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Post subject: Question about 1963 Fender Vibroverb
Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 5:07 pm
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Hey everybody,
So I purchased this amp from a guy second hand a while back and I cannot for the life of me figure it out. I just got off the phone with a very cool guy from Fender support but we still couldn't come to a full conclusion. So based off the numbers on the back of the chassis and transformers it is a 1963 chassis. The 15" Alnico Jensen speaker dates to 1960. The blonde tolex and grill cloth seem to be original and don't look like they have been changed. The guy at Fender told me it could have been an amp that an employee pieced together or that it might have been some kind of transitional prototype. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks in advance!

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Post subject: Re: Question about 1963 Fender Vibroverb
Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 5:55 pm
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It looks to be a '63 amp with a replaced speaker and baffle board. Without seeing a picture of the amps baffle board up close would be hard to be certain. Grill cloth can easily be removed (if careful) and reused. I have done this in the past to refurbish an amp. More up close pics would help, especially of the staples holding the grillcloth on.

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Post subject: Re: Question about 1963 Fender Vibroverb
Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 6:56 pm
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Are there any numbers on the reverb tank?

If so, what do they read?

I'd also like to know more about that Triad output tranny.

Frankly, it looks like a "goulash" amp to me, with an original VV chassis stuffed into (perhaps) a 6G8 Twin Amp cab, and a 1960 Concert Series C15N speaker.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Question about 1963 Fender Vibroverb
Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 7:12 pm
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I agree T2, Retroverbial. Likely the baffle board was changed, or in some way modified, an old speaker installed, and tube retainers added. The simplest explanation is usually correct, no big mystery. Everyone wants to believe they have some ultra-rare valuable prototype, but without any provenance, you only have a modified amp, which means it is less valuable than stock. Still, absolutely a cool score that probably sounds great.

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Post subject: Re: Question about 1963 Fender Vibroverb
Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 7:57 pm
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Hi guys,
I will attempt to remove the baffle board tomorrow and snap some more pics of that as well as the staples. Another piece of info to add is that the original reverb tank had been replaced by a 3 spring unit. The guy I bought it from said he purchased it second hand in the mid 70's and played it until about 1990 when he put it in storage until he sold it to me. He also said he had the amp serviced in the late 80's and changed the reverb but that it was otherwise in the same shape as when he bought it. Thanks again for the comments and help!


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Post subject: Re: Question about 1963 Fender Vibroverb
Posted: Thu Oct 10, 2013 8:44 pm
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Any dates ink-stamped within the chassis?

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Question about 1963 Fender Vibroverb
Posted: Fri Oct 11, 2013 11:54 am
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Okay so here are a couple of pics of the staples as well as one of the back pieces. The only ink stamp I could find on the chassis is pictured as well. I am going to take apart the amp later on today to get some better pics of the chassis as well as the cabinet and I will post those. Thanks!

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Post subject: Re: Question about 1963 Fender Vibroverb
Posted: Fri Oct 11, 2013 11:57 am
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The cloth is not original and it was installed subsequent to the amp's original build date.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Question about 1963 Fender Vibroverb
Posted: Fri Oct 11, 2013 2:44 pm
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Retroverbial wrote:
The cloth is not original and it was installed subsequent to the amp's original build date.

Arjay


Agreed. I am also not sure the blond tolex is original to this cab either. Have not seen many of this vintage, but have not seen tolex ever stapled onto an amp...it was always put on with a horsehide glue if memory serves. Now of course the staples could have been added after the amp was built, possibly by one of the previous owners over these 50 years. Either way, would have to say this amp never left the Fender Factory in the configuration it is in now.

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Post subject: Re: Question about 1963 Fender Vibroverb
Posted: Fri Oct 11, 2013 3:09 pm
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Okay so I got this thing pulled apart and was able to take some more pictures of the cabinet itself as well as the chassis. For the future what are you looking for when you are trying to determine if the grill or tolex has been changed? Thanks again for the insight.

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Post subject: Re: Question about 1963 Fender Vibroverb
Posted: Fri Oct 11, 2013 4:19 pm
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Ah, that OT is actually a Schumacher.

The adjustable bias pot is not original to the chassis.

A pity that the inked date stamp is illegible (I can just make out what seems to be "43".

The innards seem mostly unmolested save for a few modern electrolytic bypass caps.

Vintage Fender grill cloth was attached via black-lacquered copper-ribbon industrial staples. And as T2Stratman correctly mentioned, Tolex (or in this case, Nubtex) was affixed with horse-hide glue.

The extra interior cleat at the lower front of the cab is a non-factory addition.

How does this amp sound?

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Question about 1963 Fender Vibroverb
Posted: Fri Oct 11, 2013 5:08 pm
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Thanks Arjay for the information it's been much appreciated! This amp sounds amazing. When no one is around to annoy I basically turn it up to about 8 and from there I just use the guitars volume knob to go from clean to dirty. The cleans are unmatched and when I crank this thing up not even my JCM 800 can match the growl that is produced. Overall it is an awesome amp and seems to be very reliable for the age. I purchased it for $1300 from the guy knowing that it was definitely not a stock unit but was hoping that maybe it would be something special considering how rare they've become. Thanks again for the help!


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Post subject: Re: Question about 1963 Fender Vibroverb
Posted: Fri Oct 11, 2013 6:07 pm
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Be advised that 125A6A output tranny is wound with a 4-ohm secondary so if that Jensen measures 8Ω you're running a mild impedance mismatch.

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Question about 1963 Fender Vibroverb
Posted: Fri Oct 11, 2013 10:32 pm
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Well as I understand it as long as the amp is 4 ohms and the speaker is 8 ohms I am safe. Now if the amp was 4 ohms and the speaker was 2 ohms then I could possibly damage the amp correct?


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Post subject: Re: Question about 1963 Fender Vibroverb
Posted: Fri Oct 11, 2013 10:45 pm
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That old Schumacher iron was over-engineered and built pretty tough, per Leo's specifications -- they'll permit a 100% mismatch in either direction with little risk of damage.

Arjay

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