A '60's Babyboomer guy, I grew up with BF Fenders, though there were plenty of blondes lingering, belonging to players who didn't have the money on hand to "upgrade" (at the time, buying the newest version was upgrading: if we only knew). I guess I've owned or played about all the BF's at one time or another. Back in the day, my choice was the SR, though I'm very fond of the Pro Reverb. I didn't know any players with a '64 Vibroverb back when I was a kid playing all the time. I doubt they'd were of interest to the players I knew--or, for that matter, me, owing in large measure to the 15". Then again, everyone I knew played Gibsons--before Jimmy, no one really chased Strats--mostly SG's (that was my guitar of choice), some ES335's, etc.
When I started playing Strats and Tele's all the time, I did some experimenting. I got curious and picked up a very nice '64 VV and fell in love with the fat, throaty tone with single coils and I've been hooked ever since. This particular amp has the CTS and was built in late spring (May, as I recall). I decided I had to have one with a factory JBL and stumbled onto a great one at a pretty reasonable price (relatively speaking) some time ago and added it to the arsenal. It's a later build (October).
I gig them both, using an A/B/Y switcher Skip Simmons put together for me. I if really want to get after it, I run the both at once. I pulled the V1 out of the Normal channel in the "spring" model (with the CTS), such that it breaks up earlier and is gainer at lower volumes. The "fall" model (JBL) I left alone, and it serves to provide lots of headroom and clean tone, though it will break up at high volumes via tube distortion.
Sometimes I'll change things up, pairing one of the VV's with my old '64 Super Reverb (original Ceramic Jensens), but not often--mostly it's the two VV's.
My obsessions with VV's also bred a love of 15" speakers generally. I'm in the minority of players, I believe, who really favor these speakers. I currently own two tweeds--a '60 5F6A Bassman and a '56 Pro. The Pro is equipped with the original Jensen 15. If you're a 15" speaker devotee as I am, you know this is among the best speakers Jensen ever built. I've gigged these amps as well, sometimes pairing them as I do the Vibroverbs/Vibrover-Super Reverb, but rarely. My Bassman's a good one, I've played through many. Yet, let it be whispered, I prefer the '56 Pro. Blasphemy, no doubt, but I love the fat, rounder and throatier tone of the Pro with single coils. Some of it's the circuitry, of course, but the quality that really grabs me is the character of the 15: just can't get enough of it.
As a result, when not deploying the BF amps, the Pro became my go-to. When that happened, I decided I wanted (a) to preserve the original cone in the Jensen, and, (b) capture more headroom. I'm obsessed with old '60's grey frame JBL D130f's, and after a patient quest, found a dandy with the original cone and popped it into the '56 Pro. The result was stunning. These amps are about 30-35 watts. With the JBL, the Pro is killer and will handle about any venue. Volume is certainly pretty near that of the AB763's I've owned, but with that distinctive tweed tone.
But I digress. I'd really like to hear from any other Vibroverb heads out there, but I also enthusiastically invite all those who, like myself, have a warm place in their hearts for 15" speakers, generally. I would close by apologizing for the unconscionably long inaugural post. Regards, Steveokla
Note the lack of white screen border around the Bright Switch on the later version. I’ve only seen a few like this.
When I started playing Strats and Tele's all the time, I did some experimenting. I got curious and picked up a very nice '64 VV and fell in love with the fat, throaty tone with single coils and I've been hooked ever since. This particular amp has the CTS and was built in late spring (May, as I recall). I decided I had to have one with a factory JBL and stumbled onto a great one at a pretty reasonable price (relatively speaking) some time ago and added it to the arsenal. It's a later build (October).
I gig them both, using an A/B/Y switcher Skip Simmons put together for me. I if really want to get after it, I run the both at once. I pulled the V1 out of the Normal channel in the "spring" model (with the CTS), such that it breaks up earlier and is gainer at lower volumes. The "fall" model (JBL) I left alone, and it serves to provide lots of headroom and clean tone, though it will break up at high volumes via tube distortion.
Sometimes I'll change things up, pairing one of the VV's with my old '64 Super Reverb (original Ceramic Jensens), but not often--mostly it's the two VV's.
My obsessions with VV's also bred a love of 15" speakers generally. I'm in the minority of players, I believe, who really favor these speakers. I currently own two tweeds--a '60 5F6A Bassman and a '56 Pro. The Pro is equipped with the original Jensen 15. If you're a 15" speaker devotee as I am, you know this is among the best speakers Jensen ever built. I've gigged these amps as well, sometimes pairing them as I do the Vibroverbs/Vibrover-Super Reverb, but rarely. My Bassman's a good one, I've played through many. Yet, let it be whispered, I prefer the '56 Pro. Blasphemy, no doubt, but I love the fat, rounder and throatier tone of the Pro with single coils. Some of it's the circuitry, of course, but the quality that really grabs me is the character of the 15: just can't get enough of it.
As a result, when not deploying the BF amps, the Pro became my go-to. When that happened, I decided I wanted (a) to preserve the original cone in the Jensen, and, (b) capture more headroom. I'm obsessed with old '60's grey frame JBL D130f's, and after a patient quest, found a dandy with the original cone and popped it into the '56 Pro. The result was stunning. These amps are about 30-35 watts. With the JBL, the Pro is killer and will handle about any venue. Volume is certainly pretty near that of the AB763's I've owned, but with that distinctive tweed tone.
But I digress. I'd really like to hear from any other Vibroverb heads out there, but I also enthusiastically invite all those who, like myself, have a warm place in their hearts for 15" speakers, generally. I would close by apologizing for the unconscionably long inaugural post. Regards, Steveokla
Note the lack of white screen border around the Bright Switch on the later version. I’ve only seen a few like this.
