Trading a Twin Reverb and Champ for a Deluxe

[tremolo3]

This is my situation:

I have a 68 SF TR and a 79 Champ that I really like and use for fun/recording. The thing is, I don't gig nor jam or play anything outside my house and I was thinking I could sell both for ~$1K and just get a Deluxe Reverb, I could probably get a 70s SF for ~$1K (circuit is still an AB763, right?).
Heck, even one of those Mustang amps will do the job from what I've heard in some demos LOL.

Ideally, I'd like to just collect them all...

Any input will be appreciated.

Thank you.

[pad]

I wouldn't change that. Basically the Champ is the perfekt amp for home use and if you ever gig again you can use the twin ? i mean thats the perfect combo, imagine both in Stereo!

[marqueemoon]

I wouldn't make a change unless you have very limited space.

[tremolo3]

I wouldn't change that. Basically the Champ is the perfekt amp for home use and if you ever gig again you can use the twin ? i mean thats the perfect combo, imagine both in Stereo!

The thing is that, for me, both, Champ and Twin are perfect for home use. And if I ever gig again... nah, it won't happen.

I wouldn't make a change unless you have very limited space.

Got it... I live alone in a 3br house, so space is not an issue.


Thanks guys!
Still don't know what to do...

[shoule79]

Unless volume is a consideration, I'd keep the twin and champ.

To me the benefit of a deluxe is that it's reasonably loud, but can be either clean or dirty at band volumes. I find they can be too loud at home if you want to open them up. I find my Princeton can even be pushing it at home.

With the twin/champ you get great cleans, a pedal platform and good grind at reasonable volume. You get more flexibility with the two amps.

If space and portability is what you want, go with the deluxe.


PS - the one amp I regret selling was my 69 twin. I found it ungodly loud, but it sounded amazing.

[OffYourFace]

I have two vintage Twin Reverbs. I can't get rid of them, no one wants to buy them. I only play my '76 DR and sometimes hook up a 68 PR RI for stereo. I'd love to sell the twins.
I actually prefer the mid '70s DR with the 5UGB rectifier. They work with pedals better than the older models with the GZ34 rectifier, IMO.

[Larry Mal]

I'd love to buy the Twins, or at least one of them. I love them, my favorite amp ever.

I used to own a silverface Twin, but had to sell it for the same reason I can't have one now. Space.

[Johnny Alien]

The Pro Reverb is my favorite of the classic Fender amps but I dig the Deluxe Reverbs as well. I don't think you can even get a silver face Deluxe for $1000 anyone. If I were you I would sell the Twin and get a used reissue Deluxe Reverb and keep the Champ.

[Jaguar018]

I have two vintage Twin Reverbs. I can't get rid of them, no one wants to buy them. I only play my '76 DR and sometimes hook up a 68 PR RI for stereo. I'd love to sell the twins.
I actually prefer the mid '70s DR with the 5UGB rectifier. They work with pedals better than the older models with the GZ34 rectifier, IMO.

You need to get some of your 'music industry insider' pals to do some write up for some magazine/website/national newspaper about how Fender Twins are now an amazeballs-hidden-gem-steal of a deal. If it gets any traction then I'm sure a few 'flavor of the month' people will start to snap them up.

[Because the reality is that as great as they are, Twins are too damn loud, big, and heavy for 85% of the people that would actually appreciate them]

[garyfanclub]

Have you considered a Vibrolux Reverb? 2x10, 35W. Think of it as half of a Super Reverb. Always liked the way these sounded, reverb's lusher than most twins I've played, and they really start to bloom at a reasonable (non earsplitting) volume. You could also look at a Princeton, half a Vibrolux, but good luck finding a vintage one at a reasonable price.

Pro Reverb's not a bad choice either, but for all intents and purposes, basically the same ballpark as a TR with the 2x12 format, and the ones I've tried haven't really been any less loud than a TR.

Full disclosure, I've got a 76 TR with Eminence Red White and Blues, it's basically a PA system, which I like. If I were a more reasonable man, I'd do the Vibrolux. I think StevenO has one and had his "Aha!" moment when he got one.

[garyfanclub]

I have two vintage Twin Reverbs. I can't get rid of them, no one wants to buy them. I only play my '76 DR and sometimes hook up a 68 PR RI for stereo. I'd love to sell the twins.
I actually prefer the mid '70s DR with the 5UGB rectifier. They work with pedals better than the older models with the GZ34 rectifier, IMO.

You need to get some of your 'music industry insider' pals to do some write up for some magazine/website/national newspaper about how Fender Twins are now an amazeballs-hidden-gem-steal of a deal. If it gets any traction then I'm sure a few 'flavor of the month' people will start to snap them up.

[Because the reality is that as great as they are, Twins are too damn loud, big, and heavy for 85% of the people that would actually appreciate them]

I mean, they're actually fairly compact for a PA system.

[cestlamort]

I recently went through a similar reboot and have been happy with the results:
I sold my 68 bronco (vibro champ) to partially fund a SFPR a year or two back, and I just sold my 68 SFTR to fund a SF Vibrolux (1979) I'd stumbled across locally.

I do play out some (and rehearse with a band), and I found at practice I was using the twin not as an amp, but as an amp stand for SF Princeton Reverb (run in stereo with a Pro Jr.) The twin sounded amazing at volume, but somewhat anemic at stage volume and anything less than "can you please point that somewhere else it's tearing my head off in this tiny rehearsal space" volume.

The Vibrolux is really great and comes as advertised: more bloom, more dynamics at reasonable volumes. I have had to reconsider how I use effects (and what ones) as it isn't the "pedal platform" the twin is.

The Princeton Reverb is probably my favorite amp for playing at home (cleanly). It feels like scalded-down version of the twin (when it's opened up), but just much less. It can't keep up with a loud drummer on its own though (but does okay with the Pro Jr).

A TR + champ will cover all your bases and work in pretty much any situation, but that combination might not be the most rewarding.

A Deluxe Reverb is somewhere between the VR and PR, so might be perfect (especially if you can mic it if you play out). They have also gotten much more expensive over the years, so $1000 is generally on the low end. (And remember to factor in servicing).

Just as the mid-size Fenders have gotten more expensive lately, the SF Twins aren't in huge demand. They are just too powerful for most people. But a 1968 one has some obvious selling points (looks cool, handwired, same circuit as a BF one, sounds amazing, will run forever, cheaper than getting a new one, etc). (Maybe $700-900, depending on the condition / area; you can probably get $300+ for the champ). It might even be worth checking local stores to see if they have a SF Deluxe and would be willing to work out a trade of some kind.

Depending where you are, you can find good deals on SF era amps if you're patient. (Really patient: I'd been looking for a reasonably priced VR for years, until I found one that was unreasonably underpriced ; same sort of deal with the PR. I was very, very lucky, but also spent too much time combing over classified ads. I think the end balance sheet went something like this: 68 twin + 68 bronco amp + countless hours looking + $200 = early 70s PR + 79 VR )

One random note:
Fender amps got much heavier when they switched from pine cabinets to plywood (in 1970 or so?). The older amps (like your twin) feel like they're a fraction of the weight of the 70s stuff.

[noisepunk]

I have two vintage Twin Reverbs. I can't get rid of them, no one wants to buy them.

I had to take a bit of a hit on the last one I sold (granted, I was moving)- people just aren't into big amps right now.

[shoule79]

I have two vintage Twin Reverbs. I can't get rid of them, no one wants to buy them.

I had to take a bit of a hit on the last one I sold (granted, I was moving)- people just aren't into big amps right now.

Ditto when I sold my 69 sftr. If it hadn't been for the fact that it was big and I couldn't justify using it anymore i'd have just kept it.

Great sounding amps, just not very practical.

[StevenO]

Have you considered a Vibrolux Reverb? 2x10, 35W. Think of it as half of a Super Reverb. Always liked the way these sounded, reverb's lusher than most twins I've played, and they really start to bloom at a reasonable (non earsplitting) volume. You could also look at a Princeton, half a Vibrolux, but good luck finding a vintage one at a reasonable price.

Pro Reverb's not a bad choice either, but for all intents and purposes, basically the same ballpark as a TR with the 2x12 format, and the ones I've tried haven't really been any less loud than a TR.

Full disclosure, I've got a 76 TR with Eminence Red White and Blues, it's basically a PA system, which I like. If I were a more reasonable man, I'd do the Vibrolux. I think StevenO has one and had his "Aha!" moment when he got one.

You raaaaang?

I have a Showman (Twin Reverb, minus the reverb), a Vibrolux Reverb, and a Princeton Reverb, amongst other things, so I can kiiind of answer your query. The Showman isn't my favourite amp. It's been my pickiest amp, for sure, and relies heavily on speakers and cabs to sound "right". If anything, it sounds a little sterile and lifeless because it's so loud and bold. The Vibrolux sounds great, has great reverb and tremolo, is not TOO heavy, and is loud enough for most scenarios. I don't always play through this amp, but I keep coming back to it and wondering why I don't play it more.

The Princeton was the true "aha!" moment, as it sounds beautiful pretty much no matter what, especially with a proper speaker (my personal favourite is a 50 watt, light-dope, Weber 10F150T). I've gigged it unmic'd running alongside my Vibrolux being used by the other guitarist. It's always been loud-enough, but just enough. Had it been a louder band or a harder hitting drummer, I'd need either a louder amp or for the amp to be mic'd.

With that said, if you're satisfied with your sound as-is and have no desire to gig, then keep what you have or sell them and go without something smaller and that takes up less room. Either way, you can't really go wrong, in my opinion.