Fender Twin Reverb 40th anniversary RI

[Alan0354]

Merry Christmas to everybody.


I take that anyone that talk here works on amps, that we do do things here and there?!!! I'll take a SF from the 70s any time of the day, even the master volume of the 73 and up. You can either just recap the amp, check it over and use it as is.......or do minor mods to your liking. They definitely hold their value.

No, PCB is every bit as good and reliable as hand wired. It's just harder to mod, cost more just because it's newer.

I bought a 73 Pro Reverb last year, I recaped and left it pretty much original. I used it as a standard to compare and judge my designs. I just love the amp. there is something about the good old vintage amp that I really like even though I should know better that electronics is electronics.

[überfuzz]

Oh, I didn't think it was a diss on PCBs. I just don't think the Fender reissues fall into the usual bashed categories. I'll keep the reissues in a different category from, say, the Hot Rod series. I'd prefer an old eyelet board, too, but wouldn't let the pcb be a deal breaker. I guess it comes down to comfort level & whatcha got in vs. whatch'll get out

True, if I see a PCB board I think, ok 10 years of smooth sailing. I'm kind of reluctant to buy, trade etc a PCB amp older then 10 to 15 years.

[Alan0354]

I don't think pcb is any less reliable than hand wired, I don't think there is an age limit to pcb. I just think if you want a classic amp, you get the real classic amp particularly when the real SF Twins is not more than the RI. People pay a lot more for hand wires amps, those SF or BF amps are consider custom hand wired quality. I would get the hand wired ones any time of the day because I am sure the price will go up because it's a classic. And also it is easier to modify.

I don't know the pcb of the amp. But if it is epoxy glass with plated through holes, my bet the reliability goes to pcb. It's just the value and hard to mod.

[sibo]

Then he should not look at Fender . The vintage Fender's that are so well loved were not true PTP, they used eyelet boards.
If I'm not mistaken, this 40th Ann. is just a '65 Twin re-issue with some cosmetic updates for much more money. Why not just look at the '65 Twin re-issue. Or does anyone know of any other differences? Is it Custom Shop?

Nope its not cs, different speakers though. Eminence in blond ed.

I'm sure its a fine amp but as others have said aswell - after giving it some though I'd much have the real deal. Well maybe not a blonde but since this one is so damn pricey IMO I could ger the real deal for almost the same money. Its not really like I'm in the market for a twin reverb, this guy contacted me and offered a trade so I though I'd consult the experts. Thanks for all your opinions! It's a pass for me. If it were a model that'd breakup some more it'd suit my style better and I wouldn't consider such a fine amp and use it with dummy load as it feels like a waste..

[Tom Phillips]

The issues with PC Boards in guitar amps can be significant but those issues are not simply PCB vs. PTP or eyelet/turret parts board.
Starting with the design stage, there is a lot of variation in the layout of the PC board. Some designers do it well and some just connect the dots and build in problems that can start at day one or crop up later in the amp's life. The quality of the blank PCB itself can be very low and cheap or very high and end up costing more than the budget for the whole stuffed board. Therefore, the manufacturer must pick a reasonable price point. Failures related to the PCBs in guitar amps are usually caused by bad construction practices such as mounting pots and connectors directly to the PCB without proper mechanical strain relief and mounting parts that give off too much heat for the long term survival of the PCB material. The discussion could go on and on but it doesn't simply come down to PCB=Bad and PTP=Good.

Serviceability of amps with PCBs is another issue. Ampeg did a good job of providing service access with the design they used for many of their first series of PCB based amps. The chassis had a removable cover plate that exposed second side of the PCB. This allowed testing and parts replacement without the need to disconnect any flying wires,connectors etc.

And yes - The term "Point To Point" is often misused. There is a huge variation in the quality of PTP wiring too. The PTP traditionally used in vintage guitar amps was usually on the low end of the PTP quality scale and was mostly limited to the early simple amps.

[Alan0354]

Layout can be good of bad both in hand wire or pcb. The reliability problem of pcb are mainly on the board material, whether it uses plate through holes. And yes, it's all about the pcb designer..........which quite a few that I saw were not good designs. I did a lot of pcb layouts, I can make pcb super reliable and actually used as mechanical support. To start out, use only epoxy glass boards which is cheap and becomes the standard of board material. Use 1/8" instead of standard 60mil thick. You'll be surprised how strong they are. That does not cost a penny more. Then use two layer boards that ensure it has plated through holes. The plate through holes ensure a good anchor of the components onto the boards. I won't think twice putting tube sockets onto the board at all and it's going to be just as if not more reliable than hand wired.

But that is not the point here, it's the value and ease of mod.