Fender Tweed Twin RI

[Ob Com]

Could I ask for some advice please?

i see discussions here regularly about the blackface Twin and the Tweed Deluxe and I understand and appreciate their qualities for jazz with an archtop guitar.

Yet almost nothing about the 57 tweed twin reissue.

i know that its a very different circuit from the highly regarded b/f twin- but do any of you use the tweed twin for jazz?

If so whats to love?

if not, what’s not to love?

thank you

(fyi I don’t use reverb)

[andrew]

There were two tweed twin models back in the day. The "low powered" model and the "high powered" one. Besides the wattage difference (40W vs 80W), they were two different circuits. The low power twin has a circuit similar to the tweed Super, Bandmaster, and Pro (all three of these were essentially the same amp with different speaker configurations). The high powered model was the same circuit as the famous tweed Bassman, but more power and different speakers. The current Fender reissue is of the low powered model.

I give this preamble because I don't have direct experience with either version of the tweed twin, but I do have lots of experience with the tweed Super/Bandmaster/Pro and the tweed Bassman, having built clones of each.

Short version of the story is: they're both great jazz amps, but my personal preference goes to the Bassman. The Super/Bandmaster/Pro/Low Powered Twin was Fender's first foray into separate treble and bass controls (instead of a single tone knob). The way they implemented this was a little bit weird and, in retrospect, unusual. Increasing the treble ends up increasing the gain also. The Bassman/high powered Twin's treble/middle/bass controls behave in a more "normal" way.

All of these amps have more volume and clean headroom than the tweed deluxe. They're a bit more "refined" and "sophisticated" than the earlier tweeds. In other words, compared to a tweed deluxe/princeton/champ/etc., they're one step closer to a BF sound, but they don't lose their "tweediness". Still have the warmth and fatness. Obviously these amps are bigger and heavier, so therefore harder to transport, but probably more appropriate for medium/large sized jazz gigs. If you like the warm clean, but with a little bit of hair sound that is a Fender tweed, you'll find it here in all these models.

Just a final note on speaker choice: Obviously speakers are very subjective and personal, but I've gravitated towards 10" speakers with archtops and 12" speakers with solid bodies. Archtops can have lots of bass and I find the 10" can help eliminate some of the flub that a 12" may have. So, for my money, a 2x10" tweed Bassman is the best compromise in terms of wattage, sound, and portability (but the 4x10" sounds soooo good)

[Ob Com]

Thank you very much indeed Andrew

thats a great help

cheers

[bluejaybill]

I had a Victoria low-powered tweed twin version with 2 12" speakers, and it was my main gigging amp for years.

I was playing more blues and rock then, but it sounded great for jazz as well- very loud! Not sure is you want it for home use or gigs, but I think it would be a nice sound. Definitely more mids than a BF amp, and a bit more hair on the sound, especially on chores.

BTW I'm not sure but I think the Victoria version had bigger transformers, not sure about how the Fender one is constructed.

[Gitfiddler]

The former (2004 - 2006) Heritage Amplifiers of Tennessee designed and built their version of a high powered Fender Tweed Twin with additional EQ features. Following their patriotic naming theme, it was called the Liberty. I own one of these rigs and have used it on jazz, rock and RnB gigs with great success. It isn't a well known amp due to the brief life of Heritage Amplification, but the Liberty is one of the best amps I've ever plugged into...great for any genre.

Their marketing blurb said the following:

"The Liberty This is our version of a classic vintage tweed amp, with a 3 knob reverb circuit. The Liberty is available in a head and cabinet format, or as a 2×12 or 1×15 combo. The Liberty produces 45 watts from a pair of 6L6’s."

[Ob Com]

Thank you gentlemen both

[capnrory]

I have built my lo-power Tweed Twin from a kit with upgraded Heyboer transformers. I run it with the 12AY preamp tubes as per Leo's original design and add a touch of reverb through either a Strymon Flint, a EH Nanoverb hall setting or a Neunaber wet pedal. This is a formula that works for me for jazz and blues. I really like this amp over many others I have. I like it better than the Fender Custom Shop Dual Professional and a Heritage Kenny Burrell Freedom in my tube amp fleet.

[Ob Com]

I have built my lo-power Tweed Twin from a kit with upgraded Heyboer transformers. I run it with the 12AY preamp tubes as per Leo's original design and add a touch of reverb through either a Strymon Flint, a EH Nanoverb hall setting or a Neunaber wet pedal. This is a formula that works for me for jazz and blues. I really like this amp over many others I have. I like it better than the Fender Custom Shop Dual Professional and a Heritage Kenny Burrell Freedom in my tube amp fleet.

may I ask what it is that you enjoy about the sound of this amp?

thank you