Fender Twin Reverb: is this a problem?
 

I just bought a used Fender 65 reissue twin reverb. I love the tone! My question... When I put it in standby, the amp makes a fairly loud sound, almost like an echoing reverb tone, then a pop. It does the same when I switch into or out of standby. Is this normal? I bought this used at GC for a decent price, so I'd prefer to figure out if it needs fixing rather than just return it, but if it's a major fix, I'll return it and get something else.

Ideas?

My '65 Deluxe Reverb Reissue does the same. I bought it new. Everyone says not to worry about it.

Bob

Thanks Bob! That puts my mind to ease a bit.

Is the master volume down when you come out of standby?

No, it's in whatever position I stopped in. Does it need to be turned down?

My '75 Deluxe Reverb does the same thing id the volume is up and the reverb is on... basically, it's the power surge, going from 0-60 when you flip that switch, would be my best guess. I've owned a few old Fender amps and played through a BUNCH of them, and all the ones that had the standby switch do the same thing.

Turn down the main volume for the channel you are using and dis-engage the reverb; that will quiet it down a lot.

There is much discussion about the "right way" to both warm up an old Fender tube amp and to turn it off... one school of thought is to flip BOTH switches UP when you turn it on (but have the volume on your guitar/channel down), let the tubes warm up for a bit (5-10 minutes) and you're good to go... then hit both switches DOWN simultaneously when you turn the amp off.

I use the stand-by for the warm-up period, but hit both switches when I turn it off...

I think the most important things are to let those tubes warm up before you start playing, and to be sure not to move or jostle the amp when you first turn it off, letting the tubes cool before they get moved around...

A Twin, eh? Well, you must have a MUCH stronger back than I have! They are great amps; haven't tried one of the re-issues yet, but if they're even close to the "real deal", they must be very good and VERY loud!

Thanks for the info! Yes, it is very heavy, but I don't gig. It will just kind of sit there in one spot.

Try a SUPER Reverb. But, like Bonedigger, mine just sits there waiting for me to give it a little attention. :)

(info from an expert, Bruce Zinky (Dr. Z))


Here are some simple dos and don’ts when using a standby switch:

* Always use a standby switch when dealing with a solid state rectified amp.
The immediate surge of high voltage on a tube isn’t the best for its long-
term life.

* Power on your amp, then wait a minute or so and engage standby switch.
This is the proper use of a standby switch.

* Turn standby switch off if you are switching speaker cabs, engaging a half-
power or triode/pentode mode on amps with these features.

* Engage standby switch when taking a break.

* When you power down your amp, just turn off power switch and leave
standby switch on. This will safely drain high voltage from your transformer
and filter caps for safe transportation.

I sold my Twin a number of years ago - it was a great amp but as noted it was heavy and I'm not getting any younger... :)

And to quote Daniel Donato a Twin has a LOT of clean headroom!

Interesting. My '72 Twin does not have that problem at all. I've owned it for 30 years now and have always turned it on by flipping the two switches up unless I was setting up on stage, then I would flip the power on with the stand by set on to let it warm up as I set up. I always turn it off by flipping both switches.

I can't imagine having to have to adjust the volume or reverb just to use the stand by. That kind of defeats the point, you want to just put it in hibernation so that everything is set right when you get back on stage. If that was the case then I'd just turn the guitar volume off and or volume pedal or some floor switch.

My amp tech recommends warming up the Amp with the Standby off and powering off by turning off standby first, wait a few minutes then power off the Amp.