Twin Vs. Session

Craig Villalon · Post by **Craig Villalon** » 2 Jun 2002 10:25 am

I know its about personal preference but I have been playing thru a '66 Twin and recently went to the Steelin For Hearts Jam and am now looking for more brightness in my tone, I would never ditch the Twin but can any body give an opinion of comparison? And what about the Peaveys that are out now, what is their differences, specs,reliability price Etc.

Thanks!

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'68Emmons D10, 2000 Derby D10,'66 Fender Twin, Goodrich Steel Driver III,Fender Strat

Cartwright Thompson · Post by **Cartwright Thompson** » 2 Jun 2002 10:30 am

Put a pair of alnico JBL's in that twin and you'll be done.

Steve Feldman · Post by **Steve Feldman** » 2 Jun 2002 10:35 am

Wow - if you can't get the brightness you want with the Twin, you might need to try other pickups (either that or get your hearing checked!). Seriously, though, I'm a tube guy all the way and I typically run my Fender Vibrasonic (with a 15 in spkr.) with the treble set on ~2-3. Much more than that and it gets ridiculous. Or you could try a rack system with a good power amp that has presence controls.

Earnest Bovine · Post by **Earnest Bovine** » 2 Jun 2002 10:49 am

If you want a bright sound you should use a buffer amp.

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OK, Craig, now I see where you said you have a Goodrich Steel Driver III. If your gear is working right, then I can't imagine why you can't get a bright enough sound.[This message was edited by Earnest Bovine on 02 June 2002 at 01:50 PM.]

ajm · Post by **ajm** » 2 Jun 2002 11:38 am

Twins and Fenders have a reputation for being bright. You could probably get more highs with another setup, especially something with active EQ. It may be what you want, but all humor aside I don't know if your audience would like it.

Even without a buffer amp, a normal passive volume pedal with a 500K pot or more should be acceptable. And I see you have a Steel Driver, so I assume that you are using it as a buffer.

Seriously, as another poster mentioned, have you had your hearing checked? There may be a problem there that you don't realize; sometimes physical problems creep up on us just like bad tubes. (Which brings up another thought; are you sure your amp is in tip top shape?) It may be something as simple as wax build up. Don't laugh! I had that problem a few years ago and it got so bad that it severly muffled my hearing. It took the doctor almost two hours of work before he finally hauled out a chunk of junk about the size of a green pea from each ear. I couldn't see what he saw when he was working, and through the course of our conversations I mentioned that I was a musician. He laughed and said "When we're done you're going to hear some things that you haven't heard in a while".

Best of luck to you, and let us know what you find.

Larry Bell · Post by **Larry Bell** » 2 Jun 2002 11:49 am

Ford or Chevy?

Bud or Heineken?

Three Stooges or Gore Vidal?

(ok, I'll stop)

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Larry Bell - email: larry@larrybell.org - gigs - Home Page
2000 Fessenden S-12 8x8, 1969 Emmons S-12 6x6, 1971 Emmons D-10 9x9, 1971 Dobro

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 2 Jun 2002 5:42 pm

Craig, try these settings...

Volume....at least 5
Treble...........3-5
Middle...........2-3
Bass.............6-9
Bright Switch.....On

Now, if you still don't have enough highs, try reversing the cords at the volume pedal. As a last resort, try it without the steel driver whatchamacallit.

(A Fender T/R, if it's working right, will give you more highs than just about any amp, and more than any human ear can stand.)

Robert · Post by **Robert** » 3 Jun 2002 5:52 am

I can "brighten" the tone on my '68 TR by running the volume on the guitar close to full-out, then adjusting the Twin volume accordingly. If I start to run it past 5 or so, it begins to get a bit saturated (which sounds great) but I seem to lose some of the brightness - maybe it's the speakers. If I want clean and bright - I keep it at 5 or below. If that isn't loud enough, then I guess you'd have to mic it . . .

Rob Yale[This message was edited by Robert on 03 June 2002 at 06:53 AM.]

Herb Steiner · Post by **Herb Steiner** » 3 Jun 2002 6:18 am

A 1968 Emmons played through a Twin Reverb and you want MORE highs?

This is the combo Buddy used on the Black Album, is it not?

But seriously, and IMHO, comparing the performance of a '66 Twin Reverb to a new Peavey product is an "apples and oranges" scenario. Different power, different speakers, different eq's, etc.

Two 12's in a Fender Twin should be tearing the hair off the back of your head with high-end. And if you follow the suggestion of Alnico JBL's, which would probably set you back 400+ bucks for the pair, you'd be peeling the paint off the far wall with high end. And also, the amp would then weigh close to 80 lbs.

If you're seeking high end in a newer model amp, I'd suggest the Evans. This model (like Peavey among others) has a high-end expansion switch. However, I never need it or use it. I rarely set the highs above 1.5 on the front panel since any more than that screams too much for my old ears.

I'd add that the old Standel amp had very bright, shimmering highs, especially the models with two 10's or two 12's. However, I don't believe those amps compared in volume to the Fender Twin, and certainly not the Peavey/Webb/Evans category of amplifier.

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Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

Brad Sarno · Post by **Brad Sarno** » 3 Jun 2002 1:50 pm

I've got a recapped '69 Twin. The new caps make it even brighter but not harsher. I set my tone ususally around Treble 3.8, mids 7, bass 8. This is for a '66 Emmons and a '71 Emmons with stock pickups wound around 15.5k, which is relatively bright. But this is driving a 15" peavey speaker. With the stock 12" there should be gobs of highs available.

Brad Sarno
66' Emmons S10/'71 Emmons D10/'69 Twin/BW

Craig Villalon · Post by **Craig Villalon** » 6 Jun 2002 12:37 pm

Thanks guys for your input....and especially thanks for the suggestions regarding the settings on the Twin...I have been playing the Derby as my main axe since purchasing it...the pickup is a bit hotter than the Emmons...I dont think I articulated my question so well, I usually have my treble on 6 and have the mids and bass around three, so trying your settings has helped. I would like more attack and I think it is my picking style perhaps rather than the amp. Even tho the twin is a bit cantankerous I sure love its sound w/ the steel and strat. I played a gig last w/e with the amp cranked up more and w/ the suggested settings and the sound was fantastic..

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'68Emmons D10, 2000 Derby D10,'66 Fender Twin, Goodrich Steel Driver III,Fender Strat