Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb

Made circa 2003. Basic 60s style Fender combo with two non-switchable channels (normal and bright, but you can overcome this with an A-B footswitch and foot pedals to add effects), but does have several subtle but excellent improvements over a basic combo. The reverb and vibrato are global across both channels - very nice! Can't argue with an all tube, only 47 pounds amp that needs no casters to haul around. Be a man and carry it, easy to prop up on the back seat of my Ford Explorer like a person, and won't go nowhere unless you are a wild driver. Pushes 2 internal 10 inch 8 ohms PR-10 Jensen speakers in parallel at a 4 ohms load (some of my all time favorite speakers) for a clean, classic sparkling Fender sound, but can be warm and honking as needed. If this is not enough, you can add another 4 ohms load on the external speaker jack and run it at 2 ohms like a Super Reverb. Yes, you could hook up a 4 ohms 4x12 cab to supplement the 10s. Just don't go below 4 ohms on this extra load, or 2 ohms total load between the internal 10s and the extra cabs. So, is simple, but has notable and expandable features, so to speak. 40 tube watts delivers for most mid sized venues I've played (remember a tube watt typically sounds three times as loud as a solid state watt, so this is like a 120 watts solid state amp, loud as needed).

A hidden feature beyond a basic combo: Breaks up nicely around 4 on the volume, starts venturing into Marshall JCM-800 territory if you need it (a little less gain, of course). A mild mannered looking amp that is a beast in disguise. I watch dozens of people walk by it and never even try it out in my many music store travels, because it looks so polite with the white knobs against a black face panel. Have seen it in two movies now, so producers must like its blackface, white knobs, gray grillcloth, classic 60s Fender cosmetics. Could be cool with an effects loop, but front end pedals are fine with this amp. I rarely use effects loops anyway, mostly lean towards pedals. No direct out, or headphones, so miking is the only option if you don't have an extra cab and need more volume, thus a 9, because I really like it, but it does not have all the bells and whistles possible in this medium high price range. Still, this amp can honk and not make you go deaf in a live situation. Useable at controllable volumes, depending on your pickups, effects, etc.

I have about 8 solid electrics. 79 Gibson LP Standard with Ibanez V7 and V8 pickups (try it, you may like this combination - I saved the 80s Gibson replacements if I ever sell it, don't worry, this LP was a player to begin with), 2001 Heritage H535 Classic with Seymour Duncan 59s, 90s era 3 bolt G&L hot rodded Legacy (2 Fender Vintage Noiseless, DiMarzio Tone Zone S in the bridge, coil tap and 7 position G&L expander switch like an S-500) and ASAT Special, Godin LGXT with Duncans, Cavin AE-185 and DC-145 (HSH vice DC-135 SSH), 3 tone sunburst Fender Squier 20th Anniversary standard Strat w/3 traditional single coils (great standard 22 fret Strat for low bucks). This amp sounds good with all of them, is a great reference amp for hearing a guitar's true tones. Thus, can cover the MOR genres of CCM, classic rock, 60-70s pop-rock and new country that I play. Is noisy, but not noticeable in a gig situation. If the band is really loud, hook up an extra cab or go through the PA with a mike. However, really cuts through without all that in medium gigs where folks know how to blend and not keep turning up. This vibrato beats most other vibratos by miles, stays strong and does not loose volume, sounds real good. Born on the Bayou by CCR, here ya go, played that on gigs, real nice.

Just drove it 2000 miles round trip to a big gig in MD. No problems. Sounded great. Conversely, my 70s Silver Face Vibrolux w/black face mods crapped out on me and did not sound anywhere near as good.

I never gig without a back up on tube amps, but it has been very reliable across my gigs.

Be smart, turn your amp off after the gig, and let it sit a half hour before moving it while you pack up the rest of your gear. Lets the circuit and tubes cool down. Tubes are it for me, no comparison, the real sound I want in 40 years of playing, though I dabbled in solid state here and there, including modeling amps. I always come back to tubes for live gigs.

I have not had a problem so far, but know my local dealer will service this amp. To be conservative, an 8. Can't argue with a 5 years warranty on Fender amps, nice.

I got this amp new, but traded a bunch of gear straight across for it, worth about a 1000 to me. You can get 'em cheaper, mainly because so many people walk by and totally ignore them, so they eventually get blown out at $700 to 750. Their ignorance is your gain. E.g., I got mine on this trade, after it collected dust 8 months in my local Fender dealer's store. But I was playing it and keeping my eye on it for 3 months waiting for this favorable trade and got it. Would like another one.

I have had a lot of amps in 40 years, tube and solid state. I presently also have a Peavey Ranger 212, a 70s Fender Vibrolux Silver Face (with black face mods), a Crate Blue Voodoo Half-Stack, a Traynor YCV-20 class A, a Carvin Nomad 112, and a Carvin Quad X-15 Tube pre-amp. All this stuff is nice for one thing or another, can deliver good tones, depending on the gig, practice situation or recording need. This Fender just seems to be my most versatile, user friendly, easy to use gig amp that saves my back and gives me a good tone for medium size venues. I would like to get another one eventually as I can make trades or come up with extra cash. Maybe trade one or two of these other amps for it. Dunno how things will shake out in terms of my collection next year, I always keep exploring in music stores, but I can recommend this amp as a good meat and potatos work horse that sounds real good, looks nice and classic Fender, and does not break your back while delivering great tube tone. If it was not Fender reaching into your pocket for the name plate bucks, Traynor is a great tiube alternative for bang for the bucks, I would say it was an overall 10. Since it is a bit pricey for an average joe like me, I will be conservative and give it a 9. But, it is a real cool amp for its price range, or you have the bucks or can trade into it, etc. At any rate, worth a look and listen, you might be surprised.

Not the amp you want if you are looking for a lot of features. Two channel ("normal" and "bright"), vol/treble/bass controls for each channel, nice Fender reverb, and great sounding tremelo ("speed" and "intensity" controls). That's it. A very basic amp. Two 10" speakers, 40 watts. Almost forgot, it's got tilt-back legs which are very cool.

I've had this amp for a number of years, so the honeymoon period is definitely over. When I first bought the amp, I almost immediately returned it back to Guitar Center because it was so noisy I thought it was flawed. Turns out the new replacement was just as noisy! With better quality tubes, the noise is really not bad.

Over the years I've used this amp primarily as a practice amp, rarely getting above a volume of about "3". Sounds GREAT at low volumes... classic Fender. A couple weekends ago my band had two gigs. I used this amp, and as we got louder as the evening progressed (and I got my volume up around 4-5), the clean sound became really flabby and farty. Kind of how I imagine a blown speaker would sound. Not overdriven and musical at all. I took the advice of other reviewers on this site and replaced the stock speakers (I put in Celestion Vintage 10 speakers). WOW, huge difference! I'm really anxious to play live so I can crank this baby up, but it seems to have solved the problem (playing quite loud at home when the wife is out, and the flab is gone!).

That's what motivated me to write this review. Don't give up on this amp and sell it prematurely. Try new speakers (and good quality tubes) first.

Nothing has ever actually broken, construction seems solid. I'm only giving it a "6" because stock out of the box Fender seems to have scrimped big time on the speakers (and perhaps on the tubes as well). For the price paid for this amp, it should NOT be necessary to change out the speakers to get a good sound.

Rating of "1" is being very generous. From what I can tell, the Fender website has absolutely no way you can contact them. That's inexcusable for a corporation the size of Fender. I don't see any link to "contact us" or "customer service" or anything. If it's there, it's well hidden. Fender, shame on you!

Now that I have put in decent speakers, I'm really happy with this amp. It took me a while to figure it out

I bought this amp new in 2005 & I believe it was made in 2004. It's a basic, vintage-style Fender amp so it's "features" are amazing for an amp made in about 1962, but really not very amazing to the modern word. It has 2 non-switchable channels (Normal & Bright), reverb & one of the best tremolos I've ever heard. I use this amp at gigs where my Fender Super Reverb, Tweed Bassman LTD, or Peavey 5150 would be too loud. The Custom Vibrolux sounds so full and warm at low volumes, even though it has 2 6L6 tubes just like my other Fender amps. They must have designed it to deliver at lower volumes, maybe? I agree with other reviews--this amp starts to break up at about 3 1/2 or 4 and only gets dirtier as you crank it. That works PERFECTLY for me, but I understand why that annoys others.

It does a few basic things really, really well. If you're looking for flexibility, look elsewhere.

I play this amp out with a bunch of very different guitars. I play a 1982 '62 Reissue Strat with Seymour Duncan stacked humbucker pickups, a 1965 Gretsch Double Anniversary, a 50's (Reissue) Telecaster with a Duncan Broadcaster pickup, & a recently-manufactured 2-pickup Danelectro. I like the sound of all of these guitars through this amp, and the amp doesn't require too much tweaking if you switch guitars. I usually roll off a little bass & drop the volume a hair when switching from a single coiled pickup to a humbucker. I play roots rock, pop and a little country music. It suits my playing very well. I play a constant mix of rhythm and lead. I have a pedalboard with a volume pedal, a Fulltone Fulldrive 2, a Jekyll & Hyde overdrive, Boss Trem/Pan (used only with my non-trem amps) and a Danelectro Echo, The amp takes effects really well, though it absorbs volume differences at certain settings--if you play the amp really dirty you need to feed it a HUGE distortion boost to get a lead to cut through. I use my Fulldrive for a clean boost with this amp & the amps dirtys up nicely with the spike in volume.

My gigs lately have been pretty small places, so I've purchased a THD Hot Plate and I'm actually taking 4 to 8 db off the amp out of the speaker out. This amp is pretty quiet when played clean, so this should tell you something about the venues. (The Hot Plate ended up being so helpful that I ended up buying one for each of my other amps, btw)

The amp is just as noisy as any stock 50's or 60's Fender I've ever owned. I really don't care about the hiss, but it might become annoying in the studio (I haven't recorded with this amp yet). The hiss from my Super Reverb never ruined any tracks for me, but I'm not a nit-picker and my hearing isn't what it used to be for high frequencies. The noise might bother some.

I never use the "Bright" channel, so this is basically a one-channel amp for me. It has 2 10-inch speakers, which normally doesn't supply enough bottom for me, but in this amp it seems to work. I used to own a blackfaced Fender Pro Reverb with 2 10's and it never delivered the bass that this amp does.

When I first plugged this amp in at my regular Monday gig the singer commented on how amazing my guitar sounded. Between sets I had 2 different people comment on my "amazing tone". I now get comments like this all of the time, so I haven't used any of my other amps since I bought this one. I mentioned the tremolo before--it is just amazing. The reverb is good, too. Both features are foot-switchable and available to both channels (though the front panel is layed out as if maybe the reverb is only available to the "Bright" channel--this is not the case.)

I've only had the amp for a few months. I bought it with a cracked cab (can you believe that stupidity)? It looks like shipping damage to me. I'm surprised the amp works at all. They gave me a huge discount and it was the only one left in the store, so I bought it broken--I loved the sound that much. I keep meaning to glue the thing, but I have this weekly pub gig (and other random shows) and I really don't want to play without it so cracked it remains until we get fired (or the amp fails).

unknown. I've never had to contact Fender for anything in 25 years of playing their guitars and amps. ????

I look this amp as a one-channel amp & I love the sound of it. It's a very basic amp--a one-trick pony in a way, but if you enjoy it's voice that might be enough for you. I'm completely satisfied with it. I've never enjoyed playing any amp so much & I've never gotten so many complements on my guitar sound. I'd replace it again in an instant. I just love the warm, responsive tone and feel of this amp. It sounds like a great brown-faced Fender with maybe a touch of a tweed Fender Deluxe, only louder. I don't expect every amp to be able to do everything, so if I'm playing a gig that is too loud for this amp, I'll just play one of my others. I like it's low-volume tone so much I'm really going to miss it when I play a bigger stage, though.

Basic Fender layout, read the other reviews.

As is true with most modern Fenders, the stock version of the amp is lacking. The Jensen speakers break up very early and lack character. When I got mine there were 2 rattling Fender labelled preamp tubes, thankfully the previous owner had installed a new set of JJ 6L6s which are an improvement.

I immediately pulled the 2 bad preamps, and replaced them with NOS GE 12AX7s. In V1 I installed a new GT 12AX7M. Next I pulled the Jensens and tried a pair of Weber C10Qs, which were much better, but weren't great, so I swapped those out for a pair of the new Eminence Ragin Cajuns.

The amp now sounds dramatically better. The bass is tight and very strong. Like all Fenders there's a definite scooped mids with a prounounced treble bite. Not ice picky, but not shimmery like a Vox type circuit. This is not a clean amp, though mine doesn't have the hiss problem others have mentioned. Around about 3 or 4 on the volume the amp starts to overdrive, with the stock Jensens I started getting speaker break up at 2. It continues to get louder up to about 6 or 7, then mostly saturates as you crank it. It does get very loud, particularly through the new efficient speakers.

The tone of the amp reminds me quite a bit like a Deluxe Reverb, except a bit darker and much louder due to the 6L6s and the 40 watt rating. Nice warm Fendery overdrive when pushed, perfect for blues. The amp handles overdrive pedals well. I've tried it with AC and RC Boosters, FD II, Bad Monkey and a Vintage Rat. Lots of different tones to be had just by hitting the front end with something a little different. I predominantly play a Strat with Fralins, PRS CU22 with Dragons, LPs with Voodoo 59s and Antiquiites and PRS CU 22 with Lollar P 90s. The amp works well with all of them.

The reverb is ok. It's not a big drippy reverb like you get in the SF and BF Fenders, but it is warm and adds a nice depth to the tone. Once you start cranking the amp it becomes unnecessary, so it's nice to have the reverb pedal to kick on and off as necessary. The Vibrato is ok as well, not like a classic Fender Brownface, but servicable.

Stock I give the amp a 5 for Sound quality. With better tubes and speakers I give it a solid 8.

I've owned 2 modern Fenders a Hot Rod Deluxe (long since gone) and this. So far no problems with reliability with either.

N/A

I've been playing for almost 40 years and own a bunch of amps. EL 34 Shiva, Route 66, Carr Rambler, 1967 Bassman, 1970 Champ, 1971 Princeton Reverb, 59 Bassman clone, Vox AC 15 TBX, 1974 Pro Reverb, Univalve, A couple of Jenkins Sound Shop Cabs (1X12 and 2X12) a Fender Tonemaster 4X12 with 2 V30s and 2 G12H30s.

I bought this as an easy to travel amp with classic overdriven Fender tone, and a bit more balls than the Carr Rambler. I'm pretty satisfied with what I ended up with at the price.

Not much here, but I'm not into gadgets. Normal and Bright channels, volume, treble, bass, tremolo, and reverb. 40 watts with 2 Jensen speakers.

I have an American Strat with antiquity pickups and a Standard Les Paul. I have an original blackface Super Reverb and was looking for an amp that could produce a similar sound and would be easier to gig with. I a play blues-rock, jazz, improv style - kind of Allman Brothers/Widespread Panic. I guess I'm spoiled from the beautiful sounds of the Super, cause this amp doesn't cut it at all for me. It sounds decent at about 3 or less, nice clean Fender tone. But as soon as you turn it load enough to hear over drums it breaks up a lot and is almost impossible to get a completely clean tone out of it. Also, due to the limited ability to EQ the amp I had to use my EQ pedal (which I also have to use for the Super). When pushing the bass and mid up a little the amp clearly didn't respond well, as it lost all sustain and seemed to 'fart out.' As others have reported the amp is pretty noisy - I don't think it would pose too much of a problem if you were recording live but if you were to isolate the amp for recording purposes the hiss would definaletly show up in recording.

I only had it a week, but it worked fine.

I've been playing guitar for 15 years, and playing out for 5 years. I just wanted a smaller version of my 67 super reverb to gig with. I knew going into it that nothing is going to sound quite like a Blackface Super, but was disappointed with the Vibrolux none the less. Just didn't cut if for me - it breaks up a little to early for my tastes. Don't get me wrong, I like a nice natural Fender overdrive, but I also like a nice clean sound which I couldn't get at a loud volume. It sounds great with the volume at 3 or less, but isn't quite clean enough when playing with a rock drummer.

a 2004 vibrolux custom reissue which i got about 4 months ago.
amp has two channels: normal and bright with reverb and vibrato and a footswitch with both. it takes two blue (rated 4) GT6L6 power tubes and has no effect loop.

the amp is not very tweakable at all, i wish there was a mid and perhaps a master volume control to control the breakup on the amp. the concept of this amp is they removed all the frills (ie. effects loops and mid. and drive channel and the like) and all thats left is "great tone."
the amp is very loud (45 watts) but it has so much gain that it breaks up at a ridiculously low volume.

i use a 1982 ibanez as-200 for jazz, fusion, funk and pop stuff.
i use a early 90's jap strat for blues and rock.
my pedal setup is guitar - keeley modded rat - crybaby - boss dd-6 - ernie ball volume pedal.

so heres the deal-

1. the amp is VERY noisy when turned on. using tremolo makes it even louder as does any sort of distortion unit. ive recorded 3 or so times with it and every time ive had comments from the engineer about how loud it is.

2. the amp sounds very nice for low volume stuff. i like it for jazz in clubs...thats pretty much it. ive used it on about 15 top 40/pop gigs and was not impressed at all. the breakup is so early that its pretty much impossible to get anything clean at a slightly high volume. also i didnt really like the way it took pedals (esp dist. as it made the pedals tend to sound buzzy and brittle)

3. when the amp did break up, the tone seemed to take a sort of nose dive. it seemed to be all treble and mids with no sustain. the breakup was so brittle that it was impossible to get a nice sweet lead tone, no matter what pedal i used. i tried some ruby tubes matched to fender blues and the breakup was slightly nicer...but still not tolerable to me.

right when i got the amp i had to take it into my amp tech guy because of a strange crackling and popping sound. he said that basically the stock soldering job was terrible and he re-did all the work for me.
a couple months later, something happened to the bass cap and the bass stopped working. i would chalk this stuff up to UPS throwing it around as well as stinky work by fender. but fender took care of it all on warranty so i guess the service was pretty good

n/a

im in the process of selling this amp right now. i dont mean to be really dark about the amp, but i dont see alot of reasons to get one. with some better tubes and a nicer speaker it would probably sound alot better, but id rather put the effort into a higher quality amp. i recently purchased an allen accomplice 1 X 15 combo which i think sounds amazing, and MUCH more blackfacey than the 67 vibro reissue (www.allenamps.com).

i guess my final comments are:
the amp is nice for low volumes or blues (with better tubes) but if youre looking for a clean tone anywhere other than your living room, then look elsewhere.

it's a non switchable 2-channel amp with the most wonderful tremolo and an average reverb in it, "spiced" with an odd hiss and other funny noises. a simple amp with no other features (well, you can imitate a steam engine with the tremolo and the hiss, if that's of any use...)

I use this amp mainly for country rock. the signal starts from a tele, goes thru a little compression into a mellow overdrive, further into a lead overdrive, slapback echo into the final booster pedal, all good quality. I really like the crunchy sound of the amp, which starts around the "10 o'clock" setting, but that's already a bit too loud for most of the gigs. that's why I use a little overdrive from a pedal. to be loud enough with a drummer, "9 o'clock" setting is fine for me, a clean sound, a lovely one. be careful with the bass settings. it has too much bass response and farts pretty soon.
usually I connect a 2-12/ 4 ohm cab to it. it's not getting louder, but it improves the sound I want, and for some reason I think the amp likes it, too. it's a real loud 40 watts amp, it seems louder then my 50 watts marshall jcm 2000. the first gig I played thru the amp was opening for zz top. the biggest stage in switzerland, and the cvr didn't let me down at all!
I really like the little yeller. don't missunderstand my rating, it's not a diamond 10, it's not a golden 9, but a lovely, silvery 8. for a 1 to 10 scale, an 8 is absolutely high level. it's a pro amplifier, even with the hiss'n'hum.

it didn't let me down until today. it's built a bit weak, especially the rear tube cover seems pretty loose. but, as with all tube amps, handle it with care. use a flight case if you can afford it, or at least a soft cover for transportation. I don't use a backup amp. I would if I'd be a pro, I'm "only" semi pro with about 50 gigs a year.
the hiss and hum seems normal in this case and is no reason to worry about.

if you're not a big name, fender is a pain in the ass. the company is too big to worry about little fishes like me. I once waited 3 month for spare parts... switzerland? who cares about that little fart in the middle of europe? ah, they're all rich there, let's go for tripple the price...
so, I'm the idiot, if you look at it. could buy different gear, just as good or even better and cheaper. it's paradoxical, I just love it.....( 'cause I'm a fool......?)

too expensive, very noisy, yet my favorite amp......
the most wonderful tremolo, it works through the power tubes and they blink when the effect is on.
definitely not an amp for everybody. it's a "brutal honest" one.
it can improve your playing a lot due to it's pure tone and dynamic response. you won't be able to fake around with that one. I like honesty. i want to get better. so I found my amp in the cvr.
if lost or stolen, I might check out another (overpriced) fender amp, like a bassman, vibroking, super reverb or the like. but I won't loose it and no-bloody-body will steal it. it's my friend with all its pros and cons. again, I give it an "8". there's only a few "10-ish" amps on the planet, posessed by some freaks who most probably don't even use them. I'm sure there are better amps around which deserve a "9". good luck in finding your favorite amp.

98 model. Extreemly versatile! 2 channels (Norm/Btight) All tube circuitry w/solid state rectifier. 2x10 Jensen Alnico's. Plenty of power. Rated 40 watts. Use it all the time!

My main guitars are US Reissue Strat's and a Custom Shop Tele. Play all types of country, blues and rock. It does them all very well. It's a litle noisey. (Fender knows how to fix this, they just won't)Damn penny pinchers nowadays! Produces every fender tone you can think of. Crystal cleans, texas blues, jimi tone even brown sound when really pumped hard. Starts to break up around 4 on volume control. Simple controls.

I had to replace a noisey preamp tube. Other than that, no problems at all.

That's a joke. Fender has no customer support!

I've played for 30 plus years. I have several other amps, but this is my favorite. I would buy it again and will buy another one in blonde soon. Love the tones and versatility. Hate the noise. Compared it to reissue deluxe and a reissue concert. It smoked them both. It needs nothing more. Turn it on plug in and play. Just like the good ole days!

It's a 2002 model (so it says on the back!)
All i wanted was a good clean amp - hell, i really got one!
2 channels (normal & bright) - no FX loops - who needs them anyway?
40 BIG valve watts - massive!

I use 2 strats (one original late 70's Jap Squier neck & pickups with custom LH body, and one American Standard - poor by comparison with the jap pickups) and an Epiphone Sheraton. Play anywhere from Beatles to Crowded House, Stones, Fleetwood Mac, BB King, Clapton, SRV, The Who etc.
It's a bit hissy when turned up but so what? the drums drown that out!
This amp really sings! I wanted a good clean amp which would break up nicely when turned up - yep! hits the nail right on the head there - and it responds nicely to the player's attack. Now, when I bought it, I used it with a Boss GT6 in front of it - it was weak, thin, farty and I was wondering if i'd got the right amp.......however, the following evening I dug out my old pedals (i never throw anything away - just in case)and it made sense! I put in front of it.....cry baby wah, Dod Overdrive (for cruch at low volume), Aria Distortion (more of that in a sec), Boss Chorus and Boss DD5 delay. Now, the Aria Disrortion was lent to me by a friend - it looks crappy but sounds unbelievable - anything from a real SRV Tubescreamer (it actually sound closer than my old tubescreamer!!!) to c creamy David Gilmour sound - i couldn't believe how it sang!
Another thing - don't stand this amp on anything - put it on the floor for a great bass response!

Only had it for a coupla weeks to replace the Hot Rod Deluxe that decided to fry itself. I was concerned that because it's a PCB it might be a bit shitty but fender seem to have got the build right - tubes mounted in the metal chassis, filter caps on a separate board etc. I've used it for 6 gigs and - fingers crossed - no problems. I'm capable of sorting minor problems myself (replace valves, fuses, speakers etc) and have a tech friend to help with the bigger stuff. I'll replace the Groove Tubes valves with some proper ones - i really am not suckered into the Groove Tubes quality thing yet.....there's much better out there (sylvania, svetlana etc...).

I contacted Fender UK when my Hot Rod died and they wanted #410 (uk pounds) for just the PCB that the power valves are mounted on! I think they're taking the piss! So i'll pass on Fender's 'Customer Support!.........actually, the tech guy i spoke to at fender apologised and said i'd be better hand building the board - it'd be cheaper and more reliable that way! Let's leave it at that!

Been playing for 24 years semi-pro - hundreds and hundreds of gigs. I also own: Hot Rod Deluxe (currently being rebuilt by hand), Fender Bassman 10 from 1971 - great amp but no reverb), Fender Champ (1971) and a Laney VC30 for a backup. I love this amp so far - it does everything i want sonically - just don't stick a GT6 in front of it! Great reverb and exceptionally great Vibrato - very useable! I bought it cos I love the clean Fender sound - you can add anything outboard as long as your basic sound is there. This amp really does it for me - very portable also. As I said before - don't put this thing on a chair/box/case etc - leave it on the floor for a great bass response! Only thing I wish it had was a cover - but my Hot Rod cover fits so not the end of the world! I really believe Fender products are way too expensive in the UK - this thing would have cost me #1300 new! As it was, i got an ungigged amp for half that and still think it was expensive. If it had been hand-wired i could have accepted the overblown price but hey.....people will pay for the product.

Probably a 2003/4 made. All the product details available on the web- I wanted an amp which had fat valve/tube tone, not too powerful or heavy. Vibrato and Reverb, plus it had to sound good with a Strat and Tele

I use a Strat with custom shop overwound pickups and a Tele with a full size humbucker in the neck position.
the Vibrolux Reverb is perfect for my styles -country rock, rockabilly and a little blues. Gets dirtier as you turn it up.
I gig regularly and it has to cut it in this area...not a bedroom amp. I don;t know where all this noise talk comes from for this amp - it is about the same noisy as all the other tube amps I have used -VOX AC30, Fender Bassman, numerous Marshalls. The noisiest amp I ever used was a Peavey Transtube -yuk.

So far so good -Fender stuff has always been reliable for me

Always had good service from Fender -not yet needed for this amp.

Been playing in bands since 1970. A Custom Shop Strat and a Mex Tele and the Custom Vibrolux Reverb is my gigging rig (plus a BOSS Blues Driver and Dig. Delay). It has replaced a Fender Bassman Reissue purely 'cause I wanted something a bit smaller and wanted reverb and Vibrato onboard. It sounds similar to the Bassman when working hard, though not quite as much bottom -the Basmman is still to me THE best raw guitar amp...but the Custom Vibrolux Reverb is a more practical choice. If I won the lottery, I would keep the CVR and buy another Basmman and a VOX AC30 and then use a 3-way selector switch for heavenly sound selections.