Well I was planning to build a brownface...
Then I lucked on this cheap,
It's been ODed but I've a good stash of blue Ajax caps to restore it back. The speakers are (extremely blowable in this amp) Jensen C12Qs and it's a reproduction cab.
I can't even begin to explain how killer it sounds!
More pics;
http://s74.photobucket.com/albums/i250/ytomk/62twin/
Tommy.
So very nice!
I'm on my way to try it out with that guitar. Just let me update my passport and book a flight.
"I haven't slept for ten days...because that would be too long." -- Mitch Hedberg
Ha ha, I'll pick you up at the airport.
Should have pointed out that it's a '62, pre-reverb Twin-Amp. The PT and OT are original but the choke is replaced. The inside of the chassis is scorched, looks like a power tube went and took the choke with it.
Tommy.
Dude! Very Very Cool~!SCORE!
RIP Lacey Cat 1992-2009
I think Fender has to start reissueing the Browns and Blondes in true form......preferably something with the presence knob.....
Those things are killer.
"Sorry" - John Belushi as he smashed a guitar in Animal House
Nice score!
I understand they're not that loud....
[I thought it was a white amp ad, but I guess I was wrong....]
Several guitars in different colors
Things to make them fuzzy
Things to make them louder
orange picks
Sweet! Should I fly into Glasgow? I've always wanted to visit the land of my family. And play electric guitar there.Originally Posted by ziess
"I haven't slept for ten days...because that would be too long." -- Mitch Hedberg
Nah, Edinburgh is closer to me.
Kap'n, it's damn loud! I've not really had it above 5 yet and nor will I unless (or until) I change the speakers. I've a pair of Weber Sig 12Bs that'll do the trick.
I get a *mild* bit of breakup at 5 (from the speakers) but that's already past the headroom of my tweed Bassman. It always takes me a while to get perspective on how a new amp fits within the tonal spectrum of what I had before... but it's a more better defined low end than the 5F6-A. The tone controls are also quite unlike anything I've ever used before. The Bass control comes to life at about 6 which is way above what I'd consider running it on any other amp.
Tommy.
Nice score!
I understand they're not that loud....
[I thought it was a white amp ad, but I guess I was wrong....]
That ad had to be directed at telling potential customers "Aw, it's not that loud." Awesome.
Poor girl, though. Will cochlear implants help her at this point?
"I haven't slept for ten days...because that would be too long." -- Mitch Hedberg
Uh, I just counted the number of amps in my room...
I've two 1x12" Weber 6A20s, a 4x10" 5F6-A, a 5E3, a 6G8 Twin, a 5G9 Tremolux clone and a Frontman 65R!
cool amp zeiss! my buddy mark has a blonde bassman, which is one of my favorite amps, that and his 65 ac30...
keep rockin buddy!
"don't worry, i'm a professional!"
There it is, Tommy!!!
For the record, Tommy and I spoke about this amp around the time of purchase. I have been biting my lip trying not to say anything while waiting for this to be unveiled.
I'm all giddy for you, man. Please share some sound clips if you can! Maybe some gut shots when you reverse engineer the cap job, too.
"...pray do not imagine that those who make the noise are the only inhabitants of the field;
that, of course, they are many in number; or that, after all, they are other than the little,
shriveled, meagre, hopping, though loud and troublesome, insects of the hour."
-Edmund Burke
I <heart> blondes!!!
"I'm gonna find myself a girl
that can show me what laughter means
And we'll fill in the missing colors
In each other's paint-by-number dreams..."
I'm still waitin' for a documentable brown 6G8 to show up......
"When injustice becomes law then rebellion becomes duty."
Start around page 13.
Several guitars in different colors
Things to make them fuzzy
Things to make them louder
orange picks
Best sound ever; neck P90 on my Gretsch turned all the way up, Bass at 8, treble at 7 and.... Harmonic Trem!
Nice.
I got a little distracted by the Jag for a minute, but nice.
"Well, I used to be disgusted, now I try to be amused..."
Elvis Costello
Thanks Neo!
First thing you ought to do when you buy an amp? Rip it apart and replace the caps, redo the bias setup, replace the diodes, replace half the resistors and get rid of the plastic wire!
From this;
To this;
It does genuinely sound better now. Trem is a bit weak but then the caps are original so they might have to be replaced too. I just used whatever caps I had lying around, y'know, blue molded, Astron, Weber!
More pics here;
http://s74.photobucket.com/albums/i2...mk/62twinredo/
Tommy
Wow, Very nice Tommy!
RIP Lacey Cat 1992-2009
Thanks man. Not really had a chance to try it out at volume but I've a band practice on Wednesday...
I agree - NICE SCORE!!
That picture always slays me. The fact that it's a Twin is even funnier.
Imagine if it were one of those 79 UL Twins with JBLs in it that can produce in the neighborhood of 260W~300W wide open.
That poor kid would be no more than a pile of scorched bones!
"I bet your Momma was a tent-show Queen ..."
Nice score Tommy. You starting a music store? You have way too many amps and guitars.says if I bring another amp or guitar into the house she will leave. Hmmm....now there's a thought.
Pete
Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.
Henry Ford
Pete, you better hope that your
Pete
"I'm gonna find myself a girl
that can show me what laughter means
And we'll fill in the missing colors
In each other's paint-by-number dreams..."
S'ok she's got a good sense of humour. Needs it living with me.
Pete
Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.
Henry Ford
Thats a gorgeous Twin ,man!
Mmmm...amp guts
So, what's your official opinion on the Orange Drops-to-vintage cap job?
"...pray do not imagine that those who make the noise are the only inhabitants of the field;
that, of course, they are many in number; or that, after all, they are other than the little,
shriveled, meagre, hopping, though loud and troublesome, insects of the hour."
-Edmund Burke
Officially, it's much better. Officially.
It's smoother if you know what I mean, the mids are just nicer. I left the ODs on the Normal channel so I can compare (though they're obviously replaced in the PI) and I overwhelmingly prefer the Vibrato channel. I'm going to try the guys at band practice tomorrow to see which they prefer in a blind test.
The blue mo(u)lded caps sure look nicer too!
Tommy.
Gigged it on Friday, A/B-ed clean with my dirty 6A20 (22watt blackface 1x12").
Um, wow!
I've a couple of parts that are pretty Misrlou-like (y'know, really fast low E riffing) that I've always felt were disappearing into the mush a bit (the 6A20 overdrives at volume, funnily enough). With the Twin the notes were just kinda 'there'. Clear and warm, not too overpowering, sat brilliantly between the bass (our bassist thankfully is of the Motown school of bass sounds) and the cymbals.
I had a ton of low end on tap that I, tentatively, used - I'm not one for a lot of low in the guitar. The low end was quite a revelation on my clean sound. The 6A20 obviously roars when turned up but I sometimes felt that it was a bit thin when I rolled the guitar's volume back a bit but switching to the Twin was the perfect clean foil to it's gritty roar.
They're something almost Bassman-like about the clean sound of the Twin, especially in the mids. It's clean, but it's not a blackface clean, there's some late-tweed hair there too. I hate to rehash the old "halfway-between-a-tweed-and-a-blackface" thing but, y'know, that's what it is! I expect the C12Qs have something to do with it.
The other guitarist was using my tweed Bassman, we played unmiked and sounded like a bomb of warm Fendery goodness going off!
My only problem is the intensity of the trem left something to be desired. The oscillator is running fine and tracks the speed control fast but it's just not deep enough. The 0.1µF 200V cap on the intensity pot is an original Astron and I know they can get a bit leaky. I might replace it.
Saying that, I've never touched another amp with harmonic vibrato so how should it sound? Perhaps it is a subtle thing? It just sounds like the intensity is at 5 though...
(The presence knob is a bit, uh, subtle too so I'll replace that Astron while I'm in there).
Now running a GE 12AX7 in V2 and an RCA 12AX7 in V6. The rest are still Chinese/Sovtek but I've replacement Sylvania 6L6GCs on order and they'll be fitted once I install 1Ω cathode resitors on V7-10.
Clips anyone?
Tommy.
the one I saw has two small fans (line PC type fans) in the back. Original owner - gigged for years and years - very road worthy.
Thanks - that is way cool !
Kenny Belmont
>:^{I)>
Thanks! Doesn't get much more rugged than a pre-CBS Fender amp!
Awesome amp and review! With pic's ta boot ya da man Tommy!!
Thanks, Melody. I've always wanted a blonde/brown amp and now I've got one!
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