Is THIS the Finest Guitar Amp FENDER Ever Made?
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- Опубліковано 15 чер 2024
- There's a lot of debate about what's the GREATEST AMP EVER MADE, but what if we try to whittle it down to the Greatest FENDER AMP ever made... I think I have found the answer. This is a 1966 Vibrolux Reverb. The 210 Vibrolux Reverb featured push-pull 6L6GC output and sat between the 112 Deluxe Reverb with 6V6 tubes and the larger Pro Reverb, Vibroverb, and Super Reverb, which all had more and bigger speakers with 6L6GC output. I used to think the Deluxe Reverb was Fender's finest model because of its balance of size, weight and features, but for my money, the 212 Vibrolux Reverb combo is a slightly better choice.
0:00 Front of the Amp
1:21 Back of the Amp
4:22 Outside the Chassis
7:29 Inside the Chassis
13:28 Clean & Service
16:09 Testing & Bias
22:33 Demo w/ Zio Signature
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Brad wow you left out the also awesome Blackfaced Pro Reverb 2x12....65 thru say 68...40 watts and I own a 67.
@@johnspina318 My bad. That one too.
Nice work, Brad!!
I detected a strong Remembrance" to
"Little Black Egg," on your Demo of Reverb Vibrato tune. The "NightCrawlers," ??
if I remember my 6th grade dance hit!
I still dig that sound and riff.
This VibroLux is the best, it's an amazing blend of all the best features of 6L6 magic with Reverb and that filthy authentic 1960's High School Black Strobe Light .....Vibrato ......Teen Age dance world.
I remember it like yesterday as a 14 year old in 1969..the girls with long hair parted in the middle and the Furry necked coats with micro mini skirts with the Petouli oil and African Trading beads and the feathers in the head bands .......
Man that Fender VibroLux Amp Rules that World.
I do not know why, but almost evry time I make a commentary recently, on whatever channel I have these "reach me on Tele-gram" replies. It is annoying, I do not why UA-camr cannot do anything about it. As Always, I will report it.
Thanks for servicing my amp and doing this great video on it! Since I got it back I have played it for several hours and it is fantastic. The issue it had is gone and it is running perfectly. You are the man!
Thanks for letting me work on it, John. It was my pleasure. You should take my advice on that RCA 12AX7 tremolo oscillator tube and pull it out of the amp and replace with a cheap modern tube. Keep the old one in a box in back of the amp to use down the road as a V1 or V2 replacement. I would have done that for you, but it didn't occur to me until I was editing the video. ;)
@@TheGuitologist Will do! I have several newer 12AX7's, so that is an easy task.
What was the issue? my Vibrolux has a few probelms it had a new transformer a couple of years ago and new valves but everytime i turn it on it just buzzes and makes a horrendous noise. reckon it could be caps ??
What a great example of a vintage amp. Thanks Brad for bringing great amps to us. Most people today are into newer models . But us old geezers are into the older amps. 👍🎸🎸🎸
I don’t think most people are into the modern thing at all. I personally don’t really know anyone that doesn’t crave a vintage Fender or Marshall amplifier.
What you want and what you can afford are different, unfortunately.
Heck, most “modern” amps these days have modeling with settings for various tweeds and plexi’s and everything else.
Everyone wants that tone except metalheads, who do still cherish the 70s and 80s Marshalls especially the JCM800s. Them or early Boogies.
Kids and Metalheads want the most gain they can get. It’s true.
@@Tyrannosaurine Well said, I prefer vintage whenever possible but my older amps are a bit Watty (my new word for too loud).
People buy what they can afford. If you have an artistic bone in you, you don't wait two years so you can afford an amp, you grab what you can grab and do the best you can.
I appreciate both old (favorite old amp is JCM800) and new (favorite new amp is blackstar st James 6L6 combo).
Why is it the older we get, the cleaner we play?
In 2000, I was given a 67 Vibrolux Reverb with a blown OT, 16 ohm Utah speakers, and leaky caps, missing back panels, etc. I was just learning to repair/restore tube amps, so this was my first full restoration. It became my gigging amp, and has needed no further repairs in the past 20+ years.
I had the pleasure of recording a record with one of these and it was magic. My best Fender amp experience.
Outstanding job Brad. Seeing the service work on amp was great and the tunes at the end were icing on the cake man. Great job brother man.
Yes, Brad IS really getting there as a tech..
Love your homage to Uncle Doug... very good video... good god your drummer looks familiar (I know, old joke)... thank you for your amp brilliance!
Really digging the new mini-song set idea.
Can tell you put a lot of work into all the separate demos. They came out great!
Glad you like it!
Dude! your drumming has really come along. Nice demo guitar playing too, really tasty. The amp repair was superb on a GREAT amp. A friend that's passed used to play that same amp and it brought back some memorable moments. Lucky guy that owns that there amp.
Played one a guy brought to a jam and it was ok. Then I reached back, noticed it was running really quiet, so I turned it up to about 6, rolled the guitar back a tad….and was smitten. Clarity, dynamics, sweet highs with real bottom end and all delivered at a gig gable volume. The best
One of the finest. Those vintage Fenders are in a class by themselves, especially for the clean tone. :)
There are two channels that make my day better. You and Administrative Results. Thank you for posting. :)
Thanks for another great video servicing this awesome Vibrolux Amp! And thanks for not skimping on the demo of the finished product, not everyday we can hear a classic jem like this.
Great job reviewing this incredible amp. What a joy it would be to plug into that !
Love the troubleshoot, fix, demonstrate format. More of this please !!!!
Haven't seen one of your amp servicing videos in quite a while. Glad to see you using a scope, signal generator, dummy load, and your digital multimeters to analyze the circuit. Looking like a professional tech! Also nice to see you give the amp a practical test also. GOOD VID Brad!
I do think the videos are more entertaining without a scope, but it seems to go quicker with one. I just want the average Joe to know he can get good results troubleshooting without one. But I have hundreds of videos showing that.
After watching how thorough Bradley is with amps, I'd say I would definitely send him any amp with zero regrets
These are the videos we love to watch Brad your the best 👌
@@TheGuitologist yes for sure. i learned servicing with a 'scope. My 1st job at a hi-fi shop in 1967 sold McKintosh Amps (spelling?) and they used to have a Mac Clinic once a year. It was a big event. "scopes , sweep oscillators, and a graph generator came out., as well as a distortion analyzer. They would verify the specs of any amp brought in, by customers and then compare it to one of their amps. The ears always confirmed what the instruments said. The mac's always won hands down in terms of power and low distortion,... (no guitar amps,...per se) A 'scope makes it so much easier to diagnose the specific problems. especially ultrasonic osc,... which in tube amps is hard to diagnose conclusively by ear if it just gradually comes in as You play louder. 100 Mhz 'scope makes it easy to see.
I love your channel I work on amps for a living in the DFW area and there are some incredible amps that come across my bench on a weekly basis but I have to agree with you this is one of fenders masters in a certain respect they certainly sound incredible
Excellent content, and I wish I owned that amp!
Your drumming is improving and getting tight! I appreciate the work it takes for you to present all of this, thanks for sharing!
Much appreciated!
I own a '72 VR that I had "blackfaced" several years ago. I put Jensen speakers in, and it sounds fantastic. It's about the perfect combination of size, power, and tone for a full band setting. I have a Pro Reverb, too, which basically the same amp in a slightly larger cabinet to accommodate the 12" speakers. But at the end of the day, NOTHING beats my '68 Princeton Reverb for pure tone. Not powerful enough for band gigs, but for recording and small venues I've never heard anything better. GREAT video!
Forgot to mention the Pro Reverb with 2/12's and 2 6l6 output tubes. I have a 67 Vibrolux, 67 Super Reverb and a 66 Pro Reverb and its hard to say which one is my favorite. All sound great and sound great for different venues/sizes
Before I got my own Vibrolux Reverb, I played a long-term loaned 1965 ProReverb... I would say its my 2nd favorite amp of all time, with my Vibro being my most favored. It was luck and good fortune that brought me to it in 1968, now 55 years ago, and I have never stopped enjoying it. You have an amazing collection there... I can think of non others I would want myself.
@@jenniferwhitewolf3784 Thanks, I am very blessed to have these amps as well as many Tweed Fenders from the 50's. Each has its place. Good Day
The playtest is Badass Brad and the greescreen overlays really add to your videos. Keep them coming.
I love this channel. I see, experience and learn about so many incredible amps. I catch my mouth watering all the time. Thanks
Mr. Brad. Its been a minute since I've been able to sit down for a full service video. This one struck me as maybe the best one I've seen. Was very well presented as far as editing and production etc. Whatever changes you've made in recent memory large and small, the recipe is working. I appreciated the run time, it was a very palatable bit of my day. The demo at the end was very polished and a leg up on the one's using the camera mic. Really showed off the amp well. I know the peanut gallery doesn't have a problem saying things when they think you did something wrong so I wanted so speak up when I thought you did something right.
Bought my black faced vibrolux in 1980. Used of course for $100. It’s been thru hell with me but I always maintained and serviced it properly and it’s still played daily. My #1 studio amp. never disappoints. Best amp investment I’ve ever made.
Nice investment!
Most enjoyable to watch and hear you actually reviewing, testing and replacing parts as necessary. No one ever video's this work. Very enjoyable and fun watching you. Thank You. A beautiful collectible amp indeed.
Check out Uncle Doug on UA-cam JT.
@@wendyandgeoffpattison2610 Thank You
Discovered this channel today....loved everything about this episode!
Livin a humble dream man! Everything sounds great, can't wait to see you hit the different genres based on the different amps you service 👍👍
Did i hear "last stop this town" in the demo?! I think i did. Well done
These old amp repair videos are pure gold my friend! I just snagged a 1959 Sano Excelsior model 10 in mint condition for $299. I can’t afford to pay the big dough for a sweet vintage Fender like this.
I like the spherical/celestial/lofty background music throughout the video. It's like Brad has entered a higher level of existance and consciousness by just being near that nifty Blackface. Very nice video, smooth and relaxing to watch - thanks!
Dude the amount of amp knowledge you have is just mind blowing. And great licks too!!! Great sounding guitar and amp combo. Love it.
Great job as usual!! Always better than the last. Thank you Brad!!
Thanks for your playing at the end. Some great tones.
Thanks for listening
I rarely understand these amp videos but I do enjoy them.
Brad, you really know your stuff, and you're a really cool dude. So glad I found your channel!
A close friend of mine owns a 1960 Tweed Vibrolux nicknamed The Whooly Mammoth because of how frayed and worn the tweed covering is. It is absolutely the best amp I personally have ever played through using either a Tele or a Strat.
Sounds like a beast.
Had a 65 Vibrolux Reverb in the early 70's when in High School. Best amp I ever owned ....
You're a great player Brad! Great Blues chops man! I don't know too much about amps, but I watch your videos as it's fascinating to me!
No idea why but for some reason I just really appreciated the ambiance and editing of this video.
As the owner of a vintage 64 Princeton reverb I enjoy your programming immensely thank you sir
I gave mine to my grandson, he loves it! Powerful, but not too heavy. Great all around amp!
Those are the greatest amp ever made, especially considering their power output and portability. I had a 1966 Vibrolux Reverb for 29 yrs and sold it last year for a large bag of money. I restored mine myself and it had the most glorious clean tones, beautiful chime-like breakup into full grown growl. It sounded like a plexi when dimed. When I was troubleshooting some issues years ago I installed a Classic Tone Vibrolux reissue OT and put the original aside. Turns out the original OT was fine but I liked the new one because it gave the amp more clean headroom before breakup. I highly recommend it.
You know.
Nice work Brad, and your vid production has really evolved, thanks
Thanks for noticing.
sweet amp, always a pleasure to see you engaged with a beauty of an amplifier, great video brother Brad!
Glad you like it!
i can see a Tonemaster clone on the way !!
Every bar I played the wiring was jacked up.
At 5:01, "...definitely, probably going to put..."
😂
Great, informative patter. Thanks for a very educational video Brad.
That was a superb new format - loved the airy music in the backround at the start during the sped up part. The green screen composite at the end was great too!
The amp sounds really interesting, plenty of bite and bags of tone but not the usual Fender sound - maybe the ceramic magnets in the speakers doing that? It sounded rather like but better then the MusicMan amps that had 2x10" Eminence cones. Great video Brad - I love that my home theatre setup is fed from your laptop and pure talent!
Yes, I have a ‘65 Vibrolux with A125’s and it has more of that “usual Fender sound.” However being a long time Marshall head I preferred the sound of this one over mine. To get that level of grind I’d have to run a pedal, usually a Klone, in front. I’m curious to know where he had the volume and tone controls set at?
Hello from England. Love your Brilliant Channel. Obviously subbed. Thank you.
Welcome aboard!
Used to have one of these (I think that's it, anyway) in the guitar shop/music store I worked at years ago (early 90's). We alternated between have a tag on it that said, "Not For Sale" and "$ 1, 000, 000.00" . Once again, great video. Props, Brad!
The part I was looking forward to learn from, was covered by your sweater, cleaning the pots.
I've shown that probably 100 times before. I use MaxPro Electronics Lubricant. Spray in the opening and turn the pots a few times to remove grime. There's a link to the stuff in the video description under "STUFF I USE".
Great Video. This is the one I've seen from You. Not that Your other videos aren't good, I just really enjoyed this particular video
God Bless You and Your Family!!
Jimmy in NC....
Love this jam session. More.
Owned two of those. My favorite ever: so deep and subtle
Nothing like an old vibrolux or a deluxe fender amp that has been gone thru by a great amp tech.
My exact amp. 1965 OJ. Love it. Mine was messed up by previous owners.... original speakers and baffles had disappeared and a new baffle held an enormous 12 EV SRO speaker. So with that, I felt free to improvise with it without incurring the wrath of the vintage police.
I cut a new baffle for one 12" and one 19". I have a hemp cone Tone Tubby 12 and a vintage Jensen C10N. The 10 is plugged into the extension cabinet jack so I can pull it and run the amp as a single 12" similar to the DR... although at 8 ohms instead of 4... So the amp runs differently. I hade the channel 1 tone stack modified to be same as 59 Bassman. I had a cathode bias switch installed into the polarity switch location. With a flip of the switch I can run in cathode biased mode.... more touch sensitivity, more compression, browner tone, less volume.
A benefit of cathode biasing is that I don't have to worry about tube bias. I can pull and plug any tubes. Normally I run NOS Tung Sol 5881. Other stuff going on too, but this is the beauty of finding a "user" amp. I love it.
Glad I stuck around till the "Test with a guitar"! You may be right about it being "The Fender". I swear I can hear the paper tone frim those olde speakers, wonderful, I don't think the owner needs any FX pedals. Fantastic stuff! Could the chassis be the same configuration as a Pro-Reverb or Super Reverb? GZ34, 2x6L6 and at7s and Ax7's ?
Always very satisfying and relaxing repair video. Thanks.
great video my fav part is always your demonstration of the amps you repair at the end of the video's this one is next level sounds wonderful ....
A lot of guys with technical skills are pretty mediocre players (which makes sense), but Brad always surprises me with how killer his playing is.
Thanks buddy! Informative as always.
A perfect video. The amp checkout and then the EPIC jam at the end. And although petty and irrelevant, the clean shaven look is much more you. That's the Guitologist I became enamored with and it's nice to see him back! You look 20 years younger.
Love the old iron and fender rocks!
That circuit sounds amazing👍
What a beauty, always glad to see your amp videos
This was fantastic Brad. You rocked the heck out of it.👍👍👍👍👍👍
Shame on the music community for not collectively subscribing to your channel. Any guitar player who’s not subscribed is clearly leaving knowledge on the table!
Years ago went to a jam,drummer said just bring your strat,he had a selection of amps,plugged into a 64 Princeton,instantly,now I know why,perfect sound,and match,one of a kind that Leo
The Zio and the fender were made for each other...damn close to perfect
Agreed. The ability to switch between humbucker and single coils gets the widest range of tones possible between one amp and one guitar. It's the perfect setup for a player like me who doesn't use a lot of pedals.
i havent watched your vids in a while...wow your drumming has really come along dewd!
Great video as always, long live the guitologist
Thanks man.
Very cool guitar pieces, nice playing and pretty dang cool drum work, my friend! BTW . . . I love to watch your amp work videos. They have a way of calming me, which may sound strange. But, hey . . what can I say. Very fun video! Rock on, brother man! By the way . . . I absolutely LOVE that Mustang with the P90's.
Fascinating! I'm 67 and purchased a new Twin in 75'.
You and your twin make a great garage band! Cheers from Germany, Brad.
I remember back in late 1970s Wayne Kramer from the MC5 when he was still in Detroit ,a friend was in his band playing Detroit clubs, Wayne had a similar Fender amp he was using and the story was he had borrowed it for awhile and while using it he was jamming extra loud and noticed something burning. It was one of the two speakers had lit on fire and burned the whole one side of the front of the amp. He had to buy it and continued to use it for some time with the one remaining speaker.
The most intimidating Fender amp you ever saw.
Great job on that amp and the jam session was superb.
Cool amp. Nice variation of tone examples at the end. If I lived closer, I would like to jam some time.
Played multiple Fender tube amps for 50 years and never saw the guts or brains on a tube amp.Talk about over my head!
Good job Brad. Very nice amp, I have a '79 silver panel vibrolux reverb (with pull boost) and I love it too !
Great videos as always. Watching boardwalk empire in the background, or during breaks? It was a great show. I’ve watched a couple times through along with the sopranos. The vibrolux is awesome. I am building my first deluxe reverb kit. Always been good at soldering and electronics projects. I still have a ton of holes in my understanding of how the amp actually works.
I didn't look too far back in the comments but it may be not listed as a Vibrolux, because there is a schematic for a baseman AA864 from Fender. The baseman also had 2 speakers the vibral X could be an export model as well. I may be wrong but I don't think Fender doubled up on numbers.
My dream amp. Great video Brad. The mini jams were🤌nice
Dream amp! Great video again Brad, thanks.
Great sounding amp and demo!
I would agree. Of the dozens of vintage Fender BF/SF combos I've owned over the years mostly from the mid1960s, I kept my 78 vibrolux...the first one I ever bought for $150 in 1989. Amazingly versatile.
Being a player since 63, I had probably every collectable amp. I remember these. Had one for a
short while before I traded it in for a blonde Bandmaster. If I only knew then what I know now.
The Blonde Bandmaster is amazing as well, that harmonic tremolo… and the presence control…
Wow, Brad. I’m blown away by your instrumentation. Excellent drumming, bass lines and guitar. Now I know you don’t just love the amplification portion of music, but all the main aspects of actually making it. 😎
Damn! Two Brads now that’s a trick
Very nice! Beautiful amp and a great video too.
Great video Brad, Thanks for sharing!
Very informative, Brad. You always do a great job. I wish that I could understand most of what you are saying!! LOL I had a brown faced fender vibroverb back in 1967. It had only one speaker which was gone. I sold it in 1972 along with a 66 Fender jazz bass. I think I got 400 bucks for both of them! I needed the money because I was being sent overseas. Makes a man sick!! Thanks for your channel.. Ron Wood Sr. (Gold Star Father)
C10NS.
I too have a ‘66 Vibrolux. It really is the best model. Great sounding, perfect amount of power for everything, and quite light.
I love the sound of 2 10" speakers. I dont know why they are not more popular. I had to build my own 210 cabinet because noone makes them. I loaded it with Jensens (which sound better than celestions that cost 3 times as much) it is an open back and sound great with just about any amp head.
Excellent video Brad, thank you. I gig with the 68 silver face reissue of this amp and love it. I have always liked Fender "10's" for some reason and also own a red tolex 80's Prosonic which is a beast that I use in bigger venues.
I have a clone of a 1963 vibrolux circuit with a 112 Fender style cab. The tremolo circuit was changed with an LED trem circuit to make it reliable vs the bias wiggle blowing tubes originally... Its my favorite sounding clean amp in 20 years of amp collecting.
God... What a Beauty... That is a Wonderful Amp.. Tone Heaven for Sure... And Great Thorough Job and Loved The Jams Bro ☺☺👊💯
Nice work Brad! WOW!! 134K SUBS!!! WOO-HOO!!!
Great amp. Great video. Thanks Brad!
Getting pretty good on those skins!
A dying art! Sad that many of these amazing old beasts will be lost to time without the service they need... thanks so much for sharing!
Old school Guitologist video.... Love it. Please more.