have the experience and understanding to fix the bias circuit then you might not be up for this project. IMHO unless you've done enough soldering to know what fails and what fixes and know some basic electronics so you can trace circuits you could end up snafued because of multiple problems. Even a couple of wiring errors can be hellishly hard to troubleshoot if you don't know circuits and how to interpret meter readings. Just fair warning. If you're not sure what you're getting into, you're going in over your head. Much better to learn to swim before diving in to the deep end.

Ok... Scare tactic aside... Point "A" to point "B" seems simple enough. And this sort of project has worked out enough that these kits sell. I'm not immodest about this forum. You're well off to have found this place. It's the best on line resource you could have come across. You've probably done enough looking around since your join date to know that by now. So we have your back. Just know that if it doesn't go perfectly you may have a row to ho ahead getting things sorted.

On a personal opinion note...

If I were a novice, or even a pseudo novice that had trouble with a bias mod, and all I wanted was a good amp to play through, I would take the amp to a shop and get it properly evaluated and fixed. Then I would get a quad of good speakers for it and call it macaroni. Unless you're interested in learning about electronics this project isn't a very good idea. Lots of those amps are working fine with the boards they were made with.

I think the Eminence 1028k is just about the best deal going for an alnico 10 and sounds better than great in a 4x10 open back cabinet.

[Stratosaurus46]

Sounds like the amp is aching for an upgrade

But I'm typically on board with jbltwin1. Extensive surgery often causes more problems than it fixes. And we've seen many cases here where a novice dove in and couldn't get back out, even with our help. Amps that ended up sold for pennies on the dollar as "projects" on *bay no doubt. And the more experienced here sometimes scoop 'em up. If you don't have the experience and understanding to fix the bias circuit then you might not be up for this project. IMHO unless you've done enough soldering to know what fails and what fixes and know some basic electronics so you can trace circuits you could end up snafued because of multiple problems. Even a couple of wiring errors can be hellishly hard to troubleshoot if you don't know circuits and how to interpret meter readings. Just fair warning. If you're not sure what you're getting into, you're going in over your head. Much better to learn to swim before diving in to the deep end.

Ok... Scare tactic aside... Point "A" to point "B" seems simple enough. And this sort of project has worked out enough that these kits sell. I'm not immodest about this forum. You're well off to have found this place. It's the best on line resource you could have come across. You've probably done enough looking around since your join date to know that by now. So we have your back. Just know that if it doesn't go perfectly you may have a row to ho ahead getting things sorted.

On a personal opinion note...

If I were a novice, or even a pseudo novice that had trouble with a bias mod, and all I wanted was a good amp to play through, I would take the amp to a shop and get it properly evaluated and fixed. Then I would get a quad of good speakers for it and call it macaroni. Unless you're interested in learning about electronics this project isn't a very good idea. Lots of those amps are working fine with the boards they were made with.

I think the Eminence 1028k is just about the best deal going for an alnico 10 and sounds better than great in a 4x10 open back cabinet.

Thanks for your input. I'm an ex-Navy comm and radar electronics tech school grad, and I've been modding amps since I got out in '71. I've black-faced a dozen or so silvers, so far, and I built a Marshall 18-watt circuit into a silver Princeton chassis, for which I had the late Sam Hutton build a brown gatorhide head cab twenty years ago. I own a couple dozen black, brown, blonde and tweed (original) amps, and they all work. I'm pretty well-versed in soldering and wiring. I know it's not a job for novices. I wanted to do the same to my Blues Jr., but the only source of which I'd become aware quit selling the parts due to potential legal issues.

And thanks for the info about the Eminence 1028s -- I usually have to hook Jensens up to a stereo for ten or twelve hours before installing them in a guitar amp. The wide frequency response of a hi-fi amp seems to loosen up the Jensens.

[Stratosaurus46]

I just ordered an eyelet board and all the on-board parts from Doug Hoffman. Thanks for the tip!