Secrets of the Fender 5E6 Bassman - The Original 1956 Dual Rectifier! Service & Demo

This tweed Bassman amp once belonged to the bass player for Tennessee Ernie Ford of "Sixteen Tons" fame. According to the current owner, he played this amp in Tennessee's band from 1956 until about 1960 or 1961. This is the 5E6 or 5E6A version of the Bassman with two 5U4 rectifiers, 6L6G or 6L6GB output tubes, two 12AY7 and one 12AX7. This example will get a complete overhaul, including all new Sozo NexGen caps and F&T power caps. At the end, we'll demo it with a Les Paul Jr., a Fender Strat, and a Hofner 500/1 Beatle Bass. This is no Mesa Boogie. This is the ORIGINAL "Dual Rectifier"!
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[@kardRatzinger]

Sweet, a tweed Fender video, and it's 45 minutes long. Let me just go get my popcorn.

[@wildbillhackett]

Exactly! This is the only tweed I ever cared for the sound of.

[@therealedharris]

The fact that you thought to swap the ground switch out for the standby switch made me incredibly happy. I usually scoff at people who insist on keeping vintage components, even if they don't work properly, but that was pretty brilliant, and probably wouldn't have even occurred to me. Much respect for your attention to detail.

[@TheGuitologist]

Every now and then flashes of brilliance will bubble up through the ooze.

[@filipedoria9561]

This video is pure gold for countless generations

[@PoJoWo]

That there is holy grail tone especially given the tasteful, musical and masterful playing of yourself. Just when I'm happy to see my favourite p90 being put to use you whip out a mocha strat that shouts outlaws. Awesome! I wish there was more of a following for dearly departed Mr Thomasson in the UK. Wonderful. Thankyou for brightening my day

[@tricko2286]

Gotta say, this was a GREAT video. Very well explained with deference to the historic nature of this amp. This is the first time someone explained negative feedback in such a simple and clear way. Thanks for taking the time to make this video, show the schematics and document your process (it is much easier just to do the job without documenting so we really appreciate the time taken to share). Great job... Love my 1992 Bassman 59' Reissue but this 56' is truly a rare and special thing.

[@TheGuitologist]

Tons of mods out there for those reissues. They sound good stock too.

[@tonedriverss8629]

Another very well done job ! Sounds great. I really enjoy and appreciate your great playing at the end of a repair .

[@InLostMotion]

Awesome! I love your stuff and have learned so much from your videos. I actually have delved into amp/radio repair and maintenance because of your videos. Thanks for all you do!!!

[@matthewf1979]

InLostMotion be careful, it gets expensive and time consuming. I absolutely love this channel because he gets into the stuff I want to see and hear.

[@ankerguitar]

The holy grail of amps ! Without this, no Marshall.. Thx for the video!

[@tfc-vt4dc]

Yeah I tried explaining the bassman/Marshall connection to my guitar player who thinks that Marshall is the beat all - end all when it comes to guitar amps. Needless to say he was dumbfounded. It's great to school these idiots on just how great Fender amps are!

[@withmygoodeyeclosed]

@Thomas Jefferson True, but without this one the 5F6 wouldn't exist.

[@wodenoftheangles3339]

@@tfc-vt4dc God you sound like a dick.

[@davemassie3726]

BEAUTIFUL, THANK-YOU TONY & BRAD. DIGGING OUT A ERNIE FORD LP TO HEAR IT! SWEET TONE!

[@JazzzRockFuzion]

Glorious tone. Absolutely ridonkulous. Awesome work and great video (as always)!

[@zanaalexandergentle7300]

Fascinating! I always enjoy your videos. I always learn new stuff! Keep up the good work!

[@henrikhansen3188]

This is so sweat. Thanks ! Been waiting for something like this for a long time. I´m the proud owner of a dual rectifier bassman chassis number 0837 w/ four original Jensen P10R speakers from early 55. Have had for thirty years but I never gig with it anymore and it needs a little service.

[@GearZenChannel]

Fantastic sounding amp. What a treasure. I hope it continues to see use for many more decades.

[@bobpeak7475]

I just had my 59 Bassman (that I stumbled into!) serviced after nearly 50 years of storage. We went with Sozo blue caps in it as well to replace the Astrons that were leaking badly. They sound amazing - very similar to this beautiful 56. Interesting side note on my 59 - it spent its entire previous playing life (1959 - 1967) as a bass amp. Thanks for the great video!

[@stuartpopp472]

Hello. I used to own one of 'these, I had to sell it in 2011 for money, still regret it. I bought it used in 1983 from someone in Upper Michigan for $100.00! I replaced original speaker with Bassman Reissue ones in 1991. Handle was always broken off, tweed torn at edges a little, grill cover in good shape and front label still there. Wonderful sounding whether using a Strat or Les Paul, using a Tube Screamer or Chandler Tube Driver. Recorded well and sounded great live. So now I'm "settling" for a 100 watt Marshall half-stack and a 2x12 original Marshall Silver Jubilee 50 watt combo.

[@gregoriomariano5070]

Any guitarrist's dream amp, sounds amazing! great channel btw, Keep up the good work ! (greetings from Brazil)

[@paulsimmons5726]

I'm glad to see this was reworked with respect to historical specs. I've seen a number of old amps that have been "hot rod modded"so that they are more modern in function and I always cry a little bit on the inside. I think that replacing worn-out parts with new same spec pieces to keep the spirit is great because it keeps the amp in service, the way it should be! I really enjoyed watching this video and listening to your explanation of not only what you did but why you did it. The wiring harness debacle was obviously a cluster****! "Who does this?", Classic! Great tone once you got finished!

[@petedazer3381]

What a beautiful sounding amp, absolutely amazing!

[@copterachim8874]

What lovely amps you have ! I love that sound of this 'ole things !

[@jlsdomine763]

Love that you treat these amps like the true timeless treasures that they were made for.

[@christopherpurcell8131]

great video! and i love the National tremo tone in the background of the end demo

[@blkjckgtr3075]

Great job Brad awsome amp and spectacular playing,the amp was made the same year as my birth year.Tony Clark you are blessed.Cheers

[@MichaelLynMusic]

I am a player and composer with an avid interest in the Fender era between 57- 63 and LOVE YOUR videos..Thank you Sir!

[@skycarl]

What a nice amp. Good work on this Brad. A real treat to see it. 16 tons and all.

[@joelspaulding5964]

Dude, this IS an excruciatingly interesting video. These don't show up everyday. Cool provenance on this amp. Wow- that amp is clean on the inside. Great vid!

[@JC-nw2fu]

Looks so much better with the ‘premium’ capacitors you used in this build rather than the usual ones you use. I know there’s no difference in the way they function but they just look so much better in a vintage amp. Excellent job and great video

[@fuzzmountain7583]

Thanks for this video. Not often you get an up close look inside one of these old beasts.

[@sttyves]

nice job my friend and what a tone ! i like the v7 we can hear the sag from the rectifiers ...im impressed

[@johngerson7335]

Cool video buddy, great amp, smackin' good tones. One of my amp tech friends is fond of saying "Yeah, you can mod all the Marshalls you want, but you'll always find your way back to Leo eventually" Keep up the good work!

[@TheGuitologist]

Thanks, will do.

[@stevehogan8829]

I may have already commented on this but wow, it sure sounds nice... So nice when you demo an amp and actually hit the notes and chords rather than just slopping them out. It really sounds nice.

[@instructormaint8423]

A real treat to see this video. I really liked how the 12v7 sounded in position 1.

[@holmes1978]

I'am so fascinated with this kind of work , and again my I say Sir your a genuine!!!

[@holmes1978]

So Dam Cool !!! I Love your passion for Fender Tweeds Amps Legends !!!

[@philipdonovan5127]

That was a very interesting video on a cool amp. I prefer the greater clarity of the sound with the lower gain V1. The 12AX7 I thought brought on a mushy kind of distortion. Must have been nice bringing an amp of that pedigree back to good robust health! Your hired! Thanks Brad.

[@ironpirites]

What a tone machine!! My, my, my, I don't think there are too many, if any, classic rock tones that you can't get out of that thing. Your playing is great, very sensitive to the amp. (I used to have a Strat just like that one, 1972 it was.) Enjoyed the video.

[@boydbc]

I'm glad you mentioned the difference in turn on voltage from selenium to silicon. Going from 0.2V from 0.7V turn on voltage doesn't seem like much, but for younger viewers it helps to remember the way the amp was designed. Good video!

[@strat-xq5oy]

another great video, nice to know the history surrounding this lovely old girl. and it sounds much sweeter with the 12av7

[@TheGuitologist]

Thanks for the comment.

[@themarcoharder]

Man, that amp sounds amazing. Also, congrats on setting up the audio rig, we can definitely appreciate the tone better!

[@TheGuitologist]

Thanks for the feedback. got a new compressor, an Alesis, and I'm still tweaking it. Problem is, the camera also has a compressor on it I cannot bypass, so it'll be a compromise.

[@frankE91210]

Mr. Guitologist i just want to say I adore your channel please keep up the great work!

[@JJ-JOHNSON]

Another job well done Brad, sound system sounds great.

[@TheGuitologist]

Thanks, Jerome. I'm still going to be tweaking it, I'm sure.

[@ronfeldstein8555]

Great sounding amp matched with some great guitars. Clarity plus heft. Nice job on the refurbishing.

[@Dman85612]

Love how that natural compression from the tubes caress the notes and takes just enough off the high end and leaves the sparkle. No wonder they are sought after....

[@MrLeka1111]

Great job and fantastic amp. Clever capacitors replacement. Maybe this amp deserve top high end replacements... Sounds like a dream. I am old man born in 1961 and mad lover of old fender amps...Thank you for nice playing and peace of fantastic

[@guitarmedia9171]

Really like it! The best I have heard on this channel,....AWSOME AMP and SPEAKERS!!! These tweeds really do have something going on with p90's! (those harmonics :) The compression with the stratomocaster!!! Jensen alnicos!

[@SanFranciscoFatboy]

great video .....and very nice playing,............i'll bet the customer was very happy

[@chrislangdell117]

What an amazing amp. What sound and tone. Its so crazy. Would have loved to have seen your settings on the amp. But I will find them when I get my own. 😆

[@allmarkproductions5613]

I have a recording of my old Blonde Bassman with a Les Paul Jr (Sg style). Remarkably, the player has your phrasing and touch. The sound on the video is terrific and the Bassman character exists on both your demo and my analog tape, since converted to an MP3 file. (my original recording was in 1969). The latter days my head powered a vintage 4x12 and my 56 Strat. (Wow!) thanks

[@bernhardnizynski4403]

Nice playing - great restoration!

[@rangerdoc1029]

Me: "Groan...." My wife: "why can't you just watch porn like normal men"

[@51MontyPython]

lol!

[@MattsGarageMiscDIY]

Simply beautiful work.

[@teriakamoto]

A LES PAUL JUNIOR THROUGH THIS 'OL GEM IS JUST PURE BEAUTY TO MY EARS. I WAS THINKING AS I WAS WATCHING THE BEGINNING THAT A JUNIOR WOULD PROBABLY SOUND SWEET THROUGH THIS AND I FORWARDED TO THE END AND BEHOLD MY EYES AND EARS. YOU GUYS I LOVE THESE VIDEOS AND DEMOS AND HAVE SUBSCRIBED. THANK YOU FOR ANOTHER MASTER CLASS. SORRY FOR THE BOLD PRINT, JUST REALIZED CAPS LOCK WAS ON AND I AIN'T RE-WRITING THIS ! LOL

[@GerSHAK]

Super beautiful playing at the end.

[@walterzoomie]

You, sir, are a gifted genius. You can fix 'em, AND play 'em! Kudos. Very impressive and cool!

[@TheGuitologist]

I'm no genius, dude. I'm just persistent.

[@galactictravels224]

Sounds great I have no experience wiring amps or reading schematics but your videos are very addictive keep it up

[@Eddy63]

Fender Bassman ... No wonder I'm subscribed to this Channel ... Please keep up the good work ... We appreciate your time and effort in making these vids ...

[@jakobshuster1244]

your videos Rock! thier making me a tone junkie. learning about amps is fun. my favorite amp i have is a mosfet lead 100. keep up the good work

[@TheGuitologist]

Be sure to check out the tube rolling video I did with this amp too. It's instructive.

[@craveman05]

Nice sound for sure. Enjoyed your playing too.👍

[@GuitarosaurusRex]

Sounds great.... some mighty fine playing, as well.

[@Bowhunterwt]

You do good clean work..Real professional

[@TheGuitologist]

Thanks, man. I appreciate you saying so.

[@satanbane]

That 10M feedback resistor is an important circuit element; it's not just to make the tone cleaner, it has the effect of creating a virtual-ground summing junction at the tube grid, summing together the two input signals. It would prob work acceptably without it, but mathematically a different function is happening and you'd lose the crosstalk and noise rejection of a virtual ground. This is quite analogous to the same inverting summing amplifier realized with an opamp section, which might be more familiar to some folks. All this sophisticated circuit theory was developed well before transistors!

[@islander4986]

Informative video of an overhaul of a relatively basic amp. The Mesa Roadster video had my head spinning. I don't think many would have found that transformer/speaker short. I wish you lived around here. I think that LP Junior (with a P-90?) really works with the Bassman. Spin the volume and voila-crunch or clean. Great playing..

[@50gary]

And that's why it's considered one of, if not the greatest amp of all, Fantastic, It sounded excellent through my computer system. Good job, oh and it has a cool history too. WE used to do our own take on 16 tonnes haha. Thanks.

[@timfreeman476]

I JUST SUBSCRIBED TO YOUR CHANNEL TWO WEEKS AGO IT HAS GOT ME BACK TO LEARNING AMPS AGAIN I GOT BACK TO READING BOOKS AND DVDS I GOT FROM GERALD WEBER FOUR YRS AGO THANK YOU.

[@TheGuitologist]

NOTE: I forgot to resolve the issue of the 10M feedback resistor.... That resistor was not present in this amp and by the look of the solder at the spot on the board it was supposed to reside according to the layout diagram, it never existed in this example. Even though both the 5E6 and 5E6A schematics show it in the amps, it was never installed in this one. Furthermore, even though this is the earlier 5E6 , it had the 3300 ohm resistor in the bias circuit, like the 5E6A, instead of a 6800 ohm as is shown on the 5E6 schematic. This shows Fender was probably tweaking this circuit through the life of the model.

[@johnduffy8532]

Such a pretty tone...I'm almost in tears here

[@bbmade]

This video and the corresponding comments are an absolute treat and we're lucky to see it. Thank you!

[@MrCarsandguitars]

what a cool amp. I love how responsive it is.

[@DerekJones]

Great video. Also great sounding amp! TY.

[@diceman220]

I have to say, that amp , your guitar and playing, sound great. Very nice.

[@JasonClute]

This was the first time I watched one of your videos. Really enjoyed it! I've been modding amps and pedals for about 6 months. Although I have been into electronics professionally and personally longer. As I was watching the first part, not knowing much about you, I was thinking, damn he knows his stuff but I wonder how he tests it out. Then I got to the end and discovered, damn...that's how he tests it! Nice chops man!!! My problem with amp and pedal modding: need to play better!! LOL!

[@ClarenceHW]

Wonder if the dual rectifiers give a tighter low end, don't see how the rec. tubes could wear evenly. What glorious tone... wow! Great vid/channel. This and the Time Jumpers keep me glued to KZbin. btw, I had a dual pickup LPjr, same color, it was the destroyer of amps, such high output it would stress all but the best.

[@Messier31NGC224]

Man that sounded great!! What a classic amp

[@THUNDERWORX]

Fantastic tone! Great to hear a Gibson sounding good through a Fender. Super Sonic is supposed to have a Bassman sound, but it must have been another Bassman they used to build the channel. They should have used this one! Great sound, great playing too!

[@timmytVA]

OH MY. This amp has TEH TOANZ in spades, not to mention the original DNA of so many other amps. Nice work on finding that speaker/transformer problem.

[@backspin6698]

What a little gem. Wish my dad could pass down a nice thing like this to me. All I inherited was his migraine, sigh.

[@benedekgabor.]

Lmao

[@williamking7420]

Thanks for your videos. Great info!!!!

[@JamesMcCutcheon]

Hey I just saw you on a SHAVING VINTAGE STYLE COMMERCIAL ! Way Cool... Got my 1970's Razor Double edge and blades at DULUTH TRADING !

[@bones11252]

Glorious tones!

[@strangequark420]

Man that thing sounds fantastic.

[@abelincoln95]

Brad- I'm liking the mic set-up! I listen through a 1500 watt (750 RMS) amp and it's good, balanced sound.

[@TheGuitologist]

Thanks for the feedback. I need a lot of feedback from different systems. Every now and then on my setup I notice some random compression artifacts at the beginnings of notes. I need to try to remove those and raise the volume of the overhead narration mic a bit.

[@dewwhatchadew1]

man that amp sounds great. I need one of them.

[@billygoatgruff2554]

Hi Brad, love the videos. I've just swapped a speaker over and did something I always do, and just realised that I have done this for years, casually touched the soldering iron with the tips of my fingers to make sure it's not still hot before putting it away...... After all, you can't be too careful. Safety first eh....? LOFL

[@66THEOSU]

I have been interested in electronics my entire life and have always been an audiophile. I have learned so much from your videos and am even more interested in repairs than ever before. I am currently working on an old Arvin 760T AM radio, I guess that I am starting small. Great instruction and adding interesting comparisons and observations, you sir are an electronics jedi. Thank you again for sharing your knowledge and talents.

[@danpeabody5687]

nice! great amp. cool history. play on.

[@matthewf1979]

FK is November 1956. What a cool ass amp! 18ga stranded blue and brown cloth insulated wire would be correct. GB's or 5881's would be great for guitar, GC's for bass. You probably already know that, I'm a Bassman nerd, if you ever have questions about the 5E6(a)or 5F6(a), I'm always around. Milstap has a great video on the 5F6A differences from the schematic of 59 and 60. I really should watch the whole video before commenting. The GZ34 was released by Mullard in 58. The 5U4 was the best for the application at the time. The Blue Molded caps are great replacements, as are the Jupiter yellows. The Sozo caps are great after 20-30 hours. The PI input cap needs to be .1uf 200v, I don't know why but it sounds better. Charge time? Plate specs? Who knows why. Jupiter makes the yellow type .1uf 200v. Great video, I'm drooling over here!

[@TheGuitologist]

Thanks for the informed comments. I think to be best for guitar, the 6L6GC needs to be re-biased in the manner I showed. I probably could have popped some 5881 in and they would have been dead on already.

[@haloskater24]

Hey man If you could , what are the differences in sound and features in A 5F4 , 5D8 and the 5E6A ? I wanna get one of these built but I don’t know which to choose from. I’m looking for an amp that can do good cleans for R&B and Blues to edge of break up for more classic rock/60s psychedelic rock sound.

[@dostacos1]

Sounds so good. I wish I could try this baby out in real life. Great video.

[@JohnnyMacTahoe]

Rare amp and cool video, thanks for sharing it. I agree with most decisions made on the "service" (rebuild might be a more appropriate word there) with exception to the changes in the preamp circuit including; the resistor removal, the different value capacitor and the preamp tube substitution. Taking those liberties with Leo's design completely changed the character, not to mention the resale value of that amplifier... I'm just sayin

[@pomod]

Sweet amp; and sweet looking Junior at the end.

[@davidstuckey102]

A real nice job on a beauty amp. I prefer my amps (I have about 40) to work right. Not any "mods" but replacement parts and new solder are fine with me. I have a 1946 National amp that has dual rectifiers. Two mighty 6X5 rectos, so not in the same class as the Bassman, but it is a guitar amp. I can't post pictures or I would show it to you. Keep that interesting stuff coming.

[@TheGuitologist]

BAM! I knew there had to9 be at least one earlier one. No surprise Valco would be in there with an entry. My favorite guitar amp company of all time. In fact, the next vid I got coming up is a Valco National.

[@eddiegeorge4047]

Killer video -thanks for sharing

[@somegeezer]

You're a damn good bassist, mate. Would be great to hear more bass from you in future.

[@TheGuitologist]

And here I thought I sucked. I'm not fond of my bass playing. I have recorded bass tracks in the past and I can make it sound ok given some time to practice, but it's far from a natural thing.

[@six97s]

Great video! You took the legendary Amp, that did not work, fixed it and made it a touch better. All totally reversible to the Stack configuration. Nothing to feel bad about that’s for sure!

[@r.w.7470]

So many people bust heavily...on the Utoob "compression " thing. Honestly Brad, you have that Amp slayed.....It is seriously sounding incredible. Clean is fantastic. Full. Bright. Balanced.

[@marknash7113]

Love the sound of this circuit. Do you like the change in the bypass cap you made to the low end response? I believe my ideal studio amp may be this circuit with a 12 in Jensen in a small combo package. Ever tried that combination? By the way, as an EE having worked on technology from DC to over 100 GHz (defense and such), I am impressed with your practical presentation of information that is very informative and boils down your experience in a succinct and interesting way. Having done the theory, you have improved my practical design and tweaking skills in a very esoteric field of audio that requires a real understanding of the practical application and history of the industry. You distill the the technical and subjective attraction to vintage gear that has collectively evolved for decades. Keep up the good work!

[@TheGuitologist]

Thanks Mark. This was a pleasure to work on

[@stephenquail3168]

Nice troubleshoot .I love that amp.

[@scaryperson27]

Nice job figuring out that speaker basket transformer contact point.

[@leesbassment6393]

Another great video. I posted it on fb, and tagged the cap guy. He's a local player. Real nice guy.

[@TheGuitologist]

Thanks for sharing! Cap guy?

[@leesbassment6393]

The Guitologist the guy behind sozo caps. He's a local guitar player in my area. He's played with one of my old bands, recorded us, etc.

[@djbadandy1]

amp sounds fantastic! and your latest venture in recording better for the channel seems to be paying dividends sir. :)

[@TheGuitologist]

Thanks. I have decided to just use the onboard cam mic for all the desk stuff because of the risk of an overhead falling into the amps and because of the 48V phamtom power which would require me to move my mixer setup back and forth across the room. But the demo part is getting better. I'm still going to be tweaking on it a bit and getting the mix between voice and amp a little closer in volume without anything clipping. It's a balancing act.

[@stevenmiller5366]

Beautiful sound!!!

[@Jonathan-L]

Amazing sounding amp!