I just bought (tonight actually) a Vibrolux re-issue. Well, they say it's a "modern take on a Fender classic"...Whatever. Anyone had one of these or heard of notable issue? also, I couldn't figure out how old it is. Someone told me they thought that they made them from about 94-2001 or something. The Q/C chart near the tubes says MJ??? I looked at the Fender field guide but that means 1963??? Obviously not 40 years old. Anyone have any answers.
James.
The CVR replaced the Vibroverb RI in the Fender lineup sometime in the past decade or so.
It's essentially the same amp electronically, with a few small tweaks. The most noticeable is the removal of the negative feedback loop in the power section. This allows the amp to break up easier, but also makes it hissier, and the bass looser.
Several guitars in different colors
Things to make them fuzzy
Things to make them louder
orange picks
I noticed a little hiss and a friend that has one (who knows nothing about amps and continually refused for years to sell me his just to be difficult) always said, "It's loud". I didn't think it was to bad at all. I like the tube driven tremolo. Nice. I like it a lot better than the amp i got rid of (DeVille 4x10) and I got a decent deal, so hooray for me...
I have one, I love it (for the reason mostly that it breaks up nicely at low to moderate volumes - nobody tells me to turn down anymore LOL) and it's my main amp - the first one that takes well to all guitars that I play it through without major tweaking. I've heard about the hiss and hum issues but mine is very very quiet - no problem. It's not a RI of the BF Vibrolux Reverb, but a circuit that could have been designed back then. Congrats to a nice amp.
Hey - CVR owners - let's unite!
Thanks Tom. Do you know much about the ext speaker out? I'm not an Ohm guru. I have a 12" ext cab that I built. It's an 8ohm speaker. Can I use that in the ext out?
The ext. speaker out is wired in parralel to the speaker out and is meant to see a 4 ohm load so the total impedance would be 2 ohms. If you plug an 8 ohm speaker into the ext, you'll get app. 2.7 ohms. AFAIK Fenders are pretty tolerant regarding an impedance mismatch. You just might not get the full clean power.
I got one about 5 months back, I really like it. Plenty loud and still sounds good when you turn it down. The best Fender amp I have ever used.
(I use a DOD 250 for a lead boost)
do I look like I know what I'm doing?
I don't think so.Originally Posted by sliding-tom
If it's like nearly any other Fender amp, the amp is looking for a total load of four ohms, and the extension jack is in parallel with the internal speakers. Plugging in a single 8 ohm speaker will reduce it to 2.7 ohms, which should be fine. It's what a 3x10 bandmaster essentially does. I wouldn't plug in a 2 ohm load. The amp will probably be OK, but not sound it's best.
Amps that tend to blow up easily with mismatched loads are ones with high amounts of negative feedback, like Marshalls. This one doesn't have any.
Several guitars in different colors
Things to make them fuzzy
Things to make them louder
orange picks
Kap'n - the back panel on the CVR says: total load (with both jacks engaged) 2 ohms, so each is meant to see a 4 ohm load - wired in parralel that's 2 ohms, isn't it?
so we have 'Counterfit Vibrolux Reverbs'?FWIW, these amps aren't a reissue of anything. The're built on the old Vibroverb RI Chassis, but sound nothing like a real Vibrolux Reverb. I have an original '66, and there's no comparison.
I can only compare it to what I have played, if the 'originals' are THAT
good, I will have to look into one someday.
However, compared to the 'recent' (after '87) Twin amp, Prosonic,
Bassman, HRDV, BJ, and Dual showman...
I CAN say it sounds better than any the afore mentoned to my ears
(yes, mine hisses at idle)
do I look like I know what I'm doing?
Greg Koch (rhymes with Chalk) used one for a number of years before he got plugged into the Fender wandering demonstrator role.You can hear a reasonably accurate representation of that sound on his first couple of records. IIRC, he used to drive it with a Fulltone FD II.
Even if you don't end up digging the sounds, he shore kin play!
Master of Disaster on the Stratocaster
Wow...You guys are way smarter than me. Thanks a bundle. I do love the amp. It is different than the older Fender's that I've played (Pro, Deluxe Reverb, Super Reverb, Super Six), but it's so much better (I think) than the other stuff they have now (at least under 1200 bucks). It's light years ahead of my old deville (which would blow the windows and doors off of my apartment before it broke up) and I like it a lot better than the bassman RI. I think it's nice to have a warm sound at reasonable levels (less wattage than previous amp). Man, you guys are like the midwest...so many people that like being nice just cause, and us easterners just don't understand. Thanks a lot.
Plenty of folks here from the East. Even at least one more from DE.
Several guitars in different colors
Things to make them fuzzy
Things to make them louder
orange picks
That's amazing...fewer people live in the state of delaware than live in Tulsa, OK. By the way...do any of you guys know of a basic website that explains speaker loads, wiring in series/parrallel, etc. I want to do some research adn try to get a handle on that.
Get Ritchie Fliegler's book "Guitar and Amp Maintenance" - covers all the basic stuff on maintaining guitars, amps and cabs, including tube bias, speaker hook-up etc. There are other great books around, but this covers pretty much all the important basics for just 10 bucks.
If you want to dig deeper into guitar amp tech stuff, development, I can recommend Dave Hunter's new book "The Guitar Amp Handbook" - after having read that I can even read basic schematics, now (well, almost, I'm still workin' on it)
Thanks Tom.
I've had my blond CVR for 10 years, and it was my main gig amp for many years. It's a great sounding amp that gets good fat sounding overdrive at reasonable volumes. It's also relatively light weight and easy to transport. You can't go wrong.
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