Fender Bassbreaker 18/30 - Amplifier Manual

Also See for Bassbreaker 18/30:

Owner's manual (29 pages)

Owner's manual (4 pages)

Service manual (15 pages)

Table of Contents

Contents

1 Introduction
2 Control Panel
3 Rear Panel
4 Specifications
5 Documents / Resources
- 5.1 References
- 5.2 Download manual

Fender Bassbreaker 18/30 - Amplifier Manual

Introduction

The Bassbreaker 18/30 is a dual-channel/dual-power combo amp with terrific features and the sound of pure tube greatness. Bassbreaker guitar amplifiers continue the acclaimed lineage established by the great Fender Bassman® amp of the late 1950s, taking classic Bassman design and "breaking" it with features including unusual-for-Fender circuitry and components, dark gray tweed covering, refined pointer knobs, and the early Fender block-letter logo.

Bell-like clean tone comes from channel one, which is a 30-watt version of the venerable Blackface Fender Deluxe. To easily crank clean tone into warm, greasy overdrive, channel two is an 18-watt version of the brown 1961 Deluxe amp. Four EL34 output tubes provide aggressive midrange character, and vintage-style Fender circuitry makes for notably pedal-friendly operation. Other features include dual 12" Celestion® V-type speakers, an impedance select switch, post power amp line output, and an included channel-select footswitch. Bassbreaker 18/30 also pairs neatly with the Bassbreaker BB-212 speaker enclosure.

Register your Bassbreaker 18/30 online at www.fender.com/product-registration.

Control Panel

INPUT: Plug instrument in here.
VOLUME: Adjusts channel one volume.
BASS, MIDDLE, TREBLE: Channel one tone controls.
CHANNEL TWO: Press to switch between channels; illuminates when channel two is active.
The included FOOTSWITCH (O) can also be used to select channels.
VOLUME: Adjusts channel two volume.
TONE: Adjusts channel two tone.
POWER INDICATOR: Illuminates when Bassbreaker 18/30 is on.
STANDBY: Standby mode (switch down) keeps tubes warm and is used during short intermissions in lieu of turning amp off. Deactivate standby mode (switch up) when resuming play. When turning POWER on (I), put amp in standby mode for first 30 seconds, and also for 10 seconds before turning POWER off.
Using the STANDBY switch helps extend tube life by reducing heat stress.
POWER: Turns Bassbreaker 18/30 on (up) and off (down).

Rear Panel

IEC POWER INLET: Using the included power cord, connect to a grounded outlet in accordance with the INPUT POWER voltage and frequency specified at the power inlet.
FUSE: Provides electrical over-current protection. With power disconnected, replace a blown fuse only with one of the type and rating specified on the amp's rear panel.
POST POWER AMP LINE OUT: Provides a line-level signal (with tone shaping from the channel in use). Power amp distortion, if any, can be sent to effects devices such as delay or chorus units and to the effects loop or power amp input of another amplifier (signal can also be sent to external recording interfaces and sound reinforcement equipment; note that this offers no speaker emulation).
PARALLEL SPEAKER OUTPUTS: Connect external speaker enclosures here. To use internal speakers in combination with an external speaker enclosure, plug external enclosure into EXTENSION SPEAKER. To use an external speaker cabinet only, plug external enclosure into MAIN SPEAKER (internal speakers will automatically be disconnected). See table at right for acceptable parallel speaker enclosure impedance combinations for Bassbreaker 18/30.
IMPEDANCE SELECT: If no external enclosures are connected to PARALLEL SPEAKER OUTPUTS (M), this switch should be set at the 16Ω position. To avoid damage when using PARALLEL SPEAKER OUTPUTS, this switch must be set in accordance with total impedance load as shown in the table at right.
FOOTSWITCH: Connect included channel-switching singlebutton footswitch here.

Acceptable parallel speaker enclosure impedance combinations for the Bassbreaker 18/30, with correct IMPEDANCE SELECT switch (N) settings:

INTERNAL SPEAKER	MAIN SPEAKER	EXTENSION SPEAKER	IMPEDANCE SELECT
16Ω	NONE	NONE	16Ω
16Ω	NONE	16Ω	8Ω
16Ω	NONE	8Ω	4Ω
DISCONNECTED*	16Ω	NONE	16Ω
DISCONNECTED*	8Ω	NONE	8Ω
DISCONNECTED*	4Ω	NONE	4Ω
DISCONNECTED*	16Ω	16Ω	8Ω
DISCONNECTED*	16Ω	8Ω	4Ω
DISCONNECTED*	8Ω	8Ω	4Ω

* warning NOTE: When a plug is inserted into MAIN SPEAKER jack, internal speaker load (16Ω) is automatically disconnected and does not affect total impedance load.

warning To avoid damaging the amp, put it in STANDBY mode (H) or turn it off (I) when changing speaker connections and IMPEDANCE SELECT switch (N) settings.