Fender 59 Bassman Operating Instructions Manual page 6

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The Fender Bassman ® amplifier of the 1950's evolved as
the pro bassist's answer to amplifying a great new
invention: the Fender Precision Bass. This powerful rig
could easily compete along with the common
instrumentation of the day: horns, piano, four-piece
drum kit with calfskin heads, and maybe even an
electric guitarist with a nice, new 10-Watt amp!
By the '60's and '70's, as performance venues grew
larger, bassists demanded more and more power and
efficiency. Fender and many other manufacturers began
to offer amps with bigger speaker cabinets and more
output. The original 50-Watt, 4X10, all-tube "Tweed"
Bassman gained popularity with Rock, Country, and
Blues guitarists as a great-sounding, reliable, easy to
use guitar amp. Even some emerging British amp
designers of the day copied its circuitry for use in their
most celebrated designs.
In the 1990's, Fender released an affordable reissue of
the now-collectible '59 Bassman amplifier to massive
acclaim. Many players tired of experimenting with
preamps, equalizers, and effects racks rediscovered the
T T T T o o o o p p p p P P P P a a a a n n n n
A. FUSE - Protects the amplifier from electrical faults.
Replace a failed fuse ONLY with the type and rating
as labeled on the fuse holder.
B. POWER - Switches the amplifier on and off.
C. STANDBY - Use STANDBY during short breaks
instead of switching the amplifier off . By doing this
you avoid the warm-up delay upon returning to play
and you extend the life span of your tubes. Using
STANDBY for 30 seconds when first switching the
amplifier on will also extend tube life span.
D. POWER INDICATOR - Illuminates when the
amplifier is on and receiving power. Unscrew the
jeweled cover to access the bulb (type T47) for
replacement.
E. PRESENCE - Adjusts the ultra-high frequency tone
at a point in the circuitry after all the other tone
controls to add a special high-end "sparkle" to the
final output sound.
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simple pleasure of plugging into a Fender tube amp and
rocking. The Bassman's wide stage coverage, touch-
sensitive dynamics, and full-frequency "swirl" make it
the perfect vehicle for building a great tone with almost
any guitar or effect pedal hooked into it. The Reissue
Bassman has continued to be a staple of the Fender
guitar amp line to this day.
Your '59 Bassman ®
• Genuine Lacquered Tweed covering
• Solid finger-joined Pine cabinet for woody, resonant
tone
• New US-made GT-6L6-GE output tubes
• Improved 12AX7 preamp tubes
• Original spec 5AR4 rectifier tube for natural
compression when you play hard
• Internal bias pot making it easier to experiment with
various output tubes
• Fitted cover is included
F. MIDDLE - Adjusts the mid-frequency tone.
G. BASS - Adjusts the low-frequency tone. Tip: At
higher VOLUME settings, lower the BASS setting to
reduce speaker "flap."
H. TREBLE - Adjusts the high-frequency tone.
I. VOLUME BRIGHT - Adjusts the loudness of the
Bright channel.
J. VOLUME NORMAL - Adjusts the loudness of the
Normal channel.
K. BRIGHT INPUTS - Plug in connection for your guitar.
Input 2 provides 6dB less gain than Input 1 for high-
output or pre-amplified instruments.
channel boosts treble tones.
L. NORMAL INPUTS - Plug in connection for your
guitar. Input 2 provides 6dB less gain than Input 1 for
high-output or pre-amplified instruments.
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LTD is enhanced with
The bright
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