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Topic: Vibrosonic Reverb |
Bobby Nelson
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 28 May 2018 7:28 am |
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| Anyone have an opinion on a '73 Vibrosonic Reverb with the original orange Fender/Cerwin-Vega spkr? |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 28 May 2018 9:54 am
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I have one of those and I love it.
Mine has the orange Fender speaker made for them by JBL.
Erv |
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Bobby Nelson
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 28 May 2018 1:26 pm
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| Thanks Erv. I'm told that the first 2 yrs of the run of them (72 &73) they used the Cerwin-Vega. Can't really afford it but, man would it be a compliment to my '73 twin w/JBLs. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 28 May 2018 1:45 pm
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I've got another Vibrosonic reverb amp that was made for a couple of years in the'90s.
This one has a dedicated steel channel, that is an excellent amp also.
I'm a sucker for old Fender tube amps.
I also have an early silver face Twin Reverb with JBL speakers in it. I ordered it that way from Fender. 
Erv |
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Bobby Nelson
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 28 May 2018 3:14 pm
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| I guess that makes two of us Erv. |
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Steve Spitz
From:
New Orleans, LA, USA
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Posted 28 May 2018 3:35 pm
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Bobby,
If the baffle board from the twin unscrews, why not just get a 15†Baffle board made, and try the 15†speaker of your choice?
You can get the Baffle with grill cloth for $90. Well worth it.
Mine sounds great with the JBL K or Altec 418. |
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George Kimery
From:
Limestone, TN, USA
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Posted 28 May 2018 7:19 pm Vibrosonic reverb
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Just for my education, is the Vibrosonic the amp that was the same as the Twin, but had one 15" speaker instead of two 12's? Dicky Overbey played one of these. Looking at today's single 15" speaker amps,was the Vibrosonic just ahead of it's time? Is that the reason it was never popular like the Twin? And this still holds true today. (understand if it is not the Vibrosonic, that's due to lack of knowledge on my part)
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Bobby Nelson
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 29 May 2018 1:41 am
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Steve, I'm just thinking of having both. I'm actually very happy with my Twin - just seeing the Vibro as part of a pair. I'm eventually going to have split cabs built for both - if I, in fact, buy the Vibro.
Yes George, that's the one. And, my Twin is a '73 also. That's the real reason I'm wanting it - kinda viewing it as one half of a pair. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 29 May 2018 7:56 am
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George,
As far as I know, the Vibrosonic Reverb is the same as a Twin Reverb only with a 15" speaker.
There has always been some confusion with the Vibrosonic.
There is also a VibrAsonic amp made by Fender and I can't really tell you the difference between the two. 
Erv |
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Bobby Nelson
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 29 May 2018 8:20 am
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Erv, my buddy has a 1960 Vibr(a/o)sonic. I believe it's a 15" and 45 watts - no reverb.
The Twin Reverb is 2x12 @ 4 ohm. The Vibrosonic reverb is 1x15 at 8 ohm. I believe these are the differences. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 29 May 2018 8:24 am
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Bobby,
I believe you're right.
Erv |
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Ken Pippus
From:
Langford, BC, Canada
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Posted 29 May 2018 8:33 am
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| The silverface Vibrosonic and the brown Vibrasonic were both 4 ohms stock (although there may be the odd outlier.) |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 29 May 2018 8:38 am
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The '70s speaker was 4 ohm, the '90s was 8 ohm.
I replaced the 8 ohm speaker in my '90s model with an 8 ohm JBL that I reconed. |
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Ken Pippus
From:
Langford, BC, Canada
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 29 May 2018 8:43 am
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I stand confused.
Erv |
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Ken Pippus
From:
Langford, BC, Canada
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Posted 29 May 2018 8:47 am
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Never owned the blackface "reissue" Vibrasonic, but gigged for years with the brown one: great amp but only two 6L6's. Currently have the silver Vibrosonic with the orange JBL, in the 100 watt version (later 135 ultralinear.) All the ones I ever saw were 4 ohms, like a twin, but Fender may well have done something funny once in a while.
I think even the "Twin Custom 15" was 4 ohms.
Last edited by Ken Pippus on 29 May 2018 8:52 am; edited 2 times in total |
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Ken Pippus
From:
Langford, BC, Canada
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Posted 29 May 2018 8:49 am
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I think all of them were outstanding steel amplifiers, and with the exception of the original brown ones, way loud, clean guitar amps.
Never saw the orange Cerwin-Vega. Interesting. Back-breaking, I suspect! |
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Mike Vallandigham
From:
Martinez, CA
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Posted 29 May 2018 11:00 am
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My '79 Vibrosonic Reverb is 8 ohms, w/ 8 ohm speaker.
These have a different OT than a twin (4 ohm OT)
My '60 VibrAsonic has a 16 Ohm speaker, which is correct.
Fender used the 45550 OT, which is normally used on a 4 power tube/two speaker amp. Take two tubes out, and the 45550 wants to see 16 Ohm. That's why you see 16 Ohm JBL D130 (not F) in these brown VibrAsonics. |
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Bobby Nelson
From:
North Carolina, USA
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Posted 29 May 2018 12:42 pm
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| The 1973 model I'm looking at, is an 8 ohm, with an 8 ohm Cerwin-Vega/fender 15" in it. |
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Justin Griffith
From:
Taylor, Texas, USA
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Posted 29 May 2018 5:48 pm
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I've got Dickys vibrosonic. It's got the 8 ohm D
-130F its great!
_________________
Emmons/Sho~Bud/Blanton, Fender/Peavey.
Telonics pedal |
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Eric Philippsen
From:
Central Florida USA
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Posted 30 May 2018 8:15 am
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| I know older Fender tube amp output transformers are pretty tolerant of ohms mismatches. In other words, putting an 8-ohm 15" speaker in a Twin that originally had 2-12" speakers @4 ohms would work. But it would put a strain on the OT. Right? |
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Ken Pippus
From:
Langford, BC, Canada
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Posted 30 May 2018 3:26 pm
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Trying to focus through about forty years of mental cobwebs, it's quite possible the the JBL (grey) in the Vibrasonic (brown!) was 16 ohms. I remember with great certainty that it wasn't 8. Great amp, but I never tried steel through it.
One of the nicest sounding steel rigs in this town is anchored by a brown Pro. Anybody know how that circuit differed from the Vibrasonic? |
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Peter Leavenworth
From:
Madbury, New Hampshire, USA
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Posted 30 May 2018 4:52 pm
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Here's the website I use for fender amp info:
the vintagesound.com
_________________
2008 Zum D-10, 1996 Mullens PRP D-10, 1974 Emmons D-10, 1976 Emmons D-10, early 70s Emmons GS-10, Milkman Sideman head w/Telonics 15" speaker, 1966 Fender Super Reverb, 1970 Fender Dual Showman head, Wechter/Scheerhorn and Beard Dobros, 1962 Supro lap steels, Gibson 1939 RB-11 banjo, Gibson 1978 RB-250
banjo......and way too much more |
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Justin Griffith
From:
Taylor, Texas, USA
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Posted 30 May 2018 5:43 pm
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Mine is one of the later ultralinnier ones. The OT is 8ohms.
_________________
Emmons/Sho~Bud/Blanton, Fender/Peavey.
Telonics pedal |
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Mike Vallandigham
From:
Martinez, CA
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Posted 31 May 2018 10:52 am
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Here's My '60.
The D130 has an un-doped smooth paper cone. D130F is doped, and might have a different voice coil.
Also has a transitional circuit number, 6G3, instead of the usual 5G13 or 6G13-A.
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