Joe Bonamassa has taken to social media to reveal a brand new Fender signature amp - the Fender ’48 Dual Professional JB Edition, based on his vintage 1948 Dual Professional combo.
In a short video posted to his Instagram profile, Bonamassa makes the announcement, showing us the first finished version of the new amp, complete with a printed and stapled owner’s manual.
While filling us in on some of the details, he reveals that he and Fender have been working on the amp for two-and-a-half years. From a quick glance, it appears that Joe’s 26-watt signature version remains pretty faithful to the original with top-mounted instrument/mic-level channels and controls plus a master tone knob.
Meanwhile the front of the amp features a split grille, divided my a voluted metal strap as-per the original, and the whole cabinet is wrapped in a vintage-style tweed, with Bonamassa noting, “We’re anoraks, we’ve recreated the original font and look of the original tube chart [in the back of the amp].
However, he adds that there are some modern tweaks, starting with a cage-guard around the output valves. “The amp was reimagined and redesigned by the great Stan Cotey who’s a genius and a saint, also big thanks to Shane Nicholls for pushing this through. Some modern requirements - a tube cage because in 2022 you cannot trust human beings not to grab a molten, 600-degree bulb of glass!”
The Dual Professional was Leo Fender’s first amp design, and as Joe tells us, this version is equipped with two 10” versions of his signature Joe Bonamassa Celestion speakers. “Celestion redesigned my 12” speakers into a 10” format. Now they are 35-watt, Joe B-branded Celestion ceramic speakers which I found sound good in the amp. I prefer them to the Alnicos, but that’s just my preference - I’m just one man.”
There’s no official word from Fender regarding the amp’s release date, pricing or whether the Dual Professional JB Edition will be a full production or limited run at the time of writing. But we wouldn’t be surprised to see this timed around the NAMM Show 2022 in June.
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