Fender Twin Reverb: How are they for Steel Guitar

Emmett Roch · Post by **Emmett Roch** » 11 Dec 2002 6:31 pm

Twice in my life---first was a silver-face, the next was a Twin II---I've replaced the baffle boards in Twins and installed a 15" speaker, and loved the results.

As far as what Larry said about adjusting the tone for each neck, I play a single-neck guitar and don't have that to contend with, so if you play a double, I'd say listen to him on this.

And I'd like to concur that Ricky has always gotten a great tone for both necks using a Twin.

Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 12 Dec 2002 10:04 am

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>As far as what Larry said about adjusting the tone for each neck
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Nobody's ever accused me of being a double-neck player. Them's fightin' words . . .

Ernie made that comment, just for clarification

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2000 Fessenden S-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Dobro[This message was edited by Larry Bell on 12 December 2002 at 10:05 AM.]

Ernie Renn · Post by **Ernie Renn** » 12 Dec 2002 10:33 am

I did say that. When I was using the amp, I couldn't find a setting that would sound right to me on both necks. Hence adjusting tone for each neck. (BTW: It had a 15" JBL in it.) I switched to a Peavey Session 400 in '77 and really haven't looked back. I've had Peavey amps ever since.

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My best,
Ernie

The Official Buddy Emmons Website
www.buddyemmons.com

ajm · Post by **ajm** » 12 Dec 2002 6:52 pm

If the Tele player is too loud then he's not playing WITH you, he's playing AGAINST you.

There are several solutions:
1) He can use an overdrive pedal for a little more "mild" dirt if that's what he's after.
2) He can use a power attenuator to turn the amp up but keep the volume down (THD Hotplate, etc.)
3) He can get a smaller amp such as a Deluxe Reverb.

Chances are he probably has one of more of these already.

We have the technology........

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Artie McEwan

Peter de Smet · Post by **Peter de Smet** » 13 Dec 2002 3:40 am

I do a lot of gigs on my Kendrick amp. This amp is a replica of the first Fender Twin amp. In compare with Fender Twin, this amp has Kendrick Speakers (2x 12")with trombone cone. And that sounds much better than the Fender.Very deep an tight bottom, sweets highs and a very good midtone. And that's the reason that i don't play on a Fender twin.
Good luck.

Skip Mertz · Post by **Skip Mertz** » 13 Dec 2002 5:33 am

Try an Evans. Tube warmth and you won't throw your back out. I use 2 SE150s' 38lbs ea. 300 rms, an RV-3 which has a stereo out
which I run to second amp, awesome. Thet're not cheap but neither are our steels Skip

Emmett Roch · Post by **Emmett Roch** » 13 Dec 2002 5:58 am

Whoops! Sorry Larry

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___________________
GFI S-12 extended E9
www.garypnunn.com

Roy Ayres · Post by **Roy Ayres** » 13 Dec 2002 6:08 am

I have an original "black-face" Twin Reverb with 12" JBL's. I suppose it's all a matter of taste, but this one has suited my taste for about 40 years. My wife had it "tweaked up" for me last week for my birthday (pots cleaned, a few resistors replaced, etc.) and it still sounds the way I like my steel to sound. I have been offered some tremendous trades over the years, but turned them all down.

Tim Sergent · Post by **Tim Sergent** » 13 Dec 2002 7:18 pm

I used two Twins when I was with Ricky Skaggs and I loved them! At times it was kinda hard to keep up in volume with 8 or 9 other guys, but the tone I got was right for me....but like Mike said, it's gotta be right for you! A lot of guys are talking about the Fender Hot Rod Deville. I think that's the model. I hear Lloyd is even using one. That's a pretty good endorsement right there!

JB Arnold · Post by **JB Arnold** » 15 Dec 2002 9:38 pm

The twin is a great amp for steel, but I'm taking Cage's advice and having the caps replaced, the tone circuits reworked (some work on the mids) matched tubes and some changes in the grids to boost them up. That will all run about 50 or 60 bucks. Once I've got THAT right, I'll take BC's next advice-remove the factory speaker, and stoer ir somewhere safe, like the trash. I'll round up a couple JBL's in a separate cab (maybe even a hard trucker if I get lucky) and carry that separate.

Butch tells me just the electronics will make a big difference-and the JBL's will do the rest. I already love the sound, so I'm really looking forward to the new year gig, when I'll be testing it out in a big room.

JB

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Fulawka D-10 9&5
Mullen Royal Precision D-10 8 & 5
"All in all, looking back, I'd have to say the best advice anyone ever gave me was 'Hands Up, Don't Move!"
www.johnbarnold.com/pedalsteel
www.buddycage.net

http://www.nrpsmusic.com/index.html

Smiley Roberts · Post by **Smiley Roberts** » 15 Dec 2002 10:24 pm

Amplifiers are kinda like what they say about computers,i.e. "s__t in,.....s__t out".

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<pre> ~ ~
©¿© It don't mean a thang,
mm if it ain't got that twang.
www.ntsga.com</pre>

Ernie Renn · Post by **Ernie Renn** » 16 Dec 2002 2:43 am

Smiley;
"SENT"?

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My best,
Ernie

The Official Buddy Emmons Website
www.buddyemmons.com

Bob Hamilton · Post by **Bob Hamilton** » 16 Dec 2002 7:56 am

I use a '69 Twin for small gigs, can't beat the tone, especially with the slope resistor changed from 100K to 56K. BTW, there's a great tone stack calculator on the Duncan Amps website that will allow you to dial in the midrange cut before you dig out the old soldering gun, it's a great tool. For the bigger stuff, I use my Session 500 (three cord arrangement) and run stereo out to the Twin thru a Boss RV-3, and the six string goes thru the Twin's vibrato channel. With the Twin and the Session, it's really the best of both worlds.

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Dave Birkett · Post by **Dave Birkett** » 16 Dec 2002 11:41 am

If somebody was to build a 300 watt compact tube amp with a parametric EQ

That would be great. Fender does make a 300 watt tube amp with a graphic EQ, the Bassman 300. It's only a head but weighs in at 75 lbs. It also lists for $1700! For most of my bass-playing career, I used a Dual Showman, often two of them, and sometimes three. They beat all the solid-state amps for tone hands down. The head was the same as a Twin w/o reverb (and a lot lighter). I think the optimal solution would be as many Dual Showman tops and 1X15 JBL-loaded cabs as the gig required, along with an EQ and a delay/rev unit.

Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 17 Dec 2002 6:53 am

I think the optimal solution would be as many Dual Showman tops and 1X15 JBL-loaded cabs as the gig required, along with an EQ and a delay/rev unit.

I like the way you think...

Dave Robbins · Post by **Dave Robbins** » 17 Dec 2002 12:35 pm

Well... I might as well go ahead and add my two cents too.

Back when the Twinn was about the only thing available quickly and easily at any music store, I had a Twinn with the "D120's." I had tried one with the Jensons but found that all I could get was distortion...didn't need that for steel! But for the time, the one with the JBL D120's worked great! Occasionally, I would "bounce" the speakers with the C6 though, but that was a way of life back then. Then Peavey came along with the Session 400. It seemed to have the best of everything to me. So, while keeping the Twinn, I purchased a Session 400. For awhile I would use both so I could compare them. Some days I would prefer the Twinn sound and some days the Session. But eventually, I found that the cleaner and more powerful sound of the Session won out. It seemed to "project" so much better, and had more power. The Twinn began to sound thinner and thinner to me, especially in the mids.

Ever since, I have stayed with the Peavey line of amps with their power and DDT circuit of the later amps.

Near mic'ing of that Twinn really sounded sweet, but for "live" the Twinn just couldn't stay up with the Peavey.

Now, tone is just like "apples and oranges."
If you like the sound of the Twinn and it's mid range characteristics, then a Twinn is what you should play.

On the other hand, if the Twinn is too thin for your liking, then the Peavey may be the better.

Me, I prefer he tighter Peavey sound and the superior circuitry over the Twinn's thinner mids. I have to make the bass way to muddy on a Twinn to get the response from the low end that I want, then I get into distortion. I do like the harmonic over tones of the Twinn though.

The Peavey is just a cleaner sound to me with good low end response and variable mid circuitry.

Of course, then there's "STANDEL!"

Dave[This message was edited by Dave Robbins on 17 December 2002 at 12:39 PM.]

Rick Barber · Post by **Rick Barber** » 17 Dec 2002 7:14 pm

Real amplifiers glow in the dark.

Rick Barber

Michael T. Hermsmeyer · Post by **Michael T. Hermsmeyer** » 18 Dec 2002 12:56 pm

I built this cabinet for my Dual Showman: http://www.wpro1.com/utilitymanproductions/pg4.asp

A Twin Reverb or Dual Showman Reverb (No Master Volume)with a 15" speaker is an awesome combination. Maybe it's not for everyone, but it is for me. I also love Evans amps and the old Peavey Session 500. Most of the time, I need two channels and this Fender is the best combination of features and tone that I have ever found, short of dragging around a 20 space rack and two Evans cabinets.
I have had the Nashville 400's, Session 400 LTD, LTD 400, Artist, Vegas 400... Still have a Nashville 400, Evans DP2R and ESPA, Mesa Boogie Studio Preamp, and several small Fender and Peavey guitar amps. This Fender is the one carrying it's weight at this time. Of course it's a lot of weight to carry, especially in the new road case I built for it. Whew!!! But it's worth it. I love it.
Michael T.

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UTILITY MAN PRODUCTIONS
'73 EMMONS D10 FATBACK, '92 EMMONS D10 LASHLEY LEGRANDE,
'85 DOBRO 60DS, '95 DOBRO F60S,
'95 MELOBAR CUSTOM, 1955 FENDER TRIPLE NECK STRINGMASTER. EVANS, FENDER, PEAVEY,
and MESA BOOGIE Amps.

Dave Van Allen · Post by **Dave Van Allen** » 20 Dec 2002 8:22 am

Michael- that is a beautiful piece of work!

I am truly in love with my '68 SF TR that was retrofitted with a JBL D-130-F 15" early in it's life.

I have several Fender amps, and I love 'em all. But this Twin is the culmination of my search for my personal tube amp/steel guitar tone nirvana. And the 15" is what makes the difference.

other amps may be louder, cleaner, more dependable, and considerably lighter; but for me, it's This Amp.

I just had it serviced (caps, three prong cord, 'blackfaced") and am looking forward to giving it a gig-volume romp this weekend.

I know the thread started as a discussion of the Reissue Twins. My advice is seek out a SF Twin. you'll likely save bucks over a new Reissue (Although I have played through a couple of RI Twins and they sounded mighty fine, I am a fan of point-to point wiring vs PCB) and have a serviceable amp for years to come.

But like has been said many times on this forum in several contexts... it's a personal taste thing. There is no magic bullet one-size-fits-all...

Eddie Malray · Post by **Eddie Malray** » 28 Dec 2002 3:46 pm

Nick: I've played throught Fenders for the last 6 years. I did'nt like tdhe tone of the old Peaveys. I bought a new Peavey Nashville 1000 yesterday. It sounds great but I still like the Fender sound Better.

John Russell · Post by **John Russell** » 28 Dec 2002 9:34 pm

Yikes! I can't imagine hauling both a Twin and a Session 500 to gigs. I do hit the gym and the weights about 3 days a week but I'll never be up to that workout!

I used to have a Fender Vibrosonic, silver face from the early '70s, JBL speaker. Great tone and I've had to search many years to get back to that sound. To me, the Fender amp is the standard of greatness. Just my opinion.

The down side to Fender Twins, Vibrosonics, Showmans, etc. is the maintenance. Tubes aren't cheap and other parts wear out too. On mine I had to replace the tubes every year or so, and once I had to replace all the tube sockets. Ouch! Then there's the weight. My Vibrosonic nearly dragged me down a flight of stairs a few times. Scary. There are ways to cope with that, extra handles and a dolly. They're still brutally heavy.

My current amps are a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (see the post on "Small Amps--Again")and a two-piece rack rig that includes a TubeWorks preamp. Easy to set up, the FX are in the head cabinet. Portablity is a breeze if you don't mind two pieces of gear instead of one. I can't say it's for everone, but having done this for some 30 years, it's the fix I can live with.
--JR

Michael T. Hermsmeyer · Post by **Michael T. Hermsmeyer** » 30 Dec 2002 2:43 am

Thanks Dave, it was a lot of fun building it and there is a nice warm feeling when something you do turns out so well, and you know that you are preserving a piece of history. Even better than the look of my amp, is the sound. I may eventually try it with a JBL D-130, but the Evans is awesome.
Someday I would like to build an extention cabinet to match and re-do a Fender Deluxe to go along with it. ----- Someday.
Thanks, God Bless,
Michael T.

Eric Stumpf · Post by **Eric Stumpf** » 30 Dec 2002 4:53 am

I play a Stringmaster through my '65 Reissue Blackface Twin and I'm thoroughly disappointed in the amp. First of all, when "idling" with the volume above 2 or 3 it hisses audibly...that really annoys me. The tone is acceptibly good in general but the reverb is not nearly as rich as I'd hoped...I bought it for vintage tone and classic reverb and it delivers neither. This is a product Fender could easily improve if motivated to do so.

Nick Reed · Post by **Nick Reed** » 1 Jan 2003 6:30 pm

Well I'm happy to say I've purchased a mint '65 re-issue Fender Twin Reverb off ebay. I can't wait for it to get here so I can try it out on a gig. I'm still gonna keep my Peavey Nashville 400 & Nashville 1000, in case I don't want that Fender sound. I know, too many amps. . . .but I do own 5 pedal steel guitars. So it's just one more to add to the collection.

Nick

Brad Sarno · Post by **Brad Sarno** » 1 Jan 2003 10:07 pm

Hey Nick, congratulations on getting the re-ssue Twin on ebay. Not so much because you got the Twin, but because you got it on ebay and can probably sell if for what you've got in it. I'm sort of teasing, but not really. I just haven't heard a re-issue that does that sound right. I dont know what they look like on the inside but I'm guessing that they aren't point to point wired like the originals. I dont know why it is really. The reissues I've heard do have a similar sound to the old ones but lack the sweet lush quality that the real ones have, and that includes the reverb sound. It's crazy to me why there are all these '68 and '69 Twins floating around out there for CHEAP. Sometimes under $600. And people still get the expensive new ones that dont sound right. I say find a '68-'71 original, retube, rebias, recap, and clean it up and there's nothing better. They're rugged and reliable and easy to maintain. Sorry Nick, just had to rib ya.

Brad Sarno