I was fully resigned to getting none of these items in 2026 – either because I couldn’t find them second-hand, or I couldn’t justify the asking prices.
Then October came along. And now I need to rewrite the draft blog posts I’ve been working on for my annual review series!
Fender Tone Master 59 Bassman Amplifier
I was all-set to order one of these earlier in the year from my local dealer … and then Fender chose to alienate decent folks everywhere with their legal shenanigans.
Given how rarely these pop up on the second-hand market over here, I thought that was it. And then I got very lucky: one turned up in great condition at a great price.
I’ll get the First Impressions blog post out soon. While you wait … the amp sounds really good, and I’m going to be using it as my Bassman reference sound going forward.
Origin Effects Halcyon Blue & DCX Boost Pedals
One of my aims for 2026 was to get a few more pedals made by Origin Effects. Unfortunately, the ones I have are never first-choice on my pedal board. So I’ve been very reluctant to meet the second-hand asking prices all year long.
Then along came October, and I got very lucky. These are the two pedals I wanted, and both of them pedals turned up within the budget I’d set aside for them just days apart.
The Halcyon Blue is a Bluesbreaker-based pedal with two modes: stock Bluesbreaker, and a modded circuit. At the time of writing, I’m not aware if the modded mode is chasing any famous pedal, or whether Origin Effects have gone with their own ideas.
The DCX Boost is a boost pedal with two modes: EQ shaping, or an overdrive mode. There’s then three various EQ flavours on a second toggle switch.
To my ears, they both seem to offer something I haven’t come across before. Expect First Impressions posts for them both before too long.
Marshall Origin 50H Amplifier
At the start of the year, I said that I wasn’t going to buy one of these. I didn’t have the space, I said (because I was planning to get a Lazy J combo amp). So what changed?
First off, the space I’d made for the Lazy J got taken up by several other amp heads that I’ve bought this year with the money I’d originally planned to spend with Fender. When you’ve got a stack of three amp heads, it’s easy enough to add a fourth to the stack.
Most importantly, though, I got an absolute bargain on this amp. It was just too good a deal to pass on, especially as the seller was willing to post it too.
I’ve been having an absolute blast since I got this amp. It’s going to be very interesting to see if I keep the Origin 20, or whether I recommend the Origin 50 instead.