Originally introduced in 1952 as the partner amp to Fenders new range of electric bass guitars, the Fender Bassman has gone on to to become a favourite for blues and rock guitarists both on stage and in the studio throughout the last 60 years. This 1956 Fender Bassman is an example of the 5E6 'narrow panel' circuit revision that is often cited as one of the best guitar amplifiers ever built, and has formed the basis of many amplifier designs since. It produces a typically clean 'tweed' Fender sound, but when the 4x10 speakers are pushed, the sound saturates to a creamy, rich drive tone that is one of the most natural found in any tube amp.
This model is in very good condition for an amp of its age, and has some changes internally commensurate with keeping an amp running over the years. The Jensen speakers are original along with their bell covers, and date to the middle of 1955. However, the speaker cables have been replaced and the speakers resoldered, although the The Tolex is original but appears to have been relacquered at some point in the amps life. The tube chart has an 'FH' ink stamp, indicating that the amp left the factory in August of 1956. There are some resistors that have been replaced with modern equivalents, and the original Sprague Atom 20uF power filtering caps have been replaced. The power transformer and choke have been replaced with Mercury Magnetic period correct parts, and the earth connection has been resoldered with a more modern plastic wire. The volume pot has been changed and dates to the 15th week of '65, and the bass pot also appears to be non original. The volume and treble pots are original and date to the 41st week of '55.
