Twin Reverb or Super Reverb?

[Zack Pomerleau]

True!

[overdriver]

Most Fender amp start to break up around 1/4 (4-5 voloume) depending on that you are running into them , a lot or harp players like to swap the first preamp tube for a lower gain one, the first tube for which channel that is , say if you use the normal one V1 is that channels preamp tube , V2 is the vib. preamp , some put in 5751s of ECC81 or 12at7s, less gain .

[Zack Pomerleau]

MmmHmm. But most have told me the Twin gets really loud fast and won't break up nicely until it hits volumes that aren't too useable. So the Super seems nice, and is somewhat Harp Friendly before mods.

[toneguy86]

Originally Posted by Zack Pomerleau

MmmHmm. But most have told me the Twin gets really loud fast and won't break up nicely until it hits volumes that aren't too useable. So the Super seems nice, and is somewhat Harp Friendly before mods.

True. Actually if you hand technique (seal around the harp) is really good and you have a decent harp mic, you don't need to do mods at all on a super or pro or any of the other lower powered 20-40 watt Fenders in order to get awesome harp tone.

[overdriver]

Originally Posted by Zack Pomerleau

MmmHmm. But most have told me the Twin gets really loud fast and won't break up nicely until it hits volumes that aren't too useable. So the Super seems nice, and is somewhat Harp Friendly before mods.

I said most.IMO a good thing- and as tone guy points out ,the small amps are more of a joy. If I was a blues harp player I would be getting into a 5e3 ( 57tweed deluxe) and mic it when needed . Kits are out there and some pre built for under a grand . I am, of late trying not to suggest or talk about things other than what the poster is asking about . You wanted an opinon on either a super Reverb or a Twin, If you want my opinon on the perfect harp amp, IMO its a Tweed deluxe mic.ed sound great easy to carry.Look super cool. and changing one or two tubes I do not call a mod any more than trying different strings on a guitar or switching harp brands in you case I know the tweed guys do not have reverb but going through a PA, it can be added or a pedal, The tweed twin is 50 watts, all the tweed amp are more touch senitive than the Black face IMO and have better tone.

[overdriver]

Originally Posted by Zack Pomerleau

Well, the decision arises. I was offered at Guitar Center a Super Reverb for the same! Price as a Twin. So now I gotta decide. How loud can that Super go without distorting? I LOVE the Cleans of a Twin, but the Super is a great Harp Amp.

This is why I posted most fender amps etc.etc. reducing the gain factor makes the amp a little quieter, not quite as loud maxed out but a little more headroom. not everyones cup of tea but a lot of harp player do like running them that way.

[Zack Pomerleau]

The Twin Looks nice (and I LOVE THE BASSMAN) but it is a little high for me ($1,000 too high honestly) and I think the Super will suffice as I am more of a Guitar Player/Harp Player and don't want to hurt either one, and of course, I LOVE Reverb, and Tremolo is cool with Stratocasters. What is that 3 amp switch on the Twin Tweed?


Tone Guy, I got an eighties element RCA Realistic Element in a Chrome RCA Mic Shell, you would think it would sound dumb, or maybe not gritty, but it is SOOO Good. And I got it for free, the guy made me another Mic before, paid $200 for, but it was not good, and the connector was broken. So he sent me this for free. Sent me another Mic, too, but he never gave me a return address, it is a Calrad.

[overdriver]

^ thats not a switch its a fuse! The Fender point to point guys like the tweed twin and 57 deluxe are IMO overpriced , but a person can build their own from a kit , lots of good kits out there. That being said the super reverb is a wonderful thing, so is the deluxe reverb. Super reverbs and tweed 57s are my fav. Fenders.

[coldsteal2]

I really liked the Showman (Dual Showman) amps from
back in the day, kind of like a bassman X2.
They broke up well to

[Zack Pomerleau]

Okay overdriver I see! I never tried a Deluxe, but it is awful small, same size as mine, even smaller. So I gotta look for these kits, maybe try one, but I am not much for wiring so it is iffy.

[ES350]

Depending on the tone you want for harp (most people seem to go for Little Walter/Butterfield/Cotton), you probably want something cathode biased, low B+, low gain preamp ala 50's Gibson/Supro/Silvertone. This is the opposite of what most guitarists want. A Super Reverb, as well as most BF/SF amps, sounds pretty lousy for harp, but it will feedback all day long...I speny many years next to people trying to use these for harp and have the tinnitus to prove it...

[Zack Pomerleau]

Well, I have, for one played Harp in the Super Reverb, and it sounds great, WITHOUT Mods. And,why would you use those amps for Butterfield, Butterfield used a Super Reverb. I have heard some pretty deep and dirty Harp Tones from it.

[ES350]

Butter's tone (as well as Buford, Snooky, even Cotton) came from his cup and technique, not the amp. He could have played through the PA and got that tone...if you don't have the chops, you won't get the tone out of anything.

[overdriver]

Originally Posted by ES350

Butter's tone (as well as Buford, Snooky, even Cotton) came from his cup and technique, not the amp. He could have played through the PA and got that tone...if you don't have the chops, you won't get the tone out of anything.

So a super would work and seeing as he plays guitar also well.....................

[overdriver]

Originally Posted by Zack Pomerleau

Okay overdriver I see! I never tried a Deluxe, but it is awful small, same size as mine, even smaller. So I gotta look for these kits, maybe try one, but I am not much for wiring so it is iffy.

Go recheck out the superRI, if you love it for both harp and guitar grab it IMO sounds like a good price. those tweed deluxe can be to nasty and an amp you could think about getting some time down the road or even a small chap mic.ed , so many different kit out and on the tele forum they come up aready built by guys used cheap. Kit providers are like pick up winders many out there http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/squa...issiomamps.com , weber, claretone (sp), little dawg! (sp) research them , while you are enjoying the super. IMO if the super works for ya for your tone grab it.

Youtube has some 57tweed things on it . from guys and from Fender.

[Zack Pomerleau]

ES, I agree, but I disagree, that Amp gave him an extremely Trebly tone, his other Amps didn't deliver it the same, but sounded just as good.


Taking your advice overdriver, gonna try one out tomorrow.

[lexluthier]

Psst, find an old Traynor Mark III 2x12 combo if you are looking for a Twin. They still can be found way cheaper than a Twin RI and are built like a brick shithouse.

[overdriver]

Originally Posted by lexluthier

Psst, find an old Traynor Mark III 2x12 combo if you are looking for a Twin. They still can be found way cheaper than a Twin RI and are built like a brick shithouse.

Psst but they sound like crap! I would not walk across the street to play one. But you already know that....................IMO

[Zack Pomerleau]

Well, I was gonna say I'll look for one, but, maybe not!

[overdriver]

^ do not let me stop ya! each to ther own , hey I am Canadian do I own a Traynor .............lets see ............. NO. he is correct though they are built like a brick shithouse.

[Encinitastubes]

I've owned both. My experience with a clean tone is that a crystal clean tone, like you get on a Twin, will sound thin when other instruments are playing. A slightly grainy clean tone, like you get around "4" on a Super, actually sounds like a thick crystal clean tone when you play with other instruments. My advice is to not got by how the amps sound by yourself in your living room.

[lexluthier]

Originally Posted by overdriver

Psst but they sound like crap! I would not walk across the street to play one. But you already know that....................IMO

???
I've owned a bunch of the old ones and they all sounded good. You can do some tweaks to them and they really come alive. The transformers are better than anything Fender ever used.

[overdriver]

Originally Posted by lexluthier

???
I've owned a bunch of the old ones and they all sounded good. You can do some tweaks to them and they really come alive. The transformers are better than anything Fender ever used.

I am glad you like them. great, it does not matter what a person uses ,its the end result that matters, if traynors do it for you great !, I am a Fender Snob and some times it gets the better of me. never mind my silly statements, and go out and buy a Fender (kidding)

[Grand Pappy in Chandler]

The first amp I ever had was a mid 60's Super Reverb.
My older bro's friend "Suki" who played in a surf band had it.
I thiink I bought it from him for about $75.00 in like 1968. Had saved my dough from a paper route and begged my mom for the difference. I was too youug and inexperienced to know what I had, or how to make it sound good. It was standing up in the back of my friends station wagon and when his dad braked fast, it fell over backward and the magnets on all 4 speakers fell off!!! I cried. I took it to a music store, Drome Sound, in Schnectady, NY and the guy, knowing I was a rube traded me even up for an old Ampeg w 1 12" speak. Don't even remember what model Ampeg. Thought I pulled off the trade of the century, But I'm sure the music store attendent got the last laugh!
I look at the prices for the old Super Reverb's now and think Oh S*@t!!!!

[Splattle101]

Given the premium that the vintage craze has put on all these old amps - and the premium that Fender charges for reissues - the clone option is a good one. There are a lot of good clones out there, and some are better than the amps they copy. Better in the sense that they use better components.

I live in Australia, where a new reissue 5F6-A Bassman 4 x 10 combo would cost upward of AU$3,000. For about half that I could make a superb replica, selecting the choicest tubes and speakers, and making the cabinet out of solid pine into the bargain. You could get the same sort of mark-down where you are, I'm sure.

Splat

[Splattle101]

Originally Posted by Encinitastubes

I've owned both. My experience with a clean tone is that a crystal clean tone, like you get on a Twin, will sound thin when other instruments are playing. A slightly grainy clean tone, like you get around "4" on a Super, actually sounds like a thick crystal clean tone when you play with other instruments. My advice is to not got by how the amps sound by yourself in your living room.

Word!


Splat

[toneguy86]

Originally Posted by ES350

Butter's tone (as well as Buford, Snooky, even Cotton) came from his cup and technique, not the amp. He could have played through the PA and got that tone...if you don't have the chops, you won't get the tone out of anything.

This is EXACTLY right and often misunderstood. The tone comes from the player, his hands, the seal he has on the harp and the mic (with his seal on the mic and the way his hands act as an amplifier/sound chamber being one of the most important things). The amp helps some, but getting breakup and good tone can happen at fairly low volumes on a 40 watt amp with no mods. The day I discovered this was one of the most thrilling of my musical career. Contrary to what others have said here, a blackface Super is one of the ultimate harp amps--no mods. To get the tone though, you gotta go through the workout.

Mark

[toneguy86]

Originally Posted by Zack Pomerleau

The Twin Looks nice (and I LOVE THE BASSMAN) but it is a little high for me ($1,000 too high honestly) and I think the Super will suffice as I am more of a Guitar Player/Harp Player and don't want to hurt either one, and of course, I LOVE Reverb, and Tremolo is cool with Stratocasters. What is that 3 amp switch on the Twin Tweed?


Tone Guy, I got an eighties element RCA Realistic Element in a Chrome RCA Mic Shell, you would think it would sound dumb, or maybe not gritty, but it is SOOO Good. And I got it for free, the guy made me another Mic before, paid $200 for, but it was not good, and the connector was broken. So he sent me this for free. Sent me another Mic, too, but he never gave me a return address, it is a Calrad.

I have never tried one of those, but if the size of the mic is right and you can get a good seal, you will most likely get a decent tone. A secret I learned some time ago is to buy Green Bullet mic diaphrams and put them into any harp mic I use. Rod Piazza also does mic mods for people and is a wealth of knowledge about this stuff. A friend of mine had him do one for him. Not sure what he does though.

[Zack Pomerleau]

Toneguy, that is just it! Rod Piazza though, his prices are outrageous, and I know, Mics run around $350 for Black Element Shure's, and he will charge like$500! But, they rock, so what can I say? He isn't ever in the east, though...

I will pick up a Super, I just have to track one down, a local store said they have one coming very soon. Good price, too. I tried a Twin, and HATED it, sounded sterile, and didn't do it for me, a Boost pedal didn't even get it driven enough at a decent volume, a Super though , did.

[Soldano16]

Super Reverb.

The ultimate BF tone.