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Post new topic Fender Twin: Original or re-issue?
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Author Topic:  Fender Twin: Original or re-issue?
George Kimery

 

From:
Limestone, TN, USA
Post  Posted 24 May 2014 6:19 am    
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I have a friend that just bought a silver face twin in great shape for a very low price at a pawn shop. I am trying to convince him to sell it to me, but so far, no luck. How can I tell if it is an early vintage twin or one of the later re-issues. Do I need the serial number? Other tell tale differences? I would like to know what I am dealing with here.
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Stephen Cowell


From:
Round Rock, Texas, USA
Post  Posted 24 May 2014 6:44 am    
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Look at the sticker inside, the model number would be printed at the top. Here are some other clues, best as I know:

Earliest SF: aluminum piping around the speaker grille, black lines on the face, cloth wiring inside. Most desirable for guitar (easy to return to blackface), 1968 only. Schematic AC-568

Pre-Master Vol: no piping, blue lines on face, blue lines in cloth, plastic wiring. Schem AA-769,AA-270

100W: Three-wire accessory plug, master volume. Rev F has pull-master distortion.

135W: Bridge rectifier, ultra-linear circuit, Line Recording jack on back. Perhaps most desirable for steel.

Other versions: Super Twin, 'The Twin', Twin Reverb II

Reissues: black face, with plaque on back
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Last edited by Stephen Cowell on 24 May 2014 6:45 am; edited 1 time in total
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Jon Light (deceased)


From:
Saugerties, NY
Post  Posted 24 May 2014 6:44 am    
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Here is an incomplete answer:

--the reissues that have been around for a while now are black faced---this is the '65 reissue.

--there is now a '68 reissue that is silver face but the channels are clearly marked 'custom' and 'vintage' so you can't confuse this one with an older amp.

Take that one out of play and I believe that any SF Twin will be a true point-to-point older amp

Look at the control to the farthest right (as you face it). If it has a Master Volume then it is mid period. If the Master Volume also has a pull-boost then it is of the later period (mid to late '70s). Look at the speaker jack in back. if it says "135 watts ultralinear" then it is the latest model.
Ask here on the forum and you will get evaluations ranging from 'not so desirable twin reverb' to 'best steel amp ever'.

Somebody please correct this if there is a silver face twin reissue that I have missed.
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Howard Montgomery


From:
Topeka, KS US
Post  Posted 24 May 2014 7:09 am    
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The footswitch jack will be for a 1/4" plug while the real twins had RCA type jacks. Also, the reverb cable jacks on a real ones are on the back of the chassis while on the reissues they are on the bottom.
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Olli Haavisto


From:
Jarvenpaa,Finland
Post  Posted 24 May 2014 9:45 am    
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Jon Light wrote:
Here is an incomplete answer:

--the reissues that have been around for a while now are black faced---this is the '65 reissue.

--there is now a '68 reissue that is silver face but the channels are clearly marked 'custom' and 'vintage' so you can't confuse this one with an older amp.



Jon is right, the new one is the only SF reissue
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Olli Haavisto
Finland
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Tim Marcus


From:
San Francisco, CA
Post  Posted 24 May 2014 11:25 am    
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if it says vintage, its not vintage Very Happy
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