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Topic: Fender Vibroverb for nonpedal... |
Rick Collins
From:
Claremont , CA USA
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Posted 17 Nov 2011 8:54 am |
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Does anyone use a Fender Vibroverb amp for your nonpedal steel guitar?
These amps are highly collectible and relatively expensive.
There was a reissue in the 90's.
...tube amp with a 15" speaker.
It would seem to be a near perfect amp for Hawaiian on a nonpedal steel guitar. |
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Jerome Hawkes
From:
Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA
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Posted 17 Nov 2011 9:23 am
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any fender tube amp is ideal - depends on how loud you have to get. i've used just about every fender at one time or another and they're all winners.i like the Princeton / Deluxe but use a '62 Bassman head too...creamy
in other words, the perfect amp is usually the smallest to do the job - it would have to be a mighty big time gig for me to drag a big amp like a vibroverb out.
i did play some years ago on a tele thru an original vibroverb and it was fantastic. i dont recall ever being blown away by any of the RI stuff, but i've played so many fender tube amps over the years its hard to judge
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'65 Sho-Bud D-10 Permanent • '54 Fender Dual-8 • Clinesmith T-8 • '38 Ric Bakelite • '92 Emmons D-10 Legrande II |
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Tom Gray
From:
Decatur, GA
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Posted 17 Nov 2011 10:45 am
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I used a '64 Vibroverb and loved it. But when the value of the amp went through the roof I retired it from live gigs. I found a sawed-off blackface Pro Reverb head, gave it a new cabinet and a bigger transformer and coupled it with a vintage 15" JBL. That rig had little collectible value but looked great and sounded even better than the Vibroverb. The guitar I'm playing now seems to sound better with tens, so I've switched to a Custom Vibrolux.
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www.tomgraymusic.com |
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Tom Gray
From:
Decatur, GA
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Posted 17 Nov 2011 10:50 am
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I should add that I considered buying a reissue Vibroverb and was able to borrow one for a day and A/B it with my vintage amp. That probably wasn't fair. The reissue went back to the store.
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www.tomgraymusic.com |
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Kevin Brown
From:
England
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Posted 17 Nov 2011 12:09 pm
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After a/b ing I traded my verb for a traynor guitar mate, beyond awesome, very smooth, great reverb/vibrato, 1/4 of verb price, often on ebay, all valve hand wired, solid cab.....bargain !
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Jim Behnke
From:
SW USA
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Posted 19 Nov 2011 9:16 pm
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I have & use an orig BF '64 Elec Instr Vibroverb. It's good for many things incl '57 single Dlx 8 Fender lap steel.
An attractive alternative that's not as expensive is a Music Man 1x15 combo amp that [like most MM's] has a solid-state pre-amps section [w/exception of 12AX7 reverb driver] but 2 x 6L6 tube output stage. I'm pretty familiar with one a friend has and if I didn't have the Vbrvrb I'd try talkin' him into selling me his MM 1x15. failing that I'd get an open-backed 15" spkr/cab [MM made these too] and drive it with a MM RD 50 head I use for diverse things. MM amps aren't classic Elec Instr/BF Fenders but sure work well for lap steel & much else imho. They seem to crop up despite being out of prod'n for a long time. |
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Hal Braun
From:
Eustis, Florida, USA
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Posted 19 Nov 2011 11:15 pm
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I found a 72 Vibrolux Reverb.. not the same I realize, but much less expensive, and my steel sounds fabulous through it..
It does not like my Gibson Humbuckers as much, but the Lawrence 705 reissues sound pretty magical.. |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 20 Nov 2011 2:51 pm
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| I have a Vibrosonic Reverb amp, 100 watt, which also has a 15 " speaker. I really don't like Fender amps for the Hawaiian sound, even though I have a Princeton Reverb also ( don't ask why I keep them ?) |
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Drew Howard
From:
48854
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Posted 21 Nov 2011 12:34 pm
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| '77 Twin Reverb or Deluxe Reverb RI here. Even a Blues Jr. |
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Steve Ahola
From:
Concord, California
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Posted 21 Nov 2011 4:01 pm
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| James Behnke wrote: |
| An attractive alternative that's not as expensive is a Music Man 1x15 combo amp that [like most MM's] has a solid-state pre-amps section [w/exception of 12AX7 reverb driver] but 2 x 6L6 tube output stage. |
FWIW the Music Man amps are also rated very highly among blues guitarists for its killer clean tone- quite often their favorite amp that isn't all tube. But don't tell anybody- we don't want them to get too expensive! 
A lot of people don't care for the classic blackface Fender designs because they do color the sound with their notched midrange and their ability to break up when cranked. I could see that someone specializing in Hawaiian lap steel might want an amp that was cleaner and did not color the sound as much.
Steve Ahola
P.S. Most of the Fender reissue amps do not sound that good right out of the box. Sometimes the right combination of tubes can get you a more authentic tone; sometimes you might want an amp tech to fine-tune the sound for you. With a combination of both of those I've gotten some pretty nice sounds from my Deluxe Reverb reissue. Since the RI circuits are practically identical to the originals it might also make sense to replace the output transformer with something more like the original. And your choice of speaker makes a big difference, too, although the stock 100W Jensen C12K now used in the DRRI sounds pretty good. (Earlier models used a lower wattage Jensen speaker which accentuated the high frequencies, while the excellent bass response of the C12K balances things out.)
EDIT Yes, the Jensen reissues are made in Italy and do not sound as good as the originals. But the C12K is one of the better ones that they are making, probably because it is designed to handle 100W (the DRRI puts out 22W but in this case overkill is good).
I've had good luck with Eminence replacement speakers, in particular the Red, White and Blues which I think is a lot like a vintage Jensen C12 speaker. I like the full frequency response- it is a very solid speaker and is rated at 125W. MF sells them for $80 w/ free shipping.
_________________
www.blueguitar.org
Recordings on electric guitar:
http://www.box.net/blue-diamonds
http://www.box.net/the-culprits
Last edited by Steve Ahola on 22 Nov 2011 12:23 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 21 Nov 2011 4:52 pm
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The current Jensen speakers are made in Italy, and don't seem to compare to the originals, made in Chicago. The Weber speakers are a good product, from what I've used.
And the output transformers can make a huge difference too, like you said Steve. I use the Hammond brand, after working with some others.
Most amps can benefit from some changes in certain parts.
My issue with Fender amps is the scoped mid-range, which some folks probably like, and I don't  |
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Rick Collins
From:
Claremont , CA USA
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Posted 21 Nov 2011 9:41 pm
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There's a 1964 Fender Vibroverb on EBay now for $4,200.
Is this realistic?
It's a one owner, all original and looks as if it has a JBL in it __ probably a 4 ohm. |
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Bill Creller
From:
Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)
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Posted 22 Nov 2011 4:35 pm
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The seller must have the "early Stratocaster" syndrome, thinking the amp is worth a fortune  |
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Steve Ahola
From:
Concord, California
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Posted 22 Nov 2011 10:16 pm
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This particular amp was signed by Larry Carlton- in big letters on the grille cloth. There is another AA763 Vibroverb being sold on eBay and is currently going for $2275 with 16 bids.
Fender starting producing the blackface Vibroverbs in 1963 and stopped production in 1964 so I think that they might be rarer than many of the other blackface amps. (I guess that the earlier brown tolex Vibroverb is not as valuable since it did not have the SRV seal of approval.  )
Steve Ahola
_________________
www.blueguitar.org
Recordings on electric guitar:
http://www.box.net/blue-diamonds
http://www.box.net/the-culprits |
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Jim Behnke
From:
SW USA
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Posted 23 Nov 2011 8:15 pm
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Despite drop in vtg instr/equip prices across-the-board in recent times I'd say $4K+ for a clean/orig Vibroverb isn't "unrealistic". There just weren't ever that many of 'em, + the SRV connection.
FWIW mine used to belong to a friend [a real collecionista] who decided to acquire a Brown Vibroverb. The Brown one is arguably yet rarer but he only had it awhile before he dumped it and got ANOTHER BF/Elec Instr 1x15 Vibroverb. The 1x15 [w/either CTS or JBL] just sounds great to me. I've currently got a period-correct D130 in mine and have archived the orig/un-reconed/works great CTS spkr just to protect it. Amp's clean, rare, & valuable I guess, but it's meant to be played through imho. |
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Carl McLaughlin
From:
St.Stephen,New Brunswick,Can
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Posted 8 Dec 2011 5:58 pm Amp for non pedal.
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I have a small 12watt tube combo amp put out by Kustome.It has an 8" celestion speaker,a gain boost, an eq boost,headphone jack,line out,external speaker out.I use it with my 8 string lap , with a Boss DD3 delay and a Holygrail echo.I love the sound,it small and light.I also use a volume pedal.All the musicians that have heard me play steel through it are blown away by its quality of sound.Having the line out allows me to have it as a monitor and the main PA suppies all the power and volume i need.
JUST MY 2 1/2 CENTS WORTH OF INFO.
PS. THE PU I'M USING IS A CUTOME BUILT VINTAGE VIBE,WITH AJUSTABLE POLLS.. Carl
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I have a Tele plus telecaster, Larrivee acoustic. Also have a Fender resonator guitar with new Quarterman cone and spider, and an Allan tailpiece .Playing through a Fender Super Champ XD, using a little delay on the amp and a Harmonix Holy Grail Echo pedal, set on Hall turned to about 1pm.Just Bought a Yamaha FGX5 Recently and love it. Recently got a Sho-NUFF 6 string pedal steel in open G.Still learning.Just bought back my old SX lap steel that i modified, in open G |
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Carl McLaughlin
From:
St.Stephen,New Brunswick,Can
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Posted 8 Dec 2011 6:00 pm Lap Steel Amp
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I forgot to mention the price of the amp. $130.00 Cad. Incredible,thats a new in store price..Carl
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I have a Tele plus telecaster, Larrivee acoustic. Also have a Fender resonator guitar with new Quarterman cone and spider, and an Allan tailpiece .Playing through a Fender Super Champ XD, using a little delay on the amp and a Harmonix Holy Grail Echo pedal, set on Hall turned to about 1pm.Just Bought a Yamaha FGX5 Recently and love it. Recently got a Sho-NUFF 6 string pedal steel in open G.Still learning.Just bought back my old SX lap steel that i modified, in open G |
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Steve Ahola
From:
Concord, California
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Posted 9 Dec 2011 1:15 pm Re: Amp for non pedal.
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| Carl McLaughlin wrote: |
| I have a small 12watt tube combo amp put out by Kustom.It has an 8" celestion speaker,a gain boost, an eq boost,headphone jack,line out,external speaker out.I use it with my 8 string lap , with a Boss DD3 delay and a Holy Grail echo.I love the sound,it small and light.I also use a volume pedal.All the musicians that have heard me play steel through it are blown away by its quality of sound.Having the line out allows me to have it as a monitor and the main PA suppies all the power and volume i need. |
That is the Kustom Tube 12 which is one of the best analog practice amps around. It is basically solid state but with an added 12AX7 tube. For regular guitar I replaced the speaker with a 225W(!) Eminence Beta-8 driver (normally used for PA and bass cabs)- the magnet itself was almost heavier than the whole amp! I played many small gigs with it and it was not drowned out by the drummer. For lap steel the Eminence Beta-8 was not bright enough for me so I put the stock speaker back.
It has a really nice clean sound and works well with pedals if you want distortion (or whatever).
Back in the days before MF bought out Harmony Central (and deleted the database of user reviews going back 10 or 12 years!  ) I found 50+ reviews of the amp- all very positive. Kustom is now selling a Tube 12A amp- I don't know what the difference is.
Highly recommended!
Steve Ahola
_________________
www.blueguitar.org
Recordings on electric guitar:
http://www.box.net/blue-diamonds
http://www.box.net/the-culprits |
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