Fender "Custom" Vibrolux Reverb

[frippy]

I'm looking for any input/information on the "Custom" Vibrolux Reverb. From the reviews on HC there seems to be a noise issue but all amps have some noise so I'm wondering if a few of the folks complaining about noise are expecting silence when an amp is running.



Thank you!

[Sauerkraut]

I was curious about those too for a while, but I too read a lot complaints about hissing. It might be easy to fix though, I don't know.

[Sauerkraut]

nice avatar

[frippy]

I had one of these and yes, there was quite an audible hiss with this amp. I did a few things to quiet the amp down. I replaced the speaker cables with something more quality made. The most noticible change was replacing the stock 12ax7 tube with a 12ay7 in the V1 tube slot. This certainly did quiet the amp down and as a result gave it more headroom. The amp did breakup at lower volumes which I didn't care for. Also, the stock blue alnico speakers (Eminence made?) were flubby and farty at higher volumes. Overall, I thought it wasn't a bad amp. Albeit, it sounds nothing like a vintage Vibrolux!

Thank you! Strike that amp from consideration 

[Felix]

I would halt on the quick dismissmal of the amp based on a few comments about the hiss. I owned this amp for 3 years and, while it does hiss, it is hardly what some have described it to be.
I gigged and recorded with this amp. In a live situation, I don't think anyone, including our sound guy, ever noticed a "hiss" that was too audible in the mix.

I think too many people bought this amp, unaware of what it is, and complained about the hiss.

[Felix]

Please don't get the impression that I am dismissing this amp. I used this amp for several years and it never let me down. I didn't part with the amp because of the hiss issues. All tube amps hiss to a degree, even though because of a design flaw, this amp does hiss more any production amp in the Fender lineup  - why doesn't Fender remedy this problem?!  I parted with this amp because, well it didn't get the tones I wanted. It nailed SRV tones in spades and the vibrato was awesome! I play more rockabilly/surf with a dollop of Chet Atkins thrown in and rarely go into SRV type territory. The reverb did suck, that really has to be my biggest complaint about this amp.

I didn't get the impression that you were dissmissing the amp, but I think the ac_frippy got the impression that it is a heap of noise.

I do agree with you about the reverb, though. It is weak. But the tremolo and the gritty break up more than makes up for the shortcomings of the reverb. Did you use humbuckers or single coils? I felt that my JM stayed pretty clean until 4.5, and that was plenty loud for me. If I wanted a guitar=amp setup only, I would go to 5 or 6 and dig in...

You're also right about the CVR being very little a true Vibrolux. I prefer the latter, too.

[frippy]

I didn't get the impression that you were dissmissing the amp, but I think the ac_frippy got the impression that it is a heap of noise.

I do agree with you about the reverb, though. It is weak. But the tremolo and the gritty break up more than makes up for the shortcomings of the reverb. Did you use humbuckers or single coils? I felt that my JM stayed pretty clean until 4.5, and that was plenty loud for me. If I wanted a guitar=amp setup only, I would go to 5 or 6 and dig in...

I didn't have that impression The reason for my comment was two-fold: lower grade wiring and low-end speakers. I expect some hiss on tube amps, which is why I asked about the CVR. The lack of headroom isn't a problem for me but I was looking for more of a classic Vibrolux sound. The reverb issue is a deal breaker, though.

What I gather is that there is little reason for me to move from a Deluxe Reverb to a CVR, especially as I'm loathe to ever sound like SRV. Tonally, I fall on the Richard Lloyd/Robert Quine side of the strat tracks 

[i love sharin foo]

Tonally, I fall on the Richard Lloyd/Robert Quine side of the strat tracks 

That is not a bad place to be, if I do say so myself 

Justin

[RumorsOFsurF]

What is wrong with the reverb?  I have never tried one of these, but I would think the reverb was the same as a DRRI or Twin... Apparently not! 

[frippy]

That is not a bad place to be, if I do say so myself 

I must agree

What is wrong with the reverb?  I have never tried one of these, but I would think the reverb was the same as a DRRI or Twin... Apparently not! 

Not all Fender reverb tanks were created equal, evidently 

[Felix]

I didn't get the impression that you were dissmissing the amp, but I think the ac_frippy got the impression that it is a heap of noise.

I do agree with you about the reverb, though. It is weak. But the tremolo and the gritty break up more than makes up for the shortcomings of the reverb. Did you use humbuckers or single coils? I felt that my JM stayed pretty clean until 4.5, and that was plenty loud for me. If I wanted a guitar=amp setup only, I would go to 5 or 6 and dig in...

I didn't have that impression The reason for my comment was two-fold: lower grade wiring and low-end speakers. I expect some hiss on tube amps, which is why I asked about the CVR. The lack of headroom isn't a problem for me but I was looking for more of a classic Vibrolux sound. The reverb issue is a deal breaker, though.

What I gather is that there is little reason for me to move from a Deluxe Reverb to a CVR, especially as I'm loathe to ever sound like SRV. Tonally, I fall on the Richard Lloyd/Robert Quine side of the strat tracks 

Definitely a nice place to be. I got you now, though. I don't care much for the SRV tone, either, but I found ways to make the amp not be that kind of pony.
The Jensen reissues now used in the CVR are better than the Eminence, but do not last much longer. I blew out one of them in a practice session not long after I bought it. The breakup is phenomenal with a Jazzmaster, but it's more like a Tweed than a blackface in that respect. If you keep it clean, I don't think anyone would be disappointed, though. It is a pretty nice clean tone.

As for those asking about the reverb... it takes about a full turn of the knob to get even a level 3 or 4 of a Deluxe or Twin 'verb tone. It's not bad for rock and blues playing, but if you're into heavy-reverb playing, such as surf, it will largely disappoint. I'm not a big reverb guy, so I didn't mind it.

I can say that playing through a CVR led to me owning a Vibrolux Reverb. The 'lux is just an awesome amp.