I'd like to also point out that I'm a professional guitarist, and not a tech, although I am reasonably
knowledgeable about these amps. You shouldn't run out and buy one of these behemoths
on my say so because they're clearly problematic and not everybody likes the tone. Hear one first! Also, I've heard a lot of nasty things about the tone of theses amps with the stock tubes, but as mine came with replacement Groove Tubes
alreadly installed by a previous owner, I can't comment on how much the sound has or hasn't changed.
I've noticed that a lot of you fine folks from around the globe are dropping in on my The Twin page and after numerous email conversations with many of you, I've realized that I really need to add a guestbook to this site. So here it is, knock yourselves out, I always enjoy hearing from you The Twin lovers and haters alike
So how did I become the red knob Twin guy? It's certainly not my favorite amp. My first experience with this amp came several years ago, at a jingle session I was doing in a studio on W.30th St. in NYC, in a building that houses a number of recording and rehearsal studios. The normal procedure was to run a TS9 and a preamp directly into the console, but for some reason, the engineer decided to run me through a red knob Twin that was sitting in the live room. I laughed at it's kitschy appearance, expecting it to sound similar to a late 70's silverface Twin. I was completely floored to hear what I consider to be a great overdriven sound. As I sat in the control room, laying my parts down, the Twin was miked in the live room, cranked up to god knows what volume level. It wasn't long before somebody came down from another floor in that building to find out who was playing.
After the session, I pretty much forgot about this incident, my favorite amplifier being a '66 blackface Deluxe Reverb
(which I usually overdrive with one of several modifed versions of the Ibanez TS series, thanks Analog Mike). In surfing around the internet, I started to run into more and more references to Robben Ford's use of the red knob Twin as a backup to his Dumble Overdrive Special, and this reminded me of my earlier experience with this amp. I checked them out on eBay, and found a very clean example that I was able to buy inexpensively.
By the way, I've seen occasional mention on the internet of this being a solid state amplifier. Not true. This Fender Twin does have a solid state rectifier (as did the preceeding blackface and silverface Twin Reverbs, the Twin Reverb II and the subsequent "Evil" Twin Amp) but the lack of a tube rectifier does not qualify this, or the other Fender Twins as solid state amps. The preamp and output stages have always been vacuum tube designs.
At this point, I'm very excited about the potential of this amp, but I'm rather concerned about some of the horror stories I've heard about reliabilty and build quality. It sure looks like a shoddily constructed amplifier to me, but hopefully this can be rectified. The quality of the overdrive channel is very much a subjective issue; I advise implementing the bass and mid pull-pots when utilizing the overdrive circuit. As I'm trying to work the bugs out of mine, maybe some of this information will help you, and maybe you've got something I need to know. So here's the collected poop thus far, the quotes are factual, only the names have been fabricated:
Power Resistor Problem - from the Fender Discussion Page - 4 relevant posts.
They have a questionable reputation for reliability, but the reputation itself is not reliable. It is Robben Ford's second choice for amplifiers (his first is the Dumble OD Special), and Robben still owns a couple of them. He claims the Dumble is "based on the Twin" and he says he really likes the Twin's overdrive. - Auntie Pasto
I currently own a Red Knob Twin that I picked up from a student. I've used it for a few years as it was already pretty old. I still love the sound of this amp. I talked to an amp guru that said the only real problem this amp had was when it was manufactured the process stretched a large resistor past it's normal tolerance, and thus after a period of time it would crack, and cause problems. This resistor is a couple of inches long, and if your having problems with this amp, check this baby out first as your culprit. Just solder a new one in place, without the stress on the wires, and you're back in business. - Artie Fact
I had exactly the same problem with my '91 The Twin. The resistor is a 2" long power resistor (one of two of them side by side). When it starts to break down, you will hear some crackling that is vibration sensitive that will lead you to suspect a microphonic pre-amp tube. It's an easy fix. Even if the resistor looks good (not cracked or broken), check the resistance against its rated value with an ohm meter (replace if necessary) and check the solder connections for a cold or broken joint. The amp will then sing for you. - Cole Sore
Footswitch Quirk - from the Vintage Guitar Effect Forum - 1 relevant post. Solution: Allow for a different gain setting when the footswitch is plugged in! - DM.
Robben Ford's Red Knob Mods - from the K&M Two-Rock Forum - 3 relevant posts.
What kind of feedback have you received from Robben regarding the Two-Rock amps? Since he no longer ships his Dumble overseas there is probably an opportunity for him to use them for touring outside of the US. - Quasimodal
Robben uses one of 2 red knob Twins on tour. It is my understanding that both have been highly modified by Dumble himself. Having heard them on several occasions I think it's true. If all red knob Twins sounded like that, I would certainly own one! - Ann Tenna
I've been informed by a number of people who have discussed the Red Knob Twin with Robben Ford that he owns two of them and that they are stock. To further establish this point, Rick Lunetta emailed me on 2/12/03 with the following information and has permitted me to post it on this page. - DM
I attended the Robben Ford Master Class (clinic) at Ojai, California on
February 8, 2003, and had the opportunity to ask Robben about his
red-knob "The Twin" amps. He specifically and clearly answered my
question to him about whether his Twins had been modified in any way by
Alexander Dumble or by anyone else.
His answer was, "No." They are completely stock and always have been.
He has never had any modifications done to them whatsoever. He couldn't
have been more clear about it. There are 24 other witnesses to Robben's
statements as this discussion was held openly during the class in front
of 25 attendees.
You might want to clear this controversy up in your web page. Both of
Robben's "The Twin" amps are completely stock and have never been
modified in any way according to Robben. - Rick Lunetta
Anti-Red Knob Sentiment - from the The JT30 Page - 1 relevant post. Unfortunately, most of what is stated here is probably true! However, I personally feel that the quality of this amp's overdrive circuit merits dealing with the amp's many design shortcomings. - DM.
2/15/02: Channel switching repaired - replacement of IC101 chip, installation of IC socket. Amp still disassembled awaiting decision as of how to best prevent power resistors from overheating and burning out PCB traces.
2/23/02: Replacement power resistors mounted on terminal strips mounted above PCB on same chassis mounting screws, allowing air circulation and isolation from PCB traces. Vibration may still be an issue. Amp is currently operational, fingers are currently crossed.
6/13/02: Experimental replacement of stock speakers with vintage Celestion G12-65's. Returned to stock speakers, similar to G12-65 but more bass and volume.
6/29/02: Experimental replacement of one stock speaker with Celestion Vintage 30 for comparison. Again, similar but even fuller. Still have some other speakers lying around to try (Jensen P12N, EVM, JBL D120, JBL E120).
7/21/02: I pulled that Celestion out and stuck it in my Music Man RD112-50 where it helps warm things up. I came to the conclusion that those stock Eminence speakers are pretty good. Whodda thought?
Blue Guitar Schematic of "The Twin" as a gif file.
Virtual Guitar Magazine Discussion of Robben Ford's live setup, with minor mention of Red Knob Twins. Note the unmarked Twin footswitch in the lower right corner of his pedal board, probably modified for use with the Dumble.
Young Girl, Get Out Of My Heart Who cares about Robben Ford when Gary Puckett's band prefers Red Knob Twins in their contract rider. And no green M&M's! See page 4.
Land of the Rising Sunn Overseas marketing indicators demonstrate brand name loyalties may vary within a global economic playing field.
Wild About Crazy Legs Disscussion of Jeff Beck's '93 equipment, with very minor mention of his studio Red Knob, all the way at the end.
Can't You Hear Me Knocking Evidently Mick Taylor owns an unusual "button" The Twin, which he frequently pairs with a Marshall JCM 900.
