G-Yo
Tele-Meister
Somebody talk me into nursing this Twin back to health.
I have a mostly 1975 Silverface Twin Reverb. Bought it in about 2006 for about $400. I say mostly 1975 because it’s a 1975 amp chassis and guts, etc (according to the transformer codes), which has been installed into a newer Fender cabinet. Silverface control plate, with master volume. The speaker codes date to 1995, it has the velcro strap in the cabinet back for holding the foot switch, and there are extra holes in the top of the cabinet which are spaced wider than the screws/plate that hold the amp inside. So I guess the cabinet is from a 1995ish Twin or similarly sized fender amp. Speakers are Eminence with the blue Fender labels on the magnet.
It has always sounded great to me, although the reverb and tremelo have never worked. The reverb/trem channel worked, just not the effects (even with the foot switch engaged). The amp has been fun to play, and I really like the sound. It sounds like a Twin: big, loud, chimey, and clear. It’s also heavy.
Last Spring, it started popping and acting sputtery. A couple of times it did the thing where you switch it on and loud constant BZZZZZZTTT…… OK, fair enough, it’s probably time for things like capacitors, tubes, etc.
Now, I’m a mild tinkerer, but I don’t have the free time to learn all that’s necessary to diagnose and rework it myself. So, I took it to my local amp guy. He has done a good job with tube amps for me (and others) in the past; works out of his garage, and I think is otherwise retired. This time it took him waaaaaay longer than he predicted (like months and months). He rebuilt most of the insides, retubed it, but he wasn’t able to fix everything. For some reason, he couldn’t get the reverb/vibrato channel to work at all – I mean no signal/sound through that channel at all. He’s an older guy, I think he really tried, apologized for taking forever, and he didn’t charge me the time for attempting to fix the reverb channel. So, I’m disappointed, and maybe even a little irritated, but not angry at the guy. I do think he tried.
So, I’m playing the amp a few days after getting it back, and it’s popping. I figure it’s some stirred up dust burning off, or maybe some new components settling in, but it has continued over a couple of weeks (playing every other night or so). If I crank it a little and really strum hard, it pops loudly, pretty consistently. It also “farts out” a little with hard strumming.
Well crap. I like the amp, but all this popping and flubbering... I don’t want to have the same guy look at it again because 1) he took forever, 2) I don’t think he can fix it anyway and 3) I don’t want to get mad at the guy. OK, well I can either: a) live with it – sucky choice, b) take it somewhere else and spend probably a few hundred more, c) sell it for less than it might be worth and just be done with it, d) scour the internet over the next year or so, buy miscellaneous components and make various attempts at self-repair.
I’m in no danger of playing out any time soon; I haven’t done that in 15 years + other obvious reasons. I do have three other tube amps, but none of them have that Twin sound. So – somebody talk me into why I should keep it and get it fixed.
I have a mostly 1975 Silverface Twin Reverb. Bought it in about 2006 for about $400. I say mostly 1975 because it’s a 1975 amp chassis and guts, etc (according to the transformer codes), which has been installed into a newer Fender cabinet. Silverface control plate, with master volume. The speaker codes date to 1995, it has the velcro strap in the cabinet back for holding the foot switch, and there are extra holes in the top of the cabinet which are spaced wider than the screws/plate that hold the amp inside. So I guess the cabinet is from a 1995ish Twin or similarly sized fender amp. Speakers are Eminence with the blue Fender labels on the magnet.
It has always sounded great to me, although the reverb and tremelo have never worked. The reverb/trem channel worked, just not the effects (even with the foot switch engaged). The amp has been fun to play, and I really like the sound. It sounds like a Twin: big, loud, chimey, and clear. It’s also heavy.
Last Spring, it started popping and acting sputtery. A couple of times it did the thing where you switch it on and loud constant BZZZZZZTTT…… OK, fair enough, it’s probably time for things like capacitors, tubes, etc.
Now, I’m a mild tinkerer, but I don’t have the free time to learn all that’s necessary to diagnose and rework it myself. So, I took it to my local amp guy. He has done a good job with tube amps for me (and others) in the past; works out of his garage, and I think is otherwise retired. This time it took him waaaaaay longer than he predicted (like months and months). He rebuilt most of the insides, retubed it, but he wasn’t able to fix everything. For some reason, he couldn’t get the reverb/vibrato channel to work at all – I mean no signal/sound through that channel at all. He’s an older guy, I think he really tried, apologized for taking forever, and he didn’t charge me the time for attempting to fix the reverb channel. So, I’m disappointed, and maybe even a little irritated, but not angry at the guy. I do think he tried.
So, I’m playing the amp a few days after getting it back, and it’s popping. I figure it’s some stirred up dust burning off, or maybe some new components settling in, but it has continued over a couple of weeks (playing every other night or so). If I crank it a little and really strum hard, it pops loudly, pretty consistently. It also “farts out” a little with hard strumming.
Well crap. I like the amp, but all this popping and flubbering... I don’t want to have the same guy look at it again because 1) he took forever, 2) I don’t think he can fix it anyway and 3) I don’t want to get mad at the guy. OK, well I can either: a) live with it – sucky choice, b) take it somewhere else and spend probably a few hundred more, c) sell it for less than it might be worth and just be done with it, d) scour the internet over the next year or so, buy miscellaneous components and make various attempts at self-repair.
I’m in no danger of playing out any time soon; I haven’t done that in 15 years + other obvious reasons. I do have three other tube amps, but none of them have that Twin sound. So – somebody talk me into why I should keep it and get it fixed.
But – those Uncle Doug videos look really informative. I might watch and learn even if I don’t decide to delve in!
