SOLD! - 1959 Fender 5F6-A Tweed Bassman 4x10 Narrow Panel Amp

Introduced in 1952, the Fender Bassman was created to accompany Fender's wildly successful Precision Bass, which debuted the previous year. Originally a 26 watt amp with a single 15" speaker, the Bassman grew to 40 watts by 1954, with four 10" speakers, making it almost certainly the most powerful instrument amp of its day. Increasingly popular with guitarists, by 1958 the amp had been upgraded with four inputs (two 'Normal' and two 'Bright') and a midrange control. Covered with Fender's signature diagonal tweed, this 'narrow panel' version of the Bassman has achieved iconic status, having inspired the original Marshalls and countless other high-gain amps in the decades since. From Buddy Guy and Jimi Hendrix, to Stevie Ray Vaughn and Brian Setzer, a host of legendary performers have regarded the tweed Bassman as simply the finest guitar amp ever made.

This killer sounding amp with serial# BM02951 represents the last and most celebrated version of the combo Bassman, designated by Fender as the 5F6-A. The serial number and specs date it to 1959 and it is pretty original: chassis, 45249 output transformer, 125C1A 606943 choke, switches, chicken head knobs, pilot light, fuse holder, board, wiring, jacks, a lot of original ASTRON capacitors, most pots etc. The name of the builder on the masking tape inside the chassis unfortunately has faded to much to read.

The silver Jensen P10R C5942 speakers all date from 1956-1959. Two of them have the original cones and two are pro reconed. The Power Transformer was replaced for a high end 1155-10000A 6050006 110V Power Transformer with a lot of juice to feed the beast. The pine cabinet is also a replacement with lacquered aged tweed covering, new leather handle and a repro tube chart.

NOS and high end tubes,
1 x GZ34 JAN GE rectifier
2 x 5881 JAN-CTL-6L6WGB Tung-Sol power
1 x 12AX7 RCA cathode
1 x 12AX7 RCS voltage
1 x 12AY7 RCA preamp

The amp sounds really amazing, warm and throaty, and delivers creamy clean response at low volume levels. And as well known these amps are phenomenally powerful when cranked, making it a favorite for studios, clubs, and bigger live performances. An aftermarket dustcover is included in the sale, as well as a 230-110Volt power converter.