Fender "The Twin"

Built like a tank, Red Knobs, I personally like it, as I like the way to use both channels simultaneously.
My personal favorite is the XLR output which sounds EXACTLY the same as the amp at bedroom volume (well, for the neighbours).
i give it a 9 for features because it's almost impossible to carry (I bought wheels).

My guitars are a Fender Telecaster Thinline (Japan Reissue, pre-prod prototype 1986, the one with humbuckers) and a recent Squier Bullet (made in China, paid 80$ new).
The sound IS amazing.
I mostly use its clean channel, it's the first time I really feel the MUSICAL difference between caressing the guitar's strings and gently fondling them.
Really musical. Can also be really agressive thanks to the Boost/Notch tone control.
I only use it with analog effects (Rockman Sustainor, Chorus Delay and Behringer Time Machine).
It rocks in all styles.

I bought it second-hand, it is some 20 year old, never got retubed nor serviced, still sounds awesome even though I do not know how gently it was used before.

Never had to deal with them.

After years using a Behringer V-Ampire, I began disliking it: it was ot bad, but just... "functional".
I then started looking for an amp.
It took me some time to realise I'd take a Twin, with no crappy digital effects inside. I found this one at an unbelievable price.
This is so heavy it will remain for some time where it is, and forever, I hope.

The Fender Twin is a guitar amplifier made by Fender. It was introduced in 1952,about the same time as the Stratocaster (1954). As the Stratocaster's sales partner, its success was a large part of the increase in popularity of the electric guitar in music.To this day, these amplifiers continue to be sought after by guitarists for their characteristic clean tone.It has two seperate channel inputs(Volume, Treble, Mid, Bass)- (Gain, Treble, Mid, Bass, Presence, Volume). It also has Reverb select Ch1/Both/Ch2. It has Lo/Hi Output and Standby the sound is so crip clean and clear, its no wonder that it is not behind glass in a museum.
This is a seriously heavy amp and requires two fairly strong blokes to carry this beast up or down a staircase.
The Twin has so much grunt, it has so much power and will cater for any live situation,

I currently play a Ibanez AS103 NT, Fender CD-60CE Nat and a Epiphone Les Paul Custom. All three guitars have such a huge range in sound. I have a home based stuio and run some of my effects through a BOSS ME-5 and use AKG mics for my vocals and drum mics. Having said all of the above one could argue that it would be pretty difficult to get a crappy sound from any of the equipment that I currently own

The Fender Twin has NEVER let me down, I can rely upon this amp 100% all the time in any given suitation.
I treat my amp and all of my other equipment with kit gloves, considering the outlay of money that has been spent to achieve the standards that I have I crerish everything that I own like a member of my family.

I have never delt with any one for the amp

I have been playing for twenty years. If the Fender amp was stolen, I would be hard pressed to find another one like it given the current condition that it is in

Early '90s red knob "The Twin". 11 narrow, red knobs; many are push-pull for additional tonal variety. 2 channels: "clean" and "gain".
A pair of 12-inch Eminence speakers with Ceramic magnets.
Tubes: 2x 12AT7, 5x12Ax7 and a quartet of 6L6 power tubes. SS rectifier with spring reverb. Output: 100 watts. Weight: 75 lbs!
I use this amp at home; it's too heavy to haul. It has a 25% power switch, making it easier to achieve passable power-tube overdrive at reasonable volume. And the "love it-or hate-it" gain channel? I never use it; this is a clean amp for me.
I'd prefer tremolo to that gain channel. This amp was in absolute mint condition, so I bought it.

This amp, with it's heavy 12-inch speakers and 6L6 tubes is great for single-coil guitars. The red knob Twin has alot of Bass and Treble built into it's tone. Great for Teles,Strats and Rickenbackers.
I'm a 50s & 60s pop/rocker and do some Buck Owens C&W on occaisional gigs. I have gigged with this amp and it shines for clean and does reasonably well for power-tube raunch (courtesy of the 25% power switch)at moderate volume. Of course, the clean tone is arguably the best available at any price.
BTW, I bought this amp by awapping a mint '65 Princeton (non-trem), which didn't do clean or raunch well; and it's trem was uninspiring. At least "The Twin" can do clean well!
This amp isn't as natural sounding with my ES-335. It's necessary to dial the Bass down to "0" and put the mid at around "7" or so to play live. There's something special about a Tele, Strat or Rickenbacker played through it's clean channel. Shimmering..glassy, real sparkle. I like that. As for the distortion, it's there and it really distorts. If that's your cup of tea, then this amp can literally do it all.

No problems, despite this amp's reputation for being of shoddy design and build quality. This amp is the Rodney Dangerfield of PCB amps.
Someday I may opt to search the 'net for a P-T-P hand-wired replacement board and switchcraft jacks for this amp. I really like it's clean tone.

No dealing with Fender concerning this amp. FWIW, I've got a red knob Super 112. I bought it new in '92 and have had only one problem with it. Fixed for $40 3 years ago and took just 30 minutes.
So much for red knobs amps being of shoddy build quality, poor reliability and rotten tone!

Ben playing for nearly 30 years. I'd likely repalce this amp with a p-t-p hand-wired amp, if I could afford to do so.
Pros: Clean tone, tonal versatility (clean and gain), good reverb, volume.
Cons: Heavy, no trem, red knob stigma, pcb construction

I regard the red knob series of amps as being unfairly stigmatized for it's red knobs and PCB construction. Fender's new models are similarly constructed, but have vintage cosmetics and trem. Are THEY any less reliable? I recommend Fender's red knob amps on the used market.

1988 Fender "Red Knob" The Twin - Great for Classic Rock, Blues, Country. 2 Channels, Effects Loop. Wish it had a 1/4 power switch that really took the volume down, The Twin is either loud or off. I am an idiot and bought this thing for playing in my basement at home because of the low price.......big mistake if you have a family or anyone living within a mile of your home.

The Clean Channel sounds good with a little reverb, I would not call it chimey at all.....more like clean that stays clean and knocks your skull. The clean chanel sounds great for Hendrix clean songs-"Wind Cries Mary". Overdrive Channel is unique, I think it sounds like a Robben Ford type of overdrive. It can be a bit muddy in that when you turn your guitar volume down it does not clean up really nice. I think the sounds are good from this amp and it has its own flavor, I have never owned another amp that sounded like this. I use an 82 Fender Dan Smith Strat to get the best sounds from it.

I got his thing used in 2005 for a steal. I have retubbed it and it has always worked without issue.

Its a 20 year old amp, so I have not contacted Fender for anything.

The Twin has its own unique voice, but do not buy unless you can play at ludicrously loud volumes.

I bought mine new in 2005. I play blues, classic rock, and soul. The clean channel is great, but i like a little crunch, so i use the gain channel set on about 2 to 2.5 and adjust the volume with the master. I can play anything from Chet-style finger-picking to jazz to blues to rock. Not for heavy metal - but I don't like metal anyway. I have even played my Martin acoustic through the clean channel - great tone. It is as versatile as it gets.

I don't know why all the criticism about the gain channel - it sounds great if you know how to use it. I use the effects loop and find I have much more control over my sound quality in small venues. I have even used the 1/4 power switch for a really small club, and got a good sound.
It does have a little too much in the way of highs, but I got an boss eq-20 and that took care of that.

I have no back up amp. The only problem I have is that the tremolo went out. It's probably a tube, but since a I never use tremolo, I haven't yet replaced it (I use a rotovibe instead).

The local authorized service guy here is totally unreliable. I haven't talked to him about my amp, but he is also the authorized service for Gretsch (owned by Fender), and when I took my guitar in for warranty work,I caught him in a lie about working on it (all he did was change the strings and put the bridge on backwards). I researched my problem and fixed it myself. I haven't dealt with Fender directly, but they need to get another local service guy.

I've been playing for 35 years. I play a Gretsch Tennessee Rose and a Big Apple Strat, Martin DC16RGTC, and pedals that include Boss eq20, Marshall Bluesbreaker II, Crybaby Wa, Rotovibe. I love the sound and versatility. I hate the weight (85 lbs). I am glad I have it, but my next amp will have to be something lighter.

I think mines an '87 or '88. The amp has a lot of great features, probably more than most amps. But there are a couple things it doesn't have. It doesn't have dual reverb capability and it doesn't have tremolo, of course I suppose you could get pedals for that. Both the clean and distorted channel sound outstanding. This is a terrific studio amp and decent live amp if you don't mind catering to it's delicate nature (explanation below).

I fell in love with this amp when I heard a very nice Strat played through its clean channel. Combined with a Strat you get that twangy American blues/country/rock tone of the highest quality I think I've ever heard- and that's on both the clean and distorted channels. I, happen to prefer the Les Paul sound which also sounds great through the clean channel. I'm not sure how some one could say they think the distorted channel is of low quality, but I read that on another review. Most fender amps do have questionable distortion but this particular model and year are definitely an exception. All I use this amp for live, is the distorted channel. It can be very touchy though. At first I had a lot of feedback problems but then I was told to try a compressor through the effects send/return to try and tame the wattage going into the power amp section and this, along with better shielded speaker wiring did the trick. The only reason I don't use it for the clean channel is because I love the distorted channel so much and the compressor settings for the distorted channel mess with the great natural clean tone. Not to mention I acquired a '75 Peavey classic, which is sort of a one trick pony but has an equally beautiful (and hassle free) clean tone. I use an A/B selector to go between the 2. It's a complicated setup, but I'm sure there's no better tone out there for me.

I've only owned the amp for less than a year and I did have to have it serviced when I got it (used). I'm not sure how well the previous owner took care of it but it did have mismatched tubes in it. I had it serviced at Torres Engineering in San Mateo. They did a good job but it took them forever to get it back to me- they probably didn't want to give it up!

All I know about this is that Fender sent me a hard copy of the Owners manual for the relatively low price of $5, and it came pretty fast. It would have been easier if it was just available online though.

It's a very tricky amp for live situations but if you spend enough time with this wild stallion it will let you ride it...all the way to the gates of hell!(and I mean that in the best way possible)

Fender 'the twin' -black knob version-early 90's.
I play rock /blues -same as almost everybody else lol
Features are described elsewheres -just putting in my pennies worth.....
Power is AWSOME....Imean THE most powerful amp you will ever hear-in fact if you hear it anywhere near its loudest you will probably go deaf....!
The two channel thing is a bit of a waste really-you buy this amp for the clean channel surely? The second channel IMHO is crap and best avoided. Clean is the best clean sound for power and tone combined.
Loads of extra sound by way of boosts on channels etc.....im sad cos i only generally use 666....fantastic tone no problem.

USA strat -(nice one not one of the crappy ones!) gibbo 335 and les paul.
Got this amp to gig with and get more power and cut.......Bloody hell does this give what i wanted.
Clean is absolutely the best clean sound i have ever had the fortune to play through.....and im not a clean player!.....someone else summed up this sound well.....its so beautiful you will become a clean player and you wont want to put pedals through it -sacrilige !
Distorted channel is bad. Ive tried umpteen different settings and all sound bad. Im sure there is a good sound there but where? the clean is the dogs nuts....so distorted id rate as a lowly 3 clean must be 10.

Absolutely . is built like a brick **** house and will outlive me.

First its obvious good points.......clean channel is fantastic. Its clear and articulate with AMAZING bass and top end. Seriously you could knock somebody clean off their feed......its got amazing power when you want it -just amazing. Notes bloom and all that......good stuff.
The bad bits are often glossed over but these are a real pain in the ass. Ive mentioned the crap 2nd channel. It is crap. Dont just take my word for it. Put an sd1 in front and that cheapo ??20 pedal sounds 10x better than fenders rubbish distortion....
2nd it is too powerful......i mean this is only a gigging amp..it will only ever sound loud....do not think of playing at home with this..(but then who would buy a twin to do that!).....it needs to be played loud to sound good and ive only ever played it at volume 3 at a very loud gig-and 3 is VERY loud....seriously its way too loud....The 25 w quarter power button is a novelty. Absolutely a waste of time cos it will not turn the amp into a 25w amp...ok....it will only stop top power from going over 25w....and believe me you will never reach this level ....never......(unless you do huge outside events and even then.....)
Its too heavy.....way too heavy.......its pathetic how heavy this is. I am strong and fit and the weight of this seriously pisses me off and most of the time i cant be bothered to take it!!
So there you have it . An awesome one channel amp that is is seriosly lacking in other areas......That is why these are relatively cheap.....but by god this is the best value valve amp for the money you will ever buy and shouldnt everybody play through one of these at least once???????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The power and bite of this amp is beautiful. All tube, two 12" wheels (fender stock speakers) Some people like to swap these speakers out with alnicos of some type. Tone Tubbies 12" speakers, or Vintage Celestions would probably sound best. I have to say though, the stock speakers sound really great. Plenty of nice sound. The amp itself is designed very well. Easy to work on (change tubes, bias, clean, swap speakers, etc) because the back is has an open cabinet. Easy to chain another cab to it via "series" and "parallel" outs on the back. Flick impedence from 4-->8-->16 via a switch on the back. Effects loop on the back. Two channels. First is more crispy and clean and the second has great dark drive tones. I almost always use the second channel.

Great sound quality! I've played a lot of different types of amps and this one really stands out. You can get amazing rock, blues, country stuff from this thing. The high end tones soar. The mids resonate well. The low end drives hard. Very happy

Only had it a few months. Built like a tank. Very heavy (roughly 80 lbs) so put it on wheels! That's what I did and it's not as bad to gig with. I've gigged with it several times and practice a lot on it. Haven't had a problem yet (knock skull).

I give nines because I don't think anything's perfect but this amp is much more than I thought it would be. Really happy with it.

I bought this amp from a band mate who wanted to move in the Vox AC30 direction and in a complex deal that only a musician could understand I traded my Hot Rod Deluxe, a THD hot plate, 2X12 Marshall cabinet, some cash and ended up with the Twin and a Fender bass amp. A previous poster has eloquently listed all the features it has. I have been moving towards this amp since I was 17 and always new that one day I would play a Telecaster clean into a Twin amp however, like many of you, was distracted by gimmicks and trends along the way. When I play now, I have that wonderful sense of "no compromise confidence" that comes with shelling out for the best instrument and amplifier money can buy (albeit for my style) - and should have done it years ago. I probably would have saved money in the long run.

I can peel paint of walls and retain crystal clear tone. The footswitch allows "on the go" channel switching, boost for solos and drive that satisfies anything I want to do. I don't use anything between the amp and the guitar, not even a tuner. I may be pedantic but I notice the difference with cable types and loss of tone that comes with pedals of any type. The only true bypass is to not have anything to bypass , I believe. I play Teles and am currently using a Tele Deuxe which offers humbucker style sound in the middle position with the switch pushed in. I'm not after a shredding technique and am trying to perfect the "space between the notes" style of playing. My playing is the only limitation this amp has.

I have use it live and against its previous owner's Vox AC30 Gibson setup, the sound we get is classic. They offset each other well - the jangle of the Tele against the crunch of his Les Paul. It's never caused a problem. I do cart spare tubes and a spare Tele with me because I don't want to miss out on the fun of a gig. It's too loud and heavy for general practice so I've recently modified a Champion 600 for that purpose - a review has been posted hereabouts.

I bought the amp 2nd hand and have had no problems. I also bought a trolley with pneumatic wheels to cart it around and always let if cool down after playing. It runs pretty hot so I don't want to damage the tubes. I cover it and look after it. It's such a solid Class A bit of gear that any amp tech you have confidence in will love to work on it. I've never dealt with Fender.

This amp is everything I ever wanted. I've had it about 3 years and it's earnt its keep with gigs in that time. I'd replace it if I could find one that gave me the confidence my one does. I couldn't go back to anything else now that I have that "sound" imprinted in my DNA. It's heavy but you won't get away with anything less. By the way, my Vox mate and I help each other with our set up because his Vox amp (with which he's equally happy) weighs about the same. For me, this is it, and for those of you who want the sound I was after, don't waste your time, go straight to the legendary Twin. I should have.

Often referred to as the "Red Knob" twin (due to many model's red knobs), this amp is one of the most overlooked gems in Fender's history. It also came in a snakeskin covering with black knobs that is desert danger beautiful. Amazing features, do not confuse "The Twin" with other Fender Twin amps. Made from I believe 1986-1994, this is a rocket powered Twin on steroids. Tube powered but with far more features than almost every other Fender TUBE amp made. Most of the knobs on the front panel are push-pull, enabling some very cool features and tonal variations. There is a low-high switch that enables this amp to run at 25 or 100 watts. This is an awesome addition making it easier to tame the Twin's potentially ear-shattering volume capacity while simultaneously giving you a whole new range of tones to pick from, like two amps in one.

Let's talk about biasing for a second, as you know, critical to tube health and getting the best sound out of your tubes. Tired of paying a tech to do it? Just grab a multimeter because they put bias access right on the back panel of the amp. Easiest biasing to get to I have ever seen. Not just that, they set up the contact points inside little access ports making it the easiest and safest setup for the non-tech to bias IMHO. This feature alone can save you hundreds of dollars and multiple trips to the music store over the life of the amp.

Let's talk about the drive channel for a moment. Much, much, much more control over your overdriven sound than you are accustomed to on a Fender tube amp. This is a real drive channel, with lots of controls and distortion unlike any other Twin made. Unlike other Twins, you don't need a footboard worth of pedals to get a decent overdriven sound without turning up to 11. This is a fantastic sounding drive channel in its own right.

Overall this amp combines the classic features of a Fender Twin tube amp with some really well thought out enhancements, making it the Ferrari of Twins.

Front Panel:
Vol, Treb/Boost, Mid/Cut, Bass - Ch 1 In, Ch 1 In - Ch 2 In, Ch 2 In - Gain, Treb/Boost, Mid/Boost, Bass/Boost, Presence/Notch, Vol/Channel, Reverb Select Sw, Reverb - Hi-Lo Power Sw, Standby Sw, Power Sw, Pilot Lamp

Rear Conrol Layout:
Fuse (4A), Effect Out, Effect In, Power Amp Thru, Loop Level Sw, Output Bias Adj, Output Balance Adj, Foot Sw, XLR Line Out, Ex Speaker Series, Ex Speaker Parallel, Impedance Sw

Fantastic! A clean channel with the classic Fender clean that no other amp quite achieves. Shimmery, sparkley highs that make even the most die-hard distortion/compression junkie want to take a few minutes to play clean with. The perfect platform for bringing out the best of your effects. Add a nice chorus pedal to this and you have a sound that will make you weep openly, shaming you and your band. Brings out the best in your distortion pedals too if you choose to go that route. Great thump and bottom that make chords cut through the mix but with musicality and a minimum of harshness. Puts amps like the Fender Deluxe and DeVille to shame and reminds you what a truly great Fender clean channel sound is like. You will fall in love the moment you play your guitar through it.

Moving on to the second drive/distortion channel. Ohmigod! Most Fender tube amps are pathetic in this category, NOT THIS ONE! Instead of the ususal weak, thin, reedy, wussified unuseable Fender distortion; this one has balls and character, muscle and depth. You can actually use this distortion for rock without having to use an additional distortion pedal. No, it doesn't sound like a Marshall or a Boogie, but it is one of the only decent Fender distortions I have ever heard that is capable of playing anything but overdriven blues without assistance. This means you don't have to turn up your amp to 11 to get a great distorted/overdriven sound with sustain. What a bonus on a Fender amp which, let's face it, most of us buy for the clean sound and supplement with pedals when we need some dirt.

For me, the drive channel and multitude of tone controls is what makes this my favorite Fender Twin. It is way more versatile than other Twins and still gets that fantastic, unmatcheable clean sound. I also love the low high switch allowing me to go from 100 to 25 watts getting fantastic tone at lower volume. You can also yank two of the power tubes if you want to tame this amp even further.

It's a tube amp, built like a tank, but mine had a minor issue along the way, nothing major, but required a repair at one point. Don't even remember what it was.

Never dealt with them. Believe it had a 3 or 5 year warranty.

I have been playiing for over 30 years. Have owned just about everything at one point or another. This is in my opinion simply put, my favorite Fender except for the weight. It is a heavy beast, about eighty pounds. It is however worth every pound as the heaviness of the amp is more than compensated for by the heaviness of its sound. The sound quality is so much better than many of the lighter Fender amps that there is just no comparison. Able to cut through and soar above any band mix and live situation at 100 watts, at 25 watts suitable for smaller venues and studio work this amp kills the competition. I cannot say enough good things about it. Fender should bring this one back, no digital amp can touch it and few tube amps have this much versatility! A clean channel like a running sonic brook, a distortion channel that actully sounds great, wow! If you can find one, run, don't walk and buy it, you will not be sorry.