Fender Vibrolux Reverb Reissue

I like this amp tonewise but... the thing that hacked me was the reverb (or lack of). I play a lot of surf music and it needs a saturated spring boinky boinky sound. On the older fenders it wouldkick in at a setting of 4 or so. You would be able to dial in too much reverb, but on this amp you can take it to 10 and not get enough. I bought this amp used mail order and you have to be careful when it says "exact same circutry" Because in a nutshell it is NOT. I tried to get a mod that would increase the level of reverb and found out that it was too costly and wouldn't guarantee the same results. Any suggestions out there? HELP! Lost in NON surfville

Fender Strat. Does Not suit the style. Not enough reverb!?

Contacted Fender about this and they were of little help

Playing 40 years. If it were stolen would probably try for an old Vibrolux or Super Reverb

As all all others

I have been in search of true mojo tone for 30+ years. I use 3 different Strats (w/Kinman pu's, Duncans & stock), and 2 full-bodied archtops w/DeArmonds. There is literally no clean sound out of this amp,(over 1 1/2 Volume setting it breaks-up) but I use it only for true, real blues tone,and that's exactly what I get.If you want SRV/Buddy Guy/Hubert Sumlin this is the rig! Total tone control with just Treble & Bass tone controls.I have none of the noise that other posters have mentioned. The Reverb & Tremolo are superb! Don't mess with anything else, This is the f++king real deal!!

I have had it for 3 weeks, so who knows, but if you've owned Fenders you know they're tough.

I've been playing since 1971. I've had a BF Fender Deluxe (wish I still did), Mesa Boogie, Peavey, Quilter (QSC), Carvin 100X, Musicman RD 50 1-10 (still have it, it rocks for clean), Line 6 Spider (No, it's not the answer),Kalamazoo ? (now, that was a nice amp), Ampeg Rocket sumthin'(Now, That Was A Great Amp!), Fender Hot Rod Deluxe (Unbelievablly beautiful clean tone, buzzed like a bee for distortion).

Made in '99, and bought in '99 for $500. Bought it off some dude who worked at Fender Corona that was selling it out of his garage, brand new, in box. It didn't even have the stickers on the back of the speakers.

You all know the specs, two channels; normal/bright w/ 2 inputs each. The #1 input has added 6db of gain for more a louder sound (is this standard in all fender amps?) You can switch on the reverb or vibrato via the footswitch.

This amp is great in small, lower volume garage bands or bedroom playing. Great reverb, great vibrato,...almost oozes with blues and rock n roll sounds. I leave the footswitch plugged in at all times and the metal on the footswitch causes some humming through the amp, but it's barely noticable. This amp has a nice crunch past 3, but I kinda don't like that because I would prefer to rely on a stompbox for that.

This amp was great for using at home, but I started playing in a real band, and I wasn't getting enough volume to compete w/ the other guitarist using a Marshall JCM 800 at 100watts, and our bad ass drummer. At shows I used a Fender Bassman Ext. Cab, but I was still cranking it to 9 and I was so distorted from the amps natural crunch that I was feeding back like crazy. Yeah that is kinda cool, but I got fed up w/ being yelled at by the other guitar player. So I bought a Fender Showman head and cab, but I'm not parting with my Vibrolux!

This amp is great for surf, blues, rock, just not hard rock. I use an Epiphone LP or Fender Jazzmaster (both w/ Seymour Duncans) through an original ProCo Rat, Compressor, Flanger to the amp. The Rat makes this amp sound like a marshall at lower volumes. Again this thing starts to get ugly past 3.

Solid as a rock. Tubes have lasted lots of abuse for more than 2 years. It's been dropped, rolled around in a trunk, kicked, knocked over, and who knows what else, yet still looks brand new and sounds great. It seems to have lost a little power from when I first bought it, but I could be wearing down the original tubes finally. I highly recomend this amp for recording and for anyones first real tube amp.

I called Fender to get a footswitch for the old Fender Showman I have, and they kinda give you the run around; they tell ya to call the local dealer near you, and I did, and all they did was yank their wanks on the phone with me. I'll just order one through an amp repair shop I guess. But their products are reliable, so I give 'em credit.

Yeah if someone stole this from me I would track em down and kill em. I love this amp. And I bought it at a great price.

This amp is a '98, from Lake Oswego, Oregon. For the most part it is a hand soldered point to point wired deal. 2 channels, with tremolo and reverb working on BOTH channels, which was a major deciding factor in my purchase. I love a good fender reverb and trem.

This amp has all the classic Fender 'clean channel' sound one could ever hope for. It is beautiful. I personnally could care less about the cranked to the max overdriven tube sound--I got stomp boxes for that. I rarely have the volume above 3 on any channel. BUYERS BEWARE: The stock groove tubes are of very poor quality. They are noisy, microphonic crap called SOVTEK. The preamp tubes popped and hissed (throw these away and retube with NOS). I replaced the 5881/6L6 Groove power tubes with Svetlana 6L6's for much better sound. I'm still working on obtaining some NOS for the preamp tubes--preferably Mullards at $45 bucks a pop. I recommend replacing the phase inverter tube (the one right next to the power tubes) with a 12AT7 instead of the stock 12AX7A. I have a hard time understanding how ignorant folks are about tubes and tube amps in general when it comes to noise and hum. I will enlighten you a bit: Change the garbage tubes that are supplied with the amps; remove the tube covers (which tend to mimic/exaggerate microphonic tubes). NOS tubes are generally good but not always, and Sovtek DOES make a new noise free tube called a 12ax7a LPS that is quite good (not the same as the groove tubes)--not to bash. Do this and the noise will be substantially reduced.

Very reliable. The red jewel lamp burned out after a week. Replaced it. No biggie.

A very nice sounding amp. I plan on replacing the Jensen alnico 25watt pr10's with something that can handle more bass response.
Other that that GREAT!

The features list is short and sweet - 2 channels, normal and bright, 2 switchable effects, reverb and tremolo. Two features I particularly like are the relatively light weight and the "tilt-backs". There's nothing worse than not being able to hear yourself because the amp is too close to your back and it's at the wrong height. I play every weekend in the "house band" of a decent size club. It has plenty of power to keep up with the rest of the band. I haven't played a larger stage with this amp yet - but I'm sure all I would need is an extension cabinet to be able to hear myself just fine. In my opinion, if this amp isn't loud enough for you, you either have permanent ear damage, or the rest of your band-mate's stage volumes are too loud and you're all pissing off your sound man. Seriously, this amp does just what a 40w tube amp should do - have a great clean sound with a lot of headroom for the soft & pretty stuff, and absolutely wail when you crank it up past 4 or 5. There's not a lot of advanced features on this amp - it's very simple.

First, let me say that I've dedicated the better part of 30 years to understanding and getting great guitar tone. I've worked with the best and some of the rest. Personal taste plays a huge part in this. I'll do my best to give an objective review of something that's very subjective. Now, to the tone of this amp. I love the bright channel. It is very "hi-fi" sounding at lower volumes. The midrange is there but it seems tweeked. There is no offensive mid overtone sticking out like you get with so many other tube amps. Honestly, the clean is as good or better than any amp regardless of price. Put a Tube Screamer in front of it and it's so sweet it will bring tears to your eyes. As you push the volume up, a really even distortion creeps in. At very high volumes, the tubes saturate out and sing their little hearts out just at the point where the speakers are coloring the distortion. In my opinion, the pre-amp, power amp, and speakers in this combo are perfectly matched to get optimal tone at any distortion level. No, it doesn't do the 100w Marshall scooped-mid crunch and it doesn't do the silky supercharged Boogie/Santana sustain forever lead tone. But - it gets lots and lots of tasty tones that those amps can't. Blues? Nothing better! Joe Walsh Rocky Mountain Way? Absolutely nails it! SRV Crossfire? Nails it too! For the dollar, you can't buy more versatility and tasty tone.

No problems yet. I ALWAYS have backup.

I've worked with Fender several times over the years on problems. They have always treated me well. This is a great American company that deserves the success they have.

I am currently playing a '62 Strat and a Carvin H-S-S through the Vibrolux. My effects are; Guitar> Phaser> Compressor> Overdrive> Amp. Sometimes I put a Wah between the compressor and the overdrive. I can get any sound I need - my band plays 50's-70's dance music & rock 'n roll. I would recommend this amp to anyone who is not playing death metal, butt rock, or grunge. I think it is perfect for everything else and it doesn't break your back or your budget.

i don't have it in front of me, but i think you can get the big picture from the other responses. 2 channels, reverb, vibe, footswitch, mine happens to be tweed. the only reason i'm giving this section a '9' is because i recently just got a lab series (call me crazy) and found that it is the amp i've wanted since i was a kid! it does everything, but it's also solidstate, so i MUST keep the fender around. but the labseries has some really cool eq options that i just love. vibrolux isn't as versatile, but who cares about that!? you get great fender tone! (proceed to "sound quality) [pretty good segue, eh]

wow, i thought i was the only one with the problems i see everyone else has! i'm annoyed with the hiss, but it hasn't gotten in the way in live or recording situations. but i don't usually use the reverb, which is when it REALLY gets noisy. i wish there was a cure! anyone? anyone?
before i go further, i gotta tell you that it's hard to take stock in a critique given by someone you don't know. so here's me (you may be SHOCKED). i'm 23, i've been playing for maybe, oh, say 10 years now. the first years were on some cheap ibanez through my parents' stereo system given to them as a wedding present back in the day! back then i was mostly playing camp songs. in college i got really good a classical guitar and got into jazz. i was also in a punk band (which is how i got 'hooked up' with my vibrolux [please don't hate me, i was naive at the time]). i'm now in grad school for vocal performance but play electric guitar for a couple hours a day.
SO...for the punk band, i was playing through a peavy bass amp that my mom picked up for me at a garage sale for 5 bucks. i needed something louder. the GUY AT THE STORE (see, i'm not to blame) told me that the vibrolux would fill a club. so i slapped down the cash and my peavy, and left a satisfied, naive college kid. i think just the aura of this amp somehow infested my musical interest, and i bought srv cds. then indigenous (i'm from south dakota too!). so then i started getting into blues. then i found out what a dunce i was for playing it for a punk band. so now, here's how i rate the sound!
since i live in close quarters, it's only been up to 5 and 6 during spring break. holy crap! it's like i'm punching my american standard strat repeatedly in the gut! but the usual sounds that i'm graced with are at low volumes. i keep it at like 1 (blah) and run a vox valve-tone through it. that's a pretty sweet tone, very crunchy, but the switched-on pedal doesn't take anything away from the guitar or the amp. just adds to. pretty sweet. i also have a tech 21 xxl pedal which makes me sound like hendrix if i want! it's pretty cool with that amp, too. i have an mxr distortion+, which i don't know if it sounds so good with the vibrolux. it's just is kinda 'wide open' and just sounds like a little kid yelling at you or something. the valve-tone is the best compliment to the amp. oh!! and i got a 15band mxr eq, which will totally give the amp a kick in the pants! wow!! i can kind of get rid of the hiss, AND boost the mids or whatever i want and get pretty much any clean tone that any fender has ever made! (to me, good eq is a MAJOR key to finding 'that special tone.' any rig overlooking eq should really get something in there; at LEAST experiment w/ it1).
one last thing--i found that with an electric mistress (or any other flanger i'm sure) and the trem going at the same time, you get some pretty cool grooves going. but i'm sure many of you already knew that! remember, i'm an ex-punker and i'm only a 3 year old blues player.
9 because it rocks and because of that nice experience i had with it turned up to 6, but the buzz really gets on my nerves and is even worse with the reverb on (so i don't use the reverb).

it's been through a lot. lots of gigs--remember that these are PUNK gigs...at bars...with beer...on stage. nothing terrible has ever happened, but it's been cranked with lots of nasty sounds pumping through it. i also used it to record a couple very contrasting style cds with two different bands, and it did the trick for both.
i'm considering doing some of the mods ya'll did, sounds like a plan. but this thing by itself is great! AMAZING if you're me and you're still surprised sometimes at how crisp you can play those mato nanji licks. i plan on replacing the tubes, just in hopes of getting rid of the f***ing buzz!!

alan is my man. he told me to try and replace the tubes, but said nothing about the voice coils. i suppose HE wouldn't really admit that one should replace ANYTHING on his product. i don't know how busy he is, but i left a message and got a response that week. not bad, not great. but he was very helpful to a young player like me.

here's what the reviews ask you to comment on, and here are my comments:
* How long have you been playing? What other gear do you own?
i've been playing guitar for around 10 years... actual blues rock for like 2 or 3. i recently bought everything that ebay had, so now i have a labseries L5 (review coming soon as soon as i dink with is somemore), vintage memroy man, electric mistress, tech 21 xxl pedal, vox valve-tone, new mxr distortion+, mxr dual 15band eq, and enough monster cable to break any man's bank! vibrolux will be my clean and L5 is going to be metal myhem!!
* If it were stolen or lost, would you buy it again or get something else?
i'm not going to lose this thing! if it leaves me for some twist of fate, i'm going to shop around for another fender amp, but not necessarily this one. i don't NEED vibro or lux, you dig? i definetly DON'T need that friggin' buzz! as a more seasoned player and tech head, i think i'd stick with fender, but something simpler and quieter.
* what do you love about it? What do you hate?
i hate that damn buzz!!! i love its look, its tone, its weight, and it seems to know its place in my rig. i like that. i love that not many people seem to have them, too.
* Did you compare it to other products? Which ones? Why did you choose this one?
compare? no. why that one? because the guy at rhapsody music told me to buy it.
* Anything you wish it had?
power switch on the front or top. dolby noise reduction...to get rid of that damn BUZZ!!
* Anything else you'd like to share?
listen up, kids--do NOT buy this for punk. even if you can afford it! if you're doing punk, go peavy, go line6, go marshall, heck--go get a lab series somewhere! they're way cheaper and rock pretty hard!
to all the weathered, grizzled bluesmen and fender enthusists (sp?)--i'm sorry i ever played punk on this amp! i'm learning all the ins and outs of blues tones (all that ts808 tube cream mod jargon) and i'm lucky that the guy in the store made me buy this one. it's a grea piece!
in all seriousness, this is a BEAUTIFUL amp. i love it. it does what it should (gets that fender sound [just listen to like half of all the recordings made in the last half century]) and after that, what more can you ask for? i'm not old enough to know what the original sounds like, but for a 'reissue,' this amp is absolutely gorgeous.
but i hate that damn buzz!

This is one of the blonde tolex, wheat grill cloth models that I purchased new when Fender released this amp, about five years ago. I'll admit that I was first attracted to it because the cosmetics reminded me of an old '63 Bassman that I had owned and loved. I played it at low volumes in the music store and purchased it only to later realize what a really great amp this is. In my sizeable collection of classic vintage and modern amps this is a great favorite. I play classic, blues and country rock styles for which this amp is well suited. Like an old Fender combo there are 2 channels but the custom reissue twist is that the reverb and "vibrato" are available on both the Normal and Bright channels. There is an external speaker out put (4 ohms) and a typical Fender footswitch. Otherwise this supposedly "modern interpretation" of a great classic is very basic, and thats just fine. I have used this amp unmiked for small to medium gigs and miked for larger and outdoor gigs.It is more often used in the studio.

Let me make something clear that some of the other reviews have only hinted at. The outstanding and unique thing about this currently made Fender amp is that it is a non- channel switching amp that has both great clean and fantastic overdriven sound. People talk about how much they like the old Fender clean sound on this amp, but turn it up to six, with a Les Paul, and it has an absolutely wicked and very usable overdrive lead tone. Smooth, sweet, Cream, and Page sounds. Much richer, more overdriven and not bottom- flabby than a Deluxe Reverb. You realize that it was actually specifically designed to do the clean to overdrive volume thing and that it isn't an unintended idiosyncracy. Roll down the volume and, on a Gibson, it cleans up beautifully. A Strat also sounds great clean or overdriven, but a characteristic of the Strat is that it loses highs and clarity when the guitar's volume control is rolled down. If the volume of the overdriven tone is too loud, set the amp on three and use a Tube Screamer for a similar but lower volume sound. Unlike a Gibson, for lead, a Strat sounds better with a Danelectro Daddy-O than a Tube Screamer.
I will go so far as to say that I prefer this amp's natural distortion sound over my vinatge Marshall Super Lead's. Granted, the Marshall is an entirely different beast, but they both offer great natural overdriven tones. I prefer the Vibrolux for a number of reasons: It also has great clean sound, it has sweet tube reverb and other-worldly tube vibrato, and for its volume it is light and portable. I know of a few very expensive amps that can do the clean to drive volume control thing but none sound nearly as good nor do they come with tube reverb and tremelo.
On the downside, there is a louder than usual idle background hiss which is normal for this amp. I'm used to it, its present on some of my old Fender amps, and no longer bothers me. A co-guitarist who leans toward jazz didn't like the limited clean headroom, but that is obviously the intended nature of this amp.
After three years, the amp developed a low E string fuzzy noise that would disappear after about 15 minutes of playing; it turned out to be a damaged voice coil. I decided to replace the stock Alnicos with Weber P10RTs, due to my high satisfaction with a Weber C12N in my DR. The C12N is a godsend to the Deluxe Reverb and the P10NTs are also a good match here although the improvement isn't as dramatic as the Weber in the DR. They have more bass and highs and sound even better with distortion tones. (The Weber P10NTs are also superior to Jensen P10R reissues-I have a 4x10 cab with them).

Highly dependable. I gigged routinely without a backup. No break downs but a subtle voice coil problem requiring a speaker change at three years. Replaced one preamp tube. Gigworthy even with these problems uncorrected.

I am very fortunate to have a great, friendly, small local Fender dealer. They will do anything for their customers and manage to get good results through their Fender reps and repair people. I know this not from the Vibrolux but from several problems with other Fender products. I'm not sure how to rate this- my dealer's great, I'd be concerned about Fender reliability and support in the setting of a mega music mall sore

Playing for more than 30 years, I own or have previously owned many great Fender, Marshall and Mesa amps as well as many modern amps. I am a collector and have a recording studio. Because this is a limited edition white Tolex model I've been thinking about getting a black tolex model for gigging. Yes, I'd buy another. This amp is a delight and I think it may be underappreciated by youthful buyers who can easily be seduced by DSP multi-effects and emmulated "tube tone" amps that sound dead next to a great vintage style tube amp like this; that's why I decided to write this review.

1999 Model with 2 X 10" Jensen "Special Design" speakers. Compared it to the same amp with Alnicos...Jensens won my money. Play a Fender Clapton Sig. Strat and a Gibson ES-335 with PAFs Humbuckers. This amp is made for the Strat. Gibson needs a Vox. Standard Fender controls. The reverb works in both channels...that's a plus. Bright featues adds real punch. Nice tight reverb...great for blues or funk NOT for surf songs (recommend a Deluxe Reverb for surf music).

This is the best sounding "new" amp I have heard in a while. The Jensen Special Designs have a clean sound that I can dirty up with the Clapton TBX control (Mid boost). MexiStrat (backup) single coil 'vintage' pick-ups are noisy...but they are supposed to be. You need a Full Drive 2 to make this thing distort. The Gibson really sings at higher volumes, but my apt. neighbors don't understand the need to wail. Want to plug a Tele or G&L ASAT next.

Nothing has gone wrong yet. I grew up with Fender amps and never had one "go" on me. I don't play professionally any more...if I did and money is always an issue, I would recommend having spare tubes and a solder kit.

Mgic Flute Music in San Rafel CA are GREAT and they are an authorized Fender repair shop. Confidence in Magic Flute. I never used Fender's Corporate office as a contact for repairs

Been playing a long time and still a 'student', but I know the difference between good/distinctive and junk. If you have a Strat or Tele this amp is a good 'match'. My Gibson sounds good with a Vox AC 15 ans 30 or a Peavey Delta Blues. If you decide on this amp and want distortion, a Fulltone "Full Drive 2" or Tube Screamer is recommended. This amp has too much power for my apt. situation...but to get that warm tube sound found in this amp is tough to find. The Peavey Delta Blues w/1 x 15" ran a close second. Will test drive a Fender Jr. Blues Tube Amp as a possible back up amp.

Purchased new appx 9 months ago. I think this is one smartly designed amp for several reasons.
Reason #1. It's only clean. Every amp I have ever owned that had built in distortion circuitry eventually crosstalked into the clean channel. No problem hear. (so you will need a good distortion pedal like a Fulldrive 2).
Reason #2. It REALLY has 2 channels. Two independently controlled channels that you can plug into separately. Not one input jack that is switched by a footswitch. So with the addition of an A/B box you can switch from your uncolored true-bypass effects to your digital processor.
Reason #3 They now have reverb and tremolo on both channels (footswitchable). This is a big improvement over the old Vibroluxes and probably why this model isn't officially a "reissue".
Reason #4 Fantastic tremolo!!! Different/better than a twin.

I play an American strat with Seymour Duncan pickups (stacked humbucker in the back). The amp sounds great for country, jazz, classic rock and newer pop/rock. It is NOT a heavy metal amp. Before I bought the amp I had to call 8 different music stores until I found one that had all three "new" blackfaces. The Twin Reverb, Deluxe Reverb, and the Vibrolux. I sat in front of all three and A/B'ed them for three hours. The Vibrolux just had that extra punch that the other 2 did not (probably because of the 10" speakers. The tremolo sounds better two although it is slightly noisier than the others. I have done 2 things that greatly improved the sound as well. I replaced the Alnico blue speakers with Celestion Vintage 10's. This gives you much better low end and I replaced the drive tube for the tremolo circuit which was a Chinese tube (all the others were Groove tubes).

So far it has been superb.

If you want a good sounding mid-size tube amp you cannot beat it. I play small to medium size clubs and usually have it set around 4. As I said before I really like the 2 independent channels. It is a unique bird in that respect. Nobody else had it. I did not want my processor coloring my tone but wanted to be able to use it for special sounds. This way you can have the best of both. I would definetely buy it again.

This is a 2000 model, 2 channel, 40 watt, all tube amp, reverb and vibrato - pretty basic Fender stuff. No channel switching, effects loops, headphone jacks, etc. It says "Custom" on the face, but it's not hand wired, etc. They make it on a different line, I think. They imply that they take more care in its construction, but, who knows for sure. It seems well built and detailed, and I haven't found anything wrong with it so far. It has all the features I ever use, and it has plenty of power for garage jams and an occasional small club gig. If I play anything bigger and need louder clean tones, I'll mike it through the mains. I'd like to find an amp that sounds like this one with channel switching and good distortion, but haven't found one with clean sounds that I like. I play old rock, some country, a bit of blues, and some new cover stuff.

I use mainly an ES 345 and a Hamer Tele. The Vibrolux sounds good with both guitars with a minimum of knob twisting when you change between single coils and humbuckers. That's one of the things I like about this amp - fewer knobs to keep track of. I use a few pedals, but otherwise really like to keep it simple as I can. The Vibrolux is clean up to a point, then starts getting dirty if you drive it too hard, say above 5 or 6 - this is a good thing if that's the tone you're looking for. It has some hiss you can hear in a quiet room, but I don't notice it when I'm playing. It has a good variety of sounds available, as the two tone controls seem to work well together. But, mostly it has that "Fender" tone which is what I was looking for. Now, for me, that Fender tone is a 10. If you want metal or other heavy tones, look at some other amps - I like the Boogies for that.

All my other Fenders have been pretty much bullet proof. It's new, so I can't say how reliable it will turn out to be in the long run. After I get it broken in, I'd probably gig without a backup - I know a lot of players think that's nuts, but what can I say, I'm too lazy to carry the extra amp.

I don't know about customer support from Fender. I'd guess that they'd try to help, but they are a huge company. I'd think you stand a good chance of getting lost in the maze with them. Use a good local tech for minor stuff, and only resort to the company if the amp self destructs.

I've been playing for 35 years since the required high school rock bands. I have a fleet of guitars including an ES 345, Tele, Strat, Gibson Nighthawk, D-28, Guild 12 string, plus a few more and growing. I currently own a 90's Fender Blues Deluxe, and an Acoustasonic Pro amp. I have owned Twins, Supers, Deluxe Reverbs, Randalls, Ampegs, and one monster Kustom half stack back in the early 70's when my back was a lot stronger (and my ears much better). The Deluxe is a good (read adequate for it's price) amp and sounds pretty good with all of my electrics. But, I wanted a really good pro amp, so I started my search. I was looking primarily at Fender and Mesa, so I played Vibro Kings, Prosonics, Concerts, Blue Angels, and a host of other Mesa amps. I really liked the Vibro King, but it's a little too big, and a lot too expensive. If I was still doing a bunch of club gigs, I'd probably pop for the Vibro King - you can use the 60 watts in a noisy club (sometimes). The Blue Angel was close to what I was looking for, and I liked the concept of various power for different gigs. But, it ran totally out of clean headroom before I was ready. I finally ran the Blue Angel and the Vibrolux head to head. The Vibrolux has better dynamic feel, and just plain responds better to your playing nuances. Slap on a good stomp box and high gain sounds through this thing are fantastic. The pure power section distortion at higher volume is sweet and musical - it just feels good. The clean "Fender" sound is what I grew up with, so I can't seem to like any amp that doesn't have it. For what I do now, I haven't been able to find a better amp, and that's including all the older Fenders I've owned in the past. Some of them were "JUNK!" Fender does make good and bad amps, for all of you out there that think all old ones are fantastic. Maybe if you looked around and found a "good" old BF Super in good condition for a fair price - I must be dreamin', yeah? Otherwise, I'd buy the Vibrolux again in a heart beat. To my ears, it compares favorably with some old Supers I've heard. I can't say I love this amp right yet, since it's too new. It does have reasonable power (enough, but not too much), the sound I was looking for, and it's not too big or too heavy. From my initial response to it,I can't see me buying another amp in the near future.