Welp: Should I Buy This Fender Twin Reverb???

[CBA]

Well dudes... here's the post. The amp debation post. And "debation" isn't even a WORD.


My Fender Blues Deluxe (tweed style) is a great amp. I got it for $200 back in like 2000 from a friend. A frickin' deal. I've had to replace the tubes a few times, and it's had two or three amp repair issues in the 12 years I've had it. I dig the Bright switch, I dig the Bass/ Middle/ Treble EQ, and I dig the Presence knob. I dig the overdrive channel, but I don't use it. I dig the reverb, but I don't use it (maybe I'll put it at like 1).

Anyway, I'm needing to take it to get repaired for the 3rd time in a year, and that's fine. I can afford it, and I'd rather have it working well, obviously. But it's doing this volume swell thing, and it might be an easy fix... might not. I don't know because I haven't taken it in yet.

So yeah but there is this Fender Twin Reverb Reissue on Craigslist for $775. I've e-mail the guy, and he's very friendly, uses good grammar and punctuation, and seems pretty competent... so that's a good sign. He's not the original owner, but the amp is in excellent condition, besides what he says is a slightly scratchy treble knob, which scratching disappears after a few back and forth turns, and doesn't actually affect the treble sound. The tubes are Groove Tubes, which he says are most likely not original, and he's not sure if they're biased.

I'm the kind of player that never mixes amp overdrive with pedal sounds. Like really never... I like my amp to be on the clean channel with only the sound of the pedals coming through without any extra ovedrive. I also don't really need 85W... that's too much for anything I do, but I do play in a loud three-piece fuzzpop power trio, so I like some loud shit. I also write and record some 60s chamber pop sounding stuff, in which case the reverb and tremolo would be more handy (I don't use either for said power trio, just Big Muff).

So anyway... $775, which I can afford. Plus I'd sell off my Blues Deluxe after a fix if it's minor.

What say you? Overkill or a good bet?

And don't just say "DUDE BUY IT" because that's too easy. Gimme some pros and cons and shit.


THANK YOU!

C

[bronzetalon]

Well first off I think 775 is steep for a reissue imo you should at least try to get it for 700. If he could prove the tubes were brand new and it had roller casters it might be worth the extra scratch but seriously try to talk him down to at least 700 if not more. They are great amps btw...sure they are on a circuit board but they are still dead simple to fix and will last forever.

[sonidero]

Yes on all that... You can get 70's ones in Austin for $700... Try for WAY LESS and say Labor Day a lot...

[CBA]

Hey, uh, dude... so, like... Labor Day?


On one hand I feel like what the hell, and on the other hand I feel like it would almost be stupid to spend $700-775 on an amp that's way too loud for me when I have a good amp that sounds just like I want it to and that only requires what is probably a less than $100 fix. I have ZERO problems with my Blues Deluxe... I just don't like it when it doesn't work!

I should probably save the scratch. If it turns out that the Deluxe is easily fixable, which I'm pretty sure it will be, I'm probably better off just keeping the damn thing.

C

[Helter]

I feel like if you don't need the wattage, you won't really be using it to its full potential and getting the sounds you probably want out of it. You could get a cheaper, lower watt amp and crank it and maybe make it sound better.

[futuresailors]

$775 is high as shit.

You can get a silver face (that's like 70s?) for like $500-600. And that's here in NYC.

Or, I'm blanking on the name right now, but isn't there a "Reverb" model that's like 65 watts?

But yeah, I'd pass on the reissue.

[rfurtkamp]

As other posters have mentioned, way high for a reissue unless you *have* to have BF cosmetics. Some people do.

That said, if you're happy with the Blues Deluxe clean, check out one of the Hot Rod series. The voicing is almost identical on the clean channels, they're dirt cheap used, and you can both fix your existing one and buy a 'backup' or second amp. You can get a decent tremolo pedal in that too at the price of the TRRI you're looking at.

While I don't use it anywhere near the volume potential, I love my HRD, especially in stereo with a Jazz Chorus. Clean with character and can go mean without batting an eye.

[Helter]

Literally just bought a HRD like an hour ago.

[CBA]

I don't know if it's that big a deal, but the Twin has Bass / Middle / Treble, and I think the other Fender "Reverb" model of which you speak has just Bass and Treble. I hesitate to buy anything that has the word "reverb" in the title anyways, as I'm not much of a fan... at least for my fuzz pop shit.

The Hot Rods of course look neat, and are the "evolution" one could say from my Blues Deluxe... but I've tried those and I feel like the extra Drive and More Drive channels are just wasted... one because they don't sound good, and two because I never use them. The overdrive channel on my Blues Deluxe actually sounds really good, I just don't use it, especially live.

My Blues Deluxe is American made, and it sounds really good. I think it would be worth it to keep it up to scratch even if I have to have it repaired more than I'd like.

I'm surprised that you guys think $775 is high for a Twin Reverb Reissue. But what do I know about amp shopping? I've had the same one for 12 years!

Ok, well, I'll pass and see if it's something I really need. For now I'll just get my BD fixed up.

THANK YOU!

C

[rfurtkamp]

The thing is that if you don't use the OD channel on the BD, basically you're dealing with the same amp in the HRD, just with tolex instead of tweed. I remember when the BD came out and it was heinously expensive at the time versus just running whatever Fender head you could find and a cab used - and when I finally got around to looking for a combo 15 or so years later I ended up with the HRD since the BD was then out of production.

And a *lot* of things have changed price and otherwise in the last 12 years in amps - like guitars, the middle has flattened out - cheapies are now much much better and the expensive stuff is through the roof.

The $500-600 that that amp cost back then will buy a ton more now, especially used, especially in this economy - even new, the big manufacturers are blowing out stock wherever they can on non-dealer markets (Hello Music etc have regular, almost weekly blowouts on the big Fender etc stuff, it's just not selling).

Also where modern Fender amp production is concerned, country of origin doesn't mean a whole lot if it's MIM vs. MIA - unless you're talking tone dentist nosebleed reissues, it'll all be the same PCB construction and sometimes the speakers and circuits have been pretty significantly improved.

But yea, get what you're happy with running right, and before you buy a replacement, backup, or whatever, make sure you do a ton of price checking and dig around - the amp market is virtually unrecognizeable from a decade ago to be honest.

[theavondon]

Just keep an eye out for a silverface. They can be found in for a much more reasonable price range. Plus, they're usually 100w, or even 135w. hehehehehehe.

But, I have a friend that had a 100w silverface Twin, and just kept the master on 2 all the time. Still sounded like a Twin. Cranking them just makes them loud, they never fucking overdrive.

[CBA]

Ok, I just found another amp that I didn't know existed...

http://www.zzounds.com/item--FEN2173000

The Fender Twin Reverb '65 Custom. It's one 15" speaker, 85W, with all the same features of a two-speaker. This amp basically has everything I want in an amp without overdoing it. Again, found one on CL in like new condition for $775... I was thinking of offering $700 cash... a good idea or no?

I must add that my amp has been to two different amp techs in the last few months and neither of them can duplicate the problem that I'm having with my amp (volume swells), or find anything wrong with the amp AT ALL. And I'm dying here because the bass and drums for the TBT record have been done for a month and a half and I can't record anything.

I admit that I'm getting desperate.

BUT I don't want to do anything stupid.


C

[MEC]

I don't know much about those amps but I think bronzetalon has one.

Could you just borrow an amp for the recording? That would remove some of the urgency.

[rfurtkamp]

Yea, I'd borrow one or buy a cheapie (or a more expensive one from GC or somewhere with a return policy so you can 'rent' it for free) to hold over.

Don't get me wrong, the Twin even with a 15" speaker will work just fine, but I honestly am sort of mystified why two techs can't find a problem.

Can't you record iton a cell phone camera or even a cheap digital camera's movie mode or something when it happens to get them in the ballpark?