Fender Twin Red Knob (The Twin)
Model/Circuit Number:
Years of Production: 1987 – 1994
Era: Red Knob
Configuration: Combo
Controls: Black, forward facing w/ white labels, controls numbered 1 – 10
Knobs: Red or Black (90-94) Unnumbered
Schematics
Faceplate
- Front: Vol, Treb/Boost, Mid/Cut, Bass – Ch 1 In, Ch 1 In – Ch 2 In, Ch 2 In – Gain, Treb/Boost, Mid/Boost, Bass/Boost, Presense/Notch, Vol/Channel, Reverb Select Sw, Reverb – Hi-Lo Power Sw, Standby Sw, Power Sw, Pilot Lamp
- Rear: Fuse (4A), Effect Out, Effect In, Power Amp Thru, Loop Level Sw, Output Bias Adj, Output Balance Adj, Foot Sw, XLR Line Out, Ex Speaker Series, Ex Speaker Parallel, Impedance Sw
Cabinet
- Dimensions: 22 x 26 x 12
- Hardware: Large Chassis Straps 5 5/8”
- Handle: Black Strap Handle
- Feet: Glides
- Corners: Corner Protectors
Covering Material
- Tolex/Tweed: Black Tolex, Snakeskin, White Snakeskin, and Red Cobra
- Grill Cloth: Dark Gray Grill Cloth
Logo: Chrome & black script
Weight: 77 lbs.
Speaker
- Size: 2 x 12
- Impedance: 16 ohms (Two 8 ohm speakers wired in series)
- Model: 8 ohm Eminence Made Fender Special Design Blue Label Speakers (For more info, check out the Jensen Replacement Speakers)
Effects: Reverb, Channel switching, Effects Loop
~Watts: Low: 25 Watts, Hi: 100 Watts
Tubes
- Pre amp: 5 x 12 AX7, 2 x 12AT7
- Power: 4 x 6L6
Bias: Fixed w/ bias/balance adjust pot
Rectifier: Solid State
Comments:
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Wondering if anyone can tell a few things about this amp. Is this one of Rivera’s designs? Are the control knobs, ceramic tube pods, transformers etc chassis mounted or are they mounted direct to the boards? I have an opportunity to purchase this amp and would greatly appreciated input from anyone who knows this information for sure.
Very late I know but for reference, they are all chassis mounted.
I have owned one for several years now and used it often. I also own a Marshal JCM900 half stack and a Mesa Boogie Mark IIB. It’s tough to beat the Marshall but the Twin is easier to move around (casters) and works more gigs for me. I really have enjoyed it.
I’m trying to find out what the value of a resistor is the big square one where the power chord comes in mine burnt out , any help be great , there’s nothing marked on the resistor thanks
I don’t see a square one, but there is a ceramic rectangular resistor, 1.2K ohm 3W on the power supply board. I’m looking at a 1993 model.
Bought a new red knob 27 years ago and it has survived many gigs. As for performance and sound it is delightful
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i just picked up a 25 year old Fender Red Knob Twin amp and absolutely love it. It’s incredible and versatile. I’m now selling my year old Hot Rod Deluxe lll and my Deville lll . They are just noise compared to this amplifier.
I finally found a machine good enough for my es 175 at high volumes! This amp is great!
The amp weighs about a ton.The sound is brutal and (somehow) very interesting. I bought it for gigs (battered,old) but transportation is a disaster.
It’s very heavy. A freaking boulder. The clean channel is a dream and the dirty channel clips so nicely and it capable of some great overdrive. Mine buzzes when the drive and or treble is set higher than it wants to be. Pretty annoying especially since I ironically used this “Evil Twin” beast in church for 11 years.
I’ll never sell it although I’m looking at a 68 reissue Deluxe Reverb or a Vox AC 15 at the moment for most gigging which are both about half the weight.
Actually very heavy, but as my guitar guru said: “when you plug you will say: oh well, God exists! Any other solution may be lighter or more comfortable but it’s not a twin”
Mine used to be so loud..I couldn’t turn it past 1 on the volume or the neighbors freaked…!
That’s a 1. So I put in hte garage for about 3 years. Finally I really missed it, I got my forklift out and brought it in the house…jopking…the casters make it ok to move but if you have to lift it…you better be stout! So I plugger it in and it’s got problems. I live about 1 or 2 miles from the ocean and the tubes seem to have green corrosion on the sockets and tube pins. Now it just whispers on 10. It’s so heavy, I’m looking for a mobile amp tech but as we all know…good techs are prima donnas if you aren’t famous. So I”ll get my drummer friend next door and see if he can heft it…he’s a working man. So…I’ll say this, if it is ir was good enough for Tommy Emanuelle it’s good enough for anybody.
I snatched a ’94 black knob one for 350€ two years ago.
If you look up some info on this amp, there are some things you will read a lot.
1: It’s heavy.
This is true, very damn true. Carrying this around is possible, but it hurts not only your hands because of the strap+weight, but also your legs, because it crashes into them all the time. Casters work but I don’t trust them on uneven floors. Longest I had to carry it was around 100m, I was 17 at that time. It felt like hell, and when I had to carry it back drunk, it felt more like the amp was carrying me. It IS indestructible though. Still using the original valves, no sounds when turning the knobs, no loud idle noise.
2: It’s loud.
This is also true. I never needed to use 100W mode (you can switch between 25/100). Clean mode can be tamed if you turn the knob VERY carefully. Mine are a bit stiff, but you can probably change that if you clean the potentiometers. Second channel is a bit harder to set to your desired volume. If one day I am the only person alive in this world, I might be able to turn it up to 4.
3: Clean channel is good, second channel is ok.
I would say: Clean channel is great, second channel is fine.
You can easily get some “Johnny Marr sounds” out of this amp. I have used the amp sims on my GT100 for a while and kind of forgot about my amp. At some point, I randomly decided to play without the effects unit, and I was shocked. Playing on this, if set up right, feels great, and now I don’t practice to get better, but so I can enjoy the sound of my guitar. That said, it is versatile (note the ability to use both channels at the same time), and it CAN sound great, but you can also make this sound like a guitar plugged right into a pair of 10€ desktop speakers.
Second channel is even more versatile. You can get all kinds of sounds from this, but I rarely turn the gain over 5. Below that, you can get some great “clean-but-not-completely-clean” sounds up to hard rock. If you want a metal sound you should probably get a pedal for that, on most of my guitars I can not distinguish the single notes when I play a chord if I turn it up too much. That said, this is still a Fender, and this probably does much more than most Fenders.
If you like great price-performance, versatility, durability and don’t mind the weight or reputation, this is a great, great amp.
Perfect for Volvo drivers, actually.
How do I switch mine between 25/100 watts. I know I have to remove two tubes, but don’t know which inches. Also would I need to have it re-biased?
Hi EvilTwin. To switch between 25/100 watts R.M.S. is a simple matter of flipping the switch on the front. It’s another awesome feature of the world’s most underrated amp! You can remove the two inner tubes as described to reduce the power further. You are then running in “Low Power Mode”, which means the switch toggles between 15/60 watts R.M.S. You need to remember to change the impedance switch to 4 ohms because you are using half the number of tubes.
I do love the power though. I too find it difficult to find a very low at-home volume, but I love the power live. I have never met a room I could not fill using this amp, and it sounds amazing at high volumes. For the users here, high volume will be about 3! 🙂
Actually that should be 8 ohms on the impedance switch for 16 ohm speaker load – my apologies!
You can remove tubes 1 and 4 (outside) or 2 and 3 (inside). I did and I can turn it up past 3 now. Sounds great. Just be sure to check ohms and bias/balance after. I would recommend bringing it to a tech if this is your first time
This amp kicks ass
Does anyone know how to accurately date these bad boys? The serial numbers don’t correspond with any available Fender resources.
I used to have a job lugging Fender Twins up two flights of floors – in the Middle of August in Houston.
Not a job for the faint hearted!!
Lol at last comment. I’m in Alvin, (30 min) south of Houston, and it’s August. I’ve got one on layaway atm. Got a Custom vibrolux reverb and a broke red knob champ. So I know about the quality of the jacks. Anyone pull half of the power tubes? Does it improve the volume situation? It would be a cheaper retube.
I have the black knob The Twin it is the answer to all the needs of my amplification ,my amp is carpet with normal Fender metallic silver cloth ! It has channels and reverbs and in/out capabilities due to the addition of both a separate gain channel and a switchable overdrive on the clean, in 1987. It featured a dual output switch, allowing the user to select either 25 watts or 100 watts of output. The Twin was designed for maximum versatility for live or studio use with features like speaker jacks with selectable impedance, Low-z/XLR output, a “Power Amp Thru” feature that bypassed the preamp circuit and a buffered effects loop. Both clean and overdrive channels could be activated simultaneously and reverb could be turned on/off for each channel. Earlier Twin Reverb amps were known among musicians to be best suited for loud, “clean” tones. The “Red Knob Twin” was made until 1994; During 1994 it was slghtly modified and the knobs were changed from red to black, keeping the same
Hey all.. I own a snake skin THE TWIN, with black knobs. I’m thinking it’s a 1994. I have a question regarding these amps. Were there any other changes made to these “THE TWIN” , other than the knob color? I toured a pair of these back in the 90’s and love them. This one has just been gone over by a great tech here in Tampa, and is sounding incredible. Any info regarding any aspect of these amps, would be great.. Thanks…
Actually; the Snakeskin/White Snakeskin/Red Cobra tolex models were Limited Editions available in 1989.
I have a Red-Knob version, and it’s way too much for me. Anybody looking for one of these?
Mark,
I have had my eye on one of these for a while if you still have it.
thanks,
oliver
Oliver: I own one with ‘red knobs’ in mint (exceptional) condition. Will you be interested? I want only $700 for it. It has the original pedal, user manual and cover. In my opinion, this is one of the best Fender made amplifiers ever. It is underrated by persons who never used them. But, it is heavy!…
Please contact me if you have an interest in this amp.
I have a Twin Red Knob for about two years now. It has been at the repair shop for about 20 months. He says he cant get the pots to repair it from fender any more because it is manufacture discontinued. If anyone knows any thing about where to get 25k and 50k pots for the red knob please help me.
Why are they being replaced? I rarely ran into a pot that couldn’t be refurbished, most techs just want to replace them, why, I have no idea. There are cleaners on the market that rarely fail in fixing any pot issue. Just be cautious if it’s a crap Marshal, they use pots that can disintegrate with some sprays and unless the know pulls off easy I would stop, the shaft will come out with the knob breaking the rotor in half. Done.
Hi, all. I have a Red Knob that I love. It’s very versatile, very loud, and VERY heavy! I’ve had it for many years and it’s served me well but it’s time to down-size if anyone is interested. Located in central Texas.
I used to have an Evil twin red knob. In a flight case. It fitted into the car but was a four man lift. Now the car’s suspension has gone. Along with my back. So I now have the red knob Super 60 valve amp. 1×12 half the watts just as loud and clean. But 2/3 the weight and same quality build and sound. Perfect. I would recommend the Super 60 if you value your bones.
I have a red knob twin. Thinking of wiring two ten inch speakers (4 ohms ea.) as an extension cab. How should I wire these speakers and which ohm setting should I use on the amp? Thanks, jim
What a great amp. The clean channel can get close to a blackface, but can honk too. The drive channel is very versatile with broad ranging tone controls – maybe too broad, leading folks to over-correct and bypass the sweet spots, especially with the SIX pull-push pots. The speakers supplied are ok, favoring the clean channel. With the right speakers, The drive channel really stands out. It is quite loud – removing two tubes as described in the manual, and flipping the 1/4 power switch reduces this 100W beast to a more manageable 12W workhorse.
“Red Knob” Twins have their place. Some good comments above. Nice clean sound, overdrive will not suit the taste of many. Reverb works well, no tremolo.
I own a backline company and keep two, primarily for Steve Cropper. It is his amp of choice, at least for backline requests.
Just fired them up to be sure they are good for him, going out this weekend.
Mark
Backline Nashville
BacklineNashville.com
Nice list of stuff! Always liked Cropper and Robben Ford – both Red Knob Twin users. I’m enjoying mine. Very versatile amp, but misunderstood, due to the wide ranging tone controls. Most folks sweep from extreme to extreme in the first five minutes, and draw a premature conclusion.
I love this amp as much as the next guy. it sounds great. it blows eardrums. tone breaks up nicely . I must sell tho as im getting older and find myself not booking gigs because i dont want to lug this thing around. if anyone is looking, mine is in good working condition. i paid $550 a couple years ago. id let it go for $500 obo. Kind of hard to find.
Just got the black knob. The trick is to put a Sonic Stomp in the effects loop to adjust the tone of the second channel for more bass. Use an Xotic BB preamp pedal for drive with the gain turned down and get a good crunch sound out of that channel.
I’ve had a red knob twin for many years after trying out a borrowed unit. Yes, pulling out 2 tubes and using the low power setting is necessary if you’re not performing at Boston Gardens. Very versatile, quality amp. Reverb is outstanding as is the flexibility of the gain channel which will give you lots of mids and highs if you want them. There is one slight circuit difference in the clean channel compared to Black Face twins. The Red Knob has pre-boosted mids. You can defeat that by pulling the Mid knob out, then the channel matches a Black Face twin. I don’t like the boosted mid so I’m going to remove it from the circuit board and put other circuit modification that will be switched on by pulling the Mid knob.
Any one know what resistor is needed to replace the big carbon one next to where the power cord enters ? Nothing marked on the one in mine
Oliver: I own one with ‘red knobs’ in mint (exceptional) condition. Will you be interested? I want only $700 for it. It has the original pedal, user manual and cover. In my opinion, this is one of the best Fender made amplifiers ever. It is underrated by persons who never used them. But, it is heavy!…
Please contact me if you have an interest in this amp.
Bought a new red knob 27 years ago and it has survived many gigs. As for performance and sound it is delightful
Can anyone give me the reverb tank number? My red knob’s tank is missing and I’ld like to replace it.
I toured with my 1988 white snake skin with black knobs “TheTwin’ back in the late 80’s and early 90’s. I recently broke it out of it’s road case and discovered that it had many huge issues. I took it to a very experienced amp guru who has worked with some very prominent bands in Canada. He did a complete overhaul of the unit and brought it back it’s glorious sound! (I think it cost me more than the amp was worth!!) oh well……
Love this amp.
I’ve had this beast for over ten years now and it was my first fender and first decent tube amp…so fun to play around with the pull boost and i have an imprint in my head of those great little red knobs… so cool and original for me i will never part with it ( it has broken again though, but only half broken…still can use the clean channel). I have pulled tubes and always run it in low output- 12 or 15 watts. Now that is cool! I bypass the shitty speakers and plug it into my Carvin vintage 16( 5 watt) that has an Eminence Red Coat ‘the honker’. Nice and tight now. In the future i will yank the amp out and discard all that dead weight. If you find one, overhaul it with one set of power tubes and change to one speaker only…man those red knobs really wanna be pulled right off and walk around with me in my pockets all day…strange how things can grow on ya, eh!
P.S. One good thing about all that beastly weight is that it is not likely to ever be stolen from my country house ( where i leave it unattended…no locks on the doors…)
Just got mine back from a tune up. Caps replaced, all NOS tubes – its like a new amp. Sustain and saturation at low volumes are now possible on the lead channel. And the clean channel sparkles.
I’ve had my “The Twin” for many years but as it is mainly a bedroom amp at the moment I thought I’d try (as the manual says) taking out the middle two power tubes. Yes, it still works and yes it is now a bit easier to find a comfortable volume level. This amp is still an amazing piece of kit but now doesn’t scare off the cat so easily.
This amp has been my right arm for many years. It is damn heavy, but I call it 80lbs of tone. 🙂 I don’t take it on the road much as I do a lot of fly dates but play a lot with it locally and regionally. I have used everything under the sun for backline, but every time I get home and plug this thing in it feels like home. Lots of power and I love that I can plug any guitar into it and I feel like the character of the guitar is the feature. I run a pretty neutral sound and I use stomps for dirt for the most part.
I pulled both the center tubes out and leave it at the 100W setting. To my ears the lower power settings don’t make it less loud (It is loud af) it just seems to saturate earlier. The trick for me was to use both channels at the same time. There is an input that blends both channels which works great for me. I run the dirtier channel just before breakup and if I need it a bit cleaner, I just dial out Ch 2 or turn up ch 1.
Highly recommend.
I’ve had a Red Knob still have a mint Blk Knob. I worked for a music store and noticed when Fender bought Sunn and started putting Fender logo’s on their pa boards etc. Pretty sure the same happened with this amp, I’ve seen an identical Sunn amp. I think this explains the tone difference as your traditional Fender Twins where cleaner sounding. I happen to like both but the old ones/current traditional design more for clean and pedals, while the The Twin can stand on its own with a decent clean and overdrive. Kinda neat with the 2 channel separate in parallel choice; or the 2 in series drive.
Proud owner of a Red Knob and I love it! Got MIne for 400€ in a not so pristine condition, but it plays perfectly!
Actually missing a couple knobs. Does anyone knows where to find a replacement, or even better, replace them all with black knobs? Do they match?
I have this amp and had since new – I used to be able to lift it!!
Not a chance in hell of lifting it now!
Anyone know what they are worth now?
Thanks in advance
Russ
. I bought my Red Knob “The Twin” new in December of 1990.. I used it for guitar for many years but it never saw much outside the house use..So since about 2006,, I’ve been using it for pedal steel guitar on occasion, but was never happy with the sound of it with the 2×12″ Fender special design speakers in it…So,recently , for something different,, I temporarily hooked up this amp to a 15″ Fender Special .Design Eminence 4 ohm speaker that resides in my Fender Steel King amp…Well that was IT !!.. The sound I’ve been looking for , for years..Nothing beats the sound of a tube amp with a 15″ speaker for pedal steel guitar.So now,, The red knob Twin has a single 15″ Fender speaker in it replacing the 2×12’s..This makes this amp the equivilant of the Fender ’65 Custom 15 they used to make years ago..I had to modify the cabinet to take the 15″ speaker, but I don’t ever plan to sell it now, so it’s a keeper for life… This amp has never let me down, and with an occasional checkup and normal tube replacement,is probably the best amp I’ve ever owned in my 60 years of playing..It IS heavy though, but I’ve modified a dolly to help move it..It’s the only amp I’ll ever need for pedal steel guitar,, and guitar as well..It’s 31 years old and still chugging along..
Hello, I am looking for a user manual in PDF. can you help me? Thank you
I bought a red knob model a couple months ago from a literal antique store. I have no idea when it was made and just looked at a few forums before making the decision to purchase. Bought it right after my roommate got a brand new 65 reissue Twin Reverb and was really happy with how the red knob compared. Unfortunately I didn’t notice the wear and tear on it until it wore and tore. During a gig ~3 weeks after purchase, 3 out of 4 input jacks popped out and I was unable to continue.
My amp doctor told me that the part was very old and the the orientation of the amp + the cable put stress on it, causing it to break off. He gave me some advice that could be helpful for users of this amp:
String your cable through your amp’s handle to create some slack while playing.
When setting up for a gig, get your amp set up in your preferred spot and then wheel it back a couple inches. Explanation: the casters under the amp make it forward-heavy when it is set up normally. This can lead to problems down the road, so orient them backwards just enough to make it not forward-heavy (or just take the casters off!).
For storage: If you ever need to lay the amp down for whatever reason (mine was so it could fit in my car), lay it on its back. The knobs, while very pretty, stick out more than the face of the amp. Last thing you want is to drag your 80-lb amp’s face across your trunk, lift it, break a sweat, and then find a few missing/broken knobs!
I would say that regardless of the touchups and extra attention to detail, this amp is amazing. It allows me to cut through the mix and gives me so much versatility over my tone. So many push-pull knobs to mess around with!
I’ve owned one for 35 years and most of the pros and cons have already been covered. Very heavy, very loud, very versatile, and very underrated. It has been the amp of voice for Charlie Musselwhite (you can see it in the background of the jam session in Blues Brothers II and at all of his performances) and was also for Robben Ford in addition to his Dumble amps. It can develop a static sound at times which is mysteriously intermittent.