Fender '59 Bassman LTD Reissue 410 Combo

Well. I have a RI 90`s model and just got my hands on a new oe right now(about a week ago).
Sounds creamy, really smooth or loud n shattering.
Its a dream amp, on stage and studio and truly I can compare it with other huge amps.
I also own a JCM800, and a twin reverb.
Damn... I love it.

Can take on any pedal and you still fell the tube warmth on its sounding. For me its the tube amp for small venues and small gigs. A giant sounding one...

Its a very very good amp for any classic tones, from the shadows cleans, thru jazz, to any classic rock...
The best amp for an all purpose night, with a single amp on stage...

My old RI still rocks... really hard... and believe me... not eve the flight case would be enough for the beatings it took aloong the years...
the looks, well... its a oldie, but souns like a new one.

Never needed!

If you`re looking for a valve amp, capable of endure on road... this is the best around. Mean machine on stage... sparkin cleans and a bit of classy distortions thru conbination with the knobs on the board, but... pedals... He takes them like I`ve never seen before...

Outstanding!!!

Been covered.

I'm lucky enough to have a '59 (holy grail!) bassman that my uncle left me. He was a great guitarist & decent on the maintenance front, so the amp was always maintained instead of kept as museum piece. I can't imagine anyone that's played a well-maintained original finding the RI to sound very close to the real deal, or very good. The RI doesn't come anywhere close to sounding as good as some of the "clones" made by boutique builders, and it doesn't have the build quality. It's a pretty average tube amp, all said--lotsa mass-produced amps sound this good! Grading on a curve, against what it's supposed to be, it gets low marks...

Again, compared the originals or similarly priced clones, this ain't close. Leo's amps in the '50s & '60s were nails, these are like thumbtacks. It's no wonder that he left f$$d%r to start his own amp company after CBS took over. But he'd probably coudn't have conceived of the the lackluster quality on what the modern yo-yo F$nd^r C0rp. is throwing out there for too much dinero. Purely speculative, but if LF was alive an' kickin', he'd probably chose to buy a bassm@n-esque amp from a co. w/ a better build!

The FM1C is now notoriously poor on this front

I'm with the folks that worship the early f#nd$r amps, but the RI is totally UNWORTHY. my ol' b^ssm@n makes me smile everytime I play it (& miss my cool ol' uncle even more), but these RIs just leave me puzzled...about who'd buy one...

Well, I've waited years to write this but I think its about time I give Fender the credit they deserve for creating such a beautiful piece of work! Absolutely the best all around amp I've ever owned in my life and worth every penny! You may ask how versatility could come from a two channel (really basically one) amp. The answer is... This amp takes any kind of pedal very well at any volume and it has the most musical, harmonic, voice at any level. More talk about that later. Not many "features" yet loaded with features due to its super useable tones at any volume level and its super adaptability to any pedal. No channel switching here. If you're spending big money on amps to go the "preamp" distortion route with amps that switch only preamp channels anyway, you might as well buy a bassman and put your extra money into a quality pedal board with a few good flavors of distortion on board. I'll guarantee you'll be happier in the long run. I certainly am after trying every amp imaginable and spending tens of thousands of dollars doing so. This amp, in spite of its "vintage" look, will give you any flavor you so desire with the right pedals to suite your style of playing.

I use all kinds of guitars and guitar pickups with this from les paul to telecaster. However, I primarily gravitate to a strat because of versatility and feel. I have a rock band, I am a worship leader at my local church, and I am a session player. Of all the amps I own, I gravitate to the 59 Bassman for just about all applications. I own more than one 59 Bassman, and I have both circuit board and hand wired bassmans. Although they do have different characteristics, they're all very close in performance and I love em all! I will add that I do have quite an extensive pallet of effects. Of course the fewer pedals/effects you put in front of it the better but the 59 bassman takes pedals super well. Pedals or none, the amp tone is amazing. I own many amps and I've had the chance to a/b and use lots of different amps for lots of different applications and still I always seem to go back to the bassman. I'm a huge VanHalen fan so I tried really hard to love marshall 100w plexi's more but now I see why Jim Marshall was trying to build a "high powered" bassman amp when he built them. He built a great amp! Clearly one of the greatest ever but Marshall is its own thing. The Marshall plexi's (all models) definitely grind but they all seem to break up too early for me no matter what type of tubes I use. I play everything from classic rock to metal to country to pop to hip-hop. The 59 Bassman gets it all! That's why it gets a 10 from me!

I've NEVER had one break down on me. Had a jewel light go out once. That's about it.

I work very closely with a Fender artist rep who has been very kind and helpful. I would like to think all customer service is the same from Fender, whether you're an artist or a hobbyist.

I've been playing guitar for 32 years and I've owned too much gear to mention. I keep at least two of these around so if one did get stolen I'd be pissed but I wouldn't have to cry. If one were stolen or lost I would definitely replace it with another. I realize that rating music gear is about as subject to opinion as rating music itself but in my opinion, the 59 Bassman is the most versatile and sweetest sounding amp of them all. If someone said I was only allowed to have one amp for everything I do I'd have no problem picking a 59 Fender Bassman. ...any of them! Original, Reissue, or LTD RI.

I bought this amp used. It was made in 2003 and has been well looked after by its previous owners. If you aren???t already aware of the specs, the Fender website and the other reviews here will give you a much better technical overview.

The ???59 Bassman LTD reissue is the first tube amp that I???ve owned in my 18 year on-again-off-again relationship with the guitar. I???m a big fan of bluesy electric music and the SRV sound; I???d been looking for something that could at least put me in that sonic ballpark at home and when jamming with friends. With no plans for gigging, I???d actually set my sights on a much lower powered amp, the Special Edition Tweed Blues Junior to be precise.

Unfortunately, the local (Australian) price for a new Tweed BJ is around the $AUD1500 mark, which to me, just doesn???t seem to be good value. Plus since the stores I spoke to were only able to get them in on special order, so I could only base comparisons on YouTube clips.

I bought my Bassman sight unseen and unheard on eBay, which is something I wouldn???t recommend or do normally, but for less money than a brand new Tweed BJ it seemed like too good a deal to pass up - and I???m glad I didn???t.

I was concerned that the 50-watt, 4x10 Bassman would be too much amp for me (the 15-watt BJ would have been more than enough power already), but with the volume at 1-2 this amp is still a joy to play through without upsetting the neighbours. It???s actually quite compact too for what it is, and though it is heavy enough (24kg) to make you think twice about moving it, it???s convenient enough for one person to be able put it in the back of a car and transport it without too much of an issue.

The features of the ???59 Bassman LTD reissue aren???t really in the knobs on the top of the thing, or even in the cool looking tweed covering and oxblood grille, they are more in what it does for your sound. You can hear the characteristics of your guitar and the subtle nuances of your playing amplified and made more musical through the Bassman regardless of which channel you are plugged into or what settings have been dialled in. I???m beginning to appreciate why experienced players are so critical of amps of this calibre, and why replacing tubes and performing modifications seems to be the norm.
As someone who has only really had experience with solid state amps, the stock reissue Bassman is everything I need for a good sonic foundation.

I feel like I???ve been watching VHS my entire life and all of a sudden someone has shown me Blu-ray on a widescreen HDTV. That???s how differently I hear my guitar now. I???m not sure I can ever plug back into a solid state amp.

To me, this amp sounds fantastic straight up with no effects. I???ve been told multiple times by more experienced players that your amp is the other half of your instrument and I???m only now really experiencing what they meant.

In the past, I spent my money on some quality guitars (American Standard Strat and Les Paul Standard DC+), as well as a few cheaper ones (Danelectro U2 Reissue, Ibanez GAX 70) but up until now I haven???t been able to hear what they are really capable of. In fact, in the past few years I???d rarely even plug into an amplifier because I preferred the sound and response of an acoustic guitar.

That???s changed now with the Bassman. It???s so responsive and it just brings out the sound of your guitar and your playing. Little things like percussive string slaps and the sound of fingernails hitting the strings through finger plucked lines all come through with a pleasing musical quality.

When I first plugged into the Bassman I started out with a poor attempt at some SRV style blues through a Keeley TS9DX Flexi, but by the end I was just so into the sound of the amp, I???d plugged into it direct (despite the true bypass in the pedal) and was plucking my Danelectro with my fingers as if it was an acoustic.

I???d previously thought the Dano to be weak and a bit harsh sounding on my solid state amps (Peavey Bandit 112/Peavey Rage 158), but through the Bassman on the normal channel, I get a sparkly jangle through chords and single lines have a certain warmth to them. Add the TS9 to the mix and it overdrives beautifully. The Bassman has rekindled a fondness for this guitar. Conversely, the hum buckers on the GAX 70 (which I tended to favour over the Dano through the solid states) sounded flat and lifeless through the Bassman. I???d say that???s probably more to do with the cheap pickups in that guitar though (a lot of people complain about them on the net) rather than an indication of how this amp handles hum buckers. I can???t wait to plug in my Strat and Les Paul DC to do a proper single coil/hum bucker comparison.

Years ago I played my Strat through an old Fender Twin that belonged to my mates??? dad. I fell in love with that Fender clean sound, but that amp could hurt ??? both in terms of volume and in terms of transporting it. Now I realise the Bassman is a different beast altogether, but the clean tone has that unmistakably Fender character that I???ve always wanted, with a warm round tweedy texture that is a pleasure to play through - a guitargasm, if you will. It???s the first time I can say I???ve been addicted to an amplifier. The only downside is that now I just want to try even more different guitars through it.

My search for a new tube amplifier started out with an attempt to emulate some of my favourite blues players, but it???s ended with me discovering more about getting my own sound out of the gear I???ve got already. This amp has been a real eye/ear opener for me.

I've just bought it so I can't say. However it was made in 2003 and it is still in as-new condition.

Never had to deal with them.

For me, this was an eBay bargain that I am really thankful for. For other home/hobbyist players it would probably be hard to justify the Australian RRP of one of these new (around $AUD3,000 if online retailers are to be believed) but if you can find one of these used or discounted you will really enjoy your electric guitars that much more, even if you???re not using the amp to its fullest potential (plus it will be a cool looking piece of furniture in whatever room you have it in).

If it were lost or stolen, I???d be heartbroken, but I???d get together the cash for a new one and then sample as many other amps in the price range using my experiences with the Bassman as a benchmark.

This amp has helped me see electric guitar playing in a whole new light and just makes me want to play more. With the history behind the '59 Bassman, and the generally positive user feedback around the reissues, if you???re looking to build up your guitar sound then this amp is a good place to start. At the very least try one out and use it as a reference point. Hey, if it worked for Jim Marshall...

Made in Corona, but I don't know what year (bought it used last year for $699 in almost mint condition).

2 X 6L6 at 50 watts through 4 X 10" blue Jensens in the open backed solid pine combo cabinet is plenty loud enough for any venue I play, including outdoors, mic'd or not.

Came with a manila packet of stickers, tags, etc., and a brown Fender dust cover.

I use a maple fretboard/alder bodied G&L Legacy (s/s/s) with G&L's alnico V pickups, for everything from Classic Soul and R&B, to Blues based Rock, and a little Country between the lines.

I love the clean tone of the Bright #2 (padded) input with the treble and bass turned down some (2 - 3), and the middle 7 - 8.

Sometimes I need effects for some leaders, so I use a Boss ME-50 inserted between the the Bright #1 linking over to the #1 Normal input. Then I use the onboard pedal of the Boss unit to ramp in/out the effects.
The extra distortion on the Boss unit can shake the tubes and induce microphonic squealing and mechanical noise if I'm not careful how it's set up (the amp still has the stock tubes).

Other than that it's my favorite rig though I have some smaller amps too for when I just don't need to bring the Bassman's power.

After a year it's just now starting to make a bit of extraneous noise when first lit off until it warms up, so there's a tube getting out of spec I guess.

I generally don't bring a spare amp, just fuses, solder, etc. I'll buy some new tubes soon and get them in there and keep the old ones for spares before they get any worse.

The light burned out too. They just don't make either like they used to.

There's a 5 year transferrable warranty, but I have no idea how old this amp is. I'm sure the speakers and tubes are beyond warranty.

I trust Guitar Showcase a lot more than I'd trust Fender to do the right thing about anything, though Joe Carducci the Gretsch boss (FMIC) is stellar and a standup guy. He should be made CEO.

50 years experience.
This is my main rig though I have smaller Kustom and Roland stuff too.

I love the straight-in tone. Plenty of grunt too.

It's a bit heavy but lighter than a 410 Deville I had.

Great tweed tube tone and response.

The presence control makes it everything I could need. The G&L Legacy is a great match because I can turn down the bass on the guitar if the speakers flap a little.

Its reliable and predictable and sounds good in all rooms.

I'd replace it in kind if need arose.

You know the features already. NOrmal channel and bright channel. 50 watts. 4 10 inch Jensen speakers. Brilliant simplicity

The amazing sound is why you buy a Bassman. The clean channel is crystal clear and articulate on the bright channel and thick and responsive on the normal channel. With single coils the Bassman stays fairly clean on the bright channel all the way up to 5 on the volume knob. It breaks up a tad earlier on the normal channel. All the clean headroom you will ever need. If you are willing to play at ear shattering volumes this amp has the most luscious natural distortion you could ask for, especially with humbuckers. Personally I put a Crunch Box in front and it gives me all the Plexi dirt I need. This amp takes pedals better than anything I've ever played.

Gigging with it for over a year. Only issue is the jewel light. It always flickers on and off. Doesn't really bother me.

Never used their customer support

My band plays mostly gritty, funky blues. Think ZZ top meets Black Sabbath. We have an occasional clean song as well. This amp is perfect. It only weighs around 47 lbs which is surprising considering it has 4 10's. I have been through Orange, Traynor, Egnater and Peavey amps. None of them could provide the sheer beauty and simplicity of sound that this amp provides. At gigs I jumper the channels keeping the bright channel volume a bit higher than the normal. It is perfection. When I need the grit I step on my Crunch Box and it feels like a wall of Plexi Marshalls coming to life. This amp has ended my holy grail amp search. Try this amp and you'll buy it!!

'59 Bassman LTD, 2007.

The control panel has been mentioned in other reviews.

The valves (tubes) are Groove Tube / Fender 12AX7WCs in the preamp and phase inverter, and 6L6GEs in the power section. The rectifier was a Fender / Ruby Tube 5AR4.

FOUR (4) INDIVIDUAL RCA-STYLE PLUGS FOR THE SPEAKERS. YES, ONE EACH. WHO THOUGHT THIS WAS A GOOD IDEA???!!!

Meat. Potatoes.

At low volumes it's clean. Nice and responsive. But that's not why I bought it.

With volumes bridged, guitar into bright channel, vol 5, normal channel vol3, it overdrives very nicely with a Les Paul. Crunches well with a Tele, too. Strats are still pretty clean at these settings. However, these settings take overdrive pedals really well. A bit of level into the front end and it takes off into full rock saturation.

Still bridged, but vols at 9.5 and 5 respectively (on a scale from 1 to 12), it's fully saturated. Cleans up beautifully with volume control at the guitar. Takes O/D pedals well, to get out into very heavy distortion.

I run this amp with the bass and treble nearly turned off. The mids and presence are up very high.

It can get a bit woolly and woofy at high volumes if you don't tame the bass. This is a function of an open cab, but it needs to be mentioned.

I took out the Groove Tube 6L6GEs and put in some old Tung-Sol 5881s, as per the originals. This gives me earlier break up (i.e., more distortion at any given volume setting), and a nice nasally tone to the overdrive. I have also replaced the first preamp valve with an RCA 5751. This gets me a little more power-section crunch and tames the top end a little.

I have also used new manufacture Tung-Sol 5881s (from New Sensor), and they sound identical to the old US 5881s to me. They're a good choice for this amp.

I have also replaced the Ruby GZ34 with a NOS GZ34.

Semi-OK. Mine came with a crackle coming from the V1 valve base. It also had a rattling rectifier valve. These are warranty issues, and Fender (eventually) dealt with them.

Poor. Fender has a local dealer and a local repair man. Between Fender's slow response time, and the repair man's turn around time, it took two weeks to get a simple warranty job done, and he still didn't do it right!

On the up side, they did acknowledge that the faults were warrantable, so I didn't have to get into an argument over that.

I like this amp. It does the Tweed thing very well. I like the valves that came with it, too. The GT / Sovtek 12AX7WCs are a good, strong, reliable 12AX7, and the 6L6GEs are simply superb. I took them out of this amp and they now live in my Super Reverb where they belong. They sound terrific.

I DON'T like the four individual speaker outputs. This makes the use of an attenuator a pain in the ar$e. It is just a stupid idea.

I remain unconvinced about the Jensens, but overall, this amp sounds great, and does the rock and blues thing very well.

If you want an amp with built in effects and all the bells and whistles, look elsewhere. This is as straitforward an amp as you can get. No reverb or vibrato but that doesn't take anyhting away from this amp.

I have has this amp for a few years now and just recently found the SWEET SPOT. So for those of you who are not happy with the overdrive they are getting out of this amp, flabby lows and ice pick highs, READ ON.
My mistake with the amp was the normal channel. I never gave the bright channel a chance because I though that the normal channel was bright enough. The trouble with the normal channel is when you start to turn the volume past around 5 or so. Things start to get unballanced in the sound. Bass gets flabby, highs get harch.

This is the exact opposite with the bright channel. At lower volumes to me its a little too bright but when you get up around halfway on the volume, everything balances out. The breakup sounds like nice smooth, warm, natural overdrive. You can get some sweet Rolling Stones stuff out of it.These are the settings I use.
Bass-0 Middle-12 Treble-0
As far as I am concerned this is the only way to set the amp.I do have to note that I did retube the amp with JJtubes which I highly recomend. I am not sure how these settings sound on stock tubes. So these settings might get you part of the way there and a retube will get you the rest of the way

Have had the amp for a few years and aside from a loose screw one in a while, no problems.

Nothings broke down.

I hope this review will help some poeple out who could never get a nice overdriven sound out of it. It has given me a new love for this amp. Hope to have one as long as I play.

The bassman LTD Needs changes to make it sound like a great AMP You dont need , A Hand wired that sales talk . I have playing for 50 years .

My 59 bassman LTD made in 2005 brought in New Jersey and shipped to the united Kingdom so first thing was to buy a Stepdown transformer . to 110v .it was to loud with the Grove tubes 6L6 a very nice tube. So brought down the voltage from 485 to 460 volts then change tubes to NOS 5881 Tungston. Then changed rectifia to a NOS Mullard GZ34 . Changed Preamp tubes to Grove Tubes 12AX7M Then Changed two Bottom Speakers to Weber 10A125-0 which have the 40oz magnet . Now you can play the amp at home . on vulume 3. I mixe the two channels and play out with the amp on vulume 5 to 7 using Fulltone overdrive I have three Custom strats With lace sensors and also have a 1971 LP custom and a 345 gibson . to me the LP and the Strats sound best for playing the Blues and Rock Blues soloing . It costs a little to do the Changes But then you will have a Great amp and one that you can carry . Twins can
not compete with four for speakers

No Problems

The amps is Customised so no warrenty

50 years

2 bright and normal inputs perfect for stacking (where you put a small chord from normal input 1 to bright input 2 and plug into bright input 1) bass mid and treble knobs and separate volume knobs for both channels and a presence knob.(I have a add on master vollume box that goes on top but it doesnt come with tha)

I am in 2 bands and also play for my church in one band i need some heavy distortion and this if you use it right can get like classic rock but cant get quite enough amp distortion for metal. good thing it takes pedals very well. i swapped out the tubes for smaller power cutting tubes and it made it have a terribly screeching noise when using some pedals. the 4 10 inch speakers are very sharp and even when you turn the treble down its still bright.NOT A PRACTICE AMP unless you have a master vollume added or just have no close neighbors.

its built like a rock

awsume the perfect amp if you like sharp classic rock tones and not extreme distortion or weird effects (i had a 150 watt line 6 dont get them they are very quiet and not really the watts they say)

This was purchased in 2007. You know the features like the back of your hand. It's been around for a while. The best feature is probably the fact that if a speaker blows it will not damage the transformer. The channels can also be bridged for an even sweeter sound.

I play a 1999 Fender American Standard Strat, 1999 Gibson Smartwood Les Paul, 2008 American Standard HSS Strat through a Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb, Marshall JCM 2000 DSL w./1960 BV 4x12 cab with an Ibanez TS9, newer model Tube King and various Boss and MXR pedals.

Everything sounds great through this amp. It sounds big and muscular. It is the sound of pure tone. I bridge the channels for a sweet and bright sound. The only problem I have is that I cannot turn it up loud enough to produce any natural tube overdrive, because it is just way too loud, but the Tube King makes it sound like a Marshall and that is good enough for me. The clean sound is truly inferior to the '65 Deluxe Reverb and I can see why Leo Fender changed his designs over the years, but this amp really has a bright, smooth and solid sound that puts most other amps I have heard to shame. The Fender Hot Rods are also great and have the same basic sound, but they just don't sound as sweet as the Bassman. This is a great sounding amp.

Sometimes, after a few hours of playing the volume fluctuates. I think it is the rectifier tube overheating, because the problem seems to go away when I give the amp more room for air.

Never had a real problem that needed Fender support.

I have been playing guitar as my main hobby for 25 years. I have owned this amp for a year and at times have thought about selling it, but then I play out with it and it just sounds so much better than the other guitarist's Top Hat, Line 6 or what have you that I come quickly to my senses. This amp was reliced by Fender and for $1,000 new-out-the-door I feel like I got an heirloom for a steal. I truly love the sound of this amp.

First of all, I had bought a Supersonic 112 because its versatily, three channels (Bassman included) and reverb, but I couldnt find out the tone that I was looking for. During two months I played it in gigs and rehearsals... I was unhappy. I couldnt get a good sound on Burn channel, very heavy and not smooth as some people are sayind.
So I went to music store to try out the Bassman... my friend, I need to say nothing else. If you wanna get rock tone, this is THE AMP. of course, this is suitable for a lot of styles of music too. But in my case, it is perfect.

This amp was made for me. Simple and full!

there is no reverb and effects loop, but there is TONE. It is what you need to play ROCK.

All knobs work very well. This is important if you use several guitars - LP, Tele, Strat, etc...

Clean sound - It??s perfect. Using my tele the amp sounded like Telecaster. Both channel (bright and normal) are usefull. Using my LP, on volume 3 or 4, slight break-up.

Dirty sound - The amp can be channel jumped. MONSTER! It delivers the real and pure overdrive. If you plug a TS 808 in front of amp, the sound will be perfect. Listen to me, I am not joking, I am saying the true. I have tried out a lot of amps and pedals and I have spent much money all my life. Today I can say - I am so happy.

I think you must try out your new equipment in several places. I made mistake when I gave 10 for the Supersonic in my last review. I had played with it only my home in low volume and not in gigs and reheasals.

With my Bassman I had the first experience in a small club the same day that I bought it. It was fantastic!!! All members of band loved the tone of the amp. The amp improved the sound of my band.

This amp is LOUD. I play it without mic on volume 3 or 4 (channel-jumped)for 200 people with my TS 808 and LTD Barber.

So for ok.

ok.

I have been playing for twenty years. I ever had a lot of amps in my life like Marshall, Peavey, Fender, etc... Sincerely I wanted to buy a Marshall Bluesbreaker 212 but your weight was the problem. Although I think that they have the same tone, of course, every one has its particular characteristic. The Marshall was well suited to my Les Paul and my Tele. I am sure that the Blusbreaker will be my next amp.
I love all in Bassman. I spent five minutes to find out my REAL TONE.
If I was stolen I would buy it again. I think it doesnt need reverb, the sound is so organic and full.

I will repeat again - Try before to buy. Anything. Any model, any amp, any guitar...

It is an amplifier, not an effects box. You can play guitar, bass and other stuff through it, and it sounds great. You can jumper the inputs to attain alot of tonal varieties. It likes stomp boxes. I can even get decent acoustic guitar sound from it. I haven't found a guitar that doesn't sound better through it. It's nostalgic with a very cool vibe. Best of all, It doesn't model anything...

I have been playing this amp steady for three years with a American Strat with Texas Specials, a Les Paul Standard, and an Ibanez 1628 FBNT. I have noticed that it takes a few months for the speakers to break in before some of the warmth of the amp emerges. I have played the amp with several different configurations. Stock with the 6l6's, THD EL 84 tube converters in both the pentode and triode versions, and with and without the use of a THD Hot Plate. They all have their strenghts and weaknesses, but I like them all. The clean in all cases is fantastic! If have owned many Fender amps over the years but this clean is why I bought the amp in the first place. The 6l6's do produce a fantasic crunch tone, but at a price...your ears! This thing is brutally loud in order to produce a respectible power tube crunch. The tube converters reduce the total output of the amp and allow it to break up at much more usable volumes. Love IT!!!

Never had a problem...

Based on the stuff other people have written, I hope I never need them!

I love the sound of this amp. I owned dozens of amps over 36 years of playing, and this is definately my favorite. You can experiment with it to get many diffent tonal options. It's just a fun amp to mess around with. I certainly would replace it if stolen. Also, if you have one of these, I would highly recommend the THD tube converters. It's like have a couple of really great sounding tube amps for not alot of extra money.

Mine was a 2006/7 model, with a beautifully lacquered finish, otherwise, stock spec. On paper - everything a Bassman should be (although not authentically wired internally!).

This is my issue with mine. It sounded absolutely wonderful clean, swirling, shimmering tones with my '73 Strat, but rather lifeless with my Gibson Les Paul and 335. I got the Bassman specifically to mate with them. When I tried to dial in volume for breakup, it reverted to ice pick shrillness and was totally untameable...

However, I have read others bemoan this too and for a serious professional, independent review take a look at this review:

http://www.legendarytones.com/fenderbassman.html

Turns out mine had a problem too:

You'd plug into either input and it'd be way down on volume (but you wouldn't realise this at first) and suddenly !BANG! from nowhere a massive burst of volume - it was painful and damaging - blast a glass to pieces on the dresser! But so painful and frightening as you never knew when it would happen! I found tapping the top of the vol knobs often brought it to volume, but obviously not good!

Although an ex demo unit, it went back under warranty that the dealer sold as 'watertight' (Dealer - www.soundunlimited.co.uk). It was with Fender and the dealer for over 7 months! The dealer sent it back to Fender twice, where it had to have main board components replaced, then two rectifiers and then a further re tube... in the end, the dealer refused to return it to me and just refunded me. The outcome was Fender wouldn't replace it or conduct more work on it and the dealer couldn't afford the work independently. This is totally unacceptable behavior.

Awful awful awful... Let down badly by both the dealer and Fender...

I loved it - it looked sublime sitting in the corner of the room and it was a coveted piece of rock 'n' roll hisory I wanted into. I love Tweeds and I thought I'd struck lucky when I nabbed this for just 700 pounds. (UK).. I wanted to love it, but cold reality is, that problems aside, it is too difficult to live with at home, regardless. I wanted that 'brown' sound, but had to make do with the clean only.

Hear it like this here when it behaved itself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2d54ZxFp3SU

I can afford something a bit better now, and am looking at a Tweed Deluxe - I'd love a 57 Twin, or maybe another Bassman (Victoria?) but again, I know it will be useless for me at home... Sad thing is, I'll probably go for a clone manufacturer anyway as I don't trust Fender anymore especially for the money they ask.

Bought this one Brand new. It is exactly what I was looking for... kind of. No frills just tone.

Well it it does have one huge feature that I never see mentioned. Let me explain. It has four inputs. 1 and 2 on each "channel" Normal and bright. So far so good. Well the thing nobody talks about is that input number two on either channel is low gain. That is down 6db from the number one input on either channel.

So what does this mean? In a word, clean! Thats right if you use input number two on either channel you can turn up the volume quite loud and still have just a touch of break up. There is a slight loss in volume but If you are looking for a cleaner output this is as clean as this amp gets.

As I said you can get a pretty decent clean at high volumes using the low gain inputs. Not Twin clean but then again thats not what I bought. Otherwise Classic rock crunch, or blues drive, it's all over the dial after about 7 or so.

Very responsive to picking dynamics which is new for me and something I still don't take full advantage of. Also that crunchy drive is very controlable by the guitars volume knob.

It's funny that an amp that is so spartain in the features catagory can be such a complex animal.

The ice pick sounds were there just as others have mentioned but as I play it more and more they show up less and less. I've had it about a month and a half now and it has spend quite a bit of time with the volume between 7 and 12

Who knows?

No idea

30 years playing and I have had Blue VooDoo, 5150, Plexi, Hotrod Deville, Line 6 Flextone, Silvertone, and then a host of SS amps. Out of these the 5150 and the Bassman are my keepers.

This is another follow-up, I have the amp for almost three years now (2005 model).
Since I like it warm and deep with my RG7 strings axe (no nu-metal, only clean) I had to solve the flabbiness of the jensens while retaining their qualities.
I changed the two bottom speakers for 75 w bass celestions (took them from a Hughes&Kettner 410 bass box), perfect fit no frills.
Now the bassman weighs some more, but sounds like one.

The sound is rounder, a lot warmer, with good punch and precision. The two remaining jensens like their new companions, and this way I still have the same amp but better.
It is important not to loose the basic tone jensens give, and the two top ones are nearer to our ears so really there is no drawbacks to this way of doing (except the 8 pounds).
I also run the amp with el84 adapters so it is a whole lot warmer and rounder than stock, and despite 15 rated watts still loud.
I didn't fuss with the preamp tubes, but thanks to other reviewer's precious contributions I will try some ecc81-12au7 or some low-gain bulbs.
Playing only clean, or with my fav grindbox, I don't see the point of having only a third of gain usable (past 4 the clean ain't so anymore). Plus it complicates the settings since I run a pedal reverb in parallel on the second channel (too fast a big volume jump with stock preamp tubes).
Provided you know a thing or two, this amp is great and easy to tweak.

Like it a lot, next stop is lower-gain preamp tubes.
The good thing with el84 adapters is
1)you can choose between pentode or triode ones (the latter gives a very compressed tone when pushed, and are only 3-4 watt per tube. Also ideal to play earthy muddy grind stuff)and
2)you can have great sounding el84 bulbs for cheap (compared to the 60+ bucks the original gt costs) And you don't need to re-bias the amp!!!

Overall a very good value, and please note that despite my mods I didn't even have to open the amp (with those voltages inside you wouldn't want uh?)
Let's add: four jensens alnico plus a solid-pine finger-jointed tweed enclosure already cost you 750, and you still have no amp inside...
A good deal this bassman, and even if you don't use it you will re-sell it with profit in say 20 years.
Last but not least: beside the 57twin it is the best-looking amplifier ever!

The amp was made in the mid '90s and has square-backed Eminence Blue speakers. It is surprisingly versatile, and its clean and mildly distorted sounds are a great platform for effects and distortions, and I have managed to achieve some crushing Judas-Priest esque metal tones using a Fulltone OCD. The only feature I wish it had would be reverb, but a pedal can fix that. The Multiple inputs are great, and The controls are very responsive. Personally, I think that the most useful knob for shaping the tone on this amp is the Prescence knob, which is also very responsive.

I am using a Gibson SG Classic with P90s which offers excellent slightly overdriven, even stones-ish tones when cranked through the Bassman, and also a Fender American Deluxe Ash Stratocaster with Bare Knuckle Slowhand Set, which sings beautifully. The amp also gave a gentle, even vocal and jazzy quality to my P90s which was an excellent discovery. I play blues, jazz, classic rock, indie rock, fusion, instrumental, and some modern rock, and this handles all of the styles wonderfully with a distortion or overdrive pedal.

The amp has never broken down, shorted out, and the tone has not gotten any worse since I got it. But since I have not gigged with it so far, we will see.

Never had to deal with it.

I would definitely buy it again if it were stolen. I tried other Fender tube amps such as a 65 Princeton, a deluxe reverb, and more, but this made all of the others seem bland and personalityless in comparison.

A fairly basic amp, the new Bassman LTD features a nice channel blending option for versatility in tone. A basic EQ makes things simple, if not a little limited in scope, though the 4x10 setup more than makes up for this with a great overall sound.

At first i was a little skeptical (and disappointed) with this amp. The "ice pick" highes mentioned in other reviews, along with the "flabby" bass seemed unavoidable, despite my best efforts. However, having owned the amp for about a year, and playing her thoroughly during this time, i've found the speakers *really* need a chance to break in. I had considered replacing the speakers, but it's really not necessary. If/when you try this amp in the store, keep in mind it will be a little stiff and needs time to settle in. Soon after purchasing this amp, i changed the tubes to Sov Tek 12au7, 5881 and 5y3 preamp, power and rectifier tubes respectively. This gives a warmer sound which can be driven harder, without breakup well past 7 on the volume controls. Using this setup, bedroom volumes can be acheived at 5 on the dial while still pushing the power tubes for a tight, warm sound. The factory setup is fine, but a little too powerful for my tastes and, as a result, too loud without the warmth. In either case, the clean is absolutely phenomenal.

I can't really say much about the reliability, though a circuit diagram is included with the amp, so it should make repairs fairly simple. Although i haven't lugged this amp around to gigs, it handles constant use well and seems very, very solid. My only concern is the lacquered tweed covering - it's a beautiful finish, and i hope it stands the test of time (or at least ages well enough to make it look cool, and not just tatty).

I've heard bad things, so i hope i never have to contact Fender. From my previous dealings with their inquiries department and speaking with my local music shop, it seems as though it's a miracle that they should ever answer their phones, let alone provide any "customer support".

I've been playing rock and metal for about 15 years, and i'm just starting to develop my own sound. My gear includes a Gibson LP Standard Faded with Duncan Antiquity humbuckers, a stock Fender Custom Shop '56 Stratocaster Relic, and a few other guitars running through a Big Muff Pi USA, and some other pedals. This amp takes pedals very well and can either be run straight into the front end, or between channels (Guitar > Channel 1 Input 1 > Channel 1 Input 2 > Pedal > Channel 2 Input 1). If I lost this amp, i'd definitely buy another one. It's really the only amp i'll use now, and i've used a few (and tried every amp in the store, including some two or three times the price). The very best thing about this amp is simply the fact that it makes you *feel* like nothing else i've played. There's a soul to it that can't be described, and it takes a litle time to fully appreciate it for what it is. All that's missing is a good distortion in front of it (and of course, a nice guitar).

The original tweed amp this was based on was designed for bass, guitar, vocals, pedal steel and keyboard use. How much more versatile can you get? The only amp that comes close would be a Vox JMI AC30 which I have also owned.

This amp is all about TONE. It's one of THE tone monsters of all time. I was frankly shocked at how well the new USA made Groove Tube power tubes sounded. I'm used to putting NOS tubes from the 50's and 60's into all my amps. This one rocked with factory installed tubes straight away. The amp I bought has sat in a local music store for two years (it was made in '06) so it's been played alot and broken in well. I'm sure this has helped the tone of it considerably. I use a Fender Jazz bass thru it as well as electric guitars (telecaster, rics, LPs) and it sounds wonderful with all of them. I cannot understand the "flabby bass tone" comments by others here. It's tight in the low end, powerful and authoritative in all frequency ranges. Not a loud amp compared to a 100 watt Marshall stack but perfect for medium gigs and the studio. And for the brittle high end comments I read here - Leo Fender and Freddie Tavares were going for a "hi fi" amp capable of handling all frequencies. The highs sound smooth and bright - but if it's too high for you roll them off with your guitar's tone knob to suit yourself. You can get KILLER tones from this amp folks.

Never ever killed a Fender amp in 35 years of playing. and I own some vintage tweeds. nuf said.

Never had to contact Fender. However, their website is very helpful with scematics and such.

10s across the board. This is a fantastic amp. Anyone who tells you otherwise does not know the history of Fender and just how huge this amp's footprint has since it's inception in the early 50's.

OK so this doesn't have channel switching, not fully loaded with effects etc. What it does have is a very straight forward circuit with nothing much to get in the way of tone. This is one of the reasons it is so touch responsive.

I play blues and for this it is perfect. I use a strat with SCNs and I can get very good tone out of it. Far in excess of my DRRI.
Now for the flabby bass experienced by users, I found I really need to turn the bass down when I turn the volume up, and visa-versa. Also please make use of the advice about blending the channels. It really works well. I have put a Keeley Blues Driver into this and am impressed with the tone but really it's one of those amps that you just plug straight into. Clean or dirty I'm impressed. Surely this is one reissue Fender got right.

Sorry, only had this for 1 month, still it should be straight forward to repair as it's a basic circuit.

I'm not anticipating any issues with reapirs as I have a long standing relationship with my dealer.

Playing seriously for 3 years, have DRRI, and sundry affects pedals. I would buy it again no probs. There's really nothing I don't like about it as it suits the blues stuff so well. I love that it's so straight forward and I don't have to spend much time fiddling with knobs to get a great tone.

Mine is a 2002 model, bought used back in 2005. There seems to be a controversy on H-C in regards to how to rate the features of this amp. I have seen justifiably low ratings based on the fact that it is a bare-bones amp. Others rate it higher based on how well it preforms in regards to the features it does have. I'm going to choose somewhat the former and rate it a 7. The amp is meant to be all tone with as little acoutrements as possible. Therefore, two channels (normal/bright), each with a high/low impedence jack, volumes for both, and treble/mid/bass/presence pots. It is all tube construction, 3 12ax7 premaps, 2 6L6 power tubes, and a 4R5 rectifier tube. Round that off with 4 P10Q Jensens and you have the makings of one sound pine-cabinet of tone. The BMRI, though, is a surprisingly versatile amp that is suitable for pretty much every category of music save metal. I'm a classic rock, modern underground alternative, some funk, but my heart lies with blues. This amp works incredibly well for all those, and it every pedal I have plugged into it with ease. Also, the amp can be channel-jumped. Running a patch cable from an input on one channel to an input on the other allows you to use the two volume knobs to blend the sound you want. This means that, with the right guitar, you do have a lot of sonic options.

It is a loud amp (4 10" speakers . . .), and it breaks up fairly early with 3 12ax7 preamp tubes. It may be difficult to get a good in a smaller room because of the volume, but I have found that it a volume pedal can get you to the sweet spot at a lower volume. It can cut through drums in a smallish jazz/blues club setting, no problem.

This amp is a pure tone monster in a pine cabinet. If you want a good basic clean tone around which you can build your own sound, this is the amp for you.

I play a Les Paul Vintage Mahogany with Burstbucker Pros and a Blueshawk with P90's. My chain is MXR SuperComp --> Smart People Factory Ego Booster --> Fulltone OCD --> Keeley Looper [subchain: SPF Green Line OD --> Retrosonic Chorus --> SPF I-5 Delay] --> BBE Sonic Stomp (best pedal in the chain, really). The only mods I have done are changing tubes. I now run an EH 12ay7 in the V1 spot to allow a clean sound at higher volumes (she used to break up around 3.5 on a volume pot that can reach 12), and swapped out the other cheesy Groove Tube 12ax7's for Tung-Sol Gold Tip 12ax7's. 90% of your tone is in the preamp tubes, and these really did clarify and warm up the amp.

The biggest complaint I have seen on HC about this amp is that it is too bright. At high volumes, the highs are ice-picky and shrill, and the lows tend to get flabby. Ok, I admit that I felt that way too. However, I changed out the preamp tubes, and that solved a lot flabbiness prob, and then I just roled back on the tone knobs on my guitars. Too often, I think, do we forget about those little knobs. Now I can actually put the Presence knob at around 6 or so (it was at 0), and she absolutely sings.

No other amp that Fender makes comes close to this baby. Sure, some would argue the Tweed Twin RI, but for me, even with PTP wiring, 2 x 12" speakers do not come close to the fullness and almost natural reverb of 4 x 10". Also, I picked mine up for around $750, compared to almost $2000 for the Twin. No question, this is the best of the tweed RI series, and the tone you get from it is magic. Rich, harmonic, and the most beautiful natural breakup you have ever heard. Get this amp, and you will not be sorry.

It's my only amp right now, so I would have to gig without a backup, but you really never should. That said, it's a tube amp and solidly built, so if something did crap out, it's probably just a $15-$20 tube that needs replacing. For me, my backup will probably just be a replacement set of tubes. I've not had any issues with it at all, so I figure she is pretty solid.

Never had to deal with them.

I've been at the strings for around 5 years. No professional training, all self-taught, though I am deconstructing my playing back down to the basics right now. Trying to recreate my technique to get better. This amp is really the perfect pair for me in this regard. The tube rectifier allows for some real touch sensitive dynamics, the harmonic content of the sound is rich and full, and the grit you can get is perfect to my ears.

When I was in the market, I went down to Guitar Center and sampled all their tweed RI's. The Blues Deluxe, Deville, even the Blues Junior. None of them sounded as good as this baby, and I found a used on a craigslist the next day for $750. Steal. I doubt very much that I will be buying another amp for some time. This girl has everything that I want, right down to that vintage look. But the sound is what is important, and this amp delivers in spades. I'm working on relic-ing it myself (little beer here, a cig burn there), just to give her character. But it's the sound that comes out that would get me buying another if it were stolen (how do you lose a 60 pound amp, dude?). No reverb? Get an outboard tank, but seriously, I don't miss it. For the price of this thing, you can't go wrong.

I just brought this amp home form one of our local
music stores Parkway Music in Clifton Park NY.
This amp has everything that I need and I paid $1100.00
It has all the power that I need I was playing a VOX AC-30TBX
but I wasn't to happy with the sound. The Amp was made earlier
in the year. I think it has two channels so I won't get into
that. The only thing that I wish it had was Reverb but I have
a Electro-Harmonix HolyGrail Reverb Pedal. I'll be using this
Amp for playing out and recording.

The sound that I'm going after is a 60's sound and some
good old Rockabilly like Carl Perkins. I love the clean
channel and I'm not into distorted sounds that you can get
with a Mesa or a Crate. I have two guitars that I play a
Gretsch 6128TBEE Duo Jet and a G&L Asat Calssic. With the 60's
sound its Beatles, Byrds and Beach Boys with some Paul Revere
and the Raiders thrown in. Not noisy at all perfect for what I
do.

Don't know only been home for a couple of hours. I
don't for see any problems at all.

The warranty is for 5 years and when I own the 65 Twin
Reverb never had a problem. All I have to do is bring it
back to the dealer.

I've been playing since 1988 and I've had other Fender Amps
a couple of reissues 65 Fender Twin Reverb a Peavey Classic 50
and the one I just sold a reisue Vox AC-30TBX. For me there nothing
to hate about this Amp and I love everything it can do. I did look
at a couple of Doctor Z amps but I didn't have that type of money.
Another amp that I looked at was a Tone-King (Continental) as much
as I liked that Amp there was no way that I could afford it. I can't
speak for anyone else but this amp and my two guitars are a perfect match and give me the sound that I've been looking for.

I don't know too much about amps, I just use them. The '59 BM is a vintage reissue and is used to recreate that old classic sound. Of course its not gonna have all the fancy effects, loops, etc. I play blues and this baby has everything I need.

When I first got the amp, the sound it put out wasn't too impressive to be honest. But I was told that tube amps need time to break in and loosen up the speakers before you start to hear that legendary tone. Its been almost three weeks and I already hear the difference. I also cross the channels to get the blended tones and it does improve the sound a lot.
With the volume at around 4.5-5, the natural gain starts to kick in and it is just DELICIOUS! I've only been able to get the volume up to 7.5 so far because it really is a loud amp and I don't need it any louder.
At 7.5, the naturally compressed sustain just roars! The touch-dynamic frequency of the amp is also a great treat for me because I do alot of finger picking and it really helps put emphasis on what you want.
I know some people say that when you have an amp this expensive, it makes you sound 10x better. True but don't be fooled by this amp. It "can" make you sound a lot better. The thing is, you're playing the amp as much as you are the guitar. The excellent response on this amp can reveal all your flaws so be careful. You know what though?? Ultimately, it'll make you a better player!
I rate this amp a 10 because it has been everything I've been expecting out of it.

Only had it for three weeks. Its still tickin' perfectly!

Never dealed with them.

This is the best decision I've ever made with buying equipment HANDS DOWN! The tone is just as sexy as the looks. It plays the gentle cleans, violent distortion, and everything in between. I was shocked to hear how loud and throaty it can get when cranked! This is the only amp I will ever need to play a venue of any size because I know it can handle it. Don't get discouraged if loudness is a problem for your location. This amp apparently goes great with all sorts of pedals! You will not be disappointed.

2004 model
Standard, 2 channel, nothing else.
Perfect!

With Vintage Noiseless pkups, a Ibanez Tube Screamer, and the volume pot. on my Strat, I get everything from Robert Cray to Stevie Ray. 4 years old and broken in, off E-bay. It is worth every penny!

Just got it. No problems with other Fender gear, so far.

It's a 59 Bassman on the outside so no problems here

I am giving this a 4 because I paid a lot of money for this amp and for the money it sucked. It sounded good in the shop up uuntil 4 or so which is as loud as I could try it. On taking home and giving a little more volume it broke up in a horrible way, very rough. I previously had a bassman10 which had a new Mercury Magnetics tranny and it was the most awesome amp I have ever owned, I have had numerous blackfaced silver face band masters and bassmans and this was nowhere near any of these amps. I eventually took it to the guy who did all my other amps and he said they have used silver face circuitry, which nobody likes, and the trannys are 15, and 25% undersized repectively and not at all decent. I am sorry but check out the boutique amps, I found a guy, Sligo who uses Weber trannys and speakers who does a bassman for $995 which is handwired and gets rave reviews in harmony central, go for something like that I would say. Jensens are also not great by the way, not the same as the originals.

Yes got it and after a couple of weeks started to get volume drops, took it back to store and they replaced the preamp valves but was still problematic, luckily I could get my cash back on this fake bassman. 2 because it worled more than once.

Yeah they took it back and tried to fix it and then took the amp back when I was not happy with it overall so I have to say good here.

Do not buy this amp!!!! Fender knows that most amps never make it out of the bedroom and so it is not worth putting top components in them, boardroom decision. You then have to buy it and change the circuits and the trannys and the speakers, why bother. What Fender was in the 50's and 60's is what the boutique shops are now, a couple of people in a small shop pouring love and craftsmanship and then adding up the total at the end. I have no doubt that Fender amps back then were relatively more expensive than now, more in line with top boutique amps so don't just buy it becasue of the name, that ship has sailed. I know a guy here who plays SRV like no one else I have ever heard and he uses one of these amps and although his playing is great his amp has the same horrible edgy tone that mine did when it actually worked. Hey Marshall reissues are also said to vastly improve with a Weber or Mercury tranny so they also guilty but not quite as bad I would say.