1978 Fender Twin Reverb

**Jazzchief1** · 09-24-2016, 04:09 PM

I just found a Fender 78 twin reverb for sale at a great price. The tone seems really good. Anybody out there have an opinion on this amp?

**marcwhy** · 09-24-2016, 05:05 PM

Are you young and/or do you have a chiropractor?

(someone's gotta say it!)

If the tone sounds good to you and it's a great price, why not?

**Little Jay** · 09-24-2016, 05:10 PM

Simply great amps! Yours will be the 135W ultralineair model. Some say those are too clean, too loud and too harsh, but imho that's only true for the models with JBL speakers (and then you can always dime the treble). Whenever I encounter one on stage provided by the venue I am happy. Just don't use the pull-function on the MV!

Twin Reverbs are simply great, all incarnations of them!

**neatomic** · 09-24-2016, 05:45 PM

yes 70's fender ultralinear twins are loud & clean..can be a great jazz amp, and take pedals well if you want to dirty up your tone...caveat-they are heavy!

cheers

**GNAPPI** · 09-24-2016, 06:13 PM

The Twin, and Super reverb were two of the best amps ever made. I had a project where I removed the front speaker baffle (made of MDX or some such) made a new one of pine, used Celestion 10" speakers and am delighted with the sound AND weight.

Some twins are selling at stupid low prices, and unless you're gigging in a new venue every night the benefits really DO "outweigh" the transportation penalty.

If you do get it, do yourself a favor and have an amp tech go over it for you.

**Greentone** · 09-24-2016, 10:54 PM

Outstanding amp

**Alder Statesman** · 09-24-2016, 11:20 PM

A classic.

**KirkP** · 09-24-2016, 11:44 PM

I love the tone of my '74, but I no longer take it to gigs or rehearsals due to weight.

**Jazzchief1** · 09-24-2016, 11:46 PM

At this point it's going to be strictly an at home practice Amp so heavy's no problem. It's at a Music Go Round and been checked out pretty carefully. Thanks for the advice.

**Alder Statesman** · 09-25-2016, 12:00 AM

They are loud. The Twin is a gigging amp. The neighbors will hear you.

**Thumpalumpacus** · 09-25-2016, 01:04 AM

Those toroidal transformers have all the clean headroom you can ask for, and then some.

**jasonmi3** · 09-25-2016, 02:25 AM

I have a 79 Pro Reverb which is the 70 watt ultralinear model and is quite similar and it sounds great! The late 70s ultralinear fenders are very underrated and are a wonderful clean platform for jazz.

**Little Jay** · 09-25-2016, 03:01 AM

Originally Posted by Archtop Bill

They are loud. The Twin is a gigging amp. The neighbors will hear you.

They can be very loud, but of course you can turn down the (master)volume and they sound just as great at low volume too (at least mine does, but it's not ultralinear).

I practise with mine at volume 1 often enough, although mine has some background noise that becomes more prominent then.

Here's a little clip I recorded late at night with my Twin set at very low volume since everybody in my little appartment was already sleeping:

**GNAPPI** · 09-25-2016, 09:45 AM

JC, if you haven't already done so go listen to the clip of Johnny Smith playing the super reverb in the D'Angelico thread. That's pretty much standard fare super / twin reverb tone. You being a home player makes the weight of a twin a NoOp.

**Jazzchief1** · 09-25-2016, 01:15 PM

Originally Posted by Archtop Bill

They are loud. The Twin is a gigging amp. The neighbors will hear you.

Haven't played for a while due to some hand problems and had to sell most of my stuff. The neighbors complain because they haven't heard me playing?

**Alder Statesman** · 09-25-2016, 09:01 PM

Welcome back to playing!

**Jazzchief1** · 09-26-2016, 12:36 AM

Originally Posted by Archtop Bill

Welcome back to playing!

Not quite Trigger finger surgery in October. Can't pass up the amp though.

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 09-26-2016, 12:47 AM

Congrats! Now ...

**rabbit** · 09-26-2016, 01:20 AM

Best of luck to you!

Congrat's on owning the "hemi" of amps.

**Thumpalumpacus** · 09-26-2016, 01:58 AM

Originally Posted by Jazzchief1

Haven't played for a while due to some hand problems and had to sell most of my stuff. The neighbors complain because they haven't heard me playing?

You know you're doing it right, then.

Wishing you a speedy and complete recovery.

**oldane** · 09-26-2016, 02:07 AM

Originally Posted by Thumpalumpacus

You know you're doing it right, then.

Wishing you a speedy and complete recovery.

The Twin Reverb is the best amp I never owned. They sound great - but the weight.....

**GNAPPI** · 09-26-2016, 08:51 AM

Originally Posted by oldane

The Twin Reverb is the best amp I never owned. They sound great - but the weight.....

A home amp can be a double Marshall stack. I have a Mesa Triple rec and four 4x10 cabs in my living room and play it regularly, but not loud, GR8 tone :-)

**sgosnell** · 09-26-2016, 03:05 PM

My living room isn't that big. Nor would SWMBO allow that much stuff. But you're not me.

I get to use an otherwise unused bedroom, for all my stuff, and it's already pretty full.

**oldane** · 09-26-2016, 03:30 PM

Originally Posted by GNAPPI

A home amp can be a double Marshall stack. I have a Mesa Triple rec and four 4x10 cabs in my living room and play it regularly, but not loud, GR8 tone :-)

Yes, but in my case it wouldn't be just a home amp. If it was, I might well have one.

I happened to find it to sound great at moderate volumes too. I first tried one shortly after I got my Gibson 175 in 1973. I tried out their whole lineup of amps in one of the big guitar shops in Copenhagen. The last one to the far right was a Twin Reverb. Right after plugging in and playing a few chords, it stood out clearly from the others and I thought "Hey, this is it." So did the staff in the shop. When hearing it, one even came out from the back room and said something about how well American guitars and Fender amps worked together. Of course, back then, the price was prohibitive for a young student like me and instead I found a used Gibson 79RV (I still have it in the basement). Now, when I actually can afford a Twin Reverb, the weight is prohibitive - long time effects of a spinal fracture and knee osteoarthrosis keeps me from carrying the load around and up an down stairs.

Enter my Mambo 8. A very, very good amp for its size but for obvious reasons not a Twin Reverb. But I can take it everywhere.

**Jazzchief1** · 09-26-2016, 05:28 PM

Originally Posted by oldane

Yes, but in my case it wouldn't be just a home amp. If it was, I might well have one.

I happened to find it to sound great at moderate volumes too. I first tried one shortly after I got my Gibson 175 in 1973. I tried out their whole lineup of amps in one of the big guitar shops in Copenhagen. The last one to the far right was a Twin Reverb. Right after plugging in and playing a few chords, it stood out clearly from the others and I thought "Hey, this is it." So did the staff in the shop. When hearing it, one even came out from the back room and said something about how well American guitars and Fender amps worked together. Of course, back then, the price was prohibitive for a young student like me and instead I found a used Gibson 79RV (I still have it in the basement). Now, when I actually can afford a Twin Reverb, the weight is prohibitive - long time effects of a spinal fracture and knee osteoarthrosis keeps me from carrying the load around and up an down stairs.

Enter my Mambo 8. A very, very good amp for its size but for obvious reasons not a Twin Reverb. But I can take it everywhere.

Where did you buy your Mambo?