Comparing fender guitar amps..

a e i o u · #1 12-21-2007, 03:05 PM

How would you compare the tone of the Hot Rod Delux 60w 2x12 combo to The Twin 2x12 combo?? I beleive the twin has more power but it might be too much power to work with..

Hawaii Islander · #2 12-21-2007, 03:09 PM

The Fender twin is 100 watts full power and 25 watts reduced power (via switch). The Fender twin used to be made in Carona, CA (it may still be). The 60 watt Hot Rod DeVille 2x12 is made in Mexico. The Hot Rod has an overdrive channel on it for a grittier sound. The Fender twin is, from what I've heard and read, one of the best sounding clean amps out there.

a e i o u · #3 12-21-2007, 04:05 PM

im def. looking for the better clean channel. i like it to be thick and full and smooth creamy sounding.. i can get a decent deal on a twin..not twin reverb, for around 600 used i guess. my fear is that the twin would be too loud for me, and 25 watts might not be enough. i would be using it with a tube screamer

MyUsernameHere · #4 12-21-2007, 04:14 PM

what do you mean by "clean" sound. If you mean clear i.e. hi fi or not overdriven than the more watts you push the more head room you'll have. I've played through both amps and they're both nice, but in my experience twins kick a$$. If its in good shape I don't think you'll be disappointed.

bluestarbass · #5 12-22-2007, 01:29 PM

I prefer the bassmans for cleans, but admittedly, i like a dirty clean channel. The bassmans dont really get super dirty without cranking the volume past human safe levels, but even at less volume it never gets super clean like the twin. If you want any dirty at all, kiss the twin goodbye. Check out the fender super sonics too. They have a great diverse clean channel. More money though. Also, if volumes an issue mabye look at a vox ac15 or ac30. Obviously great clean tones, and really like the way vox tube amps react when driven super hard.

Passinwind · #6 12-22-2007, 03:49 PM

Friends don't let friends buy red-knob Fenders.

Seriously, look at something else, those were not Fender's best years IMHO (assuming you're talking the '87-94 The Twin amp). Either pony for a real silverface Twin Reverb, the Super Sonic bluestarbass mentioned, or the Hot Rod series if you're on a tight budget. The Hod Rod still wants to be way louder than I like, but many guys I mix live make 'em work well on stage.

A good Twin Reverb is pretty much the default choice for many clean styles, but when you light it up with that TS the volume definitely can get outta hand really fast. I like the compromise of a Vibrolux Reverb, Pro Reverb, or a Super Reverb, personally.

Voxes are cool, but they're a whole different vibe. They also tend to be really expensive from what I've seen.

Bard2dbone · #7 12-22-2007, 09:53 PM

Definitely check which model of Twin that is. If it has the hated red knobs, that is a huge clue that it's not what you really want. It just has tehe same name, and is from the same company, but it isn't the same amp.

Before you say "But it's a Fender Twin! Aren't all Fender Twins awesome?" let me explain that if the marketing department is in charge and they don't really know anything about their own product, you can get some pretty sad results. I'm pretty sure that a focus group made the red knob models sound like a good idea. I'm also sure that that focus group was on drugs when they did it.

Basically, they watered down the model pretty badly. They did it to several models in the Fender line at the same time. I'm sure cost was the real issue, wondering how to reduce production cost, but the sound quality and reliability of Fender amps plummetted for a while. When they fixed the design, they changed the look back. That's why people say "Friends don't let friends buy red-knob Fenders."

Hawaii Islander · #8 12-22-2007, 10:26 PM

The new Fender Twins are not based on the "red knob" model are they? I didn't think they were. I would probably buy a new Fender Twin (or slightly used new model) rather than gamble on a vintage one, but thats just me.

Bard2dbone · #9 12-23-2007, 08:59 AM

No they went back to a circuit much more like the blackface version. But it is still pretty obviously derived from the 'red knob' version. It's still the selectable output 100W/25W version like the 'red knob' Twin. They call it the 'Evil Twin' in the ads, or at least they did.

And they have a model that uses the same circuit as the '65, although I don't like to call it a reissue because the construction is very different.

But the '65 Twin Reverb(alleged) Reissue is a pretty awesome example of Twin-hood. I would buy one of those before I would buy a current model.

edit: Look here - http://www.ampwares.com/ffg/ - for a pretty good resource on Fender amps.

Passinwind · #10 12-23-2007, 10:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hawaii Islander

The new Fender Twins are not based on the "red knob" model are they? I didn't think they were. I would probably buy a new Fender Twin (or slightly used new model) rather than gamble on a vintage one, but thats just me.

As a former Fender factory tech (in the early 90s, and only briefly), I'd personally make sure to get a tag board wired example (so called point-to-point) rather than one using a printed circuit board, regardless of what era it comes from. There are plenty of decent sounding PCB-based Fenders, but I'm a geezer whose comfort zone is defined by the blackface/silverface eras for the most part.