Fender Red Knob "The Twin" Club

This is for everyone out there who owns a Fender Red Knob The Twin... If their is anyone left out there

Howdy,

I've had a RK "The Twin" for two years now. It's great for clean tones. This amp was seemingly made for the Telecaster.
Mine is in near mint condition and never given me a problem. Lots of bass and treble on tap. Talk about bells & whistles!

Eggman

Oh yes. It has to be one of the best kept secrets in the amp world.

I have one with upgrades two JBLE120 speakers and a hard wire fan to keep the tubes cool and new groove tubes

killer amp!!!...but weights a ton

I gotta join this club. I have two, one was marketed as Dual Showman but is exactly the same amp but in a head unit, I use it with two Eminence Patriots, fantastic, the other is stock although I was going to make another cab and put the Oxfords in it and replace them in the combo with Eminence Cannabis Rex. But have stopped gigging, only recording now but they still get a workout. I tradeded in a Vox AC30 for the combo, best decision ever. I have retubed them both over the years.

OK, guilty as charged. :oops:

I have three Red Knob twins AND three red knob Dual Showman Heads.

Blisteringly loud on 25W and clean channel, these amps are VERY hard to beat. :wink:

Howdy,

AjayTele: You are the man. Feel free to tell us more about them. My Super 112 (red knobs and all) sounds huge with a matched duet of NOS Sylvania 6L6 "Coke bottle" tubes. My "The Twin" has those cruddy old Sovtek Blues, but it still sounds plenty lush and glassy.

Eggman

I use one of my Red Knob Dual Showman heads playing through a Marshall 1960A quad when gigging. The sound is punchy and glassy and loud. :grin:

I have tried many other amp heads, including a very special hand made boutique Australian amp (Reynolds Valveart) in the search for on-stage tone, but I still keep coming back to the Dual Showman. :wink:

Incidentally, my Dual Showman was last serviced by the valve amp master, Pete Reynolds and apparently was good for 130W on the test rig when repaired. That probably explains why it is so bloody loud, even when on 1/4 power.... :cool:

Whe I got my combo it had RCA tubes, made in India, they were the best sounding I've had in the thing.

Howdy,

Since I started the 6L6 tube discussion and Clive McHugh has upped the ante, why not weigh in with your favorite 6L6 tube choices? For that matter, let's include preamp tubes as well. Ahem, quartets of 6L6s can get costly! ;)

Eggman

I've got a pair of these and I think they sound great. I do believe they can be tricky to work on, so make sure your amp tech knows what he's doing. As far as tone, these seem to get bad-mouthed on Internet forums, but if artists like Robben Ford, Larry Carleton, and Steve Cropper are still using them regularly (when they could easily use almost anything else and get paid handsomely to do so) they can't be too bad... The only problem I have is the weight. They're just too heavy for me to carry by myself anymore. Still, they sound so good and have been reliable for me, so I can't bring myself to sell them. Maybe in another 5 years I'll be able to afford roadies... I doubt it, but if Robben Ford ever wants to come over to my house and jam and doesn't want to tote his Dumble, I know I've got a couple of amps he'll be happy using. :wink:

Count me in.

This will be the smallest club in the list with the most head room:mrgreen:
Rob

Rob,

It's actually pretty scary how similar our tastes in guitars and gear are...

Hmm... I have four red knob twins and also three red knob "Dual Showman" heads (which are a red knob twin head without reverb).

LOVE 'EM. :wink:

Play the red knob Dual Showman through a Marshall 1960A quad and you're in tone heaven. :mrgreen:

This "club" already exists here on TDPRI, but it is called "The Twin's Club (http://www.tdpri.com/forum/amp-owners-clubs/167642-twins-club.html)" on that thread, and I actually refer to mine the "RK Twins" (both of 'em... :smile: )

I haven't moved them from my music room in years, but one of these days, when I hit the big time and can afford to hire roadies...

...red knob "Dual Showman" heads (which are a red knob twin head without reverb).Didn't the RK Dual Showman come in both a reverb version and a non reverb version? Maybe I'm thinking of something different?

Didn't the RK Dual Showman come in both a reverb version and a non reverb version? Maybe I'm thinking of something different?

I dunno. I have only seen them without reverb. :?:

Didn't the RK Dual Showman come in both a reverb version and a non reverb version? Maybe I'm thinking of something different?

My RK Dual showman has reverb. I sent the guts of my combo away for service earlier in the year - I made a head unit box especially for this beast, and the repair shop put it through a Marshall stack and offered to buy it on the spot, he raved about the sound.
I have just finished a CD, it's old 50's and 60's stuff and the tele on the back p/u with a DOD overdrive is brilliant, mind you so was a cheapo Samick with Bill Lawrence H'B's also bridge p/u on overdrive.And that was through the clean channel. All that remains is for the guy mastering to change a few volumes - drums mainly and it's all go.

Rob,

It's actually pretty scary how similar our tastes in guitars and gear are...

Hmm... I have four red knob twins and also three red knob "Dual Showman" heads (which are a red knob twin head without reverb).

LOVE 'EM. :wink:

Play the red knob Dual Showman through a Marshall 1960A quad and you're in tone heaven. :mrgreen:

But you have the bigger appetite:razz: Too bad there is an ocean in the way, it would be great to jam one day. Here is a photo of my RKT after a facelift. I pulled the knobs and gray grillcloth, added the black knobs , silver cloth and a pair of scumbacks and it took on a whole new personality. Funny how other players a jams want to plug in play this amp now. I finally resorted to sticking the little plackard that reads "The Twin" on the back panel because they dont believe it is a "Red Knob Twin". It has always sounded great but it looks so much better now.......I think
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v217/rhomco/AmpWall008.jpg

Yes, that "Red Knob" certainly doen't look like one now... :shock:

Actually, I was not far away from your neck of the woods in April. I came through DFW on my way to and from Jefferson. If I come back, maybe I should try to pop by... :grin:

Mr. AJ Tele, you have a standing invitation anytime. Hell I'll skip work and pick you up at DFW. i would welcome to opportunity to treat you to a Texas steak and margaritas.
Seriously.
Rob

Mr. AJ Tele, you have a standing invitation anytime. Hell I'll skip work and pick you up at DFW. i would welcome to opportunity to treat you to a Texas steak and margaritas.
Seriously.
Rob

That sounds like a plan for the future sometime... margaritas...mmmm. :cool:

but you wouldn't have to pick me up at DFW, I usually drive myself around in the USA (including the usual 3 hour drive down I20 to Jefferson at night, due to late flights into DFW :roll:). :wink:

Howdy,

I'm pleased with my near mint red knob "The Twin" over here in Bossier City, La. Fantastic clean tones; ideal for making my Teles shimmer and sparkle.

Eggman

Used to play through TWO of 'em! Yes, TWO! Not switching back and forth, but both at the same time, and full out!

Yes, We were loud as hell!

I got little plaques custom engraved that I screwed on to the front of 'em. One said "Yes", the other said "No." Wish i had a picture of that rig!

Used to play through TWO of 'em! Yes, TWO! Not switching back and forth, but both at the same time, and full out!

Yes, We were loud as hell!

I got little plaques custom engraved that I screwed on to the front of 'em. One said "Yes", the other said "No." Wish i had a picture of that rig!

:shock:

And how is your hearing loss nowadays, Mr Joe? :lol:

:shock:

And how is your hearing loss nowadays, Mr Joe? :lol:

What? :wink:

Double posted .....sorry

Ever tried running the twin on just two power tubes? I'm considering trying it but curious to know if the results are worth the effort to re-bias etc.
Rob

Ever tried running the twin on just two power tubes? I'm considering trying it but curious to know if the results are worth the effort to re-bias etc.
Rob

I just pulled out two tubes tonight.
I have the amp in my little bedroom converted to a music studio. I'm not sure if it was worth it. All it meant for me is I can can play my amp at 1 instead of 1/2 LOL:lol:

What I really dig is the parellel channel. I have set the channels close to the manual specs and have the clean channel set for the Classic Twin Reverb setting and have the dirty channel set for Screaming Lead. I love how these two sounds blend using the parellel input.

Count me in the club. I picked the amp up this summer in a pawn shop for about 500 bucks. The amp was in great shape minus two broken solder joints on the reverb, an ungrounded plug, and a couple of small nicks in the tolex.

Great amp. Ilove it.:mrgreen:

I'm in. I got mine about 10 yrs ago and love it. What I'd love more are a few big gigs to use the sucker at. I got a Boogie that suffers from the same affliction. Too big, too loud for most venues I play at. Friday night gone I was getting asked to turn my Hot Rod Deluxe down. Regards.

Ever tried running the twin on just two power tubes? I'm considering trying it but curious to know if the results are worth the effort to re-bias etc.
Rob
I tried that years ago... From what I remember, it sacrificed clean headroom, but didn't make much difference in perceived volume. I like this amp for pristine cleans, didn't care much for the "browner" sound of running on two power tubes. For "brownish" in-between tones, the preamps are pretty capable, but it's not my favorite amp for that kind of stuff. For me, the RK Twin is great for amazing clean tones. The Boogie-esque lead tones are nice too, seem somewhat smoother than most Boogies I've heard. I dunno if this helps, but it's what I remember. To me, the RK Twin sounds best at full power with all 4 power tubes, just doing the clean thing.

I've got 2 JBLE120 speakers in mine and it sounds wonderful

Howdy,

I agree with JayFreddy about the RK Twin's strength: Big clean tones. Is it me or does the RK "The Twin" (And the RK "Super 112" for that matter.) sound best with Teles and Strats?
My ES-335 sounds a bit "boomy" through this 4 6L6 equipped, 100 watt beast. Maybe it's the stock speakers? To my ears, the RK "The Twin" really compliments my Teles. Of course my Rickenbacker 360 finds a comfortable sonic niche easily with this amp-as it does with any amp. Anyone else care to post on the RK "The Twin"s favorite guitars?

Eggman

I just finished a tele build with 2 SH'59 H/B's, I'm struggling to find the right amp settings for that sweet sound, any suggestions? I never have this problem with the single coils.
Clive

I just finished a tele build with 2 SH'59 H/B's, I'm struggling to find the right amp settings for that sweet sound, any suggestions? I never have this problem with the single coils.
Clive
Oops! I see the computer genius has struck again, no idea how I achieved that.