It is currently Mon Mar 16, 2020 7:18 pm

All times are UTC - 7 hours



Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 15 posts ] 
Author Message
Post subject: The story and review of my first Fender amp - 68 CVR
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 3:05 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2008 11:11 am
Posts: 190
If you are not interested in the pre-purchase story, then skip down to the review :wink:

Let me say, as a preface, that I've always favored amps which break up at a relatively medium volume. I am a fan of that clean, yet crunchy tone, which has body and sustain but retains clarity for chords and riffing. I have owned several Oranges, a Marshall Vintage Modern 2266 (50W) and a couple of Mesa Boogie Express.

Whilst I still have the Orange and the Marshall and am generally happy with the crunch tones obtainable from these amps, over time I started building a collection of some decent pedals and began to rely on pedals more and more to obtain overdrive and distortion. Now I realise this may be considered as blasphemy amongst purists, but I started to appreciate and rely on the flexibility and versatility, which pedals afford. Over time I purchased a Lovepedal Kalamazoo (OD), an Earthquaker Devices Hoof (fuzz), an Ibanez TS808 (TS) and a Boss Adaptive Distortion. Being the only guitarist in a funk rock covers band, I find use for all these within the long set list we have.

Now that I had a relatively wide plethora of drive sounds at my disposal, I realised I did not necessarily have the right platform to employ these pedals. Yes, you could say I came to this epiphany the wrong way, but eventually I realised I was drawn more and more to a really expressive clean sound, which highlights the individual characteristics of each guitar and each pick up. Playing mainly single coils (including a 69 Custom Shop Strat, a PRS 305 and a Gretsch with DeArormonds, I started to appreciate the power of clean tone and the wonderful platform it provides for building any sound using pedals.

So naturally, this progression in my tone search led me to Fender amps. I tried a few and for a long time had my eyes set on a Supersonic 22, but I was still thinking with my crunch hat on. Once I changed my mindset and put aside my dependency on amp break up, I realized I needed a single channel amp that does lush cleans, which I could use as a platform for the pedals I already had.

After consulting these forums and watching all the videos reviews available, I finally pulled the trigger on a 68 Custom Vibrolux Reverb, which I bought from Regent Sounds in London last Sunday.

Review
The first thing that struck me about this amp is how small and portable it is. Granted I have no experience with Fender amps, I was pleasantly surprised by the size and weight of the amp. I thought a package like this, loaded with 10” speakers would be incapable of producing a big tone. After all I was used to heads weighing 20Kg and 2x12 and 4x12 cabs. Boy, how wrong I was. The moment I plugged a US Standard Strat in the shop, this thing just blew me away with its projection and loudness. That was the other thing I was surprised about – the amp is incredibly loud. I could not turn it up much past 3 in the shop, so there was no way I could test its natural break up in the shop. What I always do with any amp is to test how the amp sounds with its EQ in the middle and its reverb off. If I like that sound, then it can only get better by tweaking EQ and introducing reverb. I was not disappointed with the sounds I got in the shop. Both channels sounded clear, full and majestic. Nice bass, despite the modest size. Wallet out, amp in the car. Job done.

Once safely transported home, I proceeded to plug in my 69 CS Strat. Now, the Mesa Boogie 5:50+ that I used to own for an year or so had some wonderful cleans. The reverb was also very nice. I was used to that sound and I thought it would be difficult to get a better clean (incidentally I sold the Mesa last month as I got a really good offer for it). Once again, I was wrong. I guess what they say about the effect from plugging a Fender into a Fender is true. All of a sudden this tone came out, almost resembling a human voice - especially in the in-between positions 2 and 4. I was hooked – bouncy and expressive – a real pleasure to play. What I did next was to prove to myself I was not looking at this through rose coloured glasses. I switched on my Marshall 2266 connected to a 2x12 loaded with Celestion G12Cs and proceeded to A/B the tone. Again, no comparison. Granted that the Marshall shines in a different department altogether, I was at least expecting a bit of contention, but the Fender was in a league of its own. Here I had this monster 50W head and 2x12 cab suddenly sounding rigid and lifeless next to the Fender. That’s when I knew I had made the right decision by purchasing the CVR.

The reverb sounds full and lush and really adds to the character of the amp. IN fact the reverb is much better than any reverb-equipped amp I have played. Even fully open at 10, it’s still a usable sound. I find it most tasteful at around 3-4.
I’m not sure how many people use the tremolo, but I really love the way this sounds on this amp – it adds a lot of texture and I am sure I will find uses for it - not just for vintage sounds but modern tones alike. I played the riff of You Oughta Know and it just sounded great with the tremolo.

Channel wise, I cannot detect a drastic difference in the tonality. Yes, the Custom channel is louder but the character is very similar to the Vintage channel. It’s not as if this channel will introduce a completely different plethora of tones and harmonics (at least not to my ears) and not at volumes of 2-3. May be it changes with pedals - I need to check that.

The next challenge for what was quickly becoming a surprise package, was the acid test with pedals. This was what I was most apprehensive about. I plugged in my pedal board and the first thing I noticed was the increase in hiss in the amp. That said, the hiss was not that much louder than the other amps I use. First the Overdrive – check. Then the fuzz – check. Finally the distortion – also check. Relief. Each pedal retains its own character and that is a huge positive for me. What I found with the other amps I have is that dirty pedals tend to sound quite samey. May be it was the EQ in the amps, may be it was the way the preamps were set, but what the CVR does very well is bring out the individuality of each pedal . Wonderful. I was happy.

A much more subtle test was the modulation pedals – specifically my TC Electronic Flashback. I dialed in some slapback and again it was wonderful.

Next on the list was the test with the natural break up of the amp. This being 6pm, most of my neighbors were still at work, so I proceeded to increase the volume to about 5-6. And this was an eye opener – even at this volume, there was virtually no break up with single coils, yet the amp was loud to a pretty uncomfortable level. Again, a quick A/B with the Marshall, where the volume was at 7 and it was nicely breaking up. Another surprise – a 35 watter set at 5 sounded cleaner (in fact much cleaner) and louder (much louder) than a 50 watter set at 7. Granted that different amp manufacturers have different ways of building potentiometers, I was still very surprised by this.

This is my only conundrum with this amp – it stays clean (very clean) at very high volumes. I know this is what I was looking for, so I still need to get used to the idea that I can hardly get any tube break up at reasonable volumes.

The last thing I will say review wise, is that I find this amp incredibly "honest". Any little mistake you make will be extremely noticeable. Also, the sound of fingers sliding up and down strings is more noticeable than any - it's almost as if there is an additional amplification for noises induced by sloppy fingers. It really makes you work on your technique and clean up your act.

I know some people have commented on speakers and potential speaker replacement. I did view some opinions (and watched videos) of different speakers employed in all Silverface Vibroluxes, so this is definitely something to consider for the future. If anything I would consider a speaker swap which will make the amp break up sooner. Any ideas?

Well, if you have managed to read this far, then hopefully this review will contribute to forming an opinion on this amp. I am still exploring its capabilities and Wednesday will be the first time I will use it in a full band situation, so that is another acid test for its performance.

Thanks and greetings from a freezing London.


Last edited by tremolo arm on Tue Jan 20, 2015 8:59 am, edited 3 times in total.

Top
Profile
Fender Play Winter Sale 2020
Post subject: Re: The story and review of my first Fender amp - 68 CVR
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 7:47 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Wed Dec 24, 2014 3:53 pm
Posts: 9
Nice review. Can you post a picture of your new amp?

Thanks!


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: The story and review of my first Fender amp - 68 CVR
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 10:54 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2014 2:07 pm
Posts: 303
tremolo arm wrote:

So naturally, this progression in my tone search led me to Fender amps. I tried a few and for a long time had my eyes set on a Supersonic 22, but I was still thinking with my crunch hat on. Once I changed my mindset and put aside my dependency on amp break up, I realized I needed a single channel amp that does lush cleans, which I could use as a platform for the pedals I already had.


I know some people have commented on speakers and potential speaker replacement. I did view some opinions (and watched videos) of different speakers employed in all Silverface Vibroluxes, so this is definitely something to consider for the future. If anything I would consider a speaker swap which will make the amp break up sooner. Any ideas?

Well, if you have managed to read this far, then hopefully this review will contribute to forming an opinion on this amp. I am still exploring its capabilities and Wednesday will be the first time I will use it in a full band situation, so that is another acid test for its performance.

Thanks and greetings from a freezing London.


Welcome!
You've discovered what I too found out last year, that a great clean Fender amp is an amazing platform on which to build a more unique tone with the pedals you choose.

The 68 CVR is a great sounding amp.
The difference in tone between the custom and vintage channels is subtle, but I think once you play more with the amp and get used to it's character you'll then hear the difference between the 2 channels. Mostly it's about brightness. The vintage channel is brighter.
And then of course you have the bright switches that engage a particular frequency range that can sound really cool with certain pup positions on a Strat.

The OEM speakers aren't bad and if you like them, then all the better.
Just yesterday I plugged my 68 CVR into my 2x12 V30 cab and to my ears those speakers sound fantastic with this amp. Articulation is crisper with the V30's and the low end is tighter oddly enough as they are 12" cones.
It's all personal preference.

Great choice on a great amp.
Enjoy! :)


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: The story and review of my first Fender amp - 68 CVR
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 10:56 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2014 5:56 pm
Posts: 56
tremolo arm, congrats on the successful conclusion of your sonic journey (so far, anyway. I'm sure you know this ride never really ends... :mrgreen: ), and congrats on the new amp. You and I are in much the same boat, as I've been using a 40w 2x12 Bogner combo as my primary amp for a decent while now. Like you, my new '68 CVR has bumped my erstwhile mainstay down a peg, to the point that I'm considering selling it to help offset the cost of purchasing a new '68 Custom Princeton Reverb.

Like you, again, my motivation in grabbing a '68 CPR has to do with the clean headroom of the '68 CVR. Twice in the last couple of weeks I've had the cops called on me by my neighbors while playing my CVR. See, unlike you, I find the CVR to be far too quiet anywhere below 4 on the Volume pot. It's still a bit too quiet at 4, with the real tone of the amp beginning to bloom at 5. Well, 5 is simply too loud, unless all my neighbors are gone for the day. Thus, the desire for that same basic tone at a much more apartment-friendly volume....the '68 Princeton. That way, I have a very small, easily portable amp for bedroom playing and all other situations in which sheer volume isn't necessary, and the also-easily portable CVR will be for everything else.

I initially tried the '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb, but ended up swapping it for the CVR. The CVR is a lot less noisy, both in terms of hissing and its utter lack of that annoying 'pop' sound the CDR makes when using the Standby and Off switches. Also, it's louder, and the tremolo is better. In general, more clean headroom is a good thing to me. Like you, I use pedals for the majority of my overdriven tones, and the CDR won't stay clean enough at band volumes. The CVR is ideal in this regard: louder and cleaner than the 22w Deluxe, but not so large and heavy as the Twin, which won't even begin to bloom with dynamic overdriven tones at any reasonable volume. For my purposes an amp can in fact have too much clean headroom/sheer volume, and the CVR perfectly splits that difference.

In an effort to increase the CVR's sweet-spot headroom and low-end punch, I did swap out those tiny Celestion Ten 30s. The Weber alnico10A150s that I'm using now certainly give the amp more volume and bottom end. You want earlier breakup, though, so you may want to go with something like the Celestion G10 Greenback and a higher-gain 12AX7 in V1.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: The story and review of my first Fender amp - 68 CVR
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 11:26 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2008 11:11 am
Posts: 190
Rverb wrote:
tremolo arm wrote:

So naturally, this progression in my tone search led me to Fender amps. I tried a few and for a long time had my eyes set on a Supersonic 22, but I was still thinking with my crunch hat on. Once I changed my mindset and put aside my dependency on amp break up, I realized I needed a single channel amp that does lush cleans, which I could use as a platform for the pedals I already had.


I know some people have commented on speakers and potential speaker replacement. I did view some opinions (and watched videos) of different speakers employed in all Silverface Vibroluxes, so this is definitely something to consider for the future. If anything I would consider a speaker swap which will make the amp break up sooner. Any ideas?

Well, if you have managed to read this far, then hopefully this review will contribute to forming an opinion on this amp. I am still exploring its capabilities and Wednesday will be the first time I will use it in a full band situation, so that is another acid test for its performance.

Thanks and greetings from a freezing London.


Welcome!
You've discovered what I too found out last year, that a great clean Fender amp is an amazing platform on which to build a more unique tone with the pedals you choose.

The 68 CVR is a great sounding amp.
The difference in tone between the custom and vintage channels is subtle, but I think once you play more with the amp and get used to it's character you'll then hear the difference between the 2 channels. Mostly it's about brightness. The vintage channel is brighter.
And then of course you have the bright switches that engage a particular frequency range that can sound really cool with certain pup positions on a Strat.

The OEM speakers aren't bad and if you like them, then all the better.
Just yesterday I plugged my 68 CVR into my 2x12 V30 cab and to my ears those speakers sound fantastic with this amp. Articulation is crisper with the V30's and the low end is tighter oddly enough as they are 12" cones.
It's all personal preference.

Great choice on a great amp.
Enjoy! :)


Thanks for reminding be about the bright switches - I forgot to mention them in the review. What I really like about the bright mode is that even with single coils, the sound is never too shrill. I actually prefer the sound on bright.

As for speakers, I have a 2x12 Orange cab with Vintage 30s that I will try at some point. Is there a way to run both the combo and the external speakers simultaneously?


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: The story and review of my first Fender amp - 68 CVR
Posted: Tue Jan 20, 2015 11:33 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2008 11:11 am
Posts: 190
stevieraygovan wrote:
tremolo arm, congrats on the successful conclusion of your sonic journey (so far, anyway. I'm sure you know this ride never really ends... :mrgreen: ), and congrats on the new amp. You and I are in much the same boat, as I've been using a 40w 2x12 Bogner combo as my primary amp for a decent while now. Like you, my new '68 CVR has bumped my erstwhile mainstay down a peg, to the point that I'm considering selling it to help offset the cost of purchasing a new '68 Custom Princeton Reverb.

Like you, again, my motivation in grabbing a '68 CPR has to do with the clean headroom of the '68 CVR. Twice in the last couple of weeks I've had the cops called on me by my neighbors while playing my CVR. See, unlike you, I find the CVR to be far too quiet anywhere below 4 on the Volume pot. It's still a bit too quiet at 4, with the real tone of the amp beginning to bloom at 5. Well, 5 is simply too loud, unless all my neighbors are gone for the day. Thus, the desire for that same basic tone at a much more apartment-friendly volume....the '68 Princeton. That way, I have a very small, easily portable amp for bedroom playing and all other situations in which sheer volume isn't necessary, and the also-easily portable CVR will be for everything else.

I initially tried the '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb, but ended up swapping it for the CVR. The CVR is a lot less noisy, both in terms of hissing and its utter lack of that annoying 'pop' sound the CDR makes when using the Standby and Off switches. Also, it's louder, and the tremolo is better. In general, more clean headroom is a good thing to me. Like you, I use pedals for the majority of my overdriven tones, and the CDR won't stay clean enough at band volumes. The CVR is ideal in this regard: louder and cleaner than the 22w Deluxe, but not so large and heavy as the Twin, which won't even begin to bloom with dynamic overdriven tones at any reasonable volume. For my purposes an amp can in fact have too much clean headroom/sheer volume, and the CVR perfectly splits that difference.

In an effort to increase the CVR's sweet-spot headroom and low-end punch, I did swap out those tiny Celestion Ten 30s. The Weber alnico10A150s that I'm using now certainly give the amp more volume and bottom end. You want earlier breakup, though, so you may want to go with something like the Celestion G10 Greenback and a higher-gain 12AX7 in V1.


Thank you for the tips regarding the speaker and the valve replacement. I saw a video on Youtube where this guy was trying different speakers and granted it was an original silverface, not a new one, I really like the way the Legends sound.

That's interesting what you say about the volume. At around 4, I find the volume to be way too loud for an apartment accommodation... I have the "luxury" of a having a garden office in my garden flat, so I play there, but still the volume of this thing is massive at 4-5.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: The story and review of my first Fender amp - 68 CVR
Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 2:24 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2008 11:11 am
Posts: 190
Further to my post purchase review, I finally had an opportunity to play the amp at jam / gig volume last night.
The occasion should have been a full band rehearsal, but due to the singer pulling out last minute, the rehearsal was cancelled and as a result I had the whole studio to myself to take the CVR through its paces.

I’ll list my observations below so that you can skip the ones you’re not interested in

Projection
This amp projects laterally really well. I have never played Fender combos before, but I definitely see / feel a difference (in a positive way), i.e. the sound doesn’t change dramatically as you move from in front of the amp to around the amp. This also means that you do not necessarily need to position the amp on a high stand to get a direct sound. I had mine resting on the floor for the entire duration of my solo jam and it sounded great regardless of my angle in relation to the amp.

Tremolo
Now, I don’t know if this is common with this series of amps, but the tremolo does not work unless the footswitch is plugged in. Is this a feature of this amp or is my amp faulty perhaps? Not a biggie but I would like the flexibility to use the tremolo even when I don’t have the foot switch with me.

Volume
I purposely took my PRS 513 last night, equipped with both single coil and humbucker pickups combinations so that I can test the volume for both. As previously reported this amp stays clean (really clean) and loud (really loud) until the volume knob starts hitting 5-6. After 6 you get a bit of hair and more bounce, especially on the Custom channel. I like this sound a lot, but a really wonderful plethora of dynamics are unleashed around 8-9 (on either channel, but more so on the Custom). This is where tube break up happens in earnest and at this stage the volume is pretty insane and I had to wear ear protection.

Bright switches
I really like the bright switches. The guitar never sounds too bright, not even on the bridge single coil. As reported in my earlier post, I do prefer the bright switch on all the time.

Pedals
I took all my pedals through their paces and they do sound great. Especially the Lovepedal Kalamazoo is just sublime with the CVR (whilst the same pedal can sound a bit shrill with my Marshall). I also have an EP Booster, which adds a clean boost and bounciness to the sound. The fuzz also sounds good, as the Distortion. Forgot to plug in the Wah pedal, but I can’t see why that would not work – perhaps I only need taming the high frequency. My only gripe when connecting a pedal board to the amp is the increase in hiss and noise. I even had to stand at a particular angle when the drive effects were engaged, otherwise I would get a squealing feedback (similar to when you play semis with high gain).

Jumping / bridging
I then proceeded to jumper the channels (connecting guitar in input 1 of the Custom channel and then bridging Input 2 with Input 1 of the Vintage Channel). This is where the CVR really took off. More grunt and body were induced, but somehow the tone retained clarity and definition. I really lovely sound – big and authoritative. I did this with both bright switches on.

The one slightly negative, which is completely down to my lack of pre-purchase fact finding, is my underestimation of the amp’s weight. Whilst certainly lighter than many combos out there, the amp is not a feather. Furthermore the handle is not exactly the most comfortable design, so carrying for more than 20-30m (which is the distance from the car park to our studio) is not necessarily the breeze I thought it would be. I’m not a big guy, so may be this is personal, but all I wanted to say is – the amp is not light (as the size may lead you to believe). Fender could have designed a more comfortable handle IMO.

The reverb sounds great at all levels. No complaints with that. Contrary to the Tremolo, the Reverb works even when the footswitch is not plugged in.

I think this one is a keeper. I am really happy with the cleans this amp can do, and I love that slightly broken up sound that you get by jumping the channels. It’s more a question of feel than tone I suppose. I guess I can define is as bounciness and feeling of authority. With the channels jumped and neck pickup selected, this thing sounds huge – it’s never too bassy but still retains body and a sense of aliveness.

Would be grateful if someone could elucidate on why the tremolo does not work when the footswitch is not plugged in? Can this be fixed?


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: The story and review of my first Fender amp - 68 CVR
Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 6:14 am
Offline
Hobbyist
Hobbyist

Joined: Wed Dec 24, 2014 3:53 pm
Posts: 9
^ You're trem is not broken. Fender designed these amps whereby the trem only works if the footswitch is plugged in. Not sure why but that is how it is supposed to be. I have the 68 CDR and the tremolo only works if the footswitch is plugged in.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: The story and review of my first Fender amp - 68 CVR
Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 2:23 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2014 2:07 pm
Posts: 303
tremolo arm wrote:
Rverb wrote:
tremolo arm wrote:

So naturally, this progression in my tone search led me to Fender amps. I tried a few and for a long time had my eyes set on a Supersonic 22, but I was still thinking with my crunch hat on. Once I changed my mindset and put aside my dependency on amp break up, I realized I needed a single channel amp that does lush cleans, which I could use as a platform for the pedals I already had.


I know some people have commented on speakers and potential speaker replacement. I did view some opinions (and watched videos) of different speakers employed in all Silverface Vibroluxes, so this is definitely something to consider for the future. If anything I would consider a speaker swap which will make the amp break up sooner. Any ideas?

Well, if you have managed to read this far, then hopefully this review will contribute to forming an opinion on this amp. I am still exploring its capabilities and Wednesday will be the first time I will use it in a full band situation, so that is another acid test for its performance.

Thanks and greetings from a freezing London.


Welcome!
You've discovered what I too found out last year, that a great clean Fender amp is an amazing platform on which to build a more unique tone with the pedals you choose.

The 68 CVR is a great sounding amp.
The difference in tone between the custom and vintage channels is subtle, but I think once you play more with the amp and get used to it's character you'll then hear the difference between the 2 channels. Mostly it's about brightness. The vintage channel is brighter.
And then of course you have the bright switches that engage a particular frequency range that can sound really cool with certain pup positions on a Strat.

The OEM speakers aren't bad and if you like them, then all the better.
Just yesterday I plugged my 68 CVR into my 2x12 V30 cab and to my ears those speakers sound fantastic with this amp. Articulation is crisper with the V30's and the low end is tighter oddly enough as they are 12" cones.
It's all personal preference.

Great choice on a great amp.
Enjoy! :)


Thanks for reminding be about the bright switches - I forgot to mention them in the review. What I really like about the bright mode is that even with single coils, the sound is never too shrill. I actually prefer the sound on bright.

As for speakers, I have a 2x12 Orange cab with Vintage 30s that I will try at some point. Is there a way to run both the combo and the external speakers simultaneously?


Yes, I plugged my 2x12 V30's into the other speaker out and ran all 4 speakers.
The V30's sound great to me even by themselves.

If you want earlier break up you can try putting in a high gain 12ax7 in the phase inverter socket.
Get one that's rated for highest gain and you may find that it starts to break earlier.
Also, a very high gain on the V1 and V2 can help in that regard as well.
12ax7 is what's called for in V1 and V2 but tube sellers who test their tubes can find you pre's that test for highest gain in their series.
Tung Sols are typically high gain and a lot of people say that the low cost Chinese 12ax7's have some of the highest gain out there. As for their tone you'll just have to try them out and hear if you like them.

I try to keep the amp as clean as I can and I'm running a 12at7 in the PI position and 5751's for V1.
V2 is a 12ax7. I swap tubes so much I need to keep a chart of what tonal changes I hear with which ones along with which ones are noisy, hissy, and/or microphonic. :)


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: The story and review of my first Fender amp - 68 CVR
Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 2:36 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2014 2:07 pm
Posts: 303
tremolo arm wrote:

Thank you for the tips regarding the speaker and the valve replacement. I saw a video on Youtube where this guy was trying different speakers and granted it was an original silverface, not a new one, I really like the way the Legends sound.

That's interesting what you say about the volume. At around 4, I find the volume to be way too loud for an apartment accommodation... I have the "luxury" of a having a garden office in my garden flat, so I play there, but still the volume of this thing is massive at 4-5.


I like the Legends and the Copperhead.
Legend is a bit brighter and the Copperhead has a more midrange "honk" and bit darker.
I'll bet one Legend and one Copperhead would make for a cool combo tone in a CVR.
Speakers do make the biggest tonal difference.

Thinking of big tonal changes, I just remembered I have really nice Boss PQ50 parametric EQ.
I've had it stored in a gig bag for years.
I should pull that puppy out and hook it in line with my pedals.
That EQ can make huge tonal changes and you can do them on the fly.
BTW, I've seen these EQ's sell for between $100-$300! It's crazy. I hadn't realized how much people want these things. I bought mine in the 80's. It's now vintage...errr...old. :)
Must try it out tonight!


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: The story and review of my first Fender amp - 68 CVR
Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2015 3:32 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2014 2:07 pm
Posts: 303
stevieraygovan wrote:
I initially tried the '68 Custom Deluxe Reverb, but ended up swapping it for the CVR. The CVR is a lot less noisy, both in terms of hissing and its utter lack of that annoying 'pop' sound the CDR makes when using the Standby and Off switches. Also, it's louder, and the tremolo is better. In general, more clean headroom is a good thing to me. Like you, I use pedals for the majority of my overdriven tones, and the CDR won't stay clean enough at band volumes. The CVR is ideal in this regard: louder and cleaner than the 22w Deluxe, but not so large and heavy as the Twin, which won't even begin to bloom with dynamic overdriven tones at any reasonable volume. For my purposes an amp can in fact have too much clean headroom/sheer volume, and the CVR perfectly splits that difference.


My CVR is much quieter overall than my CDR both at idle.
CDR has more hum and hiss, and that loud POP is so freaking stoopid.
It's 2015 and Fender can't design it so that it doesn't sound like somethings exploding when you engage standby.

Tonally I still prefer the CDR.
In another thread I wrote about a "ticking" noise problem that is affecting the CVR much more so than my CDR.
But I've almost got the problem solved. It's the reverb system, either cables and/or bad ground somewhere, unless it's a cap issue somewhere that's showing itself through the reverb. I'll get it solved.
Looking into that issue on the CVR has me thinking that the CDR is also suffering a ground problem related to the reverb and I'm looking into that as well.

I now digress:
I bought a Furman PL-8C power conditioner just to hear if there is any difference.
With the CVR not much difference at all as it's already a decently quiet amp.
With the CDR the idle his and hum has been dropped by at least half the volume.
It didn't cure the noise issues but it has lessened them.
At $150 this power conditioner isn't inexpensive, but given what it does I will likely keep it.
It has power leveling, power line and other noise filtering, surge protection that never looses it's ability over multiple power surges as most other protectors do. It's a near lifetime power protector.
9 outlets gives me plenty to plug in my amps, pedal board power supply, big screen TV, wireless router, cable box, surround rcvr, play station, and my mini digital 8 track recorder. :)

These are really great power conditioners and seems a good investment to keep your gear safe.
It's not much more money than a high end surge protector.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: The story and review of my first Fender amp - 68 CVR
Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 2:13 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2008 11:11 am
Posts: 190
Unadan1 wrote:
^ You're trem is not broken. Fender designed these amps whereby the trem only works if the footswitch is plugged in. Not sure why but that is how it is supposed to be. I have the 68 CDR and the tremolo only works if the footswitch is plugged in.


Well, I suppose the good news is that the amp is not faulty, but this looks like an oversight on Fender's part. If they were reissuing a period correct product, then I would understand their decision to keep a vintage correct spec, but this is a modern modified amp. Not being able to use the tremolo without the footsitch is just senseless.


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: The story and review of my first Fender amp - 68 CVR
Posted: Fri Jan 23, 2015 11:19 am
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2014 2:07 pm
Posts: 303
tremolo arm wrote:
Unadan1 wrote:
^ You're trem is not broken. Fender designed these amps whereby the trem only works if the footswitch is plugged in. Not sure why but that is how it is supposed to be. I have the 68 CDR and the tremolo only works if the footswitch is plugged in.


Well, I suppose the good news is that the amp is not faulty, but this looks like an oversight on Fender's part. If they were reissuing a period correct product, then I would understand their decision to keep a vintage correct spec, but this is a modern modified amp. Not being able to use the tremolo without the footsitch is just senseless.



Other than not being hand wired, this is pretty much the vintage amp modernized by putting it all on a
PC board, which means it'll still work in the same way so we have to plug in a ftswitch to use the tremolo.
The "modified" part is the tone stack in the 1st channel, so this not really a modern modified amp.

I agree with you in that if this is not a reissue of an original, then modernize the darn thing so that everything can be used with or without a ftswitch, and add channel switching.
But, the 65 DRRI is called a "reissue", but it's not a complete reissue because it's also not point to point wiring.
It uses a PC board.
If it was a true and real reissue of the actual 1965 original, then it should be point to point wiring .


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: The story and review of my first Fender amp - 68 CVR
Posted: Mon Jan 26, 2015 6:40 am
Offline
Amateur
Amateur

Joined: Sun Sep 14, 2008 11:11 am
Posts: 190
Rverb wrote:
If you want earlier break up you can try putting in a high gain 12ax7 in the phase inverter socket.
Get one that's rated for highest gain and you may find that it starts to break earlier.
Also, a very high gain on the V1 and V2 can help in that regard as well.
12ax7 is what's called for in V1 and V2 but tube sellers who test their tubes can find you pre's that test for highest gain in their series.
Tung Sols are typically high gain and a lot of people say that the low cost Chinese 12ax7's have some of the highest gain out there. As for their tone you'll just have to try them out and hear if you like them.

I try to keep the amp as clean as I can and I'm running a 12at7 in the PI position and 5751's for V1.
V2 is a 12ax7. I swap tubes so much I need to keep a chart of what tonal changes I hear with which ones along with which ones are noisy, hissy, and/or microphonic. :)


Can you give me a bit more info on the phase inverter swap? Should it be a 12ax7 or 12at7 valve? Is it a relatively simple modification to perform (by a non-tech person like me)? ;-)


Top
Profile
Post subject: Re: The story and review of my first Fender amp - 68 CVR
Posted: Fri Feb 06, 2015 5:30 pm
Offline
Aspiring Musician
Aspiring Musician

Joined: Fri Jun 20, 2014 2:07 pm
Posts: 303
tremolo arm wrote:
Rverb wrote:
If you want earlier break up you can try putting in a high gain 12ax7 in the phase inverter socket.
Get one that's rated for highest gain and you may find that it starts to break earlier.
Also, a very high gain on the V1 and V2 can help in that regard as well.
12ax7 is what's called for in V1 and V2 but tube sellers who test their tubes can find you pre's that test for highest gain in their series.
Tung Sols are typically high gain and a lot of people say that the low cost Chinese 12ax7's have some of the highest gain out there. As for their tone you'll just have to try them out and hear if you like them.

I try to keep the amp as clean as I can and I'm running a 12at7 in the PI position and 5751's for V1.
V2 is a 12ax7. I swap tubes so much I need to keep a chart of what tonal changes I hear with which ones along with which ones are noisy, hissy, and/or microphonic. :)


Can you give me a bit more info on the phase inverter swap? Should it be a 12ax7 or 12at7 valve? Is it a relatively simple modification to perform (by a non-tech person like me)? ;-)


The PI swap is very simply.
Turn amp off and make sure tubes are cool. Grab the PI tube, the one closest to the power tubes, and you can see the printed chart on the inside of the amp.
WIth a firm grip but not tight so as to break it :) start lightly wiggling the the tube back and forth and in a circle.
It'll come out fairly easy. Note where the big between the pins is so that you can use it as reference for putting a different tube in. These things only go in one way easily, and if you have to really force it then it's set wrong and you'll bend some pins, not good.

Looking at the tubes from the back of the amp the pin gap is on the right side slightly turned counter clockwise, towards the front of the amp. At least that's how it is on my 68 CDR and CVR.

12at7 is the stock tube as it helps keep the clean tone at a higher volume.
A 12ax7 is a hotter output tube compared to a 12at7 or a 5751.

You can try a 12ax7, which is a "hotter" output tube to get the amp to go into break up at a lower volume.

And don't forget the front end V1 and V2 tubes, which are the primary drive tubes. The hotter they are, then the hotter the input signal into the whole amp and onto the hotter PI.
Those are already 12ax7 tubes, but 12ax7's come in different gain flavors.
Better tube vendors can test tubes for highest gain.


Top
Profile
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 15 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 7 hours

Fender Play Winter Sale 2020

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum

Search for:
Jump to: