Fender’s new Tone Master ’59 Bassman amp uses digital processing for a tone “virtually indistinguishable from the original”
Among a slew of other new products for July 2024 – including new additions to the Performer line for the first time in four years and a new wireless system, Telepath – Fender has expanded its Tone Master amp range with its first-ever tweed model, the ‘59 Bassman.
Despite its vintage-vibed exterior, the Tone Master ‘59 Bassman uses digital processing to “faithfully model the circuitry and 45-watt power output” of an original 1952 Bassman tube amp.
READ MORE: The band that had Metallica’s James Hetfield and Judas Priest’s Rob Halford vibing to their set
This is, of course, true to form for the Tone Master series as a whole, which, introduced in 2019, swaps more traditional tube configurations for digital modelling, while aiming to retain that ever-sought-after tube sound.
Credit: Fender
And as Fender claims, the digital circuitry – with a high-performance class D power amp to achieve “headroom and dynamics of the tube amp” – is so precise that the sound is “virtually indistinguishable from the original”.
The circuitry is paired with four Jensen P-10R speakers, while other features include convolution spring reverb, a vintage/tight switch for smoother bass response and a post-power amp effects loop.
Credit: Fender
There’s also an output power selector for both full power and five attenuated settings, and impulse response XLR line output for detailed cab simulations, a mute switch, and a lightweight pine cabinet exterior.
Last year, Fender launched the Tone Master Pro, a floor-based multi-effects guitar workstation that earned the endorsement of Eddie Van Halen’s guitar brand, EVH. And in an interview in February, EVP of Product Justin Norvell spoke on just how much the EVH endorsement meant during the Tone Master Pro’s development.
“EVH’s tones are always the most sought-after on anything that approximates [that time],” he said. “Whether it’s the ‘brown sound’ or other, later sounds, like the 5150s. And that, we felt, would be something that as a benchmark, people could really go, ‘OK. They did the work.’”
Price-wise, the Tone Master ‘59 Bassman clocks in at $1,499.99/£1,429, and is available from October 2024.
For more information, head to Fender.
The post Fender’s new Tone Master ’59 Bassman amp uses digital processing for a tone “virtually indistinguishable from the original” appeared first on Guitar.com | All Things Guitar.
Source: www.guitar-bass.net
