Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Guitars, Amps and Effects => Topic started by: Elliot on October 08, 2010, 03:35:13 PM

Title: New Amp Day - BROWN!
Post by: Elliot on October 08, 2010, 03:35:13 PM
Finally tracked down the amp I have wanted for years - A Brown Vibroverb - OK its a 1990 reissue with a solid state rectifier, but it sounds awesome!

GAS is officially over for me.....
Title: Re: New Amp Day - BROWN!
Post by: tomjackson on October 08, 2010, 03:47:13 PM

Borrowed one for a gig the other day from a mate who I used to play in a band with.

They are lovely, the cleans are smooth and sweet, as are the reverb and trem.

Very nice amps :D
Title: Re: New Amp Day - BROWN!
Post by: AndyR on October 08, 2010, 03:52:33 PM
Looks rather righteous :D
Title: Re: New Amp Day - BROWN!
Post by: PhilKing on October 08, 2010, 04:18:40 PM
That looks like a great amp.  I always liked the brown/wheat look.
Title: Re: New Amp Day - BROWN!
Post by: Andrew W on October 08, 2010, 04:29:32 PM
Oh I like that very much.  One of those, a Strat and TS-808 and I'd be a very happy fellow indeed.  Very cool indeed.
Title: Re: New Amp Day - BROWN!
Post by: Philly Q on October 08, 2010, 04:42:55 PM
GAS is officially over for me.....

Presumably that situation is subject to periodic review....

Nice amp!
Title: Re: New Amp Day - BROWN!
Post by: Plexi Ken on October 08, 2010, 04:47:41 PM
I think that was the year I bought my red knob Super 60 but if I had the cash, I would have much preferred the Vibroverb re-issue. Brown-era Fenders are so cool  8)
Title: Re: New Amp Day - BROWN!
Post by: FELINEGUITARS on October 08, 2010, 07:11:39 PM
well done - you found one at last
Title: Re: New Amp Day - BROWN!
Post by: 38thBeatle on October 08, 2010, 07:30:29 PM
Cool stuff-a great combination.
Title: Re: New Amp Day - BROWN!
Post by: Telerocker on October 08, 2010, 07:37:46 PM
Great amp for clean/light crunch. Classy vintage looks. Congrats.
Title: Re: New Amp Day - BROWN!
Post by: Twinfan on October 08, 2010, 09:41:17 PM
Very nice mate, very very nice!  :D
Title: Re: New Amp Day - BROWN!
Post by: Elliot on October 09, 2010, 09:48:03 AM
Can anyone help me with the position of the tubes:

The series goes (from input jack side)

Pre-amp: 12AX7, 12AX7, 12AT7, 12AX7, 12AX7, 12AX7, - Poweramp: 6L6, 6L6

I know the preamp tubes cover Channel 1, Channel 2, Reverb driver, Reverb recovery (which is the 12AT7), Trem circuit and Phase Inverter - but can't work out the order.

Normally Fender put the PI as the last tube before the power stage - but this would mean that the reverb recovery (the 12AT7) is before the reverb driver tube?  Is this correct?
Title: Re: New Amp Day - BROWN!
Post by: jpfamps on October 09, 2010, 11:02:34 AM
These are cool amps.

As I'm sure you are aware this was Fender's 1st amp with integral reverb, and they made less than 600 of the originals, which are now very collectable. I've never seen one.

The 12AT7 is most likely to be the reverb driver, although the schematic I have for the original Vibroverb uses a 12AX7 here.

A 12AT7 will be able to drive the tank harder and was used as a reverb driver on all other Fender amps, so I expect that a 12AT7 was used in the RI (can't seem to find a schematic for the RI at the moment).


If the original is anything to go by the valves will be in this order (left to right looking from the back ie the opposite way you have listed them!! Sorry):

Phase splitter, tremolo oscillator, reverb recovery, reverb driver, bright channel pre-amp, normal channel pre-amp.


Title: Re: New Amp Day - BROWN!
Post by: Mr. Air on October 09, 2010, 11:43:33 AM
Really nice looking amp. The picture with the strat just oozes of old classics. Bet the two suits each other just right.
Title: Re: New Amp Day - BROWN!
Post by: Ratrod on October 09, 2010, 12:03:52 PM
Very cool indeed.
Title: Re: New Amp Day - BROWN!
Post by: shobet on October 09, 2010, 01:51:52 PM
Lovely! Not jealous, nope, not me, not at all.
Title: Re: New Amp Day - BROWN!
Post by: AndyR on October 10, 2010, 11:21:33 AM
I've already contributed to this, but I have to agree with Mr Air about the amp/strat combo :D.

I suspect it might look even better with a certain Fiesta Red specimen of yours that I saw on someone's workbench yesterday.

By the way, we did discuss the following statement:

GAS is officially over for me.....

:lol:

(doesn't really need any other comment really!)
Title: Re: New Amp Day - BROWN!
Post by: Elliot on October 10, 2010, 12:04:03 PM
I think that the old Squier is now too rawk for the brown with its new black knob/black humbucker personality....

GAS is over because I have no more space  :D

(although Effectrode pedals and a Fender Reverb tank are things I probably could squeeze in . . . . . . uhgh!)
Title: Re: New Amp Day - BROWN!
Post by: Philly Q on October 10, 2010, 12:07:27 PM
GAS is over because I have no more space  :D

That's never stopped me!

(Although I know you do have the inconvenience of sharing your living/gear space with other humans....  :wink: )
Title: Re: New Amp Day - BROWN!
Post by: AndyR on October 10, 2010, 01:14:44 PM
I think that the old Squier is now too rawk for the brown with its new black knob/black humbucker personality....

Ah! It had it's scratchplate off at the time (and still looked pretty SSS to me). Seeing as I was in full-on "vintage strat" mode, it never occured to me that it would be anything other than a tasteful connoisseur's piece! :lol: