Fender '59 Bassman Reissue

If you've gotten this far,then you already know the features of the Bassman RI.I do like a touch of reverb,but I'm quite happy using a Boss AD-3 which is an acoustic instrument box with a built in reverb,2X2 tremolo,and anti feedback circuit,and a high and low gain control.The only thing I'd like to see as stock on this amp is a bias pot so you don't need to fuss with "the right tubes" when looking for replacements,or go through the trouble of putting one in.I like the simplicity of the amp as far as the tone controls and volume controls go.One other thing I'd like to see is better Tube sockets for the power tubes.I'd like to see some good ceramic sockets with better pins.The stock sockets seem to loosen up quite easily, especially when you like to do alot of experimenting with different tubes.

For sound I have to give this amp a straight up 10+.I use this amp for harmonica.It's no secret that this amp is a favorite among harp players around the world.It has been voted "the best harp amp out of the box" by some discriminating harp players in a blind test done awhile back.It was put up against such other amps as the Harp King 6X10,the Sonny jr. amp,and a few other amps built specifically for harp.One thing you will want to do if you're using this amp for harp is replace the SS rectifier with a tube,be it a 5U4G,or a 5AR4.Many harp players prefer the lower plate voltage of the 5U4G,but I'm using a Mullard 5AR4 in mine.Another thing you will need to do to get some serious tone from the amp is pull the sov tek's out and sell them to a guitar player and replace them with a NOS set of Tung Sol 5881's if you don't mind spending the extra few bucks for them.I believe these were the stock tubes in the original 59 Bassman's,which played a big part in producing the legendary tone of this amp.If you don't want to put up the cash for the Tung Sol's,get a good matched pair of any NOS vintage US made 5881's.The 6L6's seemed to me to be too harsh,and don't distort as well as the 5881's.My bias pot comes in handy here too because I can set the output tubes to run a little hot if I really want the tube distortion to shine,or I can set them to run cool for a cleaner tone if needed.For a harp player,the 12AX7's have to go as well.I use a custom harp mic(which making is my hobby and passion) with a 1949 Shure controlled reluctance element in it,that works as well with this amp as any classic Fender guitar.The gain of these mic's is much higher than a guitar,so it's going to be a good idea to put some lower gain tubes in the preamp,or you're going to get screaming feedback with the volume at 3.I use Tung Sol 12AU7's in all 3 stages of the preamp,which allows me to turn the volume up to about 6 or 7 on the #1 inputs,or about 8 or 9 on the #2 inputs which really kicks in the amplifier section for awsome break up and produces some really gritty Chicago blues tone that will rattle every window in a small venue.Plenty of volume and awsome tone.Even has great tone at lower volumes if you don't really like to rip it up,but most harp players I know go for the full amp distortion that this amp is capable of producing.It just sounds too good not to!If you use a mic with a much lower input signal,you might want to experiment with different types of preamp tubes such as a 12AY7,or a 12AT7,maybe even a 5751.I've heard of several mods for this amp designed for harp players,but I don't see how it could sound that much better than it does now to justify spending 2 or 3 hundred dollars to have done.I think if I did anything to mod my amp,I'd put in a Mercury Magnetic's Tone Clone output transformer,which I've heard are very close in tone to the original output tranny's of the original 59 bassman.They sell for around $125.I can't tell you how many guy's I've heard say,"I liked the way it sounded before the mod was done better".I'm reluctant to do anything to mine.I love the way mine sounds.Just get some good tubes,and have a bias pot installed!

I haven't had much trouble with the amp other than having to replace 1 plate resistor.I bought the amp new in 97,and I don't use it every day,but I use it alot.Haven't had to deal with Fender directly so I really can't comment on service.I think the amp itself is very reliable.Never blew a fuse,and I stay on top of the tubes so they don't get a chance to go bad.I run them usually at about 32 to 33 mA's plate voltage,which comes out to roughly 16 watts per tube,where as 36mA's is considered to be the most a 5881 should be run at.

I bought the amp new,so it came with a 5 year warrantee.Didn't need to use it.I did purchase some parts for my Blues Jr. through Fender.It was quick and easy.There are a few authorized dealers around here so finding parts is not a problem.

I've been playing harp on and off for about 25 years now.I own an extensive collection of harp mic's,and as far as amp's,I have a tweed Blues Jr that I use at home.I didn't really like the stock speaker,so I put a 1956 Jensen P12R Pro Series speaker in it,and man,talk about vintage tone!This thing sings like a songbird at any volume.If I were to record,I'd use the Blues jr.My first amp was a tweed Blues Deluxe that I sold just before I got the Bassman.I wish I had kept that amp.It had great tone as well and was a perfect mid sized amp.Actually,that was my second amp.My first was a Fender Champ.Great tone for a small amp,but it was just too small for my likings,even at home.So for overall rating,I have to give it a 10,just for being what it is.A tone to the bone amp right out of the box.I'd like to see Fender putting some better tubes in these amps though,and I'd like to see the new version come with the blue frame Eminence speakers too,like the original RI's.I think they sound much better than the Jensen reissue speakers they're using now.It's about time they put a bias pot in them too.Should have done that a long time ago!Anybody got a spare set of the blue frame Eminence speakers for sale?Give me a buzz!

Brand new Bassman reissue, bought at Guitar Center at cost (I know because I used to work there), they are blowing them out in anticipation of the "Limited Edition" which features lacquered tweed, a bias pot and upgraded tubes for $150 more...the old GC price was $999, the new ones are $1150, I paid $695 plus tax...at that price I can shellac the tweed and upgrade the tubes and still be way ahead! Anyway, you know the features if you're reading this. IMO, the best gigging amp out there. Very versatile, great for the player who likes to add stompboxes to enhance an already great tone as opposed to the guy who likes many bells and whistles built into the amp. The amp is LOUD, but for me this enables me to get a great clean sound at large club volumes and use stompboxes for distortion (Klon, Aramat Soul Patch). I have experimented with many setups over the years, and I am a believer in using pedals for distortion in live settings-it is so much easier to control and easier to get a good mix with the band instead of dealing with a smaller amp pushed hard...I know there are those who would VIOLENTLY disagree with this, but this is the conclusion I have reached after many years of experimenting and spending THOUSANDS of $ in search of "the sound". Now in the studio, different story-there I prefer to use a variety of small amps cranked to get a great sound on tape. I have also come to the belief that amps without built in reverb are better sounding to my ears-give me a tweed over a Blackface any day. I know there are great sounding amps out there with built in 'verb, e.g. Bruno Underground 30, but I have come to appreciate the beauty of a dry sound and again find it much easier to control and mix live. That being said, the Bassman does have a certain "3-D" quality to the sound that comes across lively on it's own. If you try or buy one of these new, keep in mind that the Jensens require some time to be broken in and will sound a little tight at first. So, before you go out and spend a small fortune on NOS tubes, give the speakers some time to break in and then decide if you want to upgrade your tubes. I put JJ ECC83S's in the preamp section because I had some lying around, they are far better than the stock Sovteks. I still have the solid state rectifier in (Gasp! go the purists) and the stock GT Sovtek power tubes in-I plan on replacing the 6L6's with either JJ's or EH sometime soon, but I may leave the rectifier. I'm not driving the amp hard enough for it to make a big difference, and truth be told I like the tighter bottom you get from the solid state...so there!

What a great sound...classic tweed. This is the second one I have owned, this one is staying. I also owned a Victoria Bassman clone for awhile, and while the Victoria sounded more "authentic" and is of couse point-to-point wired and re-created to match the original as close as humanly possible, it does not sound $1300 better. I bought this amp to gig with, I don't expect it to be "The Holy Grail". I am not rich, and I don't think the audience will notice ANY difference! When was the last time some drunken audience member told you "man, that point-to-point wiring sounds killer!" Hey, if you can afford to gig with a Victoria, more power to you. Me, I'm perfectly happy with my lowly reissue and consider it a great blessing to have. Do you recall back in '90 or so when the reissue first came out and Guitar Player did a shootout with the reissue vs. the Kendrick and THD (Victoria wasn't around then) and an original '59? The reissue was the clear winner, although some hard core traditionalists stuck with the original. The players LIKED the increased headroom of the solid state rectifier, the increased brightness, etc.-I can't remeber who all the testers were, but David Grissom was one and he liked the reissue! So, keep that in mind. Again, this is a gigging amp-if I was in the studio, I would probably prefer an original or a Victoria, but would do just fine with this, thank you! Jimmy Vaughn has used a reissue in the studio a bunch-'nuff said. But enough comparisions-the thing sounds GREAT. It has great presence, harmonic content, the distortion when you crank it is a thing of beauty, it LOVES pedals!

My guitars are aGuild Blues 90 with P-90's and Epi Riviera with Duncan Alnico II humbuckers. Both sound great, and of course Fenders sound wonderful thru the Bassman, especially a good Tele. P-90's and humbuckers sound great thru the bright channel, I think I would run a Tele thru the normal channel.. I play roots rock/alt country/blues, and the Bassman is the perfect amp for all those styles. As I mentioned, I use a Klon, a Soul Patch fuzz, a DOD FX96 analog delay and a Boss tremelo/pan. I run an A/b box, with one side going to the Soul Patch and then straight into the normal input, the other side goes to the Klon and the other FX on into the bright input-this works great, the Soul Patch definitely prefers the normal input, and the bright sounds great with the Klon and my other FX, as well as by itself I might add. Sounds great clean, sounds wonderful dirty!

You can piss and moan all you want about PCB's, but I am not worried about it's reliability! I have had just as many breakdowns over the years with point-to-point amps (BF and SF Fenders in particular) as I have with PCB amps. Keep extra fuses and tubes with you, like with ANY tube amp, and having a back-up is always wise, if you can afford to. But, I haven't had it long enough to give a fair assessment...

Never dealt with them.......

I have been playing for 28 years, have tried everything...this will do the job for you if you want a great gigging amp that won't break you. Act now and check your local GC, you might find a new one for about what you'd pay on EBay for a used one. If not, there's plenty of 'em out there, they sound great, they play well with others. Get a good distortion/OD pedal unless you're playing The LA Forum or Madison Square Garden anytime soon, you'll find the tone is better with this combo than with any channel switching piece of garbage (and I've tried/owned just about all of 'em) that's available. I would replace it with another if lost or stolen, if I win the lottery I'll also grab an original but will still gig with the Reissue!

Simple and basic which is perfect for me. I like the bright channel and presence control. Tweed "Tone"!!!!!

I play a wide variety of music. But since my friend gave me this amp I usually do not run any pedals through it for I love the richness of its natural tone. I shellacked the Tweed, put in a 12ay7 in V1 and replaced the chinese 12ax7's (all with EH) I put in a NOS pair of RCA 5881's I had lying around and a Weber Copper Cap rectifier. (Good tube rectifiers are hard to come by where I live) I like the sound of the Weber better than the regular solid state rectifier. The only effect that I use is a '63 Fender RI Tube reverb (Given with the amp as well) of which I upgraded the tubes and replaced the 6v6 with a NOS RCA6K6GT. This pretty much brought the amp back to '59 Tweed standards. The amp is sweet sounding and I play it everyday. My guitar is a Fender Stratocaster strung with nickel 10's. Because I like "spank" when I need it I run through the bright channel and adjust the tone controls accrdingly. Bass 3, Mids 4, Treble 5. The normal channel volume control will affect the tone even when not plugged into so I run it and the presence usually straight up. This has the tweed growl that I like and yet is rich with all the complexities that I love. This replaced my Blackface Bandmaster through "real" vintage Jensens.

I have no problem with the PCB and once I put in some decent tubes there was no more tube rattle and the sound became sweeter. The Bassman is a late '93 model.

Never needed it!

I have been playing professionally for 29 years both as a guitarist and as a B3/piano player. The old simple KISS method works and is reliable and best of all sounds great with all of the responsiveness you need. Great amp and I thank the Good Lord and my Friend for the tremendous gift!

this amp was bought new, in May '03,it's a very basic amp and that is a GOOD thing, bass, treble, mid and presence with two inputs , bright and normal,one channel, I went for this amp because I fell in love with the sound,or, if you're a bullshit merchant, the "Tone", I personally would only add reverb but then it would be a Super Reverb....no, it's great as it is

My guitars are the usual suspects; Tele, Les Pauls, Strats, a Yamaha SG 1000, mmmm nice!, a Washburn 335, oooo!, and a Burns. All these guitars play a variety of self penned music, I can honestly say that I love this amp, all the above guitars sound great thru this amp especially the Les Pauls thru the bright input, I have a Marshall JCM 800 combo and a Line 6 and for clean sounds this is a clear winner, you can make this one channel break up slightly using humbuckers but the volume produced is mad, Clean, Lean and not mean, or, put another way, pretty, fit and er... blonde.

So far so good.

not dealt with.

I have been playing for over twenty years, have put my guitars through various makes of amp both tranny and valve and this is my favorite-I would buy another tomorrow should this meet with an untimely end, I like everything about this amp, from the sound to the tweed covering though I do wish it had an onboard reverb

This is a great loud basic amp with lots of low end ,rattle the walls sound.It is a great basis for getting your own sound.Find an OD or Dist pedal you like and go for it.I do think this amp is over priced and will not have a very good resale value.But,you really will never need another amp as long as you get the right pedals to paint your sound.I heard that Fender will stop making this version and then offer a more reliced version.Another way to up the price.This is a players dream amp but,the price puts it out of reach for many players.One cool thing to consider is that aftermarket suppliers have alot of mods for the Bassman.So if you get tired of the sound you can change it for a small amount of money.The Fender Forum is also cool.Bassman owners share mods and have fun talking about these amps.

Sounds great but you need ear plugs and a coliseum in order to turn it up loud enough to experience natural distortion.No reverb just a regular channel and bright channel.You can jumper the two channels to get more sounds.With the right pedal out front,it will rock your world.

Depends on who put it together.

Who are you kidding..

I have had about every production line amp and several boutique amps.I sound about the same when playing most of them.The difference with this amp is that you have a great sound to start with and plenty of power.Needs a bias pot.Why did Fender not put in a bias control.Vintage thinking I would guess.

6 knobs. bass, treble, mid, presence, bright vol, and normal vol. 2 6l6 power tubes and 3 12ax7 preamp tubes. mine also came with a rectifier tube(not sure if i like it or not, this is my first tube rectifier amp, its too forgiving if its cranked, it doesnt feel solid.) 4 10' blue alnico speakers. four inputs, bright 1&2 and normal 1&2. theres also a red jewl light, a standby switch(very nice) a power switch, and a nonfunctional nonconnected ground switch. rubber/plastic fender handle...works...not too comfortable.

one channel. non-master volume. TONETONETONE!

on the inner left side of the amp is a piece of paper that says production GE. it also states the circuit is a 5F6-A. the GE means my amp was made in may of '96. *http://www.mrgearhead.net/faq/ampdater.html*

the tweed is kinda dirty, ill probably clean it and the shellac it.

nice gliding feet on the bottom dont hurt the leather in my car.

every feature i ever need. speakers, tubes, TONE!

i run into bright 1 and run a jumper from bright 2 to norm 1. its the same as jumper the channels on an old marshall nonmaster volume. the second input becomes an output and you connect to the other channel that you arent using. that uses both channels at the same time and sounds bigger and fuller. also both volumes work then and you can vary sounds by using diferent volumes...a bit

i have lots of guitars...single coils sound BEST. p-90s and stacked p-90 humbuckers sound good too. the standard humbuckers, nice aftermarket stuff sounds too full. like the tone is spilling over the sides and just getting in the way. use singles and its PLENTY FULL!

i didnt like the way it breaks up with sidebyside humbuckers. too muddy and busy.

i dont play in a band so i cant comment on breaking thru a drummer...but its pretty loud. at "12" its NO louder than it is at "5". but theres TONS of power tube distortion and clipping and speaker cone breakup. it sounds HEAVENLY!!! really.

ive never HEARD another amp that has this TONE!

i use a maxon od-808 for overdrive. that sounds wonderful. distortion doesnt sound THAT great, though its not too bad. i dont use too many effects though i do own quite a few. this amp is NOT NOISY. when i play loud im mostly in a gym with about 100 fluoroescent lights. no real buzz to complain about. NO BUZZ AT ALL IN LIVING ROOM.

it really is hard to get a bad sound out of this amp. i tried. i could always find something that sounded great with that eq setting. try that with a crate!

not too sure here...i bought it on ebay, and after playing one time at "12" for an hour or so, i noticed a speaker was starting to go bad. theres a small buzz in the top left speaker. nothing noticable if i put an overdrive on it...or if i turn it up past "2" but i can hear it at bedroom levels and only in that speaker.

it is a 96 and im not sure how it was treated so ill probably replace the offending driver and its caddycorner neighbor(just to be balanced)

the 12ax7's (well at least one of them) were noisy...so i replaced them with cheap Ei's. little improvement and no more ring!


can someone email me with biasing info...is this cathode bias or fixed? cuz i didnt see no pots.

ive been playing 14yrs. and i have owned several tube amps, and a few solid state ones. i even owned a line6 duoverb(that i thought could be my key to happiness) before selling it and getting this. the duoverb has a patch for tweed 410...and this just rolls it up and smokes it. no comparison AT ALL!!! this is a great, clear, clean, big, beefy, kickass amp!

if it were gone id find another. i wouldnt look for anything else. id buy another of these and keep on truckin.

It has the most basic set of features. Two channels (normal/bright)but no footswitching. Bass, middle, treble and presence controls. No reverb. This is actually one of the amp's many strengths - it's easy to set up your sound. So in that sense, the features work very well.

I'm currently using a Patrick Eggle New York Pro and a Fernandes Native Pro (with a Sustainer). Pedals: Voodoo Lab Sparkle Drive, a Small Clone, a Danelectro PB&J Delay, and a Danelectro Tuna Melt Tremolo. My style is very chordal and makes much use of dropped D tunings. I'm not a distortion mad nu-metaller though...I'm more about that point between clean and distorted and using chords to create melodies.

I owned a Hot Rod Deluxe for 18 months before getting the Bassman. The Deluxe was too powerful for me and I realised after a while that the Drive channel was much too raunchy. I never had that amp much beyond 2, although it did have a good sound. It just wasn't...right. And after years of channel switching amps (my first amp was an old Fender Stage 185) I realised that I wanted a much simpler set up and also to be able to hear the notes within the chords.

Enter the Bassman... Everyone has praised this amp to the hilt. It's entirely justified. The clarity, depth of tone and sheer PRESENCE (without being trebly) of this thing is amazing. Set the volume control to 4 and hear what your guitar truly sounds like. I tried several other amps in the same price range and they didn't come close - particularly the Cornford Hurricane which I think is incredibly overrated. The bass end is thick but tight and the top end just sings. For me, defnition is all-important, as I tune some strings down, and there's bags of that here.

The only advice I would give is to allow yourself a fortnight or so with it. This thing has a lot of clarity and is the most focused sounding amp I've played through. It may sound a little forward at first but it's a bit like replacing a budget price CD player with a top-end model. Everything is much clearer and tighter.

It hasn't broken down yet so I can't really comment. It's very well made though.

I've had dealings with Arbiter who distribute Fender here in the UK and they are a friendly and helpful bunch.

I can't recommend this amp highly enough. I've been playing seriously for about 15 years and it's given me a new appreciation of the guitar. I wish I could find fault with it but there's nothing to fault. If you're a player with a few years and amps behind you, this is the ideal choice to take you into the premier league, gear wise.

Bought it new a couple of years ago..2001 model ? No special features, just a straight old valve (tube)amp.
Bought it for its reputation and vibe. I gig regularly on old R&R through to blues and rockabilly. I use a Boss overdrive, but only just a small bit of OD

I use a '96 Fender Tele Special (Mexican)with a Gibson-style Fender humbucker in the neck pos. and an added Bigsby whammy. Its the best sounding and playing electric guitar I have played in 42 years of owning just about every USA Fender and Gibson known to man from 1959-1999 vintage. The Fender amp is the missing link..plug in the Tele and classic sounds abound. I did a gig last week and got sick of people asking me how I get that great guitar sound !!!! why do people want to modify the darn things ..its all there! I could spend thousands more and not get any more of a classic vintage sound.

It aint busted yet. Never ever needed a second amp at gigs in 42 years, apart from an old bluesbreaker style Marshall amp from the early '70s which blew a transformer on the last song of a gig!!

Fender Australia are pretty good, but this amp aint broken!

There are two amps in the world:
1. Fender Reissue 59 bassman
2. Vox AC30
There are no other amps.

this amp is a new 2001 bassman. the main feature of this amp is awesome tone. it sounds very warm and creamy. I play many different styles of music having been in the buisness for 40 years, and this ampis my favorite of all time. It ha two channels normal and bright, with four inputs. no channel switching or effects loop. reverb would be nice if it didn't alter the amazing tone. I use this amp in clubs, halls , and occasional outdoor gigs and it has plenty of power for any situation i have run into.

i am using a G&L slimlone telecaster (awesome guitar) that sounds so good with this amp. I play dance music in bars and clubs using a lot of blues influence and this is the amp i hav ealways been looking for. tone, tone, tone is the key. the amp is fairly quiet until you really it with single coils. this amp can crank out ripping country or smooth blues lines without any problem. The variety of sound you cna get depends on your creativity. the clean channel starts to distort at around 5 or 6 depending on how hard you hit the notes. the distortion is very musical however, creamy! No brutality, just sweet creamy overdriven guitar tone heaven.

this amp seems to be very dependable. It
so simple, back to the basics. there's not much that can go wrong with this design. That's one of the reasons i purchased the bassman. You just need some spare tubes and fuses, then rock on.

N/A

As i said before I have been playin for 40 plus years. professionally and semi-professionally and i have owned too many amps to mention. the bassman reissue is by far my favorite. I love it. If it were lost or stolen I would be very depressed, because it would take me a while to get the thousand dollars to purchase another one. I would get another one when the money came along. My favorite piece of equipment, there's nothing I hate about it. I use an Ibanez tube screamer and a BOss digital reverb and can't believe the great sounds this beautiful amplifier makes. I get excited every time I go to a gig. cosmeticlly, the Bassman is sbsolutely gorgeous. I love the tweed, man what an amplifier!!! Blues, Rock, country heaven!!!!!!

MIDDLE 90'S,TRADED FOR IN AT ATLANTA VINTAGE GUITAR. SIMPLE,PLUG N PLAY AMP. I PLAY R&B,BLUES, AND ROCK WITH THIS AND LOVE IT!MUCHO LOUD!
ALL TUBE, TWEED, BLUE FRAME ALNICO SPEAKERS. I SPRAYED MINWAX GOLDEN OAK ON IT AND VOILA! SWEET OLD FENDER LOOKS!(PROTECTS THE TWEED TOO)

I USE FENDER GUITARS, ALL TYPES. I LOVE THE CLEAN, AND USE A TS-9 OR SPARKLE DRIVE TO PUSH IT. AMP IS QUIET, AND FULL SOUNDING.

NEVER HAD A PROBLEM. I'VE USED IT FOR 3 YEARS. I PLAY 3 NIGHTS A WEEK. I ONLY CHANGED TUBES ONCE WHEN I CONVERTED TO KT-66'S (GREAT TUBES FOR THIS AMP!!!!!!)

NEVER NEEDED IT FOR ANY FENDER AMP I'VE OWNED (ABOUT 15 )

I'VE PLAYED ROCKIN BLUES FOR 25 YRS. AND USED MARSHALLS AND FENDER AMPS MOSTLY. I USE MOSTLY STRATS AND TELES. MY FENDER TUBE REVERB SOUNDS GREAT WITH THIS AMP. I CONVERTED 1 OF THE IMPUTS WITH A TORRES KIT, CHANGED THE OUTPUT TUBES TO KT-66S AND WOW! AN EARLY 60S STYLE 4X10 MARSHALL ON ONE SIDE AND A PHAT FENDER ON THE OTHER!!