Back when the Twinn was about the only thing available quickly and easily at any music store, I had a Twinn with the "D120's." I had tried one with the Jensons but found that all I could get was distortion...didn't need that for steel! But for the time, the one with the JBL D120's worked great! Occasionally, I would "bounce" the speakers with the C6 though, but that was a way of life back then. Then Peavey came along with the Session 400. It seemed to have the best of everything to me. So, while keeping the Twinn, I purchased a Session 400. For awhile I would use both so I could compare them. Some days I would prefer the Twinn sound and some days the Session. But eventually, I found that the cleaner and more powerful sound of the Session won out. It seemed to "project" so much better, and had more power. The Twinn began to sound thinner and thinner to me, especially in the mids.

Ever since, I have stayed with the Peavey line of amps with their power and DDT circuit of the later amps.

Near mic'ing of that Twinn really sounded sweet, but for "live" the Twinn just couldn't stay up with the Peavey.

Now, tone is just like "apples and oranges."
If you like the sound of the Twinn and it's mid range characteristics, then a Twinn is what you should play.

On the other hand, if the Twinn is too thin for your liking, then the Peavey may be the better.

Me, I prefer he tighter Peavey sound and the superior circuitry over the Twinn's thinner mids. I have to make the bass way to muddy on a Twinn to get the response from the low end that I want, then I get into distortion. I do like the harmonic over tones of the Twinn though.

The Peavey is just a cleaner sound to me with good low end response and variable mid circuitry.

Of course, then there's "STANDEL!"

Dave

[This message was edited by Dave Robbins on 17 December 2002 at 12:39 PM.]

A Twin Reverb or Dual Showman Reverb (No Master Volume)with a 15" speaker is an awesome combination. Maybe it's not for everyone, but it is for me. I also love Evans amps and the old Peavey Session 500. Most of the time, I need two channels and this Fender is the best combination of features and tone that I have ever found, short of dragging around a 20 space rack and two Evans cabinets.
I have had the Nashville 400's, Session 400 LTD, LTD 400, Artist, Vegas 400... Still have a Nashville 400, Evans DP2R and ESPA, Mesa Boogie Studio Preamp, and several small Fender and Peavey guitar amps. This Fender is the one carrying it's weight at this time. Of course it's a lot of weight to carry, especially in the new road case I built for it. Whew!!! But it's worth it. I love it.
Michael T.

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UTILITY MAN PRODUCTIONS
'73 EMMONS D10 FATBACK, '92 EMMONS D10 LASHLEY LEGRANDE,
'85 DOBRO 60DS, '95 DOBRO F60S,
'95 MELOBAR CUSTOM, 1955 FENDER TRIPLE NECK STRINGMASTER. EVANS, FENDER, PEAVEY,
and MESA BOOGIE Amps.

I am truly in love with my '68 SF TR that was retrofitted with a JBL D-130-F 15" early in it's life.

I have several Fender amps, and I love 'em all. But this Twin is the culmination of my search for my personal tube amp/steel guitar tone nirvana. And the 15" is what makes the difference.

other amps may be louder, cleaner, more dependable, and considerably lighter; but for me, it's This Amp.

I just had it serviced (caps, three prong cord, 'blackfaced") and am looking forward to giving it a gig-volume romp this weekend.

I know the thread started as a discussion of the Reissue Twins. My advice is seek out a SF Twin. you'll likely save bucks over a new Reissue (Although I have played through a couple of RI Twins and they sounded mighty fine, I am a fan of point-to point wiring vs PCB) and have a serviceable amp for years to come.

I used to have a Fender Vibrosonic, silver face from the early '70s, JBL speaker. Great tone and I've had to search many years to get back to that sound. To me, the Fender amp is the standard of greatness. Just my opinion.

The down side to Fender Twins, Vibrosonics, Showmans, etc. is the maintenance. Tubes aren't cheap and other parts wear out too. On mine I had to replace the tubes every year or so, and once I had to replace all the tube sockets. Ouch! Then there's the weight. My Vibrosonic nearly dragged me down a flight of stairs a few times. Scary. There are ways to cope with that, extra handles and a dolly. They're still brutally heavy.

Brad Sarno