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By Jackson Maxwell published 18 April 22
Two and a half years in the making, the amp closely resembles Leo Fender's original, and boasts 26 watts of power and a pair of 10-inch, Bonamassa signature Celestion speakers
Way back in January 2019, blues guitar A-lister Joe Bonamassa first hinted at his desire to create a signature Fender Dual Professional guitar amp in an Instagram post.
Bonamassa went on to demo a prototype of said signature amp with a headless Kiesel electric guitar last May, and has now gone on to give fans a first look at what appears to be the completed amplifier.
In a video posted to his Instagram account last week, Bonamassa gives viewers a tour of what he says is the very first proper example of the amp, officially dubbed the Fender '48 Dual Professional JB Edition.
Based on Bonamassa's own 1948 Dual Professional, the new amp boasts 26 watts of power (not 12-15, as the guitarist says in the video) and a pair of 10-inch, Bonamassa signature Celestion speakers.
A post shared by Joe Bonamassa (@joebonamassa)
A photo posted by on
Aside from a few 21st century tweaks – such as the aforementioned speakers and a tube cage (installed because, according to Bonamassa, "In 2022 we cannot trust human beings not to grab a molten 600-degree bulb of glass") – the JB Edition Dual Professional closely resembles its 1948 predecessor, with vintage-style tweed wrapping and a split grille, divided by a metal strap.
The top-mounted controls and even the tube chart also mirror those found on the original.
The re-design project was led by Fender's Stan Cotey, who Bonamassa effusively praises as a "genius and a saint" in the video.
You can hear Bonamassa take the new amp for a spin in another Instagram video below.
A post shared by Joe Bonamassa (@joebonamassa)
A photo posted by on
Should it be released in 2022, the '48 Dual Professional JB Edition would be Bonamassa's second piece of Fender signature gear in as many years, following his Custom Shop '51 Nocaster guitar, The Bludgeon.
The guitar great has kept mum about the amp's release date and price, but be sure to keep your eyes on Fender for more details in the coming weeks and months.
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Jackson is an Associate Editor at GuitarWorld.com. He’s been writing and editing stories about new gear, technique and guitar-driven music both old and new since 2014, and has also written extensively on the same topics for Guitar Player. Elsewhere, his album reviews and essays have appeared in Louder and Unrecorded. Though open to music of all kinds, his greatest love has always been indie, and everything that falls under its massive umbrella. To that end, you can find him on Twitter crowing about whatever great new guitar band you need to drop everything to hear right now.
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