Bass Amp History

[Shawn Charniga]

The 1959 model year Fender Bassman had four 10" speakers, not 12", and the original Ampeg Bass Amp was not at all the same as the later Portaflex amps. It was a one-piece combo with an open back and the circuitry mounted to the bottom panel of the cabinet. A friend has one from 1958 and says the low-end extension is extraordinary even by modern standards.

My first amplifier was a tube-powered reel to reel tape player.

{shudders}