It is currently Tue Mar 17, 2020 3:30 am

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 5 posts ] 
Author Message
Post subject: The "Evil" Twin Amp
Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2010 12:12 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician
User avatar

Joined: Fri Dec 25, 2009 6:49 pm
Posts: 649
Location: Under rocks, shrubs, and trees
So I decided to make a drive up north a little to visit this guitar store that sells more aged stuff along with modern stuff and they have a 80's twin reverb selling for $700.

The guy told me it was designed way back when by Rivera when he worked for Fender, and it was called "evil" because of the devilish red knobs and enhanced gain settings.

I been doing a lot of research and found out there's a whole lot more than it just looking "evil", but that earlier versions use to blow tubes due to the gain setting...

Here's the question: Should I even consider buying it? I love the sound, and its crazy cool, but I believe its overpriced:
1. The grille looks like the amp has had some previous water damage. If this was taken care of, I still wouldn't want to pay that much for the amp.
2. The tubes look Brand-Spankin' new in the back, which leads me to believe that this is one of the earlier models that would blow tubes.
3. Even if it were a later model that had the kinks fixed, wouldn't it still be too high of a price for the condition its in? It looks fairly worn (aside from the "water damage" look)

I think I'm going to try to barter for $450 on the amp, but no more than $600. But I would like to hear from ya'll first.

Thanks for any posts!

_________________
Kid: "Hey Smokey! Where did you get your name?"
Smokey the Bear: "Well..."
(former user jimbo612)
Image


Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2010 1:51 pm
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
Arjay would know for sure but the red knobs didn't make it the "Evil Twin" it was the gain channel. Twins were known for their loud, clean headroom not distortion. If I remember correctly they had a switch to go from 25 to 100 watts. Some folks like them some don't. Arjay is a walking history book of Fender amps, he would know for sure.

_________________
Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2010 10:20 pm
Offline
Professional Musician
Professional Musician

Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 6:53 pm
Posts: 2252
Location: Harvard IL
Until Arjay checks in, I'd suggest that this amp is not the best idea. Their interior topography is quite dense, in other words: an amp tech's nightmare. On the other hand, if everything is working, they 're pretty cool amps. For $600, I'd be looking at Twin reissues. Art

_________________
None of Us are free, if One of Us is chained !


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Wed Jul 07, 2010 11:19 pm
Offline
Rock Icon
Rock Icon
User avatar

Joined: Wed Mar 31, 2010 12:48 am
Posts: 26417
Location: Tombstone Territory
aclempoppi wrote:
Until Arjay checks in, I'd suggest that this amp is not the best idea. Their interior topography is quite dense, in other words: an amp tech's nightmare. On the other hand, if everything is working, they 're pretty cool amps. For $600, I'd be looking at Twin reissues. Art


Correct, Art. The architecture is indeed dense, with multiple cascaded gain stages, pull-boost tone controls, and the selectable hi/low output power. OTOH, these amps were actually pretty dependable and once the user was familiar with the operation of the gain and EQ sections, they made some pretty neat noises......better suited for the big-hair metal tuneage of the '80s though than the '60s surf music that made the predecessor Twin Reverb famous.

For four bills, they're a steal. But for anything higher than $550 I'd say the buyer had been severely sodomized.

Arjay

_________________
"Here's why reliability is job one: A great sounding amp that breaks down goes from being a favorite piece of gear to a useless piece of crap in less time than it takes to read this sentence." -- BRUCE ZINKY


Top
Profile
Post subject:
Posted: Thu Jul 08, 2010 5:51 am
Offline
Rock Star
Rock Star
User avatar

Joined: Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:19 pm
Posts: 8827
I'd look for a SF Twin. $600-700 should get you something pretty nice. If my buddy ever gets over here to get it, he's taking my 76 home for $750.

_________________
Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 5 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: