![1964 fender bandmaster head 1964 fender bandmaster head](https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s--Tn42i5YP--/t_card-square/v1590458186/brnn0bumnp653pco2t91.jpg)
“With 26 to 30 watts versus 40 watts in the Bassman, though, it’s not as loud and breaks up sooner, with a sweet, singing tone unlike any other amp I’ve owned. “Having owned a ’59 and a couple of ’60 5F6-A tweed Bassman amps, to my ear, this has many of the same tone qualities,” said James. Before detailing some of those, owner Tommie James offered comparative commentary.
![1964 fender bandmaster head 1964 fender bandmaster head](https://www.vintageandmodernguitars.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/66.bm_.jpg)
Commentators have called the 5E7 Bandmaster “a Bassman with three 10s instead of four,” and there are bound to be similarities – given they are both dual-6L6 tweed Fender amps of the same era – but the Bandmaster is different in respects aside from speakers. That trio of Jensen P10R Alnico speakers is somehow beguiling the amp pumps more air than the (admittedly awesome) Super, yet it’s still delightfully light and portable. In any case, why the bods at Fender saw need to replicate the chassis in so many slightly-varied guises is baffling… but we’re glad they did. The original Jensen P10R speakers are a big part of this amp’s appeal – and its superb tone. Some had minor differences like values for negative-feedback resistors to fine-tune headroom or match the NFB loop to the output impedance for optimum speaker damping.
1964 FENDER BANDMASTER HEAD PRO
The 3×10″ 5E7 Bandmaster, 2×10″ 5F4 Super, and 1×15″ 5E5-A Pro were all essentially the same amp, other than speaker complement, output transformer, and occasional minor tweak in components (similar was the 2×12″ 5E8-A “low-powered” Twin of ’55-’58). In ’55, it took up the 3×10/narrow-panel configuration that then evolved to the more-desirable iterations of 1959. The Bandmaster arrived mid ’53 in a short-lived 1×15″ incarnation of Fender’s wide-panel tweed cab.
![1964 fender bandmaster head 1964 fender bandmaster head](https://www.vintageandrare.com/uploads/products/74699/5316976/original.jpg)
There’s just something about the 3×10″ 5E7 Bandmaster that drives vintage-Fender nuts gaga. If ever there was an amp to make a fan of tweeds go wobbly in the knees, this is it.