Fender '65 Twin Reverb Reissue

I'm mystified the previous poster would give this amp straight '1's. I bought an '08 model and have had it for about 3 months now. I'm giving it straight '10's.

In any event here is my review. The features are straightforward. 2 channels with volume and tone and reverb/vibrato. This is a working musician's 'go to' amplifier. The basic idea is a clean powerful platform and then allow the player to put whatever pedals they wish.

I use this amp once a week at a local 100+ seat club. The volume is at 4.5 and I cut through the mix with no issues whatsoever. If this amp is not powerful enough (85 watts) for anybody then I wonder...

My style is all over the map. Country Twang. Rock. Blues. Alternative. Music is music.

I have about 15 guitars. However the preferred combo with the Twin is a basic AmStd Telecaster. They seem made for each other. My style is all over the place from Country to Rock to Blues to Jazz. It suits every style perfectly.

The amp is essentially silent until you hit a string. Then the sound is pure and strong and honest. The variety of sound doesn't and shouldn't come from the amp. It comes from your fingers. The amp is just a box to deliver it honestly. The Twin certainly does that.

There is no distortion. The amp is designed to stay clean. The pedals give you whatever drive you wish. I have a pedalboard but try to be minimalist with effects. Mine has 2 Fulltones (Fulldrive II Mofset for clean boost and OCD for grit), a Boss DD-6 and a DejaVibe and that's about it. As you turn up the amp the pedals tend to dominate so I keep the effects levels low.

I have had -0- issues so far. Lemme get back to you in a year or so.

have had no need.

I've been playing for more than 35 years. I own enough gear to start my own Guitar Center Outlet.

My electric guitar lineup includes about 3 Teles, a Strat, 2 Les Pauls, Rickenbacker and a Gretsch. There are others in the back of the closet or under the bed somewhere that I've forgotten about.

I have several other Fender amps including Blues Deluxe, Vibrolux, Bassman, Deluxe Reverb. I also have non Fenders items such as Peavey, Marshall and Ampeg.

I bought the Twin because it had exactly what I was looking for--clean power. I used to be more of a distortion/effects/phaser etc kind of guy. But as I get older I have gotten back to basics. I just want a nice thick tone that I can tweak just a little here and there. Also I don't want to be fighting to be heard when I'm on stage with a drummer really hitting it and a bass player with a 400 watt rig. The Twin is like bringing a 45 Magnum to knife fight. You're confident.

Folks, this is a great amp. Don't be misled by rantings from the person below. I bought the amp new this year, but I don't know if that is when it was made. I play a variety of music, much like most of you. I wanted a clean sounding amp and this one delivers. Channel switching is not important to me, but headroom is.

I use an American Tele through a Boss ME20 for a little distortion and echo. This amp to my ears has the same spongy sound of earlier twins, but every twin is different. I suspect, once the amp is broken in it will sound different again. I can't adequately describe the richness of this amp. For jazz it is superb. My neck pickup almost makes my tele sound like a hollowbody. It is also dead quiet. Any noise comes from my pedal board, and that ain't much. The reverb is typical Fender. Don't know if I'll have much use for the vibrato though, but I guess it may come in handy on something.

I haven't gigged too much yet with the amp. But with a 5 year warranty I'm not worried at all. While it is built like a bloody tank it is fragile in some areas, most notably with PCB construction and lack of sturdy tube protection. So one has to be careful how one handles it.

Every email I've sent off to Fender comes back with a reply within one day. They are very helpful and friendly for my minor questions and concerns.

I was almost ready to pack it in re playing in bands - been at this for 35 years or so. Was invited to play again so I needed equipment. I never had a twin before but have had plenty of other amps, including 4 other Fender models. I have a couple of Asian acoustics lying around, but I'm down to what I need. I choose the twin primarily for the clean headroom. Plus I got a deal on the amp as well thanks to the American dollar a bit in the toilet these days. One thing I would like to say is that most folks ***** about the weight. Well, that's really a minor thing to complain about. You know how heavy it is when you pack it from the store to the car. I'd lug to gigs if it were 100 pounds just for the tone.

peice of garbage, i've been playing for 28 years. bought brand new and the footpedal craped out on the first practice, then about a month later the amp started cutting in and out, get an older one from the 70's or 60's. stay away from fender they suck and so does marshall, you can do much better with peavey or crate. too the guy who ownes 10 or whatever your an idiot. i've done tones of sessions and been all over the world, any amp is better then fender or marshall (these company's just live off there name alone) the warrenty service is a lie.

sounds like a garbage can full of rocks getting kicked down the street. 2 channels that are the same with one vibrato and reverb (great idea) leo fender would hate the fender of today. this company sucks "don't buy nothing from them" call your company something else. leo left in 1966 and started company's with other names with poeple that learned from him like "randall amplification". many others......... if anyone noes any real history on leo fender ,then they would know he would hate this company.

garbage, for 1200$ retail you could get a real point to point hand made in america amp off the net.

sucks

won't last 6 months

It has a normal and vibrato channel and with an AB switch you can set your EQ for clean in the VIBRATO channel and DISTORTION in the NORMAL channel.

This review is for the MORON who had the nerve to say that this amp is crap crap. You know who IAM talking about.I am sure you are not a good player to make a STUPID comment like that.This is the BEST AMP in the world.All you need do is get the correct pedals and your there. This amp handles pedals very well.The clean is the best there is.If you need more headroom just get a booster pedal.I have been playing for 39 years.I can play METAL,ROCK,JAZZ,FUNK,SALSA,FUSION and even that wacked out stuff you dare call rock!!THE brillance of music is gone.I play STRATS all rigged and PRS guitars.I have played with really GOOD session players so I KNOW WHAT Iam TALKING ABOUT!

Reliability is pretty good.But like any thing else it will need to be serviced sooner or later. Like a car or even the human body.

AS far as customer support is concerned they know as much as your local repair shop.

When you buy this amp remember that this amp is made for playing clean and dirty with pedals.Would I buy this amp again if stolen? YES.I own FIVE of them.I own several amps. Marshalls, BOGNER,FENDERS,SOLDANOS,does this tell you anything?The one I use the most is the 65 TWIN REISSUE!I own tons of pedals!I have used this amp on many recordings.So if you are a real PLAYER and can play almost any style of music then go for it.

This amp was purchased in early 1997. I mainly use it at home, but I take it out occassionally for band reunions, jams, etc. I haven't gigged in a long, long time. This is the definitive Fender tube amp. It has way more than enough power for my needs - I might have been better off with a Deluxe Reverb.

The sound is great. I find the Normal channel slightly warmer than the Vibrato channel for some reason. The vibrato itself is my main dissappointment with this amp. The modulation waveform is not a smooth sinewave but has a slight flattening on one end. I can definely hear the effect of this. Consequently I don't use the Vibrato effect as much as I otherwise might. I was spoiled by the Vibrato on my Princeton Reverb, which was very smooth. I was always amazed that Leo allowed this shortcoming to remain in the Twin's design. I can get most of the clean sounds I want out of the amp when used with my Tele and Strats. Oddly enough, I have been having trouble dialing in a good tone from the amp with the jazz guitar I just bought.

There was a problem with the amp that showed up within the first month. Turned out to be a cold solder joint. Other than that it has been problem freem since 1997.

I had to get warranty service as noted above. The whole process was pretty painless, but I would rather not have had to do it of course. The warranty service center was relatively close to home and they were a class act.

I've been playing for 40 years. I should have bought the Twin long ago but I opted for a Sunn way back when because it was a "stack" and that was a cool thing to have. Right now it is more amp than I need. It's one heavy sucker. I probably would have been happier with a Deluxe Reverb based on the weight and my current needs. The features are great.

Love it--serial # ac028880
Best Amp ever had, still using all original tubes and they ALL still glow.

1987 Fender Strat (american) w/vintage noisless pick ups

Never broke down.

Never had to deal w/em

20+ years playin

2 seperate channels, use an a/b or a/b y box for best results. i use a custom made ab/y box and use the normal channel for a boost on solo's. i wish it would drive a little when cranked but it just stay's clean all the way up. so i got a few different overdrive pedals for different situations. the reverb and vibrato are the best in the business. i use this amp for everything -- it's what it was made for. "any style of music"

i use a hwy 1 tele with active emg's. stay's quiet no matter the gig, party's - clubs - bars - recording. when i first got this amp brand new in 2007 it was loud and clean, but after you break it in a little and let the tubes burn in, it sounds much better over time. the sound grows on you. i've owned older twins ( black and silver face) and the sound is just as good not better but as good.

yes you can depend on it. it's just as good as anything peavey or crate or marshall, mesa boogie, this is a solid build. you don't have to baby it, but if something comes loose from vibration tighten it back up. 5 year warrenty if your scared.....

it'll take a while, but you can take to a service center and drop it off. you'll probably get back in a month

i've been playing for about 25 years,twins are the go to amp for every style of music. they are'nt cheap, but very reliable. good luck trying to steal a twin they weigh about 90lbs.

Built in 1991 Serial Number 029 of the first 300 reissues built. Fender was orginally only going to make 300. The amp was so successful that they have continued them to this day. Excellent Power and stays clean all the way to 10. Only used it outside at that volume once back in 1993. Since 93 it has only been used in my recording studio and still has all the original tubes.

Best clean sound ever, handles pedals and other effects units excellentlly. Very little tube crunch unless turned all the way up.
Usually 2 or 3 is all that is needed in a gigging situation. The amp works well with any guitar, single coil, humbuckers, solid or hollow body. From Classic Rock, to Blues to Jazz.

Like I said it still has the original tubes. And yes I'd take it out and gig without a backup if it wasn't so damned heavy. But I use my Peavey Classic 30 for gigs. Which is 25 ibs less and has more tube break up and a nice crunch channel. Just plain guitar and amp, no effects needed.

Never had to use them.

I've been playing guitar and drums since the 1960's

Not quite as loud or as clean as the 79 twin i used to have. It takes OD pedals great, I like the ts9dx or the Sansamp Classic. With a good OD pedal it's a near perfect high power, somewhat compact rig. The sansamp makes it sound very cranked plexi like, and with the twin's clean, I have my two favorite amp tones. Between this rig and an HSS strat, many good tones are available. I rarely need the power this offers and I hate lugging it around so I don't use it that often. But with fresh tubes and the right OD I consider it my best sounding, most versitile amp.

So far it's been good but highly doubtfull it will last like the original black and silverfaces (true 10's in this category). I don't use it a lot but being a fairly new amp, I would feel quite confident in it.

Tone is almost as good as the originals. Reliability is not able to compare to the originals, it's all cheaply manufactured plastic parts and pcb's inside. If only judging the electronic build, it's equal to a high end peavey or crate (not bad amps and great tone in their own league). But if Fender built it like the original, it would be a thousand higher. So it's a fair trade-off for near perfect tone at a price I can swing. My biggest beef with this and all twins new or old, is the lack of a complimentary hernia belt embroidered with the long tail F logo. I'm certain that single handed, suitcase style handle on the top was the idea of Leo himself. Anyone else surely would have been told how ridiculous this is and then changed to a two handed handle system. Since it came from the top dog, the designers just nodded and quietly added some millitary grade castors so they wouldn't get laughed out the door. Or maybe Leo's uncle was a chiropractor in Fullerton?

I'm going to try to make this review as thorough as possible, so you don't have to sift through a thousand other ones. Sound good?

I bought mine used in West Hartford, CT. The year is mid 90's. I play indie and alternative, and I wanted a really clean amp that could handle effect pedals well. I made the right choice with the Twin Reverb.

It has two channels: normal and reverb/vibrato, with two inputs for each channel. This is useful if you have a chorus or delay with stereo outputs. Since it is a Reissue, it is faithful to the 65' original; that is, no channel switching, no effects loops, no RCA outputs, etc. However, it is ALL TUBE, with 6 preamp tubes and 4 output tubes. What does this mean? It means you can't get a better clean tone ANYWHERE ELSE. Please note that the amp sounds pretty good at low volumes, but sounds absolutely stunning at higher ones, so be sure the parents/wife/girlfriends are out of the house so you can experience what the Twin can do.

I use it for gigging, and I don't usually blast it. I usually have two SM57s mic'd to each of the speaker cones, and it does wonders for me. I wouldn't use this amp in huge rooms or halls, since it sounds less than flattering at really high volumes. However, since it is 85 watts and all tube circuitry, it can get LOUD. I'd say it is an all around usable amp, and a great investment for the semi-serious to serious gigging musician.

This is the perfect clean channel amp. Since there is no channel switching, you'll have to stick with either channel, and you'll have to buy effects pedals (unless you have a separate amp for distortion). Definitely NOT for metalheads, but for all kinds of rock, blues, and especially jazz, this thing is a godsend. It can produce it's own overdrive when cranked, but unless you are a really light-hearted musician, get yourself some good distortion or overdrive pedals, and I don't mean Boss or anything you can get at Guitar Center; I mean either boutique, expensive true bypass pedals or custom built pedals. It really pays off if you save up for the good stuff.

I use this with a Gibson SG Standard and a heavily modified Epiphone ES-335 with P-90s, so I know what this amp can do. With humbucker equipped guitars, the sound is warm and punchy, although you will find yourself rolling the treble off on the amp, unless you want spiky ear drum killing sounds. However, if you sit and fine tune the EQ, you can get a great rhythm and jazz sound. The bright switch really makes the pickups nice and bassy without getting muddy. I usually use the SG on this setting.

For single coil equipped guitars, the sound is clearer and cuts through any musical ensemble. It is possibly the best clean tone money can buy, and with a little EQing, you can get any sound you desire. Smokey jazz tones, bright overdrive, thick rhythm, anything. It's very difficult to get a truly bad sounding setting.

WARNING: If you are going to use pedals, especially distortion pedals, listen up. You will have to play around with the settings on your pedal and the bright switch/settings on the amp. First, find a nice clean sound you are happy with; you'll be surprised how much the settings on the amp will effect the way your stompbox distortion sounds. Then, EQ your distortion, and play with the bright switch; in some cases, the bright switch makes good sounding stompboxes tinny and trebly, i.e. sounding like garbage. Other times, the bright switch will make distortions that are lacking high end sparkle and come to life, making you grin like a little brat. So, be sure to play around and be open minded to new ideas with this amp. It won't let you down.

Can I rely on it? Yes, of course I can. I keep it in top shape and baby the thing, it was expensive! I wouldn't recommend this amp for anyone who treats their gear like crap, since it will wear down fast. The grill cloth is pretty delicate, the tubes are delicate and are prone to falling out, and something could get stuck in the casters, throwing it off balance. Seeing how it is so heavy (60+ pounds), it's a real pain in the ass to take to gigs, and I can't help but treat it like gold, because I'm scared the tubes will break or get lost or god knows what else. I'm sure this amp will last me a long time, but I am not confident it could withstand a tour's worth of abuse for very long.

I have never dealt with Fender, but I am confident they would give me justice in whatever I needed; with a purchase such as this one, I'm sure they would take my e-mail over some brat with a problem with his Squier.

I have been playing for 5 years, and I'm pretty simple when it comes to gear. I like my effects, but don't overdo it, and I like equipment that is reliable and can get the job done, day after day. The Fender Twin Reverb Reissue is a great clean amp, as well as a great amp in itself.

If this thing were stolen, I would probably go for something else. This is a great amp, but I haven't tried out all the gear out there, and would probably save up for a Mesa/Boogie, or a Vox AC30 or something.

I only wish this amp had channel switching, and could go into overdrive a little easier (when you crank this thing to clipping level, the walls around about to fall down.) It's simple, it's easy to use, and it won't let you down if you want the best clean out there.