JP's Gear Review v2.0 - Ep.4 - The Bassbreaker Saga

jplesage · 2022-10-11T18:09:43.000Z

A while ago, I decided to get a new guitar and an amp to go with it. The guitar is fine, the amp… not so much.

Instead of going with my first choice, a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe, I decided to try something different and I got a Fender Bassbreaker 15W.

It sounds good, but only when you use it very conservatively within its capacities. It’s a nice little home-use amp, but it does not have much utility if you want to use it as a pedal platform or use it up to its full potential. It has some issues that really manifest themselves with pedals or with certain guitars, or just simply after playing for about 20 minutes.

Long story short, I returned it and ordered a used Hot Rod Deville instead for a similar price. It should arrive shortly.

You can read all the juicy details in the blog post I made here: JP's Gear Review v2.0 - Ep.4 - The Bassbreaker Saga

Anyone had similar adventures where you tried a very promising piece of gear and it ended up being disappointing once brought back home?

pcarter · 2022-10-12T11:40:00.000Z

Maybe? Oh yeah. A Breedlove acoustic guitar. I heard a kid play one at a recital and was blown away by the sound. I also like the fact that they’re not as well known but make a quality instrument. I test drove one at a local music store and was pretty impressed, but I only played it like ten minutes. I found one I liked the tonewood combo on Ebay and bought it. Turns out the nut width is too narrow for me and literally hurt to play. I think I got my money back out of it when I sold it. Can’t remember.

The Epiphone double neck. Man I got screwed over on that one by the music store where I used to work. Anyway that’s another story. The neck joints were unstable as heck. The tuners absolute garbage, the controls chintzy and when I pulled the pickguard off to clean out the electronics I discovered this thing was made out of PLYWOOD! Knowing what I know now about wood working this makes sense from a stability standpoint, but this was a price point I didn’t feel that sort of thing was appropriate. I unloaded it for a third of what I gave for it. Now I see used prices going for what new prices were when I bought it. Ugh.

I had customers have buyer’s remorse. I really tried to avoid this though and got pretty good at it. By and large my customers rarely returned things.

jplesage · 2022-10-12T11:55:21.000Z

AnungUnRama:

Maybe? Oh yeah. A Breedlove acoustic guitar. I heard a kid play one at a recital and was blown away by the sound. I also like the fact that they’re not as well known but make a quality instrument. I test drove one at a local music store and was pretty impressed, but I only played it like ten minutes. I found one I liked the tonewood combo on Ebay and bought it. Turns out the nut width is too narrow for me and literally hurt to play. I think I got my money back out of it when I sold it. Can’t remember.

The Epiphone double neck. Man I got screwed over on that one by the music store where I used to work. Anyway that’s another story. The neck joints were unstable as heck. The tuners absolute garbage, the controls chintzy and when I pulled the pickguard off to clean out the electronics I discovered this thing was made out of PLYWOOD! Knowing what I know now about wood working this makes sense from a stability standpoint, but this was a price point I didn’t feel that sort of thing was appropriate. I unloaded it for a third of what I gave for it. Now I see used prices going for what new prices were when I bought it. Ugh.

I had customers have buyer’s remorse. I really tried to avoid this though and got pretty good at it. By and large my customers rarely returned things.

Plywood?!? Sweet juvenile deity… Anything worth more than 350$ should not use plywood…

About buyer’s remorse, it’s the second time I returned music gear because it was 100% different at home than in store. The play-tests you can do in store are usually not as exhaustive as what you can do at home (unless you bring your gear, and I wasn’t about to bring 2 guitars and 56 different pedals…). The thing I like about Long & McQuade is that they really work with you to make sure the stuff you buy really does what you need it to. Some other store that shall remain unnamed have much more strict policies and you’re pretty much stuck with what you purchased, unless you want to pay 35% restocking fees.

pcarter · 2022-10-12T12:00:17.000Z

jplesage:

AnungUnRama:

Maybe? Oh yeah. A Breedlove acoustic guitar. I heard a kid play one at a recital and was blown away by the sound. I also like the fact that they’re not as well known but make a quality instrument. I test drove one at a local music store and was pretty impressed, but I only played it like ten minutes. I found one I liked the tonewood combo on Ebay and bought it. Turns out the nut width is too narrow for me and literally hurt to play. I think I got my money back out of it when I sold it. Can’t remember.

The Epiphone double neck. Man I got screwed over on that one by the music store where I used to work. Anyway that’s another story. The neck joints were unstable as heck. The tuners absolute garbage, the controls chintzy and when I pulled the pickguard off to clean out the electronics I discovered this thing was made out of PLYWOOD! Knowing what I know now about wood working this makes sense from a stability standpoint, but this was a price point I didn’t feel that sort of thing was appropriate. I unloaded it for a third of what I gave for it. Now I see used prices going for what new prices were when I bought it. Ugh.

I had customers have buyer’s remorse. I really tried to avoid this though and got pretty good at it. By and large my customers rarely returned things.

Plywood?!? Sweet juvenile deity… Anything worth more than 350$ should not use plywood…

About buyer’s remorse, it’s the second time I returned music gear because it was 100% different at home than in store. The play-tests you can do in store are usually not as exhaustive as what you can do at home (unless you bring your gear, and I wasn’t about to bring 2 guitars and 56 different pedals…). The thing I like about Long & McQuade is that they really work with you to make sure the stuff you buy really does what you need it to. Some other store that shall remain unnamed have much more strict policies and you’re pretty much stuck with what you purchased, unless you want to pay 35% restocking fees.

Right? Heaven forbid I ever need to amp shop again. I shudder at that thought and will fight to keep my current rig running until The Lord returns. With all these guys going all digital/in ears and whatnot, here I come wheeling a massive 2x12 combo the size of some 4x12 speaker cabs and my Sennheiser mic in a bag slung around my shoulder - home made pedal board riding atop the silver tolex, 4-wheeled chariot. I’ll never find another rig like this.

donhaskins · 2022-10-26T10:34:16.000Z

Curious if you or anyone has tried the, what is it, 30 watt Bassbreaker model?

jplesage · 2022-10-28T21:50:43.000Z

donh2112:

Curious if you or anyone has tried the, what is it, 30 watt Bassbreaker model?

I tried the 15W model before I purchased it (of course), and the 18/30W just for gits and shiggles at a different store last week. It sounds like the 15W model, except louder. It’s closer in functionality to a Hot Rod Deluxe but it doesn’t sound as good. I did not try the effect loop but since it’s mostly the same design, it probably suffers from the same shortcomings.

I received my “replacement” Hot Rod DeVille (that I’ll review as well eventually) about 1½ week ago, and I’m trying to find a way to properly record it with a mic, so the video demos don’t sound like crap. It’s awesome and I regret not trusting my instincts and getting that originally. It’s an entirely different beast and I love it!