What'd be a good OD for a 1968 Twin Reverb?

mandogrant · Jul 6, 2011

Is there something that will get me close to a Bluesbreaker tone out of a '68 twin? I don't like to use pedals but there's no way around it. I have smaller amps that I get great tones out of without pedals but I need an amp for the bigger gigs and I already have this Twin. Selling a vintage amp get reissue Bluesbreaker isn't something I want to do cause I know I'll regret it later.
Any suggestions?

27sauce · Jul 6, 2011

With the gain set low, the Zvex Box of Rock does a pretty good job. I've been using one with my silver face Vibrolux Reverb for 3 years now. Love the boost too.

lpnv59 · Jul 6, 2011

27sauce said:
With the gain set low, the Zvex Box of Rock does a pretty good job. I've been using one with my silver face Vibrolux Reverb for 3 years now. Love the boost too.

+1

My '68 Twin Rev is a different beast from my other vintage Fender combos. Its gotta be the SS rectifiier that makes it so quick & unforgiving, as opposed to the tube in my Vibrolux and Deluxe Reverbs which just naturally breathe and compress. My Zvex Box Of Rock seems to give the Twin some good Marshall type grunt along with the sag it inherently lacks. Moreso than any other OD pedal in my stash which includes a Timmy, Fulldrive2 and both Zendrives 1 & 2. I do like the Zendrives as well. But they don't come close to the Marshall thing.

mandogrant · Jul 9, 2011

I was thinking of something like a TS808 but a Box of Rock did just pop up for sale on the local craigslist. Any other options?

27sauce · Jul 9, 2011

A TS type OD would sound nothing like Bluesbreaker tone, IMO, and experience.

27sauce · Jul 10, 2011

lpnv59 said:
+1

My '68 Twin Rev is a different beast from my other vintage Fender combos. Its gotta be the SS rectifiier that makes it so quick & unforgiving, as opposed to the tube in my Vibrolux and Deluxe Reverbs which just naturally breathe and compress. My Zvex Box Of Rock seems to give the Twin some good Marshall type grunt along with the sag it inherently lacks. Moreso than any other OD pedal in my stash which includes a Timmy, Fulldrive2 and both Zendrives 1 & 2. I do like the Zendrives as well. But they don't come close to the Marshall thing.

FYI, in case you haven't tried...With their respective gains each on about 3, the BOR and Fulldrive combined sound pretty badass. I set the FD to the flat mid setting, and they compliment each other really well. total EQ spectrum.

mandogrant · Jul 10, 2011

So I checked out the BOR and liked it alot but I also tried Xotic BB preamp. Thoughts?

rufes · Jul 10, 2011

If you want Marshall tones out of a Fender I would recommend an old British Marshall Guv'nor or a Bluebreaker. I personally don't like the Xotic BB a lot.

riscado · Jul 10, 2011

Higher gain setting on an analogman king of tone... yield a marshallesque characteristic.

Stephens · Jul 10, 2011

I just pulled up the Box of Rock demo on youtube, very nice sounding pedal. I'm in a similar situation as you, I have a '66 BFSR that I have to crank to get some good crunch and overdrive. I've been looking in to various OD's for a while and the BOR sounds more natural than most others I have heard. And the boost option is very cool as well.

mandogrant · Jul 10, 2011

Cranking the Twin isn't an option. The clean sound is amazing but it doesn't break up till about 8 1/2 and even then it's not a usable sound.
I'm leaning toward the BOR because it sounds really nice when the guitar volume is rolled off as well as it's all out dirt sound. But I like the tone controls on the BB Preamp. so I'm still on the fence.
I checked out the Guv'nor an it didn't really do it for me.

1fastdog · Jul 11, 2011

British Ballbreaker pedal does a nice job.

Cottage · Jul 11, 2011

I would definitely suggest a Barber Direct Drive or one of their variants.

mandogrant · Jul 12, 2011

I found some clips of the BallBreaker on youtube and thought it sounded kinda flabby. I couldn't find anything on the Barber.

1fastdog · Jul 12, 2011

mandogrant said:
I found some clips of the BallBreaker on youtube and thought it sounded kinda flabby. I couldn't find anything on the Barber.

Good luck with the quest!:salude

sonar · Jul 12, 2011

Matching a 68 Twin with an OD or other low gain type pedal for "Bluesbreaker" tone at a reasonable volume level isn't going to work, imo. Not that I haven't tried (having owned a '69 with Oxford's and still owning an original '65 with Jensen's). The circuit matches better with Silicon Fuzz (Germanium tends to be a little harsh on most post '64 Fender's) and Distortion pedals (Ratt's, Dist +, DS-1's, etc.) which will get you anywhere from grind to girth, but still not the land of Marshall. I haven't played a BOR or OCD, but I'll assume they are part of the latter camp. I guess "Distortion Pedal" is a bad term nowadays?

The closest I've come to a Marshall tone on a BF circuit is with a Barber Direct Drive, but only on the smaller Fender amps and even that is a little too "pre-ampy" to be truly convincing. Let's just say that setup won't satisfy Marshall purists.

My view is to use and respect an amp like the Twin for what it can do and not for what it can't. Twin's can be great sounding, reliable and with effects maybe the most versatile Vintage platform, but they'll never be confused with a British sounding amp.

mandogrant · Jul 13, 2011

What about an MJM Dallas Boost? Anyone use one? Is a Boost going to make a Twin breakup or is just a waste of time on a super clean amp.

Triburst · Jul 17, 2011

If your Fender Twin takes pedals like my silverface Deluxe Reverb, I think you could get everything you want for less than $75 by building the "ITS8" kit from General Guitar Gadgets.

I built mine with the "mods" package they offer, and used the "larger" enclosure, because it was one of the first stompbox builds I've ever done. It makes a great, true bypass stompbox, and gives you 3 great analog distortion options in one box. You get a little toggle switch to change from one circuit to the next, and lots of options to try if you want to experiment (including the "holy grail" chip used in the original Tubescreamer 808's and others, as well as several different diode combinations). I just followed the instructions for the main two options, and it wasn't difficult to solder at all.

Though they're a little cute on what they are (obviously avoiding legal issues), you can find comparisons on YouTube and The Gear Page with this box and the real deals (which are a Keeley-modified Tubescreamer 808, and a Landgraaf Overdrive Distortion -- they call them the "famous-name-modified" and the "expensive boutique mods") and they are dead-on according to the posters.

To be clear, I don't have either of those boxes to compare, but am happy with mine. The switch for going between these options also has a middle position that drops the signature distortion diodes out of the circuit, and to me, it sounds a lot like a Big Muff Pi.

Anyway, with my Deluxe Reverb, I use the "Landgraaf" side for bluesy dirt, and the "Keeley" side for a mean "Marshall" sound. I highly recommend this stompbox.

Good luck on your search!

mandogrant · Jul 17, 2011

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I went with the Box of Rock. I'm really happy with it. The downside is that all this looking for the right pedal has made me realize how many great box's are out there and now I want a couple of others as well. I've got to have some self control or i'm gonna end up with a pedal board HaHa!

What'd be a good OD for a 1968 Twin Reverb?

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