Fender Tone Master Twin Reverb

THE TWIN REVERB IS THE STUFF OF AMP LEGENDS. IT COULD ALSO STUFF YOUR WHOLE SOUND UP IF YOU’RE NOT CAREFUL. FENDER TO THE RESCUE.

The Fender Twin Reverb has existed in one form or another since 1952, and it remains prized for its clarity, its sheer projection of sound, and the heavenly series of harmonic overtones that kick in when you crank it up just enough to get the power amp a little angry. They’re also heavy – legend has it that the first singer to skip out on his band when they were loading gear was trying to dodge lifting a Twin Reverb.

Over, the years Fender have experimented with variations on the Twin Reverb, such as the Super Twin, the Twin Reverb II, and in 2001, the Cyber Twin, which combined tube and digital technology. Now we’ve got Fender’s new Tone Master series, which includes a Twin Reverb and a Deluxe Reverb. The idea behind these amps is simple: the sounds you love, the controls you know, the amp you covet… But not so damn heavy.

Oh, yeah, and it’s digital – but you’re not really meant to think about that. It’s not that it’s a secret: Fender is quite upfront about the Tone Master’s digital nature. But they want you to totally forget about it when it’s time to actually plug in and play.

Everything about this amp says “Twin Reverb”. The front-panel controls are identical. There are two channels, each with two inputs; bright switches; and Treble, Middle and Bass controls – but one with Reverb Speed and Intensity knobs as well.

Around the back, though, you’ll find some interesting features that you won’t expect on a Twin. There’s a balanced line out with a volume knob, switchable cabinet simulation, XLR out and ground lift, plus an output power knob which goes from a full 85 watts down through 40 watts, 25 watts, 12 watts, five watts and one watt.

The amp is actually driven by a 200-watt digital power amp to achieve the Twin’s sound: the power reduction is best thought of as a sonic feature that lets you attain cranked tone at lower volumes, rather than actual power scaling.

The speakers are a pair of specially designed Jensen N-12K neodymium speakers. Those selectable cabinet simulations are impulse responses, and the cabinet is made of lightweight, resonant pine. So essentially what we have here is something that looks like a Twin and runs like a Twin, but pulls a clever slight-of-hand when it comes to the whole physical aspect of being a Twin.

Heck, it even comes in at a very manageable 15 kilograms, down from the original’s 32. This makes a lot of sense for any player, really, but consider this: while there are always new Fender players picking up the instrument, there are also a lot of older folks who still play – and as we get on a bit, it ain’t so easy to carry a heavy amp. So not only will roadies love this amp, but weekend warriors will too.

So what does a digital version of a Fender Twin sound like? Well, eerily similar to the real thing. Only an exceptional pair of ears would be able to tell the difference, although a side-by-side comparison reveals that the Tone Master version doesn’t need to be driven as hard to hit that sonic sweet spot. Twins aren’t designed to distort when they get loud, and while they will give you a bit of crunch, it’s more of a bright, angry clean tone rather than a full-on distortion or overdrive. The power scaling means you can achieve those classic sounds at much more reasonable volumes than you would need to get a tube Twin to do the same thing.

In true Fender fashion, it’s great with single coils, and if you’ve never plugged a Tele into a cranked Twin before – tube or digital – it’s a truly remarkable experience. Then again, vintage-output humbucking pickups and P- 90s sound phenomenal through this amp too, retaining their clarity and zing rather than getting all muffled out and compressed.

So what’s missing, apart from half the weight? Well, it might have been nice to include an effects loop in order to add some delay to the back of those sweet cranked-up tones. Otherwise, there’s really nothing missing. It’s a digital amp, but there’s no screen and that’s totally okay. It’s a Twin with no tubes, yet you probably wouldn’t know until you looked in the back. There’s no gigantic transformer weighing the amp down, and the speakers are more lightweight too.

In other words, Fender has found a way to use modern technology to take away the more troublesome things about owning an all-tube

Twin – and a way to sidestep the unattractive things about owning a digital amp, such as menu screens, and features that you can’t access without hitting a shift key.

THE BOTTOM LINE

If your budget, spinal health and mode of transport permit you to buy a regular tube Twin, then go for it – have yer fun. But the Tone Master Twin is more affordable and more manageable without losing anything in the translation.