A Lighter, More Modernized Take on Joe's Treasured Tweed Twin
Extensively road- and studio-tested by the man himself, the Fender Joe Bonamassa Tone Master ‘59 Twin Amp authentically replicates the legendary “high-powered” Tweed Twin circuit in a lightweight, digitally driven form. Every sonic nuance of the original has been precisely emulated, granting you the raging overdrive, the brilliant cleans, and touch-sensitive dynamism of a historic 5F8-A twin at roughly half the weight. And while a ’50s-era Twin rises to window-shaking volumes before achieving overdrive, onboard power scaling allows for glassy edge-of-breakup tones and pushed power amp sag at far more manageable levels. You can even record or play through a PA via the XLR line-out and onboard IRs. Topside, the Joe Bonamassa Tone Master ‘59 Twin-Amp preserves the 3-band EQ, Presence control, and channel-jumpering capabilities of an old-school Tweed Twin, only with the benefit of a vintage-style convolution spring reverb. Additional modern enhancements include an effects loop to accommodate your time-based/modulation stompboxes, a versatile Vintage/Tight switch to firm up your low-end response, and two ultra-lightweight Celestion JB neodymium speakers fine-tuned to Joe’s taste. Whether you’re a die-hard JB fan or a tube purist looking to dive into the world of digital modeling, the Fender Tone Master ‘59 Twin-Amp modernizes one of the most sought-after amps in history without giving an inch when it comes to pure vintage tone.
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Guitar's most devoted vintage fanatic goes digital
Joe Bonamassa’s ascent to blues superstardom began at the age of 12, when he was invited to open a string of 20 shows for the legendary B.B. King during his 1989 tour. Nearly four decades later, Joe reigns as arguably the most prominent modern bluesman in the world, selling out shows across the globe with his signature blend of old-school soul and hard-rocking chops. Joe’s passion for the blues is perhaps matched only by his love for vintage guitar gear, with his sprawling “Nerdville” collections (split between LA and Nashville) veritable museums of golden-era guitar culture.
Considering he’s rarely seen onstage with a guitar or amp made after 1970, Joe is about the last person that you’d expect to go digital, making his adoption of this Tweed-era Tonemaster all the more impressive. Based on the iconic “high-power” Tweed Twin favored by guitarists ranging from Keith Richards to Eric Clapton, the Fender Tone Master perfectly captures the raw, ragged overdrive and punchy cleans of its vintage inspiration. Furthermore, the Joe Bonamassa Tone Master ‘59 Twin Amp was personally A/B tested against a historic Tweed Twin — one of Joe’s go-to stage and studio amps — before earning Joe’s wholehearted approval.
Expanded tone-shaping potential
In addition to all its performance-minded bells and whistles, the Joe Bonamassa Tone Master ’59 Twin comes equipped with a much-appreciated sonic feature not found on any of Fender’s original Tweed-era amps: reverb. Based on a vintage Fender reverb tank and personally requested by Joe, this amp’s convolution reverb adds a splashy, spacious character to your tone. What’s more, Sweetwater's old-school obsessives found that the rear-mounted Vintage/Tight switch is perfect for firming up your signal's low end, especially when you start pushing the amp into power amp sag territory.
Delivers top-class direct tones
While the sound of the Fender Joe Bonamassa Tone Master ‘59 Twin Amp represents a pure re-creation of vintage Tweed tone, this amp comes packed to the brim with innovative modern features to aid performing and recording guitarists. First up, the Joe Bonamassa Tone Master ‘59 Twin Amp features a balanced XLR line-out for straightforward recording through your audio interface or for plugging straight into the PA at your next gig. Moreover, this amp boasts built-in cabinet simulations to add dimension and space to your tone when playing direct. You also get a post-power amp effects loop to integrate all your time-based and modulation stompboxes.
Fender Joe Bonamassa Tone Master ‘59 Twin Amp Features:
- A digitally-driven Tone Master re-creation of Joe Bonamassa’s beloved “high-powered” Tweed Twin amps of the late 1950s
- Personally road tested and A/B’d against a vintage 5F8-A Twin to earn Joe’s approval
- Lightweight pine cabinet, with the amp’s total weight clocking in at half of an original unit
- Precisely replicates the raw overdrive tones and brilliant cleans of an original vintage-era, tube-driven Tweed Twin
- 85-watt design with 6-way onboard power scaling to achieve saturated sounds at manageable levels
- Preserves all the controls of its vintage inspiration, with a 3-band EQ, a Presence knob, Bright/Normal channels, and channel-jumpering capabilities
- XLR direct out with onboard IRs (switchable via USB) for authentic straight-in performance and recording
- Lightweight 12-in. Celestion JB neodymium speakers are fine-tuned to Joe’s tastes
- Convolution spring reverb circuit based on a vintage Fender unit
- FX loop effortlessly integrates time-based and modulation FX
- Vintage/Tight switch allows either a pure, old-school tone or a slightly firmer low-end response
- Includes a 2-button footswitch to engage the FX loop and the reverb circuit
