Fender Super Twin
Years of Production: 1975 – 1976
Era:
Configuration: Combo
Controls: Black, forward facing w/ white labels
Knobs: Black skirted w/ chrome center, numbered 1 – 10 (EQ knobs numbered -5 to +5)
Schematics
Faceplate
- Front: Power Sw, Standby Sw, Pilot Lamp – In, In, Vol, Treb, Mid, Bass, Presense, Bright Sw – 2300 Hz, 1250 Hz, 485 Hz, 235 Hz, 100 Hz – Distortion, Output Level
- Rear:
Cabinet
- Dimensions: 20 x 26 x 10½
- Hardware: Large Chassis Straps 5 5/8”
- Handle: Black Strap
- Feet: Casters
- Corners: Corner Protectors
Covering Material
- Tolex/Tweed: Black Tolex
- Grill Cloth: Black acoustic foam cloth with white trim
Logo: Grill mounted, raised, chrome & black script
Weight: 95 lbs.
Speaker
- Size: 2 x 12
- Impedance: 4 ohms
- Model: Oxford, Utah, CTS(For more info, check out the Jensen Replacement Speakers)
Effects: Active EQ, Distortion
~Watts: 180 watts
Tubes
- Pre amp: 2 x 7025
- Power: 6 c 6L6
Bias: Fixed with Bias Pot.
Rectifier: Solid State
Comments: Active EQ: 12AU7
Terrible Ted Nugent used these amps into a showman or bassman cab. These buggers are L-O-U-D!!!! And that’s about it. The master volume sounds like ass. I own a non-reverb version of this amp. The RCA 6L6s in it (SIX of them!) are worth about 5x what the amp alone is worth.. Lol. One interesting aspect of the circuit is that the e.q. is parametric, not graphic.
yeah i’ve got the non reverb and it took me a while to adjust the sound. I was thinking to let a tech put in a rectifier tube and maybe a switch system to turn on 2,then 4,then 6 tubes if it’s possible.
You are better off with the solid state rect as the currents for SIX 6L6s would need at least 3 GZ 34 types (expensive and HOT!). To switch the tubes off in pairs, is simple using mosfet cathode switches controlled by 12v dc – this can provide for LED indicators to show 2, 4 or 6 tubes (or better still, low med or high). You only need to switch off 2 pairs, as one pair will be in circuit at all times.
You can have separate switches with it’s associated LED over it OR a rotary selector to do the same job. Not that a LED showing the low condition will be on at all times, you are simply adding extra pairs to this ‘normal’ pair. The mosfet types are IRF 680 and are fitted from the cathodes of each pair to ground. Mosfets switch dc very well and are ideal for this application. I have built 4 heavy amplifiers for customers with this very feature. very good for tube life – 6 6L6s burning away for a smallish gig or practice is cutting tube life drastically. IF you have Kevin O’Connor’s book The Ultimate Tone there is a simple circuit in there.
Good luck! Stratman (John)
They are graphic, not parametric. Parametric controls not just the boost/cut of a certain frequency (which this amp does), but also the frequency set-point and the band-width (which this amp DOES NOT do). If this were a parametric there would be 12 additional knobs. Why 12 when there are only 5 graphic EQ knobs? Well, the Presence knob is actually the uppermost section of the EQ circuit, just located over on the tone control section (not actually part of the tone circuit as are the Bass/Middle/Treble). Don’t know why they did this since a true Presence control actually adjust the amount of negative feedback from the output transformer…
Thanks for your insightful reply. Helps me understand what’s going on with my vintage Fenders (1962 6g6B Bassman and 1979 Princeton non-reverb which I disconnected the negative feedback and found it became AWESOME)
I can’t seem to get the distortion on mine to work. It has the Jack for a foot pedal. Is that the problem? Do I have to have the foot switch?
Yes I think you do need the foot switch. Which is a single (1 button) switch.
I don’t remember the distortion knob (dial) having an off/on at pisition ‘1’.
I bought mine in ‘78 from Harry Landis music store on Liverpool st Sydney.
$750 …on special it was! Gave me blood-blisters carrying it around.
Heavy m/fr. 95lbs it says. I think they swapped the valves on me when I bought it.
Had to take it back a couple of times with hissing/ crackly valves.
If anyone knows what causes that i’ld really appreciate knowing.
Thanks Mitchell
This amp takes a beating on reviews it seems. Okay, it is loud. There are more controls (more ways to shoot yourself in the foot). The guy that designed it has his own amp company now Rivera. True, some Fenders are better than others. This is NOT a bad amp though. If you can’t get a good sound out of it, you probably don’t know what your doing anyway.
Pros: Takes pedals well, good clean sound, EQ section is praise-worthy.
Cons: No reverb, all Twins are heavy.
“The guy that designed it has his own amp company now Rivera.”
Actually, the ST and STR were both designed by Ed Jahns, not Paul Rivera. Rivera didn’t have charge of amp design until 1982.
Does anyone out there have a EQ knob for one of these? A splined one, not the set screw one for a PS 300. Let me know about it, CDO.
Yes, I had one of these. I believe I left it at Chuck Levins one day, while I was loading a 50W Marshall half stack into the back of my dads Olds Cutlass.
Not by mistake.
It did have a place where it was pretty good, but it required a trip to the next county to listen to it. The Marshall, on the other hand, was simple, rugged, and lighter, and could be played in clubs instead of stadiums…
Hey, i am very hopeless in a question of external outputs. Somewhere i ve read that some fender twins of late 70ties/early 80ties have some internal switch so while you plug 2cabs into both speaker outputs than total impedance changes to 8-ohm. So you can connect two 4-ohm cabinets. Dont you know where is the truth please??
Hey, I use a ST (build into a only head-version) for bass amplification. With the active-EQ Section realy nice Amp.
But can somebody tell ma what means the “TWIN”? He only have one channel i guess.
Can somebody explain?
Andy, it is a twin because it had twin speakers.
I have one of these and used it for a decade playing all over the southeast. Yes it is heavy. But I hooked to a Music Man 212 reflex cabinet with green backs in it.
It had amazing clean sound and plenty of it. I used a lot of pedals and it makes any tone you want that way. The Greenbacks gave is some real character. I now use it with my Pod 500. It does not fight the simulation the way most amps do. I use it with the POD through several amp switchers and combo it with a KOCH and a Marshall. The blends are amazing. The clean is there on top of the overdrive and compression.
What sold me was seeing “Mother’s Finest” in concert. Their guitarist had dozens of them stacked up behind him. It was impressive!
Currently evaluating one for a client. The amp was delivered in non-working condition.
Most of the electrolytic caps are original. They are 40 years old and beginning to rupture. Also the majority of the carbon comp resistors on the output tube sockets measure out of specification (a couple don’t measure at all).
I was able to take voltage measurements without the tubes in place just to verify that the power transformer was OK. The amp uses a unique design for this function. It is an ultra-linear model, much more common in high-end home audio than in instrument amplification. It performed within tolerance, but without a load applied this is not a conclusive test. By the way, there are a couple of unusual tubes in the preamp section; one is a triple triode!
With the amp unplugged and the caps drained, the output transformer was tested with a multimeter on DC Ohms. It showed even impedance between the center tap and the plate feeds. Again, no load, so no conclusion to draw.
Waiting for notification that my estimate has been accepted.
I bought two of these, about 2 years ago, chopped cabs with heads only. One was actually a Super Twin Reverb, which I sold. The one I kept was the ’75 model. I have been using it as a bass head, for the past two years. This thing sounds AMAZING! as a bass amp. However, I play mostly small/medium clubs, so I’ve never had to turn the volume past 3.5/4. Once, right after I got it, I plugged it into my Bag end 4×10, and cranked it to 7. I knocked a photo off the wall, no joke. I can’t imagine this thing being very practical, as a guitar amp. The hassle of lugging the full cab around, would have outweighed (no pun intended) the necessity for this much power. IMO
I have the non-reverb 1975 model with the RCA tubes in it and 180 Watts. I understand why this amp gets negative reviews, but I absolutely love mine. I love it mostly because it doesn’t sound like other amplifiers. When the Bass Middle and Treble are all on 5, and the eq is leveled flat at 0 all the way across I turn the presence to 0, and the output to 10, and the bright switch on or off (I use it both ways). At this setting the amp is still extremely bass heavy, but it is a clear bass and doesn’t disrupt my other tones. We all have different tastes in what tones and sounds we like, and this amp is my absolute favorite for rocking out! It’s not super clean and bright, it gives off a crap ton of bass and at volume 4 or 5, and it can start to shake the house apart! I love it because it’s a monster, a dirty loud monster. I have yet to find another amp that can produce a sound like it does. One of the local guitar players that I grew up listening to heard me play last year, and I played only using on a low-end traditional Les Paul $899, with standard 490r 498t pickups, a Soul Food pedal(electro harmonics), and my 1975 Supertwin. After I finished playing he came up to me gave me a hug and complimented me on how good I sounded. Some of the other guitar players that were at the show came up and asked if they could check out my guitar and amplifier, and were amazed to find out that it was a cheap Les Paul and a fender supertwin. Proof is in the pudding. Giving an opinion based on how you think something sounds is fine, we are all entitled to our bias. When I’m at home playing through my Fender Super Twin I get into a musical zone where I’ll lose 6 hours of my Saturday just playing my guitar. My advise is to find gear that does this for you. For me, it’s my 1975 Fender Super Twin.
I managed to acquire a Fender Super Twin chassis that was mounted in a wooden cabinet for a Blackface Fender Bassman, it only cost me Au$300.00, my Super Twin looks different to the one pictured at the top of this webpage but the front-panel is same as per the descriptions, looking at doing some restoration work on it so I can use it as a gigging amp, it has six STR6L6 tubes installed, and I’m going to be ordering a full set of new preamp tubes for it soon, also planning on either building or buying a speaker cab for it, was thinking of going with a 4 X 10 cab if possible.
Hey Stratman/John,
A buddy of mine is something of a tube amp expert. I have a Super Twin (which I just acquired). I mentioned your “limiting pairs of 6L6s” idea – in which pairs are turned off or on. My friend, let’s call him “G”, told me that “unloading tubes from the circuit upsets the output load and load matching to the speakers”. I am essentially electronically illiterate so I am trying to get a handle on what exactly would be needed to improve my Super Twin and make it more versatile. Perhaps I can still persuade my buddy or another amp expert to undertake the modification of the sort you describe. Is it possible to get more details? If the amp becomes quieter and more versatile than… Thanks!! – Clint
I the (very) early 1980s I was in a band with a guy who used a super twin as a keyboard amp – with his main instrument being a Roland Jupiter 4, which is a beast of a thing, in a good way. A truly monster sound, and the amp could not be killed with a stick, even with the bass cranking.
One problem with this amp is the tube complement. Unfortunately a compactron tube type 6C10 is used in the circuit. This tube is no longer in production and costs somewhere about $80 to $130 NOS each. If you can get your mits on a pair of them, your are probably good for 10 years or so, if not. for grt about it
Nice to see I’m not the only noodle that has one of these Godzilla Amps, in the 1970’s it was a must to have as was/is my Rhodes 73 Stage, which I bought at the same time.
Left the amp overnight in my car in Calgary in 30C below and when I took it into the gig and turned it on all I heard was crack crack crack crack crack crack crack crack, , the frozen tubes cracking from thermal shock. DUH on my part.
Have got new tubes since then of course and one new speaker, cost over a thousand to do that.
Sure glad I kept it. My amp looks pretty good, way better than the one displayed here, I am glad I ordered the covers for it when I bought the amp and Rhodes. Has really helped keep them from getting damaged, although the ‘Rhodes’ insignia on the keys is kind of scraped because the cover didn’t cover it, and the thing being so heavy it was sometimes dragged. The amp is pretty pristine looking.
Don’t know where the negative reviews are coming from, every lead-guitar player that has ever played with it has wanted to steal it from me, they LOVE it. So glad I still have it and never sold it !
I think the negative remarks are just some people that are maybe jealous (they’re lot more rare than the Super Twin’s with the reverb).
Most of the negative remarks are I am guessing coming from people that have never actually owned one, or simply don’t know what the f–k they’re doing.
Will be taking mine to a jam later this week, I run a chorus pedal with the Rhodes, sounds great.
People don’t believe the sound, and I can’t believe I have had this heavy f—–g thing for over 40 years, I will be turning sixty in October. CRAZY !
Best regards,
Mac the Hack Attack from Medicine Hat, Canada
ps nice website you have
I’ve had one of these for over a week now and I have to say this this is great.
I read these reviews before getting it and was very cautious about it, but after plugging in all that went away.
I’ve never had a fender amp but I use vox ac30s and a Marshall Vintage Modern. The fender sounds exactly like I want it to. Chimney and crystal clear. The distortion is very bad but pedals work amazingly.
I have the non reverb model. I’m running a Gibson Les Paul signature t into a TC electronics G Major 2 into the amp. That sounds fantastic.
Give this amp a shot if you can find one. Very interesting amp with a lot of character.
I have the non -reverb version in a head only format. This thing is absolutely amazing!!! I honestly don’t really understand the negative reviews. Yes, the distortion circuit is bad but other than that this amp is phenomenal. I actually play Jazz with it. Yes, Jazz. I basically connect a JHS Alpine Reverb in-front of the pre-amp (No FX loop on this one) and WOW!! it really is an incredible amp. I’m glad I have it.
Yes I think you do need the foot switch. Which is a single (1 button) switch.
I don’t remember the distortion knob (dial) having an off/on at pisition ‘1’.
I bought mine in ‘78 from Harry Landis music store on Liverpool st Sydney.
$750 …on special it was! Gave me blood-blisters carrying it around.
Heavy m/fr. 95lbs it says. I think they swapped the valves on me when I bought it.
Had to take it back a couple of times with hissing/ crackly valves.
If anyone knows what causes that i’ld really appreciate knowing.
Thanks Mitchell
Just got a working super twin chassis this week. It is the reverb version but like I said it’s only the chassis right now. I plan to install it in an empty bandmaster head and build a 4 ohm cab for it. I have all six 6l6 and all the preamp tubes. I currently have an 8 ohm cab. If I remove two of the power tubes, shouldnt it be good to go with the 8 ohm cab until I complete the 4 ohm build?
Being a huge Ted Nugent fan I always wanted one of these. Close as I could come was a 45 watt Super Reverb.
30 years later I have a 120 watt Orange solid state on a 4by12 Marshall cab. Good enough for now but the 12 year old in my head still wants to destroy the planet Double Live Gonzo style!
I have the reverb model. It is a beast of clean tone. I am 64 now and not about to take it out everywhere…I have been relocating and renovating a new home and the amp has been sitting for few years. Fired it up today and forgot how loud it can be haha…turned to 4 and felt my pants dance standing next to it. Getting some crackling on lower notes and a bit of a solid hum though. Going to have to bring it in to someone. Speakers are fine. It may be some caps or even tubes that are crapping out. If it’s the 6L6s I have some extras I will try. Ironically I have a studio in my new place and that is what I am going to use it for. I can be in the next room and get that clean rich tone with or without pedals as I also tend to reamp things during mixes. It also has a dual FSW for DIst and EQ and a third switch jack for Verb. On the dual switch itself there is a slide switch for higher and lower output. Wish I could say it quiets down some. I can’t remember now. I have been playing through a Victoria Regal II for the past few years and it will be nice to have more options once I get things setup. I get that without going ballistic volumes it’s hard to break up this amp but I will never use it for that. I have smaller amps to do that. Even the Victoria even though it’s a 15 inch. For rich bottomy rhythms though and for pedals I look forward to using the beast again.
I had a super twin that got so hot,the reverb cable plugged into the amp use to short out because the inner wire use to burn through to the shield and the reverb woud stop working!I forget what I did to stop from doing it.
I have a 1977 super twin. It has some mods. I don’t know what. I run it with two tubes. It has tone for days, harmonic overtones and all that. It gets a rowdy tone with all the extra equalizer knobs on the right turned most of the way up. With the extra eq I can really control where I sit in the mix. More so than with a equalizer pedal. If I’m using hum buckers and its too thick I back off one the eq’s and its almost like a single coil. Tweak another knob and it gets a half cocked wah pedal sound. I can get clean tones as well. I don’t really use the distortion knob….it sounds weird, but cool still. I can get distortion without it. If I want it louder I add two more tubes. But its loud with two tubes. Loud enough to keep up with another guitar and a semi loud drummer and a big bass cab. Id say this is the tastiest amp I’ve ever had. It was cheap too. They have some bad reviews out there but this one sounds like the best amp in the world!