ShortScale.org

i'm flirting with the idea of getting one because it appears to have everything a silverface does. in addition to that it also has the following going for it:

- cheaper than the other types
- switchable to 25W
- fx loop
- has a dirty channel, which can be activated the same time as clean

any of you have any experience with them? how does the overall sound compare to a silverface?

why aren't these more popular? (aside from it being pcb, and generally victim to snobbery)

Never played one, but was really interested in them until I found a good deal on a silverface. Heard nothing but good things about them from non types.

Same here. Got my 1970 Twin for $500 and never looked back.

I played a 1980's one with a Les Paul Custom and it sounded amazing. I remember really liking the distortion channel.

I think a lot of people dislike them because they aren't as "classic fender" as blackface/silverface sounds. Plus the drive apparently isn't great for Old White Guy Blooz.

When I was young a cousin who played in a loud late-70s style rock band had one. Drive channel seemed to make those KISS kind of sounds pretty good.

EDIT: Found this shortly after posting while perusing Youtoob. Seems to sound pretty good to me. Also apparently I was wrong about the blooz.
[youtube][/youtube]

There is one locally, but it costs more than silverface amps!

I couldn't ever deal with a twin, waaaay to heavy for me.

I had one - it sounded great on the clean channel, the drive was meh. Mine had a couple of small issues and had to go to a tech, and apparantly they are a bit of a PITA to work on - complicated and PCB inside. Unless you are playing pretty loud anyway, the 25 watt switch doesn't do a great deal - and my Silverface sounds much better quiet than the newer Twin

If you can get one cheap, and it works fine, go for it, but FWIW, I have a Silverface twin now and if they were the same price, I would always go for the Silverface.

They are really fucking heavy - my current one has wheels and they are a godsend.

thanks all, there's one on the bay going for £300 currently. I expect it will likely top out around £450. silverfaces are going for ridiculous amounts - doubt i could afford one.

and yes, weight is definitely the deal breaker. wouldn't want to lug it around a lot or take it up the stairs.

i suppose really i'm just looking for big fat twin sounds with lots of bass and headroom, but without the excessive weight

Pro reverb a good compromise on weight and headroom?

I have a vibrolux, and it's just a tad small, mainly struggling with gain. The pro reverb is 2*12 i think.

hmm the pro reverb seems like a good shout. silver faces don't seem to sell for as much as twins either. i've also been considering bassman heads and the like - no reverb or trem but it wouldn't be the end of the world.

Look for bandmaster reverb heads, they are the super tall ones. It's basically a super reverb in the head form with a slightly smaller output transformer. They are usually quite cheap, and after swapping an output transformer you shouldn't have a problem with Clean headroom. I really like the idea of a good combo amp, but it's kind of crazy some of the weight of the old combos. A vibrant want to reverb silver vibrolux is about 50 pounds, and I really couldn't see myself trying to carry anything heavy and that up and down my stairs all the time.

The red knob Fender amps are bad for random fails (shitty PCBs, dist channel failing etc) They can be had for cheaps for a reason. They are also a pain in the arse to get fixed. There has been one floating about Glasgow Gumtree for the last year. It keeps selling then being sold on. The red knob twin and the M-80 are bad for random failing. Google red knob twin and unreliable and you'll get the idea.

I'd go for a smaller choob amp, even running the Twin at the lower setting you still have to move the fucking thing (if you're gigging).

BTW my Silverface Bassman head weighs a ton as well. First chance I get I'll snag a smaller one (I have the 135). It was only £300, sounds great tho.

No direct experience with red twins but if I wanted a Fender amp for gigging that does good cleans and has a crap dirty channel I'd get a Hot Rod Deluxe and take some of the hassle out of locating/shifting something that's bigger and allegedly unreliable.

That Wayne's World mojo tho

Hmm that's definitely sobering, thanks for the heads up. There does seem to be a few bassman 50s every now and again.

Also I've never really got on with the hotrod deluxes. I don't find the cleans that great and are light years behind twins (which are the best amps I've ever played through), but I suppose it's about compromise.

I totally forgot, keep an eye out for dual showman reverb heads, they are silverface twins in head form, and usually aren't that expensive.

If you want Fender cleans just get a Hot Rod Deluxe, they do the job just fine.

I played Stewart's at the Shortscale gig and I loved it. Took my pedals wonderfully too.

they're just not the same

i feel like i want to start a big new stupid thread about wanting an amp that's as rich and booming as a twin, but not actually as heavy, where i could weigh up various head and cabinet combinations, but i feel this is a path i must walk alone because it'd be too annoying and unproductive for others to participate in

George wrote:they're just not the same

Bollocks.

perhaps it is