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Fender Twin and Deluxe Reverb opinions


Dub-T-123

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Hey guys. I'm gonna be joining a new (to me) band soon and I'm in need of a new amp.

 

I currently have an AC30, but aside from it being extremely unreliable and currently non working, I'd like something that can give me clean sounds at band volume, plus I really prefer the sound of Fender's reverb.

 

I'm mostly looking at Deluxe Reverbs and Twin Reverbs. I'd rather get the Deluxe Reverb for ease of transportation and the price, but I'm afraid I may want the extra clean headroom of the Twin.

 

Additionally, there are now silverface and blackface reissue models.

 

I guess I'm really curious if anyone has any reasons I should look for a particular model, avoid a particular model, and if anyone has experience with the Deluxe Reverb and can tell me if I will need the Twin to stay clean with (pretty loud) drums bass n keys

 

I'm going to bring my guitar out to the shop to try and get some first hand experience this weekend but I figure you guys will probably already have some good experience that can point me in the right direction :)

 

Thanks!

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I've used both, but I have to be honest and say it was at a time when stupid volume was ok. Both will do pretty loud pretty well, the Twin considerably louder and harder to dent with pedals. I'd go with a Twin just because I like the headroom and the speaker space. It's a good problem to have! Good luck.

 

rct

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The deluxe at 22 watts is gonna break up a lot quicker than the Twin.

 

so depending on how loud the other guys get, if it's clean head room you seek, Twin.. hands down.

 

You can always jam a decent over drive pedal in front of it... there's only about 8,000,000,000 to choose from..

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Non working is pretty unreliable.

 

I had a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and at 40 watts that thing was so loud at 4 or 5. Fenders for some reason go to 12. Don't they know 11 is the new 10 or was in Spinal Taps day.

 

I borrowed my friends Twin for a few weeks and it was about 88 watts. It was clean and loud.

I'm not really sure what I can do with the Vox. It's probably not worth much to sell in it's current state, and I don't want to dump a bunch of money on repairs just to sell it. The problem is that it randomly stops turning on from standby mode (ie you can power it on, but it is always on standby). It will work fine for a while then just stop working. I have changed the tubes a few times and last time I changed all the tubes and the amp went back out of commission in a couple weeks. So I'm frustrated with that thing, and have come to prefer the fender clean reverby sound for my fundamental sound

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Depends on how loud you can get during your gigs. If you always go through the PA, chances are the sound guy doesn't want you to turn your amp up much. In that case, I would get a Deluxe.

 

If you need a lot of volume, go for a Twin. They weigh a ton, though. So, go with whatever amp is practical for you. The Deluxe is nice and light, and you can get it to break-up easily. You will be deaf before you get a Twin into overdrive. That amp sounds great a lower volumes, too, and it takes pedals pretty well. Just avoid pedals that emphasize highs and scoop the mids; it will sound like hell!

 

Anyway, good luck! I'm actually in the hunt for a Vox AC15 or AC30. Could you help me out with some info on those amps? Practical info like weight, what kind of pedals are great with them, the quality of the reverb, headroom, etc.

 

Thanks!

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Well you know how I feel.... [biggrin] [biggrin]

 

As I own a Twin II....

As long as you are prepared to haul it...

 

Do you not mess with valve amp circuits then Dub? Do you fix any amps?

Could it not just be a faulty switch or solder joint?

 

You might also like a Roland JC120. :-k

 

(Edit) Don't buy a Super Twin. They were 180w with a noisy 5-band graphic, some without reverb - weighed even more!

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Yet another vote for the Twin.

Can't really go wrong. What can anyone say? It's one of the very few genuinely all-time classic amps. It has so much headroom for cleans you'll never be at a loss for power and if you want pedals then you, better than most, know exactly what to do!

 

However if you are open to the idea of buying 'used'...

 

Back in early 1980 my '60s Marshall 2x10 combo died and I was in my local shop about to buy a used late '70s Twin Reverb until I was invited to try out the ex-demo Music Man 2x12 which I still use to this day. Leo designed it as a sort of Twin Reverb on steroids. It's a SS & Valve (AKA 'tooob') hybrid and has a very clever o/d circuit with 4 o/d stages which are dialled-out as genuine valve o/d comes in at high vol. In 36 years it has never broken down once and apart from a precautionary valve-swap 20 years ago hasn't even been serviced. IMO it's at least as good as a Twin in what a Twin does and because of it's circuitry it can do things a Twin can't do. Good old-fashioned reverb tank, naturally, and a tremolo circuit, too.

 

IMO the Twin is truly a wonderful thing - and today I'd probably choose one over the MM purely on it's 'classic' nature - but if I was to choose an amp to gig with I'd still go Music Man. IMX it's quite a bit more versatile than a Twin and in the reliability stakes it really is as good as it gets.

 

The Sixty-Five is easily loud enough for sane folks but there is a One-Thirty as well. Later on I believe they went 75w and 150w but the circuitry wasn't quite the same or (IMO) as 'nice' to use.

Good-conition used ones are not as numerous as are Twins, obviously, but are normally relatively cheap when they do turn up.

 

Past Music Man endorsees include Clapton, Gilmour and Knopfler so I'm in good company..................[smile]

In fact EC is snapped playing 'Blackie' through a MM 2x10 on the front-cover of his 'Backless' album.

 

Cue gratuitous snap;

Marmalade.jpg

 

Pip.

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Yet another vote for the Twin.

Can't really go wrong. What can anyone say? It's one of the very few genuinely all-time classic amps. It has so much headroom for cleans you'll never be at a loss for power and if you want pedals then you, better than most, know exactly what to do!

 

However if you are open to the idea of buying 'used'...

 

Back in early 1980 my '60s Marshall 2x10 combo died and I was in my local shop about to buy a used late '70s Twin Reverb until I was invited to try out the ex-demo Music Man 2x12 which I still use to this day. Leo designed it as a sort of Twin Reverb on steroids. It's a SS & Valve (AKA 'tooob') hybrid and has a very clever o/d circuit with 4 o/d stages which are dialled-out as genuine valve o/d comes in at high vol. In 36 years it has never broken down once and apart from a precautionary valve-swap 20 years ago hasn't even been serviced. IMO it's at least as good as a Twin in what a Twin does and because of it's circuitry it can do things a Twin can't do. Good old-fashioned reverb tank, naturally, and a tremolo circuit, too.

 

IMO the Twin is truly a wonderful thing - and today I'd probably choose one over the MM purely on it's 'classic' nature - but if I was to choose an amp to gig with I'd still go Music Man. IMX it's quite a bit more versatile than a Twin and in the reliability stakes it really is as good as it gets.

 

The Sixty-Five is easily loud enough for sane folks but there is a One-Thirty as well. Later on I believe they went 75w and 150w but the circuitry wasn't quite the same or (IMO) as 'nice' to use.

Good-conition used ones are not as numerous as are Twins, obviously, but are normally relatively cheap when they do turn up.

 

Past Music Man endorsees include Clapton, Gilmour and Knopfler so I'm in good company..................[smile]

In fact EC is snapped playing 'Blackie' through a MM 2x10 on the front-cover of his 'Backless' album.

 

Cue gratuitous snap;

Marmalade.jpg

 

Pip.

 

There's the money shot . I love that pic.

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Non working is pretty unreliable.

 

I had a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe and at 40 watts that thing was so loud at 4 or 5. Fenders for some reason go to 12. Don't they know 11 is the new 10 or was in Spinal Taps day.

 

I borrowed my friends Twin for a few weeks and it was about 88 watts. It was clean and loud.

 

 

I have the HR Deville 60w 4x10, it's insanely loud, more push then I'd ever use.

 

A bit of a pig to move, but great clean tube tone.

 

The gain channel is a little "meh"... but with a good OD pedal going in, and it crushes.

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I have the HR Deville 60w 4x10, it's insanely loud, more push then I'd ever use.

 

A bit of a pig to move, but great clean tube tone.

 

The gain channel is a little "meh"... but with a good OD pedal going in, and it crushes.

I use to have that amp. Sold it when the band broke up. Always regretted that.

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Well you know how I feel.... [biggrin] [biggrin]

 

As I own a Twin II....

As long as you are prepared to haul it...

 

Do you not mess with valve amp circuits then Dub? Do you fix any amps?

Could it not just be a faulty switch or solder joint?

 

You might also like a Roland JC120. :-k

 

(Edit) Don't buy a Super Twin. They were 180w with a noisy 5-band graphic, some without reverb - weighed even more!

I'm currently reading some books on tube amps. Trying to study up before I spend a bunch of money or electrocute myself. I have thought many times that the switch could be faulty, but this damn amp is so poorly engineered, to open the thing up to check anything is a huge pain in the ***. While I will probably repair the ac30 and keep it for future use, I do crave an amp with clean headroom and need something reliable to take out for rehearsals and gigs.

 

The ac30 also has some weird quirks. Last time I was in the studio I noticed there is a subtle but noticable oscillation that follows my guitar signal. Almost like a sub octave buzz but not really harmonious or nice. It especially detracts from clean sounds. The reverb is just garbage. No presence whatsoever while playing, and a lifeless decay when you stop. It also sounds pretty constipated with most dirt pedals. I have found pedals that work with it but it's very picky.

 

Kinda just time for an upgrade for me to be honest. And with rehearsals coming up I need an amp and might as well get something I'll want to keep using. Thanks for all the advice so far folks!

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I've had both. The Twin with 2 12' speakers really sings & has that full, clean tone that just can't be matched with 1 single speaker. I sold it because my back didn't like it :rolleyes:. Never had a problem with not enough volume & it sang & sang no matter the volume, which I never had to turn above 5-6. An amazing amp! Just a pain to lug around!!

 

Sold it & bought a Deluxe Reverb. This a great amp, though a noticeable difference in tone from the 2 speakers to one. I hate that I lost the fullness from the Twin but the ability to haul it around effortlessly makes the difference tolerable. Don't get me wrong. You can get some great tone out of the Deluxe, but it just can't match the Twin!

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I've had both. The Twin with 2 12' speakers really sings & has that full, clean tone that just can't be matched with 1 single speaker. I sold it because my back didn't like it :rolleyes:. Never had a problem with not enough volume & it sang & sang no matter the volume, which I never had to turn above 5-6. An amazing amp! Just a pain to lug around!!

 

Sold it & bought a Deluxe Reverb. This a great amp, though a noticeable difference in tone from the 2 speakers to one. I hate that I lost the fullness from the Twin but the ability to haul it around effortlessly makes the difference tolerable. Don't get me wrong. You can get some great tone out of the Deluxe, but it just can't match the Twin!

That's interesting. Do you find the Deluxe is able to stay clean at band levels without being mic'd? I will mostly be using my Ric 660 which is very similar to your 620

 

When I bought my Ric I had plugged it into a Deluxe Reverb in the store and that sound really was exactly what I'm after. I'm just worried that the Deluxe Reverb will have the same issue as the 30 watt 1x12 ac30, no clean settings at band volume

 

I know "band volume" is different for everybody. I don't want to be the loudest guy ever but would like to be clean and audible with a drummer that hits hard, and keys and bass that are as loud as the drums

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That's interesting. Do you find the Deluxe is able to stay clean at band levels without being mic'd? I will mostly be using my Ric 660 which is very similar to your 620

 

When I bought my Ric I had plugged it into a Deluxe Reverb in the store and that sound really was exactly what I'm after. I'm just worried that the Deluxe Reverb will have the same issue as the 30 watt 1x12 ac30, no clean settings at band volume

 

I know "band volume" is different for everybody. I don't want to be the loudest guy ever but would like to be clean and audible with a drummer that hits hard, and keys and bass that are as loud as the drums

 

I understand your dilemma perfectly. I have been there.

 

What type of venues are you looking to play? Bars & clubs? Outdoor or bigger halls?

 

If I could get away with using the Deluxe, I would. I hate lugging heavy kit around.

As already mentioned, if you can line out (or mic) to a PA, that would allow you to use the smaller unit at lower volume & stay clean. I do this sometimes, as I'm fussy about my cleans too.

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Noting the earlier aside for the Roland JC120.... [thumbup]

 

Heavy but good thinking...

 

I stumbled into playing with a band-mate's 2xCube30 set up in stereo

 

Good cleans with character...easy porterage

 

Also the Cube80 is IMO excellent, loud and equally portable

 

V

 

:-({|=

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....any thoughts on the Vibrolux?

 

Like RowdyMoon is saying, the OP might want to look at the Vibrolux or the Super Reverb since they're about 40W amps. That's lots of power for normal band volume. And it's right in between the Deluxe Reverb (20W) and the Twin Reverb (80W) power-wise.

 

Once you decide on the power, then you can figure out if you want a new one (reissue) and whether you want a blackface or silverface model. The silverface reissues are kind of cool, with reverb on both channels and a different voicing for the normal channel.

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Never gigged with or owned a Twin, but the ones I've played were too sparkly and ice-pick clean for me.

 

However, I've had a 70s Deluxe Reverb for years and I gig with that one a lot. To me the clean is not quite as harsh due to the lower headroom. Somewhere between 3 and 5 gives me all the volume I need and a noce round warm tone. As for breakup, that starts around 5 (single coils stay cleaner than humbuckers of course) but I use pedals for my gainy tones.

 

BTW, you can alter the clean headroom a little bit with some tube swapping.. If the front end is breaking up too much you can swap the 7025/12AX7 for a 5751 (SRV trick) or even a 12AT7.

 

You can also alter the clean headroom/breakup equation with your speaker choice.

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The Fender Twin is the King of clean in my world. One of my very favorite amps. It can get almost obscenely loud but the tone is just amazing. Another vote for the Twin here. Hire a roadie to carry it though [thumbup]

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Thanks for all the advice guys! I haven't played a Vibrolux before, that model slipped my mind. I will definitely check that one out as it may be perfect for what I want.

 

I also see a Twin Reverb RI on my local craigslist for $750. That seems like a pretty good deal if I end up going for the Twin

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Any of those 3 (Deluxe Reverb, Twin Reverb, Virbrolux, etc.) would be great!

 

I have a 1980 Twin Reverb, that I rarely get to use, because it's WAY too loud, at

it's "sweet spot," tone wise. I use my HR Deluxe, with matching extension speaker,

(as a kind of 1/2 stack) and it's plenty loud, and tonefull. I've used it in clubs,

bars, larger halls, and even outdoors. No problem, at all, having enough volume

and headroom.

 

But, I'm sure you'll be happy, with whichever amp you (finally) choose.

 

Good Luck!

 

CB

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Dub, take a look at this thread, on Vox, from "The Gear Page." They list several possibilities, for the

symptoms you're describing, regarding your AC-30. ONE, that keeps cropping up, is the "rectifier tube"

going bad.

 

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/vox-ac30-problem.798801/

 

Hope you can sort it out, without too much trouble and/or expense. AC-30's are Great amps,

with a classic sound!

 

Cheers,

CB

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Dub, take a look at this thread, on Vox, from "The Gear Page." They list several possibilities, for the

symptoms you're describing, regarding your AC-30. ONE, that keeps cropping up, is the "rectifier tube"

going bad.

 

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/index.php?threads/vox-ac30-problem.798801/

 

Hope you can sort it out, without too much trouble and/or expense. AC-30's are Great amps,

with a classic sound!

 

Cheers,

CB

 

That sounds like a very likely cause to me. If it doesn't work, you've only purchased a spare recto tube. [thumbup]

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