Fender Twin Reverb Tube Amplifier (1968)
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Fender Twin Reverb Model Tube Amplifier (1968), made in Fullerton, California, serial # A-11552, black tolex covering finish.
The Fender Twin-Amp was initially unveiled at the Summer 1952 NAMM show as the company's new top-line professional amplifier. It remained the flagship model of tweed era Fender amps until 1960, when the new decade brought a revamp of the entire line. The circuit went through many revisions throughout the 1950s, culminating with the 85 watt 5F8-A version, perhaps better known as the "High-Power Tweed Twin". The Twin model . The 5F8-A revision has since become known as the "High Power Tweed Twin" and is regarded as one of Leo's finest achievements. This 2x12" staple of Fender's lineup retained it's high power dual-speaker configuration throughout the 60's, including the next major iteration: the Twin Reverb.
This mostly original 'drip-edge' silverface-era Twin is a 'ragged but right' example of the quintessential 1960's classic. The serial number A-11552 and component codes date the amp to 1968, at which point the amp lineup was about to see circuit changes largely associated with CBS purchase of Fender a few years earlier. The silver trim surrounding the silver/aqua-stripe grille cloth (nicknamed "drip edge") proved a short-lived feature, and by most considered the last cosmetic marker of the amplifiers retaining their mid-60's circuit revisions.
The Twin features two channels, each with two inputs and a bright switch, volume, treble, middle and bass controls; one 'normal' and the other 'vibrato', the latter featuring the onboard tremolo and spring reverb with their respective level, speed and intensity controls. A quad of 6L6 power tubes yield approx. 85 watts into the two 12" speakers.
The Fender Twin Reverb has long been one of the most popular amps in the world for good reason where it provides a full range of frequency and a great deal of head room, it certainly does not leave one wanting for soul. Creamy, deep reverb and warm opto-trem make this model a must have for any studio and a perfect rig for the touring musician requiring plenty of clean power.
Height is 20 in. (50.8 cm.), 26 1/4 in. (66.7 cm.) width, and 10 1/4 in. (26 cm.) deep.
Cosmetically, the amp has clearly seen no shortage of gigs throughout its lifetime. The black Tolex covering is showing a decent amount of wear in general, but remains nicely intact with no major tearing or missing pieces. The grille cloth is showing some overall discoloration and staining with one notable tear, but is otherwise taut and retains the plastic Fender logo. The silver control panel showing a fair share of scratches and dents and the 'bass' knob on the normal channel and 'treble' knob on the vibrato channel appear to have been replaced at one point. The handle hardware, chassis straps, tilt back legs and metal corners all show moderate amounts of corrosion overall.
Electrically, the amp is mostly original, save for the speakers, which are more modern replacement Eminence 'Patriot Series' 12" ceramics. Eminence is a commonly seen replacement in Twins from this era, and we think the pair suits the amp wonderfully. The power, choke, output and reverb transformers are all original, bearing the codes 606-801, 606-745, 606-735, 606-718, dating them to the 1st week of 1968 and the 45th, 35th and 18th week of 1967, respectively. All pots appear original to the amp and all date to '66 or '67. The amp has otherwise seen typical maintenance and servicing, including replacement of electrolytic capacitors, a grounded 3-prong power cord, cleaning of all sockets, pots and jacks and biased to spec. It sounds lovely and rich in the old-fashioned way, there is a long way to go for an overdriven sound but for pure clean power this rig is still hard to beat. Very Good Condition.
The Fender Twin-Amp was initially unveiled at the Summer 1952 NAMM show as the company's new top-line professional amplifier. It remained the flagship model of tweed era Fender amps until 1960, when the new decade brought a revamp of the entire line. The circuit went through many revisions throughout the 1950s, culminating with the 85 watt 5F8-A version, perhaps better known as the "High-Power Tweed Twin". The Twin model . The 5F8-A revision has since become known as the "High Power Tweed Twin" and is regarded as one of Leo's finest achievements. This 2x12" staple of Fender's lineup retained it's high power dual-speaker configuration throughout the 60's, including the next major iteration: the Twin Reverb.
This mostly original 'drip-edge' silverface-era Twin is a 'ragged but right' example of the quintessential 1960's classic. The serial number A-11552 and component codes date the amp to 1968, at which point the amp lineup was about to see circuit changes largely associated with CBS purchase of Fender a few years earlier. The silver trim surrounding the silver/aqua-stripe grille cloth (nicknamed "drip edge") proved a short-lived feature, and by most considered the last cosmetic marker of the amplifiers retaining their mid-60's circuit revisions.
The Twin features two channels, each with two inputs and a bright switch, volume, treble, middle and bass controls; one 'normal' and the other 'vibrato', the latter featuring the onboard tremolo and spring reverb with their respective level, speed and intensity controls. A quad of 6L6 power tubes yield approx. 85 watts into the two 12" speakers.
The Fender Twin Reverb has long been one of the most popular amps in the world for good reason where it provides a full range of frequency and a great deal of head room, it certainly does not leave one wanting for soul. Creamy, deep reverb and warm opto-trem make this model a must have for any studio and a perfect rig for the touring musician requiring plenty of clean power.
Height is 20 in. (50.8 cm.), 26 1/4 in. (66.7 cm.) width, and 10 1/4 in. (26 cm.) deep.
Cosmetically, the amp has clearly seen no shortage of gigs throughout its lifetime. The black Tolex covering is showing a decent amount of wear in general, but remains nicely intact with no major tearing or missing pieces. The grille cloth is showing some overall discoloration and staining with one notable tear, but is otherwise taut and retains the plastic Fender logo. The silver control panel showing a fair share of scratches and dents and the 'bass' knob on the normal channel and 'treble' knob on the vibrato channel appear to have been replaced at one point. The handle hardware, chassis straps, tilt back legs and metal corners all show moderate amounts of corrosion overall.
Electrically, the amp is mostly original, save for the speakers, which are more modern replacement Eminence 'Patriot Series' 12" ceramics. Eminence is a commonly seen replacement in Twins from this era, and we think the pair suits the amp wonderfully. The power, choke, output and reverb transformers are all original, bearing the codes 606-801, 606-745, 606-735, 606-718, dating them to the 1st week of 1968 and the 45th, 35th and 18th week of 1967, respectively. All pots appear original to the amp and all date to '66 or '67. The amp has otherwise seen typical maintenance and servicing, including replacement of electrolytic capacitors, a grounded 3-prong power cord, cleaning of all sockets, pots and jacks and biased to spec. It sounds lovely and rich in the old-fashioned way, there is a long way to go for an overdriven sound but for pure clean power this rig is still hard to beat. Very Good Condition.