Fender '65 Twin Custom 15 Combo

I am using this amp for pedal steel. Once you dial out the icy high end
it sounds great. Don't get me wrong though since I still like a high end sound but not too much. You've got to have some middle and bottom end to prevent it from sounding too sharp, brittle and piercing.The amp has lots of presence and tube warmth, and sounds pretty good with the steel.

Made in 2006.No effects loop.No distortion. No master volume.Good reverb. Perfect. 2 channels. One with reverb and vibrato and one without.Has bright switches.I use this in medium to small venues. Can't turn it up past three. All tube------nice!

This is a clean amp.If you know what you're doing, it sounds great with just a mild amount of reverb.I also use a tonebone classic, Carl Martin compressor and a ts-9 or an o.c.d. I use mainly a modified musicman axis with high (very high) output Dimarzio pickups.The best thing about this amp is that it doesn't matter where you are in the room----it sounds the same. I first noticed it while i was rehearsing. I walked away from the amp---- to the side----behind it -----it didn't matter. It sounded the same . The guys in the band couldn't believe it.Even the drummer could hear everything.

I must say that as much as i like this amp, the first one i bought didn't sound right. It had a sound as if the speaker was bad.I use it without a backup simply because i can't fit anymore stuff in my little convertible( i have a life too!)

I've been playing off and on since 1967. OUCH! But i still have all my teeth!I have a peavey classic 50, a musicman rp100, a les paul 1978 pro, a fender 1981 strat(nice), an Ibanez am75, a gretsch fatbody, a gibson 1984 explorer artist model-- he must have been on drugs when he painted this one.I would without a doubt get another one.
I chose this model for 3 reasons---it's a fender, it has a speaker based on the jbl d130-f which i played guitar through a modified marshall stack back in the early 70's,and when i played it in the sound room from where i bought it, it was nirvana---and i don,t mean the band.
I would like to add one more thing.I am a guitar player/singer. I've got to keep on my toes---especially in a 3 piece.but the best endorsement i can give you is that i lent this amp to a guy who is absolutely the best singer/guitar player i have ever seen(plays with guys from major acts) and he said that this was the best new amp he's ever heard.

new in 2006 see other writeups

this amp i believe is the best fender amp out there for 1000.00 talk about SPARKLE!!!! The mark of a true great fender sound. AIRY SPARKLE AND BOUNCE!!! AND A BIG SUOUND for one speaker. Start with the best clean sound and use pedals to go from there. DID I MENTION THIS AMP HAS THE BEST -SPARKLE- OF ANY FENDER AMP IVE HEARD!!! WOW!!!and does it ever push the air. Country twang, pop, rock{talk about an overdrive sound to die for with a pedal]fusion,anything but metal etc.

dont know yet 25 hrs on it and no problem yet

I purchased the amp brand new back in late May. Not too many features with this amp, reverb, vibrato, bright switch. That's pretty much all that you need if you know what you're doing. The feature that really made me decide on this amp was the 15" speaker. I used this amp in a couple of small bars and a large Hollywood venue. The amp had plenty of volume and a great tone. In the Hollywood venue the amp, with a single speaker, sounded better, louder, and bigger than another guitar player with 2 4-10 combo amps. With the proper pedals, this amp would do well in amlost any genre of music.

With the amp alone the sounds were very clean. The thing that amazed me with this amp was the sound of the high end. even with one 15' speaker the high end never suffered. It sounded very present with whatever situation I was using it in. Since the amp is 80 watts I never pushed it to an overdriven sound, that would have been way too loud. The amp has more treble in the Vibrato channel than the Normal channel. The reverb sounded pretty good as well. The tone of the reverb was better than the sound of the reverb in all of the other '65 reissue amps. The reverb on this amp sounded more like my '66 Super Reverb.

I used various teles, a strat, and a Gretsch 6120 with this amp. T.V. Jones Filter-trons, Gibson humbuckers(490t & '57 classic neck), tele texas specials, and Seymour Duncan tele single coils all sounded equally well with this amp. The amp allowed each guitar and pickup combination to maintain a distinct tone but still sound great clean or with overdrive. The pedals I was using at the time were a Ts-808>Boss Blues Driver>Boss Bass EQ>Homebrew Mimic II delay>Amp. The amp worked well with the guitars and pedals in my arsenal. The amp even had a nice low end that you can only usually find with closed back type cabinets.

This amp really complimented my musical styles(Rockabilly, Psychobilly) by being able to really stand out in the mix and give a good deal of bottom end, pretty remakable for one speaker. The other guitar player that I was playing with at the time was even amazed with the sound and the ability to sound bigger than his two amps.

I used it a total of three times onstage. This was in the time frame of three weeks. The first two gigs I played with it I was just filling in with another band. The third gig I played with it was with my band. On this third gig the amp decided to stop working on me during the second song. I was most definitely up a creek on this gig because I was the only guitar player that night. Of course I didn't have a backup amp because I have used Fender Amps throughout my entire musical career and have never had the need to bring two amps. I was extremely upset with this amp because it left me hanging. I ended up returning it the next day for a full refund.

N/A

I was very impressed with the sound of this amp, so much that I am considering buying a second one. If I do purchase another one I will have an amp tech go through the amp and replace any possible problems in the amp for me. I am a stickler for tone and own a mostly original '66 Super Reverb and a '59 Bassman reissue. I'll probably try to own another one by the end of the year.

I loved the tone that this amp produced. It was exactly how I wanted it to sound. I hate the fact that this amp stopped working for no reason. This fact kinda made me lose a little bit of faith in new Fender amps.

For the tone I was looking for this amp had it. I even compared it to a custom Vibroverb and a '57 Twin. I ended up choosing this one for the high end response that it had. It also sounded very similar to my Super Reverb.

The only reason that I gave the overall rating a 5 was because the amp sounded so good. Definitely loses points for leaving me high and dry. In all honesty I should have known better, when I was checking out this same model at another store the amp started making strange crackling noises and going out on me. A friend of my had one of these die on him while he was in the middle of a U.S. tour. Hopefully Fender will begin making these amps more reliable very soon

I just bought this amp new in March '06, so I assume it was built within the past year. Has all the features of a BF Twin Reverb, but with a 15" speaker, a copy of the old JBL D130F speaker, instead of the standard 2x12s. This amp features great spring reverb, vibrato (tremelo) and fabulous tone coming through a big 15" speaker, so I give it a 10. (If it had 'junk' features such as built-in distortion, or channel swtching, I wouldn't have bought it). This is an amplifier, not an effects box.

I'm primarily into jazz, although I have played and currently teach all styles. Mainly I use this amp with two very different archtop guitars, a vintage Gibson Johnny Smith as well as the Ibanez GB10 (which I use for most gigs).
My setup goes like this: Chops>guitar>guitar cable>amp.
I absolutely love the clean sounds from this amp.
Reminds me somewhat of my old '68 twin w/ 2 JBL's, only bigger and broader sounding - even at lower volumes. Typical bright, warm Twin tone, but more focused, and smooth throughout the spectrum. The bigger single 15" speaker gives a sound that will stay consistent to the listener from different vantage points around the room. I like it that everyone in the audience will hear the tone pretty much as I intend it to be. Although 85 tube watts is more than I ever need, it's always nice to have. I also have LP and Strat knock-offs - I can't imagine any guitar not sounding great through this amp. The reverb is great, of course.

I haven't had it very long, but I expect it to be reliable. I've been playing for 40 years, have owned mostly Fender amps, (2 SF Twins, 2 RI Twins, BF Super Reverb, SF Pro Reverb, BF Deluxe Reverb, RI Deluxe Reverb, Polytones, Ampegs, Evans) all but 2 of my amps have been tube amps. In all that time I've needed exactly 2 repairs.
Who in the world are these people who lug a backup amp to a gig? (I can't believe anyone takes a backup guitar to a gig. Are you afraid the neck might fall off? You must be pretty 'special', fellah.) No amp has ever broken down on me at a gig. If it did, I'd either plug in to another amp, the PA, play acoustically or (perish the thought!) go home. Who are these people with the back up gear? Do you tow another car behind you in case the one you're driving breaks down on the way to the gig?
O.K. I admit it. I take an extra guitar cable with me.

Fender has a 5 year warranty, which I think is pretty good. I've never needed customer support however, so I can't rate this.

If it were lost(?) or stolen would I replace it? Well, sure, I'd replace it. I believe it's the best sounding Twin Reverb I've owned. But how does one lose a 64 lb. amp? What? It's gonna slip through a hole in my pocket? The bottom line is this: it's a great sounding amp, and over a span of 40 years, I've played through a lot of amps. This is the one I bought.

Further down the list there are 2 very negative reviews. Unfortunately, because there are so few reviews of this amp, these 2 are given undue weight and skew the ratings for this amp. Ignore those 2 reviews. The sound of this amp is amazing.

This is the '65 Twin Reverb with an Eminence copy of the old 15" JBL. Two channels, reverb and tremolo. You know the drill.

I use this with an ASAT, '62 reissue tele, '57 reissue strat and a Clapton strat. I play mostly blues (Ronnie Earl, Duke Robillard, etc.). This amp is perfect for my style. With the volume at 4 and the T-M-B at 6-4-4, this amp sings. I expected that the 15" speaker might be a little slow, but the Eminence can generate some snap when called upon. All in all, this is a very satisfying amp. For reference, I own a Custom Vibrolux Reverb, Blues Jr, MusicMan 210-65, and Mesa-Boogie Mark III, and have owned a ton of other amps.

I am the second owner. Previous owner had no problems. The reissue twins have a decent reutation for reliability.

I haven't needed service on any of my Fender amps.

I have been playing over 30 years. For my style, this amp is as good as anything I've used. If stolen, I'd look for another one. This is a keeper!

My amp is brand new, so I'll assume it's a 2005. I bought it because it's a Twin Reverb with a 15" speaker. I'm curious as to why Fender mounts the speaker off center. Does anyone know the answer? It doesn't have a lot of fancy features. It was built to be a clean playing amp with good tone. I'd say it does what it was designed to do.

I play a Telecaster through it and occasionally my GFI or Carter pedals steel guitars. It is a clean amp. That's what I wanted, that's what I got. I would like to respond to the person who said they bought it as a steel amp. I know they say it is designed to be used with steel. I've played mine through it, but I'm not sure I would perform with it. Fender makes a steel amp called the Steel King. Might want to consider that amp. OR, buy yourself a Nashville 1000 (made by Peavey). That's really one of the best steel amps out there. Or, buy an Evans. I'm not sure this amp is the right amp for steel, but I'd use it in a pinch for steel applications.

It's still too new, but so far...no problems! I do have a question though: how do amps make it through quality control with obvious cosmetic flaws? Fender people?????? My name plate was all scratched up and this didn't happen at the music store. I believe another review stated that the name plate was installed upside down!! How can this happen. I know you can't judge the book by its cover, but it may lend insight to the quality of the product when the outside isn't right. I'm a very visual (and anal) person. I notice stuff like that...you should too!! For that reason alone I am rating you with a "5" in this category.

Haven't had to use customer support yet.

I've been playing for about 40 years. I play bass, lead/ryhthm, and pedal steel guitar. I own two Peavey steel amps, a Fender G-DEC, an Ampeg bass amp, and my Twin. I've owned MANY amps throughout my lifetime. I like the sound of a Twin. I used to own two Lab Series amps. They were great sounding amps. The Twin sounds just as good...or is that the Lab Series sounds just as good as the Twin...no wait! <grin>

Basic Fender black face features, no effects loop etc. but who needs it anyway, guitar to effects to amp. FX Loops always take up another set of cords for send and return and if you have a clean amp and use pedals for distortion it makes it so much easier to set up and tear down....

There were two reviews down on this list that gave low scores overall and I just wanted to make up for the tone deaf little weasels. The clean tone of this amp is magnificent and I've been playing guitar since 1970 and have owned or played through just about every amp known to man. I play every style of music with a lean toward the fusion side of things. Maybe they were looking for a distorted tone ? This amp has a CLEAN PRISTINE tone and I've found that you can get anything else with pedals. I've always had better luck finding the best clean sounding amp and then using pedals to build on that fundamental. I can't explain how good the pure clean tone of this amp is !!!!

It's a Fender .....

Never had a problem here....

This is the best amp I have ever had, the only downside is lugging it around, it weighs a ton but the tone makes up for it !
BTW, I think all this fuss about point to point wiring is hogwash especially after comparing this amp with other point to point amps, circuit boards seem to be more consistent and I didn't hear the difference.....buy this amp !

'65 Twin Custom 15. Own it for 6 months now. Two channels normal and vibrato with bright swithes. It does very well what it was meant to do - produce that awesome and alive tube clean sound. Features a 15" single speaker. No effects loop. 85 watt plently of power. Not an apartment amp.

The 15" speaker does produce a fatter bottom than the normal 2X12 twin RI and its clean still chimes clear as a bell. I was choosing between the 4x10 super reverb RI, twin 2x12 RI and this Custom 15". The clean sound of the super reverb and the custom 15 are just about the same - both excellent. I play strats and tellies, and ibanez. The amp simply make any guitar sound better than it is. I usually play on the clean channel and use fulltone fulldrive for some gain. I find that I don't need the pedal because the amp really drives itself when cranked up even just a bit. When the tubes are driven (volume at 4 or above) the sentivity to pick attach is amazing. The sustain of this amp even at low volume is also awesome - you won't need a sustainer pedal on this amp. METAL HEADs. I guess metal player like solid state amps. But I find tone from even the most expensive solid state amps to be shallow. Those amps, when cranked up are excellent at hiding a players mistakes. This fender hide won't hide anything, if you make a mistake, you'll hear it. I also play some metal. I put my BOSS Metal Zone 2 pedal at the front of this thing, and well lets just say that this baby's 15" speakers, 85 watt power tubes cranked even at just 4 or 5 on the volume will out grind and 150 watt solid state amp on high gain any day. You want versatility you got it - get an awesome clean amp and then you can put most pedals in front of it. A good amp can make a bad pedal sound good but a good pedal on crappy amp still gonna sound crappy.

no problems so far. I have other fender amps that are older and have no problems either. This amp is heavey at 64 pounds but come with wheels.

Never used it.

Don't waste your money buying some expensive amp with all these pre-set electronics. You are paying for these electronics that does a crappy job of emulating tone, while the amp itself has not quality or tone it. I'd rather pay for a excellent amp without those bells and whistles that I don't want and than simply plug in pedals to get the genre I am looking for. I looked at Vox too, essentially I would have been paying too much for inferior sound. I won't rate 10 - all amps PERIOD are too damn expensive and often times you end up buying the hype. Buyer beware!

Versatile sonic pallet with vintage vibe for days.

Hard rock/ Electric Blues. The 15" speaker is a huge difference over the standard twin. Used with an American HSS Strat it's very versatile. After the mods, it is STELLAR huge, 3-D dripping Fender clean that loves quality pedals.

Signal chain is: American Deluxe HSS Strat(w/ S-1 switching)>BJF Baby Blue OD>Keeley Compressor>Diaz Texas Tremodillo>Mojovibe>Visual Sound H2O chorus/delay>Fender Twin Custom 15

Channel 2 is used (reverb&trem). Vol: 4-7, Treb: 4, Mid: 8, Bass: 9
Bright switch: off

Retubing revealed suspected cold solder joint on power tube socket.

N/A

This amp was pretty decent when I got it. I did notice the rattling/ buzzing as below, but was amazed at the tone. I had Toneman (Don Butler)from Toneman.com replace tone critical caps and resistors, and he installed a hand annealed Mercury transformer. HUGE difference in tone!!!

But the buzz was still there. Found out that cheapo Chinese (labled GT/ Fender) tubes were the reason. Elements were rattling because the grid/ plate assemblies were pushed together, not soldered/ welded like the killer set of JJ Tubes I installed from Eurotubes.

Add to this the best damn OD pedal on the planet, the BJF Baby Blue OD and this amp is pretty much sounding better than anything I've ever played.

I'd place this amps tone against any vintage amp, or modern Marshall/ Vox/ boutique amp, etc. Think of the tone on Free's "Alright Now" meets the Cars. Great stuff. Last (and the final) mod will be a Weber Califronia 15" AlNiCo speaker (buffered by a THD Hot Plate).

1) Retube it w/ hand matched JJ's
2) Get the Baby Blue
3) Tone Man mods
4) Weber 15" speaker

I'll send a 12 pack (of their choice)to anybody that does the above and isn't flippin' THRILLED by the tone they attain...