New Custom Vibrolux - opinions?

[bluespckr]

I've had a good experience with Fender's Deluxe Reverb Reissue. Great amp, seems to like single-coil and humbucker guitars equally well, and love the simplicity of the controls.

Well, I decided to step up to the 2x10 Vibrolux, with its 40 watts vs. the surprisingly potent 22-watt DRRI. Basically, I will be playing a Les Paul Standard through this, and musically I'll be doing blues and some garage-band-era rock 'n' roll (no metal or shred or grunge, to speak of). And I am an old-school guitar-to-amp, plug 'n' play picker. I don't use effects, beyond the built-in reverb and tremolo/vibrato.

So, what can I expect from this amp? Opinions, hints, suggestions -- I'd like to hear about your experience with this amp.

Paul

[Don]

I heard the guitarist in a local blues band playing through one. He sounded really good. I have no personal experience with the amp, though I have a '66 Vibrolux Reverb (it's awesome!) and I believe the new amp is very different.

[muddy]

I went through three of them before luckily getting my $$$ back. They are plagued with problems. A forum search here and elsewhere will turn up lots of info regarding their short-comings.

[Don]

Considering what a new Custom Vibrolux sells for, you might be better off with a silverface VR.

My '66 kills with my Les Paul*!

*and my Strat, Tele, ES135...

[Gris]

IIRC the RI comes w P10R RIs which make it muy mucho piercingly bright-o... :-0

cant speak to reliability - dont own any PCB amps

Dude you can get a BF Bandmaster for like 5 or 6 bills

[bluespckr]

Had a CBS-era silver-face Bandmaster back in '68. I looked at the new ones, but not my cup of tea. By time you get the head and cab you're closer to a grand.

I've played amps with the Jensen 10-inchers and don't recall much of a problem. If these become a problem, I'll see what Weber has to offer by way of good-quality replacements. I would think the 10's would be more of an issue with some of the single-coil pickup-equipped guitars than a hummer-equipped Les Paul, but we'll see. I know the 10's sounded great in a '59 Bassman RI I once had. It was just a tad too heavy and too loud for my purposes, but a great amp none-the-less.

I checked a lot of reviews. Most of the complains seem to focus on things like a his and so on. It is a tube amp and some noise comes with the territory. My DRRI isn't stone-cold silent, but it's a great amp -- still some people have complaints about it too (according to my searches here).

I was going to sell the DRRI but think I'll keep it as a backup, or for smaller venues, and give the CVR a go. I might even use 'em together (yeah, right, if I ever play Madison Square Garden, maybe -- lol). I seem to have more positive reviews around the Web than negative, so we will see.

[Kap'n]

The CVR is a modified version of the old brown Vibroverb reissue that's being highly praised on another thread.

The major modification is the removal of the negative feedback loop to make it break up at a lower volume. I suspect that modification was aimed at the bedroom user. This increases the noise level. IMHO, it also makes it mushy and flatulent.

If you can mod it back to VVRI specs, it could be a nice amp. I think it's unusable in its stock configuration.

[stratcat55]

I've been playing tube amps since the 60's, and had a 65 Vibrolux Reverb, but the CVR's I've tried are seriously hissy and nothing like the VR.

[Wilko]

It also loses the tube rectifier, eh?

[Kap'n]

It also loses the tube rectifier, eh?

The VVRI didn't have a tube rectifier - one of the reasons it lost credibility when it was released.

[dirtdog]

One of my buddies/bandmates owns the CVR and I have listened to that amp in a band setting for quite a few years now. I liked it, but he was constantly fidding with it for tone and played many many many different overdrive pedals in front of it (main guitars were a Strat, a Charvel goldtop LP-alike and a Charvel Surfcaster).

When I brought over my new DRRI a few years back and A/B'd the hell out it with the CVR one night he couldn't believe the difference - the lower break-up and warmth and compression of the DRRI without pedals compared to the CVR with pedals was much more preferable to him. But that was him and YMMV and all that.

He didn't play the CVR much after that, in fact, he went and got a Marshall. . Oh, and often in a gig setting he'd setup the CVR with his SFSR in stereo for a great one-two knockout punch.

[twangmeisternyc]

I have one.

"Stock" the amp is a "gain junkie", really pepped-up, a little wild and at the edge of control, etc., I think best suited for live, mid-sized venue bar/party music. It'll knock 'em out. I played mine that way for over a year. Very punchie. Good technique sounds great, bad technique gets penalized. And I think best only for solid body electrics played letting the pickups and the amp do their thing...

The CVR gets loud by 2 1/2, starts to fully saturate about 4, then goes over the top above that. It hisses such that at concert volume level it doesn't matter, but in quiet spaces it will get your attention. You get Normal and Bright channels for bare-walled or draped spaces/rooms, you have minimal reverb and OK vibrato, and dual Hi/Low impedance inputs.

But then, the amp is built on the same platform as the '63 VibroVerb RI and with a little knowledge and diligence you can work back towards that, or go all the way. Search "Moyer Mods". I've gone through a few of the mods/changes. Reverb Cap, Phase Shunt, and Pre-Amp resistor I recommend. And I run a lower gain set of tubes, and an AT7 for the Phase Inverter. Reverb and Vibrato are now "lush". I think "de"-gaining the front end of the signal chain does the most to make the amp more manageable. As it stands, I have LOWER gain than the '63 VibroVerb RI.

Right now "5" on the Volume dial is a full, clean, loud (more than 10ft. cord recommended LOUD) Fender tone, and from there on up the build-up/roar is easy to calculate. Before it was "touchie", too much too little, now the dial fills out to where the circuit slowly saturates, just the last bit from 8 to 10, and with pick attack you can get it otherwise..

I figure with the mods it still has 50% more output than the "DeLuxe Reverb" and certainly more clean headroom.

My situation might be different but I wanted an amp that could cover a lot of genres and types of guitars, with built-in nice reverb and vibrato, in both channels, in a smaller, lighter combo. And I wanted 6L6 Fender tone. It now sounds great. I use a second 15", 4ohm, Jensen C15N extention cabinet separately and together as a stack and a monitor surround. It is easy get a lot of different configurations.

If you use the footswitch, always turn reverb off first...odd to remember if you rarely use the vibrato.

I don't think I can overdrive the C15N, that is a great loud clean sounding driver by itself, and if just the 2-10" P10R's they wind up and go off nicely over "8" on the Volume dial. So, you get the full "Electric Guitar" range.

I didn't have a good experience with my "boutique" 6L6 amp trial...so, I found the CVR discounted (i.e., open box) and took the time to learn about it and how to upgrade step-by-step.

[krm1556]

Has anyone mentioned the hiss problem?

[muddy]

All three I had hissed bad, poped, crackled and ticked.

[Kap'n]

Has anyone mentioned the hiss problem?

The hiss is related to the lack of a negative feedback loop.

[rudutch]

I had one (2002?) I traded it for a nice strat. would buy one again, slight hiss - no problems for me or the prior owner (5 years total)

I prefer a blackfaced bassman over the cvr -but opinions are subjective

[muddy]

I like my DRRI much better. No contest and no inherient problems.

[boobtube21]

I played in a band with a guy that used one. I remember it being hissy, and rather flatulent-sounding. I liked my SF Vibrolux better...

You can get a SF Vibrolux for around the same money...sure, it's used and doesn't have a warranty, but it does have:

-a tube rectifier, with the option to go with one of Weber's copper caps if you want to get closer to a SS rec sound

-better servicability-my old tech wouldn't even work on anything with a pcb

-broken in speakers (hopefully not blown or ready to blow!)

-better resale value should you decide to part with it down the road

Just sayin...

[Wilko]

I played in a band with a guy that used one. I remember it being hissy, and rather flatulent-sounding. I liked my SF Vibrolux better...

I agree with that whole post. The so-called reissue is even close to anything that was actually made back in the day.

[muddy]

I have disagree with that.

I've owned everything form vintage Fender amps to a Vibro King to reissues and imo the reissues are a great bang for the buck.

In fact not to long ago we did a blind A/B test using a vintage SR and a SRRI and two of the three thought the RI sounded better.

Sonically there's very little difference. People poo-poo PC boards but a circuit is a circut is a circuit. I think the main difference people hear are broken in well worn speakers vs new tighter snappier speakers.

The CVR is just a good idea with poor execution.
YMMV...

[Wilko]

I gotta disagree with that.

The Custom Vibrolux Reverb Reissue amp is missing major pieces of the circuits that made a vibrolux reverb what it is. "custom" maybe. "Reissue" my ass.

[Don]

I don't believe that Fender calls it a re-issue.

[NeoFauve]

I don't believe that Fender calls it a re-issue.

That's where the "Custom" comes in.

Kap'n might be onto something about it being aimed at lower volume users.
I played a bunch of guitars through one at polite shop levels when I was shopping for my Bluesbird years ago. I liked it quite a bit.

At a jam, there was a Custom Vibrolux available, so I plugged in. Turned up to jam room level, it broke up kind of nicely, but with 2 other gtrs, drums and bass, it was swamped, indistinct.
I didn't actually notice hiss in the midst of everything else.

My previous experience with it had me thinking it might be nice in a less rockish, trio setting. But so would a lot of other small to midsize amps.

[bluespckr]

First, the Vibrolux is not designated a reissue in anything I've read from Fender.

Ive played a lot of old tube amps over the years that hiss, buzz, and so on. You almost have to expect something in that area with a tube amp. Nature of the beast.

Interestingly, I have a DRRI, which I do like a lot. I'm looking to fill a void with a a slightly more powerfull amp. At 40 watts, the Vibrolux would seem to fit the bill.

I like the idea of having the flexibility of either of a 1x12 22-watt DRRI or 2x10 40-watt CVR.

I will have it Monday and hope to give it a good workout next weekend. I can always return it if it's not what I expect or like. But, I have read many favorable reviews of the CVR, so some people do like them.

Either way, we shall see and I will know, by this time next week.

[muddy]

CVR is not a reissue.

So...?

[boobtube21]

To be honest, I don't know that the Vibrolux (mine anyway) is necessarily that much louder than a Deluxe.

[Cogs]

I picked up a '72 Bandmaster Reverb pretty cheap & dropped it in a 2x10 combo configuration. I don't want to use any of my other amps live, & there aren't any other amps on the market right now that I wish I had instead. It's extremely punchy w/lots of chime. Kind of Vox-y, even. 40 watts of reverb drenched tone. Yow.
I might like to pick up another BMR, though, & do it again, lol

[Erock_Germany]

If you need more power, get a SRRI. I have one and also a DRRI but the DRRI now is in 2x12 piggy back configuration.

I have seen 2x10 combo cabinets for an SR(RI). I think that would be the route.

[Rickenjangle]

63 Vibroverb reissue would be better than a CVR...

[bluespckr]

Well, the amp arrived today and I spent a little time with it tonight. First impression? I quite like it. Mind, you, I don't have any prior experience with the vintage versions so many of y'all are comparing the CVR to.

I can't help but wonder if we haven't been spoiled by digital purity of things like today's recordings. I have played through some now-vintage amps when they were new over the past many decades, and most of those buggers hummed and were noisy as heck. I also had the pleasure of being assigned to radar sites in my long-ago Air Force days, and there's nothing quite like hearing that RF signal "beep" through your speakers every 12 seconds (when that radar antenna would sweep past where you were playing.

Yes, there's some of that hiss you folks mentioned, but not overly so. I don't see it an issue, especially when roaring along with the full band. Push comes to shove, I might do some of the tube swaps I read about, but we'll see.

I play a humbucker-equipped Gibson Les Paul Traditional Pro through this thing. Maybe single-coil guitars contributes to making the noise harder to ignore. Just a thought.

I have a DRRI and have been playing it exclusively for almost three years. Great amp in its own right. Some folks prefer the 12-inch speaker in the DRRI to the 10-inch speakers in the CVR. Again, the 10's might make things too ice picky with single-coil guitars, but I really like the sound of the two 10-inch Jensens with that Les Paul. I might see about using them both on stage, for a combined sound. Might be cool together, who knows.

Initial reaction to tone and stuff is that this amp seems to be more than I expected, especially after reading some of the comments here. The good news, I can return it within 45 days if I decide I don't like it, so what the heck. I'll be able to give it a full, hard workout this weekend and next, so we'll see how it goes. I'd like to break-in the speakers a bit first to see what it really sounds like.

But so far, I'm liking this amp a lot.

[Kap'n]

But so far, I'm liking this amp a lot.

But don't fool yourself that we've all been "spoiled by digital purity." Many of us have plenty of experience with old amps, as well as modded and built our own amps.

[chuckocaster]

But don't fool yourself that we've all been "spoiled by digital purity." Many of us have plenty of experience with old amps, as well as modded and built our own amps.

if you really want to get into "digital purity" then you need to remember that CD technology is about 25 years old. we haven't gotten past the 44.1k 16 bit "standard". all amps hum, some more than others.

i'm glad you're enjoying your amp. guitar tone to me is mid fi. there have been lots of tries to go further, but we keep coming back to what works, and that's some inefficiency.

[bluespckr]

You're so right. It's funny, but as the CD experience has aged, some folks have discovered they preferred the pops and snaps and scratches of vinyl records. Sometimes things can border on "too" perfect or sterile.

Nah, I'm just a plug and play guy -- I'll leave all that techie stuff to guys like many of you who build and rebuild amps.

[chuckocaster]

that's why i keep my LP collection. yes i have Itunes and all that crap, but i always come back to what i know.

rock on brutha!

[Don]

My '66 Vibrolux Reverb, '67 Super Reverb, '66 Silvertone 1482 and 5E3 clone don't hiss, hum or make other noises, my '09 Mesa/Boogie Express hisses to a degree (not an issue while playing, especially with a band).

I love a Les Paul through multiple 10" speakers. My VR cranked up to 7-8 with my Les Paul plugged in is tone heaven!

[Kap'n]

Two or more 10" speakers are great. Especially because you can mix and match them.

Right now I'm on a single 12" kick though.

[muddy]

I've owned all kinds of tube amps and the CVR was just a pisser imho. It hissed waaay beyond what I consider to be normal. The first two were worked on by the stores Fender Tech and in the end there was really nothing to fix beyond a redesign.

Check out the vibrato ch, all three of mine ticked bad as well.

Random pops crackles and such right out of the box...all three.

I really don't know why Fender still sells them in their current state / design? I've never seen one on stage locally or otherwise.

I have heard of a redesign mod, but why buy a new amp to do all that I say??

[Kap'n]

I've owned all kinds of tube amps and the CVR was just a pisser imho. It hissed waaay beyond what I consider to be normal. The first two were worked on by the stores Fender Tech and in the end there was really nothing to fix beyond a redesign.

Check out the vibrato ch, all three of mine ticked bad as well.

Random pops crackles and such right out of the box...all three.

I really don't know why Fender still sells them in their current state / design? I've never seen one on stage locally or otherwise.

I have heard of a redesign mod, but why buy a new amp to do all that I say??

What's sad is they took a good amp and modified to have all those problems.

[Cogs]

My '71 Super Reverb did that. Do you think they made the CVR a "relic"?

[bluespckr]

Okay -- I've lived with this amp for ab out a week. Sounded "okay" around the house, but took it to a bass buddy's place today and had a chance to run it through its paces. I got home and just made the call to return it.

It is not even close to being the amp my DRRI is. My Les Paul sounds rich, lush and full through the DRRI. It sounded brittle and sterile through this amp. No warmth, nada. Some of the noise stuff I could live with if it was an otherwise great amp, but tone is something the Vibrolux lacks in buckets.

In the end it really made me appreciate what I already have. Oh, and that early break-up is for real. Way too early, and not very sweet sounding. So, it's going back.

Thanks for all your feedback, guys. I was hopeful it would be a better amp than what you were saying, but I think, in fact, it's even worse.