Silverface Twin

[Heady Jam Fan]

Background - some amps I've owned recently searching for my sound:

I think I liked the tone of 6V6 tubes most, but they don't seem to come to life until they are distorting - when I had a Silverface DR, it only came to live once it was at the edge of breaking up.

6L6's give me the headroom I need, but aren't as midrange focused - the have more bass than I need. But, for me, headroom seems to win out...

I liked the Blues Junior's I owned, but I don't really like Vox amps and didn't end up digging my Express Plus 5:25 as much as I did during the 7 hours I tested it at the store . The EQ wasn't as powerful as other Mesa's and I couldn't seem to unlock the fat clean I love about my MKIII. Plus the 5:25 runs out of headroom too quickly for me except for the 25w setting, which I found to actually be really bassy.

Anyway, I sold the Express Plus.

And I got a Silverface Twin

Its a beauty of an amp! Fully restored this year and in a head rather than 212 combo. I think one of the tubes might have gotten a bit rattled in shipping - a bit of noise that sounds like a bad tube. Other than that, the amp sounded really good out of the box.

But... obviously ya gotta meddle a bit with a new amp!

I pulled the V1 tube, giving the vibrato/reverb channel a bit more gain and low-mids - more 'umph' or punch. Not as big of an effect that this had on my Silverface DR and I'm not sure if I need more gain with a Twin (even after pulling two 6L6's which I'll talk about below). I also had to adjust the Hum Balance pot to keep the preamp quiet after pulling V1.

Next I checked the Bias - the previous owner said it was recently biased. I measured 43 (multimeter set to 200ma setting, using a europtubes Bias Probe).

After that, I wanted to pull a set of 6L6's. This would drop the wattage from 100 to 50, making the amp a little quieter. It also makes the transformer expect an 8ohm load rather than 4ohms and I am using a Mesa 112 cabinet with an 8ohm EVM12L (in other words, pulling two tubes lets me match impedance). However, the remaining pair of 6L6's would run notable hotter: after pulling one set, the remaining my multimeter read 47. I rebiased and found I actually preferred running the 6L6's colder - I brought it all the way down to 37. Some people complain that Mesa runs their 6L6's too cold, but maybe I like a cold bias and thats a reason I love my MKIII.?. I know Trey only uses a one set of 6L6's because his Mesa is set for half power, yet he keeps the second set of 6L6's in the amp; they are heated, but not used. The only reason to do this (that I know of) is to keep the bias cold and/or to keep the load the transformer expects the same.

When I had the SFDR, it also had a tremolo disconnect mod; when the trem intensity knob was at 0, the knob clicked and the trem circuit was completely disconnected. The remaining circuitry retains more gain and the amp has more umph - very much like pulling V1.  This mod made a huge difference on the SFDR. However, on the Twin, I noticed much less change in the "umph" factor, lol, but a notable bass-boost, which I do not like/need. Even if there was more 'umph,' I'm not sure I need it with a Twin (although, with the DR, more than just adding volume, it give it some chutzpah - yiddish for cockiness or balls). When I did it on the Twin, rather than changing the intensity pot to one that switches off, I just unsoldered the wires from the pot that was in the amp - it achieves the same goal. Anyway, I undid the mod - I preferred less bass and more clarity.

In the end, I like having a simple Fender circuit! I always miss a Fender when I don't have one. I preferred the tone of the SFDR, but the headroom of the Twin. Even with the treble and bass turned down to the minimum and the mids maxed, the Twin is still much more scooped than my MKIII. Its nice to have a more laid back amp compared to the punchy, "in your face" mids of the MKIII. However, the biggest drawback was that I found the Twin to be less articulate or fast. I know midrange in general and Mesa's in particular are known for that fast attack that doesn't hide anything in your playing, so I shouldn't expect it in a Fender, but that might keep me primarily a Mesa fan despite my lifelong and unrelenting love for Fenders... That same quality (fast, articulate and punchy attack) is why I kept the EVM12L over my Celestion speakers - only a speaker with an un-ribbed cone has that quality! That quality, for me, won out over the midrange of a Celestion: I wish I could find a speaker like the CL80 / C90 / G12-80, but with an un-ribbed cone (or the articulation of one).

Anyway - I think its interesting comparing these things. I definitely learn a lot this way; I would never have though that I would value extremely revealing gear (the articulate quality that doesn't hide anything). It kinda sounds scary when you read that quality - we all hear our imperfections in playing more than anyone else does and to leave it completely 'naked' leaves us vulnerable. People try to hide behind effects, but I've found more and more so that I choose gear that doesn't hide my playing: I keep my reverb pretty minimal on my amps, I've been considering not using modulation partially because of how it my nuances get lost in it, I try to use the least amount of distortion that I need for a sound - in fact, I used to play completely clean for years for that exact reason (and I don't think I could have put it into words back then).

[Happyorange27]

Very well written and full of excellent insight. I very much enjoyed your article.

[Heady Jam Fan]

Very well written and full of excellent insight. I very much enjoyed your article.

Thank you sir!

I meant to make it a simple review and outline some of the mods I tried for others who may be considering the same thing, yet it some how turned into some thing with philosophical ontological undertones about how the typical adjectives that describe gear (ie the tone of 6V6's vs 6L6's) was not as important or helpful to me in choosing the gear I actually like most compared to less often discussed qualities (such as the quickness of the attack on my MKIII vs a Fender, or my EVM vs a ribbed cone speaker). Maybe it was a frustrated reaction to gear-focused forums where members essentially 'sell' other's on their own favorite gear using those adjectives that I, in the end, did not find as important as the other qualities...

Anyway, considering that, I wish Celestion would make a speaker like the CL80 without a ribbed cone. I suspect it would be hard to keep it as midrange focused (rather than really bass-focused).

I'll blame my rambling on the fact that I moved yesterday and it took me from 9:30am to 5pm.

[Happyorange27]

Sorry but when you say ribbed, I wonder if that is for her pleasure. Thread derailed!

[Heady Jam Fan]

Sorry but when you say ribbed, I wonder if that is for her pleasure. Thread derailed!

Lol, I know - I have the same thought too, but I can't figure out a better/different way to describe a speaker cone.
The fact is, its not about her pleasure, but mine. Right? All about the eargasm.

[Happyorange27]

Mmm...eargasm. Heaven is full of them.

[Heady Jam Fan]

Mmm...eargasm. Heaven is full of them.

[fulltone1989]

What year did you go with? Eyeing a non master volume with the JBL's locally... had a 65 reissue and it was awesome FWIW.

[Heady Jam Fan]

Its '76. The MV was replaced with a PPIMV, but I keep it maxed.

Out of the RI Fenders, I think I liked the Twin the most.

[Stecks]

MY BOY!!!  Hell yeah son!  I love my 71, its for sure an eargasm.  Its nice to let it open up and get that nice swell.  Players I very much respect have told me that it gets incredible tone - eargasm.  Glad you got something you really love - I know I adore mine.  I'll never get rid of my twin.  EVER.

[fulltone1989]

Its '76. The MV was replaced with a PPIMV, but I keep it maxed.

Out of the RI Fenders, I think I liked the Twin the most.

Excuse my lack on acronymininial knowledge, but whats a PPIMV? How's it different from the MV? Pics!

I had a DRRI for awhile too that I liked but with my LP it started to overdrive on 4.5, not so good for jazz gigs! The amp I use now is working great though, gigging tonight and later in August with it - an excuse to get an extension cabinet!

[Heady Jam Fan]

Stecks:

Yea - its a great amp. Not sure if I will keep the Mesa and the Fender (probably depends if I end up strapped for cash and/or I just don't use one). The Mesa's more articulate, the Fender more laid back. Its too bad I don't have a pile of speakers laying around anymore to test with the Fender - I think my WGS Blackhawk would have be awesome with it (though less articulate).

Fulltone:



I finally unpacked all my little shit in my new room - I'm sure I'll move my rig around (maybe even to the basement).

The MV was on the front, but the aftermarket BF faceplate covers that hole. The PPIMV is an MV, but it comes after the PI (phase inverter: post phase inverter master volume). A lot of the tone of a cranked amp - at the lower-end of being cranked - is from the PI rather than the power tubes. The PI is the first part of the power amp. Thus a PPIMV lets you control the volume and get preamp and some power amp overdrive without blowing out the windows. However, I prefer just using the volume knob and keeping the PPIMV cranked. I might removed it from the circuit - its pointless in a Twin IMO.

PS - by picture, did you mean the PPIMV circuit, or just generally?
PSS - Yes, that is Kramer on the TV, a Jimi Hendrix toy next to the amps (same one Trey has - no, not a weird effort to be like Trey, my sis unknowingly got it for me), and the pic was taken from my purple velvet couch, which is in front of my new memory foam mattress (got it 60% off and its replacing my 20 year old Twin mattress).