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My guitar is an Eastman AR371CE
I plan on changing the pickup to a Gibson Classic 57 in the near future
I have the chance to pick up a nice condition 70's 100watt (not unltralinear) Twin Reverb for less than $500
at this price I could have a cabinet made for it and load it with a Telonics 15" speaker and greatly cut down on the weight
I play mostly at home for my own enjoyment, I played through a Twin last weekend and it sounded great - but I am interested in more opinions of people here
So, Twin Reverb - classic jazz amp or no?
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08-18-2016 11:02 PM
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Yes, classic jazz amp. But impractical for home use. At home a Pro Reverb or a tweed Deluxe is better, from my experience. But it depends on the sound you want.
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Pretty heavy combo. Wouldn't buy one without testing it. Could need cap work. Might be noisy. Sometime I don't think in complete sentences.
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If you like the way it sounds, buy it regardless of what others think.
But here are three questions that come to mind:
If your intent is to buy it and then modify it to the moon, why are you buying it? Buy something that sounds like you want without changing it into something it's not. One of the reasons that the Twin sounds like it sounds is the 2x12" speaker complement.
If you "mostly play at home", why are you concerned with the weight?
Is this the sound you're looking for, or are you just grasping at an opportunity to buy one relatively inexpensively?
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Since I sold my Two Rock I have been trying to find a replacement amp whose cleans can compare
I played a different Twin Reverb they had at the same shop - this one was for sale in the shop but sold the day before I went (now the buyer returned it)
The amp was just serviced by the shop, and I do not plan on doing any circuit modifications - The original speakers are gone and have been replaced with very low end Celestions (thus the low price) and the cabinet is a bit rough, so I would just order a replacement, and I have played the Telonics 15" speaker in another Blackface style amp and really liked it plus the low weight is a plus when i decide to drag it out
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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
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I have a reissue that I just play at home and love it. I did replace the tubes with some higher quality tubes and that did improve the sound. It is my favorite jazz sound (turn mids up and treble and bass way down).
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I had one for two years. It was too heavy to carry up the stairs and too big to load into my car. It spent the whole time in my garage until my wife said it was time to get rid of the pony so we could park the car.
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If I had the bills greasing my palm, I might go for it; it's a classic sound no matter what guitar you're plugging in. But for home use, it's like hunting flies with a sledgehammer. If you want to hear it in full glory, you'll need some earplugs -- and what's the point then?
Twins are all about keeping up with a loud drummer with minimal distortion ... man, do they do that job well.
For home playing, I'd go smaller -- BD mentioned his Mustang, and another great modeler is the SCXD. And if I wanted the dispersion of multiple speakers, I'd plug in an extension cab. I don't know if a Mustang provides that option, but if it does, I'd look into that as well.
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I'm no gigging musician but I always chuckle when I read the so often repeated "the twin is too heavy for gigs" posts.
Why, because how often on amp posts do members speak about having multiple amps. I only have one amp, in the "home." A Twin variant. The Twin has been the fixture in the system chain watching many guitars come and go.
That, and Henriksen JazzAmp 110's are so readily available at or below $700. One can practically carry a JA with their pinky.
I'd never be without a Twin, or some variant thereof, even in the home. Swap the often noisy stock preamp tubes for the better TAD's and you've a great "jazz" amp for cheap...Cheap in my book is less than a $1k investment for an amplifier.
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+ 1 to that 2bop , I have the same situation with my Twin (Custom 15) . Should I need
to play out there is a Mambo. a Henriksen and an Evans Head +Spkr which are all
fairly easy to carry. QED
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I like the Twin Reverb when played quietly. When it has to be loud it gets too boomy at the bottom when played with an archtop, eq-ing the bottom out makes it sound thin in the higher register.
Originally Posted by tfling
I wouldn't carry it anywhere, but for home use (at fairly low level) it sounds great. Couldn't think of a more classic sound, but as pointed out in other posts, this could be achieved with a smaller amp too.
JBL loaded versions are not as warm as the ones with Jensens. I had both, prefer the Jensen version.Last edited by JazzNote; 08-19-2016 at 09:15 AM.
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My thoughts on the Fender Twin Reverb...
- Fantastic clean sounds, tremendous headroom based on a combination of power and number of speakers.
- Prohibitively heavy and large in terms of cartage and travel.
- Appropriate for very large venues with a loud band.
That said, I cannot see why most jazz guitarists (working or amateur) would actually use one (vs. want one). There are fantastic, light weight, reliable high powered solid state options from Acoustic Image, AER, Benedetto, Evans, Henriksen, Mambo, and Quilter etc. today. Easy to carry and set up and really sound very good.
For recording if you want some of the euphonic warmth of a tube amp, there are a number smaller, lighter, 1 x 12 40w/6L6 amp options (30-40 lb., 14-18 kg) with both tone and headroom out there that will fill the bill. I personally only use my tube amp for when I am seeking overdriven tones when playing blues or rock. For clean jazz tones, my AI Clarus + Buscarino Chameleon or Evans RE200 are both fantastic amps.
My $.02
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I use a '67 blackface Twin on most gigs and use a '66 Twin @ home.
practicing on the same rig keeps things familiar.
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I'm thinking of pulling the trigger on a Twin but I realise it will be my midlife crisis amp!
While Twins sound great at low volume, if you are playing at home, get a Princeton Reverb. Even sweeter sound, but ironically, more expensive to buy used. Grr!
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You guys have me gassing for a Twin now ... especially after playing through one the other night
The George Benson version sounds like it could be the bee knees
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That fact that it weighs 50lb (versus about 80lbs for the used one I'm looking at) is a big plus. I don't think there is a lighter 2x12" 4x6L6 combo out there. Originally Posted by Bluedawg
Of course, the price of a new one is set at a premium -- I think you will be helping keep George in champagne and ladies!
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I've used mine since 82, 20 years as a 1 15. It is the 135 watt version and sounds great at any volume but part of that is related to speaker choices. The hand truck does solve the transport challenge. I haven't felt the weight to be a inconvenience and the power has certainly saved me more than a few times in situations where there weren't enough inputs to mike to the pa. It sounds like a good deal but look at the cost of speaker and cabinet if you don't make your own and compare to twins in that price range. New Tolex can be sourced too. I replaced the particle board baffle is mine with good ply when changing to the 1 15 of course the cabinet had to be disassembled but it wasn't too hard, I used better glue!
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... I have profiled my twin into my Kemper and when I go out I carry my twin sound authentically in 3 kg of Kemper with me .... Life is good!
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Originally Posted by BigDaddyLoveHandles
Yeah, the GB Twin weighs only a couple of pounds more than the Mustang IV ..... but it costs over three times more
On the other hand ... The GB version is only slightly more than a new 80 lb Twin reissue
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Having owned 3 of them, I thought the twin sounded really clean. Then a buyer lugged his Custom 15 to my house to sample a guitar. He didn't want to use my Verbrovibe. Man I'd never heard tube clean like that Custom 15! Quiet as could be too.
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The short answer:
Music sounds better if there's tubes in the mix. Heck just knowing there's tubes in the playback chain is enough to justify a twin. And much like an L5, buy a twin right, and used, an owner won't lose a cent.
Tubes rule. Tastes great. Less filling.
Edit. And I tried the Deluxe Reverb and Princeton amps. Different sound entirely. They aren't twins. I sold the latter two in days after they arrived. The twin remained.
Originally Posted by iim7V7IM7
Last edited by 2bornot2bop; 08-19-2016 at 01:39 PM.
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Had one and giggled it for years. It's a performance amp, not for home use, unless you can regularly play LOUD at home.
I hear people say twins sound good at low volume. My guess is they've never heard one above "5."
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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...
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No doubt tubes sound absolutely great!
There are many great smaller tube amps built around variants of the Western Electric Handbook available today beyond the 12w and 22w 6v6 based amps you cite, but a Twin Reverb while no doubt iconic and sounds great is overkill for most players in my opinion. I think that there are a number of 2 x 6L6, 35-50w / 1 x 12 combos that sound great, have enough headroom to cleanly play loud enough with a strong drummer. Much of what makes a Twin such a monster in sound/volume are the two 12" JBLs. They also add size and weight (TANSTAAFL).
The reality of small clubs and other venues, urban environments with limited parking, weight/ergonomics an audience who is eating a drinking, frequency of tube replacement opened up the use of SS amps by pros in my opinion. They also sound pretty darn good!
P.S.
I knew Bill Johnson and sold Acoustic Research audio amps as well as Krell, Dan D'Agastino on the SS side in the late 1970s btw...
Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
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