If it's known for staying really clean really loud, why isn't the Twin a surf staple if clean headroom is so cherished by surf guitarists. Obviously some folks use them but what's so advantageous about a Showman, for example, over a Twin?
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SurfGuitar101 Forums » Gear »
Why isn't the Twin Reverb a classic surf amp?
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Joined: Jun 11, 2009 Posts: 54 |
Posted on Jun 11 2010 07:31 PM
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Joined: Apr 05, 2006 Posts: 1547 Bethlehem, GA 
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Posted on Jun 11 2010 08:10 PM
The enclosed cabinets of the Showman give more projection and a different tonality than an equivalent open back combo, aka the Twin Reverb. To my ears, a Showman has a "tighter" more focused sound. Many very well-regarded surf guitarists use Twins (and other combo amps) on stage and get a great sound. But a Showman (and the Bandmaster as well) gives that sound that a lot of us old guys love and remember.
Jack Booth The Mariners (1964-68, 1996-2005), 2025 |
Joined: Mar 02, 2006 Posts: 11077 Berkeley, CA
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Posted on Jun 11 2010 08:55 PM
I'd say that a major factor is that Twins are heavy as hell and is hard on the many middle aged or older surf musician's backs. Even with wheels it's too low to push easily and then there's always stairs. Even if the weight were comparable, picking up a head in one hand and speaker in the other is far better ergonomically. Though considering I use EV's it's still hard to lift. As for the tone, for some reason all the Twin's I've heard, which are all Blackface or newer, sound kind of sterile. I think it's been explained on a previous thread why that is, I can't recall at the moment. —Danny Snyder I am now playing trumpet with Prince Buster tribute band 'Balzac' Playing keys and guitar with Combo Tezeta Formerly a guitarist in The TomorrowMen and Meshugga Beach Party Latest surf project - Now That's What I Call SURF |
Joined: Dec 16, 2006 Posts: 892 Macomb Mich |
Posted on Jun 11 2010 09:21 PM
I had a 70ish twin that i loved.. BUT it was very sterile when clean.. but crank it and it was tone heaven if you liked loud rock/blues tone — |
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Joined: Jun 27, 2008 Posts: 576 Marlboro, New Jersey
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Posted on Jun 11 2010 10:33 PM
with my 72 twin reverb, I just jammed with my friends and had volume and master volume on 5 and the tone is one sweet ride, especially with my RI tank. Yes, it's one heavy mother, but I'm a young 50 and can carry. As I get older toward 55-60, that might change and have to get a showman or band master. |
Joined: Apr 20, 2006 Posts: 2056
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Posted on Jun 11 2010 11:40 PM
The eq. of the preamp is sig. different. The Twin has a more mid scoop whereas the Showman is relatively a flat eq.-more mids. The Showman can growl at volume whereas the Twin stays clean.. almost too clean. — |
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Joined: Dec 23, 2009 Posts: 86 The Jungle, Australia |
Posted on Jun 12 2010 07:12 PM
i got myself a guyatone twin clone from the 70's in head form and made a cab... im really loving it! the head is still pretty heavy, but waaay more manageable than a combo. i am getting the almost too sterile, but it is still nice and warm, and with the right pedals in front of it and cranked enough you can defs get a little blues dirt happening |
Joined: May 28, 2008 Posts: 333 Los Angeles
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Posted on Jun 12 2010 08:21 PM
HA! I agree with Danny. I would love a Twin, but it is soooo heavy and two speakers are overkill for most venues I have played. At the big venues they stuck a mic in front of my little GT Soul O' 45 anyway so I may as well have something that fits in the back of a little Euro sportscar. — |
Joined: Feb 02, 2008 Posts: 4562 Not One-Sawn, but Two-Sawn . . . AZ.
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Posted on Jun 14 2010 01:07 AM
I once mistakenly thought that a blackface Twin and a brownface Showman were very similar amps. I posted something based upon that assumption and got a free education on the subject in short order. The brownface amps have a lot more mid-range than the blackface amps and if you listen to classic Surf recordings from that era you frequently hear that mid-range grinding away. That's not the only valid Surf guitar sound (IMHO) but it sure is a great sound. —The artist formerly known as: Synchro When Surf Guitar is outlawed only outlaws will play Surf Guitar. |
Joined: Aug 23, 2006 Posts: 2123 The jungle 
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Posted on Jun 14 2010 02:56 AM
I think the answer related to the time frame of the first wave. The brownface Fenders were introduced in 1959 or so and were definitely more available to the kids playing surf music by 1962 or 63. The blackface Twin Reverb was introduced technically in 1963 and were not widely available until mid- to late-1964. (In fact, I have never seen a 1963 Twin Reverb, have you? I am sure a couple are out there, but seem very uncommon.) By 1964, the writing was on the wall for surf music; the Beatles appeared on Ed Sullivan Show in February of that year. Surf musicians nowadays practice a fairly rigid yet anachronistic gear regimen. So they use the brownface Fender, as it was the amp used by the earliest surf bands. It is similar to the mindset of the rockabilly guys, I guess, where hollowbody, Gibsons and Gretsches are de rigueur. And, hey, even modern-day jazz guitarists use the same stuff their bebop idols did, and without apology. Love the Twin Reverb, BTW, been playing them for a long time. It is the only amp I ever intend to use (though I gotta have a nice 15-inch speaker.) If whatever type of musical opportunity I encounter in the future cannot benefit from the Twin, I'll pass. EDIT: I was curious about the 1963 blackface amps. Here are the full set of serial numbers for the Twin Reverb in question: Twin Reverb AA763, AB763 (blackface) There you are. — |
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Joined: Mar 14, 2010 Posts: 30 Melbourne, Australia |
Posted on Jun 14 2010 06:24 AM
I use a '74 Twin. If I could afford a Showman with 2x15's I'd use that but the Twin is a good compromise and they are easier to find. |
Joined: Oct 26, 2008 Posts: 608 This Planet Earth
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Posted on Jun 14 2010 12:14 PM
Good question. I love my Silverface TR. They're excellent amps for around 600 Quatloos. —Cats 'n' Strats, 'cause that's how I roll - I eat reverb for breakfast! Fenderus Collecticus |
Joined: Jul 05, 2006 Posts: 969
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Posted on Jun 14 2010 12:20 PM
not to pirate the thread, but whats the difference between a Fender Twin Reverb and a Fender Twin Amp (I think they call it the Evil Twin). Does anyone use the "Twin Amp"? It seems suitable for surf because of its high wattage and does not have an onboard reverb, making the tank a suitable pairing for it. Just curious... |
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Joined: Aug 23, 2006 Posts: 2123 The jungle
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Posted on Jun 14 2010 06:51 PM
Despite a similar name, the "Evil" Twin is a totally different circuit. I think only the clean channel (1 of 2) would be useful for surf music. I generally detest any engineered Fender preamp distortion, so that entire channel (2 of 2) would be useless for me. The only feature that would make me want to try it would be the 1/4-power feature. (Though if you add a way to vary the screen grid voltage, variable power output is really not so hard to get in any tube amp.) Also, the audible difference between 85 and 100 Watts is negligible here, IMO. Maybe Dario will chime in here... I have read many times over the years about these amps not being well designed and having reliability issues. I have not heard this about the red knob Twin, BTW, only the newer revision that came out in the 90s. Forget the Evil Twin or the tweed Twin, you can give me one of these any day. Jensens, pls.:
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Joined: Mar 31, 2010 Posts: 877 Santa Barbara Ca... in the 805
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Posted on Jun 14 2010 08:29 PM
There's one on the gear page however, it's not original.. Just killer amps!! Rare as hell but also a total back breaker! I owed one once upon a time. Original JBL's with wheat grill .. I sold it because it weighed in at 90 lbs! Those JBL's were amazing and heavy too! The Twin looked just like the one you posted but with chrome dust covers.. |
Joined: Nov 09, 2008 Posts: 1140 Davenport Iowa
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Posted on Jun 14 2010 10:32 PM
I think they made about 500 of em. Give me reverb or give me death! |
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Joined: Mar 31, 2010 Posts: 877 Santa Barbara Ca... in the 805
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Posted on Jun 14 2010 11:13 PM
Yeah Scot, I sold mine for $5000 and I lost money |
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Joined: Nov 09, 2008 Posts: 1140 Davenport Iowa
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Posted on Jun 15 2010 12:59 AM
bummer. Should have kept it! 90 pounds or not. If I see one Ill grab it (if its way less than $5K) Give me reverb or give me death! |
Joined: Feb 27, 2006 Posts: 1070 Ventura County, Calif.
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Posted on Jun 15 2010 01:15 AM
Twin Reverb? Be careful following the masses. Sometimes the "M" is silent........................... |
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Joined: Mar 31, 2010 Posts: 877 Santa Barbara Ca... in the 805
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Posted on Jun 15 2010 08:06 AM
Guess i'm a pussy well maybe not me in general however my back is a different story.. |
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