February Birthdays 
Remember that girlfriend you once had that you really thought was perfect? But after months or even years of dating, you grew apart? It wasn't sheer incompatibility or anything. She was just, well, a little too perfect. She never forgot your birthday or the anniversary of your first date. On Valentine's Day, she gave you a card, and forgave you when you forgot to buy flowers. She didn't mind cleaning up after you and she cooked your mom's best recipes, only better than mom?
Okay, maybe you never had a girlfriend like that. You may even be thinking, "Damn, I'd never give that up!" Well, my friends, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.
Anyway, that's how it has been with my '65 Twin Reverb Custom 15. After two years, I am about to kick the ol' amp to the curb and trade her in for...an older model. Why? It's hard to put a finger on it. This amp is damn good. Its tones are crystal clear and it makes every single one of my guitars sing with a distinct voice. It's given me two years of flawless operation. It even looks mighty fine, with it's tasteful blackface cosmetics and that big 15" speaker with the chrome dustcap, veiled by a woven silver cloth.
It's perfect - it's just not perfect for surf. There's something missing. Warmth. Personality. A willingness to be a little naughty. Wetness. It's hard to describe. But the other day, a friend came by with a standard Twin, and his had what mine lacked. Then, I got to play through a vintage Dual Showman at a Guitar Center store. Same deal. And, on a visit to Seattle's Emerald City Guitars, I played through a genuine 1965 Fender Twin Reverb. Tonal nirvana. After cheating on my amp, I just couldn't be happy with her anymore.
The root of the problem is undoubtedly the 15" speaker. It's an Eminence, and Fender claims it is based on the JBL D130F. However, it is not an AlNiCo speaker, but rather a ceramic. Does this matter? I don't know. But if they skimped on this important detail, one has to wonder what other design compromises were made. Likely, it has a bigger voice coil than the JBL, as I don't believe the JBL was designed to handle 85 watts RMS, which is the output of the Twin. Perhaps that's why Leo Fender came up with a dual speaker cabinet for the Dual Showman? (History buffs, here's your chance to shine).
On first blush, though, the concept for the Custom 15 sounds great. Having a 15" puts this amp somewhere between the Twin Reverb and the Dual Showman, or so one might believe. Sort of a Dual Showman in a Twin Reverb rapper. Based on the well-regarded, even revered AB763 circuit, (the same one used in both the Twin and the Showman amps, among others), one would suppose that the Custom 15 would deliver Showman performance without the hassles of a 40-year-old piece of electronic equipment.
And it comes close - this amp has more bass response than a reissue Twin. It even has more treble, odd as it may seem. The top end is stellar, with a crystalline treble response that is almost too cutting and clear. And the sound really projects. It definitely sounds best when turned up loud, as in a nightclub or outdoors. Given room to breath, it sounds quite good. Excellent, in fact.
But its clarity is its downfall. Without a little warm naughtiness, it just doesn't quite get the classic surf sound. This is particularly evident when you hook up a standalone Fender reverb and mute your notes. Instead of emphasizing the wet middle-tones, you get the piercing high treble notes. No amount of fiddling helps ... you can dial the treble into non-existence, and it just muddies the sound. Cranking the mid-range knob doesn't do it either.
Sigh. When Fender released this, they said it was perfect for people who play in specific styles: steel, country, jazz, surf. Lately, I have noticed that they are leaving the word "Surf" out of their advertising materials. I wonder if Fender dude and Slacktone virtuoso Dave Wronsky had something to do with that ... he doesn't really like this amplifier for surf guitar, and has said so in the old SG 101 Yahoo! forum.
Anyway, after nearly two years, my tonal tastes seem to have caught up with Dave's. This is a great amp. It might even rival boutique amps for clarity of tone. But, it isn't the perfect amp for surf.
So, I am bidding mine adieu. I plan to replace it with a '70s Twin Reverb taken back to blackface AB763 specs. It is my hope that a handwired Twin will deliver the kind of relationship I am hoping for ... the amp is being reworked by Vintage Sound Amps in Florida. It even has blackface cosmetics, instead of the appallingly ugly silver face look. When it arrives and takes the floorspace once occupied by my Custom 15, I will write a review.
Until then, I'll grieve a love affair that went bad. It was just too good to last.
