“Drawing inspiration from the line that laid way for Fender’s sub-sonic signal processing”: Fender’s flagship Bassman pedal series will help you build the basics of any bass ‘board – and prices start from $99
Designed specifically for bass players, Fender's latest pedal family comprises keenly priced drive, fuzz, compressor, delay and reverb pedals – and there's room to grow
(Image credit: Fender)
Fender’s ongoing summer showcase has continued apace with the unveiling of the Bassman effects pedal family, which has been designed specifically for bass guitar players.
Comprising five stompboxes that cover all, erm, bases, the Bassman pedal lineup notably takes inspiration from the vintage amps from which it got its name, using both digital and analog circuitry to deliver Driver, Fuzz, Delay, Reverb and Compressor tools.
As Fender explains, “Drawing inspiration from the original tube amp line that laid way for Fender’s sub-sonic signal processing, the Bassman pedal line hosts a collection of meticulously crafted analog and digital circuits all curated from the ground up for bass-centric tonal expansion.”
We imagine the Bassman range will prove to be particularly tempting to those looking to get into the world of bass effects, or players who are looking to expand their existing pedalboard on a budget.
The compressor, fuzz and drive units all weigh in at $99.99, making them rather keenly priced indeed.
To our eyes, these could very much be Fender’s bass guitar answer to those ranges – perhaps they spotted a gap in the market here? – especially since all pedals arrive with the same uniform control configurations.
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To that end, the delay and reverb units are slightly more expensive at $199, but that increased cost comes as a result of the various DSP algorithms that have been “tailored specifically for bass instruments” and loaded into the pedals.
(Image credit: Fender)
As mentioned, all pedals are the same size, and feature the same control layout comprising three parameters, two toggle switches and one bypass footswitch.
Level and Blend controls are consistent across the fuzz, delay and compressor pedals, which otherwise have effect-specific knobs to round out their parameter set.
(Image credit: Fender)
As for switches, the Bassman Fuzz has a Voice toggle that goes between vintage fuzz and a touch-sensitive modern alternative, as well as a three-position Focus switch that pinpoints which frequencies are fuzzed.
Elsewhere, the Driver has a two-position voice option that goes between modern distortion and a pushed Bassman tone, and a Comp switch, while the Compressor pedal has Attack and Release toggle switches.
Controls are equally intuitive for the Delay – Time, Level and Feedback knobs, as well as a Low Cut switch, and a toggle for analog or digital-inspired delays – and the Reverb, which offers Time, Level, Low Cut, Type and Pre-Delay parameters.
(Image credit: Fender)
The Bassman pedal range will become available later this year.
Keep your eyes peeled on Fender for more details in the meantime.
Matt is a Senior Staff Writer, writing for Guitar World, Guitarist and Total Guitar. He has a Masters in the guitar, a degree in history, and has spent the last 16 years playing everything from blues and jazz to indie and pop. When he’s not combining his passion for writing and music during his day job, Matt records for a number of UK-based bands and songwriters as a session musician.
