Yes, you can do the Pete Townshend thing, but also think about Mike Campbell, John Fogerty, Springsteen and Neil Young. You might love it, or you might prefer it dialled back for more control and 'order' in the sound. The result is a slightly more 'wild' sound with increased distortion on the treble frequencies particularly. What it's actually doing is decreasing the amount of negative feedback in the power section as you turn it up. The presence control on many early tweed amps gave players more brightness and brilliance, which it continues to do here. Pick lighter and the twang returns it's an extremely responsive amp in that respect, so suits players who like to eke out a full range of textures and dynamics. Push the volume and the sag and compression is more noticeable in the bass end, particularly on the attack of lower notes. It's an immensely authentic, evocative, grin-inducing experience, quick into overdrive with a palpably more furry-yet-ebullient edge than, say, a '65 Deluxe or Twin Reverb. Wind up the wick and the oh-mama moments come thick and fast with any classic guitar. It's thick yet bright, with a noticeable 'hair' to the top end that breaks off into light vintage overdrive. Instead, armed with a Gretsch Center-Block White Falcon, and with the amp volume down around three or four, you're greeted with a gigantic 3D soundscape that has even non- guitar players impressed. "With the amp volume down around three or four, you're greeted with a gigantic 3D soundscape that had even non-guitar players impressed"ĭon't expect shimmery, 'blackface' Twin-type cleans or tweed Bassman-like headroom. We're talking gloriously rich, sizzling, vintage overdrive with ladlefuls of dynamic sag and natural compression. When you add in the valve rectifier and turn it up, those 26 watts convert into something the amp wasn't designed for, yet has become the reason people love them today. Why 'only' 26 watts from a pair of 6L6 output valves? Well, the Bandmaster's relatively low- power output transformer keeps things in check to better protect the low-power speakers. Fender believes these choices make the new amp more relevant to today's players and styles. In addition, there have also been some component value changes to give the new amp a slightly stronger bass response. Instead, the design team assembled a handful of genuine vintage Bandmasters, and found themselves inclined towards the ones with higher headroom characteristics and slightly less compression. Et voila.įender is keen to point out that this new amp is not a slavish reissue, not least because there is no definitive original. It sits perfectly between them, however, so with pub/club gigs getting quieter and the quest for vintage tone as strong as ever, now could just be the perfect time for the tweed Bandmaster to return. You might say that even by then it was anachronistic, and in the ensuing years has fallen further into the shadow of the Deluxe and Bassman. The amp's biggest claim to fame is that - coupled with Pete Townshend and a Gretsch 6120 - it made a glorious noise on Who's Next in 1971. "With pub gigs getting quieter and the quest for vintage tone as strong as ever, now could just be the perfect time for the tweed Bandmaster to return"
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