Fender '65 Twin Reverb 85w

I know this is not a Bassman but I have a chance to buy for less than half list price from origional owner.
He is a guitar collector and says it is just to heavy to drag out to check his guitar investments with. It looks new, smells new?, and best of all I could stop the endless rotation of borrowing friends amps. Yes this would be my 1st amp.

Looks new and smells new, make sure it's not a reissue.

Half list price -65?

aprx 2 years old so I guess that means its a really crappy re issue. No wonder they cant sell them at the $1995 list.
even in the new catalog they call it '65 twin reverb

Very Heavy and very loud amps.

Nothing wrong with the Reissue IMO. assuming it's in working order and hasn't been knocked around to much.

It sounds like a bargain and as you say better than borrowing your friends amps!

thank ya Shaker.
I think I should be able to get some Rockabilly 'twang out of it.

kbilly wrote:

aprx 2 years old so I guess that means its a really crappy re issue. No wonder they cant sell them at the $1995 list.
even in the new catalog they call it '65 twin reverb

Its not a crappy amp in any regard, but its inferior to the old point to point fender circuits
of the past tonally. I performed hundreds of gigs with newer fender twins (the 80s red knob'er, the evil twin and the 65' reissue) and strats and they all did their job.
..and gave me major back problems as they are so damn heavy even with casters!

but... open back guitar amps dont respond with hollow body gretsches like the closed back
cabs.

btw.. I helped my dad get his '65 reissue brand new when they first came out for $850.
Fender's list pricing is bullsh%t, and guitar centers floor sale pricing is bullSh%t. especially for a standard like a twin.
ITs the end of the yr and the stores want to move out the older stock for the up and coming models that we end up seeing from the NAMM show... they want to get that inventory out the door.

oops.. tangent sorry... back to this amp. If a good pedal amp with massive clean output ( i dare you to try to make that amp overdrive on its own without blowing off a nipple)
is what you need, and you play a solid body or semi hollow... It will never fail you. you will die before it does.
I even dropped one off a truck one night and I was still able to gig with it at 50% power until I got it repaired (cracked the input jack and reverb circuit on the pcb).

FWIW.. my dad is an original rockabilly (danny and the mystics from OC) that plays his
hollowbodies every day with that '65 reissue twin (and a blues deluxe).

ps. the best econo priced vintage fender twin is an early Silverface (AB673's were still blackface circuits beneath the new CBS facia..later models were AB769) and
it just needs a good duo of celestion speakers to make your upper lip quiver. the reverb in
those amps is heaven... its been hard living without reverb ever since I bought into the sickness of brian setzer's blonde bassman.

but... open back guitar amps dont respond with hollow body gretsches like the closed back
cabs.


Hey TV.
How goes? I play through a '96 Blues DeVille 4x10, would it sound better if I closed up some of the back opening? I know you would need to leave some open so the tubes etc get ventilation, but how much?
Cheers Pete.

Pistol Pete wrote:

but... open back guitar amps dont respond with hollow body gretsches like the closed back
cabs.


Hey TV.
How goes? I play through a '96 Blues DeVille 4x10, would it sound better if I closed up some of the back opening? I know you would need to leave some open so the tubes etc get ventilation, but how much?
Cheers Pete.

hey Pete, if you are playing a hollow body you can benefit from shuttin her up pretty
tight. Youre not playing through a class A amp so it doesnt get too hot in there, especially
a 410. Mesa boogie has done 3/4 backs for some time. I like their back baffle designs as it works well on a 410. you can put the lower port toward the bottom so you can still shove your cable crap inside and out easy.


If you build 1 1/2" rails and use 3M heavy duty lock ( the good velcro), that back aint gonna come off on its own forever, but in an onstage emergency it could be pulled off
in a heartbeat for tube or speaker replacement.

I did this to a bogner cab I had, and it gave a bit more oomph to the sound..more responsive to the player... but it still doesnt possess the same dynamics of a squattish
and wide 212 closeback cab that uses a baffle between the 2 speakers to kill standing
waves and cause the front and rear baffle to vibrate insync as they are connect via the
internal separation baffle. Leo Fender was a damn genius even if he didnt mean to.
You can use the sound post that marshall uses to hold the front and the back but
something about that 7/8 baffle in the middle makes the fender bassman/bandmaster/tonemaster/supersonic cab act like a monster half stack at medium volume levels.

Thanks TV, too late to try it out for this Sat nite's gig, but definately give it a go.
Cheers Pete.

Sold my '49 Pontiac (don't worry there are plenty of cars left out back of the house)
and used part of the proceeds to buy this finally. Any tips on its function would be great. Thanks for all of your posts!

Kbilly

kbilly wrote:

Sold my '49 Pontiac (don't worry there are plenty of cars left out back of the house)
and used part of the proceeds to buy this finally. Any tips on its function would be great. Thanks for all of your posts!

Kbilly

KB...
circuit is based off the normal channel of a 63' Fender Blonde Bassman 6G6-B with a princeton style Reverb circuit designed to not interfere with delay pedals( doesnt wash out but can be very surfy). The plank switch shifts the EQ circuit for solid body guitars like Telecasters and Strats. super pedal friendly was a goal as well.
the tapped Mercury Magnetics transformer with 4ohm and 8ohm jacks means anything from a 1x10 cab to a 412.
Adj exterior bias pot with bias test points allows you to use any kind of 6L6 tubes and bias yourself. no tech needed.

It has Eminence speakers built in Kentucky.
Also is there some kind of date code somewhere on it?

kbilly wrote:

It has Eminence speakers built in Kentucky.
Also is there some kind of date code somewhere on it?

oh I thought you wanted info on a blondeshell for some reason?? haha

you are so funny! But maybe I can meet ya New Years Eve and Swap for a Blondeshell. Hey. Hey! ( and some boot of course)

That amp will sound beautiful with a new set of speakers (jensen electric
jets come to mind) and a retube with JJ preamp tubes and a quad of
tungsol 6L6strs

JUst drove it with a little Danelectro fab metal.
I'll have to sharpen my ears some before I need your recomendations.
Thanks for all your input Tavo.
And I have not forgot about the Brain Seltzer.

I actually kind of miss my twin reverb RI. sounded great with a Full Drive II goosing it. I left everything stock, too...I bet you that thing could have been sweet with some new speakers and tubes...maybe even pull a couple tubes to get things cooking fast!