Fender Vibrolux for Dual Pro.

Rick Collins · Post by **Rick Collins** » 31 Jul 2005 9:43 am

...just thought I'd get a better response placing this post here:

Has anyone had experience using the Fender Vibrolux amp. with their Fender Dual Pro. or Custom? The available Vibrolux is a 40 watt tube type with two 10" speakers.

The Fender site does say that it is for guitar; but is very clean at moderate volume. Playing Hawaiian at moderate volume with all other band members playing acoustical instruments, this amp. would seemingly be a good match with a Dual Pro.

I'm now using my Webb 6-14E 4 ohm with the Dual Pro. With 225 watts it seems a mismatch.

The approx. one grand price tag seems a bit steep; but if I get the sound I'm looking for, its worth it.

..just want get some of the Forum members expert (and I mean that) opinions before I go in to Guitar Center to try one.

Many thanks in advance, Rick[This message was edited by Rick Collins on 31 July 2005 at 11:04 AM.]

John Dahms · Post by **John Dahms** » 31 Jul 2005 11:07 am

The 2-10 Vibrolux Reverb is IMO one of the very best amplifiers ever made. Your Dual Pro through that in an acoustic setting could still be kept clean and would have headroom to spare. These are pricey though. Remember any old tube amp will need an overhaul to get the most out of it.

David Doggett · Post by **David Doggett** » 31 Jul 2005 10:17 pm

I've tried a Vibrolux for pedal steel. I didn't care for the 10" speakers, but they might be better with a straight steel. With a 12" or 15" speaker plugged in, a Vibrolux sounds much like a Fender Pro or Twin amp, only with less power.

Not counting the old brown and Tweed models, there are three Vibrolux models. The black face ones sound warmer, but break up earlier. The silver face model has more clean headroom, and a little less warmth. The Vibrolux Custom is a reissue, but I think it is PC board and not hand wired - might not sound as good. These are all favorites of six-stringers, because their volume is about right for getting the maxed out tube sound in a small rock club. The black face ones are going for over two grand. The silver face ones go for $700 to over a grand.

For playing quietly with acoustic instruments, you might also consider a Fender Deluxe black face or silver face. They have less power, and a single 12" speaker.

Doug Beaumier · Post by **Doug Beaumier** » 1 Aug 2005 7:05 am

The Vibrolux Reverb is a terrific amp for regular guitar. I play a '67 blackface every weekend in my band, and the tone is out of this world! It's not a good steel guitar amp however IMHO. I've played my stringmaster through it a few times and the tone just wasn't there. It's even worse with PSG. I guess what works for guitar does not always translate to steel. Just my opinion.
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My Site - Instruction | Doug's Free Tab | Steels and Accessories[This message was edited by Doug Beaumier on 01 August 2005 at 08:08 AM.]

Bill Leff · Post by **Bill Leff** » 1 Aug 2005 8:33 am

Fender's "Custom Vibrolux Reverb" amp is not a reissue of the blackface Vibrolux. The CVR is known for not having a lot of headroom, which makes it attractive to guitar players wanting a dirtier tone. Supposedly it also has more of a tweed tone than the standard blackface amp.

Olli Haavisto · Post by **Olli Haavisto** » 1 Aug 2005 9:21 am

What Doug said...
I have a `66 Tele and 66`Vibrolux Reverb. A match made in Fullerton

!

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Olli Haavisto,
Finland

Randy Reeves · Post by **Randy Reeves** » 1 Aug 2005 9:28 am

I have a Fender Vibrolux Custom. all tube and two ten inch speakers.
I bougt the amp before I got into slide.
this is a great amp.
I do , now, use it for lap and pedal steel.
no complaints. and many compliments.
I have always loved the amp for it's clean , warm tube tone.
it responds quickly to attack.

at high volumes (5 and over) it is loud and breaks up beautifully.
I rarely play that loud, so that is one drawback...but with a Tubescreamer it works out fine.

for lap steel this is a great amp. it's natural compression is a bonus.
for pedal steel I think it has everything one would need. the sounds from my 74 Sho-Bud are beautiful and very true to the instrument.

I bought a floor model six years ago...it was 740$.

the Vibrolux is a great sounding amp. and for me, it is quite versitile.

Post by **Dave Mudgett** » 1 Aug 2005 9:30 pm

Are you talking about a new Vibrolux Reverb or an old one? There's a big difference, IMO. While GC may have an old one, their stock-in-trade is new stuff. I strongly prefer the old, hand-wired Fender amps to the new ones. Yes, old tube amps need maintenance and can be a pain, but they're well worth the trouble, to me.

I play pedal steel, an early 50's Ricky Bakelite, and an early 50s Fender lap. Like David D. and Doug, I love the VR for guitar, especially Teles, but I also find the 2 x 10" configuration lacks depth for any kind of clean steel sounds. However for low-to-medium volume gigs or recording, I like my old Deluxe Reverb with a 12" EV SRO or 12" JBL D- or K-series speaker. The Deluxe has less power, but the 12" projects the low-end better and cleaner. If one chooses the right preamp tubes, it can be quite glassy and clean-sounding. I would consider replacing the front-end preamp tube from 12AX7 to something lower-gain like a 12AY7 or even a real low-gain 12AU7. Right now, I'm using a 12AY7.

If I needed an old Fender amp, I'd go for an early silverface model (from around '68 to about '74) without master volume. IMO, they can be tweaked to be as good as the blackface models, and they're about half the price.