Fender Bassman

The Fender Bassman is a series of instrument amplifiers produced by Fender. Released in 1952, the Bassman was the industry's first dedicated bass amplifier, as Fender's existing guitar amps proved inadequate for handling the low frequencies of the Precision Bass, which Fender had debuted the previous year. Multiple design changes occurred through the 1950s, culminating in the 4×10 combo "5F6A" model, which later became the Bassman's most well-known iteration. Despite its initial purpose as a bass amp, the Bassman's increased power attracted many early rock and roll guitarists, such as Buddy Holly, and Fender soon stopped marketing it as a bass amp.

In 1961, Fender "reconfigured" the Bassman into a much different amp than what had come before, replacing the characteristic tweed coverings of previous models with near-white tolex and now producing separate heads and cabinets. These early 1960s "blonde" models increased the Bassman's popularity among guitarists, with the Beatles extensively using them, as did Pete Townshend on early records with the Who. Later "blackface" and "silverface" editions followed, continuing to evolve the Bassman's circuit and styling into the early 1970s when the model began to decline in popularity. Following the success of boutique brands building amps based on late-1950s tweed models, Fender began releasing Bassman reissues in the 1990s.