Your Thoughts on the Fender Twin Reverb?

[Jim Soloway]

for everyone so concerned about the weight, just get a cart to wheel it around.
the only time you'll have to deal w/the weight is unloading and loading from your car's trunk.
that involves lifting it maybe 2 feet in the air.
easy peasy lemon squeezy

they've been making Twin Reverbs for 53 yrs and have produced thousands and thousands of them.
when did the weight suddenly become an issue for everyone?
someone must be buying them...

Weight became an issue as we all got older. Size became an issue as our cars all got smaller. (And I have yet to see a cart that go up a flight of stairs). Very few of us really need that volume level and the alternatives in the lighter weight/lower volume categories have become endless.

[Greentone]

Dr. Windbag is in:

I read something that 2bornot2bop wrote and it resonated. I have owned the following Fender amps since 1970:

Fender Deluxe Reverb
Fender Vibro-Champ
Fender Pro-Reverb
Fender Twin Reverb
Fender Champ (Tweed and Silverface)
Fender Pro Amp
Fender Bassman (Tweed, Tweed RI, Blackface, Silverface)
Fender Deluxe (Tweed)
Fender Showman (Blackface, Silverface Showman Reverb)

I have also had long-term gig experience with:

Fender Vibrolux Reverb
Fender Super Reverb
Fender Vibroverb
Fender Harvard (Tweed)
Fender Vibrolux (Tweed)
Fender Tremolux (blonde)
Fender Bandmaster (blackface)

If I had to pick two Fender amps for jazz work, I would unhesitatingly select (1) Fender Tweed Deluxe for covering all 50s jazz guitar sounds through early 60s Kenny Burrell stuff. It is simply an amazing amplifier for clean and just a hint of dirt jazz work. You can _own_ a KB, Grant Green, etc. sort of Blue Note records sound if you have an archtop guitar. (2) Fender Twin Reverb for the way it makes a Gibson L-5 CES (or guitars of that type) sound definitively the way we have come to expect a L-5 to sound in jazz. I don't care if I have to get people to help me carry it--the Twin Reverb simply is the sound of jazz guitar.

I chatted extensively one evening with Herb Ellis. He was travelling with a custom preamp and played into whatever guitar amp the venue provided--Peavey, Fender, Polytone, Roland, etc. I asked him what he preferred--he generally played Polytone. He thought and said that if he didn't have to ever carry one, he would always choose a Twin Reverb. Jazz guitarists, though, don't have road crews. (Well, George Benson does. Good for him!)

[KirkP]

I have the chance to pick up a nice condition 70's 100watt (not unltralinear) Twin Reverb for less than $500

Is that a mid-70's model with master volume? That's what I have. It sounds great to me for home use with the guitar plugged into the #2 jack on the reverb channel and master volume cut about half way. With the master volume turned down I can run the channel volume fairly high to push the preamp a bit for smooth "tubey" tone. I also set both bass and treble very low for warm midrange.

As a bonus I can pull the MV knob to switch on one of the worst distorted tones I've ever heard. Leave the switch off and it sounds great.

However, I don't use the Twin much at home not due to weight, but size and cosmetics. I like to keep my amp in the living room and a nicer looking amp keeps my wife happy.

[vintagelove]

One of the greatest amps of all time.


That being said, I prefer a old Super Reverb. The 4-10's and tube rectifier are just magic.

[Little Jay]

Ah, another chance to preach my gospel about my Holy Twin Amp! If you have never played thru a Twin, you haven't been living so far..... :-D

My ultimate amp, for jazz, for anything. Yeah it's heavy, you need a car and plan carefully to get your car close to the stage. To me, sounds great at low volumes as well. They are only slightly taller and wider than a Deluxe Reverb (but deliver so much more, although a DR has it's charme).

But you will need a lighter amp too, since not all gigs are Twin-gigs. And then the misery starts: what amp is small and portable but sounds like a Twin.... Uh oh..... (I have a Blues Deluxe, an AER and a couple of small Session solid state combos that work well in different situations).

The idea of a lightweight cab is a good one. If you make a separate head and cab, you can havy multiple cabs to choose from, depending on the type of gig. I have two Twins, a 2x12 and a 1x15 (both as heavy), I might separate one of them.

[snoskier63]

I've owned a Super Twin, Twin, Cyber Twin and GB Hot Rod Deluxe. The Twin was definitely my favorite, but it was a beast to lug around. The Cyber Twin was a little lighter, and was surprisingly good. I tended to stick with the Twin setting, so I didn't use 99% of its abilities. The GB HRD is an excellent amp, and I got mine new for around $700-$750. I only got rid of it to try the Roland Blues Cube and the new Roland JC-40. Both amps are excellent, but neither is a Twin. I would get the GB HRD again, but I also would consider the HRD III and then switch the tube in v1 with a 12AT7 or 12AY7. That will get you close to a GB at much less of a cost. Just some thoughts.

[Al_F]

I just played a Super 400 through a new Twin reissue the other night and it was a thing of bliss

May be too much for home use ... but then a twin may weigh too much to gig with for me ... not that I get that many guitar gigs lately


I really have enjoyed my Mustang III and its take on the twin and deluxe tones .... has any one compared the Mustang IV with the two 12s to a real Twin?

Then again the GB version of the Twin is almost as light as the Mustang IV

Hmmm

I have a III borrowed a 70s silverface Twin for several weeks played them side by side, the Mustang holds its own. Had same thought about how a Mustang IV would compare to Twin with 2nd speaker. Mustang amps are really fabulous .

[TedBPhx]

My buddy came over to check my new used cheap Mustang II v2, "Sounds just like my Twin!" I think he was being overly generous but it does have a pretty good Twin emulation.

[Frank67]

I once had a Mustang IV and compared it 1:1 with my twin reverb. One can come pretty close, actually astonishingly close, but there still was some harshness in the modeling that the real thing doesn't have and also a 'lack of depth' for the lack of a better word. I think the speaker they put into the Mustangs are not the greatest (they are also extremely directional). Nevertheless, IMHO the Mustangs are fantastic value given their low price.

[gcb]

A Gibson archtop through a Twin Reverb ( in my case a 100w Twin Amp) brings the tone I like, at any venue.

[Greentone]

Check this out...here is a picture that FrankLearns posted today of his new Super Eagle. Behind it you will notice a _great_ brace of amplifiers--a Polytone MiniBrute and a Fender Twin Reverb. That just about covers anything you might want to do with an archtop guitar, IMO.

However, if you wanted to start from scratch today, you might sub in a Henriksen JazzAmp for the Polytone. The Alfresco would be quite tasty. The Bud would be eminently practical and could be grabbed on the fly for a gig in town at the wine and cheese emporium, or whatever. Guitar and a mic+The Bud and you are off and running.

(Frank does indeed learn. Fabulous guitar, by the way)

[Franz 1997]

Thank you Alan, to you and Chris!

But you see, that's a problem because before yesterday I only wanted to have a Custom 15 and the Alfresco wrapped in the sexy brown snakeskin with the open back looking like a buxom beauty wearing a summertime halter top.

Now because of Chris' explanation now I want 3 amps..,I can only afford one of them...and because I own a Verbrovibe I don't need a tube amp. But I still want a Custom 15. Nothing sounds like that amp. I want to dial it in something special with a NOS tube set from the 40's. You young guys that don't know tubes don't know what you're missing. No offense.

This old guy agrees with you, 2b. Tubes/ valves give 3D sound. If I wasn't still gigging and carrying stuff, I'd park a Super Rev in the practise room, or maybe an old brown Super. I had one of those, when I could carry 60lb without cracking and spluttering. Never tried a 15 though.

It's all about context though; for gigging and combo playing, a really good SS amp does a reasonable or better job.

[Frank67]

Check this out...here is a picture that FrankLearns posted today of his new Super Eagle. Behind it you will notice a _great_ brace of amplifiers--a Polytone MiniBrute and a Fender Twin Reverb. That just about covers anything you might want to do with an archtop guitar, IMO.

(Frank does indeed learn. Fabulous guitar, by the way)

thanks GT - this is very kind of you!

this amp rack was built for me by my step father. On the bottom there is a pedalboard on a movable tray and it is connected by a Lehle splitter with the two amps. That is lovely since they can easily be operated alone or together. I feel that the polytone and the twin nicely complement each other and I very much dig running them together.

i also have a Henriksen JazzAmp but I prefer the polytone. I found it for cheap on ebaya few years back. It's a bit rocked but sounds great.

The twin is great too. To me it sounded better after replacing the tubes. The powertubes are TAD recommended tubes. For the presmp tubes I forgot what it was specifically, but I was following internet wisdom with good results. For Jazz I run bass and treble very low and mids to six or seven, volume around four (and guitar colume a bit down) ... Great sound

[2bornot2bop]

thanks GT - this is very kind of you!

this amp rack was built for me by my step father. On the bottom there is a pedalboard on a movable tray and it is connected by a Lehle splitter with the two amps. That is lovely since they can easily be operated alone or together. I feel that the polytone and the twin nicely complement each other and I very much dig running them together.

i also have a Henriksen JazzAmp but I prefer the polytone. I found it for cheap on ebaya few years back. It's a bit rocked but sounds great.

The twin is great too. To me it sounded better after replacing the tubes. The powertubes are TAD recommended tubes. For the presmp tubes I forgot what it was specifically, but I was following internet wisdom with good results. For Jazz I run bass and treble very low and mids to six or seven, volume around four (and guitar colume a bit down) ... Great sound

For "better" performance try the premium 7025's. They're a quieter alternative to the oft noisy 12AX7's.

7025 WA TAD HIGHGRADE Premium Selected - TAD Pre Amp Tubes SELECTED

[sgcim]

IMHO, a Twin is not a good choice for a home or an archtop amp.
Too many problems with feedback and volume, unless you live in Antarctica or somewhere...
I've had an SF 1971 Twin for over 40 years, and every time i used it with my archtop on gigs, it was a nightmare.
Too much feedback, lousy sound, and it took up too much space.
I had a high paying gig at a big hall, and I brought the Twin and both an archtop and a Parker solid body.

During the afternoon, the archtop had the problems I mentioned above, so I decided to use the solid body, figuring things couldn't get much worse.
The difference astonished me. I got the warmest, prettiest sound I've ever gotten out of a rig, but it wasn't a jazz sound. It was a commercial sound, which was perfect for the gig, because it was a commercial (pop singer) gig.

I did over 30 gigs this summer where i could've used the Twin on every one of them, but it'
s too heavy, and nowadays they put the amps through the PA. We played a park show where they had close to 5K people attending, and the producer said my PV with one 12" sounded great.

I never use the Twin anymore, so I might as well sell it.

[999369]

Feedback problems is not only the amp may be is Guitar or " you "

Location and set up ( Acoustic treatment , Positioning direction & EQ ) between the amp and guitar

[yebdox]

A twin is still my fave at any volume for jazz .(I play at 3 to 4 at home). I think it covers all the requirements for jazz, including resistance training to improve your bone density, so you can live longer and get as good as possible before you kick the can!

Mather cabs will make you a beautiful separate head cab, which you can then compliment with a matching 1x12, 2x12, 1x15 or all 3! Ultimate in versatility and you can save your back at the same time. Good tubes are a must, along with cleaning and maintenance. Get one.

[Bluedawg]

hmmm ... so maybe a GB Twin and a Custom 15 are things to think about

[sgcim]

Feedback problems is not only the amp may be is Guitar or " you "

Location and set up ( Acoustic treatment , Positioning direction & EQ ) between the amp and guitar

On most gigs, you don't have much room to set up in. A Twin takes up a lot more room than my JazzKat, Cube, PV, or
AI Coda. I wind up EQing the Twin to the extent that it sounds like crap. One thing that might be relevant was that my archtop sounded like crap through an SD/SL pickup. I've since changed it to a Kent Armstrong. My B-222 should sound pretty interesting through the Twin considering it's got a KA PU that is his version of a DeArmond RC 1100.

[oldane]

The Twin Reverb is the best sounding amp I never owned. When I was young, I couldn't afford one. Now I'm old and can afford it but can no longer schlepp it around due to osteoarthrosis. Oh well....

[Hep To The Jive]

Twins can never get that sweet tube breakup sound, and if you use a pedal... Well, to carry around this 60 pound monster AND needing pedals doesnt make sense to me. On the other hand, if so many jazz guitarists are obsessed with clean clean and more clean tone, SS amps can do it even better.

[2bornot2bop]

Twins can never get that sweet tube breakup sound, and if you use a pedal... Well, to carry around this 60 pound monster AND needing pedals doesnt make sense to me. On the other hand, if so many jazz guitarists are obsessed with clean clean and more clean tone, SS amps can do it even better.

"better" is always subjective to a listener's ears. Tube amps have that certain sparkle that SS does not. Don't take my word for it...trust your own ears. There's really no comparison...kinda like digital music versus vinyl

[oldane]

Sorry to hear that. A great pianist that I regularly play with has it, and he's gotten a shoulder replacement, and two hip replacements, and is just a few years from getting another shoulder replacement.
He has the most severe case that any of his docs had ever seen.
Is yours that severe?

Oh no. It's just my knees and low back which don't take heavy loads any more. Carrying a Twin Reverb up a flight of stairs would not do me good. Photography is another interest of mine, and I have replaced my heavy Nikon gear with a mirrorless camera and some old small and light Leica M lenses - much lighter to carry around. If I go down with fully flexed knees to pick up something from the closet under the kitchen table, it's really a pain to get up again. But I can still walk around briskly and ride a bike with pleasure. Standing still in the same position has become a problem though. After a while I get rubber knees, so I sit while playing. But that's how it is getting older. It's OK - and my Mambo 8 doesn't sound bad at all.

[yebdox]

Everyone should buy a used Twin in good shape at some point in their life, so that they can weigh the pros and cons and then offer a valid opinion. Life is all about sacrifice and compromise; give something up to get something better. In some folk's case, that may be physical integrity, for others, a tone they can't live without.

I'm keeping mine, and opinions to the contrary don't bother me one iota.

[lammie200]

I have had one. In this day and age a Twin can certainly fit the bill for performing if it is in top shape. I wouldn't want one for home practice though. Space is an issue for me. The OP says that lugging it around is not an issue for them, so, like you say, as long as it is in good condition it seems to work for what the OP wants.