[Harp-L] Re: Fender Twin '57

[Ray Beltran <raybeltran@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hey, Mike-

It's a great amp for harp. I love mine.

The Fender reissue, which is point-to-point, is a little pricey, so I found
a respected amp builder to put mine together instead of buying the Fender. I
was able to check in at every stage of the build, and they sent me pics
along the way. I'd do business with them again in a heartbeat. They supply
many well-know boutique builders with major parts or components. It's done
right.

The amp is known as a 5E8-A narrow panel low-power Tweed Twin, NOT to be
confused with the "big box" high-power Tweed Twin, the 5F8. The 5E8-A
employs two 6L6's, and is about 40-50 watts. Two tube recs. The larger 5F8
has a quartet of 6L6's, delivering nearly 100 watts! Too much for harp, in
my opinion. Yes, the 5F8 was one of Clapton's favorite rigs.

So, just to be clear, the reissue and my amp are of the same type...5E8-A. I
love it. It has a great voice. Very rich, BIG bottom end (helped, no doubt,
by the two 12" speakers and an incredibly large transformer!!!), great
projection.

A unique feature of this amp are the two separate preamp channels. Four
preamp tubes, the first two dedicated to it's own distinct channel. You
cannot "bridge" these two channels together like you can in a Bassman. (A
5F6 Bassman uses one half of a preamp tube for each of the amp's two
channels. Past a certain volume, both sides of that preamp tube become
active so that bridging is not really necessary, so I've been told by many a
tech.) But what you are able to do is have a different preamp tube in each
channel that will tailor those channels for different gain.

The original is stock with 12AY7's in each of the two preamp channels. I've
found this amp to be flexible enough to allow INCREASING the gain in any
given channel. In other words, moving from a 12AY7 to a 12AX7. So currently,
I have a 12AY7 in the normal channel, and a 12AX7 in the bright channel
(which can be made normal by a simple "clip"). With this setup of two
different gain stages AND two inputs for each channel, I'm ready for just
about any venue.

But the fun is just beginning...remember how I said you can't bridge the
channels? Well...not in the traditional sense. Here's how you "bridge" a
5E8-A Twin...get a "Y" cord, female to 2 males. Plug into each channel and
now you're controlling and mixing into the final stages two separate preamp
channels. I haven't done this yet, but guitarists I've talked to say it's a
HUGE sound! (What do guitarists have to do with it? Read on...) So I'm
anxious to try it. I'll post my observations once I've conducted
experiments.

There's all kinds of flexibility in this amp. The two 5U4GB recs can be
pulled in favor of a single GZ34. Or you can use a single 5U4GB.

The speaker configuration is interesting as well. The axis of each speaker
is offset. (In the high-power 5F8, the speakers sit side-by-side, one reason
it's called the big box Twin). One speaker sits low in the cab, the other
high. This causes an interesting effect to the sound projection. The lower
speaker is quite "beamy", or as beamy as a 12" speaker can be, and projects
deeply and deadly. The other 12-incher, since it sits high in the cab, has
it's rear sound wave obstructed by the chassis, and in part by that MONSTER
transformer (some 50% larger than a Bassman's!). So the sound is more
dispersed, and fills in around you. You have sound going forward from both
speakers (one more than another), and a sort of "fill" that goes on around
you, but does not really seem to have and adverse affect on feedback.

I love the sound of this amp. (Did I say that already?) Full and rich.
Playing the big harp on it results in one tough sound. And you know (dead
giveaway that I'm gearing up for a rant...), I had nothing done to it to
make it harp-friendly. I bought the amp, plugged in, and played. I didn't
feel the need to spend loads of money on different caps, original speakers,
wave a mojo hand over it, yadda-yadda-yadda. I only played with the preamp
tube setup cuz I heard the Vicky version uses 12AX7's across the board. So I
gave it a shot. I never felt the need to neuter the thing by dropping the
preamp values. It sounds great the way it is. And let's face it...we're
practically ALL playing guitar amps. I don't believe there has EVERY been
such an animal as a TRUE harmonica amp. Maybe amps "adjusted" to accommodate
harmonica. But a true harp amp? I don't think so. Just gussied up guitar
amps. Heck, they even use guitar cabs! Even the boutique amps out now are
direct descendents of famous guitar amps. I don't think I'd WANT to play a
harmonica amp. The sound that I love to hear, and the sound I love to make,
comes from playing a guitar amp. And no matter how fancy-schmancy you want
to make it, the thing you plug into it is... A PA MIC! And we're all just
bendin' little pieces of tin through it...give me a break! It's ALL a
mistmatch! And thank goodness that it is.

In my opinion, when you start to adjust for the mismatch, guess what goes?

Each amp is gonna have a unique character to it's respective sound. Some may
be "better" suited for harp than others. But at the end of the day, it's
your tone that¹s gonna see you through. How many times has someone written
of Cotton's incredible tone through the PA? Of Musslewhite playing through a
red knob Twin? Of "insert favorite harp hero here" having to play through a
supplied solid-state what-cha-ma-call-it deluxe and still sounding dynamite?

BBQ Bob plays a real deal Bassman. Richard Hunter espouses the virtues of
the VC508. Jason Ricci keeps on buyin' RI Bassmans. I've got a good buddy in
Louisiana plays a Twin and just bought a Meteor...loves 'em both. Every time
I see Kim Wilson, he's playing something different...a Pro, a real Bassman,
you name it. I saw Mitch Kashmar play through a dinky Fender reissue
sumpthin' or other. Paul DeLay plays through a solid state Peavey...okay,
wait...now THAT sounds like crap. Sorry Paul, but I gotta draw the line
somewhere. He sounded better through the PA that night.

Fenders, Gibsons, Silvertones, Ampegs...don't think you have to spend loads
of cash on 'em to get them to sound "right". Just play the thing, man.

Ray.
-- 
www.resgraphics.com/music







On 2/6/05 9:06 PM, "harp-l-request@xxxxxxxxxx" <harp-l-request@xxxxxxxxxx>
wrote:

> ------------------------------
> 
> Message: 5
> Date: Sat, 5 Feb 2005 19:03:22 -0800 (PST)
> From: Michael Fugazzi <mfugazzi67@xxxxxxxxx>
> Subject: [Harp-L] Fender Twin '57
> To: harp-l@xxxxxxxxxx
> Message-ID: <20050206030322.25588.qmail@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
> 
> I saw a reissue Fender Twin '57 at the local music store.  When I went to
> check it out, there were four preamp tubes.  I found that surprising.  Would
> this amp be any good for harp?  Anybody use one?  It had two recitfiers (one
> can be removed), two power tubes.
> 
> It was suggested that three of the tubes be switched out for 12ay7's (for
> guitar, and I am sure that would be the same for harp) but it didn't say which
> ones.  Why would you leave one as a 12ax7?
> 
> This post is more for my understanding of amps then anything.  If I had two
> grand for an amp, it would be a harp specific amp.
> 
> Mike
> 
> 
> Mike Fugazzi
> Harmonica/Vocals
> 
> ---------------------------------