Menu
Okay, I've had this for about five days now, so the speaker is
broken in and I've got the tone pretty dialed to my taste. First
impressions: this is a very basic amp in the Fender Blackface-
era tradition: two channels, one with vibrato and reverb, the other
with just vol., treble, mid, bass controls. Each channel has two
inputs.
The amp is very clean super clean. Every nuance of my pick
attack comes through. This can be good, but make one tiny
mistake and it comes roaring back at you. Definitely helps you
clean up your technique.
The main difference between this and the Twin Reverb Reissue
is the speaker a big, aluminum dust cap Eminence modeled
after the JBL D130F of the 1960s. After break in, this speaker
sounds great. The amp has a big, deep boomy bass sound and
projects it very wide. A big improvement over the twin 12s that
comes with the standard Twin bigger, wider sound. It should
work well in clubs. Time will tell. Despite its size, it handles
treble and mid tones extremely well almost too well. Overall, it
has nice high, glassy overtones that one expects from a Fender
Blackface.
Without a master volume, you can only get distortion by cranking
it up, which with an 85-watt amp results in a very loud sound
indeed. Since I like a little dirty tone, especially for Link Wray
songs, I put a TS-9 Tube Screamer in front the signal chain. This
amp is so clean and powerful, I had to turn the distortion control
until it was pegged to get good breakup at moderate volume, but
it was so creamy-smooth!
Both the reverb and the tremelo sound good you don't get the
wet sound of an outboard reverb, but it is still formidably deep.
At $1,000 bucks, this amp ain't cheap. But it's a damn nice substitute for =
a vintage Twin and should work excellently for surf.
I've listened to boutique amps at three times the cost that didn't
have as nice and rich a clean tone. I think Fender's gonna sell
lots of these, as they are priced the same as the standard Twin
Reissue but have a much richer sound.
Gavin,
Thanks very much for that review! I did some research on the Fender Forum,
and one guy who bought one ended up taking his back because he was getting
some kind of annoying rattle from the cabinet at moderate volumes. Any sign
of that from yours?
I don't know about Fender selling a lot of these. They seemed to be aimed at
the steel players again (as was the 90's Vibrosonic), as a Fender employee
seemed to indicate on a posting on the FDP (he mentioned extensive testing
with a steel guitar). I think most blooze guys will go with either a Twin
Reissue or something with much less power so that it will break up when
cranked (like a DRRI or Super). On the other hand, I hope they do sell well
and encourage more 15" models in the future. Piggybacks again anyone?
BN
There was a small rattle that seemed to eminate from the
speaker cone, but it went away with the break in. Now, it is dead
quiet. I just see potential in someone looking for clean sound
wtih a lot more bass response...a friend who plays rock through
an AC30 said his main complaint was that the Twin Reverb was
thin on bass response. I'll be interested to hear his opinion of
this amp. I think Fender is making a mistake trying to sell this as
a steel amp, that almost kept me from buying it. I think it is
perfect for surf.
Gavin
Gavin
--- In , "Brian Neal" <bneal@i...> wrote:
> Gavin,
>
> Thanks very much for that review! I did some research on the Fender Forum,
> and one guy who bought one ended up taking his back
because he was getting
> some kind of annoying rattle from the cabinet at moderate
volumes. Any sign
> of that from yours?
>
> I don't know about Fender selling a lot of these. They seemed
to be aimed at
> the steel players again (as was the 90's Vibrosonic), as a
Fender employee
> seemed to indicate on a posting on the FDP (he mentioned
extensive testing
> with a steel guitar). I think most blooze guys will go with either
a Twin
> Reissue or something with much less power so that it will
break up when
> cranked (like a DRRI or Super). On the other hand, I hope they
do sell well
> and encourage more 15" models in the future. Piggybacks
again anyone?
>
> BN
I'm surprised to hear that someone felt a 2 - 12 Twin was light on bass
response. The 65' RI 2 -12 Twin is actually quite heavy on bass response and
moves more air than a single 15 would, yet I'm sure the single 15 is capable of
darker tones. Theoretically, 2 - 12's produce punchier bass 'cause the voice
coils will respond quicker on 12's than on 15's BUT at guitar frequencies, I
doubt one wiould notice anymore punch between the two different speaker set ups.
-Marty
----- Original Message -----
From: Gavin Ehringer
To:
Sent: Wednesday, June 09, 2004 7:59 PM
Subject: [SurfGuitar101] Re: Fender '65 Twin Reverb Custom 15 Review...
There was a small rattle that seemed to eminate from the
speaker cone, but it went away with the break in. Now, it is dead
quiet. I just see potential in someone looking for clean sound
wtih a lot more bass response...a friend who plays rock through
an AC30 said his main complaint was that the Twin Reverb was
thin on bass response. I'll be interested to hear his opinion of
this amp. I think Fender is making a mistake trying to sell this as
a steel amp, that almost kept me from buying it. I think it is
perfect for surf.
Gavin
Gavin
--- In , "Brian Neal" <bneal@i...> wrote:
> Gavin,
>
> Thanks very much for that review! I did some research on the Fender Forum,
> and one guy who bought one ended up taking his back
because he was getting
> some kind of annoying rattle from the cabinet at moderate
volumes. Any sign
> of that from yours?
>
> I don't know about Fender selling a lot of these. They seemed
to be aimed at
> the steel players again (as was the 90's Vibrosonic), as a
Fender employee
> seemed to indicate on a posting on the FDP (he mentioned
extensive testing
> with a steel guitar). I think most blooze guys will go with either
a Twin
> Reissue or something with much less power so that it will
break up when
> cranked (like a DRRI or Super). On the other hand, I hope they
do sell well
> and encourage more 15" models in the future. Piggybacks
again anyone?
>
> BN
.
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
Hey Gavin,
Just wonderin what kind of git-fiddle your runnin thru that amp to get that
sweet sound. Strat? etc.? Thanks,
Billy
>
> From: "Gavin Ehringer" <>
> Date: 2004/06/09 Wed PM 09:24:26 EDT
> To:
> Subject: [SurfGuitar101] Fender '65 Twin Reverb Custom 15 Review...
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
The 2 12's may move more air, but I can tell you, when you've got an amp
turned up, the 12s get mushy in the bass before a 15 does. Having run Twins
with stock D120s and also with a D130, there's no comparison. The 15 has
more low end definition. Play Misirlou on both with the volume around 5,
you'll see what I mean.
Mel
-----Original Message-----
From: Marty Tippens [mailto:]
Sent: Wednesday, June 09, 2004 10:06 PM
To:
Subject: Re: [SurfGuitar101] Re: Fender '65 Twin Reverb Custom 15 Review...
I'm surprised to hear that someone felt a 2 - 12 Twin was light on bass
response. The 65' RI 2 -12 Twin is actually quite heavy on bass response
and moves more air than a single 15 would, yet I'm sure the single 15 is
capable of darker tones. Theoretically, 2 - 12's produce punchier bass
'cause the voice coils will respond quicker on 12's than on 15's BUT at
guitar frequencies, I doubt one wiould notice anymore punch between the two
different speaker set ups.
-Marty
----- Original Message -----
From: Gavin Ehringer
To:
Sent: Wednesday, June 09, 2004 7:59 PM
Subject: [SurfGuitar101] Re: Fender '65 Twin Reverb Custom 15 Review...
There was a small rattle that seemed to eminate from the
speaker cone, but it went away with the break in. Now, it is dead
quiet. I just see potential in someone looking for clean sound
wtih a lot more bass response...a friend who plays rock through
an AC30 said his main complaint was that the Twin Reverb was
thin on bass response. I'll be interested to hear his opinion of
this amp. I think Fender is making a mistake trying to sell this as
a steel amp, that almost kept me from buying it. I think it is
perfect for surf.
Gavin
Gavin
--- In , "Brian Neal" <bneal@i...> wrote:
> Gavin,
>
> Thanks very much for that review! I did some research on the Fender
Forum,
> and one guy who bought one ended up taking his back
because he was getting
> some kind of annoying rattle from the cabinet at moderate
volumes. Any sign
> of that from yours?
>
> I don't know about Fender selling a lot of these. They seemed
to be aimed at
> the steel players again (as was the 90's Vibrosonic), as a
Fender employee
> seemed to indicate on a posting on the FDP (he mentioned
extensive testing
> with a steel guitar). I think most blooze guys will go with either
a Twin
> Reissue or something with much less power so that it will
break up when
> cranked (like a DRRI or Super). On the other hand, I hope they
do sell well
> and encourage more 15" models in the future. Piggybacks
again anyone?
>
> BN
.
Visit for archived messages,
bookmarks, files, polls, etc.
Yahoo! Groups Sponsor
ADVERTISEMENT
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--
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b.. To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
.
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--- In , "Gavin Ehringer"
<gavinehringer@e...> wrote:
> ...
> I think Fender is making a mistake trying to sell this as
> a steel amp, that almost kept me from buying it. I think it is
> perfect for surf.
>
> Gavin
Here is some text from Fender's website on the amp:
"The Twin's Vibrato, Reverb, and crystal clean tones are great as
always, and the 15's extra fat clear bottom end, smooth treble, and
high power handling make this amp a godsend for guitarists in
specific genres."
I think they had surf and country in mind as "specific genres", but
probably didn't want to mention them by name to avoid pidgeon-holing
the amp. :)
BN
Thanks Gavin! Point well made, this amp was made to be played loud and it
would have been my choice for medium/larger facilities...
But, I would have probably been booted out of small town America!
I am interested in the Professors take on 2/12s Vs a single 15".
Marty, would you actually prefer the Twin over the single 15" and why?
Other opinions are welcome, because this amp sounds pretty rockin to me...
Come on, drop in, Rick!
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I play a custom-made Retrotone "Surfmaster" which is a cross
between a Strat and Jazzmaster with Danelectro lipsticks. You
can see it in "Photos" in the folder "Guitars." It was made by Carl
Pettis, CP Custom Guitars of New Jersey.
My backup is a stock MIJ Fender Jazzmaster.
One thing I noticed, immediately, was that this amp really allows
you to hear the differences in tone from one guitar to the next. It
is tons more responsive than most I've played. My Jazzmaster
really came to life with this amp must be the Fender family
relationship!
--- In , <scanman@a...> wrote:
> Hey Gavin,
> Just wonderin what kind of git-fiddle your runnin thru that amp
to get that sweet sound. Strat? etc.? Thanks,
> Billy
>
> >
> > From: "Gavin Ehringer" <gavinehringer@e...>
> > Date: 2004/06/09 Wed PM 09:24:26 EDT
> > To:
> > Subject: [SurfGuitar101] Fender '65 Twin Reverb Custom 15
Review...
> >
> >
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
I think Mel said it more eloquently than I could have...the 15" in
this amp is just really good and works really well to articulate
treble, mid and bass notes. When I said it had more bass, I
would amend that to agree with Mel the bass just has more
definition and depth of quality.
One thing someone mentioned earlier was that the Vibrosonic
(a 100-watt Twin with a 15" that was made up to the 1980s) was
less directional than the 2 x 12" combo and could be played
unmiked in a club without producing bad hot-spots.
Best is...go hear one, if ya can.
--- In , "Johnston, Rick" <rick.johnston@u...>=
wrote:
> Thanks Gavin! Point well made, this amp was made to be
played loud and it
> would have been my choice for medium/larger facilities...
>
> But, I would have probably been booted out of small town
America!
>
> I am interested in the Professors take on 2/12s Vs a single
15".
> Marty, would you actually prefer the Twin over the single 15"
and why?
> Other opinions are welcome, because this amp sounds pretty
rockin to me...
>
>
> Come on, drop in, Rick!
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
The single 15" Twin sounds like a great idea to me as well. I imagine it's a
step closer to the Showman with 2-15's sound. I'm anxious to hear it.
-Marty
----- Original Message -----
From: Johnston, Rick
To:
Sent: Thursday, June 10, 2004 6:04 AM
Subject: RE: [SurfGuitar101] Fender '65 Twin Reverb Custom 15 Review...
Thanks Gavin! Point well made, this amp was made to be played loud and it
would have been my choice for medium/larger facilities...
But, I would have probably been booted out of small town America!
I am interested in the Professors take on 2/12s Vs a single 15".
Marty, would you actually prefer the Twin over the single 15" and why?
Other opinions are welcome, because this amp sounds pretty rockin to me...
Come on, drop in, Rick!
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
.
Visit for archived messages,
bookmarks, files, polls, etc.
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ADVERTISEMENT
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[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
