Mind Blowing Early Fender ’59 Bassman Reissue!

[@mattmarcz7574]

I bought this brand new in 1998, I swapped the solid state rectifier with a GZ34 tube. It was crazy loud. I only had a bridge humbucker strat, so I never got to hear the tones I really wanted. I generally plugged my DS1 into the normal channel, and got a very Blackmore type tone. I sold it in 2005 to buy an engagement ring.

[@zaxmaxlax]

I hope the ring was worth it 😂

[@fanoboss]

I had an early AA00 serial code Bassman. Came from the factory with GZ34 and lacquered tweed. It also sounded awful.

[@mattmarcz7574]

@@zaxmaxlax it was. I have GT100 Mustang, and the bassman patch sounds better than the actual bassman

[@matthewf1979]

The Fender reissue Bassman is closer to a real 59/60 model year circuit than any boutique offering. The over filtering in the power supply and birch ply cab in the early models are the only things “wrong”. I actually really like the early birch cabinets, especially with the Eminence blue frame’s. I’ve owned a couple of them that had damaged PCB’s. I replace the circuitry and keep everything else stock. Great way to get a killer classic amp cheap.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Matthew

[@giulioluzzardi7632]

That's called " Thinking out-side the box"! Did the same with a Tweed blues deluxe, gutted it and made it into a 40watt 1x12" with valve driven reverb, vol, T M B and reverb and it's the best amp ever!

[@otavioaguiar8009]

I have one LTD reissue, it's an great amp (in terms of sound and volume), it's the nearest that I can reach to this classic tweed sound, amazing vídeo as ever! Cheers!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks, glad you like it!

[@craiger2399]

You are so lucky to get to try all these amazing amps. I always enjoy Simon's playing in these videos.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Yeah, he is killer player and riff writer

[@Strotophonic]

@@JohanSegeborn Oh no doubt...........tottaly killer!!

[@scottketterer1672]

The 59 Reissues are such great amps. I had one of the more recent versions - what a sound!

[@lastofthe4horsemen279]

What a cool SType from Greco.The Super Sparkle Sounds is a great sounding Strat.lmpeccable playing all around

[@ae3898]

I love what each of you do with it. Was looking for one of these not too long ago but couldn’t find one at the right price, so I settled for a ‘90s 4x10 Deville with alnico blues after I saw that it had the J Segeborn seal of approval.

[@sassulusmagnus]

I had an early one, bought new in 1990-91, with a leather handle and Eminence blue frame speakers. Still the best sounding Fender amp I've ever owned. In a fit of madness I sold it to a friend, and I have never been able to convince him to sell it back to me. Dang.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Sorry to hear that

[@DDPAV]

Bought a new one for my studio around '96. In Seattle at the time that wasn't the desired sound so it didn't get a lot of use. Its journey thru the amp repair nightmare started around 2001 and goes on to this day. It's an amp I can't count on, but when it is working it's incredible sounding and gets used in the studio regularly.

[@KelenRylee]

A first year (1990) model just left my collection last year! Same speakers and circuit board. I purchased the amp from John Keane, who worked with R.E.M. John had owned the amp since the early 90’s and, at some point, swapped the 6L6 tubes for 5881’s. To me, the tube swap gave it more of a JTM/JMP character. Happy to see these getting some appreciation!

[@eeeejcicjn]

Feeling lucky to just bought a 92 bassman. Thanks for the video!

[@danielferrera8773]

Amazing pairing of the Bassman with both guitars. I'm an absolute of Japanese craftsmanship, especially the Grecos. I ended up selling my new Fenders and Gibsons to be able to buy them. Great video as always!!

[@svetoslavslavov7215]

This amp sounds amazing! Veri natural and pleasant saturation!

[@mretrain]

I’ve got a 1991 Bassman reissue that I bought new, my first “good” amp. It’s a great amp, the only non-handwired amp I’ve held onto. They really built them right then compared to now. I finally had it serviced last year and had new tubes put in, and it just needed a new speaker because one of the blue Eminences had developed a rattle. Otherwise it was given a clean bill of health. Surprisingly, the filter caps were still holding strong. The tech (very highly regarded) said just to check it again in about 5 years. On all the Fender reissues or Hot Rods they put out now, the filter caps last two years if that. I’ve met real road warriors with these early Bassman reissues, and the tweed looks like 40 miles of bad road, but the amps are going strong with basic maintenance.

[@dennisperusse3837]

Great playing. I appreciate the segment.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Dennis! Great to hear that!

[@No.0.o.0]

Incredible tones and playing. I need that tone omg.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks! Glad you like it!

[@toneking6555]

I have an early RI model and it has the ability to switch rectifiers from gz34 or solid state plug in. It came with the blue speakers but has had Weber California 10's on bottom, and the alnico blues on top. What a great amp, Nothing hits like that in my opinion. This amp has been very reliable through the years. Great video as usual Johan.

[@richardtimetorock9340]

Great playing! Always fun to listen to

[@ampturcoguitarwerks]

I need to get you some of my cables!! Especially my high capacitance cable the WIZARD WHIP

[@Barnowl-vr5bv]

Amazing playing! Amps n guitars sound great

[@fingersmagillicuddy4322]

Mid 90’s. I swapped the solid state rectifier for a tube and changed the tubes once all these years later. Only things I’ve ever done, killer tones with a good overdrive pedal or cranked…… it’s all you need

[@meblaw1]

I just bought a fender bassman RI made in 1996. It has the blue frames eminence alnicos, 5u4, 5881, 5881, 12ax7, 12Ax7, and a 12AY7…..an amp tech had converted it to a hand wired amp…very happy with it..sounds as good as one of my high end boutique amp….

[@CraigPaddockmusic]

that was my first gigging amp, but mine was a 97' ...same blue speakers. That amp is way louder than a real deal 58-60' bassman. I now own a 60' with original speakers. The reissue, if memory serves me, is like 6 to 9 db louder. Those eminence speakers are 100db sensitivity. An original p10r is like 92db. That's probably the biggest difference :) But they are great for clean tweed tones. I rarely cranked it, even back in the early 2000's when I played big clubs.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Craig!

[@mrxroy6362]

Love the Greco! Surprisingly those IC caps are still in the Bassman😮

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks!

[@maxwellblakely7952]

I’ll take that Greco Strat. That thing sounds amazing!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks!

[@josephpickard3108]

I played an Orville Les Paul a few years back; superb. Probably the only classic style LP I've ever wanted to buy. Had mini Lollar humbuckers in it

[@MikkaGrytviken]

This one seems to have been produced for the french market ! The Tweed Bassman and the Tweed Twin are those two amps that inspired Jim Marshall. Love it !

[@hammondvoodoo9555]

I like this amp even more than those expensive Dumble clones I've listened to so far and I also prefer it to a Marshall Bluesbreaker. An interesting alternative would be to load the Bluesbreaker with Celestion AlNiCo Blue speakers.

[@MichoMich611]

I have one from 1992 with Eminence and one from 1996 with Jensen. Use with Fryette Power PS-100 to control dB when turned up. Fantastic sound and great fun with both Strat and Les Paul. #love

[@Sierra-tx1we]

i found one of them (fender bassman 1959 reissue 1990) in my local private market at a good price, in your advice do you consider it as a good pedal platform also for Fuzz or delay ?

[@siegfriedwashburn3484]

Hi, Johan! This amp was my good friend for couple of years. Really awesome 👍. But guitars are very surprisingly amazing! See you! Siegfried

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Siegfried! See you!

[@yjmsrv]

I have one of these that is my regular gigging amp weekly- very reliable and VERY good tone. Everyone that hears it thinks it's an original '59. It looks like one too- since it's gigged every week it's pretty "relic'd" at this point. I lacquered it a decade ago and it sure does look vintage now. I set it up with the "Greg Koch Bassman Settings" - Mid and Presence full up- bass and treble off- unbelievably good tone out of it. Cuts through every band and never any Fender ice-pick

[@peterwaringofficial]

Lovely sound! How do you think it compares to a JTM 45? Which do you prefer? It seems like the JTM might have more natural sustain when driven hard, but that Bassman has a gorgeous sound.. 👍

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Peter! I prefer Bassman but the difference is mainly in the speaker/cab arrangement and impedance 2 vs 16 ohm, making the Marshall fatter and Fender punchier

[@pensive_]

I bought one based on this video as I cannot afford an original late 50s. Epic ! I usually dont buy pcb tube amps, but I made an exception.

[@GlennSpitzer-mi4cl]

I had like a 90'. All i ever heard was turn it down. So then i found a 54' super without the tweed for 850.00. Somebody converted the phase inverter to late 50's. Perfect

[@sonnywolfblues]

The earlier reissues had a solid state rectifier and the body was built with multiply birch I think and weren't lacquered.Then in the mid 2000s Fender changed some specs on what they renamed the 59 Bassman LTD(which means lacquered tweed)and went with a solid Pine body and tube rectifier.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Hi This one has a tube rectifier.

[@sonnywolfblues]

@@JohanSegeborn they were issued with a plug in solid state rectifier which some players would replace with a tube one.

[@dezionlion]

@@sonnywolfblues When you they were issued with ss rectifiers did you mean all the the reissues or just the reissue limited? I want to buy one that can switch between tube and ss?

[@christopherkahn6522]

Most of those amps I have encountered had a tube rectifier added. They sound great both ways.

[@fixedgear37]

You could swap rectifiers.

[@Funky777Gibbon]

Great sounds. It's been a while since I heard you busting out elements of Against The Wind, Johan.

[@sebbityseb]

Looking at my 1990 model with blue emi’s as I write this 😊

[@rlm4471]

Sounds great! It'd be interesting to try one of these amps with Jensen speakers and Celestions, to see how far the Celestions push the sound toward Marshall territory.

[@billypackard4579]

I just got a '59 reissue with the dated schematic of 3/3/1995--from a great guy who had it sitting in the closet for almost 30 years. I took it to Bruce Doan in Grass Valley who replaced the cap's for good luck and now I have The Sound! Plus it looks like brand new...but after a few gigs THAT will change!

[@Rice_Morganfield]

I would love to see a comparison between the blues deville and the bassman from the 90s!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Unfortunately I only the DeVille cab left. I sold the amp

[@artisanmetalcraft]

I had the first year of the 90’s ‘59 Bassman reissue. It had the leather handle, Eminence blue frame Alnicoo/paper speakers with the solid state rectifier changed to tube. Great amp but not bright enough & too loud for me. I had a 10w Jeff Jones Tweed Princeton clone at the same time with an Alnico silverbell 10” speaker. Those 2 amps sounded very similar. Both of their overdrive sounds were more of a roar than the smoother overdrive of my other amps. Both a little dark for me. I wish I would have kept both & tried different speakers in them. I think 2 alnico & 2 ceramics & an EQ pedal to tame the bass would have did the trick. I sold both along with a 5e3 and I kept a Victoria Ivy League 5f10 (Harvard Clone& & the ‘64 custom Deluxe Reverb. Both are much Brighter & the Ivy is a reasonable volume at home. I really like that Ivy League! That Bassman really sounded Great in a large room with a HB Lester or Tele especially with ‘60’s ice picky gray bottom pickups. I didn’t have those opportunities after buying it. I thought from memory the Victoria 5f6 Bassman was much brighter with the Jensen speakers, and the Bassman LTD with those Italian Jensen even more so. I never had the opportunity to compare them side by side though. I like what you do keep up the good work!

[@handle433]

Eric Clapton and George Harrison played some ‘59 Bassman reissues on their tour of Japan in 1992. I believe they had a few from Fender as Andy fairweather Lowe was also playing guitar. Eric had a big endorsement from Fender at this time. They were PCB which meant quite reliable compared to Eric’s favorite Twin which was always blowing up. This was during EC’s Soldano era.

[@CargoShorts7]

I thought PCBs were generally more difficult to service than hand wired amps? I could be wrong though, but that is a really cool fact about EC and George on that tour!

[@handle433]

@@CargoShorts7 sorry, I meant the pcb amps contained much newer and more reliable parts compared to if they used older bassmans. His famous 1958 Twin sounded amazing but required lots of tweaking and new parts such as the transformer from Cesar Diaz before it was actually reliable. It’s part of the reason he always uses new amps these days, like the Bandmasters built by Dumble. Old is just not reliable but the reissues alllowed EC and George to shred away all night in Japan and London and still sound great!

[@ampturcoguitarwerks]

Sounds fantastic

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks, glad you like it!

[@jde1780]

I have two of the US models. I converted one to an equivalent Fender Custom Shop Bassbreaker with 2x12's with a new speaker baffle. Managed to find a couple of used (no-longer-existent) 12" Celestion Vintage 30's in 4-Ohm (to get the 2-Ohms needed to match the output transformer). The difference between the one in the video and mine (besides the 120V power transformer) is the tube covers/screen mounted to back panel. The main difference between the original and the reissue (besides obvious point to point wiring/circuit board/components) are the power transformer voltages and the output transformer. The power transformer in the reissue is a higher output voltage than the original 58/59 transformer. The reissue originally came with a plug-in solid state rectifier, instead of a valve rectifier. Other: Your amp sounded much better than mine did. Must have been loud in the room. Had a little nice compression and didn't sound too harsh.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks appreciate the feedback

[@dananthony6258]

It’s been an SG week for some reason . Maybe the guitar Gods are trying to tell me something. Great video I love this $#!T

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks man, yeah you can’t go wrong with an SG

[@JRandallS]

I got one off Craigslist from a guy in Fullerton, about 20 minutes from here. It’s the’59 Bassman LTD, which has a tube rectifier. But I don’t think it sounds better than yours.

[@carpediem4413]

Have a very early resissue 59' and it sounds amazing (breaks up pretty early - like a tweed). Sold my Marshall as the 59' BM sounded so similar/better. The eminence blue frames are definitely much better IMO. Note: the power on these amps makes them very percussive and will thump the 10"s when you hit it hard. Very 3D sound on this 4 x 10 amp.

[@jacob_miller]

i just picked up a brand new one yesterday, it sounds great wet/dry with my Vintage Modern 2466 😊 Is the photo of the top panel how you had it set? Thanks Johan! P.S, Simon's playing was just beautiful.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Jacob! Yeah that’s basically the settings. For some riffs more volume and less bass though. Yeah I love Simon’s songs.

[@robameem2243]

I had a first year reissue bassman and it was a really good amp

[@NINEWALKING]

I have way more knowledge about the old amplifiers. I have to admit that it is my flaw. As soon as I see things I do not like my interest is gone, especially if there are versions that are way better. So my it is my fault. I recall being excited about them. I remember that at some point Jensen came out with specific version of the P10R made for the Fender 4x10 combos. You could buy them separately. Actually one can get them nowadays as well. 100 Euro a pop. They have black sticker on them and these are called P10R-FENDER. Back to this amp. It sound great. It has nice schematics and iron too. Speakers are good as well. That is all good I can say. I hesitate to mention why I do not like them though. I do not want to be a hater. Anyhow at certain point been counters have decided that Fender shouldn't use Sprague caps anymire and they have went with IC caps. In most of the cases with cheapest version as well. I saw those broken even after only few years of service. Although there are worst PCB Fender actual PCB's with lot of tiny ribbon cables this is a Fender PCB amplifier. All of them develop cold solder points. All of them get broken from vibrations when played loud for long time. I refuse to repair any PCB amplifiers. You fix them and then they get broken in transport or simple by playing and then you get blamed for the repair. You do your best and even glue all components down and then some wire connection breaks loose or socket pin develops a cold connection. On the other hand amplifiers with eyelet boards are hand wired and bullet proof. They were done with way better components as well. All you need is change tubes when they go, every 10 to 15 years clean pots and jacks. After 35 years recap electrolytic caps and thats it. Then they are ready to work for another 35 years at least. That is if you use good caps. So yeah, I am sorry but I am not fan of this type of reissue amps that are not real reissues. This reissues that skip on eyelet and turret boards to make production faster and cheaper while still maintaining price. So if you are looking at reissues try finding hand wired once. Fender have had some. Vox has them. Orange has them. These are done way better.

[@martynrandall7652]

Great review Johan i have never owneb a Bassman but love one they sound big. If you want to hear a The best sounding Bassman on youtube type in, millstap bassman truly amazing sound. Cheers Martyn

[@darrellminx5459]

Great amp Johan. I don't care for the way it distorts a Strat but that's just me. Sounds great with the SG. Great for Strat clean sounds. And it's all good with the SG. I built a few of these and they are one of my favorite designs. Cheers from Hawaii!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks Darrell! What speakers have you used in yours? Cheers!

[@darrellminx5459]

I have used Jenson MOD for early breakup

[@darrellminx5459]

@@JohanSegeborn and also I really like the weber bulldogs if they still make them. That's a good all around speaker and very reliable that application. Thank you. Cheers

[@miguelruiz8183]

I have a 59 reissue LTD best amp ive ever had smooth tone gorgeous break up serious ass kicker

[@abaija]

Ich liebe diesen Amp. Für mich der beste Amp aller Zeiten 😁👍🇦🇹👌

[@ferringtoncaster]

Lovely tones from Bunny & Sparkles too

[@domidigital]

I definintely remember that in the late 90s and early 2000s the discourse on these in the guitar magazines I was reading back then went more or less like this: "Yeah, well it's a super-good looking reissue, but the sound is much too harsh and way too loud to ever get close to the original: you definitely need to mod it and even then it's only a compromise." Strange how all this can change now that 1995 is vintage😂

[@JohanSegeborn]

They do sound different than the originals. The question is whether they sound better than a 2023 model

[@domidigital]

@@JohanSegeborn Well, that would be interesting to compare!

[@agusg.t.8950]

Amazing😊

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks!

[@portuguesebeer5069]

Sounds so fuckin great! Cheers from Portugal 🤘🍺🇵🇹

[@kinleydorji]

Fantastic.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks!

[@shanebrbich5698]

Gerald Weber from Kendrick Amplifiers was/still making Bassman reissues in the ‘90’s as well! They got banned in Australia (early days) for the cloth insulated wiring! 👍🇦🇺

[@JohanSegeborn]

I’d like to try one of those!

[@shanebrbich5698]

@@JohanSegeborn Ya gotta find one first! Lookup some of his amps! I got one of his guitars, the Continental. Freakin love it! 👍🇦🇺

[@Mssrmikeone]

Very enjoyable.

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks!

[@jcoulter43]

Awesome!🎸

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks J!

[@MrHilariousPanda]

The Bassman sounds good, but a bit muffled. I dig the "cheap" guitars, alltogether a solid good sound, but not as mindblowing as some of your other gear on this channel. I dig the evolution of Simons riffs over the years. He is an excellent player! The long hair fits him well too, haha. Thanks for the cool video, always makes me pick up my guitar and jam!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks, really good to hear that!

[@MichaelSorensen-bl3ec]

Sounds great. Jeg elsker, at japanske guitarer endelig får den anerkendelse, de fortjener. Men den bassemand er også fantastisk!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks! Ja fantastiska gitarrer. Bättre än de flesta nya Gibsons/Fender

[@MichaelSorensen-bl3ec]

@@JohanSegeborn Kvalitetskontrol er meget bedre i Japan.

[@nixoni.bogaine155]

I had one, a mid-nineties, that sounded really close to a real one from the ‘50s…. I had to sell it - 😭 i think the Jensen branded speakers they put in them were part of why they got a great sound in those 90s models. Then they of course changed it 🤦‍♂️🤣

[@jamescassidy4045]

Pretty grateful I got one of these 4-5 years ago for $400 CDN. Believe it's a 1993. It was also fully serviced just before he sold it. The seller was a super cool guy, and didn't care so much about money, as he just wanted it to go to a good home. I definitely lucked out though. It came with a SS Rectifier though. I'm pretty sure it's totally fine to just swap it for a tube rectifier, but does anyone know if there's any tweaks or biasing that can, or should be technically done if your changing rectifier types? Also does anyone have any advice for other speakers that sound great in these, or speakers that would blend well with the Eminence Blue's?

[@MrBallynally2]

I was drewling over them at the time but could not afford one. Also a tad heavy for my purpose so i got the brownface Vibroverb. Changed the 2 Oxfords f the Emi blue alnicos..

[@Strotophonic]

WOW.............WHAT IS THAT RIFF AT 9:07?...............IT'S CRAZY GOOD!!!

[@LookingForEntertainment112]

I've got a Ceriatone 59 Bassman head unit. It's a killer amp, I'll never sell it.

[@Merciful_Munchies]

Sounds good!!!!!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks!

[@johnb4024]

What was that tune Simon was grooving to?

[@patrickbruce645]

Does anyone know how to date these amps?

[@Terryomalleyonline]

Pretty good! Like it with the Greco strat. Well done on another great video

[@JohanSegeborn]

Thanks!

[@tomasvanecek8626]

PCB with so so parts, meh .. the only Fender RI that I DO regret not buying is the Custom Shop HW Low Power Twin, back in 2008 or so.. that sound, man.. 😍 Truth is, when Fender gets it right, their RIs can sound better than most boo-tigues.. Case in point - the ´57 5E3 Tweed Dlx head.. still, those Mercury trannies in there dont sound anything like vintage ones. I have several tweed replicas from Victoria Amps with Jensen RIs.. close, but no cigar .. the transformers or the speakers are off.. or both. No replica can get you the real thing, the stuff is all different. Go for vintage 🙃 and never look back.

[@motocrossadict1]

I need to know the song starting at 4:42 !

[@hotcitysoul7144]

Could you please review the Dean Markley CD 60 ?

[@bradleywright7066]

Johan you should try and swap you Crocks for Simons Shoes!! they have the Mojo Too!!

[@cymbaline87]

I had a 1990 '59 bassman, and although it was a great amp, it was just too damn loud, so I ended up selling it.

[@ianmartens5286]

Sounds killer

[@BrickwallStudios0]

Is a riff on 4:45 from an original song or noodling?

[@JohanSegeborn]

That’s one of Simons songs. I love that riff

[@soapboxearth2]

I just about traded my 5f6a build for a hand wired deluxe reverb. The guy backed out. So I came here to remind myself why it's his loss hahah

[@ampturcoguitarwerks]

Good Day!!

[@JohanSegeborn]

Hi!

[@josephpickard3108]

One of these was for sale near me last year and I still regret not buying. Just didn't have £900 on me 😢

[@stringlocker]

I had one I sold it don't be too disappointed. They were not even close to the original

[@herickvar8608]

I can get one for $850 dlls, is a good deal?

[@herickvar8608]

@@ErikThomasMusic oh, I rushed and got one for $800

[@SlickWilly79]

Johan, careful with those blues, the paper formers are delicate and getting tough to source

[@JohanSegeborn]

Yeah I know! I have a bunch of them actually.

[@natethagod2426]

Song at 4:45?

[@artysanmobile]

I made a similar mistake once. Just once was enough to scare me into selling absolutely no guitar gear ever the rest of my life.

[@suqies]

simon's has some super cool riffs, maybe an episode of him playing them?

[@KrustyKlown66]

Try showing the settings on the amp next time. Would have been much more useful.

[@RyanAmplification]

Holy crap i bet that was loud.

[@danemulligan]

Hi!!!

[@DMSProduktions]

\m/

[@JohanSegeborn]

Cheers DMS!

[@fancykarlmarx]

I swear I thought I heard a nick drake song coming from that strat

[@cgavin1]

Hmm but surely as an engineer you appreciate that it is just a sum of its parts. And. As a veteran of corporate bs you know its parts are merely expedient. I'm quite sure you can do better. For less. Patiently awaiting that video. 🥰

[@JohanSegeborn]

I don’t think truisms are particularly helpful actually, so don’t hold your breath

[@cgavin1]

@@JohanSegeborn I admire your optimism. Sincerely. Thank you. That cheered me up.

[@JS-nf1sn]

Comment

[@JohanSegeborn]

😆

[@ampturcoguitarwerks]

Ampturco Guitar Werks

[@Craig52-zq1bt]

Barf... Another PA amp used as a guitar amp. Try some history. It is to laugh.

[@jar4584]

I have a 2022 one.