Fender '59 Bassman Reissue

Its a straight up (bass) guitar amp with the simplest of controls. Everyone should know what this amp has. A 50 year old design that works so well. I think its a 1993 but not sure.

In a word ... BEAUTIFUL ! I did put EH 6L6s in it. I will put fresh pre-amp tubes and try out some different values but I do really like it just as it is. The solid state rectifier is staying. It seems to give the amp a quick and tight sound to it (maybe a little old Marshal/British sounding), just my opinion. I love the way you can feel this amp when you play it. I got this amp used from GC in San Jose. The previous owner laquered it. Maybe a little dark, but gives it a unique look and should last forever. I had to chase some cabinet buzzing but thats all straightened out now. I can honestly say that in 30+ years of playing electric guitar and going through more amps than I can remember this is my favorite. Stripped down to the basics, this amp is what rock guitar playing is all about. I dont plan to get rid of any of my other amps that I have now, I like of all of them, But the Bassman rules the roost.

Bought it used, lets see what happen.

Never had much luck with Leo's namesake outfit. I quit dealing with their customer support long ago. I just figure thats the price of doing buisness with them.

Been playing 30 years or so and still love playing and listening to guitar as much as ever. I can't belive it took me so long to get one of these amps. I will always have one! As with any product especially amps and guitar there is always variation among the production run but I think I got a good one and could not be happier.

absolutly no features which is OK!!! because reisues arent supposed to be like that. i do like how you can jumper channels to get a rich distorition

Now this is it ok i had a master vollume put in so for me i play this amp at like 5-7 which is when it sounds best it sounds nice everywhere else but right there it just starts to sreaam ur guitar leads like others said it works great with pedals. Also unlike line 6 sorta amps this there is no hiding behind distortion or reverb or anything this amp is a monster and whatever you give it'll through it in the audience face so this amp is bad for beginners basically

very reliable this amp had never broken down you should always have spare tubes because every once in a whill it start to hum more then normaml but still sounds great.

idk

i have been playing for a long time and i think this amp is like the standard amp this is that classic tone the only thing i wish it had would be a reverb but this is the classic fender sound

People have to understand that the more you put in the signal flow of an amp the more distant you get from the guitars fullest tone. So if you want a crazy gain channels and EQs this isn't for you. But if you want that botique quality that less is more, you'll fall head over heals with this amp.

I've been playing for 14 years, and have played many an amp. I play 2 american strats one 94 40th anniversery with EMG SAs (awsome clean bell like tones), and a 92 deluxe custum with lace red white and blues (more of a wound sounding sensor), and they both sound rediculously pretty even with no verb.

The first day I had this amp I let the tubes warm up for 20 minutes plugged in and played for about 10 minutes and then there was static and a pop and the sound cut out. Come to find out and about an hour of research, I found out I had a cathode short in my PI tube (the 3rd preamp tube). I switched all 3 out with groove tubes 12AX7 Rs and now it's better than before, they really boost the highs and highmids and have a great natural compression.

didn't bother with them

everything I imagined especially with a Robert Keeley compressor, Keeley modded TS-808, big muff, and a fulltone clyde wah, what more could you ask for, or just plug right in (I mainly use the normal channel) and listen to the sweet sound of pure un-adulterated tone.

The is the '59 reissue Bassman. It is a relatively simple tube amp. I play country, blues and rock and this amp is perfect. It's funny how they still built 'em with the knobs in back and numbers facing the other way. I heard that in the old days amps would be placed in front of the player so this configuration worked. The amp has expanded my abilities as now i can read upside down

This amp has the clear, full tone needed for country, blues, early rock. I play a nashville tele - this is a great combo. For dirt a Tube Screamer goes in line. I also play a les paul, which surprising is also a good combo. For dirt/tone here i use an old Butler Tube Driver like EJohnson/DGilmour et al. For reverb a EH Holy Grail is the way to go. I also have an Electric Mistress that sounds very nice through the 4 10s. I imagine this amp is pretty friendly to any guitar that is not particulary pointy.

The amp was re-tubed etc for a blues harp player. I like the sound the way it is, but it is getting on in years and I have neglected a tune up etc. Some odd sounds here and there - again this is the player's responsibility to chck no a shortcoming. Otherwise it seems pretty bullet proof.

I have not dealt with Fender.

This amp brings it. Many other reviewers have posted on getting the tones, agree with around 4-5 your in holy land. I've cranked it up outdoors and our drummer asked me to place a baffle behind it. I play a Fender Blues Jr - no comparison. i have a Marshall JCM600, no comparison. I imagine you would have to get to boutique world to exceed this tone combination.

Bought it new in 2007, 2 channels that you can combine with a short 1/4" cable (a neat trick!) , Rarely use the mid control, but I guess a lot of players appreciate it being there. I use it in a rehearsal studio, and it's plenty of power. Kinda wish there was tremolo or reverb, which is what fender was trying to do with the Hot Rods, making a "modern interpretation" of the classic amps, but those don't compare in fidelity to this amp. Just wish there was a Bassman 2, same electronics as this one, but with the effects.

The main reason I'm writing this review is to tell the truth that it's not a "clean" amp, like so many people are reviewing it as. It has an excellent clean sound at low volume, but the beauty of this amp is how it breaks up with the volume at only at about 4, giving a really sweet blues tone. Then when you get up to 7 or higher, look out, it's Jack White territory! No wonder this amp failed as a bass amp. If you want a tube amp that has a lot of clean headroom, consider a Deluxe or a Twin. Not much else to say that hasn't been said already; it's versatile, powerful and great-looking. A definite keeper.

No problems so far. I've heard of the fuses going once in a while. Damn, it's a 2 ohm amp! Mine has had no problems at all.

Never had to deal with them in regards to this amp, but I've called them before about other things and they're kinda so-so about addressing problems and getting back to you. But Korg or their other competitors are no better.

Been playing for over twenty years. If it were lost or stolen, I'd probably get another one, can't afford a custom shop version. I own a 410 Deville, Peavey Classic 50 and other Fenders and Marshalls, and nothing compares to this amp as far as tone and playability is concerned. I think the magic really starts in its preamp stage.

'59 Bassman Reissue
If you're reading this you probably know the stats, However the fact that input 2 has 6db of less gain is amazing for me as my Casino is LOUD.

Year is 1993 bought mine in February '08 mine was modified by the original owner. He added an adjustable bias, a tube rectifier, and about five layers of poly over the tweed.

This amp is amazing. I bought a new twin in 2005 for only $700 because it had been sitting for about two years for the first six months I loved it then I had many problems with it, after sending it in twice they replaced it, got it back and was happy for almost a year then I couldn't turn it up to 3 without it rattling to death. I called the store and got a full refund(VERY surprised). I found this amp on craigslist and it is everything everyone says it is and more. I play a variety of music: funk, jazz, rock, ambient, electronic(via a EHX micro synth) The amp handles everything extremely well.

I miss the vibrato and reverb of the twin, however I use my #1 Echo as reverb when I need it,

I play a stock Epiphone Casino usually going straight in, however I often use a Electro-Harmonix LBP-1 boost pedal to get a little more grit when necessary. My old twin had to be too loud to overdrive and this amp is perfect for me. Going into input 2 with my guitar's volume around 7-8 and the amp between 3 and 4 is perfect for me. If i play softly it sounds fender clean but when I really rock out (for lack of a better phrase) it gets the perfect amount of overdrive. I usually keep the treble at 12, Bass 3-4, Mid 6-7, and presence 5. When you crank the amp above 7 the bass gets a little muddy so I just turn it down a bit. There is so much variety with this amp it's incredible. The amp can be fender clean, and with my boost pedal set pretty low and the amp set above 6-7 it can get down and dirty. I hear the original Mesa/Boogie Mark1 was a modified bassman circuit and it makes total sense. Mine is a little noisy but I know it's just the power tubes and I just quit my job so that can wait. other than that. Absolutely amazing is all I can say. Also I NEVER liked the sound of my bridge pickup of my casino through my twin and I tried everything, and this amp makes it sound amazing.

Oh, It also handles pedals very well, I have a EHX boost, #1 Echo, and Micro Synth.

I've only had it for a few weeks now and have drove it around town to friends houses'. I don't gig but if I did I don't have another $700 for a backup. Like all tube amps it needs to be serviced, however with the selectable bias I can replace tubes myself.

Since I've had the amp for such a short time I'll have to say No Opinion on reliability at this time.

I hated dealing with my twin that was a piece and died. However this amp is so nice it makes up for all the unpleasantness I experienced. It's a '93 so it's well out of warranty and its modified. I live in Oregon and there are many good amp technicians in the city.

I've been playing guitar for about 5 years, I've owed a fender mexican strat and telecaster, a blues jr.(avoid them like the plague),a new fender twin(ugh!), I currently play a Casino through the Bassman and I think they were made for each-other. I love the tone, I miss the vibrato and I also dislike the fact that there is no external speaker jack because I would love to try out my friend's vibratone through it. Compared to other amps around a grand I don't think there is any comparison.

Amp has two channels, but no switching between channels. One channel is normal (for lack of better description) and the other is bright. Each channel has 2 inputs.

There are basic tone controls: treble, mid, bass and presense.
Thats it. What else do you need? Nothing. I don't miss the reverb. On a gig you'll either get reverb from the room or it will be added at the PA (or both).

This amp to my ears brings out the truest sound of me and my guitar (a custom telecaster copy). The tube tone does what it should: bring out the sweet overtones. The voicing isn't heavy (like a Mesa I played thru), or honky midrange (like most Peaveys and my Polytone) or artificial sounding (like my reissue Super Reverb c.1992). If you want unadulterated pure clean tube tone, this is the amp.

I've played thru lots of amps as both a musician and former music store employee. Far and away the Bassman reissue is the best combo I've played in the < $1000 price range. Not suprisingly, last time I was in Paradise Studios in Sacramento, CA, they had replaced their Mesa with a Bassman reissue. I recorded with the Bassman and it sounded awesome.

The amp sings from volume settings from about 4-7. You'll find yourself rolling back on the bass setting as you increase volume.

If I need overdrive I use a pedal in front.

I cannot comment on the amps reliability as I just acquired it (used). My previous reissue Fender from about the same era lasted from 1994-2007 in real-world gig use. The gig doesn't do the damage, its the travel that wears out your amp. Being shoved and dropped and rattled.

No comment. Never needed any.

I've played since 1984 or so, professionally since about 1994. All my guitars are custom built these days (Warmoth, Fender custom shop).

I like the amps purity of tone. I don't know much that could be done to improve upon it.

The only other amp I'd consider would be something by Custom Audio Electronics. I have the SE 3+ preamp by CAE, and it kills. But I'd rather haul a combo to a gig these days than a rack of gear. Although, I must say I did obtain a very special "mean" clean tone with my SE 3+, a VHT 2150 and a 4x12 cabinet that the Bassman cannot duplicate. It was mean, but not harsh, and way too loud for any of the gigs I'm doing!

I compared the amp to other Fenders (Hot Rod series) and a Mesa 1x12 combo (dual caliber?) both of which sucked compared to the Bassman when it comes to pure clean tone.

Mine was built on 5-25-1998. Rectifier has been replaced with a GZ34 tube, and the power tubes are upgraded.

The Re-issue has the same features as the original. Normal and bright high / low impedance inputs, tone stack, and volume controls. I use pedals a lot so the most important feature for me is clean tone, and this amp delivers in spades.

I use this amp for small club gigs playing primarily blues and rock. With the channels jumped this amp has a lot of tonal control and can go from smoky blues to mid-range rock very easily.

I don't need anything else from this amp for my purposes, but if you don't use or like pedals you probably want to look at the 65 Super Reverb instead.

I bought this amp looking for primarily clean tones, and it really delivers. While some other users like to put hotter tubes in these and overdrive them, I'm actually going for a 12AY7 in V1 for lower gain and lots of clean headroom.

I use it solely for tone and have found that this amp can easily go from smokey blues to twangy country and over to mid-range classic rock (60's style, NOT 80's).

It also takes pedals extremely well. In fact, pedals that sounded bad with other amps sound amazing with this one. It really lets the entire circuit breath and gives you plenty of headroom. For me it's like every other amp I've played had a blanket over it.

It's important to point out that this amp was never meant to be a swiss army knife, or a Marshall stack (wasn't even meant to be a guitar amp). It does what it does better than any other amp, and does nothing else. If versatility is more important to you than tone, or if what you really want is a Marshall, you need to look at something else. Take YOUR guitar to the store and play the amp for a while before deciding; you'll be happy you did.

There's not much here to break. If something goes wrong it's most likely a $20 tube or a $4 potentiometer. Historically speaking, this is considered the most reliable amp you can buy.

Fender is very responsive to me. YMMV.

I've been playing for 28 years now and this amp completely nails the tone that I hear in my head when I'm thinking about new riffs or songs.

If this amp walks off I'll have to buy another. I may buy a point to point wired one as a backup, or just to have.

I compared it to a lot of other blues style amps and it completely crushes everything for punch, headroom, tone, and responsiveness to the player.

Check out the Fender Website and you can see the features. Frankly not that much. No Reverb. No Crunch. Not even an effects loop. Just basic EQ and Presence with 2 channels, Bright and Normal.

I'm reviewing this because I am concerned some of the other reviews might make someone hesitate to buy this amp.

I think it is a matter of taste. If you are a heavy distortion metal head then this amp is not for you. It could do that but a Marshall JCM 2000 and a Guitar Workstation does it so much better.

For what it's worth I have a collections of Marshalls, Peaveys, and other Fender amps and a truckload of effects. I love them all.

I have been playing for 40+ years. I have found no amp or guitar does everything. I have about 20 guitars and 10 amps because I have found some mate better than others. For example when I really want the guitar to scream ala Jimmy Page I use a Les Paul Standard and a ValveKing100 but when I want "Hot Rod Lincoln" I use a Telecster and a Blues Deluxe with some delay and tremelo pedals.

If you are into cleanest possible telecaster type sounds and want to hear every note ring out while you are singing a Dylan tune to 100 to 500 people then this is it.

There is a niche market for blues purists and this amp fills that need. I give this amp a solid 10

Have not had the need

Have not had the need

Again-

I've been playing for 40+ years. I have enough equipment to start my own superstore. I've played every guitar and amp known to man. I count as one of my friends on of the 10 best guitarist in the world, whose name will remain confidential, and we have discussed equipment and tone.

A lot of tone is in the fingers. A really good musician can make the crappiest equipment sound great but a lousy player can't make great equipment sound good. I fear way too many musicians go for crunch and effects and volume as a means to disguise their shortcomings. And in the end they shortchange their own growth because they can't hear themselves.

If you like the sound of a wasp on steroids buzzing in a bottle in the back of the room go ahead and load up on a Line 6 with max crunch. If you want to hear your fingers pluck a string and hear it ring out then go with the Fender Tweed line.

I find the HotRod a little too harsh for small venues. Likewise the Twin and Deluxe are great but you really need a large auditorium to open them up to where you get the best from those amps. I could have bought any one of them. But for whatever reason I liked the warmer tone of a simple Fender Bassman. I play it at around 4-5 which gets it hot enough to where it opens up. I haven't played it at 8 or 9 so I can't comment on the complaints that it becomes narrow at that level. I'm wondering what stadiums their playing where they can get up to that level and how many thousand yards they're standing back to even know the difference. Anything over 5 is way too much I think.

I've been able to get great clean, blues, jazz, country and rock tones out of this amp. Every combination of settings I try, on the guitar or amp, sounds good. In that respect, by changing my playing style, and working the guitar's volume/tone controls I can access a bunch of different tones. The (4) 10's setup has such a big, wide sound and puts the guitar in a great place (mix-wise) onstage. By running channel 1 into channel 2 each volume control becomes a gain stage, more sonic possibilities. That's an amp with features in my book. The right features at least

This amp just makes my guitar sound good. Whichever pickup, playing style or pedal I throw into it I get back a big, warm, complex tone. I feel like I've rediscovered a few of my pedals after hearing them through the Bassman. It's really responsive as well, going from crystal clean to greasy to dirty depending on pick attack. The sound is almost 3-D and really fills up the room without being to woofy - well..at least with my strat the frequency response seems to match my guitar perfectly, bringing out my guitar's best qualities. I haven't tried it with humbuckers yet but I have a feeling I'll like that tone as well. I've never really been a gear fanatic but I am absolutley hooked on the Bassman. I now understand what all the hype is about.

I've read plenty of positive reviews as far as reliability is concerned so I get the sense that this is a well designed package. Only time will tell exactly how mine will age. I do wish the tweed was lacquered like the newer Bassman LTD reissue but oh well. I did buy a cover off of ebay since that raw tweed can get really dirty and stained.

I never really had to deal with Fender directly but I imagine they are a large company and customer service is inconsistent at best. Maybe I'm just being cynical.

I've been playing for 23 years, I've owned many guitars, amps, effects, etc. Currently I'm playing a Suhr Classic with Barden pickups.

If stolen I would replace it immediately.

I love the basic sound of this amp and I honestly don't even mind not having reverb.

Anybody who gives this less than a 10 for features is a complete idiot. You buy it for what it is, not because it doesn't have an effects loop or digital reverb, etc. Mine is a 1990 with the Eminence blues.

I have a love hate relationship with this amp. For certain things, it sounds great, like volume less than 4, playing clean. At higher volumes, the higs get ice-picky and the bass gets very flabby. Turn the treble down to compensate and then the high aren't there enough. There's no happy medium, either ice pick or hardly anything at all.
A 5U4 rectifier helps a little. An AR4 makes the problems worse and the amp is almost unplayable.
It distorts well, above 6, but again, it gets very harsh. I have played with it for hours upon end. Jumping channels, trying every one of the 4, using different pick up configuartions and guitar tone and volume knobs and I can't find a good amp setting and just eave it alone and play, and that's a damn shame, because the potential is there for an awesome tone. In the end I just set treble, mid and presence to 6 and bass to zero. Jumper the channels or not and it seems to work pretty well. You'd think 40 watts on 7 or 8 is loud. Maybe I'm just used to it, but my neighbors don't complain, I don't live far out in the country, and pictures aren't falling off the walls. I've hesitated in getting a twin because I'm thinking 100 watts, even on 2 will melt my face off, but maybe that's what I'll need to do.

1990, battered to hell and still all original. Beat that!

I use it with strats, TS9, fuzz, the usual stuff. I don't know if I'd buy it again, but I'd definitely miss it if it were gone. Maybe I was asking for too much, but I was hoping this would be my workhorse, but I can see it has limitations and may not be suitable for what I'm looking for. I was considering a bluesbreaker, but for $2,000, it better make me cry when I hear it.

This is a supplement to my earlier review. I've had some luck getting a really good tweed overdrive tone. Once you get those power tubes distorting smoothly, you want care about reverb. Clapton is IMHO the god of tweed tone, and you will notice he doesn't use reverb with either the Tweed Twin or the Cornell Custom 80.

Although there is no bias adjustment, I've found you can still adjust the bias by swapping rectifiers. If you are using a 5u4 and the bias is too low, you will raise it by going to a 5ar4. If the bias is still too low, you will raise it more by using a solid state rectifier. And the reverse is also true (go from s.s. to 5ar4 to 5u4 to lower bias).

Another thing I've found is that the exact bias you use isn't that critical with this amp. 6l6's and 5881's have a very wide operating range. For example, for a 6l6 operating at 450 volts with a 5ar4 rectifier, anything from 18 mV to 42mV is within the operating range, and you should be able to go all the way to 55mV without blowing up the tubes.

I've been using a tube rectifier, but I think I'm going back to solid state. The amp came with a ss rectifier, and it seems to work better that way. And another thing I noticed about the Cornell Custom 80 Clapton uses; it doesn't have a tube rectifier.

Still a great amp!

This amp needs a bias control and reverb. Without the bias, you ended with little choice of what tubes to use. It works great with Fender's tube reverb box. But that's a lot to carry around.

I think this is the top of the line for tone. I put in a tube rectifier, but that's about it. The Jensen P10R's are the best of the re-issues; and they sound great.

I've never had any problems with the amp, and I've owned it for a while now. The older style tweed (without the laquer) gets dirty easy and looks like heck, so I had mine recovered with tolex (Weber does it for a reasonable price), and now it looks great.

I've never dealt with Fender, but that's a good thing. For the money, the Fender re-issues are, I think, the best amps you can buy.

I've gone through a lot of equipment, but I've always held on to the Bassman. It's the best of the re-issues. The Marshall Bluesbreaker is a close second, but the tone isn't quite as nice, its a little noisy, and it weighs a ton. Get one of the new Bassman LTD's. If anything happened to mine, that's what I'd do. Unless you play metal, I don't know how you can go wrong with a Bassman.

Two channels perfect for blending the bright with the normal. 4X10 jensens are killer. This is a vintage style tube amp-those are the best features money can buy. I did have to replace the volume pots though because it was too irritating to have it go from 0 to extremely loud between 2 and 3 on the knob.

I play modded (rewired to 60's and 70's specs) fender USA strats with custom shop vintage pickups in them, through a Dunlop Classic Wah, TS-9, BD-2, and Electro harmonix LPB-2. This is a perfect sound. In a small room where I can't crank to get the amp to breakup, the LPB-2 does the trick. In a large space....crank it and go. I play with this in tandem with a 72 Super Reverb and the combo of the two is awesome. The bassman has a great sound and you can dial in the "sparkle" by mixing in the bright channel. It is a perfect amp.

I always bring a backup...it's just good policy. Even if I had a solid state amp...which I don't... I would still have a backup...you just never know...That being said, I have never had any problems.

I have a tech here in Austin, TX who can fix anything...I never go anyone else.

I've been playing for 20 years, I have the bassman, the 72 Super Reverb and a Hot Rod Deluxe. Sometimes I run all three, sometimes just one. Usually the main amp the the super, but the bassman is about to eclipse it. One thing to note...I bought it used, and someone had point to point wired it with the right stuff. I brought it to my tech and he said it was a steal getting it for what I did. The only difference I noted when I compared it was that it was more mellow (less bright) than other bassman amps. Maybe it was because it sounded like the Super Reverb that I loked it so much, either way it is an awesome amp.

Just received my 1990 re-issue from a music store cross the country in Cali. It's in incredible shape. I am using this amp for blues-harp. Not much for features of course, and I do miss having reverb a bit, but of course I bought the bassman for tone, not features! I do like that the control knobs all go up to 12, and the few controls that are available all actually do something, so that's cool.

First thing I did was re-tube this baby for chicago-style blues harp. Spent 3 hours of trail and error with a very good amp-tech and followed some advise I read on here, and here's what sounded best...Tueng Sol 5881 power tubes (they sound MUCH better than 6L6's!), RCA brown-based 5AU4 tube-recifier, and NOS RCA 5983's across the board for all three pre-amp stages (these are considered AU7's but differ evry slightly). The sound is down n dirty blues, but not muffled and it's plenty loud, and with a bit of treble and presence it even keeps my high end blow-bends under control!

Can't say from personal experience as I just got it, but it's a 1990 in perefct shape and sounds great, so gotta say VERY reliable!

N/A - Don't know

Played blues harp as a kid in high school & college, put it down for some 20-years to raise a family, and now back playing for the past year or so in a mid-aged blues band and lovin it! Have really come full circle. Had my eye on a '59 re-issue for some time now, waited until my chops 'deserved' it, and am having a ball with the great sound!

I use this with two different mics...an old Ruskin (made by Frank Ruskin from a Harley Davidson's sideview mirror...basically a mini green bullet) with a shure-controlled magnetic cartridge, and a Shure 533 SA stick mic(very low bottom...best blues stick mic around!). It depends on the sound I want...cleaner or dirty.

Bought new in 1998. Gigs indoor & outdoor. Loud enough for all but loudest rock bands if relying on backline (not mic'd). Miss having reverb & outboard fender reverb units are #400! Copes with all styles, but will never sound like a boogie if rockin' out. Most at home for crunchy blues gigs.

Ordered mail order. V disappointed when first arrived. Played usa strat standard & ibanez hollowbody. Didn't get decent sound until i purchased my Clapton strat, stuck heavy strings on & play through ts9. IMHO, much better with solid state rectifier. Allows more attack to suit cliched blues strat style of playing, more BF'ish. At sweet spot (3-4 vol bright channel, mid & bass way up), sounds incredibly musical & creamy & fills room / pub / club with sound. I do not like the sound of it breaking up. To my ears, the sweet spot is just before that, pushed more (5 - 12 vol), it just sounds mushy & compressed. Some peope like that, but it seems to lose definition. At it's best 3-4 vol doing blues gigs when not cranked too hard.

Strangely enough doesn't feel like it needs reverb, unless playing in front room / studio.

after 13 months cooked valve which took out screen grid resistor. I think resister under spec'd but they have to blow to protect other components so maybe blessing in disguise. New resistor cost about 50p. Been fine since. However sold it recently, and buyer has neg'd me through eBay claiming that it needed #140 spent on it, etc. If that's true, i would mark it down. So no opnion on that one ...

Rubbish in 1999. Wouldn't waste my time again. Fixed it myself.

Best thing about this amp is the 4 x 10 alnico speakers. They would make anything sound great in the way that without celestions, marshalls would sound awful.

In terms of pure tone, v hard to beat, however that tone is only in abundance at its sweet spot. Played in your front room, will sound ordinary. If your drummer gets too excited, you'll run out of headroom & sound mushy, but for blues gigs, very difficult to beat.

All the time i had it i wanted a vibroverb 63 ri, and now i've sold it, can't find one. Like ditching your girlfriend for a better offer only to find yourself single for a long time. Thinking about trying a LTD RI ...

Not sure of the year but i bought it the first year they were reissued. Had always used my 64 Twin but after trading a small Crate with distortion to a kid for a 63 Concert (I'm so ashamed) i got partial to the 4 tens sound but hated lugging the Concert around and when the Bassmen came out i bought it. Have been playing for 41 years and still playing the same songs, people still love classic rock. The Bassmen suits my needs, simple to use, plenty of nuts and that clean fender sound and alot lighter than my Twin. I use a 84 American Strat or a 72 Custom Tele depending on my mood. Haven't tried any tube changes yet have just stuck with came in it. I did shellack the tweed though, gives it a vintage look

Hook it to a Strat or Tele close your eyes and your're back when rock was new and young. It fits my classic style perfectly. And I can carry it myself without roadies

Very superstitous so no comment

Have never had to deal with Fender as far as warrantees but never had any problems with parts or gear for other amps or guitars

If it was stolen I'd buy another one and if it was lost I'd remember the next day where I left it and go back for it. I have been gigging for a long time and plan on finishing out my days with this amp or as long as there is a market for old rock

Made in 2003.
Very versatile amp for big fat tone..
Play Rockabilly, Jump Blues, reverend styles.
Normal Channel and Bright Channel.
Use for club gigs, bigger halls.

Use with Gretsch 6120-60 w/TV Jones Classic Pickups.
Works very well in achieving tone for my style.
Fairly quite amp.
Has enough headroom even with loud drummer.
I use a second smaller amp to get distortion and a a/b box.
Has great overdriven sound when pushed but gets very loud.
Lots of low end from 4-10s.

I used to depend on this amp but have learned my lesson.
Seems to be a hard amp for techs to keep running or even troubleshoot.
I have retubed 3 xs and have greatly improved the tone by using better NOS and Military tubes.
I see the newer LTD model has a tube bias. I had a tech install one.
If you get one of these and you are in a working band, buy two or some other backup.

Company is fine. The one time it was a warranty part. They sent the service center the part pretty fast.
Fender has many service centers but be prepared to wait.
5 year warranty

At this point is someone stole this amp I would be relieved, collect my insurance and buy either a Victoria bassman copy or try and get a hand wired one.

You can use the new fender tube amps, but make shure you have a tech, and spend the money to get rid of the Groove tubes.

Just checked this during one-two hours, here are my impressions.
Clever input section, with it you can match any guitar perfectly, be it a jazz archtop, a powerful lespaul or a strat/tele you name them.
I mean, impedance input changes with those different guitars and just tweaking eq and gain knobs doesn't do the trick.
So far the best amp for versatility.
Solid pine cabinet, that matters and not only a bit. Jensen alnico, a tad bright and stiff in the bass but the amp was new.
Tube rectifier, that matters a lot, a blues deville sounds transistor-like in comparison. Yes, that much!
One point off for lacking reverb, and one for fairly high noisefloor.

This is all about it. I don't care for the lacking reverb since the tone is soo good. Very subtle, detailed, with an attitude (play a good pedal through the bassman, incredibly good results), smooth and colourful.
Try describe sounds...
I like the slight chorus effect the 4x10 produces, it breathes.
Compared to a twin reverb: more details, finer, less boxy, lighter.
And to a blues deville: nothing to compare at all, the bassman is not a toy faking to be a real amp...
And to a deluxe reverb: warmer, more details, louder and heavier.

Brand new, the chassis was not put in correctly so I couldn't plug the input 2 of normal channel. Come on Fender, what's this??
Also, it produces hum, which was not the case with the other brand new amps I also tested through last month (twin, blues deville, deluxe reverb, vibrolux reverb) so it is likely to be poor quality control if any.
Once properly fixed, I see no reason to doubt its reliability, since it was first released in '59!
Being a tube amp, I see no reason NOT to take my Roland Cube 30 modeling amp along too!
No rating

In europe it sucks big time: a dealer can't even return a bad fender guitar (bad fret job for example) so you better choose a good dealer who can do the job himself.
The lowest rating possible, damned yankees!

It costs a lot of money here in europe, a lot of competitors within this price range. But the bassman sounds so good and is so versatile thanks to its inputs that I have the feeling it is a winner.

I couldn't raise the volume too much, so I can't comment about breaking-up, but I wouldn't like it as well (I like my pedals and the bassman treats them so well).

Still, too loud for the flat and too beautiful to stay at the rehearsal room , and too big/heavy to carry around so what's the purpose in the end?

The solution is: buy some tube converters like yellow jackets from thd or tone bones from tubeampdoctor.com and you instantly have a nice living-room class a amp...

One more thing: in europe this amp costs only 300 euros more than the hotrod deville or blues deville, and one shouldn't hesitate a single second: get the bassman!

About reverb, how about a passive divider sending the direct signal of guitar into e.g. input 2bright, and the direct signal of guitar into your reverb pedal(mix setting: wet only) and the output of it into e.g. input 1normal?
I'm sure this would works wonderfully, as you can blend the channels hence the reverb/delay mix while still having your pure guitar signal in the other input.

All in all a fantastic value indeed.

I think everyone has covered the features pretty well. Basically it's a single channel combo amp with Bright and Normal inputs. You can jump the channels with a short 1/4 inch cable and blend the two if desired. Bone stock these amps come with two 6L6 power tubes and three 12ax7's as its preamp tube compliment. It has a tube rectifier socket that comes with a solid state module plugged into it. This can be swapped out for a GZ34/5AR4 or a 5U4 rectifier tube. The combo cabinet is covered in a nice tweed fabric (no lacquer) with an oxblood grill...very nice! The four 10 inch speakers and made by Jensen and provide a 2 ohm load to the amp via 4 RCA jacks on the amp chasis. The amp puts out 40-50 watts depending on which type of rectifer is used. A very straight forward design that's simple to use.

With the stock tube compliment and solid state rectifier it sounded OK. It tends to breakup really fast (3-4 on the volume control) and sounds a bit too buzzy with this stock configuration. After experimenting with many different tube configurations, the best (smoothest) sound I was able to achieve was obtained by using a NOS JAN Phillips 12AY7 in the first preamp position, a set of Chinese 6L6GC power tubes and a NOS GE 5U4GB rectifier tube. Now with this configuration, the amp breakup is nice and gradual with no buzziness assoicated with it. All I can say is WOW!! This amp now has tone to die for. I own a Marshall 2061X Handwired head and a Marshall 1974x Handwired combo and this Bassman sounds every bit as sweet. I use the Normal channel with the volume set on 9 (it goes to 12) and adjust the tone controls to suit the room. Then I simply use my guitars volume control to go from clean to overdrive. This is the perfect amp for blues and classic rock!!

It once blew a fuse when I was experimenting with different power tubes. I only gave it an 8 here because there is no way to adjust the bias (without modification) when you swap out the power tubes and the amp tends to run pretty hot. Overall the amp has been reliable but I would never gig without a backup.

Never had to use it for this amp. However I have mixed feelings about Fender's customer support overall. Once they did me right when a Strat I owned stripped its truss rod. They replaced the neck under warranty no problem. However on another occassion they refused to replace the neck of a Squire Telecaster which was twisted. They told me instead to return it to the store and have them give me my money back.

With the tube upgrades outlined above, this is one killer amp. These can be purchased for very little ($500-$600) now that the LTD model is out. I have been playing over 17 years and I love getting the right tone for the right occassion. I own many amps including a Marshall JTM 45, Marshall 1974x, Marshall 2061x, Marshall JCM 900 Mk III 2500, Soldano Avenger, 1966 Fender Bassman and Fender Blues Jr. This Bassman is a keeper!! If it were lost of stolen I would replace it in a second. The only thing to keep in mind is that this thing is loud...but OH WHAT A SOUND!! I use it mainly when playing to large rooms. If you play blues or classic rock with a loud band, you can't go wrong using this amp.

By now you know the features. Built in 1995. To me, this is the perfect example of why less is more. Great sounds from either channel or bridge them together for a really fat sound. You can easily set up an external loop for effects on one channel and dry signal to the other with the use of a Loooper or similar device. No loops, headphone jack, channel switching or any other interruption of signal flow from your guitar to the amp. Plenty of output for rock and blues gigs. Don't worry about being heard over your drummer. While I love some of the tricks of my Flextone lll, I couldn't hear myself onstage. Not a problem with this beast. Very controllable for any environment. I also prefer the solid state rectifier to achieve a bit more headroom. I can't think of anything I would add or change about the design inspite of it's simple layout.

Sound is the real reason you need this amp! Guitars don't loose their identitiy when you plug in. My PRS sounds great thru this as does my Tele, Strat, or 175. I use it extensively for classic rock, blues, jazz, and the occaisional country gig...no problem. It takes to pedals like a fish to water! As part of my less is more idea, I use a Barber Overdrive, Boss DD-2, Boss RV-3, Boss CH-2, and Tu-12H. Simple, very effective for live use and very little noise. I can cover a lot of sonic territory with little worry of tone, reliability, and quick set up and tear down time. It also seems you can't get a bad sound out of it no matter where the knobs are set.
As I mentioned above, the Flexlll amp is great in its own way and really is ideal in certain situations BUT....this is the real deal. Not only do you hear great sounds, you can feel the sound as well. The harder you push this amp, the harder it pushes back unlike modeling amps that don't seem to have the dynamic control of most good tube amps.

No bad issues here. I still take a back-up amp to most gigs just in case but so far I've never needed to use it. I've only replaced the occaisional pre-amp tube and had two speakers re-coned. If you gig a lot, I would recommend putting Minwax honey pine satin polyurethane on the tweed. Gives it some "aged" looks and a bit of protection.

Who knows? Haven't ever used them. I bought this amp on ebay. (They're a bargain and plentiful!)

I've been playing since the mid sixties. I've owned damn near everything worth having from Fender, Marshall, Sunn, Mesa, etc. Think I like this one the best for overall versatility, ease of handling, output, and reliability. Would replace it with another one of similar vintage if lost or stolen. Can't think of anything I hate about it. I looked a various amps before making the purchase. Used Marshalls (not as versatile), used Blackface Fenders (way too expensive), new reissue Fenders (didn't sound as good as the old ones). When a friend suggested I take his RI Bassman out for a test drive...phew...I knew it was the one. Now...repeat after me, LESS IS MORE, LESS IS MORE!

no idea when it was made, but it's gotta be somewhere in the neighborhood of the last 5 years, and for someone who almost exlusively searches out vintage.... i AM IMPRESSED holy crap!! has 2 channels reg & bright, i run it with my boss blues driver and a boss chorus and mannnnnnn... so sweet!. tube all the way and i gotta say traded in a mesa plus 300 bucks, and i aint lokin back!!

no built in distirtion which is fine but when i stom on the blues driver all hell breaks loose, i play everything from jazz to metal and it covers all the bases

simple enough wiring, no porblems yet but i don't anticipate it would be too hard to fix if some should arise.

??

10!!!!!!!!

Bright and normal channels, two inputs for each. Bright and normal volume, treble, middle, bass and precence controls that all go to twelve. Four Jensen ten inch speakers. Power is something between 40 and 50 watts, depending on what kind of a rectifier you choose: it can take either solid-state or GZ34 and 5U4 tube rectifiers. I replaced the solid-state rectifier with the 5U4 tube which has the least headroom. It's still a very loud amp and I can't really think of any situation where I would need more volume. If someone needs a crystal clear sound at a very high volume, Twin reverb is maybe a better choice. But with the solid state rectifier you canset the volume at about twelve o'clock before it starts to distort and at that point it's loud enough for any situation. I play Junior Kimbrough-style blues, some jazz and rock and it sounds great for all those styles.

Bassman doesn't have any modern features like channel-switching or effect loops but it's a great design and can be used in many different ways. For example you can plug into either channel and use the other as a effect channel by taking the signal from the second input of the same channel, going through the effects and plugging into the other channel. This way you can adjust the straight volume and effected volume separately.

I traded a Music Man Silhouette guitar and a Colorsound Fuzz-Wah for it and haven't looked back. Reverb and tremolo would be nice, but hey, nothing's perfect!

I've been playing it with a 52' reissue Tele and they really are a good match. I spent some time figuring out which channel sounds best with that particular guitar and found out that it's the normal channel that suits my style best. The bridge pickup is way too trebly in the bright channel and the neck pickup may sound a little thin.

This amp is capable of producing quite a lot of low-end mass so you better beware not to piss off your bass player. The mids are lovely transparent and the highs are absolutely beautiful. Great dynamics, kind of like a grand piano. It's a amp that sounds like you and your guitar at their best, so if you have a good solid guitar and chops to match you are rewarded with total sonic heaven, but if not, the amp will certainly help to you learn to play better even though it can be a little frustrating in the beginning, because it makes your flaws mercylessly audible.

I used to have a 65' Bassman head and a late 80's 4x10 Fender cabinet and I compared them side by side and liked the the reissue combo better. The vintage head was a little cold and not as transparent as the combo, which was quite a surprise.

For pedals I have just a TS9 with the TS808 mod and a AD-80 analog delay and they're just perfect for this amp. I used the Visual Sound Route 66 with the 65' head rig and it worked really well but for some reason it didn't suit this combo. So if I want some extra boost I just open the volume. Less is more!

Point to point wired, everything neatly laid out and a all components are changeable so everything that can get broken can be fixed. Haven't gigged with mine yet so I really don't know but legends tell that these are one of the most reliable amps ever build. The craftmanship is as good as anything, simply top notch!

No experience.

I've been playing for 16 years and this is the amp I should have bought in the first place. Generally I prefer combos to stacks and Fenders has the sound I hear in my head. If stolen I might consider other Fenders, maybe the Super Reverb reissue or even Marshall Bluesbreaker combo or some boutique design, maybe one with reverb. That's the only thing this amp doesn't have but generalli I think you REALLY don't need it if the basic tone is good enough. If I could change something about it I would add the reverb and tremolo though.

Four inputs: two for normal channel and two for bright one, each one with a little more db than the other. Normal channel vol., bright channel vol., presence, treble and bass. That's it. If you buy this amp, you're not expecting any channel switching, high gain switch, just an AMAZING good sound. Other cool feature is that you can put the original tube configuration in it, and replace the stock solid-state rectifier by either of two possible types of rectifier tubes.

I have guitars with the following type of pick ups: Duncan JB and Jazz on the neck position, Filter-tron classics and Jazzmaster pick ups. This amp has one of the best clean sounds that I've ever heard. It has an incredible presense and sound projection. It's just as noisy as any other tube-amp. This amp can do any type of rythms you can imagine, but it stands out doing clean ones such as rockabilly, country, blues and pop. It works well for rock too, and that's exactly what I play, just plug an pedal in front of it and here I go. This amp is loud, and, if you play single coils, you gonna have to turn the volume knobs up to 7 (depending on the pick up) to start getting an overdriven sound out of it. However, with my Duncan JB equiped guitar, it distorts at 4 - because I have replaced the original solid-state rectifier by an 5U4 tube, in attempt to lower this wattage a little bit. After that change, the amp sounded a little brighter too. Haven't tried the other type of tube rectifier yet. I also haven't turned the volume knob up too high because I'm a bedroom player...

I never gig and I really don't know how to tell you whether you can depend on it or not in a stage situation. I did it twice and everything went pretty well, but, you never know... Have been having it since November/2001 and only changed power tubes once.

Never dealt with the manufacturer.

Been playing for 15 years. Been a metal kid, brit-pop and now I play early Bowie, Neil Young, Sex Pistols, Stone Temple Pilots and post-punk (Sisters of Mercy, Cult, Cure, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry etc.).

If it were stolen and if I had a lot of money, I would buy an Vox AC30, but those are heavy and the Bassman sounds almost as good clean and is way lighter. Yeah, maybe. There's nothing to hate about it. You might want a very good distortion pedal or another high gain amplifier to balance the Bassman's excellent clean sound.

Finally, a damn good sound like this for this price, you won't get anywhere else. I've tried all other Fender amps before buying it: Twin, Twin Reverb reissue, Hod Rod, Mesa/Boogie Blue Angel (no longer in production, I guess), Marshalls etc. Only the Vox can be better clean-sounding than the Bassman, to my comparisons.

I bought this "new" from one of the guitar shops in Denmark St, London in 2002. It was obvious that it wasn't new; unless they'd bought it and left it in a leaky storeroom for a couple years. I'd seen an original in another London shop, but wasn't prepared to pay #2,500 for it. However, they let me fire it up and I played a single p90 Les Paul special. I was struck how it overdriven it was at a relatively low volume and was hooked and started looking for a re-used reissue through the papers and online sales sites. Thats how I came across this one. I paid #800, which was #300 below advertised price for a new one, so considering it looked weathered, I was happy.
I love the simple volume, bass, middle, treble, presense. I've rated this 7 as although it doesn't have overdrive or any effects, it still does what it's supposed to do and does it very well.

I play both humbucker and p90 Les Pauls and love the sound of both. However, it didn't overdrive like the 50s original -I found out the original was an earlier model with two rectifiers, it was rated about 30w. Anyhow I had a Torres power soak fitted to mine which involved some re-engineering. The speakers were hard-wired to the output transformer and Barry Vine, our UK Torres franchisee,changed this to an input jack arrangement so I can plug the power soak in when I want to drive it hard at home. He adjusted the resistors inside it to suit my requirements and I'm very happy with the results. Wonderful overdriven sound without upsetting my long suffering neighbours. I also use a Full Drive II to add some overdriven variety. I've used Boss Distortion and Vox overdrive and they all sound amazing. I've changed the solid state rectifier for a valve one. The best way to describe the sound is to refer you to Neil Young going for it on Weld.
I recently bought the fender 63 reissue tube reverb tank off e-bay which takes the flatness out when jamming at home.

Held off fitting the power soak until the amp was out of warranty and have had no problems.

Not needed them yet.

Been playing 20 years. Had Marshals but got turned onto Fender when I bought a 40w Fender Blues Deluxe. The Bassman reissue just knocked me out and I can't stop playing it. Adding the power soak was a success, though I had to pay #80 to have one custom made for me. The Bassman has a 2 Ohm load on the output transformer so don't use one made for 8 or 16 Ohm (e.g., Marshal Powersoak) or you'll stuff your amp. I coated the tweed with Shelac which toned it down a bit and has added some protection. I love this amp and have found my sonic soul mate. If I lost it I would buy another and do it all again.

Didn't really have a chance to have much of a play around with the settings. I was only using this amp to test out a guitar in the shop. I was so impressed that I decided to write about it here! Seemed to have everything I needed.

WOW! Now I know ppl have said that this isn't meant for Metal but dear god, it can be! I was testing out an SG in the shop earlier today and the guy put me through this. He stuck an MXR distortion through the front and this has got to be the best sound I have ever heard! I cracked that biatch right up! Now I've played a few amps in my time - mesas, cornfords, peaveys, laneys and at the moment I own a Marshall TSL 100 stack with a PRS custom 22 and a les paul studio.. The sound on this was so good that I am considering buying it and using it as a practice amp! Seriously, awesome sound!!

I hear from others that its pretty damn reliably? Didn?t have a chance to kick it about so can?t really comment?

n/a

Well this amp really blew me away! I was given my own little room to really crank this fucker up, and I really did? I came out with my ears ringing? I don?t think I would change my TSL for this purely because I rely on the three channels too much. Just goes to show, to you rock & roll fans ? this is amp is very versatile!!! I probably will end up getting it, but just for studio/home use!

The Fender '59 Bassman re-issue is almost a perfect re-creation of the original. Two channels bright & normal. A no frills perfect sounding amp for bass. Yes!! I said a Bass. I'll fill you in later on that. 45 watts of tube power and you WILL get more head room if you replace the tube rectifier with a solid state. Beautiful tweed covering with an oxblood grillcloth. Top chrome panel with checken head knobs. Four 10" alnico speakers My amp was made in 2002.

As I stated earlier, I play a '51 Precision re-issue through this amp & what a beautiful tone. The only problem that I had is that it is just not loud enough for modern standards. I have to put a mic to it & have it come through the P.A. I play in an authentic rock & roll band. Leo had the right idea back then. About 2 months after I got this amp I got an old Gene Vincent CD and his bass playr had the same setup. The only amp that might give it a run for it's money is the old Ampeg B15 for tone.

I only used this on a couple of gigs. The amp has never broken down

I have had various Fender products for over 15 years with no problems.

I've been playing for over 20 years & if your are looking for a vintage look & tone this is perfect. If it were stolen or lost I would look for another. it has vintage written all over it.

Made January 1991 - standard features - the blue alnico's - bought it second hand but it looked like new, the guy never gigged with it. Is that gonna change now!
I still love my vibrolux but since I don't like guitars in monitors I needed something "bigger" for festival stages.
Play mainly blues, from jazzy swing to dirty boogie and rock.
I use an outboard fender reverb. Sound fantastic, but it means more carrying, so I wish Fender would fit one standard in.

I use all kinds of guitars, often with p-90 pu's. from expensive gibsons to cheap chinese squires, and they all sound great on the bassman. If you have to choose: go for a cheap guitar + bassman: much better then an expensive axe + ome cheapo amp.

I think the Bassman is one of Fender's most reliable amps

Been playing for 20 years. For smaller clubs I prefer smaller amps like Deluxe, Vibrolux, Blues Junior, but for bigger venues Bassman is the Man, no question about it!

No frills amp -bright and normal inputs- tone controls. This is a re review now I have had the amp for over a year

If there is a "classic" sound, then this amp has it. I play a Telecaster and Gretsch through it..two different sounding guitars. I run a patch cord from the normal to the bright channel and mix the volumes to get different sounds -work brilliantly. The more you turn it up, the better it sounds. the Tele screams through it, while the Gretsch just pumps out huge bottom notes. Country and Rockabilly styles

Gigged for a year with it -not one problem. total confidence

Never needed support apart from ordering an amp cover from a Fender dealer -no problems.

Played for 30 years had tens of amps and apart from an AC30 Vox, nothing else compares. It truly is a classic amp -all those guitar tones you hear on records are there. I've never had so many people at gigs come up and rave about the guitar sound since I've been using this amp. I've used the same guitars through Marshals, Peaveys, Laneys -and all of a sudden, someone has switched on the
"real guitar sound" switch -its called a Fender Bassman.

2004 fender 59 bassman
this amp is perfect
not alote of option doesn't need them

I play a hofner 63 reissue, fender jazz bass, rickenbacker 4001
I play classic rock and its perfect.this amp will nail those mccartney revolver/sgt pepper sounds.i bought it to play guitar thru.
i have been playing bass thru a ampeg svt stack and a vox ac50 thru a t100 cab and this just sounds better to me.I play out with this amp once a month. put an sm57 mic in front run thru the pa and i am plenty lound for any club i play in.i'll use my ampeg for outdoor gigs.alote of musicians including myself think these are the holy grail of guitar amps well let me tell you they are also the holy grail of bass amps.

been playing 32 years.to much! gibson,taylor,martin acoustics
gibson,fender,epiphone electric guitars.Fender,hofner and rickenbacker bass guitars.Fender,marshal,badcat,vox,ampeg amps
oh yea, and an old 1970 U.S.A. model washburn

This is an updated review,as I have submitted an earlier one,but I have since done a few things to really improve the tone of this amp.My amp was made in September of 1996.Features,10,very simple,basic features without all the bells & whistles of modern age amp's.Just a simple,super sounding all tube amp with 4 pot's to shape the sound.The tone controls do exactly what you want them to do without affecting each other like they do with a Blues Deville.Turn the treble all the way up on the Deville,and all the high end is gone!I don't like amp's that don't do what you ask them to do.The Bassman does what you want it to do.

As I mentioned before in my first review,I use my Bassman for harmonica.The first thing I did was replaced the stock Sov-Tek's,which weren't even close to being matched,and replaced them with a set of NOS Tung Sol 5881's.As far as I'm concerned,these tubes were made for this amp.I replaced the preamp tubes as well with lower gain tubes because 1)the 12AX7's are too strong for the high gain input of a strong harp mic.Couldn't turn the amp past 2.5 without screaming feedback,2)some good ol NOS Tung Sol's sounded soooooo much sweeter than the russian tubes.I used 3 12AU7's in the preamp for quite awhile,but I have since switched to a 5751 in the first stage of the preamp,and kept the 12AU7's in the other two.This switch gave the amp alot more punch,more bite and stronger mid's which is great for harp tone.I switched the 5AR4 rectifier to a 5U4GB,which also improved the tone for harp.Made it sound a bit more tubey if you know what I mean!I also added a bias pot and bias monitor jacks so I can adjust the output tubes to run where I get the best tone.I used to run a matched pair of 5881's at about 32 to 33mA's,but I have since lowered that to about 26 to 27mA's,and the amp still has great tone without having to run the tubes hot.The bias monitor jacks mounted on the bottom of the chassis between the preamp tubes allow me to check the bias without having to remove the back cover,and if you put each lead of your test meter on each of the monitor jacks,it show's you how far apart the tubes are running in mA's. The best thing I've ever done for this amp was switched the output transformer with an Axiom Tone Clone output tranny made by Mercury Magnetic's.These trannies are exact copies of the original Triad transformers used in the original 59 bassman amp's,and cost around $150,but as far as I'm concerned,worth every penny.The amp now has much more headroom,and sounds alot smoother.It's producing low's that it never even came close to before the switch.A major improvement!I would highly recommend this mod to any bassman owner.I've heard alot of guy's that have had the board mod's done say they liked the amp better before the mod was done,that's one reason I wouldn't consider doing it.I don't think you'll hear that from anyone who tries the Tone Clone transformer.This amp is now sweeter than ever before,and I don't think I'll be doing any more mod's.I doubt it can get much better.For those of you wondering,no,I'm not affiliated with,or work for Mercury Magnetic's.It's just an awsome improvement for this amp,and easy to replace if you're a do it yourselfer.Just make sure that the amp is fully discharged before doing this or you may not complete the mod!

The only real problem I've had with my amp was that a plate resistor needed to be replaced.Haven't had any trouble with it other than that,so I guess I have to give it high marks here.One resistor in 8 years is no big deal!

Never really had to deal with the company for warrantee problem's or anything,so I have no basis to give a rating here.

I bought the amp in early 97,and use it for harp playing only.I don't use it on a daily basis,but I do use it a few times a week.I'm a harp mic technician,and this is the amp that I use to check and rate vintage mic's for gain,tone,and overall quality,as well as using it as my main amp for harp when I play out.I also own a Fender Blues Deville 4X10,which I can't compare to the bassman for harp,it's not even close,and I also own a tweed Blues Jr.which I like alot too.I didn't like the stock speaker in the Jr. so I replaced it with a 1956 Jensen P12R,and I love the way it sounds now.Great amp to mic or for practice.If someone stole my bassman,I'd spend the rest of my life hunting them down,(I consider myself a damn good hunter),but if they fled to afganistan,I guess I'd have to buy another one and mod it like I did this one.What do I love about it?The tone!I don't hate anything about it,but I'd like to see it come stock with a bias pot,and I'd like to see them go back to the finger jointed cabinet's too.I don't know why they stopped using the blue framed Eminence speakers and switched to the reissue Jensen's,but I'm glad mine has the old blue framed Eminence speakers in it.In my opinion,the Jensen's don'rt sound half as good.I even bought a spare set of the Eminence speakers in case they decide to stop making them.They are as close to the original 59 Jensen speakers as you can get without actually buying 1959 Jensen's,(which would probably cost close to what I paid for the amp itself).I also replaced the power tube sockets because the stock ones wore out from all the tube experimenting.They could use some better tube sockets.I put ceramic sockets with gold plated pins in mine.Anything I wish I had? Yes,an original 59 Bassman.My overall rating is going to be a 9 because I think Fender cut a few corners when designing this reissue,with cheap parts,but we've got to thank them for coming out with it!We'd all be spending thousands of dollars on original's if we could find them,or we'd have to settle for an immitation or something different!It's still a classic even if it is a reissue.I wonder what the RI's will be selling for in 50 years!

I got the amp new at Christmas 1999. The wife won the money at bingo (God bless her) - about $1,100 Canadian, I think. It has all the features I need.

The only negative is that, for my style, it does not have enough clean power. It starts to break up at about 3 1/2. I had different tubes installed to improve the clean headroom, and now the amp stays clean up to about 4 1/2. I left the solid state rectifier.

I use the amp both for guitar and bass: a Super 400 with humbuckers, a 347 with replacement P-90s and a Telecaster bass (with heavy gauge flatwounds). Contrary to all reviews I read, I only use the amp for traditional country and jazz. My settings are the same for everything (jazz, country, guitar, bass): volume 4, treble halfway, mid maximum, bass almost minimum, presence minimum. I also only use the normal (bass) channel for everything. To me, the secret of getting a good sound out of this amp - for my style anyway - is turning the mid control up to 12 (and maybe tweaking the rest a bit). I have met country players who never thought of this, and even one guy who sold his Bassman and regretted it after hearing mine. I would assess the sound quality at 10 for traditional country, at 7 for jazz and at 8 for low volume bass.

Never broke down. Never blew a speaker.

Excellent dealer support. The dealer told me he had a source for the earlier speakers (he claimed the later ones are not as good)and access to a good repairman.

I have all kinds of other amps. They all have small specific advantages over the Bassman (slightly better jazz sound, lighter weight, more power). However, I always come back to the Bassman. For my purposes, this is the best amp made.

Channels and controls covered in previous reviews. I give this a 10, however, because this amp has ALL the features it needs. If it had more, it would detract. The volume and tone controls allow a variety of TONE, depending on the guitar and the pickups and/or pedals being used.

It's been said before, for rock (not metal, grunge, etc.) this is THE amp. I bought mine used, and it has been dead quiet. I use the Normal channel (having experimented with the Bright and bridging the channels) and generally have the volume between 3-5. The guitar volume down give you clean Fender tone (not as "sparkly" as a twin, however) and full up gives you GROWL!

I play with a Fulltone Fulldrive and Clyde Wah in front, along with a Digitech GSP2101 in front for the digital effects (flange, chorus, delay, verbs, etc.). This amp handles them great. A good boost/overdrive pedal lets you get the tubes crankin' really well.

This amp is LOUD. Remember that wattage and dB are logarithmically related -- a 10 watt amp is 50% as loud as a 100 watt amp. This 45 watter is LOUD. I use a Weber Mass attenuator with this so I can get the 4+ tone at useable volume (I also mic the amp for gigs, so stage volume is my biggest concern).

I've had this amp over a year and it is still my favorite amp (although my new Pro Jr. is getting a lot of use because of its great tone at low volume).

I did change out the tubes and put a 12AY7 in V1 (as in the original Bassman) and tried several tube rectifiers to lower the "growl" point volume-wise. The biggest drawback on the Reissue is a lack of a bias pot to allow rebiasing the power tubes. I'm told this is an easy retrofit by an amp tech in the $50-$80 range, but I haven't found a local amp tech that seems to know their business yet. This mod would be well worth the $$ to allow tweaking of the power tubes to get the "sweet spot" a bit lower in the volume range.

No problems. I did have the jewel light failure that someone else noted. But I bought several online for a few bucks each and have had no problems since I put the "purple haze" light in their. I'm giving this an "8" only because tube amps are just not as reliable as a solid state.

Never had to find out

I play some of everything, and have been for 30+ years. Guitars most used are an 82 Strat with EMG Gilmour pickups, an ASAT standard, an Epi Les Paul with Duncan JB's, a Godin LGX, and an Epi Sheratong with Duncan 59's. The Bassman handles each very, very well, but seems to like the single coils best. The ASAT in particular is a freakin' joy to play through this amp.

There's a reason you see this amp in the backline of most touring bands playing "classic sound" rock (a la Zep).

The RI's can be had used between $500 and $700. There's a new RI Ltd that has a solid pine cabinet, the bias pot added, and the new GT GE6L6 power tubes, and I think it goes for about $1100 new. At these prices, this is a great value.

If your thinking of buying used and then replacing all the tubes, speakers and installing a PTP board, you might want to consider a Victoria bassman. I think this amp sounds magnificent stock, and for the price of a few different tubes it sound unreal. I happen to rally like the stock Jensen speakers, and I can't see the value of dropping several hundred bucks to have a PTP board put in (IMHO, YMMV).

What Features? Well... it amplifies an electric guitar, and has some knobs to adjust the sound. That's about it. If you need more than 1 channel, reverb, trem, loop, several hundred digital amp models and effects, look elsewhere.

This amp is a pure tonal bliss-generating machine for me, besides being a great value for the money. For me, this is the closest I've come to that elusive Holy Grail.

If you like the vintage Fender clean sound in general, I feel that this amp presents it better than any I've heard. For me, all the magic of electric tone is found in that sweetspot just between clean and full-on crunch, when the power tubes are just beginning to growl with saturation. I prefer this amp to the much more costly Vibro-King, and to me is much warmer and juicier than the old 70's silverface Twin and Pro-Reverb I've used. I use the Normal channel (channel bridging didn't do much for me). It's very warm, open and naturally sweet, and starts to break up nicely around 4-4.5 which is useable in the average small to mid size clubs I play most often. (trying to get powertube distortion out of a Twin at club volume is impossible). This amp (like many Fenders) truly reveals the subtler qualities of effects and pickups. (my fave overdrive and guitar for this amp are my Barber Tone Pump and Strat with Kinman Blues AVn pickups - this combination absolutely sings).

One thing that could be negative... I recently got to play on a really big 80 ft stage at an event in a LARGE hall. I wanted more volume, but I found that past 5 or so, it really wont go much louder, just dirtier. There is some really sweet power tube crunch around 5.5 - 6 (I set at around 4 in the clubs) but beyond that it got kind of ugly. I set it around 5 and had to ask the soundman to mix some more guitar into my monitor so I could hear.

Well, I've only been gigging with it for about 6 months. Simple = reliable, however the cabinet looks is kind of flimsy looking compared to the blackface, silverface or newer Fender amps. I've noticed that the whole amp vibrates during play... I had to get used to NOT setting my drink on top because it will vibrate it's way to the front and fall off during a set! My old amp never did that...

Another minor issue, the red jewel lamp regularly goes OFF after the amp has been cranking for a while. This seems to be heat related (this sucker gets HOT). It always lights up when first turned on, but usually goes off during the first set of the night. Sometimes it comes back on during a break when the amp is in standby, but not always. The sound is not affected either way.

No idea, I've never had a Fender product inside of factory warranty, and I get all service done locally. BTW, I NEVER buy guitars or amps brand new - there's always someone needing the cash looking to sell their used stuff to me for cheap. I've gotten a lot of bargains over the years.

I play professonally (13 yrs+) and have owned many amps (various Fender, Marshall, Mesa-Boogie, Peavey, etc). and a bunch of pedals Current guitar stable is two Strats, a B-Bender Tele, a Les Paul Classic Prem Plus, a Rick copy and my very first, an 80's Kramer.

1999 is the year of this reissue. Feature's? All the other reviews explain this quite well - outside of 2 channels (Bright & Normal)bass, treble, prescence, and mid, there are none - but not needed if you are just seeking the best in tone, clean as well as the sweetest
warm overdrive. I can't comment on stomp boxes - but it appears other users that do use them report favorable results.

Amp has plenty of power at 40/45 watts wich is surprisingly loud.

I'll try not to ramble on here too much - I have a cheap Fender Mexican Standard Strat, A 1970 LP Standard, and a 1960 LP Special Reissue w/P90's. All sound very good - The Strat and the LP w/P90's sound awesome. Just simply plug in to the damn thing crank it to between 5 & 6 and let the guitar pickups do the work, clean as a bell when backed down, and full up - the best full ballsey clean and focused sound you can get. This amp will not hide the ability of the
player.. This particular reissue is the stock amp with the 4-10 Jensens and Groove Tube's. Many people that have these amps mentioned in these review's tweak this, change that, put this in, take this out etc - you know tubes, speakers, circuit boards. Without any mods this amp can provide serious Tone and truley does sound great. Cascading the volume channels does work well and can provide some interesting change in fullness and depth of sounds.
Definatley not a Metal amp or anyone looking for a large amount of sustain. Blues/Rock at it's best.

If you want a Tube amp that can be clean and nasty as well as simple in design then this would be highly recommened.

No problems, but have only owned it about 5-6 months.

Been playing for over 30 years (right Dr.K?) Also own a MKIIB Mesa Boogie 1x12 60w combo. If it were lost/stolen I would get another. Best thing about it is it's simplicity - all tube (w/Rectifier Tube) and is meant to be cranked at least to 5/6 to fully appreciate
natural tube tone.

Not sure what year this amp was made ( I believe late 90's). I bought it from original owner and is in great condition. AS far as feature's? It has two channels Bright and Normal and the expected Treble, Prescence, Mid, Bass. This is a 45 watt all tube combo (yes I have the rectifier tube installed) and it is what the Blues and Rock tone is all about. Simple no B.S. Design. No wonder why Marshall and others copy and still copy the original design. Even though the feature set is minimal compared to todays junk out there, it is still versatile if you know how to use this fine instrument.

I have a 1970 Les Paul Standard, 1960 Les Paul Special (w/P90's), and a cheapo Fender Mexican Standard Strat. This amp is the real deal, I can't imagine an original 59 sounding better. Other reviews have mentione "Holy Grail"? Well, I have been playing for over 30 years and have NOT experienced anything that expresses the player behind the guitar like this amp does. It does not hide any mistakes. But damn does this thing sound incredible. I constantly find myself being able to find different nuances every time I play thru it, just by tweaking the tone controls as well as cascading the 2 volume inputs. Tremedous focused three dimensional sound, clean and in your face when needed, but just kick up the volume control on the guitar and we are talkin' bite, grit, and as much good sounding distortion
as any Blues or Rock player needs. Many have said stomp boxes work well. I can't disagree because I personally don't use them, don't need them as the amp does it all. And yes it can get plenty loud even at 45 watts. And yes, the Tube rectifier does provide that extra "sag" so sought after. I believe to really get the best sound out of this little gem volume's defintatley need to be at least between 4 & 6. This is plenty loud, will be clean until you roll the pick-ups on 10 and then its sweet. Push the volume a bit more and the sound just gets a little fuller and more saturated but not much louder. The 60 LP Special with the P90's sound exceptional and in my opinion better than the 70 LP Standard with Humbuckers. The damn $300.00 Mexican Standard Strat sounds the best. This is not a Heavy Metal amp in any regard. It's just tube's, volume, and the best Tone I have heard in my 30 years of playing. Just don't know why it has taken me so long to get one of these after dickin around with all the other amps. This is just a stock amp with 4-10" Jensens, and the typical groove tube's that come with these reissue's. I don't feel the need at all to change a thing on this as other have done with tube's etc. What I don't know I guess won't hurt me. Back to "Holy Grail"? Not really sure what that is or if you can get there - but this is got to be damn close. For between $500 & $700 these can be purchased quite easily.

So far s good. I have had it since January and play out 2-3 nights per week and I run it hard. Got extra tubes if needed plus a MarkIIB Boogie as a backup.

If lost I would absolutley get another. If stolen - you can run but you can't hide and eventually you would be found and then Guido and the boys would bury you in the desert 6' under.

Seriously, anyone searching for the basic no frills sound of Rock and Blue's and pure tube tone you have got to get one of these!

Yes, it's a lengendary Fender amp and everything that could be said has been. After reading all of the reviews many folks have gone the same route I have in replacing the circuit board (to a hand wired board), tubes (I prefer EL-34's...Svetlana's), speakers (go with a Jensen or equivalent), etc. If I had to do all over again I may not have done all the mods...all for the sake of making the amp live up to its reputation. This used to be my number 2 amp, behind a VOX AC-30. Now it is a little quirky, and goes through tubes...mostly the phase inverter 12ax7...actually the amp likes the higher quality, cleaner varieties (12au7, 12AT7, etc). I have been gigging with a Mesa F-50, so now the Bassman is #3...but still an amp with great personality...and yes, they sound the best with Fender guitars. Playing my 2 Strats with minimal effects brings out the best in the amp.

I am a PRS guy, but the Fender American Strat plus (with Barden's)and a Maple neck Strat with stacked humbuckers work well. This is a blues amp, but can hang pretty well on most styles with the right pedal board tools.

Wouldn't be fair for me to dis Fender based on all of the mods I've done. Mine has been a little fussy and eats tubes.

No comment on Fender...no real interaction

I wanted to update my previous review of this amp and pass along a few ideas. First, tubes-I have had great luck with the Svetlana 6L6's and Electro Harmonix 12AX7's, these should serve any gigging musician-save the expensive NOS tubes for the studio!
Second and most important-the reverb issue. I stated in my review that I had come to appreciate a dry sound and didn't miss reverb. Well, I was in denial! I am a reverb addict and don't plan on kicking the habit anytime soon! I was considering a VanAmps Reverbamate, which I am sure is a killer unit, but I couldn't bring myself to spend $275 on reverb (maybe there's hope for me yet). What sounded interesting to me about that unit was it's design-two outputs, one dry, one totally wet, so you need a two-channel amp (like a Bassman) to utilize it. With a Bassman, you would typically run the wet side into the normal channel and use the normal volume to gradually blend in the reverb. I thought that sounded like such a simple idea, I wondered if it would work with a cheaper digital stompbox...so I got me a Digitech Digiverb for $78 used (cheaper than the Boss RV5, sounds very good) and set it up like this: distortion pedals>MD-3 Delay>Boss Tremelo/Pan (2 outputs-you will need a similiar pedal or a Y cord to make this work). From output 1 on the Tremelo, into the #1 input of the bright channel. From output 2 of the tremelo, into the Digiverb and on into the #2 input of the normal channel. (You can of course do this the other way around, I prefer the bright channel for my straight sound). I set the desired volume on the bright channel, set the Digiverb on about 75% wet with the dwell up around 50%, and gradually turn up the normal volume until the reverb is audible. The result is much, much better than running the reverb straight into the amp-it sounds more like reverb added to your sound after the fact, like listening to yourself through the PA after the soundman adds reverb. You can crank up the volume on the bright channel, and the reverb stays more in the background, with much, much less of that garbled "distorted reverb" sound. No, it's not perfect, you are still using the same set of output tubes, so if they are distorting it will effect both channels, but by keeping the normal volume low you can keep the reverb in the background and minimize nastiness. This will work with delay pedals, too...a simple idea, maybe I'm the last person to think of this, but I know reverb is an issue with a lot of people, and this is a workable solution (will work with any 4-input, non-master volume amp)..I imagine the Boss unit works very nicely as well, even older units like an Alesis microverb should do well in this role. Give it a shot!

Of course tone and simplicity are the features

My bass player has called this amp the "GOLD AMP" im am truly in love with the sound , I use it for reggae , latin spanish rock, ska punk stuff,and straight rock.
i have owned rack systems that cost more than this amp and could not get a simple clean sound, I could get a million features but a basic good sound to build on, I really felt stupid spending so much money and sounding like crap.
some people say that this amp is not for metal , well I put a samsamp psa1 pre amp rack in front of it and it sounded very heavy.
I can get a very sweet reggae sound with it, and for ska music its perfect, and I can tell by the look of my bandmemebers.
Ive done about 3 gigs with it and I have more volume that I would ever need, its easier to carry than a marshall halfstack and It has a more sweeter creamier sound than a roland jazzchorus amp.

the only negative is that its kind of punchy , i read a review by somebody here they said that the jensen speakers need time to mellow out when there new there to tight sounding.
I am going to get a amp case for it pretty soon I want to keep this amp with me forever,
This amp makes sound very pleasant, its not so much in youre face like half stacks, and I can still get drunk and play trash punk stuff and its cool .
And also when people are dancing it doesent get in the way of sounding to in youre face where you only hear the guitar and not the other instruments in the band, it blends so nice with the band thats why I think my bandmembers are happy, before with my marshall , ok wow its a marshall but honestly they werent happy it was like here we go againg loud guitar.
This amp is as equally important as my guitar!!!

ok its expensive but I look at it this way, its the last amp ill get.
I think the guitar sound better thru 4x10 speakers not matter how heavy you play or loud, if I need more bass i tell my bass player to turn up the bass, im the one who plays the melodies,at least in my style of music.
The look is so original, as far the low features on it.. well when im on stage and I have so many things to worry about and I might also be under the influence of something I dont have time to worry about the million presets and screens . mega hertz for basss mid high and all that crap . I can only worry about reaching into my soul and play music, this amp does not get in the way , theres no high tech trying to impress bs,
This amp has made sound better even if its only guitar and cable or 5 pedals + guitar synth, in my opinion its the best amp you can buy.

I purchased new in 2002. I play mostly blues, bluezy rock, bluesy jazz, bluesy easy listening, you get the picture. Basic bass, mid, treble, standby, presence, 410s, 2 6L6's, 3 12ax7's, two channels bright and normal both with high and low outputs (for use depending on output of guitar), pine tweed cab. I think that the cut down on features here is a blessing in disguise. From this basic set up you can use all of your outboard stuff. This makes the amp very versatile because you've got a great basic sound to work with.

SRV strat, les paul, guild starfire I, and (sorry) schecter. The amp suits my style perfectly (blues). I also like the distorion sounds achieved with my processor (RP200 digitech). The amp by itself is very quiet. It only gets noisey with my effects hooked up. The break up occurs at a volume thats too loud for me. But its heaven. If I were not playing in a band and could listen to that tone all day I would play it at 10 all day because the tone is heavenly ( but I would stand back a ways). The clean channel is sparkly, bell like tones. I was initially dissatisfied with the stock tone becuase the low end was muddy and had no definition. When I tried to clear it up using the eq settings, I found the sound was too brittle and ear peircing. Through this process I also learned that the eq pots are very sensitive. To me anyway, even the slightest turn would result in a big difference in the sound. Prior to this amp, I had a Hot Rod Deville which I suffered with for about 3 months and hated until I got the bassman RI. I modded the amp with a Torres Super overdrive ez kit. The kit costs 15 bucks and installs very easily in 1 hour or so unless your me, then it could take a week. But I the result was amazing. the basically adds a master volume by converting one of the inputs. Now the thing is a blues monster. better definition in the lows. Wonderful tube tone. I could dial in more different types of tones according to style of music. This thing really screams. Some other mods include KT66's and a little postal scotch tape in 2" squares in front of the speaker hubs to filter the high end insect attracting frequencies. I think this is necessary more because of the processor and not the amp. The amp by itself dry does not have this problem. I have had a reissue Delux Reverb, Hot Rod Deville, and others Im not so proud of and this amp does it for me. I just hated the deville. It gave me headaches. The delux RI tone was great but didnt have the power I needed in a gig. Nor did it have the clean tone at the volume I could gig at.

The RI bassman with Torres mod (which is easy) beats all amps I've played or sampled or considered purchasing (below 2000.00).

I had the thing home for 1 month and the tubes started to get really hot. The back metal ID plate would get hot like an iron. and the tubes would glow with a blue tint. The tubes had to be replaced. The warranty covers everything but the tubes. Anyway another blessin in disguise. I upgraded the tubes to KT66 Gold Lions. Another funny thing about the workmanship of Guitar Center items: The cabinet was not square. The all the four floor pegs dont touch the ground. The thing wabbled. Incredible. The cabinet was not square. I decided to look at this feature as another blessing because I put casters on it which fixed this. No problems since.

I went back and forth with Fender about the tubes (see above) and the nonsquare cabinet but they wouldnt budge. The warranty covers everything but the tubes. and they said that some warping might occur with the pine cabinet and could be expected (horse manuer). It was sort of dissappointing because I happen to believe that Leo Fender is god and still lives inside of the tones produced by fender products.

Been playing 20 years. Had a lot of gear. Played different styles of music. I settled down with blues (as mentioned above) and blues gear (see above). The thing I love about this amp the wail I get when I chop down on a bend. I like the way I can also dial in different sounds and the way the basic sound remains while I putts around with my processor. I wish it came with a master volume.

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!!