RE: (TV) Just wood and wire: amp advice

["Rex Broome" <rexbroome@lycos.com>]

Wow, good stuff (and I kinda know that I was definitely asking for "favorite color"-type advice from the get go.  More backround info on my Twin than anyone needs follows:

Okay, more than you need know about Rex's amp:  it is probably a '75 or '76 and came with outlandish heavy-duty JBL speakers.  My dad bought it new when his band went from "folk" to "country"; he played rhythm exclusively and never learned any of the tech involved (I think basically his lead player tweaked the settings for him and he never moved them once).  They were a hard-gigging band and it suffered much abuse... aside from the constant moving and spilled beer and whatnot, it was subjected to unholy freezing temperatures while sitting overnight in a horse trailer at a ski resort every Fri-Sat for about seven years*, beyond which, when it did break down, Dad took it to the local electrician who fixed his televisions.  When I inherited the amp and it sounded a little tweaky, I went with Dad to this guy and realized that it had been being "fixed" entirely incorrectly for its entire lifetime, and I think that's the root of its current problems.

Cut to my tenure using the hell out of it.  Past whatever may have happened when it was UPS'ed across the country, gig torture was nothing extreme (a few solid years of playing Hollywood clubs one severe tipover on asphalt outside a studio), but the amount of times I've had it rehabbed is out of control, and it has never really gotten up to snuff except for one brief halcyon period.  Every single shop that's done it has been reputable, and there have been a *lot* of them.  The last repair left it with some low-end mud at first, and within a month or so it seemed that I had to max out the bass and mids and pretty much zero out the treble to get a palatable sound out of my Rickenbacker (in addition to doing some fuzzy math with my master volume vs. the volume for the individual channels-- ISTR that there's something funky about the way that stuff was sequenced on Twins of this vintage).  

The recent "eating it" that it did was nothing deeper than the power switch getting impacted and rendered unuseable (so I can't turn it on), which is easily repaired, but if I turn it in for repairs I'll have to have those tone issues addressed as well.  Basically, I think the old girl has taken enough hits and misrepairs that she's gone all fragile, and can't be relied on not to keep crapping out on a regular basis.  I'd never part with her, but I think it's probably time for one more refurb, past which I'll treat her gingerly and reserve her for studio stuff.  Bummer of a use for such an ideal gig amp, but it's just not the workhorse it's supposed to be any more.

One thing I always wonder is... there seem to be tone problems every time I get it back, so either (A) all of my "reputable" repair guys don't even turn the thing one to check their work before they send it back, or (B) I am way more of a retard than I think, and it actually sounds fine and I just don't hear it right, or can't find the appropriate settings or something.

Re: pedals: it is probably Tube Screamer time.  I've avoided the Rat because that's my co-guitarist's standby pedal, and while many folks swear by the good ol' DS-1, all I've ever gotten mine to do is make my big expensive amp sound small and cheap.  And yeah, by "simple", I mean set it once and superglue the knobs in place.

Thanks all...

-Rex


----- Original Message -----
From: "tom" <thomas@bigdayphoto.com>
Date: Sat, 28 Aug 2004 00:02:26 -0400
To: <tv@obbard.com>
Subject: RE: (TV) Just wood and wire: amp advice

> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: tv-owner@obbard.com [mailto:tv-owner@obbard.com] On 
> > 
> > Okay, so my old Twin Reverb has eaten it again, and I kinda 
> > need an amp more than usual at this particular point in my 
> > life.  So I'm thinking new (read: reliable for at least a few 
> > years), and wondered if anyone had any advice or hot tips or 
> > whatever... offlist is fine (or not)...
> 
> I'd get it fixed, but that's just me. Old tube amps will break down, but
> they're relatively easy to fix. The question is whether tube tone is worth
> the hassle to you.
> 
> I have a Vox AC15 reissue that needs service every once in a while, but to
> me it's worth it...I love the way it sounds. I also like my Top Hat King
> Royale, but it's pretty friggin loud. I also have a Vibroverb reissue I
> don't like much...
> 
> Any idea what year your twin is?
> 
> > 
> > I've been eyeballing the Fender Deluxe reissue (keeping it 
> > real with the tubes and whatnot), but I'll entertain anything 
> > at this point , as long as it's reliable, relatively simple, 
> > and sounds good.
> 
> I don't know that this would be more reliable than what you have, and I bet
> it's a little harder to fix having PCB's. Plus your twin is about 9 times
> louder.
> 
> Recommending an amp is like recommending a favorite color, but if I were
> starting from zero I would first decide between tube, solid state, or
> modeling. If you go for tubes, you could decide on a Fender, Marshall or Vox
> tone. 
> 
> Personally, I like a Vox sound. I like the color blue too. :)
> 
> > 
> > Also in the market for a trusty overdrive/fuzzbox that I 
> > don't have to think about too much.  
> 
> For distortion I like a Menatone Red Snapper, and for way out fuzz stuff I
> like a....Boss Metal Zone. Ha.
> 
> Maxon makes really nice stuff that isn't too over the top price-wise. 
> 
> tv
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