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Anyone here own the single 15" speaker version of the famed Fender Twin Reverb? Thoughts and or opinions?
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08-29-2018 05:58 PM
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played thru...great!..a fender thru a 15" speaker is always good...srv's vibroverb!!...dick dales showman...
twin with 15" is great, huge bottom, loud clean...but heavy beast..also the type of 15" speaker is essential...they put in an eminence wannabe jbl type speaker...which is ok...but plenty of options...a neo magnet speaker will lighten the load somewhat
wes' standel had 15" jbl-130.. one of best guitar speakers ever
used reissue diaz fender vibroverb is worth a look as well...half the power.... but still huge 15" tone
my fave cab ever was a fender showman with 2 ev 15's...sounded great with anything..any guitar or bass...but was the weight (& size) of a fridge!! haha
cheersLast edited by neatomic; 08-29-2018 at 10:21 PM. Reason: corr-
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I put together a Vibroverb-like combo amp with a 15" speaker and a Bandmaster Reverb head once. Very sweet sounding amp.
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ps- the only caveat regarding twin 15" is that it is a circuit board amp...the diaz fender vibroverb is ptp...
some don't care, but...
cheers
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Yours was the same experience and impression I had.
Originally Posted by neatomic
I played through a friend of mine's and loved that big, heavy tone monster. It was totally stock and loud as hell. I was afraid to crank it up at my home for fear S.W.A.T. would be called.
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D-130. The "F"models were specific to Fender amps. (I'm a pedantic old lady about this stuff) Originally Posted by neatomic
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Thanks neatomic for the feedback. Okay - Incoming. Originally Posted by neatomic
About 4 years ago I'd just purchased a Headstrong verbrovibe. Best amp I'd ever owned. Shortly after its arrival I had a customer come by to demo a guitar. He insisted on bringing his own amp even when I told him what I had in house. He lugged his amp up the stairs and suddenly I heard this rolling sound on the porch leading to the front door. In comes what I thought was a Twin Reverb, but no, it was a Custom 15. It was the first time I'd ever heard one. I couldn't believe how clean the amp sounded. So naturally I've wanted one since, but they were more money used than I wanted to pay...until a demo appeared today at 30% off. Timing is everything...
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I played one in the Fender booth at the 2006 or 7 or 8 Winter NAMM, with both a Benedetto and a Gretsch--don't remember the models.
I thought it sounded excellent with either. It was probably my favorite amp at the show.
Danny W.
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I had a Dual Showman Reverb with two of those beauties. Capable of seismic volume (fortunately needed only for large outdoor events); lush, full, and clean; sweet with that beautiful spring reverb. Of course moving one was a major undertaking. But once you got it in place, there was no denying the glorious tone. I miss it (the sound part, not the Sisyphean task of transport). A few years back I saw one while on an antique expedition with Mrs.k and our youngest Granddaughter. Only the straightened dimensions of the PT Cruiser and my wallet kept me from hauling that behemoth back to the Bat Cave. Originally Posted by customxke
D-130. The "F"models were specific to Fender amps. (I'm a pedantic old lady about this stuff)
Probably just as well.
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While chasing a single 15, hi-fi sounding amp...I went this route:
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My Twin has a single 15" Altec speaker in it. I bought it used in a shop in Sheffield about 1978, I was just looking for a loud combo amp at the time and that's all they had. I used to gig with it playing rock stuff for a few years. Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
I don't really use it now, it's too heavy and it's too loud for my purposes. I was never sure if it was built with a 15" to start with, or whether some pedal steel guy converted it. (If they did, you can't tell from looking inside the cab, all looks seamlessly put together, so maybe it was original). To be honest I've never really liked it that much. To lift it regularly now would put me in hospital!
In fact I will probably sell/trade it sometime, could go towards another guitar!
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Not quite. They're actually two different speakers, and D130F's were original equipment in many brands besides Fender. The D130 was a full range speaker and the D130F was a musical instrument speaker derived from it. It was designed to be used in the Dual Showman and Fender was a major JBL customer and distributor which is where the F came from, but it was available to anyone. It was designed by a guy named Harvey Gerst who wrote about this quite a bit on usenet newsgroups. Here's an example: Originally Posted by customxke
D-130. The "F"models were specific to Fender amps. (I'm a pedantic old lady about this stuff)
Speakers D130F History << HarpAmps
John
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I know there are many variables involved (guitar, amp, cabinet & speaker) but is there a common quality to 15" speakers? Even roughly speaking?
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Sure...if it's an extended range speaker, roughly speaking:
bigger, rounder, fatter, deeper, warmer.
I base this on the 15" speakers in my amps/cabs:
-JBL K130 (AlNiCo)
-Altec 418B (AlNiCo)
-CTS (whichever model was OEM for the Ampeg GV-15 @1970)
-EVM15L (reconed from bass to extended-range)
-Altec 421A (theoretically a bass speaker, but still has a wider range than many current 15" so-called "guitar" speakers)
-whatever is in my Polytone 102Last edited by Hammertone; 08-30-2018 at 02:27 PM.
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Purely subjective, but I prefer the D130 to the D130f in the guitar amplifiers I have used these speakers in. The reasons are stated above in Hammertone's entry. The D130 gets a very big, round response for jazz (and presumably steel).
I would never turn down a D130f, though. It's also a great speaker.
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I don't think I've ever played through a non-F. I had an F in a brownface Pro for many years. I think of it as having a pretty flat response compared to must other guitar speakers, but very directional, and different sounding up close vs far away (which I gather is the way most 15's are compared to other sizes). I've come to prefer smaller speakers (I think 10's are my favorite). Originally Posted by Greentone
John
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You guys and your vintage gear. That’s kewl!
So I’ll be the first on this forum to own one of these Custom 15’s? Leave it to a piano player to break new ground on a guitar forum.
I agree with HT, go big and stay home!
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2B~The one I played through was owned by a member here. Not sure if he still participates, or owns the Custom 15. Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
If you've got one on the way, I'm sure you'll dig it. Keep us posted.
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I never owned one, but a rehearsal space where I used to play a lot had one and I played through it many times. I liked it. It has been a while, but IIRC it was not as loud as a 2x12 (a feature IMO) and safer to crank up a bit. Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
John
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Back in the day, a friend of mine had one with a 15" EVM. Yup, loud and heavy. Worked as a bass amp too, but I never much liked it as a rock guitar amp (which is what we were all up to at the time). Originally Posted by Greentone
John
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I received this amp some weeks back. Having owned a previous pair of Twins and variant Twin types I'm most moved by this amps clarity/clean tone. A guitar buyer brought his Custom 15 to my home some years ago. That listening session resulted in me placing the amp on my bucket list. It's not easy buying an amp blind, but in this case the dice roll turned up a satisfying 7.
These Custom 15's aren't easy to find at great prices beneath MSRP. So I considered myself fortunate to find this new amp at a reasonable price.
Now time to break in these tubes before I go tinkering with tube upgrades. Once an audiophile, always an audiophile.
Highly recommended!
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Excellent! Glad it worked out for you.
Every player needs to own, or at least play through a Fender Twin at some point in their life.
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That’s all the rig you will ever, ever need.
2b, I’m glad your back in the gear game. That is quite a setup I must say.
Beautiful and lots of luck with it.
JD
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Do you need one of these or is it already suitably loaded? I see the metal dust cap but one never knows.
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IMO nothing beats a Twin’s tone. Nothing. Unfortunately mine never leaves the house now. Too heavy to schlep.
As Joe said......the perfect rig. Congrats Greg !
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