Vintage 1955 Fender Tweed Bassman Guitar Amp
1955 Fender Tweed Bassman Guitar Amp (Narrow Panel 1955-1960)
Here he is – the father of all rock and roll amps. Who knew a pine box wrapped in tweed covering with a western electric design cathode follower preamp feeding 2 x 5881 power tubes would launch a rock and roll revolution? This Fender Tweed amplifier design has been duped more than any other guitar amp in rock and roll history. Many famous amplifier manufacturers, including Mesa Boogie, Marshall and Traynor, based their first batch of amplifiers upon the 5F6A Bassman. For example: Mesa Boogie Mark I (in essence a hot-rodded Bassman), Marshall’s JTM45 (a clone of Bassman, using British-equivalent parts), and Traynor’s YBA-1.
Despite the fact that it was originally designed for bass guitars, the Fender Tweed Bassman was frequently used for normal electric guitar, and thus, gained fame as a guitar amp and is rarely considered a go to bass amp.