1955 Fender Bassman 5D6-A Narrow Panel 40-Watt 4x10" - Tweed
Fender Bassman Model 5D6-A Model Tube Amplifier (1955), made in Fullerton, California, serial # ED-0101, tweed fabric covering finish.
This is a long-awaited first for Guitar Sloth, an original narrow panel 4X10 tweed Fender Bassman. This is one of the most collectible guitar amplifiers of all time, although in one of those vintage great ironies it is not bassists but guitarists who covet this model, widely considered one of the greatest blues/rock amps of all time.
Conceived as a partner for the revolutionary Precision Bass guitar in 1951-2, the first 20 watt, single 15" speaker Bassman amp was intended to amplify "bass, and bass only" according to Fender. This design soon showed several shortcomings for the bass application; over the next few years player opinions and complaints made their way back to Fullerton. The amp struggled to adequately amplify the lowest frequencies of the bass guitar, resulting in undesirable distortion levels. An even more serious issue at the time was the easily blown speaker which posed a huge problem for gigging musicians; if your only speaker blew, you couldn't finish the gig! Fender soon grasped the importance of offering a solidly reliable bass amp; if they could not then the sales of their solidbody electric bass would also suffer!
In 1954, the amp was re-envisioned by Freddie Tavares (with Leo's blessing) as a four 10-inch combo, solving the reliability issues plaguing a single-speaker amp. At this point, Fender also openly recognized the model's growing appeal to guitar, accordion and harmonica players, as the '55 catalog literature states: "Provides true bass amplification or may also be used for other instruments due to its widely varying tonal character."
The extremely short-lived 5D6 appeared in late 1954 and was the first amplifier combo with a 4x10 speaker configuration. The 5D6-A revision soon followed; This amp's tube chart bears the stamp ED, indicating an assembly date of April of 1955. This revision now featured a fixed bias output stage allowing for greater headroom and a clearer low-end, along with dual rectification, another first for Fender. The push-pull 6L6G-powered output section drives four 10" Jensen P10R speakers yielding around 40 watts of power. Like the former versions, the 5D6-A has two inputs, but now two separate channels, voiced differently; one normal, one bright. The channels each have a dedicated volume control, as well as master treble, bass and presence controls. The subsequent circuit revisions, the four-input 5F6 and 5F6-A were famously duplicated by Jim Marshall for the initial JTM-45 amps and the Bassman overall has made its presence felt, in design terms, in more subsequent tube amps than any other amplifier.
Height is 22 1/2 in. (57.2 cm.), 22 1/2 in. (57.2 cm.) width, and 10 1/2 in. (26.7 cm.) in depth at deepest point.
Cosmetically, this veteran amp shows years of gigging and hard living, with the front tweed covering bearing an attractive amber patina and a few number of cigarette burns on top! The covering shows fraying, around the corners and edges, but is otherwise nicely intact. The upper back tweed panel has been Redone by Kendrick Amplifier's Gerald Weber and blends in perfect. The bottom back tweed panel currently has a replacement in to support a fan for extra protection and cooling of the amp but the original panel is in good condition and included in the sale if one wishes to remove the fan and put original panel back on. The front grille cloth is in great shape overall; taut and free of any notable blemishes. The control panel shows very minor signs of corrosion but overall retains its shine with all of the stenciled lettering intact. The original handle and feet was supplanted with a high quality replacement some time ago.
Electrically, the amp remains all original. All four Jensen P10R speakers are original to the amp with matching codes: 220-513, dating them to the 13th week of 1955. All four speakers appear to have been reconed at Chicago Speaker Service Recently and sound fantastic. The Triad power, choke and output transformers are original to the amp as well. Pots all appear original. As mentioned small fan has been added for additional cooling ability.
The amp has seen typical maintenance and servicing, including replacement of all electrolytic capacitors, a 3-prong grounded power cord, cleaning of all sockets, pots and jacks and power tubes biased to spec. Additionally leather cover and road case included. It sounds truly fantastic, with the rip-roaring but highly detailed tone these are justly renowned for especially at higher volumes. Overall Good - Very Good + Condition.