Electric Guitar Review

ALL TIME FAVORITE AMPLIFIER

This One Just Kicks! OK, I thought I’d switch things up a bit and talk about my all time favorite guitar amplifier, Fender’s legendary ’65 Twin Reverb Vintage Reissue. For the old-school, all-tube purist (like me!) the fact that Fender continues to produce these beauties is an absolute godsend – the Twin is downright dreamy.

I was lucky enough to play the ’65 Twin Reverb exclusively for a number of years, mostly in sweaty, grimy bars & house parties, and as far as I’m concerned nothing can really beat it for clean tone, shimmering reverb, and just straight volume… I probably never turned it up past “7” in the time I was using it.

Downside? OK, there are only two I can really think of:

1. Due to its sheer power (85 watts, into 4 Ohms,) the ’65 Twin Reverb is not easy to push into overdrive, so if you prefer a serious crunch you will probably need to resort to a stomp-box or DSP. Not a big deal, and you probably already use effects for this anyways, but it’s something to be aware of – this baby’s clean
2. These things are heavy. I’m not kidding, if you’re going to use one on stage I highly recommend you invest in some casters, because hauling one of these into a club while you’re fresh is one thing, but hauling it back out at the end of the night is a real drag… the Fender Twin is built like a freakin’ Mack Truck.

Otherwise A Solid Performer

Besides these two minor issues, the ’65 Twin is a true workhorse – in spite of many hard nights out, I never managed to blow a single tube, and to my ears both the vintage reverb and vibrato are to die for. The built-in tilt-back legs are perfect for small (or large) stage use, and the included 2-button foot-switch makes switching the reverb & vibrato on/off a breeze.

If you want pure, clean tone that won’t fall apart at high volume, the ’65 Twin Reverb Reissue is as close to a sure thing as you’re likely to find. You won’t be disappointed.