Review: Fender ’57 Twin Amp
Holy crap- the Fender 57 Twin has just entered the building. This amp is a legendary Fender combo that has earned a much deserved reputation fir having a warm and distinctive tone which professionals and those in the studio crave.
Retailing for over $3000 the '57 Twin is not cheap. It has 40 watts of power with an all tube construction. The tubes make this amp fairly heavy at around 70lbs but the sound that comes out of the amp is well worth it.
If you have never played a guitar out of a true tube driver Fender Twin than you don't know what you are missing. Expect a clean, bright, and warm sound that is silky smooth. As for tubes Fender uses four high gain 12AX7's, two GTGL6's with the Fender mid-50's rectifier arrangement.
The controls are top mounted rather than being on the front of the amp. This may turn off some players but Frnder had to keep with the classic '57 tradition.
The speakers are 12" alnico magnet types that are just as crucial at delivering the great tones as the tubes.
This amp simply cannot be matched in terms of sonic quality and overall construction.
Easy to find on the Fender website that this amp weighs 53 lbs, not 70. I have one and have weighed it myself to confirm. Clean tones are hard to beat. This amp also produces very smooth, harmonically rich distortion when turned up to 5 and beyond. By the way, this is typically too loud for a small club. I use an Ultimate Attenuator to turn my 57 Twin Reissue up to 8 (it’s sweet spot) and still maintain an acceptable volume level for small venues. Sweet. No longer any need for drive pedals. Best sounding amp I’ve ever had. Been playing over 40 years and had many, many amps. If you’ve heard Cream Reunion at Royal Albert Hall DVD, either Eric Clapton Crossroads DVD or Concert for George DVD, you have heard a Clapton Stratocaster plugged directly into this amp. Quality!
I have also been playing guitar for 40 years, have played through countless amps, and the fender 57 twin is the best sounding of them all. It is simply beautiful and can be very loud if needed but can also be played at lower volumes, even in the house comfortably, as it is so touch sensitive and responsive at any volume. Each control be it volume, treble, bass, presence, seems to add gain and the tone is gorgeous and complex, from blackface cleans to smooth tweed distortion this amp is the best ever. All guitar players should try this amp. Ok its expensive, but its hand wired and its fender!!!