Seymour Duncan SFX-03 Twin Tube Classic™
A couple months ago, after two decades of playing through my Peavey Bandit 65, I was suddenly no longer satisfied with solid state performance. I had to have that tube amp sound.
The internal monologue went something like this: “I’d like to buy a new music-related product to improve my set-up, add to my collection and provide a dose of inspiration. Hmm, I’ve had the same solid state amp for a while. Maybe a tube amp? Yeah, maybe a tube amp. TOtally, a tube amp. OMFG, I need a TUBE AMP!”
So, I went shopping for tube amps. (I am nothing if not open to the obvious). I narrowed my search down to a few models, but was not ready to pull the trigger. A Guitar Center employee working the counter suggested a less expensive alternative for obtaining that tube amp sound: the Twin Tube Classic stomp pedal. I grabbed the pedal, not just because the reviews on Harmony Central (inconveniently parsed here and here), Musician’s Friend and Guitar Center were overwhelmingly positive. And not just because it was entertaining to watch “accessories counter guy” cannibalize sales at the expense of “amp department dude.” Rather, as is often the case, I grabbed the pedal simply because GC has a 30-day return policy. (The day GC discontinues that policy is the day I take my business elsewhere. Price may be a driving factor in gear-buying, but there is no replacing the confidence of walking out of a store with something you can return if it simply fails to scratch the right itch. Moreover, difficulty of return is one factor that I think is contributing to the dramatic slow-down in internet sales, even though a recent New York Times article doesn’t highlight that factor. But I digress . . . ).
Even through the aging circuits of my Bandit, the twin tube classic gave off pleasing, nasty, organic distortion. The pedal provides a “Rhythm” and “Lead” channel, both with independent volume and gain control , as well as a true by-pass. Importantly, as the May, 2006 Guitar Player review cited by Seymour Duncan’s site explains: “It is also notable that the tubes drive the SFX-03’s entire signal path, instead of simply functioning as clipping diodes, as is the case with several other ‘tube’ overdrive pedals.”
The unit itself is rock-solid inside a burnt-orange casing. It easily withstood the spirited stomping by my 5-year-old nephew, much to his dismay and my relief.
Here’s how Seymour Duncan describes their product:
The SFX-03 is a two channel guitar preamp employing premium subminiature type 6021 vacuum tubes. The 6021 is manufactured to meet the stringent MIL-E-1 specification for reliability and is optimized to provide long service life under conditions of severe shock, vibration, high temperature and high altitude. The tubes are configured with a high voltage power supply for maximum dynamic range. True bypass capabilities are provided to allow uncolored feed-through.
Finally, for those tube amp purists who made it this far into the review without murmuring “if you want tube amp sound, buy a tube amp, genius” and clicking elsewhere in digust, I did eventually add to my lineup a Fender Blues Jr. (the tweed version with Jensen speaker, not the stock version). The break-up from the Blues Jr. is rewarding without any pre-amp improvement, so I certainly could have returned the twin tube classic. However, I found that the sound generated when I added the SFX-03 in front (especially through the Lead channel) made the pedal a keeper.
Sphere: Related Contentguitarblog @ June 18, 2007
Hi there,
Ive been thinking about buying this pedal for a while because im looking for that vintage tube amp sound. I have a soild state amp - a Roland Cube 60 watt.
Do you think im likely to get good results useing this amp with the twin tube classic?
thanks!
Matt
I can’t say for sure because I’ve only used it with my Fender Blues Jr. tube amp, but I would think that the very purpose of the pedal is to delivery tube amp sound through solid state amps. Maybe check out Harmony Central for reviews and see if someone is using it with a solid state. It is not a cheap pedal, in either price or construction. You may want to bring it home and give it a try, if your local store has a return policy.
i bought the twin tube classic yesterday at guitar center. i play blues harp, bass (epiphone viola) and guitar (alvarez jumbo and fender strat) in a duo and solo. about a year ago i got rid of all my amps (kalamazoo and peavey classic 30 and my solid state bass amp) and decided to run everything through a p.a. system with jbl eon 10s. i just couldn’t stand dragging umpteen amps and all that gear anymore. eventually i ended up getting an ampeg bass amp because the sound just wasn’t big enough through the eons, but i’ve been chasing a tube sound ever since for my harps and my strat. well, i think the search is over. i mean, i’ve tried everything pedal-wise and preamp-wise and was almost resigned to the fact i’d have to get another tube amp (omg they’re SO heavy!!). until yesterday. i had “pedal boy” at gc running all over trying this and that, but nothing was doing it for me. then i looked up above and saw the twin tube box. i tried it at the store but the place is so freaking noisy i couldn’t tell for sure so i decided to try it. i, too, love that 30 day return policy. got it home and first tried it through my ampeg (coz i’m lazy and didn’t feel like plugging in the p.a.) and it was so so. then, i went through the p.a. and voila!! warms up the sound, dirties up my harp… i could go on and on. it’s the closest to the tube sound i’ve been looking for on the harps AND the strat, so… check it out. the price is right, esp during the anniversary sale, and the weight is perfect!! lol.
Thanks for the helpful comments, Jules!
Boy, I keep coming full circle on this pedal. What I am really looking for is more distortion, less overdrive/fuzz out of a box. These terms are so often confused that I think they may be meaningless unless discussed with guitar/pedal/effect in hand. I am a tube-amp fan and play through a Fender Blues Jr or a Fender Pro Reverb. The Pro definitely gives me all the overdrive I need (not necessarily all the overdrive I want ;-), but both can be effectively overdriven. I am looking for the crisp distortion like Elliot Randall’s lead in Steely Dan’s “Reelin’ in the Years” that I can’t get from overdrive alone. Is it in this orange box???