Hopkins 64 Vibroverb Build

I'm not a gear-head kind of guy. I couldn't tell you what goes into this amp as far as the parts. I can say that it all started with a Bandmaster Reverb amplifier and became the most 'musical' sounding amp I have ever owned. The control setup is as you would find on a genny '64 VV which suits me right down to the ground. Simple, effective. The power output of the amp is suitable for playing bars and similar-sized venues.

The sound of the amp is the quintessential Fender "Blackface" sound with the Vibroverb twist; warm and dimensional with the speaker distortion only a fifteen inch speaker can produce. Using two very different guitars (Mike Lull Custom Strat clone and a Super 400CES Gibson), the amp makes each one sound its very best in the music I play (largely R&B and blues)and this is without changing the tonal signature of the amp at all. The amp is plenty loud enough for all the situations I play in and is quiet as a mouse at idle. Play mostly bars and rarely outdoors (miked, in that instance).

I the two years I have had this amp, it has been the soul of reliability. If it failed on a gig I would be THE most surprised cat in the house. The sound has not changed one whit since I first lit it up. I do not expect to be calling Stu-Daddy to whine about his failed amp anytime, sooner or later.

As far as warranty goes, the unit is guaranteed for my life and I expect to live a while, yet. Getting ahold of Stu is about as easy as simply emailing or calling him. As a matter of fact, I recall visiting with him on the phone for about a half hour once; really good guy. I'm not related to the guy, by the way. Just call it as I see it and it happens.

I've been playing guitar since 1962; heard Larry Coryell when he played in a rock band in Seattle and that was it for me. All the Pacific Northwest cats played electric archtops (Gibson L-5 and Super 400 types)and that's the sound I hear when I think of the electric guitar. I do have a small Peavey amp (Bravo 112) that I use in the house at low volumes. If Stu-Daddy's amp were stolen, I would hunt down the vile miscreant and eviscerate him. If the amp were not recovered I would (after a brief period of mourning) commission Stu-Daddy to build its twin. I wish it were lighter; I am an old fart and lugging it around is becoming a chore. I had the opportunity to A-B it with one of the Fender V-V RI amps. No contest. I wish I had something at least neutral to say about the amp lest a reader think I was in la la land about it but perhaps I am. It IS that good, thank you very much. Hand made in America by a superb craftsman at a fraction of the prices some others (M-B, D----e, and the like charge. I can't recall EXACTLY how much I paid for the amp in total; I got the cab from one source, the speaker from another and then there was the build, itself. I'd guess it came to around $1100-1300 or so.

This 1964 Vibroverb chassis build was done from scratch by amp builder Stu Hopkins in Detroit. From a bare chassis (an identical clone of a Fender chassis), he built the amp to the 1964 AB763 blackface specs just like SRV's amps, and he added a few extra mods that take this amp into the sonic stratosphere. The main circuit board is hand-made with period-correct eyelet boards, bias board and power supply board. He wired the amp with solid core push-back just like the original 64 Vibroverbs. Pots are CGE, jacks are Switchcraft and everything in between is point-to-point handwired and soldered. I cannot say enought about the job he did in this regard - the wiring is immaculate and it looks so clean and neat. Sometimes if you look at other amp builders work there are wires everywhere and it looks really messy. This work is very tight and very RIGHT! The transformers are Mercury Magnetics (the best you can buy IMO), the caps are Mallorys and the resistors are CC. The filter caps are Sprague Atoms and are wired exactly like the originals and the heater wiring is also is also exactly done with solid core wire just like the originals. Stu is very much into doing things EXACTLY the originals and I like that too. Now, the mods are very useful, here's what he did. If you ever played a Vibroverb before you probably always played the Vibrato Channel and forgot about the boring Normal channel...well this chassis now has equally weighted channels! There is trem and reverb in both channels, both channels are now "in phase" and can be jumpered together with a patch cord, or better yet an ABY box to be used simulataneously for more gain. The normal channel also now has a Marshall-style tone stack with a mid-gain for fatness on a push/pull switch - very cool. And Stu has also applied a tremelo disconnect which also allows for more gain if you need it. These mods are easily reversible but IMO - very nice to have depending on the situation.

I have a Fender Strat with the custom shop 57/62 pups, an SG Classic with the stock Gibson P-90s a Heritage H-555 (335 style guitar) with Seth Lovers and a Les Paul with Pearly Gates neck and Custom Custom bridge. This amp handles all these different pickups with ease, sweetness, and lush fatness. The Strat and this Vibroverb are a marraige made in heaven, this is the combination that I dreamed of and got with this build. I have not gigged with the amp yet but will later this summer. for now, on the Vibrato channel at about 6-7 is my perfect sweet spot for home recording and home use. Clean, sweet and dripping with hot Fender tone. If you are the type to crank the amp and play with the guitar's controls, you're just fine here. I can honestly say now that I see where SRV got his tone with a Vibroverb. I am NOT saying I play like SRV, I don't (not even close) but I hear it occasionally even with my playing. But I bought this wanting the perfect match for a Strat and I got it - thanks Stu-Daddy! I find myself using the SG Classic with the equally weighted Normal channel now - dirty as I want it (with or without the "fat" push-pull switch), it gives me the classic P-90 grind. I can honestly say that in the 2 months I've owned this chassis rebuild, this amp sounds sweeter every time, as if it has gone through a break-in period and keeps getting more and more fine tuned and bluesy. With humbuckers, on the normal channel with the fat switch you get a nice fat grind too but honestly, it cannot be mistaken for a Marshall. I'm sure the speaker has something to do with that too (I have a 15" Weber California it). But it will take you into a nice FAT realm - maybe like the Diaz mod on the actual Fender models. The amp continues to amaze me. I find myself neglecting other things around the house because I've picked up the guitar again and fired up the amp. The amp is not noisy at all - No buzz at all, very quiet when turned on - very tight - unless you hold a Strat or P-90 guitar right in front of it with a lot of volume but any amp would do that.

I've only had it for 2 months but everything is built to last and I don't anticipate any problems. When I chose Stu to do this chassis build, I knew his reputation for top-quality work (nothing less accepted). Of course, I could probably gig with this amp alone but I always have a backup amp and guitar because anything can happen. Hey he built amps for many famous players with way more skill than me (Johnny Lang among them). If it's good enough for them it's good enough for me.

In my dealings with Stu, he has always gotten right back to me and I appreciate that. His work on the chassis is guaranteed for life - good enough for anyone I would think

I am 50 years old now and have been playing for many years. I mam an average musician, nothing special - I do about 5 to 7 gigs a year in bars or the occasional local outdoor "festival" with friends I've known forever. I do it for fun, I have a regular boring day job. I will be closely watching this amp when I take it out becuase I dont want some drunk coming up and knocking it over or spilling beer on it. This amp is the best I've ever owned by far and I've owned other Marshall, Fender, Ampeg amps as well. I am not a gear snob but I know what I like and this amp has it all. I want Stu to build me some more amps (I have a Vox style amp in mind)in the future. His Ebay handle is "biasedmullard" check him out and see some of the stuff he does. You will be amaxed