Fender Pro Tube Custom Vibrolux Reverb

The Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb, or CVR, is a 2x10, 40 Watt all-tube combo amplifier in the tradition of Fender's most famous blackface amps. It has two channels, Normal and Bright, both with a high and low input. It features two 5881 power tubes, a tube vibrato circuit, and tube-driven reverb. The blackface costmetics, adorned by classic Fender round creme knobs and framed by a black tolex cabinet make the CVR a handsome sight to behold. It comes loaded with two Jensen P10R speakers.



UTILIZATION

The first thing I noticed about the CVR when plugging in was that it is rather noisy. A background hiss could be heard at nearly all volumes, developing into an almost low feedback whistle at higher volumes.

Despite this, the Vibrolux sounds beautiful and responsive, with less headroom than one typically hears from a Fender amp. I noticed power tube breakup around 10 O'Clock on the volume control.

With a minimum amount of online research, I discovered the headroom and noise issues were common with the CVR, and it was due to a variety of contributing factors in the circuit.

First, there is no negative feedback in the CVR. For those unfamiliar, negative feedback in this case is when a small voltage is taken from the speaker side of the output transformer and fed back into the power section. This has a frequency damping effect (which contributes to a more compressed, smoother and less ratty tone), and helps stabilize an amplifier that is otherwise teetering on oscillation (which means the amp begins to generate its own signal, most commonly heard as a steady squeal or "motorboating" type sound).

That explained the faint whistling noise I was getting when I cranked the amp.
Another design point that introduces noise and a large portion of the hiss into the amp was the reverb shared by both channels. In traditional Fender designs, the Reverb, if any, exists only on the Bright or Vibrato channel, never on the Normal Channel. While attractive in concept to have reverb on both channels, I felt that this arrangement created a lot of noise and crosstalk.



SOUNDS

I used my Les Paul, as well as my Charvel So-Cal through this amp on tour, and was able to get a great sound out of it no matter the venue. My personal preference is for 4 10's instead of two, so I ended up selling the CVR in favor of another amplifier.

The EQ controls on both channels are very responsive and moderate, with both channels having only Bass and Treble control - no Mid. The Bias Tremolo (here known as Vibrato) produced a beautiful, powerful modulating sound, adjusted with Depth and Intensity controls. Leave it on, and look into the back of the amp and watch the blue glow fluctuate on your power tubes as the circuit modulates the power tubes' bias. Rest assured this is safe, and I should also note that the CVR is non-adjustable, fixed-bias, so biasing is not much of a concern.

The reverb is weak, due to a change in some reverb circuit values from what they were in earlier Fender 'verb circuits. This, as well as the hiss and headroom issues, are easily fixable via mods readily found on the internet, and for those with the expertise and the guts, this amp can become an excellent workhorse worthy of the Fender name and fanfare. Once I made the modifications to the reverb circuit, the reverb response was rich and intense.

OVERALL OPINION

The Custom Vibrolux Reverb is expensive given that it's a small amplifier, and it's not hand-wired, so it's best to purchase one on the used market where the price more aptly reflects what you're getting. It's also worthy to look into the modifications available for the amp.

Nevertheless, it's a piece of gear with great potential, and for as small as it is, packs one hell of a wollop through it's two 10-inch speakers.

The Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb is a modern day reissue of the famous blackface amp. It features 40 watts of power driving two ten inch speakers. The power tube compliment is 12AX7s and one 12AT7 in the preamp section, and a pair of 6L6s in the power section. It features two channels with onboard reverb and tremolo available on both channels via a footswitch. Each channel has its own inputs as well. Though it lacks the modern channel switching capabilities of clean/high gain rigs, it has a great clean tone that is very lush and sounds wonderful for jazz, country or blues textures.

UTILIZATION

Getting a good sound out of this amp is pretty simple. It has a pretty basic control layout and isn't really much to deal with as far as dialing in. It's primarily designed to be a clean sounding Fender amp, and that's what it does best. It doesn't have a distortion channel onboard, so any grit would likely have to come from a pedal of some sort. That being said, it's quieter/smaller than a Twin Reverb or similar high wattage clean amp, so it is a little more gig friendly than some of the high wattage Fenders out there.

SOUNDS

This amp sounds great with a whole variety of different guitars from jazzboxes to Strats or Teles. It's got that classic Fender sound in spades, but is at a more reasonable volume than the standard Twin Reverb. It has a nice crisp clean sound that is great for everything from jazz to blues to funk to surf. The reverb and tremolo have nice authentic sounds too, though they can cause feedback if turned up too high I find. This amp is also a fairly loud 40 watts, so it doesn't need to be turned up to get some volume happening.

OVERALL OPINION

All in all I think the Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb is a nice take on the typical Fender blackface amp. The dual ten inch speakers offer a nice full stereo sound and the tones are true American clean. At about $1,200 new this amp is a reasonable buy for the gigging musician looking for a great Fender combo that has a little more firepower than a Deluxe Reverb or Champ but doesn't want something as big and bulky as a Twin Reverb.

The only real noticeable difference in this custom amp compared to the standard vibrolux reverb is the Jensen speaker. It will sound better for sure because Jensen speakers are some of the best speakers in the world. You get the same great features as the original.

Fender has really taking the major pice of the market when it comes to clean amps. They have been an empire on guitars as well as high quality and affordable clean amps. This amp like most Fenders has an unbelievable clean tone. Where this amp is highest in tone is from the tremelo and reverb features in the amp. This is a tube buffered reverb which is a little different than a spring reverb. It is not like one is better than the other but just a different spin on the process. I personally like the tube buffered one a little better than the spring reverb. That is just a total matter of taste.

• Type: Professional Tube Series (All Tube Circuitry). Designed in the Amp Custom Shop and Built on the Regular Tube Amp Line.
• Output: 40 watts into 4 ohms
• Speakers: 2-10" Jensen
• Channels: 2-Channels, (Normal and Bright)
• Features: Reverb (Functions in both channels), Vibrato (Functions in both channels), External Speaker Jack (4 ohms), 2-Button Footswitch, Tilt-Back Legs
• Includes: 2-Button Footswitch for Reverb and Vibrato On/Off

UTILIZATION

Details
Type Yes
Number of Channels 2
Power 40W
Speakers 2 x 10" Jensen P-10R
No Effects
Reverb
EQ Ch 1 & 2: Treble, Bass
No Amp Modeling
Preamp Tubes 5 x 12AX7, 1 x 12AT7
Power Tubes 2 x 6L6
Inputs 2 x Instrument (Ch 1), 2 x Instrument (Ch 2)
Outputs 2 x Speaker
Footswitch I/O
No Effects Loop
Height 19.37"
Width 25"
Depth 8.62"
Weight 46 lbs.

SOUNDS

This amp really needs to be played with a nice Fender Tele Stratocaster or Fender guitar of some sort. The single coil Fender guitars coupled with this amp is a match made is tonal heaven. The tone is so sparkly and chimy with a sweet overtone of clarity and bite. The amp is a not a high gain amp but will take high gain pedals or any pedal for that matter extremely well.

The 10 inch speaker really tighten up the low end of the tone. If you do use a Fender Stratocaster or Fender Telecaster you will feel a difference in these speakers from 12 inch speakers. Not to mention the Jensen speaker which is head and should above the Fender provided eminence that they usually drop in these amps.

OVERALL OPINION


This is a great blues, mild rock, country or pop amp. You will get a solid sounding tone fit for most music that I mentioned and will fit nicely in the recording studio as well.

At new these amps come in at around $ 1200, which isn't a bad price for something that sounds this good. I would recommend anyone who likes tube buffered reverb to get this amp or someone who needs a great clean amp for their recording studio

Fender has really taking the major pice of the market when it comes to clean amps. They have been an empire on guitars as well as high quality and affordable clean amps. This amp like most Fenders has an unbelievable clean tone. Where this amp is highest in tone is from the tremelo and reverb features in the amp. This is a tube buffered reverb which is a little different than a spring reverb. It is not like one is better than the other but just a different spin on the process. I personally like the tube buffered one a little better than the spring reverb. That is just a total matter of taste.


• Type: Professional Tube Series (All Tube Circuitry). Designed in the Amp Custom Shop and Built on the Regular Tube Amp Line.
• Output: 40 watts into 4 ohms
• Channels: 2-Channels, (Normal and Bright)
• Features: Reverb (Functions in both channels), Vibrato (Functions in both channels), External Speaker Jack (4 ohms), 2-Button Footswitch, Tilt-Back Legs
• Includes: 2-Button Footswitch for Reverb and Vibrato On/Off

UTILIZATION

Details
Type Tubes
Number of Channels 2
Power 40W
No Effects
Reverb
EQ Ch 1 & 2: Treble, Bass
No Amp Modeling
Preamp Tubes 5 x 12AX7, 1 x 12AT7
Power Tubes 2 x 6L6
Inputs 2 x Instrument (Ch 1), 2 x Instrument (Ch 2)
Outputs 2 x Speaker
Footswitch I/O
No Effects Loop
Height 19.37"
Width 25"
Depth 8.62"
Weight 46 lbs.

SOUNDS

This amp really needs to be played with a nice Fender Tele Stratocaster or Fender guitar of some sort. The single coil Fender guitars coupled with this amp is a match made is tonal heaven. The tone is so sparkly and chimy with a sweet overtone of clarity and bite. The amp is a not a high gain amp but will take high gain pedals or any pedal for that matter extremely well.

OVERALL OPINION

This is a great blues, mild rock, country or pop amp. You will get a solid sounding tone fit for most music that I mentioned and will fit nicely in the recording studio as well.

At new these amps come in at around $ 1200, which isn't a bad price for something that sounds this good. I would recommend anyone who likes tube buffered reverb to get this amp or someone who needs a great clean amp for their recording studio.