Back in the ‘60s, before modern bass amps as we know them, bassists would have used a number of different Fender amps – favoured for their loud, clean tone. We picked two of the best: the Showman and Bassman. These were both popular among bassists and are tonally similar, with an important difference. The Showman’s circuit progressively removes low end as it begins to distort, keeping things tight and controlled. The Bassman does the opposite – retains low end which becomes looser and more unruly as the gain increases. This is controlled by the BASSRIG ’64 Black Panel’s BRIGHT/FAT switch. The BLK/TWD switch changes from a ‘60s circuit to a ‘50s “Tweed” spec, altering the tone stack and negative feedback for more gain and mids.