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Topic: 57 Fender twin reissue? |
Mike Shefrin
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Posted 6 Feb 2009 8:56 am |
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Has anyone tried the Fender 57 twin reissue with a pedal steel, and what are your opinions please. These amps seem a bit pricey when bought new from a store but the Sam Ash music store I deal with will give me a full refund if I don't like it. I may buy one to try it out however I would appreciate any opinions from those who have already played through one. I'm currently playing a ZB through a Steel King with a Boss RV3 and it sounds pretty good but I've always preferred the tube sound to the solid state sound, and am in the market for a good Fender tube amp. Any opinions or suggestions would be much appreciated. Thanks.
Here's what Fender has to say about the amp
The ’57 Twin amplifier—one of the most collectible amps of all time—is the latest member of our acclaimed Custom Series family. Its harmonically rich clean tones are great for vintage rock, blues and country; crank it up for fat, sophisticated distortion.
This all-tube combo amp has hand-wired circuitry; we’ve even reproduced the 1955-57 edition “low powered” 5E8A circuit, which puts 40 watts into a pair of 12” alnico-magnet speakers. Power comes from a pair of GT6L6 output tubes and Fender’s rarely seen mid-’50s dual rectifier arrangement (using 5U4 rectifier tubes). With this design, power amp compression or “sag” is more subtle than in many Fender tweed designs. The Twin’s preamp contains four high-gain 12AX7 tubes, three of which may be substituted with 12AY7s for the original ’50s low-gain sound. An internal bias pot allows easy substitution of various 6L6 types. Control panel details include normal and bright volumes, four inputs (two normal; two bright), treble, bass and presence knobs.
The ’57 Twin’s finger-joined solid pine cabinet resonates with a warm, woody tone. The amp is covered in genuine lacquered tweed fronted with vintage brown/gold grille cloth. Leather strap handle on top and fitted cover included. |
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Mike Shefrin
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Posted 6 Feb 2009 9:11 am
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Any opinions on the Fender 57 deluxe reissue would also be welcome. Thanks.
Mike |
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David Doggett
From:
Bawl'mer, MD (formerly of MS, Nawluns, Gnashville, Knocksville, Lost Angeles, Bahsten. and Philly)
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Posted 6 Feb 2009 11:41 am
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Mike, the guitar player in one of my bands wanted to sell a new 57 Twin RI to me, and let me try it out for pedal steel. It was too loud for him on guitar. For me on pedal steel it was too bright, even with the bass all the way up and treble all the way down. And at 40 watts, it didn't have the headroom I usually need. I suppose I could have used it for the occasional small quiet gig, but it was just too expensive for that. Also, it doesn't have reverb. Easily remedied with an outboard unit of course, but it was one more strike against a very expensive amp. So it just wasn't for me.
It is a beautiful, well-made amp for someone with the dough who wants that tone and power level. |
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Mike Shefrin
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Posted 6 Feb 2009 12:13 pm
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| Hey David, thanks. I had a suspicion it might be too bright with not enough bass end to it. I just practiced for two hours with my Steel King which sounds just fine so I guess "If it ain't broken then don't fix it". Sam Ash wanted $2,400 for the twin reissue which is way too much for me anyway. I guess I'll stick with the Steel King unless I come across a reasonably priced Fender tube amp that sounds better than my Steel King. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 6 Feb 2009 1:03 pm
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Mike,
I think that I gave about $1,200 for mine.
I also had to get the matching reverb unit to go along with it. I guess I'm just a sucker for tweed. 
 |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 6 Feb 2009 1:03 pm
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Of course it's not a complets set unless you get the Fender '59 Bassman Ltd reissue:
Last edited by Erv Niehaus on 6 Feb 2009 1:27 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Mike Shefrin
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Posted 6 Feb 2009 1:20 pm
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Hi Erv,
I remember now that you have one of these amps. The tweed does look real nice. I don't care about having reverb since I use the reverb and delay from my RV3. $1,200 seems like a good price for it. |
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Brian McGaughey
From:
Orcas Island, WA USA
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Posted 7 Feb 2009 10:02 am
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Erv, you've got more toys!...what are you retired from?...
(rhetorical question) |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 7 Feb 2009 10:41 am
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What do you mean retired!!!
I have to keep working to support my GAS habit!  |
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John Bechtel
From:
Nashville, Tennessee, R.I.P.
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Posted 7 Feb 2009 9:43 pm
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I have two friends who use a FSK and they sound better than they ever did, so; don't sell yourself short by letting your FSK get away from you! If you want the sound of a ’57 Twin, make it an extra-amplifier!
_________________
<marquee> Go~Daddy~Go, (No), Go, It's your Break Time</marquee> L8R, jb
My T-10 Remington Steelmaster |
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Ulric Utsi-Åhlin
From:
Sweden
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Posted 8 Feb 2009 2:03 am Life´s a GAS...
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I´ll have to give Erv a "right on,Mate"...I love to
shop for gear,and it´s not just for a materialistic
definition of life...McUtsi |
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James Morehead
From:
Prague, Oklahoma, USA - R.I.P.
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Posted 8 Feb 2009 6:15 am
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| Mike, If you want tube tone, get a silverface Twin Reverb. Recap it and your there. JMHO |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 8 Feb 2009 6:41 am
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Ulric,
How right you are!
Besises suffering from GAS, I am also a "Gear Head"! |
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Marc Jenkins
From:
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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James Quackenbush
From:
Pomona, New York, USA
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Posted 14 Feb 2009 1:16 pm
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Hey Erv,
You remind me of ME .... |
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