1974 silver face Fender twin Reverb OMG

[Rockstar216]

I just played one for the first time well a VINTAGE one and it sounded so beautiful and it wasnt even cranked all the way. Guy at the store said every thing was stock but the amp played and responded so well but I didnt have 1000 to drop on a 74 SF fender twin. Are the current Fender twins and the older ones really all that different?

 

[CapoFirstFret]

Re: 1974 silver face Fender twin Reverb OMG

You can find a much better deal than $1,000 on a 1974 Twin Reverb...at least last time I looked you could. Those things get tough to even give away sometimes. For the record, while they are quite different, the current reissue Twin Reverbs are very nice amps.

 

[Rockstar216]

Re: 1974 silver face Fender twin Reverb OMG

I mean as much as i liked how the 74 sounded I wouldnt invest in used gear that is over 30 years old I would rather buy new plus it doesnt have enough dirt at least not within a reasonable volume range an im not that fond of pedals unless it came with the amp.

 

[CapoFirstFret]

Re: 1974 silver face Fender twin Reverb OMG

I'm in a totally different boat than you. I'd *rather* invest in vintage, used gear than buy new stuff every single time. I have a 1970 Fender Super Reverb that is still my favorite amp I've ever owned and my only true lifetime keeper amp I've come across.

Having said that, the availability of the newer reissues is a big deal because it means you can walk into just about any music store that carries Fender and find a new one if anything happens to it. The older ones, on the other hand, are easier to service and, in my experience, far more reliable amps.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: 1974 silver face Fender twin Reverb OMG

I mean as much as i liked how the 74 sounded I wouldnt invest in used gear that is over 30 years old I would rather buy new plus it doesnt have enough dirt at least not within a reasonable volume range an im not that fond of pedals unless it came with the amp.

PTP wiring. vs pcb is a plus for the old amp, but the the ab763 circuit in the newer ones is the same as the older blackface models (non master volume) and is a less cluttered signal path, so it can sound a little richer.

Dont get a twin if you want dirt. Get a different amp - but if you like cleans and are happy to get your dirt from pedals twins are awesome. I understand why you dont like using pedals for dirt, but thats mainly because twins will show up any shortcomings a pedal might have - its a matter of finding the right dirtbox for the job. If you have the right dirtbox, then life is sweet indeed.

My twin is a 1967. No worries about old fender gear - its pretty damn solid. You might have to replace some bits and pieces here and there (i.e. capacitors) but thats not expensive if and when you need to do it. The PTP wiring on old fenders is nearly indestructible, solid jacks and switches and everything else are all parts of amps that were built to last.

The main thing about getting the best sound out of twins whether its an old one, a master volume model (im assuming the 1974 is an mv model), an ultralinear or a 65 reissue is choosing the right speakers. The current reissue twins have jensens in them, which are competent, but you can sound a whole lot better with other speakers. With older twins, the speakers can be a bit hit and miss depending on what fender used on that date, but the same goes really - a well chosen set of aftermarket speakers will turn it into a truly epic sounding amp.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: 1974 silver face Fender twin Reverb OMG

I mean as much as i liked how the 74 sounded I wouldnt invest in used gear that is over 30 years old I would rather buy new plus it doesnt have enough dirt at least not within a reasonable volume range an im not that fond of pedals unless it came with the amp.

A nearly 40 year old Fender amp with a cap job and a few sets of tubes will still be around to be sold again in another nearly 40 years but a brand new Twin Reverb reissue likely won't make half that time before it's time to just toss the hulk in the can and buy another amp.

A grand is too much for that amp IMHO, if you liked it then look for a good deal on one, spend a little more cash for a cap job, tune up and tubes and then you'll have an amp you can have until you're an old man!

 

[nedcronin]

Re: 1974 silver face Fender twin Reverb OMG

Buy the SF! They don't make them like they used to.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: 1974 silver face Fender twin Reverb OMG

I did some looking around at prices and a grand is a little high...you should be able to get that amp for $750 give or take and if you wanted to go to a grand or so you should be able to get a slightly older one which is IMHO a better amp.

 

[Agileguy_101]

Re: 1974 silver face Fender twin Reverb OMG

+1

 

[Rockstar216]

Re: 1974 silver face Fender twin Reverb OMG

A nearly 40 year old Fender amp with a cap job and a few sets of tubes will still be around to be sold again in another nearly 40 years but a brand new Twin Reverb reissue likely won't make half that time before it's time to just toss the hulk in the can and buy another amp.

A grand is too much for that amp IMHO, if you liked it then look for a good deal on one, spend a little more cash for a cap job, tune up and tubes and then you'll have an amp you can have until you're an old man!

It had two tags on it and one did say 750 on it so yea I think it had been lowered and yes it has a Push Pull Master volume knob which I never knew they came with that as a bright switch. But Im more focused on right now either a Bogner Shiva or a Bill Landry LSM 100 which I heard rivals a Fender clean tone im not sure how well it does that but it seems like a great amp. If I didnt need a lil bit of dirt in my tone a twin would of been great since most of the work I do is in church, gospel worship, even a lil R&B an jazz at times but for blues and rock I need that dirt in my signal. And I suppose your right because if that 74 still sounds good today it had to be well made kinda made me sad to go and play my Blackstar HT 40 the cleans arent horrible but it aint no Fender

 

[Davidandrew]

Re: 1974 silver face Fender twin Reverb OMG

I saw a few silverface Twins out here in LA for $500 if they werent so dang heavy I would buy a few.

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: 1974 silver face Fender twin Reverb OMG

Theres no real definitive info. on Silverfaces, just a lot of hearsay. Ive been all over the I-net looking this stuff up. Some guys with 67;s will swear that for the there is no change whatsoever from Blackface on many of the transition models , and thats possibly true, although its certainly not written in stone and other will say '68 is the last year to consider,and that after that theres no real telling if the Iron is manufactured to Blackface tolernaces, and theres possible changes in caps form the blue ovals and changes to the cabinet and tone sucking bypass caps and phase inverter values and plastic wire and wax covered boards and all kinds of crap.
Too many guys Ive heard, and ive heard plenty will swear NO silverface sounds as good as a Blackface.
That having been said, I can understand someone not having a blackface cause they casnt find one or cannot afford one. Then get a silverface and knock yourself out.
I dont eff with Silverface amps, becasue mainly I don't need to. IMHO, Im with the camp you cannot get the tone out of a Silverface that you can with a blackface,modifications noptwithstanding, although I would admit Ive heard different as I said. Ive heard many many people with lots of experience substantiate this opinion I hold, and to claim its any less valid than people who enjoy Silverface tone( which I adamantly do not) is absurd./
Please dont give me a list of scmucks who have played Silevrface amps, thats entirely irerl;evant as to whetehr Blackface sounds better than Silverface.

 

[crusty philtrum]

Re: 1974 silver face Fender twin Reverb OMG

A nearly 40 year old Fender amp with a cap job and a few sets of tubes will still be around to be sold again in another nearly 40 years but a brand new Twin Reverb reissue likely won't make half that time before it's time to just toss the hulk in the can and buy another amp.

These were my exact thoughts, based on the fact that I've serviced many old s/f Fender amps, and it's not hard to get them sounding as good as the day they left the factory, and sometimes better. When the owners would come and collect their newly-serviced amps, I would tell them 'Let me know if you have any problems', and I never hear back from them, probably because their amp is rock solid again and should keep pumping out great sound for years to come. And many of those amps had been gigged into the ground before they came to me without having seen a service or new set of valves for many many years.

However, Fender amps have never really been known for their overdrive qualities (sounds like the Prosonic models may have finally got them closer, but i have no experience with those) ... they're known for their wonderful cleans and abilities to shine with a wide range of pedals. If you want your dirt from within the amp, Fender is certainly not the starting point, many or most of the more modern amps do the overdrive/gain/distortion thing better (although my personal opinion is that those type of amps usually compromise the clean sounds, and the only way to get the best cleans and the best dirt without pedals is to use two amps, one dedicated to each sound).

 

[Rockstar216]

Re: 1974 silver face Fender twin Reverb OMG

I saw a few silverface Twins out here in LA for $500 if they werent so dang heavy I would buy a few.

Oh yea that was the other reason I might steer away but the one I was playing through had casters on the bottom so not so bad untill you get to a flight of stairs.

 

[Rockstar216]

Re: 1974 silver face Fender twin Reverb OMG

However, Fender amps have never really been known for their overdrive qualities (sounds like the Prosonic models may have finally got them closer, but i have no experience with those) ... they're known for their wonderful cleans and abilities to shine with a wide range of pedals. If you want your dirt from within the amp, Fender is certainly not the starting point, many or most of the more modern amps do the overdrive/gain/distortion thing better (although my personal opinion is that those type of amps usually compromise the clean sounds, and the only way to get the best cleans and the best dirt without pedals is to use two amps, one dedicated to each sound).

Yea which maybe down the road I can get an A/B Rig set up but the closes thing Ive heard getting the best of both worlds is with (for me) a bogner Shiva or A Landry LSM 100. Maybe even a Diezel but that whole amp sounds modern and way more expensive then my first two choices.

 

[uOpt]

Re: 1974 silver face Fender twin Reverb OMG

If you find one that sounds great to you you should probably buy it.

How much money do you want to safe? What about the resell value? Your new thing loses much more money than the vintage one.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: 1974 silver face Fender twin Reverb OMG

1973 and 1974 were good years, IMO, for Fender amps.

All of a sudden CBS seemed to wake up and go: "Oh...you want amps that sound good?!?...Hmmmm....OK!"

And then after that they blew it again.

But the caps and parts are better in 73 and 74 amps than just before and just after, IMO.

Those are great platforms for tweakers and for returning them to blackface specs.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: 1974 silver face Fender twin Reverb OMG

There's no real definitive info on Silverfaces, just a lot of hearsay. I've been all over the I-net looking this stuff up. Some guys with 67's will swear that for the there is no change whatsoever from Blackface on many of the transition models, and that's possibly true, although its certainly not written in stone and other will say '68 is the last year to consider, and that after that there's no real telling if the iron is manufactured to Blackface tolerances, and there's possible changes in caps form the blue ovals and changes to the cabinet and tone sucking bypass caps and phase inverter values and plastic wire and wax covered boards and all kinds of crap.

Too many guys I've heard, and I've heard plenty will swear NO Silverface sounds as good as a Blackface.
That having been said, I can understand someone not having a Blackface cause they can't find one or cannot afford one. Then get a Silverface and knock yourself out.

I don't "eff" with Silverface amps, because mainly I don't need to. IMHO, I'm with the camp you cannot get the tone out of a Silverface that you can with a Blackface, modifications not withstanding, although I would admit I've heard different as I said. I've heard many many people with lots of experience substantiate this opinion I hold, and to claim its any less valid than people who enjoy Silverface tone (which I adamantly do not) is absurd.

Please don't give me a list of schmucks who have played Silverface amps, that's entirely irrelevant as to whether Blackface sounds better than Silverface.

Come on Jerry, there is PLENTY of info out there...you just have to read it!!!

It's not like there were no changes to Silverface Fenders, or Blackface Fenders for that matter...early Silverface Fenders were the same amps as the latest Blackface Fenders save for some cosmetic changes then they started making changes, then more changes then even more changes and by the time you get to the last Silverface Fenders they sound very different from their Blackface counterparts but they can be modded to Blackface specs, all of them can it's just easier on some than others.

You have made it very clear in your posts that you know very little about this stuff so please don;t muck up the waters for guys that are asking for info...that is how bad and wrong info gets spread around.

If you want to do something better for yourself as a player (I've heard you play...I'd start there) go learn how to tune a guitar and how to play it...maybe learn how to set the intonation.

If you want to lend a helping hand to the forum then spend some time studying grammar, punctuation and spelling as well as where to put a damn space in a paragraph...I had to spend several minutes editing your post to even be able to make sense out of it!

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: 1974 silver face Fender twin Reverb OMG

If it sounds good, it is good. I've mucked around with a whole mess of different stuff, but I've come to appreciate silverface Fenders more than just about anything else out there (but keep in mind I like jangle and I'm not much into gainy things anymore). Heck, I think I prefer the silverface stuff to some of the tweed-esque things I've played, so it really comes down to what you're looking for out of an amp. If you want something with a good clean and a good overdrive the Shiva is one of those rare amps that does both well, but keep in mind that the cleans will not be as open and responsive on the Shiva and there is a fair amount of overall compression in the sound that cannot be dialed out. It is one of the best sounding low volume amplifiers out there though and I sorely miss it for those reasons, but once you get used to the response of some amps it's hard to go back to that sound.

 

[Bludave]

Re: 1974 silver face Fender twin Reverb OMG

A 30 year old amp, still plays & sounds good will be here in another 30 years. Can you say that about a Blues Junior? Only time will tell. Probably not.

The question is did this amp have a master volume? If yes.... I would pass. those MV Twins never really did it for me. Although I have played through a couple that didn't sound too bad. The early 70's(70 through 72 or 73) are excellent years. Non Masters and great sounding amps. I have a 68 Super Reverb & a 67 Deluxe Reverb. Both are drip edge models and they sound awesome. I had some issues with the Deluxe but once my tech worked those out it has been my main gigging amp since. The Super is a much cleaner amp(but not as clean as a Twin) but its too big & loud for most of the places I play in.