Vintage Modern

Fender attempts the incredible feat of replicating the historic Bassman with a silicon heart in its latest addition to the Tone Master series

- Martin Smith

The Fender Bassman is one of only a handful of historic amplifiers that have shaped the sound of the electric guitar as we know and love it. Since its release in 1952, the unmistakable throaty authority of the tweed 4x10 combo has had top players including such luminaries as Michael Bloomfield, Buddy Guy, Paul McCartney, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Eric Clapton enthralled.

The amp was so ubiquitous that Marshall used its two-channel, four-input design as a jumping-off point for other classic amps in our hypothetical historic handful, starting with the JTM45. Ken Braun leaned heavily into the Bassman's circuit, albeit with UK valves and a UK-voiced tone stack, achieving a more aggressive midrange than Leo Fender would have ever allowed to leave the Fullerton factory. However, there are other things in heaven and on earth that Leo Fender may never have dreamed of, and perhaps the technological possibility of a fully digital Bassman may be one of them.

Fender has set a high bar here to produce a perfect replication of the original Bassman with modern enhancements. To that end, behold a beautifully lacquered tweed cabinet made of lightweight solid pine, loaded with a handsome set of grey-blue enamelled Alnico Jensen speakers, all topped off with a familiar chrome faceplate.

Visually, this amp is every bit as believable and authentic looking as its valve counterpart, save for the digital goodies on the back panel. Pick it up, however, and it’s a very different story: it’s so light you’d think they forgot the speakers. Lightweight is a very nice by-product of a valve-less, D2-design, not least for the ageing rockers among us. But that's all well and good only if it sings!

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