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Post subject: Super or Twin reverb?
Posted: Thu Jan 13, 2011 11:36 pm
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Hi, I play mostly surf rock, psychedelic rock, some rockabilly/psychobilly, and a little jazz, and I really love that old trippy reverb sound. I have a 65 Fender Super Reverb here right now which I love, but I can get a much better deal on a used Twin Reverb Custom 15, which I have not yet tried. My question is, what is the big difference between the two? Are the reverbs the same? I love the vibrato on the Super Reverb, is it the same on the twin? I play a Telecaster with Fender noiseless pickups in case that matters.

Thanks in advance.


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Post subject: Re: Super or Twin reverb?
Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 12:17 am
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The reverbs on these two models are identical in layout and performance -- thus, you'll hear the same "cowabunga" vibe through either amp. The TR chassis will yield significantly more clean headroom than the 45-watt SR so don't expect any compression or harmonic breakup at anything approaching suvivable volume levels. Its 15-inch Eminence Commonweath speaker will produce a robustly-fuller tone than the SR's 4 x 10 configuration -- great for vintage surf and rockabilly mojo where many of those artists were plugged into 2 x 15 Dual Showmans. Both of these platforms use the opto-isolator tremolo circuit; they should perform identically or nearly so.

HTH

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Super or Twin reverb?
Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 11:55 am
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Arjay makes good points, but to add, yes, the Super Reverb is 45 watts, but pushing 4 10's you need to get the volume up pretty high before it breaks up. I've got an SRRI and if my volume creeps above "3" on the knob, the band starts telling me to turn down. At "4" it's really loud. At "5" it's getting seriously loud enough that my ears are ringing after playing for a bit. That's where it's just starting to break up (playing with single coils). You get it above "6" and it starts getting stupid loud. I've cranked it to 8 a few times but made sure I was standing on the other side of the basement before playing. At that point it's taking paint off the walls.

I find the 10 inch speakers to be tighter and more responsive than 12's. 10's are definitely brighter.

As far as weight or portability, both the SR and TR are pretty much the same.

But yeah, the TR probably is about the same volume wise. You'll only notice the difference with the headroom. If you want blunt force clean, the TR is your amp.

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Post subject: Re: Super or Twin reverb?
Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 4:27 pm
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Thanks, guys, you have been very helpful.

I am conflicted: if I am understanding correctly, the TR will have a cleaner sound loud, but I will get more of a dirtiness with the SR. I sent the SR back today, and I won't get the TR until tomorrow. I think I am leaning toward the TR at this point though. I have always been an acoustic player primarily. So many things to consider in the electric realm :)


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Post subject: Re: Super or Twin reverb?
Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 4:46 pm
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The Twin Reverb will play clean all the way to the point where St. Peter can hear the amp from Heaven.

Very little "grit", even when dimed.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Super or Twin reverb?
Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 4:52 pm
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Keep us posted on how you like the TR. I think you will love it. Frankly, in most situations, you can't turn up the TR or the SR loud enough to get a really distorted sound without having the proprietor tell you to turn down. To play dirty with either the TR or SR at reasonable volumes, you'll need a pedal (e.g., Ibanez Tubescreamer).


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Post subject: Re: Super or Twin reverb?
Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 5:06 pm
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I think here and there I would like a little grit, but I really can't see myself turning up either amp to the point where I would obtain it naturally. What do you folks recommend for getting a little bit of grit in the tone here and there? I am not looking for a really distorted sound.

And yes, I will most certainly let you know what I think when the TR arrives. For 900 bucks I am thinking it is hard to say no to.


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Post subject: Re: Super or Twin reverb?
Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 5:17 pm
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Sabin wrote:
I think here and there I would like a little grit, but I really can't see myself turning up either amp to the point where I would obtain it naturally. What do you folks recommend for getting a little bit of grit in the tone here and there? I am not looking for a really distorted sound.

And yes, I will most certainly let you know what I think when the TR arrives. For 900 bucks I am thinking it is hard to say no to.


Barber 1/2 Gainer OD pedal.

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Post subject: Re: Super or Twin reverb?
Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 5:49 pm
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Sabin wrote:
I think here and there I would like a little grit, but I really can't see myself turning up either amp to the point where I would obtain it naturally. What do you folks recommend for getting a little bit of grit in the tone here and there? I am not looking for a really distorted sound.

And yes, I will most certainly let you know what I think when the TR arrives. For 900 bucks I am thinking it is hard to say no to.


For a little grit a good all around overdrive pedal is the Boss BD-2 Blues Driver for about 90 bucks. You can hear it here http://www.bossus.com/gear/productdetails.php?ProductId=126&ParentId=254

Avoid any pedal named with the words "fuzz" or "metal" if you want just a little grit.


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Post subject: Re: Super or Twin reverb?
Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 6:11 pm
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OK here's my thought. When its time to change power tubes. The Super will cost you half as much.


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Post subject: Re: Super or Twin reverb?
Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 9:34 pm
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bluestrucker wrote:
OK here's my thought. When its time to change power tubes. The Super will cost you half as much.


Indeed.

But that perceived "savings" will be offset if/when the SR needs a rectifier tube.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Super or Twin reverb?
Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 10:01 pm
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Sabin wrote:
Thanks, guys, you have been very helpful.

I am conflicted: if I am understanding correctly, the TR will have a cleaner sound loud, but I will get more of a dirtiness with the SR. I sent the SR back today, and I won't get the TR until tomorrow. I think I am leaning toward the TR at this point though. I have always been an acoustic player primarily. So many things to consider in the electric realm :)


Yep, it's only headroom. Let me give you this example: I've got a Fender 75 amp. It has a high and low power switch. High runs it around 75 watts, and low kicks it down to 15 watts. There is very little difference in volume in switching from high to low power. In fact, the guy I bought the amp from advertised it as the low power switch being broken (he just didn't understand it). When I flip between the power settings, the thing you really notice at higher volume is the headroom. On low it's pretty crunchy, but flip to high and all of a sudden it cleans right up.

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Post subject: Re: Super or Twin reverb?
Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 11:10 pm
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Forgive my ignorance, but what exactly is "headroom"? It has always pretty much been me and my Martin, so all this stuff is pretty new to me.


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Post subject: Re: Super or Twin reverb?
Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 11:16 pm
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Sabin wrote:
Forgive my ignorance, but what exactly is "headroom"? It has always pretty much been me and my Martin, so all this stuff is pretty new to me.


I'm sure there's much more technical terms for it, but "headroom" in the common term, describes the level of volume you can achieve before the amp begins clipping (overdriving). So, if you have an amp like the TR which can get super loud with no breakup, then you would say that it has lot's of headroom. Sometimes you want that, and sometimes you don't.

An amp that breaks up early, you might hear someone describe it like, "Great breakup, but doesn't have much headroom."

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Post subject: Re: Super or Twin reverb?
Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2011 11:19 pm
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Headroom is an amp's ability to reproduce a dramatic transient peak demand without being driven into overload and hence, compression and harmonic distortion. This assumes a "clean" guitar signal (ie: no OD or distortion effects) are being used with the instrument.

HTH

Arjay

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