Product: Hopkins 63 Vibroverb Conversion
Price Paid: UNKNOWN
Submitted
09/22/2006
at
01:13pm
by
Phil
Features
:
10
This amp is a conversion of a Fender 63 Vibroverb reissue from a printed circuit board to the original hand-wired 6G16 circuit including tube rectifier. It is basically a 1963-style Fender amp, with normal/bright channels, reverb, and vibrato. It is has bass/treble controls but no mid. Transformers are all by Mercury Magnetics, and it has been enhanced with an adjustable bias. Because it's a 63 model, it has minimal features by modern standards. The reissue is about 35 watts. The conversion is probably in the 35-40 watt range. It has plenty of power in a manageable 2x10 combo package. Not too heavy, either. I've rated it a 10 because the combination of tube tone and power in a light combo is pretty unbeatable.
Sound Quality
:
10
This amp is a time machine. It faithfully recreates the 1963 Vibroverb and has a beautiful tone that has to be heard to be believed. With a Tele or Strat, the sound is rich and smooth. Add volume, and it will start to grind a little but never really distort. It's sort of like a tweed with a bit more headroom and great reverb. For some reason Fender changed to a different circuit and speaker for the '64 Vibroverb, which is for all practical purposes a completely different amp.
Reliability
:
10
It's point-to-point handwired and built like a tank. Keeping a backup for anything is smart, but the likelihood that this amp would fail is really, really low. The attention to detail in the construction is superior in every way.
Customer Support
:
10
Stuart Hopkins is a custom amp builder who spends more time building great amps according to traditional recipes than promoting some new wrinkle or gadget. He's spent years as a gigging musician playing through all the amps that have since become prized collectables. (A 64 Super Reverb was a common production amp, one of lots that people used to use.) Stu knows what made these old Fenders and Marshalls sound good, and he knows how to build them. He regularly has a few things like boards and conversions posted on eBay. He answers his phone. He calls you back. He does meticulous and superior work. Top notch.
Overall Rating
:
10
If this amp were lost or stolen, I'd replace it immediately. All the big companies are pushing inexpensive consumer electronics that have a vague cosmetic resemblance to real amps. Listen to one of these, and you'll know what made Fender a household name. Stu knows what he's doing.
