Kenny Wayne Shepherd, left, playing in front of a Fender Twin.
The Fender Twin is an iconic tube amplifier famous for its distinctively bright and snappy tone. It is a 65-watt, 2-channel amp with two 12-inch speakers. Its tonal spectrum ranges from clean and punchy to dark and heavy. Despite the tonal sophistication of your Fender Twin, running a Roland VG88 into it will expand your tonal capabilities immensely. The Roland VG88 is a multi-effects processor that enables you to program and store up to 100 custom tones. For best results, hook it up in a way that complements your guitar and playing style.
Instructions
1. Put your Fender Twin into standby mode. This attenuates the flow of voltage to the tubes and disengages the speakers. The standby switch is on the rear of the amplifier, next to the power switch.
2. Turn the "Master" dial down to zero. This way, when you power up, any problems arising from broken cables do not cause an unexpected and loud noise. It is best to turn your amp on with the volume minimized, and then gradually increase the volume to your preferred level.
3. Connect the supplied power adapter to the back of the VG88.
4. Connect a 1/4-inch instrument cable to the "Guitar In" jack on the back of the VG88.
5. Connect the other end of the same cable to your guitar. To reduce the chances of the guitar cable slipping out if you step on it, loop it over your guitar strap. This provides tension relief.
6. Connect a second 1/4-inch instrument cable to the "Guitar Output L (MONO)" jack on the rear of the VG88. Although the Fender Twin has four inputs, they are not designed for simultaneous use, so use the mono output from the VG88 rather than the stereo output.
7. Attach the other end of the cable to your preferred input jack. The Fender Twin has two channels, each of which has two inputs. Input "1" for each channel is 6-db louder than input "2." Select channel "1" for a clean sound; use channel "2" if you wish to utilize the Fender Twin's on-board effects, which include vibrato and reverb. If you have a high-output guitar, such as a Gibson Les Paul, select any input. If you have a low-output guitar, such as a single-coil Fender Telecaster, take advantage of the 6-db boost by using input "1" on your preferred channel.
8. Turn the amplifier on and increase the "Master" dial to your preferred level. A level of "2" is perfectly adequate for bedroom playing.
Tags: Fender Twin, your preferred, your guitar, 4-inch instrument, 4-inch instrument cable, back VG88, back VG88 Connect
