Andrew Roberts, a guitarist and a regular contributor to Pro Audio Review, is a sound reinforcement and recording engineer. He is the owner and chief engineer of a multisystem sound company and a project studio.
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Given the current popularity of digital modeling guitar amps, it seemed logical that Fender would create its own amp with the genuine tones of legendary tube amps, plus the effects and flexibility of digital amp technology.
Enter the Cybertwin. Fender's remarkable new amp ($1,699) that uses digital processing (and good ole' analog processing via real tubes).
Features
The process, known as Virtual Tone Interpolation, was designed to recreate the overall character of an amp rather than take a snapshot like other modeling amps.
For example, imagine finding a clean sound from a classic tube combo like the Fender Bassman on a modeling amp. If you turn up the volume, you get that same clean sound, just louder. In reality however, if you turn up an actual Bassman, it gets grittier as the tubes are driven harder at higher volume.
The Cybertwin design team's credo "Innovate. Don't emulate." gives birth to an amp that changes topology and component values depending on the patch selected. It is more like taking a video of a classic amp rather than a snapshot.
Add to this design a fine complement of professional features - such as 205 preset locations, vacuum tube circuitry, MIDI control capability,on-board digital effects, compression, gating, motorized analog style control knobs, an effects loop and a SPDIF digital output - and you get what promises to be a powerful tool for the serious guitarist.
With 135 watts of power (two 65 watt power amps) and two Celestion G12T-100s, the Cybertwin can crank up the SPLs, but it weighs a very reasonable 55 pounds - considerably less than my old "Silver Face" Twin Reverb from the 1970s.
The Audition
As an owner of an all original 1964 Fender blackface Vibroverb (perhaps the "Holy Grail" of Fender amps), I was very curious to see what the Cybertwin had to offer with regards to classic Fender amp sounds. I also have a fair amount of experience using modeling amps, so I was curious to see how the Fender "stacks up" to other amps in the genre.
As soon as I powered it up, my love affair with this amp began! It immediately delivered stellar sounds, and they were easily adjustable in a way that guitarists will be familiar.
I dialed up the tweed Bassman patch and noticed how accurate it was.Like old Fender amps, the tone controls kill the volume when turned all the way down. I also noticed (and so did my neighbors) that this patch sounds great at high volume. Via the Cybertwin, my Strat delivered that dark, low-end punch and top end sparkle of Stevie Ray Vaughn's classic, "Lenny" Although real Bassmans are without reverb, the Cybertwin overcomes that shortcoming. With a click of the effects footswitch and a spin of the reverb knob, a brilliant reverb could be heard. With a tad of EQ tweaking, I had this patch sounding so good I didn't want to lose it. No problem, I just hit the "save" button and stored it in the "Player's Lounge" section. That is the benefit of an amp with memory.
I checked out other patches in the Cybertwin. The "Tremolux NP '55" has a beautiful tremolo effect on par with my Vibroverb, and the "Twin NP '59" patch brought back memories of my old Twin Reverb. I was enthralled with the "Texas Bar Room" patch - a great sparkly tone with a small reverb that had my Strat crying for chord work.
Then there was "No Name Streets," a slightly-muted patch with a strong echo at about 350ms and minimal repeats. This was perfect for getting that classic 1980s U2 sound.
There were a few patches on the Cybertwin that I did not like. "Smokin'," for example, elicited tons of noise and microphonic feedback squeals. In fact, several patches had significant amounts of noise that required the internal noise gate to be engaged. Once engaged, the noise gate brought the sounds within tolerable limits.
While the Cybertwin is very adept at recreating classic Fender amps and a number of other combos too, I could not dial in a "Marshall Stack" sound that I liked. I supposed there are some sounds that can't be modeled with the combo. Maybe a cabinet full of Celestion Greenbacks would make it closer. The new head version may be able to dial it in better with the accompanying closed-back combo speaker cabinet. Conclusion
I really enjoyed using the Cybertwin. It is another jewel in Fender's crown of fine amplifiers. With so many genuine amp sounds and powerful effects, this amp is a prime candidate for a working professional - live or in the studio.
The Cybertwin will even appeal to tube amp purists because the sounds are accurate enough that you don't have to lug your expensive vintage tube amps out on the road.
For more information, call Fender at 480-596-9690; or visit the web site at www.fender.com
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