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Post subject: What's in my amp???
Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2017 9:45 am
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I just picked up a fender 59 bassman reissue yesterday and I'm pretty darn happy with it. However, its specs have eluded me. I don't think it's an Ltd (mine has a ground switch) but it has a tube rectifier which I thought wasn't on the 90s reissues. I read that there was an MIM version of this amp that had a tube rectifier but mine is MIA. To top it off, idk what half the speakers are! Two of them are Jensens (gold labels on the back) and the other two are unlabeled blue speakers that have "square bars" behind them. It's a great sounding amp, so I'm not having buyer's remorse, but I'd like to know what's going on under the hood. Anyone know what model bassman this is or if it's been modded? Thanks in advance.

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Post subject: Re: What's in my amp???
Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2017 10:05 am
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If the cabinet is lacquered tweed, then it's the LTD version.

The OEM speakers for that amp were blue Eminence alnico's. Your Jensen's are obviously replacements.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: What's in my amp???
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2017 8:43 am
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It's a yellow tweed, but it's not lacquered. I would've thought the blues would be aftermarket, but I guess not. I plan on re tubing the whole amp since I'm pretty sure it still has factory tubes, so the one thing that's tripping me up is the rectifier. In the amp, there's a label that says it has a 5ar4, but where the 5ar4 should be, there's a plastic container in the tube socket. Is this an aftermarket SS rectifier? Sorry for the continuous questions, there's a lot that's not lining up spec wise.

_________________
Music is proof that whatever you love to do, it's f***ing expensive.

Gear:
Mesa Express 5:50
Fender 2003 Highway One Strat
Fender FSR MIM Tele
Korean Epiphone Dot
Taylor 114e


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Profile
Post subject: Re: What's in my amp???
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2017 9:14 am
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I believe that Fender replaced the GZ34, OEM in the original tweed Bassman, with a plug-in solid state device. I think that you may be able to sub in a tube GZ34 with some minor changes to the amp. Maybe best to do this with the aid of an amp tech --- if you want to go tube rectifier route.


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Post subject: Re: What's in my amp???
Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2017 1:52 pm
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BMW2002Ti wrote:
I believe that Fender replaced the GZ34, OEM in the original tweed Bassman, with a plug-in solid state device. I think that you may be able to sub in a tube GZ34 with some minor changes to the amp. Maybe best to do this with the aid of an amp tech --- if you want to go tube rectifier route.


+1

And you're likely to find that the "ground switch" you mentioned isn't connected to anything -- it's there merely as window dressing (because the original 5F6-A Bassman had one and the control panel would look empty without it).

Arjay

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"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


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