CyberTwin?

[Dick Seacup]

The other threads (What are we using? and Line 6) got me thinking...

 

Has anyone spent some quality time with a Fender CyberTwin? I wonder what those are like.

[fxdx99]

A friend of mine has one.  It's a good concept and sounds pretty good at most settings.  His stays in his studio and doesn't move around for gigging.  I suppose the thing I keep thinking is 'what happens when this breaks'?  It hasn't mind you, it just seems really complicated with all of it's moving parts.  You've seen the amps I use - I like the 50/60s 'less is more' approach and prefer one amp that does a sound really well and another amp for the next sound.  Like the idea of one that does it all, although I don't think I'd ever get comfortable using the cyber for gigging.  And while it emulates the sounds pretty well, it doesn't 'nail' them.  He also has one of the best princeton reverbs I've heard and that amp's luscious tones in comparison are much nicer.

[SouthpawGuy]

I have had one since about 2004/2005. I don't gig anymore so it's only for home use. I bought it used in dead mint condition for about half price (they were about 2,500 euro at the time).

 

Like Randy says it emulates a lot of sounds very well, once you get the hang of it it is fairly easy to operate.

For a quick blast it is very good, and loud, but it is also very playable at extremely low volumes. It has a headphone socket also for late night practicing.

 

It does have a few drawbacks ...

 

It doesn't like pedals much at all, also without a foot controller it is kinda awkward to change patches.

The onboard effects combinations are limited to preset choices so you can't combine particular effects.

A lot of guitars tend to sound the same through it, it certainly doesn't bring out the tone of any of my semi hollows.

When I use it I seem to spend more time fiddling with parameters than actually playing.

[TheRecordFable]

I used to own the original and it was a great studio amp but did not cut through a live mix.

It was lost somewhere between the bass and bass drum :undecided:

I went to a Super Sonic and did not like the early break up and now I'm back with my USA made Hot Rod De Ville.

It's a strong and useful component to my sound. 

[Lockingnut]

I used one for a few years, I couldn't get past the digital sound. I even tried by-passing the output stage by cabling over to a real tube amp, still didn't sound right (at least to my ears). It was hard to give up because having nearly all the effects you'd ever want overboard is real attractive. Today I have tube amps but not the effects, wish they'd finally make something with both. Line6 came close when they merged with Boger to make that one amp, I can't remember it's name. The output section is EL34, about everything upwind of that is Line6ish. I tip my hat to those 2 companies for trying something innovative. My ears are too sensitive, it still sounds too digital.

[yoslate]

I have no desire to make music with a "cyber" anything....

[smurph1]

I have not ever used a Cyber-Twin, but used a Line 6 Flextone for many years and found it very useful..Especially the floorboard, which gave me access to everthing on the fly..I don't have it any more because I traded it in to get my 140..I now use a Blues Jr, but some days I still miss that Flextone. I'm not doing any hard rock now, so it's really not needed..

[GuitArtMan]

I used one for a few years, I couldn't get past the digital sound. I even tried by-passing the output stage by cabling over to a real tube amp, still didn't sound right (at least to my ears). It was hard to give up because having nearly all the effects you'd ever want overboard is real attractive. Today I have tube amps but not the effects, wish they'd finally make something with both. Line6 came close when they merged with Boger to make that one amp, I can't remember it's name. The output section is EL34, about everything upwind of that is Line6ish. I tip my hat to those 2 companies for trying something innovative. My ears are too sensitive, it still sounds too digital.

???

The Cyber Twin has a tube pre-amp and a tube power amp; it just has digitial effects.

[Dick Seacup]

I have no desire to make music with a "cyber" anything....

 

Oh, no, Rob! How unfortunate, as "Le Haich Un Cent Sevent avec Ton Suceur Grand" will only submit to being played through solid state amplifiers! It told me that the inferior materials, build quality, appointments and, of course, that big ol' hunk of cast metal on its face only truly shine when played through equally sub-standard circuitry. Something about the "zen" of the entire package or, uh, ummm, something. It was deep into a bottle of beaujolais nouveau at the time this was revealed to me, though, so perhaps it is gross exaggeration.

 

[yoslate]

Oh, no, Rob! How unfortunate, as "Le Haich Un Cent Sevent avec Ton Suceur Grand" will only submit to being played through solid state amplifiers! It told me that the inferior materials, build quality, appointments and, of course, that big ol' hunk of cast metal on its face only truly shine when played through equally sub-standard circuitry. Something about the "zen" of the entire package or, uh, ummm, something. It was deep into a bottle of beaujolais nouveau at the time this was revealed to me, though, so perhaps it is gross exaggeration.

 

 

 

!Zut alors! So I'll bring a Cube 60! And tell the Cent Sevent...rather have a free full bottle in fronta me than a full pre-frontal lobotomy!

[backline]

I scored a used Cyber-Deluxe last year for cheap, but it didn't have any pedals so I just played around with it at home.

 

I once played the Cyber-Twin at a store when they were first out. At the time I was into small tweeds (still am but don't have any).

I was very impressed when I dialed up the '49 Champ setting, added some reverb, and realized how loud it would go (Champs are just not pant-leg flappers). I thought that was way cool.

 

When Richie Fliegler went with Fender and developed the Cyber-Twin it was their flagship, but it didn't sell. Buddy Guy endorsed it initially (naturally: he's an exclusive Fender endorser), but pretty soon I think he went back to his RI Bassman rig.

 

The Cyber-Deluxe I had was lots of fun, and I think I could have gigged it alright for the sounds I liked, but either the four-button footswitch they ship with Cyber amps, or the optional foot-controller would have made the decision to gig it easier. As I had no such controls, and didn't feel like hunting one down, I never realized the amp's potential (except at home).

 

I also thought the speaker didn't seem to help it out much. Kinda muddy maybe.

 

In the final analysis (for me) I think the Cyber-Deluxe was the one I'd want because it's much lighter than the Cyber-Twin.

 

FMIC support was good though, I was able to download the manual online and print it out.

 

It did a lot of sounds, but I never really found say, a quintessential jazz tone or anything. The processing was great, but maybe the amp part was just mediocre?

 

I might reacquire it and play with an alternate speaker or something. It's cool, just not astounding in any particular catagory except for over the top processed wild stuff.

 

The Cyber-Deluxe and Cyber-Twin may accel at "tweed" amp sounds because they weren't all that crispy and Hi-Fi in their own day anyway.

 

I tried a Cyber_Champ once too, but it doesn't have the 12AX7 in the pre-amp and I thought it sounded nasty. Very SS sounding to my ears. The bigger ones are better.

[SouthpawGuy]

I have the original version, and as far as I am aware the preamp is tube but the power amp is solid state.

 

If anything there are too many options with it. When I plug into it I just keep fiddling with the controls, sort of a "the grass is greener scenario".

 

I had an Ultimate Chorus before the Cyber Twin, in fact I traded it for the Cyber. Now that amp had a seriously good clean tone and was massively loud and clean at the same time.

[Neanderthal]

I had one for about a year. It emulated other Fender amps amazingly well. I never could coax a good hard rock or metal tone from it though. Kinda had that nasally digital "aftertaste" to it. Sweet amp all-in-all; I could see myself with a used one down the road.

[Wolfi]

The other threads (What are we using? and Line 6) got me thinking...

 

Has anyone spent some quality time with a Fender CyberTwin? I wonder what those are like.

 

 

I visited the Steve Winwood concert today and Steve himself and his guitar player were both using a cyber twin.

 

Let's say, the sound was ok for what they are doing. Especially the clean sounds were quite good. The distorted sounds were not more than average.

 

I checked out the first version of the cyber twin and this one was a let down. I heard the newer version is far better and I heard that Neal Schon was using two cyber twins for gigs.

 

It's not my cup of tea.