Fender '59 Bassman
Fender Musical Instruments · 1959
What It Is
The Fender '59 Bassman is a 45-watt combo amplifier from the final year of Fender's tweed era. Despite its name and original intent as a bass amplifier, the Bassman became one of the most important guitar amps ever made — primarily because it served as the direct design basis for the original Marshall amplifiers. Jim Marshall and Ken Bran reverse-engineered the Bassman circuit when creating what became the JTM45. The '59 Bassman uses four 10-inch Jensen P10R speakers in an open-back cabinet, giving it a wide, airy sound very different from the closed-back 4×12s Marshall later favored. It runs on a pair of 5881 power tubes (military-spec 6L6 variant) and a GZ34 rectifier that contributes noticeable sag.
Tonal Character
Warm and full with natural low-end thickness. Breaks up with a soft, organic quality — notes bloom and sustain in a way that feels musical rather than aggressive. The open-back cabinet adds spaciousness that the later Marshall incarnation lacks. Driven hard, the Bassman produces a thick, creamy overdrive that shaped Chicago blues guitar and countless country and rock recordings. Less aggressive than a Marshall — more cushioned, more give.
Tube Complement
Not sure what these mean? See the Tube Reference →
Found In
| Platform | Model Names |
|---|---|
| HeadRush | 59 TWEED BASS |
| Line 6 Helix | Tweed Bass (Bassman variant) |
| ToneX | Fender Bassman |
Videos
Manual
View ManualFamous Uses
- →Eric Clapton — early Bluesbreakers recordings (reportedly)
- →Buddy Holly
- →Various Chicago blues players, 1950s–1960s
- →Jim Marshall — used as blueprint for the first Marshall amp (JTM45)
Best For
Controls Explained
Descriptions reflect the real-world gear these models are inspired by. Your modeler's implementation may vary. Use as a starting point — always trust your ears.
Volume 1
The primary input volume, directly controlling how hard the signal drives the preamp. At lower settings the Bassman stays warm and clean. Above 6–7 the preamp begins to saturate in a soft, organic way — this is the heart of the Bassman's breakup character. Unlike modern high-gain preamps, the Bassman's saturation is gradual and forgiving. It compresses as it saturates, which is musically desirable. On a modeler, try setting Volume 1 in the 6–8 range to get the preamp to contribute some harmonic complexity while keeping the Master (if present) lower to control output. The Bassman responds very well to guitar volume control — roll back your guitar's volume to clean up without changing the amp's EQ voicing.
Volume 2
The second input channel on the Bassman has a slightly different tonal voicing — a touch brighter and with slightly less bass. Many players 'jumper' the two channels by connecting them with a short patch cable between the two unused input jacks. This blends the tonal characters of both channels and adds a subtle harmonic complexity that neither channel produces alone. If your modeler has two Bassman models (Normal and Jumped), the jumped version has more presence and a wider harmonic content. On its own, Volume 2 works well for players who find Volume 1 slightly dark.
Treble
Adds brightness and upper-harmonic content. On the Bassman, the treble control affects a relatively broad frequency range — it's not surgical. At low settings (1–3), the amp has a round, warm character that suits blues and country clean work. At medium settings (5–7), there's enough presence for good note definition. At high settings (8+), the treble can contribute a slightly gritty, forward presence that is characteristic of tweed-era Fender tone. The Bassman's treble response is gentler than a blackface Fender — it doesn't produce the same 'chime' quality as a Deluxe Reverb.
Bass
Controls low-end weight. Because the Bassman uses 10-inch speakers in an open-back cabinet, the natural bass rolloff is significant — the speakers have physical limits on how much low end they can reproduce. Setting bass very high (8+) with a 4×10 model may sound boomy on a modeler where the cabinet is simulated as ideal. In practice, the 4×10 open-back cab has a natural low-end rolloff that the bass control is partly compensating for. Set to taste, but be aware the original speakers physically limit the low end before the amp does.
Presence
The presence control on the Bassman is a power amp control — it shapes how the power amp responds to your playing. At low settings, the amp feels tighter and more controlled. As presence increases, the power amp adds its own character — more compression, more harmonic richness, slightly looser feel. This is a subtle but important control for dialing in the right 'give' from the power amp simulation on a modeler. Start at 5 and adjust from there.
Sample Configurations
Starting points for common tones — dial in from here.
| Name | Volume 1 | Volume 2 | Treble | Bass | Presence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clean Blues | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | Warm and clean. Classic tweed body. Good pedal platform. |
| Pushed Tweed | 7 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | Preamp pushed for natural tweed breakup. The sweet spot of this amp. |
| Chicago Blues | 9 | 9 | 4 | 6 | 4 | Volume cranked for singing sustain. Classic Chicago electric blues. |
Suggested Pairings
- →Fender 4×10 (Jensen P10R) — Stock pairing — open, airy, wide
- →Marshall 4×12 (G12-65) — Tighter and more focused; closer to how Marshall used the circuit