Fender gear on the Anagram

Leo Fender set up his company in California in 1946 and went on to give the world the electric bass. The Bassman amp was built to go with it, though guitar players soon took it over. The blackface era of the 1960s produced the clean, scooped Fender sound most people know.

All four Fender blocks on the Anagram are built in, and none is named by Darkglass. Each one is likely, inferred from its name, controls and voicing.

Leo Bass draws on a blackface Bassman. Super California draws on the Super Bassman, Fender's modern high-power valve bass head. California Bass 4x10 lines up with the Bassman 410 Neo cabinet, and California combo 2x12 with the speakers in a Twin Reverb.

The Fender sound is clean headroom with a bright top and a soft scoop in the middle. On bass that means a round, open tone that suits fingerstyle and older rock. As you push it, it breaks up gradually rather than all at once. On guitar, the Twin cab gives that sparkling clean that sits well with reverb and chorus.

These blocks pair naturally with each other. Leo Bass into California Bass 4x10 is a vintage-leaning rig, while Super California suits players who need more volume and a little more growl. For guitar, any clean amp block into California combo 2x12 gets you close to the classic Fender combo picture.

Try Leo Bass first. It is free and built in, and it shows how far a clean valve tone can go before you reach for a drive pedal.