Fender Twin Reverb or Vibroverb

[Mooncusser]

Hi all,

Hey all you Fender heads,

if you had a choice between:
the Twin Reverb RI or a Vibroverb (SRV version) which would you pick and why?
I am just asking because I am not real familiar with fender amps as I am Marshalls, and I am trying to get some feedback between these two amps for the future..........
Thanks,
Mass

[TopJimmy5150]

If you're talking about the Vibroverb that has the Diaz mods, I believe that is P2P wired and it would be a no-brainer. The Twin RI is printed circuit board and although a great amp, it's no Vibroverb.

I like the Twin RI, though. The one I played was very impressive. They are so heavy though.

[RichSZ]

First, don't make a decision on an amp because it is PTP wired. That's just silly.

Had the Vibroverb and didn't like it. Just not my thing so I would go for the 65 Reissue Twin Reverb. It's a great clean sound that you can add all kinds of pedals to.

It is one heavy mutha though.

-Rich

[Mooncusser]

I did play through both....
I played through an original Twin Reverb that sounded like it was the amp that ruled on all clean/reverb tones, and then I also played a Diaz Modded Vibroverb as well.
The vibroverb sounded as if it was EXTREMELY touch sensitive on the clean side of things.
Thanks for all of your opinions though.........
You can never learn to much, and just from some responses, I have learned alot already.
Keep it coming though..........
Great post on the Fender side of amps...........
Take care,
Mass

[Troubleman]

Just to through a wrench into the works - the RI Twin Reverb can be had with a 1x15 speaker. I LOVE that amp. I'm thinking that tweaked out (NOS tubes a proper cap-job and a vintage 1x15 speaker) and that amp would really rule.

Peace,

jb

[jezzzz2003]

I had a Vibroverb re-issue with the Diaz mods but returned it.
The 15" spkr just didnt work with me and I noticed a really slight delay with it.

I did however like the switches for rect and more gain.

I think I prefer the TR for its big clean sounds, I could not use a twin for rock though, only clean, pedals dont sound good with it at all for what Im doing, although I saw a guy with one and thought he had divine tone with a screamer.

I owned a 65 re-issue for a while too but have since decided that Blackface amps simply dont work for me.

[Peppy]

i owned a silverface Twin....when it was new...so it's been "awhile". I do though own a '64 Vibroverb Custom and prefer it over any other Twins I've heard lately. Reason? Just a touch more versatile with it's mods and that 15" is pretty big and "open" sounding.

[GearOnTheBrain]

I thought the Vibroverb Custom was very impressive when i played it.
It certainly had that texas blues vibe to it, great blues/rock amp, and versatile with the rectifier switch etc. It does not have a ton of headroom, but it still has that fender sparkle.
I'd pick it over a Twin any day.

Luke

[Tonemeister69]

The sheer weight of the Twin just ruins the mood for me. Great amp though.

[hasserl]

Originally Posted by Troubleman

Just to through a wrench into the works - the RI Twin Reverb can be had with a 1x15 speaker. I LOVE that amp. I'm thinking that tweaked out (NOS tubes a proper cap-job and a vintage 1x15 speaker) and that amp would really rule.

Peace,

jb

Better be careful with a vintage 15" speaker in that amp, that's a lot of power for ANY vintage speaker.

[JubileeMan 2555]

Basically all Blackface fenders IMO are the same exact sound. You can argue a thousand times over, but basically it comes down to feel and quickness of breakup.

I have found that twin reverbs are one of the stiffest amps out there. But stiffness is a trait that too many frown on that is really more up to the player. Personally I have grown to LOVE stiff amps. With stiffness comes a control of the amp. SO to me stiffer amps are for players with stronger control and heavier attack in their playing, while spongier amps are for a more laid back groovier style player. Neither are better than the other.

With that said, a 15 inch speaker + rectifier tube + 40 watts is gonna make the vibroverb a much spongier feeling amp with more give and "hair" to the sound than the 80 watt 2x12 SS Rect. configuration of the Twin.

...but to me, both SOUND basically the same.

[scottlr]

I have to disagree that all blackface Fenders sound the same. I own a 64 Bassman, a 66 Princeton, and a 67 Super reverb, and the 3 of them sound completely different from each other. They do, however, all sound like Fenders.

[Peppy]

Originally Posted by JubileeMan 2555

With that said, a 15 inch speaker + rectifier tube + 40 watts is gonna make the vibroverb a much spongier feeling amp with more give and "hair" to the sound

Also capable of 50 watts with the s/s rectifier. Not a lot more wattage but still adds just a touch to the available headroom.

[JubileeMan 2555]

Originally Posted by scottlr

I have to disagree that all blackface Fenders sound the same. I own a 64 Bassman, a 66 Princeton, and a 67 Super reverb, and the 3 of them sound completely different from each other. They do, however, all sound like Fenders.

See..this makes no sense. How can they all sound different, but all sound the same? This is my arguement about quickness of breakup and feel. I guarentee you all three of those feel like 3 completely different amps. Almost like they were made by different makers... but if you recorded all three with the eact tubes and speaker I betcha each will sound nearly identical. A Gear pager did this with a whole slew of fender amps. There were ever so slight changes in the sounds, but probably no more than a mic placement could change. But if you were the guy playing the amps, you would assume immediatly the recordings would sound vastly different because each one would play completely differently.

I think what we players hear and feel become one experience so we then lump it into sonic only.

I have had experience with this from recording twins, supers, deluxes, blackface, silverface, even reissues. Everyone that went through my bedroom "sounded" very different, but recorded, they all came through with that same beautiful fender chime. It never made sense to me until I started to focus more on the feel of the amps and how the speakers effected the overall picture.

I don't want this to hijack the thread or start any fighting. I just have found in my limited experience that any fender can be fine tuned to your liking since they all have basically the same thing going for them.

[zombywoof]

Not sure about all BF Fenders sounding alike but what theyall have in common and what sets the original BF Fenders apart from the tweeds and browns is their scooped mids.

The Twin is indeed heavy and alot of amp. Ya first gotta consider whether you need that much power to the point. If ya like the Twin, you also might want to try a Silverface for comparison.

From my experience with the Vibroverb, which is admittedly limited, I found them to be a bit hissy which I gather is due to both input channels being run through the reverb (but I could be wrong about this). I also thought the reverb actually seemed a bit weak compared to other Fender amps. I could live without the Diaz mod, preferring the amp's sound without it. All in all though , I thought it was a nice amp. Don't know what guitars ya got but my old Teles always loved a 1 x 15".