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Post subject: Some thoughts on the Cyber Twin SE and amp choices
Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 11:30 am
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In a correspondence with one of the authors of the Cyber Commander SE that I bought from him, he wrote some things out that I thought should be shared.

Having owned and used tube amps and now the Cyber Twin SE, I agree with what he said.

So here is what he wrote:
------------------------------------------------
Every day I read about people continually hunting for that magical sound,
pedals, magical tubes and tube amps.

For the first time ever, this package of software, amp, and foot controller,
puts this search right at their finger tips. That package provides guitarists
more capability at their finger tips than a room filled with various amps and paraphernalia. To us, this is a long overdue (r)evolution.

Unfortunately, we are poor at getting the word out. Most folks out there are looking for some (re)assurance, they don't want to be scammed. This is no scam, it is quite a departure from tradition though. I personally think we are sitting on top of a long overdue (r)evolution and I am hoping Cyber Commander is that spark.

I probably sound like a preacher so I better shut up about now.
--------------------------------------------------

I just wanted to pass that along.

Obviously, this is a cut and paste out of a personal email. But it still isn't taking anything out of context. The rest was a personal reply to some of my questions and concerns, and isn't pertinent here.

How many posts have you seen about people looking for a "sound"? Or what amp to get?

It has taken time to find out some things about the Cyber Twin SE.

Some you can read about in the Cyber Twin SE pc editor thread.
Some is probably still waiting to be found.

One thing for sure - it is a fantastic amp.
Where else can you get 50 amps, 100 Fenders Custom Shop presets and 100 spaces in a Players Lounge - all in one package - with the Fender name on it? Try buying those 50 amps (if you can find them for sale) and see what that costs.

And, his software surely isn't a scam either. It has proved a very useful tool for me.

I know some have bought the amp and then sold it. My thoughts are, maybe they were a little bit impatient and premature in that. It takes some time with the CT SE to even begin to see the potential there. (John mentioned a year, somewhere, that he had his before starting to see the potential) The CC software helps with that. (actually more than just 'helps' - but look at the other thread about that - especially in regard to comments about the "gain" knob)

Comments welcome


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Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 3:14 pm
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I saw the original CT at the Winter NAMM of 2000. I was also owned one of the first CT here in Columbus, OH. But..I didn't realize the CT potential at first.

I first created a few custom presets a day before a gig, at room level. So, when we played the gig, the levels weren't right. I ALMOST took the CT back the next day. But, during the next week, I realized that the CT was like having a 'custom amp shop', right at home.

Since I don't try to sound like one of my favorite guitarists, i.e. Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, etc, etc, or play blues songs like the record. I was free to create any types of presets I wanted.

Also, I wasn't really familiar with the way vintage Fender amps sounded. I was too poor to afford more that one amp, and it was the music that meant more to me.

But, having the CT exposed me to what various vintage Fender amps sounded like. So, in the past eight years, I've played various vintage amps and find that the CT nails those tones.

A few years ago at a gig, there was a guy sitting at the far end of the bar. After a few songs, he kept moving closer to the stage, my side of the stage. When we took a break, he came over, squatted down and looked at my CT.

He apologized, saying that he didn't have his glasses, but he thought I was playing a Fender Super Reverb, than he thought he heard a Princeton Reverb, and maybe a Bassman. I took a few minutes and told him about my CT.

Well it turns out that this guy had played with 'The Slugs', they were one of the biggest bands in the Midwest back in the '70s. And he still had his '66 Super Reverb, and thought that the CT nailed it's tone.

Quite a few of my custom presets are based on the Super Reverb preset, and he heard that 'tone'.

Eight years later, I'm still impressed with my CT :D .

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Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2008 4:15 pm
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Hi Tony,

I kinda laughed when I read your 2nd paragraph because it made me remember when I first got my CT SE. My first impression wasn't that bad, but it sure wasn't great either. :lol:

I got my SE just after the NAMM show where they were introduced. According to what the dealer told me later, it was one of the amps they used in the show. :?

Your favorite artist are among mine too, but my list is huge. Including early rock-n-roll (now called rock-a billy) artists, later surf instrumentals, some later rock and even a very small sprinkling of country (or was it western) and some of the new independents like you and halfblindlefty (Hans).

The ONLY artist I ever tried to sound like was The Ventures. After that I discovered the freedom of just being me and making my own sound like what you described.

The sound(s) I settled on are based on the Twin Reverb '65. And this amp nails that sound too (I found out by comparison) I originally tried for recreating the old Fender Dual Showman Reverb, but found the Twin Reverb was close and have kept it.

I was also poor coming up and couldn't afford the good stuff back then. But, I have more than made up for it just as soon as I made enough money to afford Fender equipment. Now things are in another down turn, but now I have some good stuff, the Cyber Twin SE being the main one, to tide me over.

You are right about the cyber amp having 'the tone'. And that's for more than one Fender amp. Sometimes it just takes some sorting through all the many options to find the right mix for what you need. But once you got it, WOW! (better save it to the pc too)

I will have to say though - after making some presets for my self, and becoming familiar with the amp, it's goes much faster and easier now. To my way of thinking, that's the way to go with this amp - make your own, that you like. God knows you've got enough raw material to work with, with a 50 amp selection to start from, and I don't know how many effects.

I wish I had had the CC program back when I first got the amp. It would have made things sooo much easier.

You guys had the Patchwizard for your CT amps to help you. I was jealous. :D
Of course, I did get a BIG spiral bound manual with mine, that I read a lot. (understatement) :roll:

After having my CT SE this long, I'm much more impressed with it now than I was the first couple of months I had it. (maybe even the first year)


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Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 8:01 am
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Quote:
You guys had the Patchwizard for your CT amps to help you. I was jealous.


I really didn't use Patchwizard that much, I just used my ears. But. Patchwizard was great for adding presets that others had created very easy via MIDI. And Patchwizard was very valuable because I could backup all my custom presets.

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Posted: Wed Oct 22, 2008 7:17 pm
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That's what I had to rely on too, these old ears.

Of course there were times when I felt like these ears of mine were rusted tin. :lol:

But, that's not the amps fault. :D Mostly I feel like the Cyber Twin is an amp that is way under rated by most. Mainly because there is so much amp there that is kinda hidden like, until a person has had it long enough to start finding it.

Of course some people find things faster than others. One of our family members said, after playing with it for about an hour, he thought it was a lot of amp for the money. He said, if he went out and bought just one amp, and all those effects, it would cost way more than what the CT SE costs, let alone 50 amps plus the effects.

He likes to play a dreadnought acoustic with a pickup in the sound hole. It didn't take him long at all to get a sound dialed in that really sounded good. I was amazed. It usually takes me longer than that, even now, to get something I really like. Maybe I'm just slower than others.

Anyway, ... It has been the best amp buy I have ever made.


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Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 8:05 am
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I was surprised, or maybe I shouldn't have been about the tube snobs. The whole assumption was that, since I was a respected bluesman, I should only use a 'real' tube amp. "The CT's preamp section has tubes.", I would tell them.

And I would get that comments "Wow, it sounds like a real amp!" Well, duh, it is a real amp. Of course, a amp doesn't play itself :wink: .

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Posted: Thu Oct 23, 2008 9:53 am
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thouston wrote:
I was surprised, or maybe I shouldn't have been about the tube snobs. The whole assumption was that, since I was a respected bluesman, I should only use a 'real' tube amp. "The CT's preamp section has tubes.", I would tell them.

And I would get that comments "Wow, it sounds like a real amp!" Well, duh, it is a real amp. Of course, a amp doesn't play itself :wink: .


:lol:
Yes ... How right you are ... And that argument seems to still be going on.

As you said about, you used your ears, in a post above.
In my opinion, that's what the CT and CT SE is all about - great sound. Not how many tubes it uses to get that sound.

You can get the old tube amp sounds, plus more, newer high quality sounds.

Have you noticed that after the initial "teething" problems when the CT first came out, there are very few reports of problems with the CT. And, even fewer (if any) reports of any problems with the CT SE. And that's after - how many years?

I also noticed that many posts on the various forums are about tube problems with this or that amp. Or other mechanical / maintenance related things, and just a few posts about sound and tone. ..... Unless you are in a thread about the CT amps, in which case it's mostly about sound and tone, with this or that preset. Or, in other words, it seems to be more about making music and great tone than constantly fixing an amp. Just IMHO. :wink:


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