Fender Tone Master '59 Twin Joe Bonamassa Edition

Joe Bonamassa's high-powered tweed Twin, modeled by Fender in a 30-pound 2x12 with selectable output power.

Joe Bonamassa has toured and recorded with late-'50s high-powered tweed Twins for years, and it is easy to hear why. Few amps pair that kind of bold, wide-open clean tone with such thick overdrive once you turn them up. The catch has always been practical: a high-powered tweed Twin is a big, loud amp that wants to be pushed, and that is a lot to bring to a small room.

The Tone Master '59 Twin JB Edition is Fender's answer, and the first signature model in the Tone Master line. It models the 5F8-A circuit behind Joe's favorite amps and puts it in a resonant pine cabinet with two Celestion JB neodymium speakers designed for this amp. The whole combo weighs 30 pounds, less than half the weight of the tube '59 Twin-Amp JB Edition.

We have been impressed with the Tone Master series, and the reasons are practical ones. These amps are an easy one-hand carry, there are no tubes to replace or bias, and the output power selector gives you the sound of the amp working hard at a volume that suits the room. That matters with this model in particular. Full power is there for the stage, and five attenuated settings bring it down for a small gig, a session, or the house.

Fender also added a few things the original never had: convolution reverb on the top panel, an effects loop for delay and other time-based effects, and a balanced XLR line out with three cabinet IRs for going direct to a PA or interface. A Vintage/Tight switch on the back panel firms up the low end when you want it.

If you love what a tweed Twin does and want one you can take anywhere, this deserves an afternoon. Come plug into it at the shop, or get in touch and we will talk through how it compares to the tube amps on our floor.