[SOLVED!] Deluxe Reverb vs Twin Reverb: Achieve Your Perfect Tube Tone

Nowadays, Deluxe Reverb vs Twin Reverb presents a big dilemma for many music lovers around the globe. The strengths and weaknesses of the amplifiers allow one to outperform the other in specific settings. You like both amplifiers and cannot decide on which one to get? In that case, this article could help you out.

Deluxe Reverb Overview

This is a 22-watt Tube Combo amp that bleeds pure Fender tone with its four 12AX7s, two 12AT7s, two 6V6s, and a 5AR4 rectifier tube. One 12-inch speaker is capable of giving a nice finishing touch to achieve a full and crystalline tone that was heard in various studios, stages, and streets worldwide. Be it country, blues, or rock, this moderately powered amp is hard to beat.

Even the reissue version of the amp is still one of the coolest amps to produce that well-sought after vintage mid-‘60s sound. It comes with reverb and vibrato that are both tube-driven. For classic Fender clean tones, check out the Deluxe Reverb.

Twin Reverb Overview

Experience unmistakable vintage vibe with Twin Reverb Tube amp. It comes with an 85-watt AB763 quad-6L6 circuit, spring reverb and tremolo, 2×12-inch Jensen speakers, and more. No wonder Twin Reverb still offers that timeless legendary tube tone.

It’s a perfect reissue of the true American classic to achieve the Fender clean tone for fusion, jazz, blues, and more. Since 1963 along with the endorsement of the tone purist Eric Johnson, Twin Reverb offers a lot of clean headroom – perfect for concerts and stage performances.

Design & Specifications

There’s not much difference between the design of these two great tube amps. When it comes to appearance, they look identical. Both cabs are made of birch plywood with black textured vinyl covering. They have silver grille cloth with a black front panel. The handle too, both amps have Molded Plastic Strap with Nickel-Plated caps.

Both amps have two channels – normal (tremolo) and vibrato.

In the Deluxe Reverb, you’ll get volume, treble, and bass in the normal channel. In the vibrato channel, you’ll get additional reverb, speed, and intensity knobs.

For the Twin Reverb, the normal channel have controls for volume and 3-band EQ (treble, middle, and bass) – a great channel for running pedals. In the vibrato channel, you’ll get additional controls for reverb, speed, and intensity.

Check the specifications table below for the comparison of the Deluxe Reverb and the Twin Reverb.

	DELUXE REVERB	TWIN REVERB
Voltage	120V	120V
Wattage	22 Watts	85 Watts into 4 Ohms
Channels	Two – (Normal and Vibrato)	Two – (Normal and Vibrato)
Controls	Normal Channel: Volume, Treble, Bass; Vibrato Channel: Volume, Treble, Bass, Reverb; Vibrato: Speed, Intensity	Normal Channel: Bright Switch, Volume, Treble, Middle, Bass; Vibrato Channel: Bright Switch, Volume, Treble, Middle, Bass, Reverb; Vibrato: Speed, Intensity
Inputs	Four – (1/4″, Two Normal and Two Vibrato)	Four – (1/4″, Two Normal and Two Vibrato)
Effects		Reverb, Vibrato
Speaker Jack	Two 1/4″ Parallel (Internal and External)	Two 1/4″ Parallel (Internal and External)
Speakers	One – 12″ Jensen® C12K with Ceramic Magnet	Two – 12″ Jensen® C12K with Ceramic Magnets
Total Impedance	8 ohms	4 ohms
Preamp Tubes	4 x 12AX7, 2 X 12AT7	4 x 12AX7, 2 X 12AT7
Power Tubes	2 x 6V6	4 x 6L6
Rectifier	Tube (1 x 5AR4)	Solid State
Footswitch	2-Button Vintage Style (Reverb On/Off, Vibrato On/Off), P/N: 0994058000 (Included)	2-Button Vintage Style (Reverb On/Off, Vibrato On/Off), P/N: 0994058000 (Included)
Dimensions (L x W x H)	24.5 x 9.5 x 17.5 inches	26.5 x 10.375 x 19.87 inches
Weight	42 lbs.	64 lbs

However, if you take a closer look, the Deluxe Reverb is kind of smaller and lighter than the Twin Reverb.

Performance & Functionality

There’s no question that either of these two amps is great for recording at any venue. If you want to get an amp that can be used in your home studio, Deluxe Reverb could be a good choice. In addition, the Deluxe Reverb could also be your grab-and-go amp since it’s lighter and more compact.

Deluxe Reverb has only one speaker, while the Twin Reverb has two. This means, the latter could be very loud unless you really prefer to get very loud on practice. These tube amps are also great for pedals, but Deluxe Reverb is the perfect pedal platform since it handles drives and delays so well.

The Deluxe Reverb features pulsating tremolo and reverb that you can easily activate using the two-button footswitch available. Twin Reverb also features this footswitch allowing you to access tremolo and reverb independently.

Sound

If you want to record or to perform at gigs, it’s really a challenge to pick the best among the best. To get started, check out this YouTube video for a clear comparison between these two.

There has been a question across different forum sites about which is better to be used at home. While the Deluxe Reverb could be a good choice because it’s not as powerful as the Twin Reverb, you might still need to crank up the volume to 3.5.

Hence, technically none of the two can fit for home use. In the first place, you can’t just keep these wonderful amps at home. They are just too good to be kept to yourself.

Both tube amps are perfect for any style of music from jazz to rock and anything in between. Deluxe Reverb can easily be modified for better tone arrangement. Both Reverbs achieve clean sound, but Deluxe runs out of headroom and start to distort before Twin Reverb.

When you talk about loud, Twin Reverb is way too loud. The Deluxe offers the kind of sweet bluesy overdrive when you slowly increase the volume. However, Twin is the choice of many guitarists because it perfectly recreates the vibe of the legendary Fender tone.

Price

You can’t expect Fender amps to be cheap – cool stuff isn’t cheap, they say. However, between the two, the Twin Reverb is more expensive. This is a given since it has more features and more power. Depending on your preferences, you can still get wonderful perks from the less expensive Deluxe Reverb.

Pros & Cons

Deluxe Reverb

Pros

• Can be used at home, but still depends on preferences
• Lighter and more compact
• Still loud given that it’s rated 22 watts

Cons

• Quickly run out of headroom causing distortion
• No middle tone

Twin Reverb

Pros

• You can get nice Fender clean tones
• Perfect for recording and gigging
• Has larger headroom compared to Deluxe

Cons

• Kind of heavy to carry around
• On the expensive side

Conclusion

All cards have been laid. Now, it’s up to you to choose between Deluxe Reverb vs Twin Reverb. With proper settings in the tremolo and vibrato channels, you can achieve classic Fender tones of the greatest hits.

Depending on your preferences, you can choose either of these great Fender amps. Whether it’s for recording in studio or on stage, these Reverbs can bring your performance to a whole new level. They may be expensive, but they’re worth it.