The Twin Reverb (original or '65 Reissue") is a great surf amp. It is very similar electronically to a Showman which you probably know is the Holy Grail of surf amps. Both are rated at 85 watts, but the Showman does not have reverb...unless it is a Dual Showman Reverb which is essentially a silverface 100W "Twin Reverb head". Are you confused yet? It gets more so:

In the mid '90's, Fender introduced the Twin Amp which looks very much like a Twin Reverb, but it has something like 14 knobs and an effects loop among other things. It was marketed as the "Evil Twin". I've never played through one, but I've heard that it isn't a "surf amp".

It sounds like the one you are looking at is a silverface model, which were made from 1968 into the late '70's. Generally the EARLY silverface amps are quite good, but if it has a master volume knob on the far right, these aren't generally considered as good as the earlier ones.

I'd recommend that you might find a better deal from a private individual, either in your local market or possibly on eBay. If the music store Twin is a non-master volume model, and if it carries a guarantee and sounds awesome, it may be an OK deal. If you look around, you can find good silverface or '65 Reissue Twin Reverbs for $700-ish. Fender made zillions of them, so there are plenty of good ones out there.

Also understand that a 30 year old amp may need some TLC, as in filter capacitors, tubes, speakers, etc, which can get expensive. For that reason, a really clean pre-owned '65 Twin Reverb reissue is a great alternative.

Not to sound like a surf nazi, but you'll probably like the "Fender sound" for surf music better than the Kustom. The Twin Reverb is one of the most versatile amps ever made, and they are loud as hell when cranked.

If you can find a copy of "the Fender Amp Book" by John Teague and John Sprung, it will tell you everything you need to know about every Fender amp ever made up to the time of publication, which was 1996 or so.

Hope this helps!

Jack Booth
(aka WoodyJ)

The Mariners (1964-68, 1996-2005), 2025
The Hula Hounds (1996-2000)
The X-Rays (1997-2004)
The Surge! (2004, 2011-2012)
Various non-surf bands that actually made money (1978-1990)

with Ran,

plus, if your anal about it, a decent tech can easily convert a 100 watter master volume circuit to an 85 watt non master volume circuit, all the essential ingredients are the same.

SF Fenders, best bang for the buck. (until they went ultra-lineair)

WR

Rules to live by #314:
"When in Italy, if the menu says something's grilled, don't assume it is."

https://www.facebook.com/The-Malbehavers-286429584796173/

Iron,

There are "bad" reissue Fender amps, just as there are "bad", ill-maintained vintage Fenders.

There are also some excellent ones. My experience with a '65 Deluxe Reverb reissue and a '65 Twin reissue, both bought used, was just fine. No issues, no problems, and I eventually sold both of them for what I had in them. Both were sold to thin out a too-big amp inventory, not because there was anything wrong with them. My RI Deluxe sounded pretty much the same as the "real" '65 Deluxe reverb that I've had since it was new.

Check eBay to get an idea of what early silverfaces and RI Twin Reverbs are going for. If your Guitar Center is like the ones around here, their prices are substantially above "market value". There are plenty of these amps out there, and I assume you wany a good one that will give you good service. All things being equal, sure, I'd opt for the early silverface over the RI, but I think you'll find a big difference in price since the early silverface amps are now considered "vintage" pieces. As I said earlier:

Also understand that a 30 year old amp may need some TLC, as in filter capacitors, tubes, speakers, etc, which can get expensive. For that reason, a really clean pre-owned '65 Twin Reverb reissue is a great alternative.

One thing there is no shortage of on this forum is opinions, and you know the old saying "opinions are like..." But we are just trying to help you to make a good decision on a major purchase. When you find the right one, it will be a keeper!

Jack Booth
(aka WoodyJ)

The Mariners (1964-68, 1996-2005), 2025
The Hula Hounds (1996-2000)
The X-Rays (1997-2004)
The Surge! (2004, 2011-2012)
Various non-surf bands that actually made money (1978-1990)

Iron,

No single amp does it all...that's why it's fun to have several!

The RI Twin Reverb is loud and clean. It probably comes closest to doing everything a combo amp should do. While not a "surf amp" per se, the AC30 is a WONDERFUL, toneful amp as well.

Back to the Twin reverb...here's what The Fender Amp Book says: "The (blackface) Twin Reverb speaks with a deep voice, sonorous and confident. It is possibly the quintessential combo amp, having a wide tonal range, the sweet sound of spring reverb-as well as tremolo-and enough reserve power to fill most environments without being miked...Fender should continue its tradition of the Twin as first choice for touring professionals, rehearsal studios, and rental businesses. Old Reliable".

There are a lot of surf purists on here who will tell you that you must have a tube Fender amp to get "that" sound. While that is pretty much correct, there are lots of other great sounding amps out there that aren't Brand F that are very surfable. Back in the day, those of us who couldn't afford a Fender amp (which was most of us!) went to Sears and got a Silvertone Twin Twelve or whatever finances would allow, and even those things sounded great to our untrained ears.

Lest you think I'm a Twin junkie, while I've had one in the past, I don't currently. I replaced the RI Twin I had with a WAY more expensive Dual Professional, and I immediately wanted my Twin back because it sounded significantly better. My current high-power combo is a '95 Custom Vibrasonic Reverb with a Weber Cali 15. It is very similar to the current Twin Reverb Custom 15, and it kills. It is a reissue which I bought used at a guitar show about 9 years ago, and it has been completely trouble-free.

Buying a good amp is like pursuing a woman...half the fun is in the thrill of the chase! Enjoy!

Jack Booth
(aka WoodyJ)

The Mariners (1964-68, 1996-2005), 2025
The Hula Hounds (1996-2000)
The X-Rays (1997-2004)
The Surge! (2004, 2011-2012)
Various non-surf bands that actually made money (1978-1990)

I gave my advice, you decided to ignore it, ok with me, but now I hear that you're going to pay $1000 for a RI - it's your money, but I advise you one last time to not do it.
I won't bother you again, it's just that for me $1000 is a lot of money and I hate to see you blow it on something that is not worth it.
Have fun,

Ran

The Scimitars

Iron,

The RI doesn't suck, IMO. Remember my comment about opinions. Also remember that we are all trying to help you make a good decision on a major purchase.

Arguably a REALLY GOOD ($$$) early silverface may have slightly better tone than the RI, but unless you have very sensitive Eric Johnson ears, you probably couldn't tell any significant difference. Supposedly Eric can detect the difference in battery brands in his effects pedals.

The one I had had the gold/brown label stock speakers and it sounded great. PM me with your e-mail address and I'll send you a Mariners CD... all the lead parts were recorded with my ex-RI Twin, listen to it and then tell me how bad it sucks.

If you can get one of those blonde Anniversary twins in your price range, that would kill. A buddy of mine who owns a local music store uses one of those as his main gigging amp, and he has plenty of vintage stuff in his collection. He has been playing 40+ years and he loves the RI Twin. It is loud, clean, and reliable, with a nice, wet inboard reverb.

Here's an anology: Compare a nice, well-kept '67 Mustang GT with a brand new '07 Mustang GT. The '67 definitely has the cool factor, but which one would you want to depend on to drive to work every day if it was your only car?

I'm probably as much of a trad gearhead as anyone on this board. I have 10 or 11 old Fender amps at the moment, a couple I've had since 1965. Trust me when I say that if YOU like the way the RI Twin sounds, go for it. It is a great amp for the money.

Jack Booth
(aka WoodyJ)

The Mariners (1964-68, 1996-2005), 2025
The Hula Hounds (1996-2000)
The X-Rays (1997-2004)
The Surge! (2004, 2011-2012)
Various non-surf bands that actually made money (1978-1990)

Is it only me, or does anyone else think you can get a vintage showman head and generic speaker cab for $1000 with a little patience? Heads go for $600 to $800 and speaker cabs are available for $200. The advantage is you can try all types of speaker variations unlike the twin, and they just look cooler!

I don't know where you live, but if Craigslist is an option, be patient and wait for a vintage amp that you can try out. There's other ways too, classified pages, word of mouth, etc..$1000 is plenty for many blackfaces and early silverfaces.

Danny Snyder

"With great reverb comes great responsibility" - Uncle Leo

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

DannySnyder
Is it only me, or does anyone else think you can get a vintage showman head and generic speaker cab for $1000 with a little patience? Heads go for $600 to $800 and speaker cabs are available for $200. The advantage is you can try all types of speaker variations unlike the twin, and they just look cooler!

I don't know where you live, but if Craigslist is an option, be patient and wait for a vintage amp that you can try out. There's other ways too, classified pages, word of mouth, etc..$1000 is plenty for many blackfaces and early silverfaces.

Absolutely. I paid $600 for my 1966 Showman head on ebay last year and another $360 for a killer 15" cab w. tone ring baffle made for me by Zack of Vibroworld. Add the 15" Weber VST Californa speaker (JBL D130 repro), and voila!. Cost: about $1,200 including a quad set of JJ's and a full-through cap job and service to clean/tune the head.
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