Fender Twin Reverb Pros and Cons

roachello · Post by **roachello** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 9:57 pm

Mike wrote:Twins are so silly though.

let the battle begin!

I think they're great because it's like a good clean palate to start with. It doesn't have a built in distortion, but it's loud as fuck, sounds super bright and sparkly (which is why some people don't fancy them), has some awesome reverb and trem built in, and sounds great with fuzz/ any effects actually. I haven't thought of a con besides the fact that it's so heavy

timhulio · Post by **timhulio** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 10:09 pm

Are too heavy. Sound great.

nomorebridge · Post by **nomorebridge** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 10:31 pm

Always wanted one but they are just too heavy

but as has been said they are just beautiful as a platform for pedal's or with their lush reverb on their own. Not to mention the fact that Second hand they are a fuck load of amp for your money

The day Fender decides to make a head.... I'm there, why on earth Fender don't make more heads I have no idea!

Post by **Mike** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 10:37 pm

Really Heavy
Ridiculously Overpriced
No Dirt To Be Had At All From Pre-Amp Or Power-Amp

They do two sounds. Blargh. and BLARRGH.

Everyone goes on about the clean sounds but I'm not even a fan of them, I find them completely clangy and without charm.

benecol · Post by **benecol** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 10:39 pm

I'd love one, especially the one with a single 15" speaker, but don't have the houseroom for one. I used to have a Pearl copy of one, before I knew the tiniest thing about gear, and lived with my mum as a son in a middle sized house where she let me own big things, as opposed to now, when I live with my wife as a dad in a little house, and I had to argue like fuck to keep my champ out.

Post by **Mike** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 10:47 pm

135 Watts.

That tells you everything you need to know.

What annoys me about Twins is that they don't exhibit any of the characteristics I love about Valve amplification, namely breakup, crunch and full-blooded overdrive. I like Pedal overdrive, distortion and fuzz as much as the next person: NewsFlash - you can buy amps that take pedals well and also..

... wait for it ...

sound good when they breakup and overdrive.

Post by **Mike** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 10:48 pm

Oh and to pre-empt the "Oh but it has Reverb and Tremolo/Vibrato built-in" argument.

Reverb is wank. It is the job of the room you're playing in to provide the Reverb.
The Tremolo is nice and all, but so is a $30 Danelectro Tunamelt Tremolo.

kypdurron · Post by **kypdurron** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 10:54 pm

Mike wrote:Really Heavy
Ridiculously Overpriced
No Dirt To Be Had At All From Pre-Amp Or Power-Amp

Depends ... other Fender Amps are not that much less heavy. The range is about 5 kg that the Twin has more than a Pro Reverb or Blues Deluxe.

Overpriced I would not say. The reissues are much more affordable than equally powerful amps made by Vox or Marshall. Old Silverfaces (like mine) don't cost much more than a new Hot Rod deluxe. I was also thinking about trading mine in for a smaller silverface like Vibrolux or Deluxe Deverb, but these are really overpriced, as everyone goes for these smaller 70ties Fender amps now. So I keep the Twin. I can get about 850 â‚¬ for the Twin, but I would pay at least 1.100 for a Vibrolux at the moment.

It's true that it takes a lot of trying to get it dirty, but it's possible (at least if you have a mastervolume version). Remove the V1 preamp tube (the normal channel is offline then) and put a preamp tube with more gain than the 12AT7 in V2. Turn gain all up. Play a humbucker guitar

This will make the Twin Reverb crank. Or simply use a dirty little Pedal. Even the cheap danelectros sound good with this amp.

It depends on what you want. I can get everything out of it I need for Surf, Garage or Sonic-Youth-like sounds.
But I admit the silverface I have sounds different than the reissues. The speakers have softened, the whole thing sounds more elegant and "gentleman-like" than the newer ones.

Post by **Mike** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 10:59 pm

kypdurron wrote:
Mike wrote:Really Heavy
Ridiculously Overpriced
No Dirt To Be Had At All From Pre-Amp Or Power-Amp
Depends ... other Fender Amps are not that much less heavy. The range is about 5 kg that the Twin has more than a Pro Reverb or Blues Deluxe.

Those amps are extremely heavy. The Twin is stupidly heavy. It's impossible to carry up stairs to gig venues without help.

kypdurron wrote:Overpriced I would not say. The reissues are much more affordable than equally powerful amps made by Vox or Marshall. Old Silverfaces (like mine) don't cost much more than a new Hot Rod deluxe. I was also thinking about trading mine in for a smaller silverface like Vibrolux or Deluxe Deverb, but these are really overpriced, as everyone goes for these smaller 70ties Fender amps now. So I keep the Twin. I can get about 850 â‚¬ for the Twin, but I would pay at least 1.100 for a Vibrolux at the moment.

A Twin Reverb is Â£879, you can get a Marshall or Vox combo for much less than that - AND they'll have Clean and Dirty sounds in them. Marshall DSL401 - Â£389, Vox AC30CC1 Â£433. You can get even more bang for your buck with a Laney amp. Before you come back and talk about Power, 135 Watts is overkill. Any band can get by on 30-50W Valve Watts just fine, if you're playing medium to large venues your amps are mic'd anyway, you only need stage volume.

kypdurron wrote:It's true that it takes a lot of trying to get it dirty, but it's possible (at least if you have a mastervolume version). Remove the V1 preamp tube (the normal channel is offline then) and put a preamp tube with more gain than the 12AT7 in V2. Turn gain all up. Play a humbucker guitar :wink: This will make the Twin Reverb crank. Or simply use a dirty little Pedal. Even the cheap danelectros sound good with this amp.

Using a dirty pedal is using a pedal. It's not getting anything from the amp. Also many people would argue a Master Volume Twin is not a Twin. A Twin Reverb Reissue has no Master Volume.

kypdurron wrote:It depends on what you want. I can get everything out of it I need for Surf, Garage or Sonic-Youth-like sounds.
But I admit the silverface I have sounds different than the reissues. The speakers have softened, the whole thing sounds more elegant and "gentleman-like" than the newer ones.

We're talking about different amplifiers. I have no experience with the Silverfaces. Only vintage Blackfaces and reissue Twins.

nomorebridge · Post by **nomorebridge** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:02 pm

Aww the reverb is beautiful, it would be great to get the reverb from the rooms you are playing in a perfect world, but what if you play in a shit room?

I'd need to live in a tunnel/swimming pool to get what I want

Post by **Mike** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:04 pm

nomorebridge wrote:Aww the reverb is beautiful, it would be great to get the reverb from the rooms you are playing in a perfect world, but what if you play in a shit room?

Only someone who is afraid to admit their deficiency in being able to Bring The Noise^TM would blame it on the room.

Post by **Mike** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:05 pm

Remember that "Post Things Mike Hates" thread? The Twin was in that I'm sure, or at least the pissing Hot Rod Deluxe.

Now you know why.

kypdurron · Post by **kypdurron** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:12 pm

Amps by english companies are rather cheap in England, compared to the prices in Rest Europe. About 30 %. In Germany, Fender Amps are much cheaper than Marshall or Vox amps (to give an example: Fender Hot Rod 699 â‚¬ / Vox AC 30 1000 â‚¬, Marshall DSL 401 929 â‚¬, Twin Reverb 1.250 â‚¬ all online shop prices). Laney is in the same range as Fender.

The Twin Reverb usually has no 135 Watts, it goes from 70 to 100 (which is still more than is necessary, I agree

). Other than that, the vintage Black- and silverfaces sound very similar. But the Amps from mid-70ties up to the current Reissues have a Mastervolume. Mine runs usually at 4 out of ten during either rehearsals or concerts. (+- 0,5)

After all, it's just not possible to judge. I am simply used to "the" fender tone, and I have two amps that offer it - one in at affordable price and small sized (Blues Junior) and one is a high end solution, which is the twin. It is old fashioned and technically outdated, but so are the guitars this forum is about

Aeon · Post by **Aeon** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:16 pm

They are really only as good as the player going through them. Twins bring out the nuances in your playing like no other amp, and are extremely unforgiving for people with sloppy technique. They have a crystalline, three-dimensional tone that most other amps can't really approach. They are the standard by which all other clean guitar sounds are measured, and with good reason.

They also take pedals extremely well. You can throw basically anything into them and it will sound great.

Cons: Heavy as fuck, but you can install casters on them. Also, you need to have them on at least volume 3 or 4 to really begin to appreciate the tone. They also tend to sound better with single coils than humbuckers.

Another problem is that a lot of people don't know how to EQ them properly. Start with the mids at around 8 and reduce to taste. The treble really only needs to be at about 4, 5 is getting pretty damn bright. And for god's sake, keep the bass at a manageable level -- 3 or 4 is usually enough once you're at stage volume. At least this is a good starting point for single coils.

Reece · Post by **Reece** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:17 pm

Hahaha "three-dimensional tone", that's such mojo bollocks.

Will · Post by **Will** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:33 pm

They sound good, but are louder then you'd need for just about anything. I'm gonna agree with whoever said they are a bit clangy. Most every venue above coffee shop level has a PA now - I don't know why anyone has an amp over maybe 30W.

They had they're time and have since become overkill - like Marshall stacks.

BradK · Post by **BradK** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:43 pm

I hate miking amps. I find they lose way too much character when you only turn it up to a certain volume and then blast it through a PA system. But then again, I rarely go to shows where PA systems are used. DIY shows or bust.

That being said, I dig my old Twin. My uncle gave me his 70s Twin and I used it for years before I bought my half stack. Since then it's been stuck in my closet in dire need of repairs. I plan on getting it tuned up relatively soon so I can use my half stack for dirty and my Twin for cleans.

And yeah, they're way too fucking heavy.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:43 pm

I have a 1970 Silverface. I love the sound, and it was perfect for my band. Perfect amp for use of fuzz/overdrive. Great sounding tremolo/reverb. Chimey warm clean tone overall.

However it's so big and heavy I never use it anymore and it sits in the garage. I'll probably sell it this spring.

Aeon · Post by **Aeon** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:44 pm

Zaphod wrote:Hahaha "three-dimensional tone", that's such mojo bollocks.

I disagree. Solid State amps sound very "flat", they have a shitty sort of compression. A lot of Marshalls, tube or not, sound similarly flat. This isn't something that can easily translate into recordings, but it's easy to notice when you are playing a Twin in person.

[youtube][/youtube]

edit: This guy's playing is kind of obnoxious, but you can hear a lot of nuances. You can't really get that level of detail in an amp designed for heavier gain.

Reece · Post by **Reece** » Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:52 pm

Three-dimensional tone means nothing, it just sounds like it means something. Flat means something, although i would definately argue that marshalls don't sound flat.