1970 Twin Reverb Rewired Like a sDumbel SSS
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Brent Torgrimson
- Posts: 24
- Joined: 27 Oct 2010 12:53 pm
- Location: Austin, Texas, USA
1970 Twin Reverb Rewired Like a sDumbel SSS
I have a 1970 vintage (approximately) Fender Twin Reverb that I modified to emulate (supposedly, based on internet schematics) a sDumbel Steeel Striiing Siiinger (name misspelled because it got struck down on eBay due to sDumbel complaining, I guess). Also removed the tolex and put a new grill on it. I also replaced all the capacitors and tubes. Works great. Sounds great. I'm selling because it's heavy, takes up room, and I just don't need it. The clean sound is just like the original Twin sound. Footswitches are missing, and it's missing the back panels. In addition to the traditional reverb/tremelo footswitch RCA plugs, I also set it up for an XLR connector footswitch to switch between clean and distored channels. I'll guarantee it. If you don't like it, send it back. I'll split shipping with you.
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Chris Boyd
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Kevin Hatton
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Brent Torgrimson
- Posts: 24
- Joined: 27 Oct 2010 12:53 pm
- Location: Austin, Texas, USA
Price/Pics
If anybody is seriously interested in entertaining buying it, I'll send pics. Price? I dunno. What's it worth? I don't care about extracting every penney I can for it, I just want to move it. I'll take $750 for it. Split shipping & packaging for ship. I forgot to mention I put a 6-position tone stack on it, too. Sort of like the Gibson 335 Lucille guitar in concept... 6 resistor/capacitor tone stacks.
Last edited by Brent Torgrimson on 28 Aug 2013 3:46 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Ken Metcalf
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Brent Torgrimson
- Posts: 24
- Joined: 27 Oct 2010 12:53 pm
- Location: Austin, Texas, USA
Details & Pics
It's been maybe 7-8 years since I did these mods, but I believe I remember what I did.
The master volume is "2" on the Normal channel side.
The Vibrato side of the amp is the sDumbel distortion part of the amp. It goes in or out of series after the Normal side, when you select it using the left bright switch.
The bright switch on Vibrato channel selects between rock & jazz. (If you look at a sDumbel, these line up with what's on that amp.) The Vibrato channel bright switch is original and a little scratchy/dirty. I'd replace it. Not required, but if I were making this perfect, I'd replace it. (I don't want to do this.)
I was wrong previously. I said there's a 6 position tone stack, but it's actually a 3 position tone stack. One of the positions is straight through (no modification of tone, like a sDumbel). I don't recall how exactly it worked in the two modes. I believe it works both modes. That makes the most sense. There are more than 3 positions (6 I think) on the switch, and I marked with a pencil the range of positions that matter. If you go out of range, to the left I think, it does nothing.
The XLR connector... if you short 2 of those together, it switches between normal & sDumbel. I don't remember which 2. You'd have to play with it to see (or open up the amp & look... but you do know about shock hazards & capacitors, right?)
As you can see, no back panels. That's how I bought it. I replaced the speakers with some from a Music Man amp I once had. I was playing a gig 1991? and some guy asked to sit in on a song and turned the amp up too loud & blew out my Twin speaker(s). Thanks, drunk rock star, wherever you are!
Reverb/Tremelo work all modes.
Bass knob on channel one pulls out for deep bass.
The two little knobs are volume knobs for gain on the sDumbel distortion side of this amp. They're in series, with the left knob being the first stage. These are fixed or trim pots on the sDumbel as I recall. I just felt like making it adjustable.
I removed the tolex as you can see, and sanded it a little. It's still got a rough look to the wood, just because I liked it rough. Notice the chrome is a bit rusty. I bought this amp in '87 for $150, and the other owner(s) must have had it in a higher humidity environment. I've kept it indoors since.
I've never heard a sDumbel, so I can't tell you if it sounds like a sDumbel. It has a vintage distortion sound like Creem's Strange Brew. Reminds me of that.
The master volume is "2" on the Normal channel side.
The Vibrato side of the amp is the sDumbel distortion part of the amp. It goes in or out of series after the Normal side, when you select it using the left bright switch.
The bright switch on Vibrato channel selects between rock & jazz. (If you look at a sDumbel, these line up with what's on that amp.) The Vibrato channel bright switch is original and a little scratchy/dirty. I'd replace it. Not required, but if I were making this perfect, I'd replace it. (I don't want to do this.)
I was wrong previously. I said there's a 6 position tone stack, but it's actually a 3 position tone stack. One of the positions is straight through (no modification of tone, like a sDumbel). I don't recall how exactly it worked in the two modes. I believe it works both modes. That makes the most sense. There are more than 3 positions (6 I think) on the switch, and I marked with a pencil the range of positions that matter. If you go out of range, to the left I think, it does nothing.
The XLR connector... if you short 2 of those together, it switches between normal & sDumbel. I don't remember which 2. You'd have to play with it to see (or open up the amp & look... but you do know about shock hazards & capacitors, right?)
As you can see, no back panels. That's how I bought it. I replaced the speakers with some from a Music Man amp I once had. I was playing a gig 1991? and some guy asked to sit in on a song and turned the amp up too loud & blew out my Twin speaker(s). Thanks, drunk rock star, wherever you are!
Reverb/Tremelo work all modes.
Bass knob on channel one pulls out for deep bass.
The two little knobs are volume knobs for gain on the sDumbel distortion side of this amp. They're in series, with the left knob being the first stage. These are fixed or trim pots on the sDumbel as I recall. I just felt like making it adjustable.
I removed the tolex as you can see, and sanded it a little. It's still got a rough look to the wood, just because I liked it rough. Notice the chrome is a bit rusty. I bought this amp in '87 for $150, and the other owner(s) must have had it in a higher humidity environment. I've kept it indoors since.
I've never heard a sDumbel, so I can't tell you if it sounds like a sDumbel. It has a vintage distortion sound like Creem's Strange Brew. Reminds me of that.