Super Freak

FENDER '48 DUAL PROFESSIONAL JB EDITION

- Chris Gill

THE FENDER DUAL Professional amplifier, introduced in late 1946 and produced until early 1948 when its name changed to the Super, is best known for being the very first electric guitar amplifier featuring two speakers, as well as Fender's first amp with tweed covering, a top-facing chrome control panel, and a finger-joint pine cabinet. The Dual Professional and its Super model sibling produced from '48 until 1952, which both featured an angled V-front cabinet with an eye-catching chrome-plated metal strip holding the two speaker baffles in place, were originally designed to amplify lap steel guitars. Predating the rock and roll era, these amps were a little too far ahead of their time and didn't sell well, so very few were produced.

Fast forward a few decades, and the V-front Dual Professional/Super became a cult favorite amongst vintage Fender amp cognoscenti and seekers of the ultimate electric blues overdrive. Billy Gibbons is an avowed longtime fan (it's been a secret weapon on many ZZ Top tracks), and thanks to his hoarding tendencies these amps became even harder to find over the years. More recently, Joe Bonamassa managed to find a sweet 1948 Dual Professional before the Reverend got his mitts on it, and that brings us to the present day and the amp we're reviewing here: the Fender '48 Dual Professional JB Edition.