1965 Fender Bassman Black Panel Piggyback Vintage Tube Amp Head & 2×12 Cab AA165
Saturday, October 16th, 2021
Up for sale, a 1965 Fender Bassman head and matching 2×12 cab in excellent condition and in perfect working order. This vintage Black Panel Fender amp is very original, and the grillcloth on the head and cabinet is among the nicest we’ve seen. For clarity, warmth, and headroom, this Bassman excels at delivering sweet and articulate Fender clean tones. Once you reach about 5 on the volume dial, the circuit starts to overdrive smoothly and compress a bit, for a raw, thick sound that’s perfect for guitar or bass. It’s a simple and pure vintage Fender “piggyback” head and cab setup that provides a perfect platform for effect pedals and is ready for stage and studio use. Arguably the circuit available for the briefest period of time in the Black Panel era, the AA165 circuit designation is seen on many tube charts (Leo Fender was never one to waste anything), but under the hood, the actual AA165 circuit was only seen for a number of months in’65 before transitioning to the AB165 that would be seen through 1968. This amp is one of few to retain the original AA165 guts. The circuit retains all of the original transformers which date to early 1965 along with the CTS pots and chassis stamp. Both the preamp and power amp have been thoroughly maintained, with new Sprague Atom main filter caps and smaller Mallory caps in the preamp to ensure that the amp is operating within original factory spec. The amp features a modern three-prong power cable as well. On the inside of the head cabinet, the original tube chart is present with an “OG” date stamp which translates to July of 1965. The speaker cab is loaded with a pair of vintage Utah 12 speakers. These speakers are detailed, clear, and quite punchy, overdriving with very rich and balanced overtones. Tested against vintage pairs of Oxfords and Jensens, these Utahs were a surprise favorite, and the original black frames are quite clean, retaining the blue foil Fender labels on the magnets. Cosmetically, this is a clean and well cared for Bassman with original smooth black tolex and silver sparkle grillcloth. All of the original hardware is present, including the tilt-back chrome legs, nickel corners, handles, sphinx glides (feet), and raised Fender logos. The original faceplate is also quite clean and complete with original witch hat knobs. There’s a bit of patina on the hardware, and some expected scuffs and minor wear around the edges of the enclosures, but as the photos show, this Bassman presents very well and would look great in a studio collection. This Bassman is clean, complete, and works exactly as intended for delivering powerful Fender cleans and thick overdriven textures. Check out our shop “Mike & Mike’s Guitar Bar, ” and please let us know if we can answer any questions! We use double thick boxes, 1″ foam, and industrial 1/2″ bubble wrap to ensure that your amp arrives safely. International orders will be declared as merchandise, and the value of merchandise will be declared as the amount paid. We cannot declare anything as a gift or for a lesser value. We do our best to describe all items with honesty and accuracy, but to be sure, please. The item “1965 Fender Bassman Black Panel Piggyback Vintage Tube Amp Head & 2×12 Cab AA165″ is in sale since Wednesday, September 22, 2021. This item is in the category “Musical Instruments & Gear\Guitars & Basses\Guitar Amplifiers”. The seller is “mmguitarbar” and is located in Seattle, Washington. This item can be shipped worldwide.
- Number of Channels: 2
- Number of Speakers: 2
- Model: Bassman AA165
- Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
- Venue Type: Performance
- Amplifier Technology: Vacuum Tube
- Amplifier Type: Stack
- Brand: Fender
- Suitable For: Electric Guitar
