Members honeyiscool Posted November 3, 2012 Members Share Posted November 3, 2012 OK, disclaimer: THIS IS PURELY MY OPINION. People say Twins are great, and whenever I've played through one, I've enjoyed it. But when I see a guitarist roll in with a Twin, I am prepared for the worst. Basically, I play with a guy who has a tweed Twin, and I've also been front and center in the audience of bands using Twins and yeah... most people don't use these things right, IMO. And it's dangerous giving tin ears this much sound pressure potential to work with, especially when these people are going already deaf from abusing their Twin Reverbs and intent on dragging others to the ground. The way that I see Twins usually get used by bands is that they'll have a drive pedal for dirt and then just play straight through for cleans. Which is fine, but they usually turn the amp way {censored}ing high up, and this is great for the guitarist because then the clean sound is also loud enough to get the piercing cleans that annihilate any drummer or bassist or anyone. Problem is, it's also annihilating everyone else's ears on stage and anyone who is in the audience. If your amp is causing the front of the audience area to clear out, you're using it wrong. Oh, and don't get me wrong. When a Twin player steps on the fuzz pedal and you hear that awful solid state awfulness at full volume with nothing to smooth it out, it's just as painful, too. And usually someone on a Twin has their gain pedals all wrong, and they all come in at the wrong volumes, too. Because it's really {censored}ing hard to get it right on a Twin when you're going into a sparkling clean channel. I feel like the way people SHOULD be using Twins is that they should keep it at a reasonable {censored}ing volume when they're playing without a dirt pedal because truly clean guitar is one of the most unpleasant things to listen to at a high volume, especially if you're bridge pickup on a Tele. Please get that away from me. You could solve the problem by taking a little off the top end of your guitar by rolling your knobs a little to the left, or by having a very low gain, nice overdrive pedal at the end of the chain, that gives a little sizzle and sparkle before it hits the amp. Then, when you're stepping on and off the dirt, it's smoothed out before it gets amplified, and the volumes changes are more even, too. But I feel like the average guy on a Twin I see just has one because it was the cheapest high-end amp they could find (they are cheap on resale, probably because they're the wrong amps for most people), they probably went straight from a Line 6 to a Twin. So they have no clue how a good amp with a good breakup like an AC30 or Bassman or a Deluxe responds to volume. So they keep saying {censored} like "I get all my dirt from my pedals" and don't realize that sure, their distortion sounds decent, but their cleans are killing eardrums, and what's more, their dirt probably sucks compared to the guy running a $500 Hot Rod. Anyway, that's my rant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cratz2 Posted November 3, 2012 Members Share Posted November 3, 2012 I'm a life-long Fender amp fan and I can't completely disagree with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bernardo gui Posted November 3, 2012 Members Share Posted November 3, 2012 I use a 2006 Fender Twin amp. It 100 watts but also 25 watts. I traded a JC-120 for this amp. It's my 1st tube amp in 25 years. I was doing the Line 6 thing for 10 years. It wasn't cutting it. I played a Twin at a rehearsal hall 2 years ago. IT BLEW ME AWAY ! So for 2 years I've been researching & looking at Fender Twin amps. I wanted 100 watts of clean head room. I've had my amp since June. Gigged with it alot. I've NEVER played it above 3. I'm always in 100 watt mode. I use some boutique pedals & my tone is clean and VERY versatile. Gotta say this: your post is about "guitar players" using Fender Twin amps. Your post IS NOT about musicians using Fender Twin amps. Guitar players....vs......musicians......there is a diffference. My current 2006 Fender Twin amp is the best amp I've ever owned. Period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Special J Posted November 3, 2012 Members Share Posted November 3, 2012 They're great in the studio where you can actually turn them up and make them sound good. They're also good for country music where you need those clean licks to punch through. All in all though, not a good club amp by any stretch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Snappy Hat Posted November 3, 2012 Members Share Posted November 3, 2012 Sold mine last year it was taking up space and its too heavy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Wayne2 Posted November 3, 2012 Members Share Posted November 3, 2012 I dunno dude seems like guitar players being oblivious to volume, tone, and audience comfort/enjoyment isn't just a Fender Twin problem. I'd like to know what your sample size is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Texas Noise Factory Posted November 3, 2012 Members Share Posted November 3, 2012 Originally Posted by Snappy Hat Sold mine last year it was taking up space and its too heavy. +1I don't really miss it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbonehead Posted November 3, 2012 Members Share Posted November 3, 2012 Can't stand them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jtr654 Posted November 3, 2012 Members Share Posted November 3, 2012 Your right about cheap you can find a Twin for less $$ (between $450- $700) than PR DR Ect ( smaller fender amps). Yes they are heavy. A good guitraist can make them sound wonderful . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members caveman Posted November 3, 2012 Members Share Posted November 3, 2012 Gigged with one for 30+ years and nobody ever complained. If the operator doesn't know how to use his gear, it's not the gears fault. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbonehead Posted November 3, 2012 Members Share Posted November 3, 2012 Originally Posted by jtr654 Your right about cheap you can find a Twin for less $$ (between $450- $700) than PR DR Ect ( smaller fender amps). Yes they are heavy. A good guitraist can make them sound wonderful . how do you get singing saturation of of one with no pedals, and at sane volumes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Sillypeoples Posted November 3, 2012 Members Share Posted November 3, 2012 I got tired of arguing with musicians about volume. A bar tender with a DB meter and the mixer at the end of his counter ends the argument. When that doesn't work, you turn all the amps around like monitors, angle them up right at the players....even the most stoned out idiotic clueless deaf guys that can't hear themselves anymore bend over to turn down their amp when they have 130 dbs 3 feet away taking their heads off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GAS Man Posted November 3, 2012 Members Share Posted November 3, 2012 I have one. I like it. Nothing else thunks like a Twin (excuse the over emphasis wording). Mine quickly developed reverb issues (just a fluke) but even with the reverb off, it sounds like it's on compared to a lot of other amps. So I've got about 6 reverb pedals in the house and have been using some of those for now, but it's also just such a responsive amp in a solid responsive way. But I do tend to play it less than my others because I feel like I'm turning on a power substation every time I click it on. But mine takes dirt pedals really well. I probably get about the best response from a TS out of it than any of my other amps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Floyd Rosenbomb Posted November 3, 2012 Members Share Posted November 3, 2012 Originally Posted by Special J ...All in all though, not a good club amp by any stretch. Have to agree, one has to use the right tool for the job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hecticone Posted November 3, 2012 Members Share Posted November 3, 2012 Sounds like you hang around some unprofessional musicians. Time to take the bull by the horns and tell em how it should be done. That should go over well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tone Deaf Posted November 3, 2012 Members Share Posted November 3, 2012 What do you know, another HIC "you're doing it all wrong" thread.Joking aside, a fair amount of what you're observing about a Fender Twin can be said of other amps as well. I've experienced quite a few live bands for which guitarists weren't in control of their stage volume. I don't think it's a problem that's specific to just Fender Twins. Although the simple fact that those amps do have such a huge amount of pre-breakup headroom does make them susceptible to this type of problem.Bottom line is that a guitar player needs to rely on his sound person, and a good sound person needs to know how to help the guitar player strike the right balance with respect to stage volume, and the balance between clean and dirt levels. It's not the amp's fault. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbonehead Posted November 3, 2012 Members Share Posted November 3, 2012 Originally Posted by Tone Deaf What do you know, another HIC "you're doing it all wrong" thread.Joking aside, a fair amount of what you're observing about a Fender Twin can be said of other amps as well. I've experienced quite a few live bands for which guitarists weren't in control of their stage volume. I don't think it's a problem that's specific to just Fender Twins. Although the simple fact that those amps do have such a huge amount of pre-breakup headroom does make them susceptible to this type of problem.Bottom line is that a guitar player needs to rely on his sound person, and a good sound person needs to know how to help the guitar player strike the right balance with respect to stage volume, and the balance between clean and dirt levels. It's not the amp's fault. well it can be if the amp specified won't allow you to get all the tones you want at a level that actually works for gigging. There are many amps capable of similar or higher levels than a Twin, but many of them also have circuitry that allows clean and overdriven tones at considerably lower volumes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members billybilly Posted November 3, 2012 Members Share Posted November 3, 2012 The same could be said for any amp, with any guitar player. I hate shrieky highs or too much volume. I don't even bother going to live venues as a result. But, I'm proud of you honey for throwing in a disclaimer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbonehead Posted November 3, 2012 Members Share Posted November 3, 2012 Originally Posted by billybilly The same could be said for any amp. I hate shrieky highs or too much volume. I don't even bother going to live venues as a result.But, I'm proud of you honey for disclaiming your subjectivity. not any amp. Most don't force you to max them out to get a nice overdrive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dcooper830 Posted November 3, 2012 Members Share Posted November 3, 2012 If it sounds like crap or is too loud and trebly/piercing it's operator error plain and simple. I recently played a Strat > TS-808 Tubescreamer into a Twin and had beautiful tone at a moderate volume. Wasn't overbearing or piercing. Sounded rich and full. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members scolfax Posted November 3, 2012 Members Share Posted November 3, 2012 Didn't SRV just use a Strat plugged into a Tube Screamer plugged into a Twin? Sounds good to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbonehead Posted November 3, 2012 Members Share Posted November 3, 2012 Originally Posted by scolfax Didn't SRV just use a Strat plugged into a Tube Screamer plugged into a Twin? Sounds good to me. no. In fact he complained hugely the first time he played Montreux. Twins were supplied for backline and he was insanely loud onstage and couldn't get the amps to sag at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbonehead Posted November 3, 2012 Members Share Posted November 3, 2012 Originally Posted by dcooper830 If it sounds like crap or is too loud and trebly/piercing it's operator error plain and simple.I recently played a Strat > TS-808 Tubescreamer into a Twin and had beautiful tone at a moderate volume. Wasn't overbearing or piercing. Sounded rich and full. we are talking straight in though. And Tube Screamers are exactly the most versatile pedals either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members TheKrabsman Posted November 3, 2012 Members Share Posted November 3, 2012 Good. {censored} the crowd, hope they die Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Marko Posted November 3, 2012 Members Share Posted November 3, 2012 Originally Posted by Special J They're great in the studio where you can actually turn them up and make them sound good. They're also good for country music where you need those clean licks to punch through. All in all though, not a good club amp by any stretch. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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