Fender '59 Bassman Instruction Manual page 4

The original Bassman amplifier of the 1950's is
possibly the most legendary amplifier ever built by
any company. Fender pioneered the creation of
the electric bass guitar, and was equally
innovative in the development of bass amplifiers.
As the cornerstone of Fender's amplifier line, the
original Bassman became the inspiration for
numerous manufacturers in the United States and
England.
Years after Fender electrified bass players and the
music world with Bassman amplifiers, guitar
players discovered the "magical" tone quality and
sound of those early Bassman amplifiers. Blues,
R&B, Rock, Country and Jazz players around the
world may disagree on the perfect guitar, but most
will agree the Bassman is close to being the
perfect guitar amplifier!
E v e ry eff o rt has been made to replicate the
original sound and circuit design of Fender's '59
Bassman. Only changes for safety and reliability
reasons were made - the electric supply cord has
1 2 3
1.FUSE - Protects the amplifier from electrical
faults. Replace a failed fuse ONLY with the
type and rating listed on the fuse holder.
2.POWER - Switches ON and OFF the amplifier.
3.STANDBY - Push to ON to put the amplifier in
standby mode. Standby mode disables all
amplifier outputs and power is supplied only to
the tube filaments.
during short breaks will extend tube life and
eliminate warm-up time when re t u rning to
normal operating mode.
4.POWER INDICATOR - Illuminates when the
amplifier is ON and receiving power. Note: If
not illuminated when the amplifier is switched
ON, the bulb may have failed. Replace bulb by
switching OFF the amplifier and unplugging the
power cord. Unscrew the power indicator's
jeweled cover and replace the bulb (type T47).
4 5 6
Using standby mode
a grounding conductor for example. For those
who want their amp "stock," the solid state
rectifier can be replaced with a 5AR4 or 5U4 GB
tube, although this modification will slightly
reduce power output and reliability.
The speakers used in the original units had alnico
magnets and an exact copy of those original
speakers are used in the '59 Bassman reissue
amplifiers. The power and output transformers
a re built to the original specifications and
although some of the components used in the
reissue amplifiers are different in size and shape
f rom the originals, the component values a re
identical.
After reading this manual and becoming familiar
with all the features and functions of your '59
Bassman amplifier, plug in and make music! The
purchase of a Fender amplifier will provide years
of musical enjoyment and the '59 Bassman keeps
the Fender legacy going strong.
7 8 9
5.PRESENCE - Adjusts the ultra-high frequency
level at a point in the circuitry after all other
tone controls and effects adding a special
high-end sparkle to the final output sound.
6.MIDDLE - Adjusts the middle-frequency level.
7.BASS - Adjusts the low-frequency level.
8.TREBLE - Adjusts the high-frequency level.
9.VOLUME BRIGHT - Adjusts the loudness of the
bright channel.
10.VOLUME NORMAL - Adjusts the loudness of
the normal channel.
11.INPUT BRIGHT - Plug in connection for your
electric guitar. Input 1 provides 6dB more gain
than input 2. The bright channel provides extra
treble boost.
12.INPUT NORMAL - Plug in connection for your
electric guitar. Input 1 provides 6dB more gain
than input 2.
4
10 11 12