Review – Fender Bassman 800 Bass Amp Head and Fender Bassman 410 Neo Enclosure

Fender, considered by many the first name in all things bass, has just recently updated their catalog with the release of the Fender Bassman 800 Bass Amp Head. Accompanying the review is the ever-clean and punchy Fender Bassman 410 Neo Enclosure.

The Fender Bassman 800 Bass Amp Head gives you the mix of modern and classic tones. There are two channels available, which are vintage and overdrive. The channels can be switched with either the toggle switch or a footswitch.

The vintage channels have the four basic controls needed, which are Volume, Bass, Mid, and Treble. The Bass control can also be pulled out for deep bass, and the treble control can be pulled out for brightness. The overdrive channel has controls for Gain, Blend, Volume, Bass as well as two controls for Mids, being frequency & level, and Treble. As with the vintage channel, the Bass control can also be pulled out for deep bass, and the treble control can be pulled out for brightness. There is one master volume control for both channels and when pulled out, it mutes the Fender Bassman 800 Bass Amp Head.

This amp head is one of the most versatile two channel heads I have seen in quite a while. A lot of the gigs I do cover all styles of music from classic country to classic rock. It was nice to be able to quickly get an even level balance between the two channels and switch between them depending on the genre. The vintage channel fit in really well with the older genres and the overdrive channel really put out the overdrive and tone needed for some of the classic rock and newer tunes.

The Fender Bassman 800 Bass Amp Head packs a punch with 800 Watts at 4Ohms. There are two tubes for the preamp, and they are 12ZX7’s. Other features include two input jacks, with input at -6dB, which is perfect for active basses. There are two speakon outputs that also support 1/4” speaker cables for connectivity to bass enclosures. There are also connections on the back panel for the included foot switch, tuner, preamp output and power amp input. Connectivity to a PA or soundboard is provided via an XLR output without level control for output, pre-post EQ toggle button, and toggle button for ground lift.

The Fender Bassman 410 Neo Enclosure that accompanied the 800 for the review is rated at 1000 watts and boasts four 10” Fender specially designed USA neodymium speakers and a compression driver horn.

The Bassman 410 is a great match for the 800, producing everything from tight, punchy and clean lows to brilliant highs. As with the 800, the 410 inputs are two speakon outputs that also support 1/4” speaker cables for connectivity to the 800.

Handles are recessed on the sides and it does come with wheels to assist with easy transport. The enclosure is built with 7 ply 3/4” white birch plywood and the total weight of the Bassman 410 is 64lbs. Fender also offers other enclosures that work great with the 800 in both the Neo enclosures and the Rumble series enclosures.

The Fender Bassman 800 Bass Amp Head and Bassman 410 Neo Enclosure are a match made in Bassland. Be sure to check out all the great product offerings from Fender at a music retailer near you!