hey fellas, a few months ago I bought a Princeton RI and I'm absolutely tickled about it.
However, down in the basement when the band is rocking out, my fender evil twin has started to sputter and crack.
I've owned it for over a decade and it may be time for it to be retired.
So the question is...
how are the Twin RI's and what's the going rate? Anyone know of any deals? Horror stories? Adulation?
They're OK if you don't have a real Twin to compare them with. The speakers are awful, but they blow out almost immediately. A new pair of C12N's is a huge improvement. In other words, they're OK for a modern amp with miniature caps and resistors mounted on a wave-soldered PC board that's layed out like a DVD player or digital answering machine.
All this and "more" for around $800.00 at the MF Clearance Center in KC last week.
They had a couple for that price.
i know their slapped together like a cell phone with a 12 inch speaker, but i can't afford to go vintage and i can't afford to go boutique.
so i guess the real question is...
Is there something out there that sounds like an old twin, that will be durable, for under a G?
i also wish i was in KC still...
Why not grab a silverface Showman or Dual Showman and run it through a modern cab? You could grab the head for $500 to $700, get a loaded cab from Avatar Cabinets and be sitting at or under a grand.
And be very happy.
And be very happy with point-to-point wiring and a ridiculous amount of headroom.
I second that. Any Fender made before 1980 is better than anything they've made since.
And I'll third it. I have both a Showman Reverb and a Dual Showman Reverb, and I loves 'em both muchly.
Being that I am a sucker for 15" speakers, I daresay that I also have a newish Twin Reverb Custom 15, and I like it a lot and fearlessly recommend it, even though I also agree with BZ's assertion above; but it does come up a hair or two short when compared side-by-side with my Showman Reverb. (Nothing compares to the Dual Showman Reverb.)
Buddy, you might also consider taking that Evil Twin in to a top-flight amp guy for an overhaul. I take all my oldies to Pete Cage here in the Baltimore area, and they come out of his shop ready to rock for years on end. The good amp guys cost a lot, but they do the work right -- no crackpot mods or workarounds, everything solid and back to factory specification. I've never had to take an amp back to Pete. You want a guy like him on your contact list!
These old Fender amps -- they'll outlive us if we take care of them.
Paul/FF909
thanks paul...I've already had the twin serviced, by a few different techs, and they all have the same complaint.
The evil twin has serious design flaws and the circuit board resembles a pastry.
I'm going to look into the showman reverb. I've just been playing a twin so long, it just seems like sacrilege to think of another amp...hmmmm
Hey Buddy - Recently, I've been using an Allesandro Working Dog Rottweiler amp. It's been compared to a Deluxe Reverb in various reviews. It doesn't have the lush Fender reverb, but it's light (35#), powerful (40W), and has very clean tone. You can find them used from $700-$1000.
I'd also recommend searching for that pre-1980 SF Fender amp.
A seventies twin will often go for on par with a reissue twin. Just keep your eyes peeled.
Hey Billy Z, tell us how you really feel! Don't sugar coat it. 
I have an awesome 68 twin. I got it for $200.00
I see silver panels all the time for 500 to 800. Just remember as long as the iron (transformers) is good anything else can be fixed or replaced.
I own a RI Twin and it's the worst amp I've played through. I keep it at the warehouse and it's fine for that but I've never heard an amp so narrow. The reverb is real dry and it weighs a ton, other than that it's great. Since I did such a good job describing it, it's for sale and then I can get JB's HPBJ.
Make me an offer, any offer and if we're both lucky UPS will destroy it.
Was that the one you got from Phil Hartman?
Yep and lets just say that amp covers are GOOD things.
man....this whole endeavor just got a lot longer, i figured, I've played a twin for ten years or so, so just pick up a new one...sheesh. I'll be lookin
I was not a fan of the RI Twin when I tried it. Heavy and loud, but with not much warmth at all; a very cold and shrill sounding amp. I have seen silverface Twins and Supers for sale around here a LOT, for a comparable price and a much better assembled amp. Mind you, I don't exactly live in a part of the country that's a vintage gear haven, so if I seem them alot around here, I've got to think they are prevalent in a lot of other places.
My experience playing RI Twins is the same as yours, stjohn. Best sounding one I've heard was the blonde (40th Anniv?) with the Eminence-made gold label Fender-branded speakers.
If you like your Twin, Buddy, I think you'd love a Showman Reverb! These guys got your answer. 
BuddyMercury said: I'm going to look into the showman reverb. I've just been playing a twin so long, it just seems like sacrilege to think of another amp...Don't feel bad - from what I understand, the Showman is just a Twin in head form, or very nearly that. So you're really not that far from your wheelhouse.
Plus, Dual Showmans are synonymous with Dick Dale, and that's some very good company to be in. 
Know anyone who likes to tinker with amps or perhaps an electrician? If so, hand your Evil Twin over to them. They can rip out the original guts and rewire it into anything you want. I'm sure Twin Reverb schematics are easy to find on the Googles. If they're a capable electrician or someone who digs amps, you could have a rebuilt twin for a decent price.
For the record, these two are on eBay right now...
I'm in no way vouching for either of these, and I don't know them from Adam, but if you're not opposed to buying sight unseen/unplayed, they're worth a look.
Gotta be mindful of that Showman Reverb -- someone added a master volume control and "blackface components" (the Showman Reverbs were early silverfaces, probably had very little different in them from blackfaces, though I'm no expert on that). Who knows what other improvements a guy with a soldering iron in his garage who thinks he's smarter than Fender's engineers came up with. 
The previous owner of my Showman Reverb had mods installed by a fellow who had worked on the Allman Brothers amps... and what a tangled web did he weave: some manner of goofy half-power switching that required two switches, a few safety-scary jury-rigs, one or two generally bad ideas, and a pound of superfluous wiring.
So much for that celebrity endorsement.
Pete pretty much had to rebuild that 'un from the reverb bag up.
Ty: seeing Dick Dale with his bank of Dual Showmans was what put me on them. Chuck Berry has also been known to favor them.
Paul/FF909
well, after much hemmin and hawin, my wife suggested a super reverb...and my eyes almost popped out.
Didn't know you were married, Buddy. Sheesh! You lucky dog!
Hell .... now ya'll got me thinkin I need te get rid of my DRRI and pick up an Old Fender Super Reverb or something.
