Fender 3959 Bassman LTD Owners Manual - Page 4
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The original Bassman amplifier of the 1950's is possibly the most legendary amplifier ever built by any company. Fender pioneered the creation of the electric bass guitar, and was equally innovative in the development of bass amplifiers. As the cornerstone of Fender's amplifier line, the original Bassman became the inspiration for numerous manufacturers in the United States and England. Years after Fender electrified bass players and the music world with Bassman amplifiers, guitar players discovered the "magical" tone quality and sound of those early Bassman amplifiers. Blues, R&B, Rock, Country and Jazz players around the world may disagree on the perfect guitar, but most will agree the Bassman is close to being the perfect guitar amplifier! Every effort has been made to replicate the original sound and circuit design of Fender's '59 Bassman. Only changes for safety and reliability reasons were made - the electric supply cord has a grounding conductor for example. For those who want their amp "stock," the solid state rectifier can be replaced with a 5AR4 or 5U4 GB tube, although this modification will slightly reduce power output and reliability. The speakers used in the original units had alnico magnets and an exact copy of those original speakers are used in the '59 Bassman reissue amplifiers. The power and output transformers are built to the original specifications and although some of the components used in the reissue amplifiers are different in size and shape from the originals, the component values are identical. After reading this manual and becoming familiar with all the features and functions of your '59 Bassman amplifier, plug in and make music! The purchase of a Fender amplifier will provide years of musical enjoyment and the '59 Bassman keeps the Fender legacy going strong. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 1.FUSE - Protects the amplifier from electrical faults. Replace a failed fuse ONLY with the type and rating listed on the fuse holder. 2.POWER - Switches ON and OFF the amplifier. 3.STANDBY - Push to ON to put the amplifier in standby mode. Standby mode disables all amplifier outputs and power is supplied only to the tube filaments. Using standby mode during short breaks will extend tube life and eliminate warm-up time when returning to normal operating mode. 4.POWER INDICATOR - Illuminates when the amplifier is ON and receiving power. Note: If not illuminated when the amplifier is switched ON, the bulb may have failed. Replace bulb by switching OFF the amplifier and unplugging the power cord. Unscrew the power indicator's jeweled cover and replace the bulb (type T47). 5.PRESENCE - Adjusts the ultra-high frequency level at a point in the circuitry after all other tone controls and effects adding a special high-end sparkle to the final output sound. 6.MIDDLE - Adjusts the middle-frequency level. 7.BASS - Adjusts the low-frequency level. 8.TREBLE - Adjusts the high-frequency level. 9.VOLUME BRIGHT - Adjusts the loudness of the bright channel. 10.VOLUME NORMAL - Adjusts the loudness of the normal channel. 11.INPUT BRIGHT - Plug in connection for your electric guitar. Input 1 provides 6dB more gain than input 2. The bright channel provides extra treble boost. 12.INPUT NORMAL - Plug in connection for your electric guitar. Input 1 provides 6dB more gain than input 2. 4