In 1953, Fender launched an amp that
would become the industry standard
for decades to come: the Twin. Named
for its pair of 12" speakers, the Twin
evolved in looks and power output
through the 1950s. In 1955, it changed
from a wide-panel 25-watt amp to a
narrow-panel 50-watt amp. By 1958, the
tweed Twin reached 80 watts. This high-powered
version lasted until early 1960.
By 1960, most Fender amps were
upgraded to a new style of brown Tolex
covering with the control panel located
in the front. Initially, the Twin was abandoned
while Fender focused on the new
Vibrasonic, which contained a single 15"
speaker. A brown Tolex Twin was shown
in a June 1960 Down Beat magazine
insert, but actual examples in this color
are extremely rare.
By 1961, the white Tolex Twin was
released. It shared the color scheme
of the new “piggyback” series (amp
heads paired with separate matching
cabinets). This Twin had four 5881
power tubes putting out 80 watts like
the ’50s version, but added the vibrato
channel used by most Fender amps at
the time. The amp’s grille cloth had a
dark maroon color from ’61 to ’62, and
a wheat color from ’62 to ’63. Blonde
Tolex Twins like the one shown here
were discontinued in 1963, when the
black Tolex Twin Reverb became the
most ubiquitous combo amp of all time.
(Also pictured this month are a 1965
Olympic White Fender Jaguar and a
1964 Fender Reverb unit.)
More detailed information on Fender
amps can be found in
Fender Amps:
The First Fifty Years by John Teagle and
John Sprung, and in The Soul of Tone
by Tom Wheeler.
Dave's Guitar Shop
Daves Rogers’ collection is tended to by
Laun Braithwaite and Tim Mullally
Photos and words by Tim Mullally
Dave’s collection is on display at:
Dave's Guitar Shop
1227 Third Street South
La Crosse, WI 54601
davesguitar.com