Fender Custom Shop amps

[salem]

Hi. I'm looking at the Custom Shop amps, specifically the '57 Twin Reissue, about $2,000. The CS amps have "point to point" wiring and pine cabinets according to the Fender literature.

I currently own an '87 Fender Twin and love the sound. I wonder if the CS Fender amps are extremely reliable and built like tanks. The point to point wiring is supposedly more reliable than circuit boards, aren't they?

Does anyone own a Fender CS amp? Any user opinions?

[ArnieZ]

Salem,

The Fender Custom Shop amps are nice amps. I don't know if their components, transformers etc are of the same quality as the boutique amps. PTP wiring is easier to work on (repair) than circuit boards, but not automatically more reliable. There are some excellent circuit board amps available. The 57 Twin reissue is a "tweed" and won't sound like your 87. There are a lot of great amps you can buy for 2k. Time to go out and try some. If you like Fender blackface tone you might want to check out a Fargem Blackbird. Victoria makes very nice old Fender clones as well, and Rivera makes nice channel switching amps that cop Fender and Marshall tones. For 2k you will get a great amp you just have to decide which one floats your boat!

ArnieZ

[edgar_allan_poe]

The PTP vs Circuit Board thing is really misleading. If the board is high quality then they are reliable...if the PTP isn't done well, it isn't reliable. You have variables that keep the argument from ever being set in stone. One thing that *is* set in stone is this...for the most part, PTP amps are easier to fix should something go wrong.

The Fender CS amps can be very good, but IMHO, there are tons of builders out there who are better and cheaper.

If you are looking for a PTP Twin I am sure one of the many bOOteek builders can get you there for 2K. If you are in a hurry, then Fender is probably your best bet. But if you can wait, contact one of the many builders, and get the amp made to *your* specs. When I did this, it was one of the most rewarding musical experiences I have ever had. I used Ben Fargen, and he delivered the amp of my dreams. I haven't looked back since.

http://www.fargenamps.com/products.html

A single channel Fargen Bordeaux, voiced like a Twin would absolutely smoke. If you do contact Ben, tell him that Rob Tennant from Pittsburgh sent you.

[BadgerDave]

The Fender CS '57 "low-power" Twin is an incredibly nice amp. I acquired one in a trade with a fellow HFCer just before the last MWJ in Chicago. In my opinion, it is the best sounding Fender amp I have ever played. That’s pretty high praise considering that it shares space in my basement with a ’62 Princeton, a ’66 Vibrolux Reverb and a ’67 Deluxe Reverb.

The twin sounds more “blackface” than tweed, though you can get into tweed territory by pulling one of the two rectifier tubes. The controls are simple and the signal path is unobstructed by reverb or tremolo circuits. The cabinet is finger-jointed pine, the speakers are Ted Weber designed Eminence models that sound like old Jensens minus the harsh top end, and the circuitry is a work of art. IMO, Fender flat out-built the boutique guys on this one. The quality is there in spades, everything from components to workmanship to design. The tone is there, too. Big, woody, and full with much more clean headroom than my Vibrolux. The transition into overdrive is gradual, predictable and without any surprising changes in the fundamental tone. The amp loves outboard distortion and OD pedals and works particularly well with my Fulldrive II. It also sounds very good with a Holy Grail reverb pedal and exceptional with an outboard tube reverb unit. As you can probably tell, I’m very pleased with this amp.

I see that Dave’s recently raised the prices on these from $1,700.00 to $2,000.00. MSRP is $3,000.00. That’s a ton of money for a 40 watt amp, but still reasonable when you consider the prices Vox and Marshall charge for their handwired models. I’ve seen near mint used ones sell in the $1,400.00 to $1,500.00 range in eBay.

[bobsessed]

I was able to get my Tone-Master head and 412 cab, new, in '96 for $1500. I was at Guitar Center the same day and found a new, (demo) 212 cab for $300. So far it's the best $1800 I ever spent....-Bob-