Fender '59 Bassman Reissue

This amp is made in 1992, bought 2. hand from the US.
It's rather a basic no frills amp, but very suitable for me and my playing; -i.e. mostly bluesy stuff. It's an all tube amp, exept for the rectifier, which is a solid state. But I'm considering replacing this for a tube rectifier.
As it's 2. hand, I don't know anything from it's past.

I use it with a Gibson Firebird VII, and this makes a killer kombination! I have virtualyy no effests, just a wahwah. but I'm considering a chorus stomp box, probably a Boss

It appears very dependable, and I have used it on several gigs without backup. To this day, it have never let me down.

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I've been playing since I was seventeen years old, in the early seventies. I've ahad many amps, MusicMan, Marshall and english brand called HH, but this one is by far the best. I would probably buy a new one if this one was lodt, but it's very expensieve here, well over $2000,-, so it's an economic issue, really.

Amp is a 2003 59 Bassman re-issue bought new as a blem from a major internet retailer. Had a couple of months. The amp was shipped in a box with 8 corner supports and nothing else. Arrived with the power tubes broken and rolling around in the bottom of the amp! I,m still looking for the blem because except for the tubes, the amp was flawless! The retailer sent new replacement tubes. A little hassle getting the correct hardness tubes but Groove Tubes tech support was excellent and got me on the correct path to deal with the retailer without re-biasing. Amp has 2 channels, 4 inputs, no reverb, all tube and I mean now it is all tube! If you now Bassmans you know the specs. A lean tone machine and at a weight of 53# that's not bad for 45 AB watts and 4x10s that's not a lot bigger than some 1x12s! If you ever hauled the evil twin to a gig you know what I mean! This amp has plenty of power for a gig and I actually toned it down with some tube swaps making it good for the living room with tone at 2 and 3 on volume. This amp is not for metal. It has good clean sound, gets gritty when cranked, wails when cranked more and works very well with stomp boxes and multi-effects. Between the presence and the bright/normal channels and 4 inputs (each sounds different) there are a lot of tonal textures and you wonder why you ever needed reverb. I play vintage rock and blues. Clapton, SRV, Guy and some Christian with a lot of heavy guitar overtones. Wish it had an external speaker jack and a cabinet emulated line out to the PA but then it would not be a re-issue. It is also good for blues harp and I have used a microphone and guitar set-up. For a basic amp it is has many different uses. Did you know that if you are playing at volume 4 or so through the normal channel input 1 and you turn the bright volume up to about 4 with nothing in that channel, you suddenly get this Springsteen sound. Like Buddy Guy once said, All you need is inside the amp. Yeah and his fingers....

My 3 favorites are a 99 Clapton strat w/the Lace Sensors, an 96 Epiphone Les Paul 100 that has been set up more like a tele but with that pull string all over the neck feel(it had a twisted out of intonation neck so once I wrung it's little neck and got it properly set up with low action it works great and has tone. That's another story) and a Fender 50th Tex-Mex strat with the hot pickups. All guitars sound great and the amp is super quiet for a tube amp. The Clapton strat sounds best by far as you would guess. The amp has that vintage tone people talk about. I can say that because my first amp in about 1964 was a little tube amp with 1x10" Jensen, an 12AY7, 2-12AX7s, 2EL84s and a tube rectifier, 15 watts, tremelo, Mark III or something like that ....you get the picture. Since the Bassman arrived with trashed tubes, what a golden opportunity. With the patient support of tech support at Groove Tubes, I got 2 GT6L6Rs(akaBs) in a Hardness 5 (4-7) that would work without rebias, pulled the SS Rectifier and dropped in a GT5AR4, pulled the V1 12AX7 and replaced it with a GT12AY7 and replaced the V2 and V3 Fender/Sovtek with 2 EH12AX7 cause they reviewed so damn good. For about $60 I set the amp up fairly close to what Fender put in a original 59 Bassman. The only other change I will make is to replace the 2 GT6L6Rs with the new GT6L6 GEs in a 5 at a later date. I've spent a little on this blem. What I noticed now is that you get a little tube sag at high volumes but not too much. There is a little hiss at high volumes but that can be reduced if you dial down the presence and treble. The amp is much quieter but still has all the volume I need. Distortion is more blues/crunch. It sings with the Clapton strat and for heavier distortion I use pedals. Same for reverb. I find I have created an amp that plays well clean, dirty or those Clapton/SRV styles. Also, it has good manners playing at home without getting calls from the neighbors but can handle a large hall with the volume on 8-9. The tone and the string response feeling is superb.. It's a classic. A lot of people talk about the Holy Grail but most never played a real 59. When I started playing most amps were tube and there was a lot of pop, hiss, hum and failures. A lot of trips to the guy who fixed your TV too!

I keep extra tubes and fuses since the first set of replacement tubes I was sent were wrong and too cold. Won't hurt it but a poor sound choice. You could finish a set with them but breakup is way early. Since I retubed there has been no issues and it took one hell of a fall in UPS I guess! Never gig without tubes and fuses. Don't make tube swaps without consulting tech support and the manufacturer. That's why Groove Tubes have a rating system. Make sure you know what you put in your amp and the result. On mine I dropped plate voltage some and lowered pre-amp gain. I can't rate reliability on the long haul. The price was right for a never titled amp!

5 year Fender warrantty, read all the fine print and make sure you don't make unauthorized mods. I have called Fender customer service and they were great to talk with but use a cell phone with a lot of minutes. You may have to hold but once I got their rep both times they were helpful. They gave me an honest opinion on SS Rectifier vs. Tube. They prefer SS. If you had to warrant and amp you would too. Hit the amp and the tube blows. Warranty work. Plus the SS gives more headroom and no sag. Don't forget that Ceasar Diaz actually pulled SRVs Tube and replaced it with a SS on the Vibroverb. That's why you have a choice now! They say you can't tell difference but whatever I did to this amp was an improvement in every respect. I feel more comfortable with the Tube since plate voltages are lower and a lot of companies run them hot for power. No repairs that I couldn't perform. I also had some questions about the orientation of the standby switch because the manual did not read like it worked! They were good customer support but it takes a while to get in and no 1-800 or 888 number.

I shopped a lot of amps and settled on this one for its tone and simplicity. Traynor, where were they all those years. Gibson, too high. Marshall, didn't he copy the Bassman when he built the Bluesbreaker. Vox, wanted more than British classics. I lucked into it on the internet. After a little trouble I got a classic that is a tone monster. If it were stolen, I would get another but I better not catch the person who takes it. Actually anyone can do these mods to any Bassman Re-issue and probably get the same sound. The build quality is very good on mine. Stratman. 9/18/03

Brand new Bassman Reissue, 2002 or 2003 me thinks. It has got 4 inputs (2 Bright, 2 Normal) The nr1 input has got 6db more gain than nr2. 2 volume, bass, treble, middle, precence knobs. I'll give it a 6 cos it has got 6 knobs :-)

- I use a 2002 Clapton signature Strat (Vintage Noiseless pups)
- It fits perfect to my Rock, Blues style. My setup is Strat --> TS-9 --> Boss BD-2 --> Bassman. With that setup i can do everything from SRV to Oasis.
- It's a tubeamp so it is a bit noisy, but nothing special.
- Breaks up at around 5-6, but i never play that loud
- It has got a near perfect tone!-

-Bulit like a tank, and it works everytime i use it.

No Opinion

- I have been playing guitar for almost 10 years now, and this is the best amp i'v ever tried. I own a takamine acoustic and a Marshall solidstade aswell.
- If it was stolen i'd buy a new one, definitely!!
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This is a 1991 model 1959 Fender Bassman Reissue. If your goal is to obtain & reproduce the purest tone possible then this is the " HOLY GRAIL"! It comes with the only real things you need as far as features go. It has 4 inputs(2normal-2bright) both with seperate volume controls. It has presence/bass/middle/treble tone controls. A power/stand by and ground switch. If you need more than this then you might not understand about the fact that true tone is accomplished with a combination of a great amplifier and guitar and the most important ingredients- your head/hands/heart/soul& talent as a really good friend once told me. Same man that sold me this amplifier by the way.. It leaves nothing do be desired. Mine has the Hoffman board Mod's and is tubed with Electro Harmonix 6L6's and 12AX7's and a Sovtek 5AR4 rectifier. It has the standard equipment 4 x 10" Jensen blue P10R speakers. It has been trated with the proper amber shellac to give it the original 59 appearence.

I use a unknown Stratocaster style guitar and a Agile Les Paul. It delievers pure tone heaven with either single coils or humbuckers, makes no matter.Although single coil guitars sparkle just a bit more than humbucker instruments from my experience. It is exceptionally quiet for a pure tube amplifier.It reproduces anything your hands,soul and guitar is capable of.It creates the most incredible well balanced clear tone with no flabby bass undertones or shrill high end edge. The notes just leap out of the 4 - 10's with breathtaking clarity and punch.It's touch dynamics and voicing are unmatched by anything I have ever experienced. I've either heard or played most all out there .I think you would have to shell out the mega bucks for a Dumble / Matchless/ Ken Fischer or Hoffman amp before you reach this level of excellence. It starts breaking up as sweet as buttercream right around 6 on the volume dial and continues getting better as you head towards 12 on the dial but you should never have to go that far. It will bark/ howl/snarl and scream anywhere after 6. If you use stomp boxes before the amp you can achieve any sound you can imagine, period!

The bassman's design has withstood the test of time unchanged in our world of high tech "improvements" and that should be proof enough of it's perfection. 59 Bassmans have withstood the rigors of the road and touring for over fourty years. Spare tubes & fuses don't hurt to have on hand but the chances of failure are very slim.

Fender is what they are, the largest instrument maker in the world.
I've never dealt with them.

Been playing guitar for a little over 40 years. If it were stolen, I'd hunt the SOB down , pull his you know whats thru his nose and take it back! I adore everything about it and I would own nothing else ever. I chose this amp because great players such as Clapton/ SRV/Roy Buchanan/Buddy Guy/ Danny Gatton to metion just a few, used it and trusted it to make there livings with so why wouldn't a mere mortal player like myself not do so?

I'm rating this thing a 5 for features. Its about as raw as an amp gets. 4 inputs, 2 normal,2 bright. It doesnt have reverb or anything fancy, it gives you your basic controls. When it comes down to it this thing is designed around TONE and TONE alone. No digital BS, no chorus, reverb, gain or anything. Thats the way it should be though, i think reverb, chorus, and distortion sound a million times better from stomp boxes anyway. If you want a million effects and knobs to tinker with this is'nt your amp, if your into pure tone here it is.

I use a bruised and battered 2002 strat body equiped with a '57 vintage neck. My strat sports a set of vintage noisless fender Pick-ups. I play all types of music, mostly blues and rock based. I switched out the tubes for a higher end set, but there is nothing wrong with the groove tubes whatsoever. I played this amp with the groove tubes and was completley satisfied with the tone but opted for the higher end tubes for loud levels as i am playing gigs. I use a Digitech Hot Rod Distortion which sounds meatier than hell through this amp, i use a Boss Flanger, A Boss Chromatic Tuner, and a Boss Acoustic Simulator. This thing screams with distortion and cries in clean mode. You can get a huge variety with this amp, i've also played a buddies Ibanez through it and it sounded great. I've played A Paul through it and no complaints, but when you plug in a strat to this amp its a beautiful thang!

Well i've only had this thing for about 5 months, but i can be pretty clumsy. I've bumped this thing around quite a bit but no complaints. I did have to replace a 39 cent fuse about a week after i bought the thing but have'nt had a fuse problem since and i play this thing like mad. The tweed while beautiful can be a hassle, it dirties up pretty quick, i guess thats why everyone lacquers these things though. I've heard nothing but good things about these amps. I mean it is one of the longest running amps out there, since '59. That alone says alot about these gems.

Never had to deal with Fender and never hope to in the future. I've read and heard mixed reviews about their customer support, but at the same time what could you expect from the biggest instrument dealer in the world.

If this thing were stolen i would buy a new one, but i would spend the rest of my life searching and hunting for the dirty bastard who stole my favorite amp, and when i found him i would unleash a fury upon him like an unstoppable rebel force. Anyways as you can see i don't even like the thought of having to replace this thing! Overall i'm very pleased. This amp is exactly what i wanted. Its simple and its designed around tone. There is a reason why this thing has continued down the line through technology untouched. It is perfect!

Features? Hah! It allows you to put more than one thing in the channel and has bright or normal. That's it. No preamp out, no headphone, no split pre and pwer stage, no reverb, no trem, no nothing. What oyu play is what you hear.

Teles, LP specials (P100 and P90) and a strat.
This is the absolute best. I sold my Twin, my DR is in danger, this is it...even after three months. Fantastic variety. Love it. Tube amp, so not so quiet.

I recommend changing out the stock tubes for better and also the rectifier.
This defines smooth.

I play Gallagher, blues, some fingerstyle.This ain't reall y good (my Deluxe reverb 2 handles that), it is phenomenal.

Want metal? Buy something else.

So far so good. Simpler than a bike. what's gonna go wrong?

Fender? Hah! Not good. Gibson -good, Fender bad is my experience.

Have owned lots of amps. Bought this and sold Twin ( which is a really great amp, but different). This will be the last 'keeper' . I ahve owned all sorts of amps, and for what they do this and my baby Crate VC are the best.

Has no reverb, so a holy Grail does that. Needs more input for boost/dirty. Told Marshall blues driver is good for that but I use a BD2.
Is fantastic with teles, strats, P90 and P100 guitars.
Value wise it isn't really that good, but sheer quality it is top of the tree.

Big and heavy, too loud for small clubs.

8 stock, 10 with the 5f6a mod.

The reason I got the bassman re-issue was to get legendary Fender tweed Bassman tone that everyone goes on and on about. I have owned a 5e5-b 1956 Fender Pro, as well as a few blackface, silverface, and 80s Fender tube amps. This re-issue came close to the much hyped tweed bassman sound, but ultimately I wasn?t satisfied with the tone of this re-issue? So to get closer to the ?holy grail sound? I put a Torres 5f6a board in. The board cost $200, but it improved the amps overall response, dynamics, distortion, feel, and sound?.much closer to the spongy/funky feel of a 5e5b Pro, but more powerful. Torres also helped me out on the phone, so I?d recommend other re-issue owners to consider this operation. The amp now sports an Electroharmonix 12ay7 in v1, Sovtek 12ax7lps in v2 (I know, I know), and another Sovtek 12ax7lps in v3. Svetlana 6L6s are what I gig with, but for studio dates I?ll put in a NOS Tung-Sol 5881 pair (actually a Groove Tube re-badge I bought years ago when they used NOS American tubes). I switched the rectifier tube from a 5ar4 to a 5y3, which lowered the plate voltage and renders a softer, 'more vintage sound', in my opinion. The sound is awesome for Jazz, Blues, Twang, Rock, whatever, incredibly sensitive to the touch, and very quiet. I know there are better speakers than these 4 blue bells that lie inside, but the wife is already pissed that I spent $200.00 on that Torres board...so...

I also put a bias adjustment pot between and behind the rectifier and v6 position, and I re-bias the Svetlanas to 32ma when I install, but I run the Tung-Sols at 28ma, this gets the best sound to my ears. The sockets also got an upgrade, I replaced the stock Fender sockets v1-v6 with ceramic gold pinned sockets from 'The Tube Store dot Com' in Canada, I had to enlarge the holes to fit these ceramic sockets...3 hours worth of drilling with a carbide tip cutting tool. I put a power transformer fuse and an output tranny fuse in to ?bullet-proof? the tranny?s and tubes?thanks again Torres. The amp is VERY loud at 4 and breaks up after 6, and just screams cranked to 12. This amp will be used for larger clubs, while my Princeton or Deluxe will be the best choice at smaller venues.

Overall, I got one thousand hard earned dollars sunk into an amp that matches the boutique ?Bassmans? very well. Considering that they are at lease twice as much, I guess I did well, and I have a great singing bassman to match my Gretsch.

I 'Frankensteined' it, so if it breaks during a gig...I'll have to kick myself right in the eye. I have confidence in my solder skills! I figured out which end of the solder iron to hold...10 here, VERY dependable....well no problems yet anyway, after 15 months of heavy playing/transporting.

It is still Fender and I think tearing the PCB board out, removing the control PCB and pots, removing and replacing the filter cap assembly, replacing all tube sockets, stripping the chasis of all stock wire, and replacing with the 1959 era design voids the waranty....but I could be wrong.

Just wanted to follow up that review I just left with my e-mail address, I didn't realize I didn't leave it until I submitted...so here it is! I wanted to leave it in case other daring souls (who are tempted to rip the PCB guts out of their lovely 'Re-issue' Bassman to replace them with the real McCoy) need correspondance from someone who has trailblazed down the magic 5f6a rainbow path.

It's worth doing, and you can get it done for less without Torres' kit, but I think his kit (fiberboard, caps, resistors, pots, etc.) is quality stuff. If I loose this amp somehow, I'll buy a re-issue Bassman on ebay, and do the surgery again...in a New York minute!

Again, before 8, now 10.



GOOD LUCK!!!

Ditto what others said, before and after the board upgrade.

It's simple, and perfect like that.

Stock 8, now 10.

The reason I got the bassman re-issue was to get legendary Fender tweed bassman tone that everyone goes on and on about. I have owned a 5e5-b 1956 Fender Pro, as well as a few blackface, silverface, and 80s Fender tube amps. This re-issue came close to the much hyped tweed bassman sound, but ultimately I wasn?t satisfied with the tone of this re-issue? So to get closer to the ?holy grail sound? I put a Torres 5f6a board in. The board cost $200, but it improved the amps overall response, dynamics, distortion, feel, and sound?.much closer to the spongy/funky feel of a 5e5b Pro, but more powerful. Torres also helped me out on the phone, so I?d recommend other re-issue owners to consider this operation. The amp now sports an Electroharmonix 12ay7 in v1, Sovtek 12ax7lps in v2 (I know, I know), and another Sovtek 12ax7lps in v3. Svetlana 6L6s are what I gig with, but for studio dates I?ll put in a NOS Tung-Sol 5881 pair (actually a Groove Tube re-badge I bought years ago when they used NOS American tubes). I switched the rectifier tube from a 5ar4 to a 5y3, which lowered the plate voltage and renders a softer, ?more vintage sound?, in my opinion. The sound is awesome for Jazz, Blues, Twang, Rock, whatever, incredibly sensitive to the touch, and very quiet. I know there are better speakers than these 4 blue bells that lie inside, but the wife is already pissed that I spent $200.00 on that Torres board? I also put a bias adjustment pot between and behind the rectifier and v6 position, and I re-bias the Svetlanas to 32ma when I install, but I run the Tung-Sols at 28ma, this gets the best sound to my ears. The sockets also got an upgrade, I replaced the stock Fender sockets v1-v6 with ceramic gold pinned sockets from ?The Tube Store dot Com? in Canada, I had to enlarge the holes to fit these ceramic sockets?3 hours worth of drilling with a carbide tip cutting tool. I put a power transformer fuse and an output tranny fuse in to ?bullet-proof? the tranny?s and tubes?thanks again Torres. The amp is VERY loud at 4 and breaks up after 6, and just screams cranked to 12. This amp will be used for larger clubs, while my Princeton or Deluxe will be the best choice at smaller venues.

Overall, I got one thousand hard earned dollars sunk into an amp that matches the boutique ?Bassmans? very well. Considering that they are at lease twice as much, I guess I did well, and I have a great singing bassman to match my Gretsch.

I know this amp, and I can fix it.

It's Fender.

This amp is very simple, not much to it as far as features. It's got four inputs: 2 Normal and 2 Bright. Like i said its pretty simple, it has no reverb. Its just got the basic controls, Normal volume, Bright volume, treble, bass, mid, and presence. Its got two toggle switches, one to turn the amp on and off and another for standby. Its also got a jewel light. I'm rating it a 6 in features because it doesn't have alot, but thats the way i like it. I get my reverb, distortion, chorus ect.. from stomp boxes, for me thats the only way to go. I like to control my sound with a flick of the toe.

This thing is a TONE MONSTER! I will never play another. I play a Fender Custom Strat. I use vintage noiseless pick-ups. The clean is like butter. High ends are chimey and the low ends live up to the name on the face plate. I use a boss digital reverb and it sounds amazing, for distortion i rotate between an Ibanez tube screamer, and my new favorite... The Digitech HotRod distortion- great new technolgy for a stomp box. Distortion is amazingly full and dynamic. Its got enough sound to fill outer space and then some. As far as tubes go, I went out and replaced them all with a tube package recomended by a friend. The stock groove tubes are'nt bad but the chinese GZ34 had to go, not that it wasn't great but i was amazed at how much a $15.00 relacement livend the tone up. I also replaced the 12AX7's. A tube overhaul was'nt a neccesity, the amp sounded amazing as it was, but i found a change neccesary for my own playing styles. Tube technolgy is amazing, there is so much to play with out there. I won't get into what kind of tubes i used to replace, because everyone has different needs. If your not inot mix and match tube technology, you will still be blown away by this amps versatlity as is. There's a reason why this amp is regaurded as one of the greatest of all time. It is timelss, and it's tone is peerless.

I have no opinion on reliability as i have only owned this amp for a month or so now. I've heard these amps are very reliable. I've read alot of reviews stating that they can handle abuse. As for tubes needing to be replaced, my philosophy is this: If your playing a tube amp without a back-up set of tubes, you are a fool. If you gig and play at high demanding volumes, then you should always have a back-up set of tubes ready just to be safe. Most of the times your tubes will last the lifetime of the amp, buit there is always an outside chance of "shit happening".

I have'nt had to deal with Fender yet. I have heard mixed reviews about there support but i won't begin to speculate.

I've been playing for about 6 years now. I've played Marshalls and i've just recently offed a Vox. The switch to the Bassman was a switch influenced by numerous hours at the guitar store and countless recomendations. For those who are fickle, It is true, the ReIssue isn't quite as perfect as the original, but who the hell can afford one of those! I've found that with a little tinkering with the tubes it's possible to get your sound some where within the realm of the original as far as tone is concerned. I don't mean to sound like a Fender Rep or to come off like i'm pitching to you, but this amp is about as good as it gets if your into sound clarity.

Simple as can be
Two chanells - normal and bright (four inputs - two per each)
mine has a solid-state rectifier
Give it 5 cos' I like 4 inputs (two of them have 6dl less gain)

Great!
If I say that I had played only solid-states before buying BAssman 59 reissue, you can imagine that I now am happy as a Punch with these real tube tones I get from it... I play fingers ala Knopfler, occasionally using a pick (main influences -- Knopfler, Gilmour, Clapton and Harrison -- yes, a great guitarist - I don't care what heavy metalists or speed players think of him -- TONE is the main thing in music as Brian MAy said in one of his interviews) George is so subtle and unnoticible,not for everyone but he produced really increadible tones with his so loved slide for me -- listen to Lennon's How do you sleep and Give me some truth with George on slide guitar --) These four men know what Great tone is... By the way, George used the basmman reissue in his Japan tour with Clapton in 1991... It is listed in his equipment on that tour... So did Gilmour on his guitarwork for the WAll, as far as I know...
oh.. well back to the amp...
Bassman's sound is full, responsive, warm;
I like to play it... When we (my band) were auditioning the amp at the store -- the bass-player said "I envy you really" -- It sounded great right out of the box... and it is so loud that I am glad I gave a miss to the blues juinior I had been considering;
Bassman palys good at low volumes too, I play it at home too...
Works great with boss dd-3, and boss od-3 (overdrive), I also will use RAT 2 and maybe a compressor for slide later... I like all to be simpel and real in sound... I will keet the solid-state rectifir for reliability and mroe headroom.
Bassman cannot be beat... if you know how to play real guitar :)

I think it is realible cos' it is simple...
The more complex teh thing is the more chances it will break
Bassman is simple, and based on other reviews -- I guess it will last
Tubes and fuses need to be at hand, though, jsut in case...

N/A

Great amp! I thought of buying hot rod delux and DDRR or Blues Junior
Deluxe Reverb was a serious consideration, but then I told myself -- if I buy Blues Junior - not enough power (still will be looking up to BM), HRDX (tome compromise thre - still will envy bassman owners, DDRR - great amp but the circuit has 9 tubes too much I thought -- too complicated -- may break down, and I wanted realibility too)
I live in Ukraine (ex-USSR) -- all I hear is Marshall amps, people here seems to be mesmerised by the brand of Marshall (no offense to MArshall meant here) I had to do an extensive Internet search to find the amp I need -- Now I NEVER LOOK BACK... I know it just the ticket for me, the ultimate tone - bluesy, warm and penetrating. I love it!