I found out my Fender Twin has a solid state rectifier.

[StratoMutt]

I have another question. How is gain achieved on the 2nd channel on these kinds of amps? Is it overdriven tubes or is it circuitry just like an overdrive pedal?

Two (or more) tube preamps with small bottle tubes like the 12AX7. The big tubes are the power amplifier.

I happen to own what I think was the first commercially produced two channel amp with master volume. Mesa Boogie Mark II-B, I bought factory direct in 1981. It is stupid Cold War era loud. SS rectifier in it:

 

[Bladesg]

Yeah you’re right. There used to be a guy on the forum who would always say how his silver face twin was the way amp (which to some it is- it’s a good amp) and he insisted on gigging with it and playing it close to break up.

I mean talk about loud in a small room! Lol

They’re stupid loud for sure. I bought mine because I couldn’t keep up with the drummer and the other guitar player with a red knob twin using my DRRi and they’re plenty loud as you know.

I can definitely get more clarity now compared to pushing the Deluxe so hard.

 

[StratoMutt]

My TRRi, like all the ‘65 TRRi’s has a solid state rectifier too. Great amps imo.

I thought about putting casters on it and I might still do it but I have got one of these…

Lightweight Folding Hand Trolley - 90kg (FAR002)

Light As a Feather - Folds Flat In Seconds This Innovative light weight range of trolleys comes in 4 sizes and easily folds down for storing into small spaces such as car boots or cupboard shelves. Once folded, a single action lifts the handle, lowers the platform and locks the wheels into...

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I stumbled across these removal casters which is what I’ll use if I decide to go down that path.

Casters

The convinience of having removable casters on your guitar amplifier or speaker cabinet makes life that little bit easier. Buy our set to easily convert your cabinet for that ease of moveing your equipment.

www.achilliesamps.com

I have a folding cart similar to that. Super handy.

Removable casters are better for stability when moving than the folding. Think the removable may require some drilling into the cab. They can be found at decent hardware stores too.

 

[Nate D]

They’re stupid loud for sure. I bought mine because I couldn’t keep up with the drummer and the other guitar player with a red knob twin using my DRRi and they’re plenty loud as you know.

I can definitely get more clarity now compared to pushing the Deluxe so hard.

If I was playing with some of the crews I used to back in my 20’s I’d probably like to play one again. Especially in bigger rooms.

 

[StratoMutt]

My landlord lives above me and say she will evict me if I play it loud again. I asked her how she expects me to get to the edge of breakup and she hung up the phone.

The best saturated tube tone comes from the edge of breakup on power tubes. Loud!

The preamp tubes can provide a lot of breakup, but the master volume can tame that to be apartment friendly.

 

[StratoMutt]

I’m no amp tech or builder, but I think it’s tube driven. Certainly the circuitry will have a place in it too, but largely tube driven. At least how I understand it. I’ve been wrong before and I wouldn’t take my word as gospel on this topic.

Absolutely tubes. A full transistor amp has no vacuum tubes or valves as the Brits call them. There are hybrid amps with tube preamps with transistors providing the power section. Supposedly the tube preamps make the transistors sound better.

I built a little 1W two channel all tube amp. Power tube (the 12BH7-A behind the transformer) breakup is still quite loud for an apartment, but sane to play 1 meter away. More fun than you can shake a soldering iron at.



Meet the four black diodes rectifier:

 

[StratoMutt]

That there is a transistor. They are made in countless shapes and sizes. The three leads is the giveaway.

 

[Butcher of Strats]

The tweed twins had tube recs but as others said alla the BF & SF twin reverbs have had SS recs.

As for casters for it and wheeling it to a dumpster?
Yes and no!

 

[StratoMutt]

The tweed twins had tube recs but as others said alla the BF & SF twin reverbs have had SS recs.

As for casters for it and wheeling it to a dumpster?
Yes and no!

That is an awful lot of amp for an apartment dweller. Dumpster? No way José!

 

[touch of gray]

No need to take it to the dumpster as long as it's functional.

Mick Taylor of That Pedal Show tells a great story about buying a used Fender Twin back in the day for 200 pounds that probably needed some work but was still playable. He played for a while, sold it for 250 pounds and bought another Twin for that amount. Eventually it became obvious that he would have to shell out that much to service it so he then traded it in towards the purchase of a Mesa Boogie amp instead.

 

[El Gobernador]

Twins have had diode rectifiers since the blonde/brown face era.

 

[SIngles Forever]

The solid state rectifier is part of the twin reverb's sound. It allows it to stay crisp and solid even at high volumes. It's a very tight kind of vibe, and at times, a hard sound. Also makes it pretty good for a pedal platform for heavy music.

Sure, it will never have the sweet, bouncy sheen of a tube rectified Fender amp on cleans, but its more percussive, more aggressive and will cut through a mix more. Depends what you want. I'd say a twin is probably better for rock/harder stuff because if it's SS rectifier and overall efficiency.

Whether or not the one you have there sounds like an actual Twin Reverb I have no idea.

 

[SIngles Forever]

Twins have had diode rectifiers since the blonde/brown face era.

Yeah the original Tweed Twins were tube rectified but they weren't twin reverbs, cuz like, no reverb. At least that's what Keith Richards told me... but he was pretty wasted.

 

[Quikstyl]

The solid state rectifier is part of the twin reverb's sound. It allows it to stay crisp and solid even at high volumes. It's a very tight kind of vibe, and at times, a hard sound. Also makes it pretty good for a pedal platform for heavy music.

Sure, it will never have the sweet, bouncy sheen of a tube rectified Fender amp on cleans, but its more percussive, more aggressive and will cut through a mix more. Depends what you want. I'd say a twin is probably better for rock/harder stuff because if it's SS rectifier and overall efficiency.

Whether or not the one you have there sounds like an actual Twin Reverb I have no idea.

I replaced my Fender M-80 Pro head and Boogie 4x12 slant with an "Evil Twin" in '98. The band I played with had 3 vocalists, percussion, and a drummer and bassist from a Bay Area funk/metal band (they were loud). The bassist's stage cabinet rig was two 15's, eight 10's and I for get how many 8's and 5's. The twin was just as loud and I ran all kinds of high gain pedals through it, from a Krank Distortus Maximus to a Metal Zone to a Floor Pod Plus. Still have the Twin in the garage but the tubes are shot, and the tip of a 1/4-inch cable broke off in the high output (or whatever the left) input. Probably cost too much to have it fixed and I use a Pod Go.

 

[rolandson]

Your Twin isn't dumpster ready, yet...but it will blow the widows out of most places...
And it may be effective at intercepting low flying aircraft. It, as I am sure you know, is very loud.

The SS rectifier is what it is. The twins have been like that forever.

You can do some simple stuff to tame the volume, like pulling two of the power tubes. Talk to your tech to effectively do this because you will also need to re-bias it every time you remove or add power tubes. I don't recall which tubes get removed, and it does matter.

Learning how to safely work with it so that you can do this yourself will save you a lot of money and back pain.

There is another technique that can also help manage break-up...
It's called Tube Rolling.
The preamp tubes can be changed to achieve a variety characteristics...

This website it superb at explaing it.

BF/SF Twin Reverb | fenderguru.com

Welcome by the way. Osaka is beautiful this time of year and I miss it. I envy you.

*Edited typo.

 

[3bolt79]

I just picked this Fender Protube Twin-Amp up off a gentleman on Facebook. I traded a guitar for it but only just realized the rectifier is solid state. Has anybody here owned one? Should I buy some castors for it so I can wheel it out to the dumpster? View attachment 622500 View attachment 622504

Send it to me for proper disposal. Glad to help

 

[Wound_Up]

Is that the "Evil Twin" from 1998-ish?

Evil twin has red knobs AFAIK?

 

[Wound_Up]

I almost pucjed up a Hot Rod Deville 212 for under $300 the other day.

Unfortunately I don't live in Washington, PA or I would have. It's local pickup only!

 

[Wound_Up]

Ok here’s a good page with a good explanation and some side by sides of amps with and without SS rectifiers.

Tube Vs. Solid State Rectifiers

www.mojotone.com

Weird. I get a blank page when I go there. It flashes all the words for a split second and then goes blank.

 

[Quikstyl]

Evil twin has red knobs AFAIK?

Nope. Red knob is not the Evil Twin.