FACTOIDS & TRIVIA

The Bassman, as its name implies, was intended for bassists, however, it turned out to be much better for guitar. In fact, it was so good for guitar, that it was almost never used by bassists and most guitar players covet the 4x10 Bassman above all other tweed Fenders. It is loud, punchy and has excellent response from bass to treble. It also sounds great when it just begins to overdrive. The 4x10 Bassman was introduced in 1954 with the 5D6 circuit and went through a couple of circuit changes including the 5D6-A in 1955, the 5E6 and 5F6 in 1956, 5F6-A in 1958. The last circuit is considered the best by most guitarists and is the basis for the early Marshall 50-watt amps and, naturally, the '59 reissue Bassman introduced by Fender in 1990. The final year of production for the 5F6-A Bassman, as well as the final year for all tweed Fender amps, except for the Champ, was 1960. The 1959 and 1960 Bassman amps were often equipped with Jensen P10Q speakers instead of the usual P10Rs. The P10Qs were a welcome upgrade and provided the Bassman with even better bass response and headroom. Sadly, this Bassman does not have its original Jensens.

 Preamp: Tube; 2 x 12AX7, 1 x 12AY7

 Rectifier: Tube; 1 x 5AR4

 Speakers: 4 x 10" Jensen P10R

 Channels: 2 (Normal, Bright); 2 inputs per channel

 Effects: None

 Controls: Volume for each channel, bass, middle, treble, presence; foot switch for tremolo

 Dimensions: 23 H x 24 W x 9 1/2 D inches

 Total Weight: 47 lb

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