Fender '65 Twin Reverb Reissue

This is an all tube Fender Twin Reverb reissue. I bought this amp new last year, so presumably it was made a year or so earlier. The amp has two channels, normal and vibrato. The latter features reverb and tremolo. There is no channel switching, but a footswitch for both the tremolo and the reverb is included. No headphone jack. The amp has an extension speaker jack. The Twin Reverb employs four 6L6GC power tubes and 12AX7 preamp tubes and maybe some other ones which I'm not so sure about. I use the amp for its clean sound and lots of headroom and my rating reflects this point of view.

I primarily use this amp with a Gibson L-4 CES (see my review) for clean jazz sound. Shortly before buying it (I had owned many other amps in Canada and USA before recently moving to Europe) I owned Blues Deluxe, Blues Junior, Hot Rod Deluxe. I was looking for an amp which would give me clean sound that would compliment the Gibson humbuckers sound and lots of clean headroom. I was very dissatisfied with the Blues Deluxe and Hot Rod Deluxe which have too much bass and weak midrange. For some time I liked the Blues Junior, but that amp has very little clean headroom and its sound is a bit too dark - I prefer the Fender blackface sound. The Twin Reverb has an awesome sound - exactly what I wanted, however, it is very heavy and large for smaller gigs. Unfortunately Fender does not make a smaller amp with similar parameters and in Europe it is quite difficult to find used gear and when something shows up it is usually quite expensive.
The Twin Reverb provides very clean sound which translates the acoustic quality of my L-4 beautifully. The amp itself is very quiet, there is almost no hum (compared for example to a Fender Super 60 that I owned in Montreal or any Mesa Boogie amp). The reverb is very deep and envelops tones nicely - I set mine to about 2 otherwise there is too much of it. I don't use the tremolo. Tone controls allow getting a good range of sounds. But I just plug my guitar in and play - there is no need for a lot of tweaking the Twin sounds good at any setting. Simply said, for my needs this is the perfect amp. In comparison with the Blues Junior, the Twin makes my guitar sound like a piano. Fender's brochure says that the tone is fat as the butcher's dog which sums it up pretty well. I must say though that my Gibson Blues King Electro (piezo-equipped acoustic) doesn't sound very good through the Twin. For that my little Session solid state amp is better.
Another asset of this amp is that I have less problems with feedback (I use a full body archtop). With the Blues Junior and especially the Blues Deluxe my guitar used to feed back like crazy.

I've owned quite a few Fender amps and have never had a problem. Once with the Blues Junior I broke a power tube; I didn't notice it and I was still able to get through the gig, albeit with terrible distortion. I replaced the tube and the amp worked fine again. I gig without a backup, but I realize that with a tube amp one never knows.

I've only called Fender once to ask about the Blues Junior's noisy reverb and they didn't help me. But then again, I didn't expect that they would.

I've been playing for about 28 years. If the Twin were lost or stolen I may buy another one or look for something smaller and less heavy but with the same sound.
I love the Twin's sound and I hate its weight and size. Before buying it I checked out many amps including Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue (good sound and size but unfortunately not enough clean headroom - otherwise this would the perfect amp for me), Fender Blues Deluxe, Hot Rod Deluxe (not enough clean headroom, too much bass), Mesa Boogie Blue Angel (good sound at low volumes but lacks clean headroom and is very noisy), Fender Prosonic (not enough clean headroom, otherwise very good sound), Peavey Classics (not the right sound), etc. For the sound I want I pretty much have to get a Fender, and at this point the only amp Fender makes that suits my needs is the Twin. The Twin Reverb has a great sound, but is heavy and if I find something similar but lighter and smaller in the future I'll most likely get it.

If you want a totally modern multi-amp simulating FX loop high-gain distortion channel amp, look somewhere else. This is a simple device, clean sounding and very little else. You can drive it pretty hot if you know how, but there's no distortion built into it and it's not something you can just get a lot of distortion out of by "turning it up more". It sounds great and sweet and clean, and if you want that it's a "10". It has a "normal" channel and a second channel with reverb and vibrato (tremelo). Two inputs for each channel, the first input jack is 6db "louder" than the number 2. I use it out, at the house and recording. It's 85 Watts is the loudest 85 Watts I've ever heard.

I mostly use older or older-style strats, a few other guitars from time to time. I play rock/jazz/blues/just about anything really. This amp suits me fine for a real clean sounds, or with stomboxes for various effects. Not noisy at all, but I use battery-powered devices with it (Fulltone, Way Huge and Voodoo Labs - I've been spoiled by true bypass). With a line-level device like a multi-effects processor or rack unit I get a really objectional hiss. Aside from that no noise problems. I bought it not because it sounds like an old black-face Twin, but because it sounds (to my old ears) like an old BF Twin when they were new. I usually set the treble and bass at 4, the mid at 2, this seems to even out the strong midrange on strats with the bass/treble. I usually don't run the reverb above 4, usually not more than 2 or 3. I use a LITTLE delay and/or a LITTLE chorus with a LITTLE reverb; that way I get a feeling a depth in the sound without swimming in reverb or having a lot of delay or chorus or etc. Less is more, you know. It is just as sweet sounding an amp as you could want. I really like the quality of Fender reissues, both guitars and amps, especially in comparison to most company's "reissues" which rarely, if ever, bear much resemblance to the original products.

OK, this if a Fender amp. I feel that it will turn out to be very reliable, but just like the OLD Twins the foot pedal which runs the reverb/vibrato is a piece of shit. It broke in TWO days. Luckily my training from years gone by was still in effect, and I had automatically left the reverb ON when I turned the amp off. I learned this many many years ago, so when the foot pedal breaks or is lost you can still use the reverb. Good thing, 'cause just like in the good ol' days I was justified in this action. When the foot switch is unplugged the reverb is on, when it's plugged in the vibrato is on; the reverb foot switch doesn't engage, the vibrato footswitch engages (loudly) but has zero effect on the amp. Nice amp, cheap switch. Typical Fender behaviour. Doesn't seem to matter who owns the company... I would, based on my experience with Fender amps in the past, use it without a backup and have, but I do prefer to have a spare. Just don't depend on the cheap foot pedal. I am also a little concerned that the more modern circuit board is also more fragile than the bizarre but hefty "Leo-board" of yesteryear.

Come on, this is Fender. Great products. Great sales, great profits. Too cheap to spring for a 1-800 number for customer support. They have a Consumer Service phone number, where you can pay regular long-distance rates during regular high-rate business hours, even when on hold. I bought the amp at a mass-market outlet, Thoroughbred Music, instead of my local dealer 'cause I had to have another amp that day. They didn't want to fix the foot pedal switches, they didn't have another in stock to trade out. It's a warranty item, right? So I go to my local dealer. Well, I didn't buy the amp from him ('cause he doesn't keep something like this or the new Twins in stock, just Blues DeVilles and solid-state amps), so he doesn't want to handle the warranty item. I finally find Fender's Consumer Disservice number hidden away on their website in a place where you REALLY have to look for it, then get the "Call during regular hours" meassage, then the HOLD on long-distance, then the "Well, you have to take it to a service center" speech.. Do I sound pissed off? Sorry. It *is* a warranty item, and there is a service center 125 miles from me with really nice people that I already know, so I'll eventually take it there, and it'll be handled right by them, but only because they are nice people, NOT because Fender has anything to do with it. Boy, those Ibanez Jems look better all the time... I think overall this amp is more reliable then my Marshall, but my patience with Fender has been under a lot of strain since the late 1960s, and it's about gone, now. If this program let me give Fender a negative number on the customer support rating, I would do it.

I've been playing since 1964 (Aaaarrgghh!!), and in general my favorite amps have always been Fender Twin Reverbs or various Marshalls. The 4100 I have now is the best Marshall I've ever heard, and the best amp I've ever had IMHO. This Twin re-issue is an awesome amp for the clean Fender-sound applications, the best in some respects since the original blackface Twins. If it were stolen or lost I would definitely get another, and would like another for backup anyway (*What* the *hell* is wrong with me?!?) It is an A number 1 amp, I just wish Fender as a company would get their heads out of their asses. I love the amp, but I'm even more disillusioned with the manufacturer than normal. Just remember, if you want an amp with a lot of frills and bells and whistles, this is not the one. If you want a really ultra-hot high-gain amp. this is not the one. If you want a foot pedal that works, this is not the one! But if you want the classic clean Fender Twin sound to build whatever you want on top of, this is the way to go for a new amp. As for the old ones, good luck, if you find an old BF Twin in good shape for good money more power to you. I suspect this amp will last pretty good, like the old ones have. BTW, I bought this instead of a second Marshall, instead of any other brand because it sounded so much like a new "old" BF Twin, I even bought it instead of a Fender Vibro-King (one year old, perfect shape, barely used, for ONLY $1,300, a great price). I am very happy with the amp, I'm just pissed off at the corporate bozoism.

As everyone already knows this amp is very straight ahead: Reverb channel with Tremolo and Non-Reverb channel.

The reissue Twin is a great sounding amp but does it compare to an original? Yes, a side by side comparison to a '66 twin with jensens proved that there was little difference in sound. The reissue seemed to be cleaner at higher volumes and also a little harsher in the treble department. While the "66 appeared to have more depth and warmer highs. I found you could really warm up the reissue by lowering the treble control to 6 and use a Boss GE-7 e.q. pedal to slightly boost the the 1.6k and 3.2K frequency ( Set rest of pedal e.q. to 0 and fix the level 3/4 the way up)

Spring in reverb tank broke. What a bummer! The replacement cost me $65.00 Cdn. Mind you it was a used amp.

Fender has always stood behind there products. With other Fender products I have owned they have always come through. If you every have a waranty problem and the store is not helpful, call fender and they will help. Sometime problems are passed off by the salesman due to laziness. Never except stupid excuses like "all tube amps will rattle on certain notes" or "you'll have to live with that excessive buzzing on the higher frets"

The Twin reissue is just an all around great amp. Wether it is rock, blues, country or Jazz, this amp will deliver the goods. Rockers be advised that Overdrive pedals work the best with this amp. Also if you are usinge a overdrive pedal turn the treble boost off.

The features these amps offered in '65 were impressive, but they may seem a bit skimpy compared to modern amps. Two unswitchable channels-one dry, one w/ reverb and tremelo. Both channels feature bass, mid and treble knobs. The tremelo and reverb are typically "Fender" lush. You can surf and twang on this thing for eons. The Emminence speakers are ok (better than the ones in reissue Vibroverbs), but could stand replacing.

This amp plays well w/ a variety of guitars, but Fender products just seem to work best together for my ears. I use my Twin mostly for old-fashioned twang-honky-tonk, rockabilly, surf,etc.-and it does this great. It has HUGE amounts of headroom and you'll blow yer eardrums trying to crank it to the distortion point-IT"S A CLEAN AMP!!!-make no mistakes about that. If you like Buck Owens records this is the one to get. It's also an impressively efficient 85 watts, thus I usually only use this at "big" gigs. It takes a certain amount of power to get a tube amp sounding "right", and you can definitely annoy club owners doing that w/ a Twin. Putting a favorite overdrive/distortion pedal in front of this is pretty fabulous too. I have routinely used this amp for louder, noisier music w/ a pedal in the chain and it delivers w/out wincing whatsoever. A tube screamer and a Les Paul Special make this an awesome blues rig.

I bought this used @ five years ago and to my knowledge everything but the tubes is original. The speaker frame indicates it's an '88-which is an early (if not first year) reissue. It's seems solid as a rock, and has given me no trouble at all (other than being too loud).

n/a

I've been playing @ twenty yrs and have owned several tube amps. This one has given me the least (i.e. none) headaches. I dig the rich, lush, clean sound, deep reverb, and big tremelo. It's a REAL LOUD & CLEAN combo amp. Twins are kind of an "industry standard" type amp-anyone whose into guitar stuff for any amount of time generally knows what to expect when someone says "twin", and this reissue would be the little picture in the dictionary if they defined Twin as a guitar amp. If you like BIG clean sounds, or have a hankerin' to play Act Naturally at the Hollywood Bowl, buy this amp.

You'll know by now this amp doesn't have multi insane-gain channels, effects loop, MIDI, limited edition spandex covering... It does have a reverb like the Batcave, tube tremelo and, most importantly, the sound I thought only existed in my head.

Actually, I'd give it 11 now, but there's an important proviso. When the power tubes wore out (I didn't realise they did that until I got on the HC guitar forum, I thought I'd got too close and damaged my hearing - hehehe! Shemp City!) I replaced ALL tubes with NOS US made Philips tubes and this time put 6L6 GBs in the the power stage (it came with Sovtek GCs). It sounds so good I have to have a wank after playing through it. But in more objective terms, the amp now has way more mid-range punch and less flabby bottom end. Turning it up to number 6 gives THE MOST INCREDIBLE tone. It almost seems clean and broken up at the same time. I play a US Std Tele and get from a perfect sustaining jangle to a fat Fender sound just like Television on the Marquee Moon album. There's crunch underneath but you can also hear every note clearly. It will distort if you turn the mid and bass eq right up and then abuse the volume but I use an MXR Distortion + on a lowish setting to get a satisfying non-Marshall crunch.

OK-ish given that it was built by beach bums and Baywatch extras . The tubes dying was my fault rather than its. It probably didn't help that it was shipped with Chinese and Yugoslavian tubes in the pre-amp and Russian power tubes. I don't believe communism was anything like as bad as Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher (the evil Nazi) put about but they did have a thing or two to learn about quality. I'm expecting great things of the US tubes. HOWEVER, the reverb has also disappeared! I think this is the reverb tank, certainly not a component I would expect to fail...

I haven't a clue. Arbiter (the UK distributor) are helpful enough over the phone but I have better things to do with my hard earned than give it all to a Fender authorised service centre.

I traded in a Marshall JCM 900 and multi-FX for this amp and have NEVER looked back. After I play it I can't sit still, I can barely speak, it sounds that good. I would like to think I will never need another amp unless some bastard half-inches it and then I would have to get another one straight away, before the insurance cheque arrives even if I had to eat porridge for three months.

This amp has all that I need - a very good clean sound that becomes even better as you push the amp to the point of soft clipping. I basically use the amp as the base upon which all the other sounds are created. This means that I get my distortions from external stomp boxes or preamps, and thus I don't need any distortion channel on the amp.

The Twin Reverb delivers an open solid tone without too much compression, which suits me perfectly. It's the perfect complement for a Strat's clean "in-between" sounds, but it also sounds wonderfully when you put some external distortion in the signal chain. The attack is very physical when the amp is driven into clipping, and that suits me perfectly. This is the kind of tube sound that I prefer - a Vox will compress the sound too much, and a Marshall will have an insufficient clean channel. The Twin Reverb is my one-and-only amp. The "vibrato" is not very good on my amp though.

I have owned the amp for a year now, and nothing has gone wrong with it yet, even though I'm using an insignificant fuse. And yes, I will definitely use it without a backup.

I've never been in touch with Fender because of trouble with my amp, and I hope I never will.

I have finally found MY amp, after spending years after years with Gallien-Krueger 250 ML, a rack system with a Marshall 8008 and other amps. The sound is probably not suitable to all players, but if you're after an amp with a solid, fine quality tone, you should check out the Twin Reverb. I'm currently using it as both a "power amp" for my rack system and as a clean channel into which I connect all my beloved stompboxes. I'm hoping to save up money to buy a second one soon... By the way, the combination of the Twin Reverb's open-back construction and the closed-back sound of a Marshall 1922 cabinet is VERY complementary.

It's not built to keep up with the setup I like to use most of the time and is heavy. No effects loop, no channel switching, although it is set up as a vintage, not a modern amp. If you want a clean, bright amp with plenty of headroom, check it out.

This amp has a killer clean tone for cutting through a band playing rhythm. I play jazz, funk, rock, and pop, and for rhythmic uses it's best - the lead tone you get from the amp is way too bright for my tastes. Two channels, both clean, one with a great vibrato effect. Footswitch turns reverb (great vintage spring) and vibrato on/off. The amp has tons of clean headroom and just won't distort, even at high volumes. I'm using a Fender Amer Std. Strat and a '68 Gibson Barney Kessel hollowbody. As far as clean, that's all this amp does, and you have to use a pedal to get distortion. The Boss Dual Overdrive pedal I use works great with every other amp I use, but sounds way too bright and without balls through this amp. IMHO, not a versatile amp by any means.

It's never broken down, but then again I haven't used it much after getting my Mesa amp a year after this one.

From my experiences with two other Fender amps and trying to get them repaired, they were really unresponsive and took 2 months in one case to fix my amp.

Wouldn't buy it again. In fact, I'd never buy another new Fender amp again - maybe a true Pre-CBS vintage. It's too heavy, Fender's customer support was lousy, it's not versatile by any means, and I've had serious reliability problems with other Fender amps.

Not designed to be versatile. Just a clean sound to die for and beautiful soft clip when driven hard (preferably with a power soak of some description!) Very nice tube reverb and tremelo

What can I say? Very warm and inviting sound. Ive heard them described as 'tight and constipated' by the vintage crowd, but I've gigged mine hard for nearly 5 years now, and it sounds considerably looser and more multi dimensional now than it did when new. This is a good sign for owners. I use it with a standard USA Strat with Texas Special pickups.

No trouble at all in 5 years of hard work. I even dropped it off my work bench accidentally one day when rebiasing, picked it up, dusted it off, and NO PROB!!!! That speaks volumes to me. The local Fender people are absolutely hopeless though......

Fortunately every place has a local amp tech that knows Fender Twins. The service diagrams are really easy to follow so you shouldn't need to deal with Fender directly which from my experience is a good thing...

Would definately buy again. Has absolutely done the job for me. I use it with a Cry Baby, TS-808, Rat and Chorus. Can cover most bases with this setup.

The Fender '65 Twin is here and it does not disappoint! The trademark Fender tone and shimmer is very much alive in this model. Simplicity is the order of the day here. Two channels, a VERY lush and exotic tube reverb and a decent tube vibrato 85 watts, 2 12" Eminence (will change over to EV or Vintage Celestions), ext. speaker jack and oh yeh..serious tone! That is it folks, no pull switches, effects loop, headphone jack, overdone foot pedals gain channels etc... etc...etc... This is a serious rig!

Favorable sound is relative here. The are a LOT of great amps out there. For the money the Twin offered the best value for really good tone. The Matchless was a real eye opener, but so was the price. The Prosonic was also a contender as was the Mesa Mark IV. I wrestled with this one a while. I was looking for a versatile contemporary blues rig to compliment my PRS Custom and Strat. My basic argument was that I loved the tone but also wanted a bit more edge for the grittier Texas style blues I play. It became obvious that I needed to go with an amp that provided a great (and quiet) gain channel. This took me to the Prosonic. But if you A B the Pro & Twin side by side IMHO the Twin gets the nod, although it is close. The Matchless Chieftain...what can I say $2400 bucks thats what! The answer came by way of the Mesa V Twin pedal. NOW ..the story changes DRAMATICALLY! Gain, sweet and smooth (Carlos Santana-ish OR Crunchier Not quite Marshall/Metallica..more like Mesa/Soundgarden. There a clean mode that adds a bit tightens the tone a bit, like a 10" speaker would, and a blues and solo mode. This Twin ROCKS NOW! Now it becomes a TONE ANIMAL, with heaps of headroom and a variety of sonic character..probably what Fender had in mind when they put together the "Evil Twin" and missed the mark! Simplicity..it never fails!!

Twins are notoriously road warriors...they take a beating and still deliver. I would giog it without backup..no questions asked. Look at the record..ask anyone!

Fender is..well slow in dealing with customer service. Establish a relationship with a Fender Authorized tech who knows his trade and don't look back!

I would DEFINITELY do this again! I am resolved that I overcame the want of the Prosonic and Mesa....but then there is the Matchless. I may still make that move, but I will nonetheless keep the Twin. I'm SOLD!

Features are pretty basic. No channel switching, no cascading levels of preamp distortion, no hi/lo output switch, no effects loop, no other modern features that have a tendency to suck the tone right out of the amp . What it has is that classic, RICH Fender reverb and tremelo, both tube-driven.

What this amp HAS that MANY other amps LACK is a FAT, rich, multi- layered tone with plenty of fullness to keep up with a large band, and a good, wide, even dispersal pattern that won't cause ear-bleeds in the first set of tables. My musical styles range from soft to hard, and this amp fits the bill, especially when used with an Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer, the distortion/overdrive pedal all others are measured against. That's right, the amp itself doesn't distort unless you turn it up LOUD, but with it's warmth and depth, combined with a Tube Screamer, give it an unbelievably KILLER lead tone.
BTW, I've owned old Twin Reverbs, and I still use old Super Reverbs, and this amp is every bit the same class act, tone-wise.
PLEASE NOTE: IMHO, the current stock speakers Fender uses in this amp are TERRIBLE, but I'd rather not include them in the overall sound score. Since I've replaced them with some great after-market speakers, the amp has been such a gigging success that I still give it a 10. Besides, I also hate Fender and Gibson stock pickups, but that doesn't stop me from replacing them (I've used Van Zandt's for years) and loving the guitars. IMHO, if you're dead serious about tone, you're going to have to make some speaker replacements with any stock, production amplifier.
The amp works great at accenting the best features of a maple-fret- board Stratocaster, a Tele, and an ES335. It even sounds fantastic with my rosewood board Strat, a guitar that's rather hard sounding with other amps.

Not sure about reliability yet, and would appreciate any first-hand feedback from anyone who's had one and gigged with it a while. With a little TLC, Twin Reverbs I've owned in the past (mid 60's and late 70's) have been damn near bullet-proof.

Also no experience with Fender. I enjoy doing a lot of my own trouble-shooting and repairs. BTW, the amp was moderately under- biased from the factory, something that wouldn't hurt the amp if left alone, and in fact will prolong tube life, but doesn't give you the best tone. If you don't own your own test equipment, I'd recommend that you buy from an authorized dealer with access to a reliable authorized technician, and have them check the bias before you take it home. Offer to pay about $25-$30 regardless of whether they need to adjust it or not in order to keep them honest about doing what needs to be done. Make sure they use an oscilliscope and not just take the negative DC voltage reading. DC voltage recommendations are nominal and do not take into consideration the wide degree of component and tube tolerances in amplifiers, in my humble opinion.

Damn. Everyone here rates their amps a 10. I guess no one cares to look foolish by saying, "I spent half a grand on a piece of junk."
Here are the things that BOTHER me about this amp:
1. It is not hand-wired. It uses a circuit board. This means that if it does need service, it's going to take longer to do it. If you're paying someone else to do it, this means you're paying more money.
2. The cabinet isn't built to the same high standards as the original blackface Twin Reverb, or the silverface for that matter. I'm not sure what the sides are made of, possibly particle board or plywood, and the joints are definitely not interlocked "finger joint" assembled. The cabinet is basically glued and nailed together, a popular method with new production-line amps (though Marshall still makes their REISSUES out of finger-joint construction). To me this is a cause of worry. I've been gigging for 20 years, and sometimes, rarely, an amp gets knocked over on it's face. In the old days, you could pick the amp up, dust it off and continue playing. These days, that's not a sure thing.