Fender '64 Vibroverb Custom

I am making this post to give some preliminary data on this new amp from Fender. I did NOT buy it and haven't decided whether I will or not. So with that in mind here is a preliminary review.

This is a new amp from Fender. It is a point to point wired non circuit board amp. According to fender it is the same circuit that was used in the original vibroverbs. The exception being the "Diaz" mods. These are accessed via a toggle switch in the rear of the amp. The mods are either in or out no variations.

The Diaz mods are: The normanl channel and the vibrato circuit are removed from the overall ciruitry of the amp. This creates a "gain" boost in the preamp. So in other words the amp has the extra power that these other features require to run. It is nothing like adding an extra gain stage via an extra preamp tube. See the sounds section for more.

The other mod this amp has in comparison to an "original" vibroverb is the ability to switch between a tube rectifier or a "diode" rectifier, as fender calls it.

The mods are supposedly the modifications that Cesar Diaz made to SRV's vibroluxes (sp?). I never met Stevie or saw his gear up close so I really don't know. According to Fender the way the switching is done for the Diaz mods the additonal circuitry is completly removed via a hard bypass when the mods are engaged. So the normal channnel and the vibrato do not function in the modded mode. Also the mods are not available via the provided two button footswitch. The switch controls reverb and vibrato.

This amp is a 40 watter of the non-master volume variety. I did not notice whether there was an FX loop. It does however have the ability to drive and extension cab, so long as the total impedance does not fall below four Ohms.

I really can't give a rating in this category. To ME this is a very versatile amp and has very good useable "features". Chances are if you are interested in this amp you know what you are considering. If you are looking for lots of bells and whistles ala mesa/boogie this is DEFINATELY not your bag.

I really liked the tone of this amp, both channels. I played a regular three single coil strat, a Suhr w/V60lp's, and a humbucker equipped guitar of the wall of the dealer.

Before I go any further I must state I am a hardcore anti-vintage gear guy. Briefly, this is because not every piece of vintage gear is worth owning and/or paying the kind of money that they fetch these days. I have played MANY vintage guitars and amps, and by far most of them are crap I wouldn't consider owning. A very few are worthy of the reverance that they get.

So with that said....

This amp does not have overly emphasized upper mid-range. The speaker is a 15" Eminence which I thought very worked well. On the whole this amp is to the bright side. With my Suhr strat I got great clean strat tones. I'm thinking Wayne Krantz's "Long To Be Loose" although, I wound want digital verb to really nail the Krantz thing. With the humbucker guitar on the normal channel I was able to coax useable authentic jazz tones. I did not play a hollowbody through it, but with a solid body think early 90's Pat Martino. I am sure that this amp would sound great cranked but, I really could not crank it in the store and if I did all the acoustics would have really negated the ability to fairly evaluate it. This amp is loud... way louder than you would ever be able to get in the average 75 - 100 seater. So if you like to have distortion/overdrive you will more than likely need a pedal of some sort.

So then, if you are vintage gear guy my guess is that you will probably find something to poo-poo this amp for. If you are someone looking for a well made, traditionally crafted amp and you are familiar with traditional fender tones you will really like this amp. I even think that heavy metal guys might like this as a clean amp in a multi-amp setup. If I were to purchase this amp I would use it for jazz and fusion type tones with my solid bodies, with either a barber od of some kind, or a second amp for dirty tones.

I am not a big reverb player so I really didn't do to much with it. I think traditional Fender applies though.

Again no rating here as I just intended for this to be a preliminary review. I will say this This amp is a fantastic value. I think the Bruno CT45 in a 1x15 format would be obviously better in an A/B comparison but it is a thousand dollars more. Other than Tony Bruno I don't really know who else is doing anything with blackface style circuits. I understand that Fender is pretty militant with their attorneys in keeping exact blackface knock offs from coming to market by anyone other than Fender. The Vibro-King gets that clean but not clean bluesy grit much easier than this amp even though is is twenty watts more powerful.

Unless you get a lemon, this amp should serve you well with proper maintanence. It does come with the standard 5 year fender warranty. It also comes with a schematic for DIY'ers or to provide to your service tech.

I have no direct experience in dealing with Fender.

For me this amp rates an 8 in this category a real solid value. I think a Bruno CT -45 would come out on top in a A/B shootout, particularly when pushed into heavy overdrive. The Bruno is half-again as expensive. So if you are looking for primarily clean to mildly overdriven tones and are willing to use a premium o/d unit you can save yourself eight hundred bucks or so.