Alright so this just happened...

This is what happens when G.A.S. gets you!

 

The differences between these two really surprise me especially being able to A/B them here in my house.

 

IF I had played the two of them like this before I bought the Tonemaster, I would not have bought the Tonemaster.

I have these setup through an ABY switch, volumes on their respective channels set the same (2 for now), EQ level at 5 across.

1. I've read about many of you carrying Twins to gigs and talking about how heavy they are. LOL I completely understand that now. Holy crap the weight difference is amazing!

2. With the TM having Jensens and the 68 having Celestions, I was expecting the TM to be more trebly than the 68. Wrong! It was the other way around. Now is that the speakers OR...

3. The TM particularly the bass is substantially more boxy than the 68. Is that the cabinet being more resonant? Are they both pine, I'm not 100% what the 68 is made with. At a given volume, the TM is quite a bit louder, way more resonant and the intonation (the sound transmitted as you pick the string) it is way more defined on the 68.

4. My love for the TM Twin is what led me to get a real tube Twin. The TM compared to the 68 sounds as if it has a blanket over it. Totally surprised by that as I expected a more clean/forward sound from the Jensens.

5. I've read about folks complaining that the 68 hisses. It does make a static sound just as if you were turning up the gain , but from what I've read that's totally normal. The TM is dead quiet.

To use a home theater analogy, the TM sounds like a satellite/sub setup with the sub cranked up way too high and the 68 sounds to me so far like just the satellites...in need of a sub to fill out the bottom end.

Like I say...I really prefer the 68, but I'm really surprised by what I've heard so far.

-shoe

 

Haha so I need to edit what I said about the 68 needing a sub or more sub. Simply set volume to 5!

 

Sure thing!

Well I can tell you that I watched pretty much every video/review I could find comparing the TM to the 65 Twin or the TM Deluxe to the 65 Deluxe. And I believed them. And I will say that the reason I got the 68 is because I enjoy the TM Twin so much! There was just that thought inside my head that went "yeah but since you like the sound so much you really want to own the real thing". Were it not for the TM I would not have bought the 68. I just honestly DID NOT expect to be able to hear a difference. I truly felt (especially being a pretty new guitar player) that the folks that know said these things are very close. As I said I'm very surprised. The 68 takes everything I love about the TM and makes the tones...precise is the best word I can use. The treble between them is much closer. Just not sure what makes the TM feel/sound very boxy. Is it the cabinet? Is it because it's SS? The clarity of the bass notes is just so much better on the 68.

Oh and I will say...if you NEVER heard the real tube Twin, you would buy that TM for $575 and enjoy it just as I did. The TM IS very good compared to the tube version BUT the tube new at least is about another $1k more. As your benefit goes up so does the cost.