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I ordered a pair of the Eminence GA10-SC64 to try. They get good reviews, aren't too expensive, and should give me a chance to hear what I'm working with.
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11-12-2019 11:43 AM
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Whoa, daddy! The early-70s, six-knob SF Vibrolux is a terrific amplifier. You can get a GREAT tone from this amplifier. I used to have this and a similar vintage Pro Reverb. The PR was the better amp for a single-coil Fender guitar, but the VR was the amp to couple with a Gibson equipped with humbuckers. The two 10" speakers suit the response of the humbucking pickups very nicely.
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Originally Posted by Woody Sound
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Looks like a nice clean example. Congrats.
Regarding speakers, I've had luck with Eminence. Lots of choices and they won't break the bank. Cannabis Rex, as already recommended, may be perfect. The Legends are supposedly good for Fenders as well if you want to keep the same vibe. I called them once and they were very helpful in making a choice.
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The GA10-SC64's sound really nice! I probably shouldn't be playing it until I do caps but it's made it this long, and it's so much fun to play with. I have my weekly lesson in a bit. Can't wait to hear my teacher play through it.
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After I started this thread I received several offers on the amp. One asked me to dissect it, which I had no interest in doing, and another tried to convince me it was close to worthless. Since it wasn't my amp and not my money I sold it to the guy who seemed the nicest and offered a reasonable amount to give my neighbor.
Having no interest in packing this myself I had Fedex do it. They didn't stock a box of the right size, but they have a machine to cut a larger box and fold new flaps automatically. Very cool. The buyer said it was well packed and uninjured when he received it.
Neither my neighbor's husband nor I have a working back and 50 pounds is too heavy for either of us to lift into an SUV. I sent the buyer the following story about shipping it:
"My wife & I go out for a walk most mornings after our daily fitness center workout. As we walked past the house of the erstwhile owner of the amp we noticed that the neighbor across the street (Rob) had his garage door open while he’s building garage cabinets. I mentioned to my wife that he could probably help us with the amp. After the walk I called the owner so we could figure out how to get it loaded and he said it was no problem. We walked over to his house and he went across the street to get Rob, who is a burly kind of guy. While the two of us were planning a strategy, Rob picked it up by the handle and put it in the car. My wife was really laughing at this.
We then drove to Fedex, sans Rob. I went inside and asked the nice young woman at the counter if they had anyone who could help us with something heavy. She said that she could do that. At the car we offered her the two-wheeler we had with us, but she just lifted the amp in both arms and carried it the 100 feet or so back to the store and placed it on the scale. We were all laughing at that. BTW it weighed 47.5 pounds."
After the buyer had the amp for awhile he sent me the following:
"I got the amp back from the shop and it works and sounds really good! I could not be happier.
They recapped it, re tubed it, biased it, and replaced a few components that had drifted far from spec. I greatly appreciate all the help that made this happen. Please give my most sincere thanks to your neighbor."
Note that my neighbor was thrilled at the outcome, both because the amp had gotten a new lease on life and because she got more money out of it then she had ever expected before she spoke with me about it, and that's after I paid Fedex a chunk for packing & shipping. I was happy to help both sides and enjoyed having a cool old amp in my house for awhile; plus, we get guaranteed invites to all her parties forever.
Danny W.
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Great story & outcome for all involved. Thanks, guys!
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I played though a blackface Vibrolux MANY years ago for a BB concert. It was not mine, it was provided for the event. Being a young lad just beginning to perform, I had never heard of the model. Everyone else was using Twins. It was an AWESOME amp. But I didn't have to move or lift it, so I am surprised to learn that they are that heavy. I would LOVE to see a Tone Master Vibrolux weighing in at around 25 lbs.
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Another JGO success story! You're a good man, Danny W!
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This why you're my hero Danny W! You are not only a Cool Guy, but are a fair person who has a good moral compass. Come to think about it that's why I always admired characters played by Steve McQueen and Paul Newman.
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Here's a good article, by one of the amp experts of recent times Dave Hunter, about why the vintage blackface Vibrolux is so heralded... (apparently, one of the "secrets" is the use of big bottles- 6L6s- with a SMALLER output transformer, to keep the wattage down... louder than a Deluxe, not as loud and breaks up sooner than a Super/Twin... "best of both worlds")
And yes- if Fender makes a ToneMaster version, I'm in!
Blackface Fender Vibrolux Reverb Combo - GuitarPlayer.com
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Unless of course one does not like early break-up. Clean head room is important to a lot of us.
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a VR is gonna break up later than a Princeton or Deluxe, higher wattage, 6L6GC power tubes as opposed to 6V6 tubes in the other amps.
you'd need to be in a live music setting before a VR starts to crunch
agree w Hunter they're the most versatile combo Fender.
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I think they sound great with actual Fender type single coil guitars. But I Actually prefer the Deluxe,Twin and even Pro Reverbs with Gibsons.
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Originally Posted by lawson-stone
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Originally Posted by ruger9
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Congrats on a cool amp!
I recently picked up a '76 (my birth year) Vibrolux. I love it!
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Originally Posted by floatingpickup
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I'm curious... what is it about the Vibroverb that makes you prefer it to the Vibrolux with the Gibson? More headroom, or...?
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My 76/77 blackfaced VR. My favorite work horse. Portable too. Clean all the way even unmiked in medium venues. It's getting harder and harder to find these here in Europe.
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Originally Posted by guitarcarver
I'm glad you like it so much, as is my neighbor. Ever since that amp was here the Vibrolux models on my Axe-FX III have become among my favorites.
Originally Posted by Woody Sound
Originally Posted by citizenk74
Originally Posted by jads57
Danny W.Last edited by Danny W.; 02-17-2020 at 01:39 AM.
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Hi,
OK. Prefix - I understand this post is basically a deep dive into GAS and in light of the current Coronavirus situation, completely irrelevant to most. That being said, here it goes...
It's been a long road for me with amps. I basically have always one main amp and have always sold that to afford the next one. I went from a Fender Super 60 red knob combo 1x12 (not the right tone) to a 1980s Fender Twin (too heavy) to a 1991 Fender Custom Vibrolux (perfect size, great tone, but for some reason want to try a vintage one). I love the Vibrolux, but again, am tempted to make the jump to THIS - a silverface Vibrolux (from the 70s?).
Questions - what do you think about this amp? Without me telling you what the seller is asking, what do you think is a fair price? What would be the main differences between by CVR (I know it's basically a Vibroverb circuit) and this one - VALUE, tone, etc.?
Many thanks for fielding my interest and questions. My wife won't, but I know you guys get it! Thinking of selling my CVR and grabbing this in the next few days. Check out the work that was done on it and the pics.
;-)
Thank you!!!
Charlie
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Speakers are replacements, but assuming the transformers are original probably worth around $1000-1200.
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I had one in the 80's and I wish I'd never sold it. It had great tone, decent volume and it seemed very light back then.
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I know that they can sell for much more than $1200, esp. if its in great shape (which encapsulates many things). But, if the price is fair, and if you are convinced, GO FOR IT. What's the worst that could happen? But do everything you can to verify its quality.
It has got to be better than the CVR. (if solid)
16" 1920s/30s L5
Yesterday, 08:44 PM in For Sale