Fender '57 Twin Amp Reissue 212 Combo

I bought it new in 2007 and I've now passed the second aniversary, so these are my thoughts to date. I was initially turned off by the lack of features for such as expensive amp and couldn't work out why anyone would want to pay for something so basic. Four inputs comprising two separate channels each with Hi and Low. Each channel has it's own volume. Then shared bass, treble and presence. The tweed covered pine looks great. It's heavy and mine weighs in a 4 stone. I don't trust the leather handle and tend to use it only to haul up to waist high and then use both arms to carry it.
I've scored this 7 because you really need a pedal board unless you're able to run it full tilt or you've got some mid range boost dial on your strat (Mr C). However, less is more with this beastie. What you get is fantastic sound, although this isn't for you if you need to always keep the volume quiet.

I've previously owned a Fender Blues Deluxe, Reissue 59 Bassman and a new 64 Vibroverb (I sold it for what I paid and really wished that I'd kept it). The clean sound on the 57 Twin is just ..lovely. The other guitarist in my band has a Blues Deluxe and I've done a side by side comparision (reverb off) and the 57 Twin is just fuller and leaves it standing. I've Les Pauls, a 335 and Hotrod tele and all sound so great that I went through a period of not adding any pedals, just playing clean. To compete with the drummer and bass and I need to set the volume at 3 - 4. I prefer to roll back the volume on the guitar. It starts to break up at 5. At home I'm playing around 3 which I can just about get away with without complaints. The volume control is smooth and responsive, unlike my old Blues Deluxe which went from nothing to oh **** that's loud too quickly. Any less than 3 and the full tone falls away, although it's not unpleasant, I just don't get the richness. I play through the normal channel which is dead quiet. The bright channel has a slight hiss that increases as you turn up the treble. I used to use a Y cable to get a fatter, louder tone, but now can't be bothered because just running through the normal is more than enough for me. It's very pedal friendly. I use a Fulltone Fulldrive 2 in front with just a hint of overdrive and this give it a just broken up sound which is to die for, particularly with the 335. I also use a Fulltone OCD with the overdrive at 3 o'clock on HP mode which provides a more heavily driven sound - more marshall sounding. Fantastic with the Les Paul for that heavy ZZ Top thing, but causes the 335 to howl. So I have great clean, breakup, and heavy sounds. I have to say that when the amp is driven harder the natural overdrive isn't what I'm after, albeit others have said it amazing. If you listen to Clapton at the Cream reunion gig and you love the sound, that's what you'll get. I'm into blues & rock and this amp is great with pedals. I have a re-issue 63 reverb tank, but to be honest I've stopped using it most of the time. The natural sound of the amp sounds great as it is, even when practising at home.

The tone controls affect the volume but it's easy to dial in what you want.

I pulled one of the tube rectifiers when I got it, which reduces the clean head room. I then stored it in a draw to keep it safe, but it got broken anyway (doh!) and I've not bought a replacement and so can't comment on what it sounds like with two rectifiers.

I use it 2 /3 times a week. I've only had one problem, which wasn't valve related (see customer support issues) after owning it for just less than 2 years, but that got sorted. I wanted a point to point amp because I liked the idea of getting it repaired if ever it went wrong rather than having to bin it. If I was doing any serious giging then I'd have a backup. When it went wrong I shared the inputs on my friends Blues Deluxe but that wouldn't work well on a big gig.

I had a problem three months ago. In the UK, Fender do not provide support other than Warranty. They've increased the period for these amps to two years now, but it was only 12 months when I bought it and Fender didn't want to know. To be honest they're only resourced up to fixing warranty repairs and so anything else ends up at the back of the queue with no service level agreement for repair time. Unfortunately they weren't able to recommend anyone, so I was on my own. Every one I spoke with said it didn't sound like a simple valve problem. The first amp tech couldn't solve the problem, believing it to be an earthing problem with the input jacks (??40). The second amp tech replaced a filter cap and along with all the valves, though I wasn't convinced that was needed, but hey it's now fixed (??110).

I should state very clearly I'm disappointed by Fender's service. There simply isn't any, no matter how expensive the product is.

I've playing 20 years. It's my only amp. I'm happy with it. It sounds great and looks great and is flexible. If I needed more clean volume then I'd mike it up. I do not intend to change it. The only thing I'd change about it is that I'd add a stronger handle - maybe two - one on each side to make it easier to carry.

If it got lost or stolen then I'd think about getting another, but I'd look though some other brands first. I certainly wouldn't rule it out.

2006 Model. Features as per previous submissions.
Simple, low powered 40 watt Twin Tweed 5E8-A circuit. I don't use pedals with it but I want to get an outboard reverb tank for it. I use it at home and although it can get very loud, it still sounds incredible and completely full at lower volumes (6 and below using guitar volume knob). I rate it a 10 because of the richness in its simplicity (interactive inputs, volume, treble, bass), not because it plays metal or has a zillion dials on it.

A great amp will make even a crappy guitar sound great and this is especially true here. Humbuckers sound great but I prefer single coils which really shine through this amp. This amp is not noisy at all. Smooth overdrive, not harsh or brutal. Describers such as 3D Swirl, touch sensitive, dynamic are all gross understatements. Words cannot describe, stop reading reviews right now and go try one!

I baby the hell out of mine, never gigged, always warmed up and properly serviced. I think they are built tough though. It oozes high qualtiy construction. This thing has some heavy iron on top so, don't go setting her down hard or you may see the chassis pull away from the cabinet. The leather handle is nice for authentic looks but if you care about this amp, carry it like a baby with your arms underneath it. I suspect because of the weight that after a while the leather handle would wear out and break.

I don't think this is their strong suit but it doesn't stop people from buying their amps. They got us over a barrel folks. Find a quality tech you can work with if need be.

Middle aged hobbiest fortunate to own and play some really nice gear. I also own a Fender Custom Shop 57 Deluxe Reissue as well, the perfect soulmate to this amp. I traded up for this amp from a small collection of lower wattage SS and tube amps and very happy about that. I would definitely replace this amp, it's a lifetime keeper.

I cannot comprehend how anyone else could possibly have anything negative to say about this amp. I am completely in love with this amp.

I bought my 57 Twin Amp a couple of years ago, new, for 2 grand, and they've gone up another 1,000 bucks since then. They will continue to go up in price due to production costs for handwired amps. Anyway, I'm glad I bought it when I did. It has all the features I need. I wanted a nice clean tonefull amp without any tone sucking effects built in. This amp is just the ticket. You can dirty up the sound if you want, or add reverb using pedals.

I play blues and blues rock using Strat's and Tele's. This amp suits my style well for larger venues. There's plenty of power for playing with a band in large hall. I've done a few gigs of over 100 people and this amp worked flawlessly. If I'm playing smaller clubs or juke joints I prefer my 15 watt Blues Jr. or 12 watt 57 Deluxe. I like to select the amp for the size of the room so I can push it a little, crank the amp for some good blues grind without blowing people' ears out. As far as amp noise goes, there isn't any. This amp is clasic Fender Clean all the way up to 6 or so. I have found that, at least with my amp, I need to let it warm up for about 5 minutes before it puts out it's full watage and distortion. Distortion is smooth blues all the way, but you will need to crank it. I have found that if you want earlier breakup without the amp cranked, you need a guitar with hot pickups, or use a boost pedal, then you can get it to break up nicely at lower volumes. It's not light to lug around either at about 54 pounds. Bottom line - This thing sounds GREAT through the stock Ted Weber Alnico speakers, with nice rich harmonics and overtones, deep round bass, solid but slightly subdued mids and pleasingly sparkloing highs. EXCELLENT Fender clean, and smooth creamy overdrive. I had to break the speakers in for about 50 hours though, before it really started to shine. A couple of tips - 1)Remove one of the rectifier tubes if you want to reduce it's power output for smaller venues and 2)yse a Y cable so you can plug into both the Normal and Bright channels if you want to get maximum volume. There's probably a 15 or 20% increase in volume using this method.

No Problems - this thing is built very well with solid pine cabinet and an excellent lacquered tweed covering. Very nice workmanship.

Fender has always treated me well - no complaints

Been playing since 1966. I will always keep this amp in my arsenel. I love it for what it is - straight forward Fender Tweed Twin, no effects - no frills - alnico tone. I know it costs me some bucks, but for a handwired amp that should last well into the next generation it's worth every penny to me.

Features have changed a bit....

The individual volume controls for the bright and normal channels have been combined into one volume control (using the "Normal" channel vol) that controls both normal and bright volumes via a "dual gang" pot. The "Bright" channel volume control is now a post phase inverter "Master Volume". That, along with other "tweaks" by Voodoo Amps has this box singing at ANY volume: clean or with that sweet breakup....
If you've not owned a 57 Twin, it's a whole new beast to control. All the tone stack controls affect volume and breakup. It's NOT like the typical amp where the bass and treble can change yet the volume remains relatively stable. The bass/treb/presence are like their own volume controls, so adjusting them adds/subtracts volume/breakup. Once you get that figured out, the sky is the limit for the tone settings in this amp.

With the added Master Volume, I can get that incredible 57 Twin breakup at LOW volume levels - no more "ear bleeds".... With the volume down and the Master Volume up, it gets a really nice clean with lots of headroom. The Voodoo Amps mod produced EXACTLY what I wanted out of this amp.

I dropped in some mullard preamp tubes and one Sovtek 12ax7 longplate. I'll play with the preamp and power amp tubes a bit: like try some Genelex Gold Lion kt66's, maybe some yellowjackets with my telefunken NOS el84's.

Frankly, I can't imagine how it could get any better than it is.

Kudos to Trace and the gang at Voodoo Amps!!!!!!

No problems -

Guitar Center was great, and service from Voodoo Amps for the mod was absolutely outstanding.

Been through Marshalls, Fenders, Vox, Cornford (still own it but ready to sell it now!)

This is the amp I'd love to keep around for good. If I could only have one, this would be it....

Straight forward - all "features" have been listed before. Gets a ten since it has all the features I need.

The "stock" sound isn't "great", but you get the idea of what it can be with a little tweaking. Since I picked it up in near mint condition from Guitar Center for $899, I decided to get "Voodoo Amplification" to do its magic on it. We'll see if it gets a "10" when it comes back with the upgrade. For now, it's an "8".

No problems -

Haven't needed it -

I've played on and off since 1972. Owned Vox, Marshall, Fender, and Cornford amps - among others - and owned Clapton and Johnson strats, Les Pauls, original 63 reverse Firebird, 67 Gibson Melody Maker, Late 50's or early 60's Tele, Flying V98, etc.....

If this amp - when it "comes home" after being modded, sounds the way I hope it will, then the 57 Twin and Cornford Hurricane cover everything I need plus more.
Stay tuned......

You know the features. Normal/Bright inputs. Volume, bass, treble, presence. 40 watts. 2 12inch speakers.

Nothing to write home about. It's not bad but it's not great...especially for the price. For the money, there's about 1000 amps out there that blow this one out of the water. Like I said, it's not bad, it has a decent tone, but that's it. I use a Matchless HC-30 head and Marshall 2x12 cab and it puts the Fender 57 Twin TO SHAME! To bassy and to bright...typical Fender. For the same price, why not get a vintage Fender or something?

I think overall, it's a pretty reliable amp. Mine, however has all sorts of issues. I don't even know where to start.

terrible. enough said.

This amp is a boutique wanna-be.

2008 model. Bright and normal channel with individual volume control. No channel switching, no master volume, no effects loop... just the way I like it. Bass, treble and presence controls that are very effective. Special design Weber speakers. Twin rectifier circuit that is very clear and articulate, responds well to picking dynamics. Use your guitars volume control with the amp to generate your voicing.

My 57 Twin and Victoria 5112 are the two amps that will remain with me for the long term. Have been through more amps than I can count in the past number of years, most of them high end boutique gear and all of them very good but have found my sound with the 57 Twin. If you are looking for an amp to play metal... then this is not for you. If you want to play Classic rock, blues and country then you owe it to yourself to try this amp. Whisper quiet when idling and more than enough clean headroom for any application. Have tried several pedals in front of the amp and all have been good. Currently using an Xotic RC Booster with a Boss DD3 delay with excellent results. Occasional use of early Ibanez TS9 with the 808 chip yields outstanding tones. Primarily using single coil guitars including Fender American Strat, American Deluxe Tele and an American Lonestar Strat with Texas Specials and Pearly Gates Humbucker in the bridge. Something about Fender guitars and amps together that just works for me. Also play a Hamer Artist Custom with Seth Lover Humbuckers that also sounds great through this amp. Have owned lots of other Fender amps and with the exception of the 4x10 Bassman I was always underwhelmed. However decent build quality and wonderful tone make the 57 Twin a home run in my opinion. Well done Fender!

Have had no issues with the amp so far with the exception of a tube that went microphonic. I will always have backup gear for gigging.

Have not required Customer Support for this amp so far. My experience in working with an authorized Fender dealer has always been positive however. Unlikely that you would ever get the same level of one on one support from the Fender factory as you would from a small boutique amp builder. The Fender Custom shop may be different but have no experience with them to date.

Have been playing off and on since just after the earths crust began to cool. Have spent more time and money on my quest for tone than I care to think about. Have had some very nice equipment including Fender, Marshall, Rivera, Mesa, Bogner, THD, Victoria and others. If the 57 Twin was lost or stolen I would acquire another without hesitation. In fact I may keep an eye out for a good deal and pick up a second 57 Twin to put away. Life is too short to live with bad tone. People appear to be prepared to spend large bucks on guitars and accessories such as pedals but often seem reluctant to pay the price for a quality amp. Don't scrimp, buy yourself a quality amp like the 57 Twin and you are unlikely to regret it.

most people reading this know the design. its a 2 12 40 watt tweed fender combo. with two rectifier tubes.
if you can't play any gig with this amp, i suggest a retraining about fundamental tone. one thing that i think is underappreciated about this amp, it sounds great at low volumes. the tone is that great.

g&l strats and asats
pretty darned perfect for jazz blues pop rock even classical, as i can get a very acoustic sound out of the strat with low volume setting on the guitar. there is no brutal distortion in this amp. just lovely overdrive. i don't like brutality.

perfect, save the burnt out pilot light, nobody's fault

na

45 years
lots of good gear, believe me
this fender has the tone. period.
i do believe that i'd get another if necesary, its the fundamental note that we like to hear, its got that spongy response to your attack on the guitar.

Not sure when mine was made but they???ve only been around for a few years. I bought it ???used??? for $1,700, but it looks like someone just had it in their bedroom the whole time. Features? No channel switching, reverb or tremolo, just top quality components and workmanship (Mercury Magnetics OT, Ted Weber Special Design Alnico speakers, hand wiring, finger-joined solid pine cabinet) and incredible, rich, 3D tone. Plenty of power at 40 watts for anywhere I play (yes, Clapton plays everywhere these days with one ??? check out Cream Reunion at Royal Albert Hall). Now. I don???t play super big venues, so one other really great feature for me is the Dual Rectifier arrangement (see the Sound Quality section of this review). In short, the amp has all the features I need.

I have had a Blues Deluxe Reissue for the past half year or so, and I have to say it???s a fabulous amp, for the money, for the blues, roots and boogie that I play these days. Nice, rich, throaty tone with my Strats. But??? I always go back to fiddling with Treble and Presence controls to try to get good chimey high end and upper mids without shrillness. Ive tried changing out tubes and speakers as well. I???ve always felt I was striking some compromise, never quite completely satisfied. Still, I have kept the BDRI and feel it???s the best amp out there for anywhere near the price. And I tried a lot of amps before buying it. Now, I became interested with the 57 Twin Reissue ever since seeing/hearing Clapton play through one in his first Crossroads Guitar Festival DVD, but was quite put off by the $2000 plus price tag. After trying one at a local music store I was VERY impressed, but still held off. Well, after finding a used one in pristine condition for $700 less than the $2,400 they now go for, I pulled the trigger. I???ve now been playing through it for a month or so in rehearsal and gigging situations. Man, this is what a guitar amp should be! No compromises. Beautiful, rich, round, 3D tone a foot deep. Keep both rectifier tubes in for maximum headroom, pull one out for great ???sag??? and compression at reasonable club volumes. Crank the volume to 4 or above and the notes really ???bloom??? with the one rectifier configuration, especially when adding clean boost or good, transparent drive pedal with the drive down and the volume up. Crank the Twin up to 8 and above - no boost or pedal required for gorgeous tube distortion. All frequencies are present in the ???57 Twin. The Treble and Bass controls seem capable of dialing in almost unlimited combinations, none of which sound bad or irritating. I love the Weber-designed alnicos. Words like vibrant, rich, throaty and organic come to mind. I???ve owned pre-CBS Twin Reverbs and Bandmasters, Mesa Boogie MKIII, late 60???s 100w and 50w Marshalls, great amps all. But, for me, the 57 Twin is just the ultimate, the best, and worth every penny. No wonder Clapton, Beck and Gilmour are playing through this amp. And it???s a COMBO, weighing in at a manageable 53 lbs. I APPRECIATE that.

Don???t know yet, but have never had problems with Fender amps from my first Bandmaster bought new in 1965 (can???t say that for all their guitars I???ve owned, unfortunately). I had a little rattle at higher volume as others have talked about, but after snugging the screws that hold the chassis to the cabinet, it is gone.

Had to use support once for a problem with a new Clapton Signature Strat, was very unimpressed with with the support rep, and ended up fixing it myself. Thankfully, I don???t foresee needing them for this amp. The amp comes with Fender???s 5 year transferrable warranty.

I???ve been playing for over 40 years, most of those professionally. This is a beautiful amplifier. Every guitar I have sounds it???s best through this amp. My strats and Les Paul especially sound great. I???ve never been happier with an amp and feel my search is OVER. It???s the best tone I???ve ever had, from clean to unbelievably rich natural distortion. Takes pedals well too, although I use nothing but an OCD drive pedal for low volume playing (drive low at 7:00 or 8:00 and volume up at 2:00) and an analog delay set for one ???slap back???. I???ve never been so completely satisfied with an amp in the past, always wanted something a little different. I really feel like I???m home at last.

2007, paid 1900, at first i wished the amp had mids but the tre bass and presence really work well.

here is where im not sure yet. i have a fender custom shop bassbreaker did the side by side and the bassbreaker sounded better, rounder more complex.but im not done yet, maybe speakers have to broken in.To me lows mud out! anybody have the the mr spinggy reverb pedal? thats next.

just got it.

heard there bad

for know im not to crazy about, but that could change.