“The high-powered Twin of 1958 … arguably became the world’s most formidable guitar amp.” -- Guitar Player Magazine

This rare beast is a late 1950s, high-power (80 watts) tweed Fender Twin amplifier that sounds absolutely magnificent. It’s the most-desired and rare 5F8-A circuit, coveted by guitarists like Joe Bonamassa, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, and David Gilmour.

The serial number is A-00102. There is a stamp inside the chassis which looks like ID (I = 1959; D = April).

The highly-valued transformers are the originals (7933 power; 45268 output; and 14684 choke), but when I picked it up in April, it was a bit of a mess -- a perfect candidate for my "Restore and Release" mantra. Extensive restoration was performed on this piece by Fender amp specialist Dave Boze (Grand Blanc, Michigan) using many NOS parts he had on hand. I have a PDF document detailing his work that I can send serious buyers.

The cabinet, a beautiful replica made by Armadillo Amp Works, absolutely nails the late 50s narrow-panel Twin design. It included the tube chart and four chrome glides (feet). The leather handle is a seriously sturdy piece made by Industrial Amps out of Pennsylvania. The Fender Twin-Amp badge above the grill cloth is the original.

The speakers are a pair of white Weber Chicago 8-ohm alnicos; basically 60-watt P12Ns (and, man, do they ever get THAT tone). I toyed with the idea of a pair of vintage (organ-pull) Jensen P12Ns, which would’ve been what the amp came with originally, but they were prone to blowing back in the day and most certainly would now if they still had their original cones. These Webers go for that same tone but are far more robust.

The glass features a quartet of matched vintage Tung-Sol 5881 power tubes (Made in the U.S.A.); a GZ34 rectifier; two vintage 12AX7s; and a NOS GE 12AY7. The amp runs super quiet -- and it can get super loud! It weighs 63 lbs. and dimensions are 26” wide x 20” high x 10.5” deep.

Currently, there are 13 of the 1958-59 tweed Twins for sale on Reverb, ranging in price from $11,000-$31,000. These prices don't include state sales tax and shipping.

So, yeah, they’re pricey because they’re rare and nothing sounds like them!

My asking price is $10,000 with free shipping. If you think it’s worth less, convince me; I’m a reasonable man. But understand that mine is in tip-top, fighting shape; fresh from the tech. IT. NEEDS. NOTHING.

I've been doing this for close to 50 years. It'll be shipped in three separate boxes: one for the chassis; one for the speakers; and one for the cabinet. BUT ... you need to be adept at putting it all back together. This is not the amp you want to learn on!
If I don’t sell it, I’ll keep it in backline for festivals I book. I can’t imagine any guitarist complaining about seeing a vintage tweed Twin on stage.

FYI: Spinal Tap’s Marshall amps go to 11; these Twins go to 12!

The short demo video is from a 6/10/26 concert I booked featuring Downriver Dan Kalicki at The AMP in downtown Brighton, Michigan.

Thanks for looking!

“Today, the famous 5F8 series Fender Twin amps, with their warmth of tone and rich rock & roll harmonic edge, command the highest price of any Fender amp ever built.” -- Wikipedia