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.

Mine is a late 2006 model. The amp is a fairly recent offering from Fender so I do not believe the specs have been changed since then. Two channels, normal and bright, which can be jumpered together (use both volume knobs) via a y-cable (I use the Hosa YMM106). Weber designed speakers, manufactured by Eminence (same as Ted Weber's 12A150A alnico speakers essentially). The treble and bass knobs work together to shape the mids. If the treble is higher than the bass, the mids are spiked, and vice versa. Presence knob works on the highest frequencies as usual.

I think tilt back legs would be a good feature on this amp, but the tweeds never had those (so to keep it more historically accurate Fender didn't put them on which is understandable). But I have learned to cope with this (facing the amp away from the stage so it can resonate differently, cautiously tilting it against the wall or keeping it a little elevated via keeping it in the amp case). So it is not a big deal at all.

About 40 watts and is plenty loud with the two 12s dishing out the tone. I mic the amp if I want more clean headroom at larger venues. For the most part though, I like to just run the normal channel volume higher (little more than 12 oclock) and keep the bright channel volume down at about 10 oclock and it stays pretty clean with the pedals off. Nice chunky sound. Obviously a simple amp, but a tone beast. Plus, this amp makes all my pedals sound amazing, so that increases the amount of useable sounds you can get!

First off, I had this amp for a year and a half now and it has been with me through a boatload of gigs. This thing sounds absolutely incredible! The greatest clean tones you can ever get. Nice for jazz, not overly bright like a blackface amp can get, great for your country obviously, great classic rock tones a la Keith Richards, great for blues tones a la Derek Trucks if you wanna crank the thing up real loud. This thing does it all and sounds great with my one-off '56 NOS Strat (Callaham trem block) and '57 LP Goldtop RI (Duncan Antiquities, TonePros Bridge). Distortion tone is very fat with the Les Paul - not fuzzy like some other Tweed models can be, gets no sag with the dual rectifier tubes. The cool part with that, you can pull one of them to get a little more gain. I like to keep both of them in for a more agressive attack at higher volumes with the humbucker equipped Lester.

The way it takes pedals is amazing as well. The pedals I run usually are: Fulltone Clyde Deluxe Wah -> Xotic AC Booster -> Keeley TS9 Mod Plus -> Fulltone Ultimate Octave -> SD Tweak Fuzz -> Fulltone mini-Deja'Vibe -> Line 6 Verbzilla. Usually with my Lester I like to run straight in though with the channels bridged. And I like to experiment with taking certain pedals out of the chain etc. My main set up is my strat with just the AC booster and the Verbzilla, keep both on at all times and use the guitar volume. All the way up, I get a sorta "fuzzy" overdrive tone (think John Mayer Trio tone in "Out of my Mind" on the Try! album) and then you can adjust it from spanky clean to SRV to crunch going lowest to highest.

Some complain about the speakers sounding too stiff, but after a few months (if that), the amp really starts to open up and sound more lively. But the speakers totally destroy any Jensen reissue in terms of richness and warmth, sound really great.

I kept everything stock for the most part as well. The tubes I havn't changed around really, except I put in a JJ in the #1 preamp slot just to warm up the amp a little. But I don't want to change it much because I'm so happy with the way it sounds (especially with the strat I can get all sorts of cool bluesy tones out of it from Robert Cray to Stevie Ray to Eric Clapton to Eric Johnson - with pedals of course).

The y-cable is a must for this amp in my opinion. It just takes the sound's thickness and multiplies it by 12! Just fuller sounding, helps with the EQ balance as well by increasing the bright volume and lowering the normal volume for more highs (and vice versa) and also gives more fine tuning on the distortion level also.

Finally, as for amp settings, with the Les Paul I like to spike the treble up a tad (1 oclock), bass stays at about 11 oclock and keep the presence at 0 or very very low. As I crank the volume up for distortion, the bass comes down to get rid of the flab. With the strat, the volume does not go above 1 oclock on the normal channel and not above 10 oclock on the bright (I like to use the pedals for grit). Bass, treble and presence stay at about 11 oclock, that's where I get a nice balanced tone EQ-wise. But a lot of great other spots, just experiment!

I heard complaints of having rattling cabs. I never had any of those problems. There is no hiss or noise with the amp (besides the normal single coil hum when there is higher gain in play) and the lacquered tweed-covered pine cab is just a work of art. Never had a fuse or tube blow or anything go wrong with the amp. Never sent it to a tech once and whenever it goes out it is in my Gator ATA type case so it doesn't get destroyed after a while. Good stuff

Thankfully I didn't have to deal with this yet, and I hope it stays that way. Typical Fender customer support...

I would take this amp over a Victoria Tweed clone in a heartbeat. Not to say that those are bad, but this amp is just amazing. I would replace it without a doubt if it was ever lost or stolen and for the money, there is not much that can beat it, even on the boutique market, for my needs.

Sometimes you buy something for what it doesn't have, instead of what it has. Very simple here. Normal channel, bright channel, and a volume for each, treble, bass and presence. You can't rate this amp 2 for features because it doesn't have reverb or crappy digital effects. If you want that, there's plenty of options out there.

One note: you can't "jump" the channels like you can with a bassman. Each channel has a separate preamp, so you need to a/b (or a/b/y) the channels to blend them like you can with a bassman.

It has dual rectifiers so you can use both remove the first or second, but I don't understand why you'd want to. You have a beautiful, mature sounding dual recto, why take one away? I'm sure you'd get different sounds, but it was built that way for a reason, so leave it alone and admire what it can do.

It almost pains me to say that the twin sounds so much fuller than my Bassman. Very deep and big. And as mentioned throughout these reviews, the treble and bass controls offer so much more than typical treble and bass controls. Presence functions as it does on other Fenders. Above 10 (controls go to 12, take that Nigel) the bass just makes it too flabby, but from 0 to 10 there's so much there. Not enough clean headroom? Dial back the bass and you've almost got blackface clean. Treble and bass on 10 and depending on volume, you may not need an od or fuzz, that's how ferocious this thing is. You can find very nice and completely different sounds anywhere you put the treble and bass.

My strats are a little bassy to begin with, so I use the bright channel mostly, but the normal channel is very nice as well.

Well, I got it off ebay and it arrived with the cabinet cracked where the screw holds up the chassis. A little glue and some toothpicks and she's solid as ever. I had my guy give it the once-over and he gave it his blessing. I feel like it will last as long as I want.

Take care of it and find a good amp tech to give her some lovin when she needs it and you won't need customer support.

How can you not give this 10's across the board? That being said, it's not a kid's amp. I'm still learning how to appreciate it. It's still rather new and I can only see it getting better 5-10 years down the road when she's really broken in and I know her like the back of my hand. If I only could have one amp (hopefully my wife will never hand down that decree) this would be the one.

2006 Reissue of the 1957 low powered tweed twin. There are two channels; i seldom use the bright channel. This amp is very transparent and responsive. With the right overdrive pedal, it has all the gain I could ever use for classic rock or indie rock. Nu Metal folks will not like this amp, though. It does not have reverb, which is fine with me, because I don't like reverb. The main feature is the lack of features--simple hand-wired circuit.

This amp is dead quiet. I play a '57 Les Paul reissue with Burstbuckers through a Fulldrive 2 and a Maxon Overdrive. This is a very loud 40 watts--enough that I don't need to mic the guitar even in large rooms--bass and drums are all mic'ed through the mains.

I bought it new and the pilot light has never worked; also, one of the rectifier tubes was bad--Fender definitely has some quality control issues that they should address. That being said, the amp has never given me a problem after a year of steady gigging. Very reliable amp.

I would never try to deal with Fender; I would just take the amp to a tech.

I have been playing out pretty much every weekend for 15 years. I would recommend this amp to everyone, unless they play death metal. It is small, light, very musical and responsive, cheaper than many boutique amps, and it has a great big "3D" sound. I have owned '70s Marshalls, Silver Face Twins, Black Face Twins, Orange (AD30), and Blonde Fender Piggy Backs. This is my favorite amp next to the 1964 Blonde Bassman that I also love. The advantage this amp has over the Bassman is that it is much lighter and it is a combo--just pick it up and go...like carring a suitcase.

Although it only has 2 different channels, Normal-Bright- to plug into, these channels along with the Treble, Bass, Presence controls yield a great variety of sounds.
The EQ section is very effective and really changes as you adjust.

I have owned this amp for a year and 3 months. Truthfully I was ready to sell it until yesterday. What was the change you are wondering? I have heard other reviewers talk about the wonderful sophosticated distortion that comes from this amp. I tried turning it up first on bright then on normal, it sounded terrible too little break up, too much compression and no pick sensitivity. It did have a great clean sound, but this wasn't enough for me. How did I fix this, I did a little reading and called Lord Valve-NBS Electronics. I described what I was looking for and he suggested I get tung sol reissue 6l6's and 12ax7's. I received the tubes yesterday and now I have a versatile roaring monster with the sophisticated distortion that I dreamed of. Of course you need to crank it up pretty good to take advantage of this distortion, but the tubes turned this into a new amp. Still sounds great with my Keeley pedals when I have to play at lower levels.

No problems so far, bought new from a trusted dealer has 5 year warranty.

Have only dealt with fender once trying to date a SRV strat. They responded promptly unlike what I have heard.

If this was stolen I might get the fender 57 deluxe reissue or a Victoria amp, only to get that tweed distortion at a lower level. I'm not a big fan of attenuators.

This amp is very versatile in my opinion. There aren't any bells and whistles with this amp, which is a great thing. This amp doesn't have any reverb or channel switching or other garbage to get in the way. I haven't tried channel jumping it yet.

This amp to me makes the most sophisticated distortion at relatively high volumes. I really don't care for the clean sound at all, its too woody and bluesy. I favor british amps and their mid range qualities. However, when I push it a little it sounds incredible. It completely takes on a new character. I think this is the amp's strong point. I can be very versatile depending on the volume of the amp. Other reviewers have stated that they achieve break up at around 5 with gibson guitars. I achieve it with my eric johnson strat at about 4. This is extremely loud, most soundmen only let me get the thing to about 3 and 1/2. And this level I am forced to use an overdrive pedal and forfeit that glorious sound. I would recommend a power attenuator, like the thd hotplate or marshall powerbrake. I am currently trying the thd yellow jacket 6l6 to el84 converters, which will cut the power to about 20 watts.

So far, this amp has been very reliable. Not much can go wrong with such simple circuitry. I am finding the simple things are usually better. I can't believe how silent the amp is. There is absolutely zero noise at high levels. It must be the hand-wiring.

Never dealt with them.

I have been playing for about nine years, and have only many different amps and guitars along the way. I own a few choice pedals, ehx micro synth, zvex super hard-on, cusack screamer, fulltone soulbender, the infamous boss tuner. In hindsight, I would have purchased one of these from victoria amp company in the single 12" 20 watt version. The twin has too much power for me. Too much stage volume for any venue. Just mic it up with a great condenser and it will sound great. I wish I could say that this amp is the end of my search for that elusive tone, but it isn't.

2006 twin re-issue - 6L6 type - hand wired - 2 12's - WONDERFUL pine cab. Say what you will but I'm a big believer in fender single coils into fender tweed. It has all the features I want - I don't like amp reverb - no use for chasnnel switching

What it does best is that "hairy" kind-of blues break-up. I actually prefer my BD with small amount of gain - but this is the best amp based break-up I'ne heard. Clean tones are pretty decent.

I do carry a back-up with me. - but sure seems solid

I've played 35 yrs - past 10 yrs in cover band playing all the goofy stuff people like to dance to - mostly my bigsby tele with texas specials - but sometimes my strat >>> carl martin compressor ( subtle amount ) >>>> Keeley mod boss BD >>>> 20 yr old analog delay box >>>>> amp -

I bought this because I was stunned into bliss by my 3 yr old tweed bassman - Because I'm a freak when I find an awesome tone I always get something else - you would think I would say "this sounds wonderfull - I think I'll stick with it for a while"- instead I do the exact reverse. I figured this hand wired tweed would be divine. After owning the twin for 3-4 mo I figured out my mistake - those 4 ten inch speakers do that magical chorus-like thing - also the bassman has a big sound stage because of those tens - also an awesome sweetness that is unbeatable. the twin ( or any other 2 twelve type amp could never make that tone) - I always get a kick out of listening to the raves about hand-wired point to point being the best ( as if electrons can tell the difference from PCP - current flow is current flow ! ) - I briefly fell for this too. Fortunately the twin has a decent re-sale value so I came out ok.

This is a 2006 Fender Custom Shop 1957 Twin reissue. It has normal and bright channels, each with hi and lo inputs. A volume for each channel...which can be jumped or A\B'd if you wish. Other than that...it's treble, bass, presence. For my needs, it has plenty of options. For MP3 sound samples of this amp checkout www.myspace.com/peppermintjames.

This amp is actually very flexible. The clean tones are very, very warm and round, without losing top-end clarity. It's not as midrangey or chimey as an AC-30, which is my ideal amp, but it really has a lot of mids for a Fender. I also have a vintage 65 deluxe reverb, and I think I am starting to prefer the 57 Twin. Overdriven...the amp is very singy and woody. With my Gibson es-330 (hollow-body with p-90's) the amp starts to break up around 5 on the volume knob. By 10 it is very broken up, and singy...with just the right amount of compression. If the channels are jumped....this amp has enough gain by itself to play almost any type of music, possibly even metal. Although....it will be amazingly loud at that point of breakup. Too loud for smaller clubs. I recently recorded a demo with my band using only the 1957 twin. I've had the amp for a little over a month, so the speakers aren't broken in all the way yet, but you can hear some of what this amp can do with my 330 at www.myspace.com/peppermintjames. I also ran my Fender Rhodes keyboard through it for the song Civilization, and it sounded great. So that was a bonus. Remember, these are MP3's which are of lesser sound quality than .wav files and obviously way worse than an actual CD. So don't judge the amp too harshly. I give the amp a 9 because I can't give a 9.5. I think that the only amps I've had that I like better are a Vox AC30HW limited edition through 2 Celestion Blues, an old 1963 Copper Panel pre-top boost AC-30, and a Divided By 13 JRT 9\15. These other amps were far more expensive, so assuming the Twin proves reliable....I would call it a better buy.

I've played out with the amp 4 times so far, and recorded a live demo with it. No problems of any kind thus far, except for a small amount of rattling in the cabinet when I played my Fender Rhodes through it at the studio sessions. This was because of the lower bass notes the Rhodes has beyond that of a guitar. This is no fault of the amp, but would happen to any solid pine guitar cabinet if you ran a low enough frequency through it. This is not meant to be a bass amp. Assuming it continues to perform as it has been, I would give this amp a 10 in reliability. Especially because the circuit is simple, and will be easy to maintain if any problems do arise.

I've never dealt with Fender. All of my Fender products other than this amp are vintage. I have a 64 Bandmaster, a 68 Showman, a 65 deluxe reverb, and now this. If the 57 twin reissue is as reliable as my vintage Fender equipment, I'll still be playing through it 40 years from now. I love Fender equipment, feel that they are the most dependable amplifiers you can get. Especially for the money.
If you have a competent guitar tech at your disposal...you can't go wrong with a Fender amp.

I would like to give this amp a 9.5. Like I said earlier, there are a few amps in my past that I like better than this one. Still- I consider it one of the very best amps I've ever had....and for the money- well- it's the best bang for my buck that I've ever experienced. That being said....I'll give it a 10 overall.

I give it a 10 'cause there aren't that many features. I think that's a good thing.

Sounds awsome. A truly amazing Fender amp. I actually wrote a review for this amp some time ago. I'm posting another review because the amp and speakers, I feel, are "broken in" now. Lately, I've been playing larger venues than when I got the amp so I'm able to turn it up and let it rip. When I first got the amp, I was in a smaller club. I don't think I turned the amp up past 5 or 6. Now, in a larger club, I crank this thing to 9 or so. Holy #&%@!!!! When you crank this thing, it's unreal. Some of the best blues and classic rock sounds I've heard. This thing is powerful and loud. 40 watts might not sound like much to some people, but believe me, this thing rips!

Hand-wired, no PCBs, solid pine cabinet...what else can I say?

A word of warning-Tweed scuffs and scratches VERY easily.

I always give customer support for Fender a 10 because the Fender tech around my area is awsome.

10-Hands Down

Super easy to use.
40 Watts of pure heaven.

The tone of this amp is so wonderful I almost cried the first time I heard it.
The rich fat tube tone is so sweet you can't stop playing.
I have been playing a LONG time and have had tons of gear and dropped some BIG bucks looking for just the right tone.
This is it.
SRV, Eric Clapton and a host of others.
I am selling all of the other amps I have that only try to sound like this one.
I am soo happy I found this amp i just can't say enough.
The amp is outstanding and well worth the money.
For tone I would give this amp an "11"
This is an amp for adults, not Metal-Heads tring to see how fast they can play.
The tone is rich full and warm. A blues players dream come true.

Fender, Awesome

Never needed it.

This amp is by far the best amp I have ever played.
Blues, Rock and Country back to the basics of tone.
Great job Fender Custom Shop.
"11" all round. This amp is a keeper.

ALl of the features have been covered.

This amp sounds good if you want that woody tone from the old days. If you want a real tight, disciplined response - look elsewhere. Definitely not a pristine clean tone, more a sweeter softer tone. Kind of dark mids. I like it for what it is.

Thank God there are no PCBs on this thing. I've made my it mission, no - crusade - to purge PCBs from every facet of my life - including having the PCBs in my vehicle removed and replaced by the old school bread board wiring. Yeah - it cost me some money, but at least I don't need a backup. I can't believe they'd send up the space shuttle with PCBs on board - we're talking about peoples' lives here!!! Back to the amp - I think it would withstand a direct hit from a howitzer.

Look - who knows if you'd like it? Don't be taken in by the seductive description on Fender's web site - you have to play this. Its not for everyone. I think its cool.

I submitted a review on 03/10/2006 and rated 10 for Reliability. Well, I was completely wrong. Three months later the amp has dropped completely out. I took it to the seller and they had it for a couple of weeks. Apparently they found a cold solder joint and fixed it. Coming back home the amp dropped out again five minutes later and I have had to carry it back again to the seller store. Three weeks later tey have not found were the problem is.

The 57 Twin is 100% Fender? for the best and for the worst. I wonder why Fender engineer think that their control quality has to be implemented by customers.

They are not able to fix the problem.

Well, if you want a shredding, hi-gain multi function thingmajigwhatsit look elsewhere.

However, if you want to best tone I have ever heard in any amp (and I''ve owned everything from Vintage AC30's to Soldano's) then THIS is the bad boy. Unbelievable.

One point worth making is the tone pots are incredibly usable and versatile, even though there ain't many of them. Also well worth playing around with the 4 inputs as each gives a slightly different voicing.

In a class of its own. If you want Clapton, Gilmour and hendrix tone (and who doesn't?) all rolled into one then this is the kiddie. It distrorts and compresses like you would not believe, but as it does so the string speration is absolutely perfect. (Think 'Badge' arpeggios).

I use a 56 strat, a 71 strat and a Les Paul and the amp picks up the tonal qualites of the guitar.

I am running a large pedal board (Carl Martin Quattro, TC CHorus, DD3, Rat, TS808, Big Muff and Whammy) and there is not the hint of hum

Use the rat and you have instant Clapton lead, use the Muff and some analouge delay (and importantly a spacey chorus) and you really really do have Comfortably Numb, the tone I have searched for for 20 years. It is absolutely there for you, you just have to go and find it.

Only words of caution, the seperation is so good if you want bell like sounds, your ears will ring for an hour afterwards. And, forget playing at low bedroom volumes. There are none. And, forget digital fx into the front end....the Twin abores them as nature abores a vacuum, and rightly so too.

Well it hasn't bust yet.

Haven't used it, but hey it's Fender. So they will be useless.

You know, I've been playing 20 years and play in two bands, one original stuff, one covers. This is the amp. It is tonally perfect, has the distortion that angels would use and looks perfect. And, it smells like a 57 amp should... I go into my little home studio and it smells as if I walked into a 1957 recording booth. Also, Fender at last have replicated the old Shellac Tweed finish.

My other gear:-

56 Blonde Strat
71 Sunburst Strat
Levinson blade
59 LP Reissue
Lowden LSE1

Amps:-
Marshall 30th Anni (now for sale!) and JFX 1

FX for Twin...as above.

Go and buy one. It is totally neccesary.

Standard features...extremely simple. The only feature here is great tone.

This amp is simply the best sounding amp I've ever played and I've owned about 10 different tube amps over the years and this one is it. It will work great for everything, but metal...I highly doubt any metal players will be reading this. The clean tone is absolutely beautiful...well balanced, rich, darn close to perfect. With a tube screamer in front you get a great rock n roll sound...think the black crowes. My main guitar is an Fender American Ash Strat Deluxe and with its noiseless pickups the amp is extremely quite. I use an SG for slide and it sounded unbeleivably good through this amp. This amp was worth every penny I paid for it. Everyone who hears it is blown away.

The best part about this amp is that at 40 watts it doesn't get too loud. Make no mistake this amp has a very large sound and projects very well.

Best $1,600 I've ever spent.

This thing is built like a tank and I've never had problems with any Fenders before.

If you want great tone buy this amp. I've owned a Peavy Classic 30, Fender Deluxe Reverb, Fender Super Reverb, Music Man...etc. This amp is it.

This amp is mid-1950's technology. The tone stack isn't as good as that of the 1958-60 Twin model. But you can still dial in sounds from mellow jazz to bright chicken picking. Setting the bass control on full acts as a midrange cut.

To my ears the amp has something of a "beauty and the beast" quality: I loved its clean sound but hated its distortion.

I found the clean tones to be *exquisite* with a well balanced spectrum of lows, creamy mids, and sparkling highs. The Twin produces a really thick and warm sound. Its midrange gives it a better sonic definition than the tweed Bassman.

However, the amp doesn't have as much headroom as I'd like. The natural tube distortion starts at around 3 or 4 on the volume knob. Of course this depends on several factors such as your guitar's pickup output, preamp tube strength, and tone stack settings. Converting to original spec 12AY7 tubes will hold back some of the clipping. Nevertheless I felt like I was trying to play below the cloud cover of the Twin's grind.

Simply put: I hated the way the tube distortion sounded. I used a Weber MASS attenuator. I was expecting to hear the vaunted tones of saturated tubes. Instead, I got a distortion that sounded like garbage: fizzy, snarly, brittle, trebley. The amp's split-load inverter adds preamp clipping from the V4B triode which I don't prefer. It's impossible to avoid this triode distortion whenever the amp is cranked. This is an inherent feature of the Twin's 5E8-A circuit.

Looks solidly built. The hand-wired circuit should be easy to repair if needed. The amp has no fancy integrated chips or micro circuits. Simplicity is a virtue.

The amp comes with a 5-year warranty. I've heard Fender takes extra care of their Custom Shop customers.

The '57 Twin is an excellent reproduction of a 1950's amplifier. If this is what you like, then it might be your "Holy Grail." But if you're looking for something else, then look elsewhere. This amp is what it is. Let your own ears decide.

People's taste in distortion is a very personal thing. Many blues players like the reedy distortion of tweed amps. But for myself, I like the ballsy timber of Marshall overdrive. I wish the Twin had a deeper tenor to its grind. I was so disappointed with the distortion that I returned the amp.

No features...that's why I like it. Read other reviews for a compete overview of the features. Mine is very slightly used. I think mine is a 2004 model. I really like the Weber/Eminence speakers. No need to replace these.

I use an American Deluxe Strat with SCN pickups. I use a Dunlop Wah, a Tube Screamer, and sometimes my MXR Phase 90. I did buy a reverb pedal for this amp since there is no reverb. It's an old school amp. I will, when I can afford it, get a Fender reverb unit. The sound that comes out of this amp is just beautiful. I'm a firm believer in "you get what you pay for". In this case, you get what you pay for...and I paid a lot. The amp sounds great in any setting with any guitar. OUTSTANDING highs, nice growling lows...I am in love with this amp. It's great for blues and rock. It's nice and clean until you turn it up. At full volume you get nice, tight distortion. My Fender Deluxe Reverb Reissue (which I also love) gets a little "farty" at high volumes. The Twin does not. If you can afford it, buy this amp.

Not an issue. I doubt that it will be. It's a hand-made, hand-wired amp. For the money, it better not crap out on me. I always take care of my gear. I rarely have problems.

Not an issue. However, if you have problems, DO NOT CALL FENDER. Call your nearest Fender dealer. The Fender Company does not do repairs. They manufacture and sell things.

I love this amp. I hate nothing about it. This amp kicks ass. It's pure Fender tube heaven...an AMAZING amp. Nice work Fender.

P.S. I didn't mention that the amp looks great as well. I love the laquered tweed.