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Topic: Fender 68 Custom Vibrolux Reverb |
Tim Whitlock
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 16 Feb 2019 10:08 pm |
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If you love the tone of your Twin Reverb but can't deal with the weight anymore, here is something to consider as an alternative.
I picked up a 68 Custom Vibrolux Reverb today at about 3 PM. It's now 10:30 and I have to stop now, though I would prefer to keep playing. The sound is simply stunning and it works so well with guitar in the Custom (Bassman voiced) channel and steel in the Vintage channel. At 40 lbs it will be a welcome replacement for my Twin Reverb. Fender really hit a home run with this one.
It was a bit sharp on the top end but manageable. On a whim I exchanged the stock Groove Tube 6L6s for a pair of Jan Phillips from my Twin Reverb. Oh my what a difference! The tubes took a very good amp to an otherworldly level. The top end was smooth and the amp has that singing musicality that vintage Fenders are famous for. Great for guitar as well with that wonderful tube bias tremolo. The reverb is typically lush Fender reverb. Haven't tried it on the bandstand yet but based on what I'm hearing it will be a knockout. The 40 watts is plenty loud for small venues and of course you can mike it. If you get one, do invest in a pair of premium 6L6s. This is one of those amps that is truly inspiring to play! Does anyone else use them for steel guitar?
Last edited by Tim Whitlock on 19 Feb 2019 10:08 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Bobby Nelson
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 17 Feb 2019 3:10 pm
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| My first Fender amp was a BF Vibrolux Reverb. The minute I plugged it in I fell in love with the tone. It just wan't loud enough for what I was doing. I thought it was more like a 20-30 watt amp. |
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Jim Cooley
From:
The 'Ville, Texas, USA
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Tim Whitlock
From:
Colorado, USA
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Posted 17 Feb 2019 9:25 pm
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| Yes the vintage blackface amps are great. Over the years I've owned a 64 Princeton, a 66 Dual Showman, a 65 Bassman head and a (?) Bandmaster head, and played many others, so I'm familiar with the iconic sound. But I'm telling you this may be the best production amp Fender has come out with in many years. With its dual voiced channels and trem/reverb active on both channels, it beats the 65 DRRI for headroom and the 65 TRRI for portability and it's way more versatile than either, especially if you play steel and guitar. I'm a trem junkie and the tube bias trem on the 68 Vibrolux is like those cool pulsating trems on the tweed and brownface amps before Fender went to the choppy optical trem. The tone is not the typical sterile Silverface tone. The Custom channel really captures the tweed Bassman vibe (minus the 4 x 10 moving air of course) and the Vintage channel is its own thing really. Clean, clear and warm - not far removed from the blackface thing. |
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