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Post subject: Custom Vibrasonic - Trouble with reverb/vibrato?
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 8:51 am
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Recently acquired a Custom Vibrasonic - the one with the steel channel - one of the 90s reissue models and it has a footswitch with vibrato and reverb. However, with either botton of the footswith engaged or not, or with it unplugged (which according to the manual allows for the use of reverb only), no matter what, I have no vibrato and whenever I turn the reverb dial all I get is noise/hum/fizz/whatever you wanna call it. So basically, help! :P I would really appreciate it if anyone farmiliar with these amps (I know they're rare) could tell me what's going on :)


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Post subject: Re: Custom Vibrasonic - Trouble with reverb/vibrato?
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 8:56 am
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Have you tried a different footswitch?

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Custom Vibrasonic - Trouble with reverb/vibrato?
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 8:59 am
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No, that did occur to me, but the fact that I get no reverb without it anyway suggested that the problem was internal..


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Post subject: Re: Custom Vibrasonic - Trouble with reverb/vibrato?
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 9:01 am
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The only things I see common between the reverb and vibrato that would account for BOTH circuits not working are the foot switch and the jack that it plugs into. I would start there. Otherwise, I would suggest swapping/replacing the tubes for each circuit with known good tubes.

Schematic:

http://support.fender.com/schematics/gu ... ematic.pdf

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Post subject: Re: Custom Vibrasonic - Trouble with reverb/vibrato?
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 9:02 am
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Hurricane Jake wrote:
No, that did occur to me, but the fact that I get no reverb without it anyway suggested that the problem was internal..


Check the jack circuitry per the schematic I posted above.

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Post subject: Re: Custom Vibrasonic - Trouble with reverb/vibrato?
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 9:14 am
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I will mate, cheers for your advice, judging by the screws on the blackplate covering the tubes, the plate has been messed with/removed before, tubes are all original as far as I know though. But yeah I'll try and check it out once I get my head round the schematic :P


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Post subject: Re: Custom Vibrasonic - Trouble with reverb/vibrato?
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 10:20 am
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I'd examine the footswitch plug/jack situation first but if no cause is found there, the pre-amp tubes may be suspect. Your V3 and V4 (respectively, the 3rd and 4th tubes moving from right to left when looking at the chassis from the rear) are the driver and recovery tubes for the reverb circuit. The tremolo is generated and regulated by V5 (the 5th tube in the array).

HTH

Arjay

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Post subject: Re: Custom Vibrasonic - Trouble with reverb/vibrato?
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 10:55 am
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Retroverbial wrote:
I'd examine the footswitch plug/jack situation first but if no cause is found there, the pre-amp tubes may be suspect. Your V3 and V4 (respectively, the 3rd and 4th tubes moving from right to left when looking at the chassis from the rear) are the driver and recovery tubes for the reverb circuit. The tremolo is generated and regulated by V5 (the 5th tube in the array).

HTH

Arjay


I would think it unusual for the reverb AND vibrato tubes to fail at the same time, but I guess stranger things have happened.

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Post subject: Re: Custom Vibrasonic - Trouble with reverb/vibrato?
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 1:08 pm
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Yeah it's a bugger, the amp was a steal though so I aint complaining. Obviously checking wiring etc entails taking the back to bits which doesn't sound greatly appealing, so it might have to be left alone for now. I appriciate all the helpful insight though chaps :)


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Post subject: Re: Custom Vibrasonic - Trouble with reverb/vibrato?
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 7:30 pm
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As per Bluesky, what about the jack (esp solder points & resistors)? OK?


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Post subject: Re: Custom Vibrasonic - Trouble with reverb/vibrato?
Posted: Wed Oct 31, 2012 11:09 pm
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He'll need to pull the chassis in order to inspect those areas.

Arjay

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