Fender '57 Custom Twin-Amp - Amplifier Manual

'57 Custom Twin-Amp™

With its dual 12" speakers, the aptly named Fender Twin-Amp of the 1950s became an industry standard for good reason. Exceptionally powerful for its time, this superlative amplifier filled dance halls and barrooms with warm, rich guitar tone, and many of today's top rock, blues and country guitarists still depend on the tube-powered, tweed-covered Twin-Amp to deliver their signature sounds onstage.

The '57 Custom Twin-Amp continues that legacy, with all-tube handwired circuitry and premium components. It faithfully recreates the tones of the original classic 5E8-A design, delivering 40 watts of robust output power. Two all-new Special Design 12" alnico speakers by Eminence® are voiced for tough yet incredibly sensitive and versatile response, and new reverse-engineered '50s vintage "Yellow" tone capacitors add subtly nuanced tonal magic. Along with custom transformers, internal bias control for easy substitution of various 6L6 power tube types, Bright and Normal channels, finger-joined solid pine cabinet, lacquered tweed covering and more, the result is a richly rewarding amplifier experience that's pure Fender.

The '57 Custom Twin-Amp's harmonically rich clean tones are perfect for recreating classic guitar styles, but today's pedal board enthusiast will also find an ideal tonal canvas for creating new sounds. And with the volume cranked, the naturally touch-sensitive overdrive tone is simply electrifying.

Register your '57 Custom Twin-Amp online at www.fender.com/productregistration.

Control Panel

1. FUSE: Provides electrical over-current protection. With power disconnected, replace a blown fuse only with one of the type and rating specified below the fuse holder.
2. POWER SWITCH: Turns amp on and off. Both the POWER and STANDBY (C) switches must be on for audible output.
3. STANDBY SWITCH: Disables speaker output while power is on. To extend tube life, leave switch in STANDBY position for first 60 seconds after turning POWER (B) on. Instead of turning amp off during short breaks, set switch to STANDBY position to further extend tube life and to avoid tube-warmup delay when resuming play.
4. POWER JEWEL: Illuminates while amplifier is on.
5. PRESENCE: Ultra-high frequency tone control adds greater high-end sparkle.
6. BASS: Tone control for lower frequencies.
7. TREBLE: Tone control for higher frequencies.
8. VOLUME BRIGHT: Controls volume level of both bright channel inputs (J).
9. VOLUME NORMAL: Controls volume level of both normal channel inputs (K).
10. BRIGHT INPUTS: These two inputs accentuate high-mid and treble frequencies. Bright input 1 produces full sensitivity; Bright input 2 has lower sensitivity (-6dB) for cleaner response with high-output and pre-amplified instruments.
11. NORMAL INPUTS: These two inputs provide regular frequency response. Normal input 1 produces full sensitivity; Normal input 2 has lower sensitivity (-6dB) for cleaner response with high output and pre-amplified instruments.

Chassis Rear View

Rear panel, tube cage, preamp tube shields and other parts removed for illustration.

12. POWER CORD: Connect to a grounded outlet in accordance with the voltage and frequency specifications noted on the amplifier information label, which is located inside the cabinet on the left when viewing from the rear.
13. RECTIFIER TUBES: Dual 5U4 rectifier tubes convert AC voltage from the amplifier's power transformer into DC voltage required by the power (N) and preamp tubes (P). These should be replaced only with identical rectifier tubes or those of comparable rating and quality. If preferred, one rectifier tube may be removed for a dirtier blues tone.
14. POWER TUBES: Dual 6L6 power tubes drive the power section of the amplifier, and are matched and rated for high output. These should only be replaced with identical power tubes or those of comparable rating and quality.
15. SPEAKER OUTPUT JACK: The '57 Custom Twin-Amp's two internal speakers connect in parallel to this single jack. Alternately, the internal speakers can be disconnected to allow use of an external 4-ohm speaker cabinet (40 watts minimum). To prevent damage to the amplifier, one of these two configurations must be connected when power is on.
16. PREAMP TUBES: Four preamp tubes drive the preamp section of the amplifier. These consist of two high-gain 12AX7 preamp tubes, and two 12AY7 preamp tubes for original-era lower-gain tone for both the Bright and Normal channels. Alternately, two more 12AX7 preamp tubes can be substituted for the two 12AY7 tubes to achieve higher gain.
    Note: For extra shielding against electrical hum, two custom-made 1950s-spec steel tube shields are installed on the first two preamp tubes (V1 and V2).

Specifications

TYPE: PR 614

POWER:
Requirements: 270 watts
Output: 40 watts RMS into 4Ω @ 5%THD, 1kHz

INPUT IMPEDANCE:
1 MΩ (Bright input 1, Normal input 1)
136 kΩ (Bright input 2, Normal input 2)

SPEAKERS: Two 12" Fender Special Design alnico by Eminence® (8Ω, PN 7708599000)

TUBES :
One pair 6L6 (power, PN 0059778200)
Two 12AX7 (preamp, PN 0070228000, 0013341400)
Two 12AY7 (preamp, PN 7708740000)
Two 5U4 (rectifier, PN 0030031000)

FUSE:
F3A L 250V (100V-120V models)
F1.6A L 250V (220V-240V models)

ACCESSORIES: Deluxe fitted cover (included, PN 7708614000)

DIMENSIONS:
Width: 24.5" (62.2 cm)
Height: 20.5" (52.1 cm)
Depth: 10.88" (27.6 cm)

WEIGHT: 56 lbs. (25.5 kg)

Product specifications subject to change without notice.

PART NUMBERS

'57 Custom Twin-Amp

8140500100 (120V, 60Hz) US
8140501100 (110V, 60Hz) TW
8140503100 (240V, 50Hz) AU
8140504100 (230V, 50Hz) UK
8140505100 (220V, 50Hz) ARG
8140506100 (230V, 50Hz) EU
8140507100 (100V, 50/60Hz) JP
8140508100 (220V, 50Hz) CN
8140509100 (220V, 60Hz) ROK
8140513100 (240V, 50Hz) MA

For questions and troubleshooting, contact a Fender specialist at:
1-800-856-9801 (U.S. toll free)
1-480-596-7195 (International)

Documents / Resources

Download manual

Here you can download full pdf version of manual, it may contain additional safety instructions, warranty information, FCC rules, etc.

Download Fender '57 Custom Twin-Amp - Amplifier Manual