Fender Twin Reverb Tones
yastk...@my-deja.com
Any Fender Twin Reverb proud owners over here? :)
This is my gear: Fender Twin Reverb '65 Reissue, Ibanez Tube
Screamer TS-9DX, + Fender Stratocaster USA
I'm looking for that jazzy-bluessy-milky Wes Montgomery classic
jazz tone, deep, dark, obscure yet sharp and shiny
What's the closest settings on the amp + Fender (ok, I'm saving for
an archtop...) to achieve that sound? Any succesful recommendations?
Ok, and what about that B.B. King tone? Anybody knows his settings
on the Twin Reverbs he plays?
Oh, before you answer, yes, I know, I will never sound like them, I
just want to find MY own tone, I am just curious about tone settings,
so if you can share your thoughts I'll be glad to read them.
peace
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.
Fernando Javier Toral
ChicagoB...@aol.com
for an old '66 blackface one. I know it's overpriced by about three hundred
bucks. But it'll always increase in value, and it sounds so incredible.
Some of my favorite Fender Twin players are
John Primer
James Wheeler
and Johnny B. Moore
CB91
Roy Rezabek
One's a '69 silver face. 85 watts ... Has same circuits as the '65 black
face - excellent condition.
And the other is a '76 or so. 135 watt tube type .... A little beatup, but
a great workhorse...
I'm partial to the '69, but I'd like to play in a venue where I could use
both of them thru my Boss GT-3 - (Might sound strange, but I'm looking to
see if I can try a pair of acoustic amps with the GT-3)
I also have a poor man's twin .... Its a Silvertone 2-12. Don't laugh,
they're starting to catch on...
As far as BB Kings settings...An article in January 99 - Guitar
Player......
"The King of the Blues' sweet, singing tone stands out as one of the great
guitar sounds of all time. King's original tone recipe was a Gibson ES-335
thru a long-discontinued Gibson Lab Series 2x12 combo amp. Since the 80's,
he has played a Gibson Lucille model stereo guitar, which features a TP-6
fine-tune tailpiece and no f-holes. King uses both pickups simultaneously
and strings his guitar with light-guage Gibsons (.009-.042), He still
favors vintage Lab Series amps, but often runs though a Fender Twin Reverb
onstage.
Replicate BB King's sound requires running your amp's output stage fairly
hard, while avoiding the fuzzier distortions produced by high-gain channels
or stompboxes. Remember that Kings' guitar is an extension of his voice,
and he's one of the most identifiable blues singers on the planet."
Hope this helps ......
Roy Rezabek
Alan Howe
you off on your own path of tonal experimentation. Jim Wells laid out a good
place to start. Turn off the TV, plug in, and experiment with those knobs.
Listen to the subtlties of the changing tonal palate. Listen hard and write
down the results of these experiments. Your guitar, your style, the room
you're in, your fingers, your attack, the condition of your tubes and
countless other variables preclude any of us giving you "exact" settings. We
can get ya in the ballpark, but the rest needs your ears and hard work. BB
emphasizes the treble ranges; most of his characteristic overdrive comes
from pickup distortion rather than amp distortion. BB is mostly full
throttle; lots of fills and not a whole lot of chords (until the last five
years or so). He rolls back the guitar volumes to clean up the sound and
reduce overall output.
I'm reminded of a story where a very young Gatemouth Brown is listening to
his daddy play this great little riff. He looks back at the old man and
says, "How did you do that?" The old man slaps him cross the head and said,
"Next time, just watch and listen!" I'm not being flip or wise-assed here.
That is sage advice. I can't speak for anyone else on the list, but I have
learned 99% of what I know by listening, watching, and plenty of
wood-shedding till I get it right for me.
If'n your really interested in how BB does it, invest in the 3 video tape BB
King-BluesMaster series with BB and Askold Buck. BB lays out most aspects of
his style and technique in lurid detail.Then give yourself a LIFETIME to let
it sink in.
Have fun, turn those knobs. I know this isn't what you want to hear, but
it's the really the best advice this old BB lover can give ya. As for those
great creamy jazz sounds, go to the local music emporium and plug into a
Roland Jazz Chorus. That amp always makes me shiver... :>)
Alan Howe
----- Original Message -----
From: <yastk...@MY-DEJA.COM>
To: <BLU...@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2000 9:06 AM
Subject: Re: GEER Fender Twin Reverb Tones
> Thanks, nice review, but what about button settings, you know,
> treble, middle and bass positions?
>
> >
> > As far as BB Kings settings...An article in January 99 - Guitar
> > Player......
> >
> > > This is my gear: Fender Twin Reverb '65 Reissue, Ibanez Tube
> > > Screamer TS-9DX, + Fender Stratocaster USA
> > >
> > > I'm looking for that jazzy-bluessy-milky Wes Montgomery classic
> > > jazz tone, deep, dark, obscure yet sharp and shiny
> > >
> > > What's the closest settings on the amp + Fender (ok, I'm saving
> for
> > > an archtop...) to achieve that sound? Any succesful recommendations?
> > >
> > > Ok, and what about that B.B. King tone? Anybody knows his
> settings
> > > on the Twin Reverbs he plays?
> > >
> >
>
>
Alan Howe
Alan
----- Original Message -----
From: "P.W. Fenton" <pwfe...@ij.net>
To: <BLU...@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2000 11:20 AM
Subject: Gear: Fender Twin Reverb Tones
> At 01:06 PM 9/13/2000 +0000, yastk...@MY-DEJA.COM scribed...
> > Thanks, nice review, but what about button settings, you know,
> >treble, middle and bass positions?
>
> Knob settings are entirely relative and therefore pretty useless. Amps
> vary, guitars vary, pickups vary, potentiometers vary. Besides that, B.B.
> now sets his amp with as much treble as he can get from it. Not because
it
> sounds good (which he readily admits) but because his hearing is failing,
> and he can't hear his own guitar if there isn't a lot of treble on it.
>
> This is nothing to be copying.
>
> Use your ears to get the sound you want. Play with all the variables
until
> you hit the sound you are looking for. I can almost guarantee that when
> you do, your knob settings won't resemble his at all.
>
ChicagoB...@aol.com
<< If'n your really interested in how BB does it, invest in the 3 video tape
BB
King-BluesMaster series with BB and Askold Buck. BB lays out most aspects of
his style and technique in lurid detail.Then give yourself a LIFETIME to let
it sink in. >>
These are great tapes. Hearing BB King describe his music solely using
country terminology is at first difficult to handle, but then you realize it
does make sense to think this way.
Buz Abrams
significantly different from an original 65. You have to run the amp at
reduced voltage but before you do this be advised that you will shorten the
life span of the tubes significantly and you might damage the amp, (although
I haven't) but you will get some great tones. Get a Variac or something
similar from Radio Shack or a good electronic/hobby center. That's a variable
AC pot which will step down the voltage from 120 to whatever you want. Bring
it down to 110 or so. You have to find the sweet spot for your particular amp
and room but when you dial it in just right it is incredible and very good
for a bunch of jazz and blues flavors
regards
steve
Jim W
Forget the tube screamer. An effect like a Tube Screamer just robs you of
all the mids that add so much punch and richness to the sound of a good
guitar.
Turn your bass down low (<4); your middle up to about 7-9 and then add
treble until you get the brightness that sounds good to your ear. Roll the
tone off with your guitar settings as you are playing to adapt to the music
and mood, once your amp sounds right for most of your stuff.
But that's just how I do it. I suspect others will disagree.
Have fun.
Rgds...Jim
-----------------------------------------
jwe...@iadfw.net
www.geocities.com/big_jim_wells
<yastk...@MY-DEJA.COM> wrote in message
news:8pm251$apr$1...@nnrp1.deja.com...
> Cheers everybody,
>
> Any Fender Twin Reverb proud owners over here? :)
>
> This is my gear: Fender Twin Reverb '65 Reissue, Ibanez Tube
> Screamer TS-9DX, + Fender Stratocaster USA
>
> I'm looking for that jazzy-bluessy-milky Wes Montgomery classic
> jazz tone, deep, dark, obscure yet sharp and shiny
>
> What's the closest settings on the amp + Fender (ok, I'm saving for
> an archtop...) to achieve that sound? Any succesful recommendations?
>
> Ok, and what about that B.B. King tone? Anybody knows his settings
> on the Twin Reverbs he plays?
>
> Oh, before you answer, yes, I know, I will never sound like them, I
> just want to find MY own tone, I am just curious about tone settings,
> so if you can share your thoughts I'll be glad to read them.
>
> peace
Rgds...Jim
-----------------------------------------
jwe...@iadfw.net
www.geocities.com/big_jim_wells
Jim W
Rgds...Jim
-----------------------------------------
jwe...@iadfw.net
www.geocities.com/big_jim_wells
Jim W
avoid anything like this on good vintage equipment or amps your really like.
Rgds...Jim
-----------------------------------------
jwe...@iadfw.net
www.geocities.com/big_jim_wells
----- Original Message -----
From: "Buz Abrams" <Dr...@aol.com>
To: <BLU...@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2000 1:50 AM
Subject: Re: Fender Twin Reverb Tones
Fred Dabney
would
> avoid anything like this on good vintage equipment or amps your really
like.
I'd suspect that to be "old wive's tale" material.
Don't forget that the nominal AC power line voltage used to be
110 in most of the US not all that long ago- and it's slowly
drifted upward to 120 in most places. If you have an old tube
amp, things should run cooler which will extend life, and it
will be running closer to the voltage it was designed for.
Below a certain threshold voltage supply, however, you will
certainly increase the distortion since it will put the tubes
and power supply on a different part of their curve...
Fred D.
Jim W
I agree if you know that you are at approximately 110 volts or above.
However, with an amp as strong as a Twin one might drop the voltage way
below the 110 level with interesting short-term sonic resilts but all sorts
of bad medium and long tern electrical results. If one is fairly technical
and knows what is going on with the circuit, fine. Otherwise, trust me...
You can kill amps doing this stuff.
The original author did not strike me as being particularily techincal about
non-solid state cap based amps.
That's all I was saying and perhaps I was wrong.
Rgds...Jim
-----------------------------------------
jwe...@iadfw.net
www.geocities.com/big_jim_wells
----- Original Message -----
From: "Fred Dabney" <fda...@nmsu.edu>
To: <BLU...@LISTSERV.BROWN.EDU>
Alan Howe
issues (this largely came about due to my utter dissatisfaction with the
reissue Twin):
A.) Bought a Mesa Boogie Mark I reissue with the Tweed switch that acts as a
built in variac.
B.) Yank out the original 6L6's (Mesa Chinese 6L6's simply suck-take 'em out
no matter what). May as well replace those crappy preamp tubes as well...
C.) Replace the 6L6's with 4 of those great new Electro Harmonix or NOS
Philips 6V6's
D.) You can only run on tweed power setting or you'll burn up the 6V6's in a
hurry
E.) You now have some nice options...you can use all 4 6V6's or just two.
With all four, you're now pumping approx 44 watts. With two, about half
that. Just takes a flip of a switch.
F.) To stay squeaky Twin-like clean, plug into channel 2, set volume
relatively low (3-5) and master dimed. Or run with volume around 8 and
master at 4 for a Deluxe Reverb on steroids effect.
Now before all you purists start desoldering my joints, I basically was/am a
confirmed Fender amp kind of guy. Still am (hell my #1 stage rig is a '66
Super Reverb for rhythm with a '65 Vibrolux cranked for solos). But in
little joints, that damned 6V6'd Boogie is stunning. The only other thing is
that i have to bring along my trusty Fender reverb tank cause the reverb in
the Boogie doesn't sound Fender-ish to me at all...and I love that Fender
reverb sound.
Ok, I've assumed the position...
Alan
yastk...@my-deja.com
treble, middle and bass positions?
>
P.W. Fenton
>treble, middle and bass positions?
Knob settings are entirely relative and therefore pretty useless. Amps
IronMan Mike Curtis
> I don't know. Hold out for a '66 Super instead if you ask me...
I agree. I think the Super is one of the best amps on the planet.
IronMan Mike Curtis one man blues/jazz band http://www.ironmancurtis.com
9/16 7pm Riverbottom/4201 W Olive/Burbank; TU 8p Pro Jam/Starboard Attitude
202 The Pier/Redondo SA 1pm Yesteryears/235 W. 2nd/Pomona Sept 21, 7-9am
KATJ radio & 5-7:30pm Cask & Cleaver, Victorville Oct 6, 8pm LIVE on
http://www.studiocam.org Buy IronMans CD http://Got.To/bumpNgrind
morjoe
( a certain sameness as the Fender Concert Amp)
I have a "Super" amp and it is a great tool for those of us that play harp
and guitar it is top notch in both categories....whereas the Super-Reverb
Amp doesn't quite have the power to do all things at all times....
Ed Vadas' Fabulous Heavyweights
http://www.tagyerit.com/blues.htm
Jim W
Rgds...Jim
-----------------------------------------
jwe...@iadfw.net
www.geocities.com/big_jim_wells