Fender '64 Vibroverb Custom

64 Vibroverb Custom, made in 2004. Basic blackface style with volume, treble and bass with reverb and trem. 40/50 watts, depending if you switch the rectif. tube in or out. Two channels, Mod switch for "Texas Sound". No effects loops or channel switching.

I play a Eric Clapton Stat, 57 GT LP, Reverend Spy into a Pedalworx Texas Two step pedal into this amp. I have found that this amp has great headroom but will also allow you to "ride" the edge of breakup by using your guitars volume control. Tone is very full and it has the Fender bloom that we all love. I thought that the 15" speaker would be bass heavy, but actually this is one the best amps I've played for full range of frequency's and the amp provides a good sense of touch and bounce when you hit the strings hard vs soft. Chords sound especially full and thick with this amp. After playing for about 20 min to get a feel for the amp's settings I was able to get an excellent SRV tone. Interesting is that my Reverend spy has three lipstick tube pickups and it can sometimes be tough to dial in the sound you want but with the Vibroverb it sounds fantastic! SRV had a guitar with lipsticks named "Charley" now I can see why he liked it with the Vibroverb. One Key point you should know is that I bias my amp to ~40 ma and it makes a huge difference in the sound and feel of the amp, I found this to be true of my Super Reverb Reissue also. It is common for amps to be sent out from the factory bias "cold" (less than 35-45ma) so as to extend tube life but if you will get the bias between 35-45 the amp will come alive and sound dynamic and responsive to your playing. Makes you wonder how many amps in the past that I sold or didn't buy because I didn't like the sound but never put in good quality tubes and adjusted the bias properly!! Tone wise this amp is as good as the Fender sound gets, but no it probably won't do death metal.

Fender amps have always been dependable for me, never had to deal with the service department because my local dealer "E M shorts" in Wichita, Ks always takes care of any warrenty issues, they are excellent when it comes to customer service.

See above.

I've been playing for ~30 years and have had one of every amp ever made, started in the late 60's with fender, moved to Mesa Boogie, then a Marshall, then Vox, even used Tech 21 for awhile, but I have returned to the Fender Blackface and Tweed amps and find that BB King is right! less is more and that if you can't get a great clean sound then all the distortion in the world is not very useful. I play roadhouse blues and find this amp to be just the right size and weight to carry, and the tone is a blues players dream. I really like this amp!

Im not sure exactly what year the amp was made in possibly 03.As far as versitility is concerned its a bit of a one trick pony,I've tried using the modded tubescreamer approach but for me it sounds too choked/compressed does'nt alow the amp to breath naturally,infact I find this amp quite un-pedal friendly(NKT Sunface,Boss DS1Pro,J.H.Fuzz and Brown and Silver modded Tubescreamers just dont cut it!The amplifier has two channels I suppose three with the mods engaged but I think most people will just use channel 2 and switch mods in or out as desired.After purchasing the amp I did quite a bit of research into the Dias mods and discovered that only some of the mods that Cesar used to perform have been done,I feel a bit cheated in this respect! as Im sure others do!As regards features I dont wish for any more I just wish that the amp had been faithfully modded as the blurb/hype led us to believe.

Guitars that I use are a Gibson 335 v.s.b. re-issue stock 57 humbuckers(93) and a Fender
1957 re-issue strat with stock pickups(staggered pole hand bevelled)
My musical tastes are mainly black American blues and of course Jimi.For me the thing that this amp does realy well is the West Side Soul Magic Sam sound.In the vibrato channel with vibrato on and quite a lot of reverb using my 335 neck pickup I can nail the Magic Sam sound.Just take a listen to All Of Your Love on West Side Soul.I messed about with this amp quite a bit to try and find the best combination,heres how I've got it at the moment, speaker Weber15A150 Pre-amp tubes valve 1 Jan Philips 12ax7wa,V2 Mullard 40024(12at7)V3 Jan Philips 12at7 V4&V5 Jan Philips 12ax7a and V6 Mullard 40024 Power tubes Jan Philips 6L6WGB and Mullard GZ34 rectifier.This set-up allows you to crank the amp a bit more than usual in a moderate setting and the fidelity is superb not a hint of harshness especially with a strat and the amp on 9 in channel 2 you can get that Lenny thing going.You can use the Diaz mods but there not that great to be honest if anything there a little harsh.This is not a distortion amp but more an amp with gobs of fat tone and the more you crank it the the richer the overtones become.I rating this section for its clean ability.

I purchased the amp in December 2004.Shortly after I took it home whilst I was playing it there was a loud pop and a puff of smoke came out of it which was one of the filter caps exploiding.Which as you can imagine was very alarming, I dont know of anybody else that this has happened to so maybe its just a one off!But anyway I've had it repaired and its been O.K. since thats 12 months ago.

The amplifier has a 5 year warranty so the repair did'nt cost me anything apart from the petrol money to drive there and back.

I've been playing for 17 years and I also have a Fender red knob twin which people seem to slate but I think for gigging this is one of the most flexible amps out there and pedals work great through it at least my NKT275 Sunface and Teese RMC picture Wah do!If the amp was stolen that is the Vibroverb I would survive but I would miss the money and the clean sound.In summary its a great amp but is very limited as to what in can do!(Magic Sam early Otis Rush)

More versatile than other Blackface amps due to the mod and rectifier switches.

I have only tried this amp for about two hours in a store, so my review will be brief. I usually play a Twin Reverb and like it for it's Blackface sound with a Strat. In this case I A/B'ed with my own CS 60's Strat having a Twin Reverb next to the Vibroverb Custom. There is no doubt the Vibroverb had more of that Blackface tone. It was more present and responsive. In fact I was surprised that the 15" speaker didn't sound darker. I would have expected that, but no.

If the store would swap my almost new Twin Reverb for this amp, I would do it. Now I am wondering if I should spend all this money, including a loss when trading in my Twin Reverb. I am sure this amp has more to offer, perhaps even some Tweed tones, but I have concentrated on the Blackface sound. The high price will subtract somewhat from my overall rating.

Made in 2003, 2 Channels (non switchable), I play at home and at church. It has pleanty of power. Ceasar Diaz (RIP) Mods. I play in the stock with pedals, mode

Al the reviews I have read up to now have been with Strat. guitars. I use a Gibson Les Paul Double Cutaway. My overdrive comes by way of a SIB Varidrive pedal and a SIB Fatdrive right before the amp after the Varidrive. I really like the clean sound played through the reverb channel with the Bright switch on, reverb on 2 with the Bass, mids on 4 treble on 5. The amp is awsome

Don't know yet

I don't know but I am persistant. If there weree a problem I would be on them until it was solved

I have a fairly new JBL D130 in a closed back cabinet that was the original speaker used in the Vibroverbs of old. I really can't tell the difference between the 2 except closed/open but together they sound over the top. I also have a Super Reverb that I like just as well but the Vibroverb really is worth the extra bucks. I think it is a Lifetime amp for a serious Guitar player/Guitarist. Play loud when you can!

64 vibroverb custom. I ordered this amp March,2003 from a small music store that I like doing business with. I do not deal with the Guitar Center!! Support the small stores! In the end you will get better service, price, and the product is not handled by hundreds of people. The amp arrived May,2003.Basic blackface all tube 40 watt amp in the stock mode. 50 watts in the modified mode. The normal channel and vibrato are disabled in the modified mode. I looked inside the chasse nice job point-to-point wiring, no printed circuit board crap.

I use custom shop tele single coil pickups and a custom shop strat with vintage style pickups. I play about two or three hours a day so it's been almost a year of every day use. The speaker is broken in nicely. In the stock mode nice warm tone with a smooth breakup. The amp is very quiet in the stock mode, hardly any noise at all. In the modified mode a lot more gain very punchy will blow you away. A slight hiss can be heard. The reverb is just right not over baring. Overall the sound this amp produces, is vintage blackface. Suits my music style,Rock,Blues,Jazz.(Mostly Blues and Jazz.)

No problems changed the tubes re-bias. Cabinet is solid finger jointed pine, no rattles. Chasse is hand wired, point-to-point,very well built. The 15" speaker is great. Should provide many years of trouble free service.

Customer support hit or miss. If you want to know when somthing was made customer suppor is great. If you need tech support forget it.

Good amp for the money. You are getting the real deal,a fender. Well built,sounds like it's suppose too, a vintage vibroverb, beautiful warm tone. This amp will hold it's value. JUST KEEP IN MIND THIS IS A VINTAGE STYLE AMP NO BELLS AND WHISTLES!!

Late 2002 Custom shop amp. Hand wired with custom mods. Switchable rectifiers, 1 x15 Emminence speaker.

Fender blackface sound with a moderate over drive in mod mode.
great clean Fender sounds. you dont buy a Fender to get Marshall sounds.

Looks dependable..much more than Fenders hotrod crap.

Its corporate Fender. hit of miss.

Overall this is a great 15" Vibroverb clone. The Emminence speaker is better than the original JBL with the aluminum dust cap. Always sounded metalic.

Custom 64 Vibroverb. Not to be mistaken for a reissue. I've played the reissues and taken them apart and the don't even get close to this amp. So it's a new amp and needs some miles put on it. I agree, the speaker is stiff but with my 4 x 10 added into the equation it's full and rich with a very wide tonal spectrum. I did a lot of work on this amp because I felt there were improvements to be made with things like the rear baffle boards and basically I silenced the thing ... rattles and buzzes are gone. The nice thing is that it's basically a beautifully made amp and just needs a bit of attention. I play it by it's self now whereas I would only use it with other amps when I first bought it. I think it's very versatile for a bf fender. The workmanship is good and this is an extremely tough amp. The press clips which hook everything up inside need replacing (soldering)... but that's an easy job and very satisfying. I also reinforced the back boards with strips of Oak which also helps stop cabinet buzz/rattle.

Sounds rich and very sax like by it's self. It has a pronounced mid range and breaks up nice at moderate volumes. Sounds huge with the 4x10 added and less painful. I don't know an amp that doesn't benefit from the addition of extn. speakers.
I like it, it is warm and has a great vintage vibe. Of course all the vintage snobs won't have much praise for it but then, they never like anything unless it crackles, hums and breaks down now and again. I think they call it "character" I'll take quality over that. But really don't be put off by them. This is a quality amp.

It's built extremely well and I have every faith in it. There are some boutique amps out there costing more that aren't made this well... it's nice to see that they don't rely on hot glue to hold everything together... like the big caps etc. This amp is solid as a rock.

Don't know, don't care.

Real fun to play in all environments. Occupies the right frequencies in a gig setting and is clear as a bell. Responds well to overdrive pedals I used a TS9DX for a while and have now replaced that with a Bad Cat 2Tone which is lush and everything cleans up nice / responds well to the guitars volume. It's not an amp that will do everything for you at the drop of a hat and you will have to coax some tones out of it with your hands/playing technique but they are there you just have to work a little for it. Very distinctive, much nicer than the super and twin reissues and of course being hand made is built better. I love it, it's the kind of amp you can get very attached to... unless you like the more traditional farty vintage tones that those guys go on and on about. By the way the tubes in mine sucked big time. I've never liked the Groove Tubes products and they make such a song and dance about their new American made 6L6 which quite frankly I just threw away and put some EH tubes in it. Yes you'll need to "fine tune it" but it's worth it in the end. I would have paid 2500 for it and and thrilled to have paid only 1750. So just to show how subjective this all is I absolutely don't agree with those other guys and I've been playing guitar for thirty years. www.bluesonfirst.com

BEST FENDER AMP ATTEMPT SINCE The Blues JR and the BF Fenders of old were made Crazy mod specs below: Tube or SS Rectifier switch, Mod or classic preamp voice switch, all Point to point, nice cab, Crap speaker, good tubes (for the most part) its a nice amp overall; the mods are pretty cool to have built in and the waranty is good. However, it is up in the price range that makes it not such a great deal to buy new. This will certainly be a collectors amp in many many years, but as a players amp it has some issues

Its loud as hell!! I will give it credit. Its got some classic fender problems. TOO DAMN BRIGHT! with single coils cranked up it will take you head off, even rolling the treble down to 1. Much better with humbuckers but No clean head room. The Bottom is a bit flabby and the speaker cannot reproduce a fat tone without flab when cranked. It does have the classic fender tone, and maybe after a few years it will warm up and break in. The OD from the New USA MADE GT 6l6GE's is ok. I am not sure if its the Bias, Voicing, speakers or the tubes but the Full Tilt OD is not very Smooth. Rather brittle and harsh. Could have been a tight speaker but who can say. It DOES NOT SOUND LIKE ANY OF THE VIBROVERBS I have played that are real-era production. Its a bit noisy but not too bad. In this price range there are much better sounding amps, for less money. For around a grand this could be a 9 or 10 but for 2g's its a 6

Should be solid, its well made, but there is some crap in there. Just look at the tube sheilds. You will bend them taking them off. A completely different gauge of metal compaired to 60-70-80's production amps.

Fender SUCKS ON SERVICE!!!! I have not had to deal with them, as I buy my Fender Gear Used. But they suck and we all know it, just ask around.

OK I will give you all the dirt. Guitar Center will sell these things for 1750.00 bucks if you can find it on the floor; that was my price today and I damn near bought it cause I thought I might be able to flip it on ebay for a profit. They really do have the best prices. I spent 2 hours with one along with my Fargen Bordeaux cranked to 10 in the LOUD ROOM. I was looking for a deal to put into the collect for long term or turn quick for some $$. But, it was just not to be, on Ebay they can not sell them for 1700.00. So HOLD OUT. They have a 5 year transferable warrenty and that is great. If you must have this amp (and I say try some others) you should be able to get one for around 1200-1500 in a few more months and you have yourself a pretty nice rig. But still! You can pickup BF Super Reverbs, vibrolux, or proreverb for that and they will have a mid sweep control and will always be worth the the money you paid for it. This amp sounds no better then your average well maintained Silver Face 40W Fender. For almost 3 times the price. its a hard sell People! This amp may be best bought used and abused, cause it just aint all that and a bag of chips.

I went over this amp recently, just to see if Fender got it right this time, so I would like to take this opportunity, to point out a few things about what this amp is obviously trying to pose as.......
OK, so it's fact that SRV used a pair of '64 Vibroverbs, and it's also fact that Cesar Diaz performed several mods on them. You can read about the Diaz mods on SRV's amps at: www.tonequest.com
Some of these mods however, have NOT been performed on this Verb reissue.
Cesar was probably very happy about Fender asking him to help do the Verb reissue, but he unfortunately didn't survive to see it go into production, as he passed away in April 2002.
A real big part of SRV's tone, was due to the JBL speakers, (with aluminum dust cap) he had in both 'Verbs. He didn't use EV's until '89, on the In Step album.
The Eminence 15" speaker in this amp, may appeal to some people looking for other sounds, but it'll never sound anything like a JBL, not in a million years!
If you're looking for a REAL '64 Verb, try finding a Silverface Bandmaster reverb, or Pro reverb, or Super reverb, and get it rebuilt to 64 Verb specs, with SRV's mods (all of 'em!), at the same time! These Silverface amps can be had for little money and it's not so tragic modding an amp that's not an original is it?
I've got one of these so called "Vibroclones" from Jack Price of Priceless Amps in Oregon, (search the web for his site), complete with an original JBL D130 from '66, Twin Reverb output tranny, reverb on both channels etc. and it sounds just like Stevies tone on "El Mocambo"............really!! Read my review here under: Priceless Amp Restoration.
A couple of TS-9's and a Fulltone Wah completes the set-up.
So if you are looking for SRV's (early) tone, save your money and look at the prospect of aquiring one of these fine Vibroclones.
It's obvious that Fender is just trying to cash in on SRV's legacy here,.......again! And IMHO they've failed,.........again! (The Fender SRV strat is also just a piece of overpriced junk).
And this Verb reissue is damn expensive too!! For this kind of money, you deserve, and can easily get, much better gear.
Thanks for listening!

As a gigging guitarist and SRV fan, playing Texas style blues/blues rock I had to buy this amp. Fools rush in I think! Although no doubt this is an honest attempt by Fender to replicate the modified version of this amp used by SRV I think they have failed. It is in theory a good idea to have the Diaz mods included and selectable. However, in my view the amp sounds better using the stock settings. The Diaz mods make the tone loud, more aggressive and trebly but at the expense of the sweetness of tone.

I use it with an SRV signature strat generally (Texas special pickups), and with Marshal blues breaker pedals. Whatever configuration of settings or tubes I use the quality of tone is not as good as my 65 Re-issue Super Reverb which is a great amp at half the price! Also the reverb on the 65 Super Reverb is beautifully lush in a way that the Vibroverb can not quite match. The Diaz mods I do not like - the amp sounds much better to my ears using the stock/original set-up. With the mods engaged the amp can become aggressive, loud, hard on the ears and unduly trebly at the expense of tonal quality - at least at the volumes I like to play at i.e. less than deafening! Overall the tone is good but disappointing for an amp of this price and reputation.

When I got this amp home I found that the reverb tank was broken and had been incorrectly assembled - unforgiveable considering the price! However, now that this has been rectified the amp seems reliable in other respects.

Customer support is not generally a problem, especially having bought it through a reputable dealer.

Have been gigging professionally/continuously for the past 7 years. I own a number of Fender amps including 2 x 65 re-issue Super Reverbs, an original 66 Super Reverb, an original 64 Vibroverb, 59 Bassman re-issue etc so I'm well placed to judge the merits of this amp! I would not buy it again because I get a better tone from the Super Reverbs and this amp is disappointing partucularly in view of the high price and the fact that it doesn't fulfill the vintage version's reputation and SRV's legacy.