FENDER TWEED BANDMASTER PRO

The narrow-panel tweed Bandmaster is best remembered today as the amp Pete Townshend used to such great effect on the Who’s 1971 album Who’s Next.

With its dual 6L6GB power tubes, the Bandmaster was one of Fender’s more powerful tweed amps. The 21 ¼' x 22 ½' x 10 ½' cabinet houses three Jensen P10R speakers, the top one with its blue bell cover removed to fit in front of the tubes and chassis. The 26-watt amp has two 6L6G power tubes, three preamp tubes (one 12AY7 and two 12AX7s), and a 5U4G rectifier. These include: two channels labeled MIC and INST a volume control for each channel treble, bass, and presence controls and standby and on/off switches, along with a ground switch. The 1955 Fender Bandmaster shown here has features common to most narrow-panel models made between 19. The narrow-panel Bandmaster had three 10' speakers. The 1x15 Bandmaster lasted until mid 1955, when all Fender amps received a narrow-panel makeover (the previous incarnations had wider front panels, and before that, “TV” fronts).

The Bandmaster’s biggest innovation was a new tone circuit with independent bass and treble controls, as opposed to the one-knob tone circuit of the earlier models.įender had to remove the bell cover from the middle 10' speaker to fit it in front of the tubes and chassis.

FENDER TWEED BANDMASTER PRO

It was Fender’s third 1x15, dual 6L6 amp, following the Pro and the Bassman. Other companies copied Fender’s constantly improving designs.Īs Fender’s 1950s product line grew to include electric guitars and electric basses, more amplifier models were added, with the Bandmaster debuting in 1953. Leo’s hard work and willingness to listen to feedback from working musicians made Fender amps top sellers by the ’50s. By 1946 he was manufacturing amplifiers and electric lap steels as the Fender Electric Instrument Co.

In 1938 Leo Fender opened a shop specializing in radio and electronics repair.

Fender tweed bandmaster