'71 Fender Silverface Twin....should I buy?

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

It's all original with no issues. Non-master volume, sounds great with my steel. The seller wants about $600 US for it. Should I jump on it? I already have a '76 Session 400, but I'm wanting tube warmth.

Any advice?

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

I'd say yes. The days of cheap silver face twins seem to be behind us (although it's still a bargain compared with a black face twin). The non-master model you are looking at can either be left as is or can be blackfaced easily, your call (and you will get arguments on the forum either way). And you can keep the 2 x 12" config or you can go 1 x 15". The catch is: is a Fender right for you? I know it is for me--lately whenever I play thru a Twin or hear someone playing thru one I walk away asking myself 'self--why are you dicking around with other amps? You know a Twin is what makes you happy'.
Bottom line--I think you would be able to get your money back on resale if you decided it wasn't right for you. You might find a better deal if you were patient. And you might not.
If it were me I'd probably go for it.

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

I'd jump on it for sure - but plan on about $200 to have it serviced. It needs a full cap job (all filters and bias cap), tube sockets cleaned, tubes checked and biased etc., plus a 3-prong cord if it doesn't have one.

The cap job is MANDATORY if it's all original. You do not want to risk blowing your output or power transformer.

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

I have an early silver faced Twin Reverb that I bought new in 1967 and I have NEVER done anything to it. It still sounds GREAT!
Erv

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

I would if I needed one. My favorite Twin Reverbs are 68-71, the jazz kings. I think that $600US is a fair price, even if it needs filter caps and so on, provided it is in otherwise excellent, original condition with original speakers, etc.

My '71 has original JBL D-120F speakers - it would sell for quite a bit more than $600. You know, $600 is probably not a lot more than what these amps sold for in 1971. Think about it - how much does a new Dodge sell for, as compared to what it sold for in 1971?. What does a RI Twin Reverb go for, used? It's a good amp, but very different than a point-to-point-wired 71 Twin Reverb.

I believe that a comparably built new amp would cost much more than $600 to build. I still consider Silverface non-master Fenders a bargain, especially the Twins.

Papa Joe Pollick · From: Swanton, Ohio

Buy it,buy it, buy it,before someone else does..PJ

Donny Hinson · From: Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.

If it's working good, grab it!

(It's like money in the bank.)

David Doggett · Posted 24 Jan 2006 2:21 pm

That's a good price for a silverface Twin these days. You'll love the tone. The Fender silverface Twin family of amps (Dual, Vibrosonic, Super Twin) are my favorites for pedal steel. I prefer them to blackfaces, because they have more clean headroom. I like a 15" speaker when I'm playing alone, but with a group two 12s are great.

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

I picked up one of the reissued twin reverbs a while ago with the 15" speaker in it. I LIKE it!

Erv

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

The seller has replaced the filter caps, there's a three-prong plug (and the socket on the back is three-prong)and it has the original speakers, footswitch, etc. It's basically a clean amp. And it's here in my city, so no shipping charges.

My thinking was similar to Donny's; it is like money in the bank, I guess. They're in music stores up here for $1,000 - when they show up, which is not too often.

I don't know what it will be like in a live enviornment. I'll be using it with a Sho-Bud Pro 1 in a six-piece country band mostly. I have until tomorrow to make up my mind. I appreciate the input here. The main reason why I'm considering it is the glowing reports of this model on the forum, and by the looks of the opinions here, I guess I should get it.

Thanks.....

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

That Pro 1 was born to be played thru that Twin. Go for it.

James Quackenbush · From: Pomona, New York, USA

You can't go wrong especially at that price
Great sounding amps !!....Go for it !!...Jim

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

I've decided to buy it. I'm picking it up tomorrow. Actually, I have a feeling this may be the same amp I sold in 1992 (before I was playing steel); I didn't make a record of the serial number, and those days were foggy - so I can't really remember any particulars that would identify it. But there's a pretty good chance it is the amp, seeing that the town is fairly small. I bought it then for $350, and sold it for $300. Those days are long gone.

I'm interested in getting to know more about the pre-master silverface, so any more opinions/info from you guys would be great. I'll be gigging it the weekend, so I get to put it to the test in a few days.

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

"I have an early silver faced Twin Reverb that I bought new in 1967 and I have NEVER done anything to it. It still sounds GREAT!"

The problem is, you're playing with fire. electrolytic caps are meant to last 10 years...15 tops. Beyond that, they can blow without warning. The amp will sound great, then nothing - and you've fried your output or power transformer and quite a few other things.

It's NOT worth leaving alone. A cap job will not wreck the tone of the amp. It's the equivalent of replacing tires or doing an oil change on a car.

It's nuts to leave old caps in a playing amp.

Dan Beller-McKenna · From: Durham, New Hampshire, USA

Is there a ballpark range one can expect to pay for a cap job on an amp? I suppose need one on my old (c. 1980) Peavey.

Dan

------------------
Dan Beller-McKenna
Durham, NH
Dekley S-10, Telecaster, Guild D-35, Peavey Heritage VTX

James Morehead · From: Prague, Oklahoma, USA - R.I.P.

I have a '71 twin reverb in a head cabinet, and a pair of JBL K-130's in Rick Johnson extension cabs. I also have a second pair of Rick Johnson cabs loaded with Altec 418B's. I also have EV 15L's for THAT mood, too. Point is, they all sound great with my twin. Black Widows sound super, too!

Mine is recapped, and has Jan Phillips 7581A 6L6 Military Grade power tubes, and it sounds fabulous. I paid about $90 to get mine recapped with Sprague Orange Drop caps. They out did the original old blue caps for tone BIGTIME! $90 spent, and I can trust my amp.

Russ Tkac · Posted 25 Jan 2006 6:10 am

I bought a '71 twin used in '71. It was a great amp and sounded nice with my Sho-Bud Professional.

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

Having done my own cap replacements on a couple of amps, I am out of touch with the going rate for a cap job but----James, there is no problem with the cap replacements you had done (although there are folks who would argue that you should have kept those blue ones in there but that's just personal taste) HOWEVER that is not the cap job being talked about. You are talking about "tone caps". The mandatory cap job is on the electrolytic filter caps inside the rectangular "dog house" metal box. While new filter caps can definitely improve the sound of an old amp, the point is that old electrolytics can just plain fail and take major components with them. This is not an issue with the Orange Drop tone caps.

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

I bought the amp today, and rehearsed with it. It sounds very warm, and the overtones are smooth and shimmery. I A/B'ed it with my Sesson 400 and you can hear the difference compared to the solid state. However, the Session has a better punch - you can almost feel the notes being plucked, as opposed to the Twin which just delivers them all in an even, almost compressed way. I guess that's due to the 15" JBL in the Session. And I also guess that's why some of you have the 15" in the Twin.

The Twin doesn't have the low end response either, so I tried running a Boss EQ and that took care of it, although I'm not crazy about running anything between the amp and steel, except for the volume pedal. When I first turned it on and plugged in the steel, I wasn't really blown away. But after an hour, when was really warmed up, that's when the tone started showing itself BIG TIME.

Overall, I like the Twin better because of the warm sound; but I'm surprised at how the Session transistor holds up against its mighty tube contender.

Papa Joe Pollick · From: Swanton, Ohio

So Chris,Why not use them both? I've been using 2,and sometimes 3 amps for years.Each one has it's own individual voice.If you have a stereo vol.ped.,your all set to go.Or an AB switch box.Hey just my opinion.
PJ
p.s. congrats on your Twin.

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

P.J.,

Thanks a lot. Great suggestion. Might was well have another one to even out the carrying weight.

I have a stereo pedal, and will try this tomorrow when the baby's awake. I'm not a big fan of having to carry two amps around, but man, it's hard to choose! That punch of the Session with the warmth of the Twin is a great combination.

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

Here's a pic of the beasts.......

Dave Mudgett · From: Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee

Now, that's a nice looking pair. Probably not for the faint of back, though.

Jim Sliff · From: Lawndale California, USA

John Light mentioned the filter caps in the "doghouse - there's one more critical one - the bias circuit electolytic that sits on a small board with a set of diodes. That one should be replaced with a 100ma/100V cap for safety.

It often gets missed in "do it yourself" cap jobs - to the delight of tube suppliers and amp techs who get to sell power tubes and more caps, plus resistors and other cooked parts.

This really is a "rule" - at 20 years a cap job is a must on an amp that's going to be played. The amp might sound great, but it is an accident waiting to happen. It's not worth taking the chance, and has little (if any) effect on vintage value.

James Morehead · From: Prague, Oklahoma, USA - R.I.P.

Jon Light, Thanx for bringing up the differences, that IS quite important. I should have mention my amp was gone through 100%---and ALL caps, and also set up to '65 blackface specs. As I recall, the cap job was about $90.

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