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Lot Essay
Johnny Marr acquired this 1950s Fender Bassman from The Who bassist John Entwistle via famed British guitar tech Alan Rogan in the mid-1980s. Speaking to Premier Guitar in 2018, Marr confirmed that the Fender Bassman was among the equipment acquired from Entwistle and explained how the deal came about: We have a mutual friend in Alan Rogan, who is the Who’s guitar tech. John knew that Alan was doing some work with me and Alan guided me towards it and thought I should have some guitars. Alan pretty much marched me round to John’s and made me buy them! He also made me buy my vintage Fender amps that I still use to this day. Marr used the 1950s Bassman during the recording of The Smiths’ studio albums The Queen Is Dead, 1986, and Strangeways, Here We Come, 1987, as well as for occasional one-off live performances.
Together with the Roland JC-120 and Mesa Boogie Mark I (lots 6 and 35), this Fender Bassman was seen in use behind Marr during The Smiths’ live performance of their new single ‘Bigmouth Strikes Again’ and album track ‘Vicar in a Tutu’ on the BBC music television programme The Old Grey Whistle Test on 20 May 1986. Just over six weeks later, Marr used the same amplifier line-up when The Smiths performed their new single ‘Panic’ and album track ‘There Is a Light That Never Goes Out’ on a special five-hour episode of Channel 4’s The Tube, “Euro-Tube”, which was broadcast around Europe on 5 July 1986. The performance was particularly memorable for the addition of the young schoolboy who joined the band on stage to sing the refrain “Hang the DJ” alongside Morrissey. Two weeks later, Marr opted for the same amplifier trio once again when The Smiths co-headlined the Festival of the Tenth Summer with New Order, to celebrate ten years of punk at the Greater Manchester Exhibition Centre on 19 July 1986, as seen in photographs by Ian Tilton.
The Fender Bassman has remained a studio favourite throughout Marr’s career. When interviewed by Guitar Player during the period that he was a member of both The The and Electronic, Marr revealed: At my studio, I've got a Roland JC-120 amp... and an old Fender Bassman, which I really like for soloing and practicing. He went on to reflect on his previous preference for vintage equipment: The Smiths were quite a purist group, and I was a great believer in traditionalism. Just plugging a Gibson ES-335 into my trusty Fender Bassman or Twin Reverb was romantic. The Bassman was still a studio staple when Marr stepped into the role of frontman for the first time and recorded the 2003 studio album Boomslang with The Healers. When asked how he had obtained the fuzzy sounds on the album, he told Guitar Player in 2003: Sometimes I got overdrive out of a really cranked-up Fender Bassman with a ’57 Les Paul (lot 75). Interviewed by Premier Guitar in 2018 about the making of his third solo studio album Call The Comet, Marr revealed that his studio set up consisted of the amps that I've had and used forever and listed my old tweed Bassman from the '50s, before specifying that this amp was used on the album track ‘Hey Angel’: The main rhythm guitar on there is a 1973 Les Paul Custom (lot 99), like the one James Williamson used in the Stooges. That guitar was running through a Fender Bassman cranked up very hot. Marr evidently relied on the Bassman right up until the 2022 release of his last album Fever Dreams Pts 1-4, as he informed Premier Guitar that he used a lot of the same amps I’ve had since The Smiths and cited the occasional use of a Bassman.
Speaking to Steve Rosen for Ultimate Guitar in 2012, Marr reflected: I found and still find now that it's usually just a small number of fabulous amplifiers and classic, great guitars that all have their own sort of character. This was a long time before modelling amps, boutique amps and even digital recording and digital shaping and plug-ins and all those things that can really give you so many shades of tone… Between the Ricky and the old Tele, the Les Paul and Gretsch, I was able to get a lot of different clean tones. What can I say, I was lucky enough to get my hand on a few very great instruments. And really, primarily, through great Fender amps.
Together with the Roland JC-120 and Mesa Boogie Mark I (lots 6 and 35), this Fender Bassman was seen in use behind Marr during The Smiths’ live performance of their new single ‘Bigmouth Strikes Again’ and album track ‘Vicar in a Tutu’ on the BBC music television programme The Old Grey Whistle Test on 20 May 1986. Just over six weeks later, Marr used the same amplifier line-up when The Smiths performed their new single ‘Panic’ and album track ‘There Is a Light That Never Goes Out’ on a special five-hour episode of Channel 4’s The Tube, “Euro-Tube”, which was broadcast around Europe on 5 July 1986. The performance was particularly memorable for the addition of the young schoolboy who joined the band on stage to sing the refrain “Hang the DJ” alongside Morrissey. Two weeks later, Marr opted for the same amplifier trio once again when The Smiths co-headlined the Festival of the Tenth Summer with New Order, to celebrate ten years of punk at the Greater Manchester Exhibition Centre on 19 July 1986, as seen in photographs by Ian Tilton.
The Fender Bassman has remained a studio favourite throughout Marr’s career. When interviewed by Guitar Player during the period that he was a member of both The The and Electronic, Marr revealed: At my studio, I've got a Roland JC-120 amp... and an old Fender Bassman, which I really like for soloing and practicing. He went on to reflect on his previous preference for vintage equipment: The Smiths were quite a purist group, and I was a great believer in traditionalism. Just plugging a Gibson ES-335 into my trusty Fender Bassman or Twin Reverb was romantic. The Bassman was still a studio staple when Marr stepped into the role of frontman for the first time and recorded the 2003 studio album Boomslang with The Healers. When asked how he had obtained the fuzzy sounds on the album, he told Guitar Player in 2003: Sometimes I got overdrive out of a really cranked-up Fender Bassman with a ’57 Les Paul (lot 75). Interviewed by Premier Guitar in 2018 about the making of his third solo studio album Call The Comet, Marr revealed that his studio set up consisted of the amps that I've had and used forever and listed my old tweed Bassman from the '50s, before specifying that this amp was used on the album track ‘Hey Angel’: The main rhythm guitar on there is a 1973 Les Paul Custom (lot 99), like the one James Williamson used in the Stooges. That guitar was running through a Fender Bassman cranked up very hot. Marr evidently relied on the Bassman right up until the 2022 release of his last album Fever Dreams Pts 1-4, as he informed Premier Guitar that he used a lot of the same amps I’ve had since The Smiths and cited the occasional use of a Bassman.
Speaking to Steve Rosen for Ultimate Guitar in 2012, Marr reflected: I found and still find now that it's usually just a small number of fabulous amplifiers and classic, great guitars that all have their own sort of character. This was a long time before modelling amps, boutique amps and even digital recording and digital shaping and plug-ins and all those things that can really give you so many shades of tone… Between the Ricky and the old Tele, the Les Paul and Gretsch, I was able to get a lot of different clean tones. What can I say, I was lucky enough to get my hand on a few very great instruments. And really, primarily, through great Fender amps.