All user reviews for the Fender Vibrosonic Reverb

I purchased this vintage Fender tube amp (circa 1972) in the mid-80s and enjoy it tremendously to this day. Over the years it has had the usual work done (replacing dried up capacitors, new tubes, etc.). It is now 2019, and is still a fantastic amp. I suppose if I fiddled with the overdrive boost via its push-pull function on the Master Volume knob, I’d get some interesting distortion. However, I am a rhythm guitar player/singer, so boosted gain/distortion is not normally my sound style/repertoire.

The speaker mine has is a Fender-by Cerwin-Vega “PS-15” 8 ohm) and it has a massive magnet on it! The extremely knowledgeable tech guy at the shop told me it has the same circuitry as a Fender Twin Reverb and that this amp is very popular among pedal-steel guitar players. Complete specs below.

What musical styles do I use this amp for? 60s and 70s Rock

Given its weight and power, is this amp feasible for practicing, rehearsing with a band, and/or using live? Yes, to all.

Are the clean, crunchy and distorted sounds suitable? Are the parameters efficient and effective? It has a super clean sound! I don’t know about crunch/distortion because I normally play “clean” with limited use of my own distortion stomp-box.

What are the pros and cons of this amp? Pros: Punchy, super-clean, gorgeous reverb, loud, crisp, great speaker. Cons: Heavy, about 85lbs (weighs slightly less than a Twin Reverb.)

Model/Circuit Number:
Years of Production: 1972 – 1981
Era: Silverface
Configuration: Combo
Controls: Silver, forward facing w/ blue labels
Knobs: Black skirted w/ chrome center, numbered 1 – 10

Faceplate
◾Front: Normal: In, In, Bright Sw, Vol, Treb, Mid, Bass – Vibrato: In, In, Bright Sw, Vol, Treb, Bass, Rev, Speed, Intensity – Master Vol – Pilot Lamp
◾Rear: AC Outlet, Ground Sw, Fuse (2½A), Power Sw, Standby Sw, Speaker Jack, Ex. Speaker Jack, Vibrato Jack, Reverb Jack, Reverb Out, Reverb In

Cabinet
◾Dimensions: 20 x 26 3/4 x 10 5/8
◾Hardware: Large Chassis Straps 5 5/8”, 16” Tilt-Back Legs
◾Handle: Black Strap Handle
◾Feet: Casters
◾Corners: Corner Protectors

Covering Material
◾ Tolex/Tweed: Black Tolex
◾Grill Cloth: Blue sparkle grill cloth with aluminum frame (68-69), without aluminum frame (70-81)

Logo: Grill mounted, raised, chrome & black script
Weight: 85 lbs.
Speaker
◾Size: 1 x 15
◾Impedance: 8 ohms
◾Model: Fender PS-15 (72-74), JBL D-130F (74-79), Electro Voice (79-81) or Gauss 15(For more info, check out the Jensen Replacement Speakers)

Effects: Reverb, Tremolo
Watts: 100 or 135 watts
Tubes
◾Pre amp: 2 x 12AT7, 1 x 12AX7A, 3 x 7025
◾Power: 4 x 6L6GC

Bias: Fixed with Bias Pot.
Rectifier: Solid State