Fender '59 Bassman LTD 4 x 10-inch 45-watt Tube Combo Amp Reviews

This amp is so loud. Very surprising as it is 45 W. Wonderfully made through out. Not light, but also not two heavy if it has to be moved around with you. This and pedals go together very well. I use it both for bass as well a 6 string guitar. I would buy this over again if I were to need to. I am a bit old school so I am fond of the 4x10s over 2x12 anytime. I do not this you can go wrong with this fender amp. quite nice reply.

Yes, it's a reissue but this amp design represents a part of Fender and amp history that makes it cool to own regardless. As a home player, it is way more than what I need or can fully use (high volume) but I love it anyway. I can get great tones at "only" 5 or so on the volume, and it takes pedals well if you want that, but the feel is there either way. The looks are killer and the build and finish are perfect. With standby, two sets of inputs and a full EQ section, there is a lot you can get from the amp all by itself. Might sound silly, but I like seeing it just sitting there in my music room, lol. If you want those classic Fender warm tweed sounds that you can literally feel, go get one of these!

I just got my 59 Bassman a couple days ago and all I can say is OMG! I never dreamed this amp would have the clarity, dynamics, and touch sensitivity that it does. And, it's the hottest 50 watts I've ever seen! Thank you Michael Duncan for taking care of my order and that you Fender for this amazing amp!

My first gig was playing thru a Fender 59 Bassman 4x10" Tweed Amp. 3 guitar players called the Driving Guitars playing thru this amp at a school assembly. It was legendary. What a sound. It was an original Bassman amp. It even had a cool smell to it. I need this amp.

This amp has the perfect combination of clean to clipping tones and receives pedals perfectly! It's a very strong and loud amp, but with the use of some pedal magic, I've been able, with a bit of tweaking, to get the perfect blues/rock tones I was looking for! Very well built and I love the simplicity of it! You could use this rocker for any style playing and at any venue! Awesome job Fender!!!!!

I have to say my new 59 baseman is everything that I thought it would be. It sounds incredible brings back memories when I was a teenager so yes I'm giving away my age. If you really want to have great sound always use or start with a 59 baseman. You will find that you don't even have to have any extra paddles if you don't want to that's how good this amp sounds. This amp looks incredible beautiful tweed what more could you ask for! The amp is also not too heavy 54 pounds and with all of that sound it is great! I would also like to thank my sound engineer Stephen Graham for all of his help! I hope that everyone at Sweetwater has a great day thanks again!!

Bad news for the amp industry. I own several amps, and I bought quite a few of them INSTEAD of a Bassman. Always thinking that I wanted a Bassman, but it had more wattage, and was louder, heavier, bigger and more expensive than I wanted. Now I can stop buying other amps INSTEAD of a Bassman. I love this amp. It is the amp of a lifetime. The sound is very versatile. Just right for me. As many have said, you can get almost any sound out of a good Fender amp (Beside metal). That is very true of this amp. Here are things that I have discovered about my Bassman --- It is not: too big; too heavy (it is sort of heavy); to loud (that has never been true --- Know your Knobs); too specialized (it is crazy versatile). Four ten-inch speakers is the bomb. I always still love my Princetons and Blues Jr., but a couple of those "Instead-of-a-Bassman" amps will see a lot less use.

I bought this incredible amp about 9 months ago...and I have never been happier! This amp is all the backline you could ever want and it oozes that classic Fender lacquered Tweed look and absolute crystalline sound from 45 watts of pure 6L6 tube tone that cannot be replicated from any solid state/digital device. If you want the best, look no further, you've found it. The 4 blue frame Jensens put forth musical nirvana whether it be from a single coil Strat, a humbucker loaded Les Paul, or any other of a myriad of guitars. Effects and pedalboards connect seamlessly through anyone of the 4 inputs on the amps panel: choose your favorites and enjoy!
This amp is a near perfect recreation of the original '59 Bassman. With existing examples aproaching the cost of a car, this amp, while not cheap, certainly beats what you'd pay for an original. I love mine: you'll love yours too!

If you want a vintage look, killer sound, and classic charisma of the olden days, check out this beast. From my research with fender on this particular model of anplifier, this is the closest reproduction of a 1959 bassman you can buy. It is not the same amp as the earlier 1959 re issue from the 90s. The circuit, cab, speakers, and face are closer to the original 5F6A. The tubes from the factory are of decent quality and sound great. It comes with the same circuitry as the original including a tube rectifier. The new Jensen P10Rs aren't quite the same as the original speakers but sound great with their alnico magnets and paper/felt cones. Steel baskets look like the 50s speakers too. The fact that i love old stuff had me fall for this amp when i discovered it last year. I know everbody uses it for guitar but it is in fact a bass amp. The design makes it not desirable as a bass amp as the power isn't high enough to compare with modern guitar amps and the speakers and cabinet arent completely catered toward bass guitar. I use mine for bass. Its all the things i said but it delivers enough volume and bass to jam at home( where the amp will stay due to its high price). I haven't had the volume past 3. I use the low gain input on the normal channel, treble 5, bass 7-8, middle 6, presence 4-5. It sounds great with everything ive plugged into it especially my 60s jazz bass. I dont want to hurt the jensens(which their website says the p10rs can be used for bass guitar applications) so i dont get super loud. I mostly play clean but i have ran my Abominable electronics Hellmouth(its a botique overdrive) and it turns into a doom metal monster!. I even contacted fender and jensen on regards to using the 59 bassman lys as a dedicated bass amp and both parties agreed that ot should be fine as long as i dont try to headline wothout a mic. As i said before its staying at home to protect its integrity. Obvoisly its an awesome guitar amp and its still a sweet bass amp too! Get one!

Here are some of the negatives that I"ve read and what my personal opinion is after having this amp for a few days. Keep in mind, tube amps usually sound as bad as they will ever sound when their new.

1. The amp is too ice picky and harsh
2. The speakers flub / fart out at high volume
3. Stock tubes are no good
4. No reverb
5. It"s not as good as the real 1959 Bassman

So here is what my ears tell me:

1. Too harsh or ice pick like....I can easily dial in a great tone with my Tele and my Les Paul. I"m not constantly turning knobs which allows me to just play my guitar. If I hear it get too ice pick like I do something that a old wise veteran musician taught me...turn the treble down. Also control the presence a bit. I"m running the treble between 5-7 and presence on 7 with my LP. These speakers are far better than I expected and knowing what I know they will only get better after breaking in.

2. Flabby speakers when cranked...I"m running the bass between 3 and 6. That"s actualy plenty of bass, if not too much. The speakers start to woof at around 7 on the volume when bass is on 6-7 with my LP. Why a person needs more bass than that is beyond me. It will be walked on and washed out in the mix by a bass guitar. I"ve read that Buddy Guy turns his bass all the way down. I tried that and it was still a great, even sound.

3. Ok, GT tubes are not my favorite BUT I can get a wonderful warm sound out of the Bassman LTD with the stock GTs. I believe their American made, not sure. Anyway, I would never knock these tubes and I"m not replacing them unfil they die.

4. No reverb... I actually read this as a negative in a review. This IS a Bassman and I thank Fender for not adding a reverb tank. If you want reverb look elsewhere. As for me, I wanted a Bassman and that"s what I bought. I certainly wouldn"t buy a Ferrari with Lamborghini wheels and seats. Believe it or not, the pine cab has a certain ambiance to it and the Bassman sounds beautiful with no reverb.

5. Not like the real Not like the real Bassman... If you give me about $7,000 I"ll buy an original 59 and get back to you on the sound comparison.

The 59 Bassman LTD is the very best reissue amp (that"s not custom shop P2P) that Fender has to offer. I"m a big time tone chaser and I"ve bought and returned most of them. I also have hand wired boutique amps that I"ll always hang on to but honestly, they have nothing on my new Bassman.

If you like Les Pauls and old school Marshall amps you will feel at home with the Bassman without hauling around heavy 4X12 cabs. If your a chicken pickin" Tele slinger then feel good knowing the Bassman will be great and fit in with a skinny jeans country band or a classic country band. If your an SRV fan and wear a Strat then your will be pleased with the Bassman. Heck, you can even plug an acoustic into the normal channel and mic it through a PA.

What I like most about the Bassman is that the tone is amazing at bedroom levels too. You will hear no sound when the volume is below 2 or 2.5 on the volume knob. From doing my research I"ve found that this is normal. It cranks to 12 so don"t worry about the numbers.

I"m using this amp as a warm clean pedal platform because it won"t break up till about 6ish. 6 on a Bassman is LOUD and I can"t see myself in a situation to crank it that high.

As for pedals, it takes pedals better than any amp I"ve had. This includes boutique amps. The Bright channel isn"t the best for my overdrive pedals so I"m always using the normal channel. Works out great for me because I like the normal channel better.

...with a great warranty and Sweetwater"s best in the world service, you really don"t have much to lose by getting this amp. I"ve been playing for a long time and chasing tone for just as long. Everything I write is the absolute truth and I have nothing to gain other than the pleasure of somebody having a better understanding of this fabulous amp. I had the Bassman RI back in the 90s and sold it for reasons I can"t remember. That amp was the only amp I"ve ever regretted selling and the new LTD is even better.

I discovered Fender amps late in life. Their creamy cleans with beautiful harmonics, and then the way they walk the edge of 'breaking up'. Absolutely incredible. As Fender amps go, this one is 'the one'. The one that drove the sound of Rockabilly, Blues, and even Rock-n-Roll. This amps sound was so astounding, that even Marshall copied the circuit for their early amp. I hesitated, looked into it, and finally crossed my fingers and jumped. There was nothing to worry about. It goes from my bedroom, to the stage, and all volumes in between. The sound is articulate, with fantastic string separation, even though the cabinet practically generated its own reverb! If you're considering it, I can't recommend it enough.

Have several tube amps, but this has become my go-to amp. Whether it be a LP or Strat.

Yeah, it can get as loud as you want it (and louder!), but when you get to the chorus of Jimi's "The Wind Cries Mary," I've got to believe this was his amp.

I've built several tube amps over the years and this stands out. Always wanted a real 59 Bassman, but never had the $4-5,000 to get a real one. Get this amp. Yeah, it's not a human-soldered board, but perhaps even better. I've done both. The only thing you get from the old hand soldered boards is capacitor and resistor drift. Look it up. It isn't that big a deal.

Amp sound sounds best cranked without a doubt, but to ward off the PD, I'd suggest a Bonzai pedal (9 Tube Screamers in one.)

Thank you Shawn at Sweetwater!

Tom

Always wanted a vintage Bassman, but the prices were insane. Decided that life was too short and bought this amp. Tube amps always sound so "creamy." I love this amp. Have seven others from a Fender SS Bullet Reverb to a Marshall 18-watt head half stack. Bought some. Built others from scratch. Also own a Fender Tweed Blues Junior from Sweetwater, but I keep coming back to the Bassman.

Yes, if driven the way it should be, this amp will summon the PD in a hurry!. Played at lower volumes, it is oh, so sweet. Always wanted one. Now I have one. Life is short. Buy one, and complain to me if you don't love it!

This Amplifier is like rich and creamy butter. Sweetwater shipped it over 1000 miles and it arrived in perfect condition.

I plugged my SG into the normal channel and it sounded great. With or without effects it sounds great. It is heavy so I look pumped after lugging it too. The Amp looks nice and clean too.

The other Amplifier I use is a '65 Deluxe. I can pretty much match it's sound with the '59 (save for the tremello and reverb). So if you are on the fence just throw down the extra green and get the '59.

P.S.

I placed the order at 1pm and it was on my doorstep by 10am the next day!

I bought this amp mainly for recording bass. looking for that 60s tone and I am loving it. recording at low volume into a high gain preamp and the mic a few feet off the amp. its just the sound I was after. using a 58 avri p-bass with the 52 labella strings is a total time warp. I'm not a collector of amps. I just needed one good one that can get the job done and I believe I will continue with this amp for years to come. I also use it to record synth and keyboard which has been great because of the eq section and fat tone. highly recommended. and yes, its killer on guitar as well.

This is a great tube amp for bass and 6 string guitars; warm, saturated, full body sounds keep me trying new songs every day. Nice size and weight and the 4 10" speakers move just enough air to be subtle and powerful as needed. I've been using mine in my recording studio and look forward to using it on my next gig. Thank you Caleb for recommending this amp.

GRATE AMP GOOD RANGE

Over the past few years, I've been doing a lot of reading about amplifiers, mainly vintage, and mainly Fender. I had a Bassman 50 and a Bassman 100 in the '70s, but when Gallien Krueger came out, I jumped on one of those, (which I still have... a 400B amp, with a 4412H cabinet), and sold the Bassmans. In the '80s I moved into the Ashley pre-amp, BGW 750, 2) 2X15 and 1) 4X10 setup... but, I digress. After reading about the history of the Bassman, I was Jonesin' for one, but I don't really have a reason to buy one. Well, who ever needs a reason to buy guitars or amps? I finally broke down and bought one.

This thing is every bit as incredible as I had hoped. First of all, it's just a thing of beauty to sit and look at, but when you plug in, it's just sweet. It's so clean and crisp. I've run a Strat, a Telly, an original '72Telly Deluxe, a Casino, and my personal favorite... an LP Junior. They all sound like angels. I added the Boss '63 Reverb pedal, which is merely icing on the cake. I could not be happier with this amp. It's all I had hoped, and more.

FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU TO JOHN FOR MAKING THE ORDERING PROCESS EASY. I ORDERED THE BASSMAN LTD AND WAS TOLD IT WOULD BE A FEW WEEKS, AS THE AMP WAS BACK-ORDERED. IT ARRIVED A WEEK AHEAD OF TIME; ESSENTIALLY, WITHIN 2 DAYS OF SHIPPING. SWEETWATER IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW A BUSINESS SHOULD BE RUN. THEY ARE COURTEOUS, PROFESSIONAL, AND ORGANIZED, FROM TOP TO BOTTOM.
ON TO THE AMP. I HAVE A FEW AMPS AT HOME THAT ARE REALLY NICE PIECES OF GEAR. AFTER PLAYING THE BASSMAN FOR A WEEK OR SO, ON GIGS(I AM A PROFESSIONAL GUITARIST), I CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING I'VE PLAYED PRIOR TO THIS SOUNDS A LITTLE 'HARSH'. THE PINE CABINET, THE TUBE RECTIFIER, THE JENSEN ALNICO SPEAKERS COALESCE INTO A SOUND THAT IS NATURAL, BREATHY AND ORGANIC. SORT OF LIKE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A STRAT OR TELE THAT IS FINISHED IN NITRO, AS OPPOSED TO POLYURETHANE.
THE BASSMAN IS WHERE IT ALL STARTED!! IT'S A PLATFORM, A CANVAS THAT IS WIDE OPEN. IT'S UTTER SIMPLICITY IS THE COMPELLING FACTOR. I PLAY A WIDE VARIETY OF MUSIC, FROM TRADITIONAL BE-BOP, TO FUSION AND SOUL/R AND B. I'VE USED IT ON SOLO GUITAR GIGS, DUO, TRIO AND QUARTET SETTINGS, AND AM LITERALLY ASTOUNDED AT HOW WELL IT SITS IN A MIX. 50 WATTS IS A MORE THAN ADEQUATE AMOUNT OF VOLUME; THIS THING CAN GET BRUTALLY LOUD IF IT NEEDS TO; AT THE SAME TIME, AT A LOWER VOLUME, THE FULL SOUND OF THE AMP IS PRESENT.
THERE ARE A LOT OF OPINIONS ON PCB VS HAND-WIRED, AND ALTHOUGH A VALID POINT OF DISCUSSION, I DON'T THINK THAT A GUITARIST WOULD FIND A BETTER EXAMPLE OF PURE TWEED FENDER TONE, SHORT OF SPENDING AT LEAST TWICE AS MUCH. THE WORKMANSHIP IS FIRST-RATE, THE WEIGHT IS MANAGEABLE, AND THE VARIETY OF SOUNDS OUT OF AN ALLEGEDLY SIMPLE CIRCUIT IS TRULY IMPRESSIVE. IT'S AN AMP THAT ALLOWS A PLAYER'S PERSONALITY TO COME OUT PURE.
MANY THANKS TO SWEETWATER; KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK.

The Bassman Ltd is one of the best purchases I've made. I started out using the Bassman setting on my Mustang amp as well on on amplitube. It just has a great tone to it. I finally decided to spend the money on the real thing to record and gig with. It sounds amazing and has a ton of power. Sweetwater's 24 month no interest option was perfect for me and made it possible for me to get it. They always have awesome service and always call to follow up on your order. I absolutely recommend the Bassman amp as well as taking advantage of Sweetwaters great financing option.

Really wasn't expecting this to be such a rocker! I was just looking for a grittier version of a super reverb.. This beauty with a couple choice overdrives and compressor (Wampler Clarcksdale, Fulltone OCD, Wampler Ego Comp) will scream. Just like your old school rock amps you crave.. The cleans are superb.. I am ABY'n it with a super reverb 65 RI. Overkill I know.. But bad to the bone. I always wanted this amp. The only regret I have is not getting one sooner. The speakers are still breaking in. So I look for it to really open up.. Soon... For I have been playing my strats through this and my LP's non stop...
Once again Forrest Powell does my GAS addiction justice... Thanks man!!! You know I'll talk to you soon!!!!

Man,...I LOVE this amp! Words just can't describe how wonderful the tone is coming from the '59 Fender Bassman LTD Vintage Reissue amp.
This is the ULTIMATE Fender guitar amp in my opinion,and it's a big step up from the Hot Rod series amps,...which are still a good line of amps,...but this thing? It's great! I'm not saying the Hot Rod series amps are bad,...I have a Hot Rod Deluxe III and still use it from time to time,...but I like my new '59 Bassman LTD Vintage Reissue amp a LOT better,...and those four 10" Jensen P10R speakers are the reason why! Not only that,but my Bassman has a slightly warmer,bluesier tone than my HRDlx III,which sounds harsh in comparison. When i ordered my Bassman,I was told it would not arrive until July 7th of this year because of a shipping delay,...it came a week after I ordered it. Thank you,Fender,...and THANK YOU Sweetwater for your great customer service! I highly recommend this amp,and i HIGHLY recommend Sweetwater for their outstanding customer service!

I have had my 1959 Bassman LTD since 2004, it's initial year of production. The LTD does not stand for Limited Edition by the way, but rather Lacquered Tweed. First thing to know is that there may or may not actually be US made GT-6L6 GE output tubes in this amp. When I got mine, it came with Svetlanas which I have since replaced with JJ Tesla tubes. You may want to check with your sales engineer on that if it matters to you -- it did not to me but then, I bought my amp locally in point of fact. It does however come with 4 Jensen P-10R 10 speakers as advertised and these speakers will take you some time to break them in. At first, there can be a little bit harsh but after the first several months of regular use, mine mellowed into a tone beast that eats any pedal you care to throw at it, or none at all. I thought at first that I'd go and spring for (pun intended) the '63 tube outboard reverb unit, but I never have in 8 years because this amp produces a very nice natural reverb from its' pine cabinet. I seriously don't miss it, but then, I have a 65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue for surf tones and other reverb heavy styles. This amp only sees a Fulltone OCD pedal and an MXR Carbon Copy Analog Delay set to slap echo as pedals, plus I have a Fulltone Fat Boost 2 for soloing if needs be.

The bottom line is this; The Bassman amplifier is the crux of rock and roll amplifier tone. Jim Marshall used that amp to create the Marshall sound which would be enough in itself. But add to that the fact that in all the years since it first hit the market from Fender, this amp continues to be a basic yet highly functional design that can be used for just about any style of rock music, excepting perhaps Metal of course which has that "angry bee in a jar" sound to my ears anyway lol.

The tones here are amazing. I really cannot put them into words. If you want your tone to go even further though, pair this with a fender reverb tank and a telecaster and your tone will be too good to describe.

This is the 9th tweed Bassman I have had over the years.(Why do we, as musicians, keep buying the same things over and over again!) i have had Victoria"s and other hand-wired Bassmans but i still think the Fenders sound the best. Anyway, Fender as usual, over-voltages this amp. Plate voltage should be around 430. On this it"s like 460 or more trying to make the amp louder than it was originally. It is also what makes this amp so harsh sounding right out of the box. But there is a simple and easy way to bring the plate voltage down. Install a 5R4GB rectifier in place of the GZ34 that comes with the amp. That will drop the plate voltage down to about 425. Then install some Tung-Sol 5881"s or Jan Phillips 6L6 WGB"s in place of the power tubes that come with the amp. Lastly install a 12AY7 in the first preamp tube position. Once you do this you will notice that the amp is not as loud and harsh. You can actually crank up the volume to 5-6 and get some nice tube overdrive without your ears bleeding. I like to use the Greg Koch settings, which is Mids on 12, Presence at least half way up, Treble and Bass all the way off. Set the volume where you like. I have my volume on 5 and can go from clean to crunchy overdrive with a twist of the guitar volume. I"d like to give a shout out to my sales rep, Rob Parker, who has always taken care of me over the years.

Greatest amp ever. Turn the bass all the way down, the volume up, and use your guitar volume knob to go from clean to nasty. What's a tube screamer good for? I CAN'T BELIEVE some people bought an amp, whose actual NAME is " '59 ...REISSUE", and rated it down for not having reverb or an effects loop. Who the h*** buys a replica of a 1959 amplifier expecting those things?!?! They don't deserve this amp. Leo Fender should rise from his grave just to pimp slap these knuckleheads back to their momma's basements.
That said, the addition of the common adjustable bias was a good idea and improvement over the 1st gen '59 RI, but they should have stuck with the 1st gen's blue Eminence speakers instead of the LTD's reissue Jensens. The new Italian ones aren't like the old American Jensens and sound like a kazoo when pushed. If you get the LTD, and play anything but pure clean low gain, you'll want to replace with either a set of the old blue Eminences or some Weber alnicos. The new jensens do the swirly thing on clean, but sound like a kazoo with gain. The Eminences have less swirl but don't sound like old balls when pushed. Get some Webers if you want the swirly clean AND nice crunch(no kazoo). Anyway, the Italian Jensens suck... that's my reason for dinging it half a star. At least its an informed one.
Effects loop my butt! That's all I've got to say about that.

I love the sound, used it for recording a couple CD's ago and LOVED the straight through sounds. Only drawback is no fx loop/pre-amp in & out. This would be my number one with them.

This is a Great Harmonica amp with a minor tube change and a little rebiasing, which wasn't too necessary. Amazing tone with clean drive and just enough break up. Lots of power. If you can't be heard playing harp thru this, you have a band problem!

I can only reinforce what others have said here. A pure tone machine that sounds almost exactly like the amps I heard people using in the 60's. Mine sits next to my 1964 Bandmaster, which I consider it equal to in tone. I can't give it a 5 because of a couple minor cosmetic issues which should have been caught at final inspection. ( I sure didn't buy it for it's looks.)

This amp sure does make sound

After years of wanting a Fender '59 Bassman reissue (I mean from when they were first introduced) and several near-misses on scoring one, I finally got the LTD version from Sweetwater. It is everything I expected: a warm present tone with a sweet high end and a responsiveness to pick attack that makes it easy to achieve a great sound on a variety of material. My first amp was a '63 Silvertone Twin Twelve, and I have spent a bit of money over the years trying to find something I liked as much. Currently I am playing bass rather than guitar, which puts me in the great position of hearing a really good guitarist play through this amp. He has been using a pair of Gibsons (ES-225 with aftermarket P90s and a trapeze ES-335) and the Bassman sings. The only flaws are the weight and the lack of reverb...but it mostly stays in my music room (the guitarist has his own amps that he takes to gigs) and I have a Boss FVR-1 reverb pedal so everything is OK.

I was told years ago by an accomplished guitar player that the secret to good sound is a Gibson guitar through a Fender amp. I have proven him right over the years, with a Les Paul Deluxe gold top, a Bigsby-equipped SG, and my current ES-335 plugged variously into a Fender Jazzmaster Ultralight, a DRRI, a DRRI head (also from Sweetwater) used with a Weber California Ceramic 15, a '65 blackface Bassman and now this '59.

This one is a keeper.

I'm an amp freak and have owned many vintage and current amps. I had my Ltd for several years and was not too fond of it. Recently I changed out the power tubes for JJ 6L6s and the pre-amp tubes (1 & 3) with JJ EEC83s tubes. It's now an amp I'd rate a 4.5. I'm also changing out a couple of the P10s for older Jensen 10" to soften the treble sound a bit. In all, this is a very good am that, with a few minor tweaks. can be a great amp.