NAD Fender '59 Bassman LTD 4x10" 45-watt Tube Combo Amp

[SpruceTop]

To channel and paraphrase The Holy Modal Rounders:

Oh Fender Bassman
You sure have started somethin'
Oh Fender Bassman
Don't ya know you got my heart a thumpin'
Oh Fender Bassman
I wanna get me a Bassman too!

...and I did!

This Wednesday, I received another Fender '59 Bassman LTD to replace the one I ordered a month ago and returned for previously listed reasons in another thread. This replacement had the same issues minus the dented tweed/pine front-right-side cabinet upright of the first '59 Bassman. I contacted Fender Customer Service and got a response within two hours which included sending me some Fender swag. I made a quick and easy chassis tightening adjustment and got to firing up this tweed, retro heavyweight. Anyway, I also contacted the vendor and may return it for another '59 Bassman when they get their latest shipment in stock.

Running my Gretsch 5420GT-59 through this Fender '59 Bassman LTD works smoothly with Channel 1's tone controls all at 6 on their 1-to-12 range, and with the Channel 1 Volume at less than 5 of 12 on its range, the quad of Jensen P10R alnico speakers produce clean as a whistle, loud, full, and robust tones. With the Channel 1 Volume control at 5, the amp starts producing blow your eardrums out loudness with the beginning of output-stage overdrive. I don't want to go any louder! The amp also has a Channel 2 channel which can be tumbled, via a jumper patch cord, into Channel 1 for getting preamp-based tube overdrive at lower volumes.

So, IMHO, the Fender '59 Bassman LTD 4x10" 45-watt Tube Combo Amp with no onboard effects or other geegaws in its signal path can be a straight-ahead, 6L6-based, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, clean and gentle amp or a blow the roof off the joint amp. Does simple and good get any better than this? Bonus: The Fender '59 Bassman LTD, given its name and original design purpose, can be used for bass amplification at low to moderate volumes!

Your Fender Bassman experiences and any other comments about this amp are Welcome & Thanks for looking in!

Fender '59 Bassman LTD 4x10" 45-watt Tube Combo Amp

[Steve DeRosa]

Quite the pair with that 5420-59, isn't it...?

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Steve DeRosa

Quite the pair with that 5420-59, isn't it...?

Yeah, Steve, by itself, I'm completely satisfied with the Gretsch 5420GT-59! Couple it with this '59 Bassman LTD and it's another sonic dimension compared to the fun features of the Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb and the easy, low-volume overdrive of the Fender '57 Champ Handwired. The '59 Bassman has such projection and effortless headroom and reserve power that it fills the room with a seemingly surround sound even at lower volumes. My electric-guitar amp wants are now fulfilled by my current stable:

Fender '59 Bassman LTD;
Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb Sweetwater Exclusive;
Fender '57 Champ Handwired;
Fender Blues Junior III Custom;
Fender G-Dec 30 (a fun toy)

Thanks for checking in!

By the way, aside from the silly and likely puzzling to some folks opening to this thread's OP, I'll bet you remember The Holy Modal Rounders, eh?

Mr. Spaceman

[SpruceTop]

A shout out to Fender Customer Service and Brett Arney for being exceptionally fast (less than 2 hours) in responding to my concerns!

[Song]

Congratulations on your latest acquisition! Bassman is the best man! Glad for you...

[Glennwillow]

Hi SpruceTop!

Congratulations! I do like that blonde tweed covering!

I have a first generation (1993) Fender Blues DeVille with 40 watts, that same blonde tolex covering, and (I am pretty sure) the same speakers you have. It's super loud, but does sound good.

In fact, recently I changed out the 12AX7 preamp tubes to some good quality (Mullard) 12AT7 tubes to get lower gain in the preamp. It still sounds great, but I can turn the input up a little more now without blowing my ears out and shaking everything to death in my studio.

Have fun with that Bassman! It's a great amp!

- Glenn

[Methos1979]

Great amps. They get REALLY loud! Very heavy though. When I had mine I did a lacquer job on it and it looked awesome. I eventually went over to the much lighter Princeton Reverb RI and then moved on to all things acoustic. But I have fond memories of the sound of that 4x10 Bassman! Tweed amps are so sexy.

[Steve DeRosa]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

...By the way, aside from the silly and likely puzzling to some folks opening to this thread's OP, I'll bet you remember The Holy Modal Rounders, eh?...

For those who may not be aware that's not the Byrds' late-1966 hit, but a parody of a song from 1963 entitled "Mr. Bassman":

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

Hi SpruceTop!

Congratulations! I do like that blonde tweed covering!

I have a first generation (1993) Fender Blues DeVille with 40 watts, that same blonde tolex covering, and (I am pretty sure) the same speakers you have. It's super loud, but does sound good.

In fact, recently I changed out the 12AX7 preamp tubes to some good quality (Mullard) 12AT7 tubes to get lower gain in the preamp. It still sounds great, but I can turn the input up a little more now without blowing my ears out and shaking everything to death in my studio.

Have fun with that Bassman! It's a great amp!

- Glenn

Thanks, Glenn, I love the tone of Fender tube amps!

I also love the tone of Vox amps but the only reason I'm not buying one is that even their hand-wired series are made in China and not in England. If there is another level of new, English-made Vox amps somewhere out there, especially an AC30 model, I'm all in!

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Methos1979

Great amps. They get REALLY loud! Very heavy though. When I had mine I did a lacquer job on it and it looked awesome. I eventually went over to the much lighter Princeton Reverb RI and then moved on to all things acoustic. But I have fond memories of the sound of that 4x10 Bassman! Tweed amps are so sexy.

Thanks, Methos! The Fender '59 Bassman LTD is heavy and awkward to move around, especially up-and-down stairs, so it's staying put in my downstairs family room. My Fender Blues Junior III will be my portable amp as it offers great tone and decent output with reverb in a fairly lightweight package.

[Tom60]

I´ve got a 5E7 Bandmaster made by Mark Baier, Victoria - not that far from the Bassman.. with 3x10, and a different phase inverter, and less loud... maybe

sounds great at any volume, not many amps can do that

Enjoy your Bassman

[Dru Edwards]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

A shout out to Fender Customer Service and Brett Arney for being exceptionally fast (less than 2 hours) in responding to my concerns!

I'm sure Brett and Fender appreciate your kudos.

Congrats on the Bassman! Heavy do you say?

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Tom60

I´ve got a 5E7 Bandmaster made by Mark Baier, Victoria - not that far from the Bassman.. with 3x10, and a different phase inverter, and less loud... maybe

sounds great at any volume, not many amps can do that

Enjoy your Bassman

Thanks, Tom! If I buy another brand of American-toned amp, it would be a Victoria.

[Methos1979]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

Thanks, Methos! The Fender '59 Bassman LTD is heavy and awkward to move around, especially up-and-down stairs, so it's staying put in my downstairs family room. My Fender Blues Junior III will be my portable amp as it offers great tone and decent output with reverb in a fairly lightweight package.

The Blues Junior is another great little amp and one I owned before the Bassman 4x10. I also had a tweek BJ that I did the first lacquer job on. Came out great so I had no trouble doing it to the much larger Bassman.

[SpruceTop]

Originally Posted by Dru Edwards

I'm sure Brett and Fender appreciate your kudos.

Congrats on the Bassman! Heavy do you say?

Hi Dru, it's only 53 lbs but it's kind of awkward, especially on stairs, given its dimensions. Then there's the Vox AC30 that weighs in at 73 lbs--what were they thinking!?