harp harmonica amp amps vintage fender bassman reissue 1959

If you have experience playing on the bandstand, then you know how important it is to have enough volume coming from your amp to be able to hear yourself... If you can't hear yourself, you can't play. Usually the answer is to use a big amp, like the Fender Bassman (4x10" speakers). Another way to go about it is to use two smaller amps. If you want variance in tone, bring two small amps that sound very different... one clean and one distorted. The clean one usually helps you to hear better and the distorted one is the one usually mic'd into the house system. continue reading...

The 1959 Fender Bassman Amplifier has been the standard for gigging blues harmonica players since we've had to deal with loud bands in the 1960's. Priced around ~$10,000, the originals are now collectors items and are no longer practical options. The 1959 Fender Reissue Bassman (originally released in 1990), though not the most friendly amplifier to play stock, can be purchased for a very reasonable price in the used market (~$700) and with some tube changes it can sound fantastic. continue reading...