Recently, I posted about my latest attempt at creating a reference tone for my 5e3 Tweed Deluxe reissue amp. I’m still wrestling with creating a similar 5e3 reference tone purely in the Axe-FX 3. Sadly, I’m nowhere near ready to write up my promised comparison of the two.
I decided to take a break from that, and work on another reference tone that I’m going to need for future #TweedTone blog posts: capturing the mighty 5F6 Tweed Bassman sound.
Here’s how I got on. There’s audio demos to listen to, and a full breakdown of the signal chain that I used, with plenty of photos / screenshots to show you everything.
tl;dr
I’ve built two signal chains to give me the sound of the mighty 5F6 Bassman amp. One uses the Synergy BMan module as the amp, the other uses amp models inside the Axe-FX 3.
I think they both sound great with a bunch of different guitars.
Sometimes they sound similar; sometimes they don’t. That gives me more options whenever I need a Bassman reference tone for comparison in one of my tweed-tone pedal blog posts.
Table of Contents
- tl;dr
- Introduction
- Introducing The Synergy BMan
- How Does It Sound?
- Signal Chain Overview & Amps In Detail
- Looking At The Bits In Common To Both Signal Chains
- Which One Will You Use In Tweed-Tone Pedal Comparisons?
- Final Thoughts
Introduction
What Are You Doing?
I’m putting together a new-for-2025 reference sound for the 5F6 Bassman.
I don’t actually own a 5F6 Bassman, so instead I’m building it out of two separate approaches:
- my Synergy BMan valve preamp + Axe-FX 3 power-amp emulation; and
- the 59 Bassman models in the Axe-FX 3
I’m hoping that, between them, I’ll get close enough for my needs.
Why Are You Doing This?
At some point this year, I’m going to start posting more in-depth articles about the tweed-tone pedals that I have access to. In those articles, I want to create audio demos that compare the pedal against the actual sounds of the tweed-era.
It doesn’t make sense to only compare pedals against the 5E3 Tweed Deluxe sound.
Let’s be honest: despite what pedal marketers say about it being such a coveted sound, it’s actually quite a niche tone. Most tweed-tone pedals aren’t trying to sound like a Tweed Deluxe. Many pedals aren’t even trying to be an amp-in-a-box pedal at all. And that’s before we consider what I call the “accidental tweed-tone” pedals.
I’m going to need a bunch of reference tones to use in my comparisons.
Which Amps Do You Need Reference Tones For?
I reckon that there’s four major tweed-tone amps to compare against overdrive pedals:
- 5F1 Champ
- 5E3 Tweed Deluxe
- 5F6-A Bassman
- 5F8-A High-Powered Tweed Twin (HPTT for short)
Those appear to be the Famous Four, at least for dirty amp tones. They should provide enough coverage for comparison with the vast majority of tweed-tone overdrive pedals.
Think I’m missing an essential tweed-era amp? Let me know in the comments below.
Why A 5F6-A Bassman Tone, Specifically?
Rightly or wrongly, I believe that the 5F6-A Bassman is the classic rock tone of the tweed era.
- When most people are thinking of a general tweed-tone overdriven sound, I reckon they’re thinking of the sound of a overdriven Bassman; and
- any tweed-tone pedal that’s not an amp-in-a-box sounds like a Bassman.
That’s my working theory. It’ll be interesting to see how that holds up when I’ve posted some of the comparisons 🙂
Introducing The Synergy BMan
What Are Synergy Amps?
If you’ve not heard of them before, Synergy take classic amp circuits and reproduce them as all-valve pluggable modules. Think of them as a way of being able to swap out different amp circuits to suit your mood, vibe or project.
I first started using them back in 2018, because I didn’t have room at home for a Fender Deluxe Reverb Re-Issue (DRRI for short) amp. They don’t just save space. They’re also an incredibly affordable way to build up a valve amp collection.
I’m plugging them into the SYN-1 preamp chassis and running that into my Axe-FX 3, but these days most people plug them into one of Synergy’s amp heads (such as the SYN-50 or newly-launched SYN-20IR).
If you’re interested in getting into the Synergy system, I’d recommend:
- go with the SYN-1 or SYN-2 preamp chassis if you’re only going to be using a hybrid rig like I do (because you’re not going to make much use of the full Synergy amp head);
- otherwise, just stick to one of the Synergy amp heads because it’s the easiest setup.
I’ll post a long-term review of my Synergy rig at some point in 2025.
What Is The Synergy BMan Preamp Module?
The Synergy BMan module is Synergy’s take on the 5F6-A Bassman circuit.
It was one of their launch modules back in 2018, and (as far as I know) hasn’t been updated since.
How Does It Compare To An Original 5F6-A Bassman Amp?
An original 5F6-A Bassman is a two-channel amp. Each channel has two inputs, with input 2 (effectively) being attenuated (something like 6 dB quieter than input 1). You plug into input 2 if you want less gain, and into input 1 if you want all the gain.
It’s very common to connect the two channels together using a patch cable (known as jumpering), just like people do on the four-input Marshall amps. Then you can use each channel’s volume control to blend the two together, giving that classic tweed Bassman overdrive tone.
Unfortunately, Synergy haven’t officially explained how their BMan module compares to the original amp. I’ve compared it to the amp models in the Axe-FX 3, and these are my conclusions so far.
The BMan module has two channels, green and red. The two channels have separate EQ and gain controls (very handy!). But they don’t have separate inputs: all Synergy modules to date are 1-input amps. And, unlike an original Bassman, the two channels on the BMan module don’t seem to interact with each other at all.
The green channel on the BMan is for cleaner / low-gain, and the red channel is for higher-gain. To my ears:
- the BMan green channel acts and sounds like I’m plugged into input 1 of a Bassman’s BRIGHT channel with the NORMAL channel volume turned all the way down, and
- the BMan red channel acts and sounds like I’m plugged into input 1 of a jumpered Bassman.
(I have audio demos of this further down for you to make your own mind up.)
If you know better, please do correct me in the comments below!
Switchable Bright Caps And Low-End Tightness
The original 5F6-A Bassman includes a fixed bright cap on the BRIGHT channel inputs. (There’s no bright cap on the NORMAL channel inputs, according to the interwebs.) The newly-launched Fender Tonemaster Bassman amp includes a Vintage/Tight switch to reign in the low-end a bit.
We have bright cap and tight switches on the Synergy BMan module, labeled B (bright cap) and T (tightness). They’re three-way switches. Unfortunately, Synergy haven’t documented them, but to my ears:
- top position on both switches produces vintage-correct tones (same bright cap as original amps, no tightening of the low end)
- middle position on the B switch completely removes the bright cap (ie, makes the module sound like being plugged into the NORMAL channel of an original Bassman amp),
- middle position on the T switch is the tightest setting
- bottom position on both switches is a half-way house (smaller-value bright cap, some tightening up of the low-end)
At least, I think that’s how they’re intended to work. I really wish Synergy would update the manual to include this kind of information.
I think the switches are a great feature. I’ll show you how I use them when I get into the detailed signal chain.
The Biggest Difference Of All: The (Lack Of!) Power Amp
The Synergy BMan is a preamp module. By itself, it doesn’t have a power amp – and I’m choosing to run it directly into my Axe-FX 3. I’m not running it into a power amp first.
Why am I doing it this way, and what are the likely consequences of doing so?
The “why” is very easy to answer. I have the Synergy SYN-5050 power amp. Unfortunately, it has an always-on horrible whiny 80’s CPU fan inside to keep it cool. The fan’s too loud – and too obnoxious – if you’re in the same room at home volumes. It’s just instance ear fatigue. I’d rather avoid using the power amp whenever I can.
The consequences are harder to clarify – other than relief for my ears!
Synergy preamp modules don’t rely on power amps for their tone anything like as much as the equivalent original amps did. My Synergy BMan module gets a lot of that distorting power amp character even standalone.
The one thing it does miss is that little bit of extra oomph that a power amp provides. When we get into the audio demos, you’ll hear that the models in the Axe-FX 3 sound a little more weighty and solid.
Alas, one thing the Axe-FX 3 currently doesn’t have are standalone power amp models. There is a trick to get close, which I use with all my amp & Axe-FX 3 hybrid rigs. I’ll explain what it is in a moment.
How Does It Sound?
My Rig Today
Today, I’m playing:
- a few guitars,
- into the Axe-FX 3, mostly for the tuner
- out to the Synergy BMan (only when I’m using that amp),
- back into the Axe-FX 3 (for EQ tweaks, power amp emulation, cabs, delay and reverb),
- out to my audio interface,
- and into my DAW.
For guitars, I’m using:
- Dexter (partscaster Stratocaster),
- Mirage (my Fender Telecaster 63 Postmodern),
- Deadnote (my PRS McCarty 594).
Dexter started life as a Fender Player Telecaster. Since getting it, I’ve given it a new neck. It’s currently rocking a pair of Bare Knuckle Apache single coil pickups and a Bare Knuckle Stormy Monday humbucker in the bridge, in a fitted pickguard that I bought pre-wired from Bare Knuckle a few years ago.
Mirage is 100% stock. It has a Seth Lover SH-55 pickup in the neck, and a reverse-mounted Loaded Nocaster in the bridge. This guitar’s often a challenge for pedals, because the neck and middle positions put out an ungodly amount of low-end.
Deadnote is 100% stock. It has the first generation of 58/15 LT pickups. To my ears, they’re lower-output (with less low-end) than aftermarket PAF-like humbuckers.
The Axe-FX 3 is running my “HTB Synergy BMan” preset. You’ll find full details of that further down the blog post, including a logical signal chain diagram and plenty of screenshots of the preset’s components.
Some audio demos will use the Synergy BMan as the 5F6 Bassman amp, and others will use the virtual Bassman amp models of the Axe-FX 3. I’ll make sure each demo is clearly labeled, so that you can see which amp was used, and which scene of my preset was used.
All the delay and reverb that you hear will be coming from the Axe-FX 3. No post-processing has been applied in post.
I have level-matched these audio demos before uploading them. Level-matching definitely changes my perception of the audio, so I’ve done my best to describe my impressions while recording separately from what I think of the final demos.
Comparing Clean Tones
Let’s start by comparing the clean tones out of both signal chains.
Here, I’m playing Dexter (my partscaster Strat). I’m on the neck pickup (a Bare Knuckle Pickup’s Apache single-coil), with volume and tone controls on max.
First, you’ll hear the Synergy BMan’s green channel, and then you’ll hear Fractal Audio’s 59 Bassguy Bright amp model.
During the recording, they sounded incredibly close to each other to my ears. They also felt incredibly similar to play through. There’s been times when I had to look at my Axe-FX 3 to tell which one I was using.
Listening back after level-matching, I can hear that the Synergy BMan has a cutting top-edge that I haven’t dialled into the virtual Bassman amp. (That’s going to get partially addressed very shortly.) Otherwise, they both still sound very similar to me. Close enough for government work, as we say in the UK.
A much harder test is to switch over to the neck and middle pickups of my Strat (aka position 4), and see how that sounds. And this is where the differences start to show up:
During the recording, I felt that the Synergy BMan had a top-end chime that wasn’t there in the Axe-FX 3’s Bassman (at least, not with how I’ve dialled it in). To my ears, the Axe-FX’s Bassman is rounder, with a lovely weight to the low-mids that I’m not able to get from the BMan.
After level-matching, there’s a bit more top-end in the virtual Bassman than I thought at first. While the BMan’s tone has that instant appeal, I do wonder whether it would be fatiguing over time?
It’s certainly possible to tweak the Axe-FX 3’s virtual Bassman to sound closer to the Synergy BMan module:
- set the AMP presence to 5,
- cut the mids down to below 2,
- change the bright cap to 120.0 pF
Here’s how that sounds:
The virtual Bassman still brings a bit of roundness to the note attack; I didn’t manage to get it to chime like the Synergy BMan does. And, if anything, I’ve made the mid-range more different than before.
To finish the clean tone comparisons, I want to look at what the low-end is like on both amps. Synergy’s BMan module is notorious for being (shall we say) generous with the amount of low-end it puts out.
For this test, I’ve switched over to Mirage (my Telecaster), and I’m using the same Axe-FX 3 settings as when I played Dexter’s neck pickup. I’m going to play something just on the neck pickup first:
I know I recorded these demos to explore the low-end, but I’m just too distracted by the differences in the top-end. To my ear, they’re standing out a lot more than any difference in the low-end.
Now, what happens when I switch over to Mirage’s middle pickup position? This is very important to me, because I think this is where the magic’s to be found in this guitar.
Confession time: first time I recorded that demo, the difference in the top-end was just too distracting, so I ended up going back and tweaking my virtual Bassman settings. I bumped up the Presence to 5, and slightly bumped up the Treble control from 2.98 to 3.12. That seemed to be enough. That’s what you’re hearing in that demo, and the settings that I’ve published down below.
In conclusion: if you want a snappy top-end with chime, the Synergy BMan does that all day long. If you want a rounder, more tweed-like top end with a fuller lower-mid range, then the virtual Bassman is the way to go.
Let’s Get Dirty
Clean tones are both fun and under-represented on this blog, but let’s be honest: when I’m writing about overdrive pedals, I’ve got them dialled in for low-gain overdriven rhythm tones.
I’ve switched over to the red channel on my Synergy BMan module. Here’s how that sounds with the bridge humbucker of my partscaster Strat. For comparison, I’ve also recorded the same piece using the virtual Bassman amp in the Axe-FX 3:
When I was doing the recording, they sounded very similar to me. Maybe there’s a touch more gain on the Synergy BMan, and a snappier top-end? Maybe there’s a little more mid-range on the virtual Bassman amp? But yeah, similar settings on both amps, and (to my ears) similar results.
The story remains the same when I switch guitars.
Now I’m playing Deadnote (my PRS McCarty 594) on the bridge humbucker. Volume and tone controls are both on 10. Deadnote’s got a little more output than Dexter, and noticeably more low-end and complex harmonics.
When I did those recordings, I thought they sounded quite different. I can’t hear any of those differences in the published audio demos. Just goes to show what a difference listening position and level-matching can make.
I’m not saying that they’re the same. Listening back, at times they sound quite close to me, and at times they seem to be a little different. The differences don’t sound consistent either. Sometimes the virtual Bassman sounds brighter and more mid-scooped than the Synergy BMan, while other times it sounds fuller and rounder.
I suspect that my picking technique (and its inconsistency between recordings) has a lot to do with it.
Most importantly, though, both amps have that classic overdrive-into-fuzzy-smear characteristic. I knew the Synergy BMan did this; I had my doubts that the virtual Bassman did it too for a few weeks. It clearly does, which is excellent news.
That’s a sound that some pedals have chased (I’m think of you, Mad Professor Amber Overdrive!) but not many have achieved. So, to finish off, I’m going to need a reference sound that is a little less like the real amp.
Getting More Pedal-Like
Sticking with Deadnote’s bridge pickup, let’s try and dial back the fuzziness of the overdriven amp. That gives me something like this:
For better or worse, that is the kind of tone that reminds me of tweed-tone overdrive pedals. There’s maybe still a bit too much of the raspiness compared to what a pedal often produces, but the note attack is clearly defined and perhaps a little cutting.
To achieve this, I started by dialing back the amount of gain on the virtual Bassman. Then, I cut back the amount of signal going into the virtual Bassman too (I turned down the Input Trim), somewhat simulating what it’s like to plug into input 2 on a tweed amp.
I haven’t been able to dial in a similar sound from the Synergy BMan. That’s not a criticism: remember that I’m trying to make it NOT sound so amp-like!
In conclusion: I’ve got several (perhaps subtly) different overdriven 5F6 Bassman tones to choose from for my pedal comparisons.
Let’s look at how I got these sounds.
Signal Chain Overview & Amps In Detail
Logical Diagram Of The Signal Chain
Here’s a diagram of my signal chain.
Here’s a breakdown of the diagram:
- Guitar comes into input 1 of the Axe-FX 3,
- into a tilt-EQ effect (done using a parametric EQ),
- into a virtual Klon to drive the amp a little harder (only used for the lead scenes),
- into either the Synergy BMan module or the Axe-FX 3’s virtual 5F6 Bassman model,
- into a second tilt-EQ effect (done using a second parametric EQ),
- into a 10-band graphic EQ to clean up some mid-range mud,
- into pseudo power-amp emulation,
- into a noise gate,
- into the CAB block, running 4×10 Bassman cab DynIR,
- into the same delay that I use on all my pedal demos or a quad delay for a larger lead tone,
- into the Looper block,
- into the same reverb that I use on all my pedal demos,
- out to my audio interface.
The main thing to note is that I’m using the exact same signal chain for both the Synergy BMan module and the virtual 5F6 Bassman in the Axe-FX 3. The only difference between the two is which amp I’m using as my Bassman amp.
There’s a few things in the signal chain to cover in more detail:
- the two tilt-EQs,
- that graphic EQ block,
- the pseudo power-amp emulation,
- and you’re probably wondering what those Send and Return blocks are for.
Before I get into that, let’s look at the individual scenes in my Axe-FX 3 preset.
Hybrid: Synergy BMan + Axe-FX 3
Here are some screenshots of how I use the Synergy BMan module and Axe-FX 3 together. I’ll break them down shortly.
I’ve created two scenes which use the Synergy BMan module:
- Scene 1: BMan Rhythm
- Scene 2: BMan Lead
There’s only two differences between the scenes:
- Scene 2 has a virtual Klon in front of the BMan module, to drive it a little harder.
- Scene 2 uses a quad delay effect for a larger lead tone.
All the other blocks in the signal chain are the same.
I use Scene 1 for both channels of the Synergy BMan module. It sounds great for clean tones (BMan green channel) or low/mid gain rhythm tones (BMan red channel).
I don’t have MIDI setup, so when I want to change channels or settings on the Synergy BMan, I have to do that by hand.
I Wonder What The (Synergy BMan) Settings Are?
Here’s a photo of my normal BMan settings:
Here’s the settings for the bottom channel (green channel), for nice glassy Strat tones:
- Gain around 10 o’clock
- B toggle switch down
- T toggle switch up
- Bass just above 9 o’clock
- Mids just above 10 o’clock
- Treble just above 10 o’clock
- Volume a bit past 2 o’clock
Here’s the settings for the top channel (red channel), for my kind of low-gain rhythm tone:
- Gain around 10 o’clock,
- B toggle switch in the middle (will put it down for some guitars),
- T toggle switch down (will put it middle for neck humbuckers, sometimes up for bridge humbuckers),
- Bass just below 9 o’clock,
- Mids around 2 o’clock (will set it to 3 o’clock for some guitars),
- Treble just above 9 o’clock
- Volume around 2 o’clock.
For lead tones, I just turn the gain on the red channel up past 1 o’clock and reduce the volume to compensate.
Purely Digital In The Axe-FX 3
I’ve built a second signal chain which swaps out the Synergy BMan with Fractal Audio’s tweed Bassman amp models. Otherwise, it’s completely identical.
I’ve taken full advantage of the extra flexibility of digital modelling to build four scenes that use the Axe-FX 3’s tweed Bassman models:
- Scene 5: emulates how I use the Synergy BMan’s green channel for clean guitar;
- Scene 6: emulates how I use the Synergy BMan’s red channel for rhythm guitar with single-coil pickups;
- Scene 7: emulates how I use the Synergy BMan’s red channel for rhythm guitar with humbuckers; and
- Scene 8: emulates how I use the Synergy Man’s red channel for lead tones. Like Scene 2, it uses the virtual Klon and the quad delay.
If I want different tones out of the BMan, all I’ve got to do is tweak the knobs (just like a real amp). With the Axe-FX 3, it makes more sense to save the settings that I regularly use as separate scenes, so that I can quickly switch between them.
In my opinion, neither approach is “better” than the other. I enjoy twisting knobs on real amps, and I enjoy the convenience and precision of digital recall.
I Wonder What The (Virtual Bassman Amp) Settings Are?
I’ve got different amp settings for each scene.
Scene 5 is setup to give me the same sort of glassy cleans that I get out of the Synergy BMan’s green channel. The settings are very similar to the ones I’ve dialled in on the BMan photo shown earlier on.
This is the only scene that uses the Fractal Audio’s emulation of plugging into the BRIGHT channel of a non-jumpered Bassman amp. All the other scenes use a jumpered Bassman virtual amp.
If you’re using a Strat’s neck and middle pickups, you might want to try these settings instead:
I haven’t decided yet whether I’m going to make these tweaks permanent. I need a lot more time with both sets of clean amp settings before I can work out which one I prefer.
Scene 6 is setup to give me my take on that classic Bassman dirty rhythm tone. The settings are very similar to the ones I’m using on my BMan’s red channel.
The only real difference here is that I’ve dialled in a little bit of the Normal Gain too. This is just personal preference. I prefer the sound when both channels are blended together. I think it’s closer to how the original amps were used.
Scene 7 is also setup to give me my take on that classic Bassman dirty tone. Scene 6 is voiced for guitars like my Telecaster, while Scene 7 is voiced more for my Les Paul.
That’s why the settings in Scene 7 have diverged a little more from how I dial in my Synergy BMan. I’m going more for the best tone that I can find, rather than trying to match the Synergy BMan.
The EQ’s pretty similar, but here I’ve got a lot more of the Normal Gain dialled in to really let that humbucker fat tone come through.
The other key difference is that I’ve turned the Input Trim down. There’s less guitar going into this virtual amp. I’m aiming to emulate the effect of plugging a guitar into input 2 of a Bassman here, so that the guitar isn’t slamming the frontend of the amp quite as hard.
Scene 8 is setup to give me a juicy lead tone, just like cranking the gain on my Synergy BMan’s red channel past 1 o’clock.
Once again, I’ve got plenty of that Normal Gain dialled in too, and I’ve got the Input Trim turned down for extra clarity.
There’s a good argument for putting the Input Trim onto the Axe-FX 3’s Perform Pages, so that I don’t have to bake it into the different scenes. I may well end up doing that in the future.
That’s how both amps are setup. Let’s move on, and look at all the common parts of the signal chain.
Looking At The Bits In Common To Both Signal Chains
Tilt-EQ For Re-voicing Guitar And/Or Amp On The Fly
I’ve got two Parametric EQ (PEQ for short) blocks in the signal chain. One’s between the guitar and the amp, and the other is between the amp and the power-amp emulation & cab.
Whenever I load up the preset, the EQ in both blocks is completely flat. I’ve put both EQ blocks into the Per-Preset Perform page, so that I can quickly and easily dial out some low-end if I feel the need.
Here’s how I’ve setup the first tilt EQ:
Section 1 is the only section that I use. It’s setup to shelve EQ at 120 Hz. The ‘Gain 1’ control is on my Per-Preset Perform page as the ‘Pre Amp Low End’ control.
Here’s what that looks like if I use it:
Notice that it doesn’t roll-off the low-end. It just drops it down a bit; it literally tilts the EQ.
I mostly use this first tilt EQ if the amp is being hit with too much low end from my guitar. I don’t use it very much with the BMan / Bassman. I build it into all my amp presets so that it’s there if I need it.
The second tilt EQ comes after the first amp. It works on the same principle, but there are a few differences here.
First of all, there’s a permanent 1.2 dB bump baked in at around 125 Hz. To my ears, it just puts the low mids exactly where I feel like they should be – especially with the digital amp models.
As with the first tilt-EQ block, I’ve got this one setup to shelf off the low-end as required. This time, though, I’m shelving at around 108 Hz instead of 120 Hz, to protect the low mids a bit.
Finally, I’ve also got this one setup to shelf off (or boost!) the top-end as required. I sometimes use this to boost the top-end when I’m using position 4 (neck and middle pickups together) of my Strat.
The ‘Gain 1’ control is on my Per-Preset Perform page as the ‘Post Amp Low End’ control, and the ‘Gain 5’ control is on my Per-Preset Perform page as the ‘Post Amp High End’ control.
Cleaning Up The Mid-Range With A Graphic EQ Block
I often like taking out some of the mid-range that comes out of the Axe-FX 3 amp blocks. I used to do that with my pedal platform presets (I don’t any more). So far, I always do it when using real amps like I am today.
And typically, I’m making the same adjustments every time:
One of the things I like about the Axe-FX 3 is that the amp models are so accurate, I can apply the exact same “correction” both to my real amp and to the amp model.
There really isn’t much more to say about this part of the signal chain. It’s always on, and I think the signal chain sounds a lot worse without it.
Pseudo Power-Amp Emulation & Speaker Impedance Curve
I mentioned earlier that the Synergy BMan is a preamp plus something that creates the power-amp-like Bassman distortion. It doesn’t have an actual power amp, and that does make a tonal difference in practice.
I’m trying to use the Axe-FX 3 to fill in for the missing power amp.
At the time of writing, the only way to do that is to use the ‘Tube Pre’ virtual amp in the Axe-FX 3. It’s not really a standalone power amp model. But that does give us an extra EQ stage to help sculpt the tone even more, without using an extra EQ block of some kind.
I’ve tweaked the EQ to taste:
Mostly, I’m cutting a bit of mids and boosting the top-end (via the treble and high-treble control) and solidifying the low-end (via the depth control).
I have also turned off the bright cap on this amp. One bright cap (on the Synergy BMan or virtual Bassman amp model earlier in the signal chain) is enough, thank you very much!
The other reason for having this second AMP block in the signal chain is this: to give me speaker impedance curve emulation.
This right here is the trick to making hybrid amp rigs sound great through the Axe-FX 3. At least in my experience. It can’t influence how my real amp reacts, but it still drags the overall tone kicking and screaming into the right ballpark.
Having the speaker impedance curve here means that I have to take it off of the virtual Bassman amps on Scenes 5, 6, 7 and 8:
It’s important to remember to do that! It makes a really big difference, especially for a preset like this where I’m both a physical amp (which has no impedance curve, because it’s just a preamp) and the virtual amp into a virtual pseudo power amp.
The Virtual Cab
For the virtual speaker cabs, I went traditional, and used Fractal Audio’s DynIRs of a 4×10 Bassman cab. (Original 5F6 Bassman amps are 4×10″ combo amps.)
Normally, I stick to IRs for 1×12″ open-backed cabs (preferably as close to my real cabs as possible). This time, though, I really loved the tones that Richard Barrett of Guitarist Magazine got out of the Fender Tone Master 59 Bassman, and I wanted to give authentic (virtual) speakers a go:
I’m very happy with the results.
Which One Will You Use In Tweed-Tone Pedal Comparisons?
What Are My Audience’s Motivations?
If someone’s chasing the 5F6 Bassman tone from a pedal, and reading my little blog to help them choose, why are they after a pedal to do that job?
- They can’t afford a 5F6 Bassman amp.
- They can’t get a 5F6 Bassman amp where they live.
- The amp’s too damn big and/or heavy for them.
- The amp’s too damn loud for where they’ll use it.
- They don’t want the amp, but would like the sound for regular or occasional use.
- Or they already have the amp, don’t want to move it, and want a pedal for portability.
That’s why I’m going to use both the Synergy BMan and Axe-FX 3 virtual Bassman signal chains in my tweed-tone pedal comparisons.
Why I’m Going To Use The Synergy BMan Module In My Tweed Tone Pedal Comparisons
If someone’s doing their research into getting the 5F6 Bassman tone from a pedal, they might well be wishing they could have some sort of amp instead.
I reckon that there’s going to be very few home hobbyists who are rocking a full-fat 59 Bassman at home. Certainly outside the USA, where our houses are smaller and tweed amps of any description are quite rare.
But a Synergy BMan module? While it’s probably even rarer, it is a viable option for home hobbyists. And the Synergy SYN-20IR is very portable for taking out to rehearsals and gigs.
Main problem with Synergy is that a lot of people just don’t know about them, especially if you’re not a metal player. (The Synergy lineup and online community is heavily biased towards higher-gain styles. That seems to be the niche they’ve fallen into in recent years.)
Plus, some people prefer analogue over digital, and would rather hear a comparison against a valve amp than against a digital model.
Why I’m Going To Use The Axe-FX 3 Virtual Amp In My Tweed Tone Pedal Comparisons
Simply put, I think the Axe-FX 3 virtual 5F6 Bassman is the closest that I can get to having the sound of a real Bassman at home for audio demos.
I think it has the tonal edge over the Synergy BMan thanks to the Normal Gain and to the power amp emulation. The top-end is rounder, the lower-mids fuller, and the overall tone sounds more balanced to me.
And it has the advantage that – thanks to the insane under-the-hood tweakability of the Axe-FX 3 – I can make it sound less like an amp and more like a pedal normally does. I’m expecting that’ll prove very useful when trying to put pedals into context.
Final Thoughts
It’s taken me about a month to put this together: about 3 weeks on the preset, and then another week or so of tone-tweaking as I worked on the blog post. It’s been time well spent. I’ve had a blast working on this. And I’m delighted with the results too.
One thing that made it easier? I’ve been able to look at 5F6 Bassman demos online, take their amp settings, and use them on both the Synergy BMan and the Axe-FX 3 virtual Bassman amps. That’s given me so much confidence in the preset.
Happy days.
One Reply to “#TweedTone: Dialling In A 5F6 Bassman Reference Tone For 2025”