Clean tone taste test: Bandmaster Reverb vs. Twin Reverb

[jpervin]

OK, aside from the obvious volume disparity, how would a Bandmaster Reverb head hooked up to a 2x12 open-back cabinet sound different compared to a Twin Reverb? Only interested in clean tone comparisons here.

[Tim Swartz]

Up to about 2 or 3 with a "regular output" humbucker and 3 or 4 with a "regular output" single coile the BR will sound similar to a TR, but above that it will sound more compressed.

[Dacious]

+1 what Tim said - volume/tone at those settings will be dependent on speaker effiiciency and any colouration but should be almost the same.

[Rusty]

i'm with you...i like the clean tone side of it all, so that's what i'll compare...when i actually tried that exact comparison a while back out of curiosity, the twin just sounded fuller and well...bigger. the notes just HIT you harder. even trying to dial out the volume difference, you could just tell there was a lot more behind the twin's responsiveness.

it also reminded me of how my old pro reverb sounded compared to my twin i had at the same time...just not as beefy and tough.

one thing to try is those same amps through a 4x12 closed back cab...the difference is less noticeable i love clean amps like that pushing a 4x12, but i sure don't want to haul it or have to stand in front of it all night long.

a lot of guys use bigger trannies in amps sometimes. stevie ray's vibroverbs and jim weider's deluxe come to mind...bigger tone out of a smaller amp...it matters i'm sure, but i've never tried it. the longer i play though, the more i like an amp that is pushing those notes hard from working the tubes and not just from sheer size and wattage. like dacious said, the right combo is what you're looking for i guess, so i hope you get to compare soon and let us know what you heard...

[David Barnett]

I agree with the above, and the sonic difference seems like more than you'd expect from the +3dB you get from doubling the power.

The 40-45-50W Fender amps had wimpy output transformers, except for the Super Reverb and the Bassman.

I bet a Super Reverb head driving a pair of 4-ohm 12" speakers in parallel, for a 2-ohm load, would come a lot closer to giving a Twin a run for the money.

[jpervin]

Originally Posted by Rusty

...when i actually tried that exact comparison a while back out of curiosity, the twin just sounded fuller and well...bigger. the notes just HIT you harder. even trying to dial out the volume difference, you could just tell there was a lot more behind the twin's responsiveness.

...so i hope you get to compare soon and let us know what you heard...

Well, I own a '69 BMR, and there's a '68 TR I'm seriously looking at buying. Hence, the subject question.
I'll have to agree 100% that the TR just sounds bigger and fuller than the BMR. I ran the BMR into a 1x15 cabinet with a ceramic Weber Texas and, in my mind, the TR still sounded fuller and more 3D than the BMR.
Wondering now if an output transformer upgrade for the BMR would be a good alternative?

Thanks for everyone's input here.

[Jef]

Of course a TR has more clean headroom and sheer volume on tap. But the BMR is a very nice amp in its own right. Most people don't use the stock oversized cabinet: it looks weird, it's too big, too heavy... but I like those big closed back cabinets. My BMR can easily compete with my bandmate's Vibrasonic Reverb, which is basically a Twin reverb with a 15" speaker in the open back combo.