Fender Vibro King - Extremely VERSATILE and a True MODERN CLASSIC!
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- Опубликовано: 1 авг 2024
- I demonstrate an amazing 1999 Fender Vibro-King. This amp has an amazing reverb and tremolo that makes it extremely versatile and it can even mimic other instruments like Sitar. It's a 3x10, 60W combo with 5881 power tubes and 6V6 in the reverb circuit. I'm using a 2010 Gibson Les Paul Custom Black Beauty and a 2016 Squier Affinity Telecaster. Vibro-King was built between 1993 and 2002. I borrowed the amp from Simon at Musikbörsen in Gothenburg. Maybe it's still available there: www.musikborsen.se
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Many moons ago I had the chance to buy a Vibroking or bail out my girlfriend's credit card debt.... Long story short, I got the girl... got married... then I got divorced... and she took the house. .... crap... should of bought the Vibroking. (true story).
Ah, It’s tough to be a gentleman my friend. Cheers
Yep,,you wouldn’t be the first,,,lol
Man that's tough! I hope you get that amp one day, screw the broad!
We learn.
Thats what you get when you choose tail over tone!
Had one of these as my main amp for years until I was tired of it breaking my back.
I put KT66’s in mine and it was easily the best large Fender combo I’ve ever played. Really straddles the line between a JTM and a Super Reverb.
Superb demo as always Johan!!!
Thanks! Sounds of interesting to use KT66 in it!
I was just playing my Tone master Brethren to the VK And all the hype and trend is with small combos and I have a bunch but coming back to the 100 water thru 4/10's was just wonderful That head and cab is not a bad haul at all
I know.mine is even heavier I modded Mercury magnetic trans. Tone tubby speaker it’s a tank
Sounds bad ass, I like the gritty psychedelic feel.
Thanks Nick, glad to hear that!
Once again I want to thank you for the gut and tube/chassis shots...
You is da man (!) Johan
cheers
Great video every time. Your efforts are appreciated!
Thanks, I’m glad to hear that!
Yes, if I remember correctly, the vibro king includes the circuit for the outboard reverb unit and it places is at the very beginning of the circuit like it would be if you actually plugged into an outboard reverb then into your amp.
Yeah the position of the 3 reverb knobs far left indicates that too
Throughout the years i figured I'm really into Fenders more than any other company.. They truly make awesome amps
7/2024: Good Day From The Future. Sounds Excellent. Nice demonstration. It's good to hear a mix of "strings & chords". Instead of some 3 chord Nutter flying all over the fretboard with 50 pedals attached. It's supposed to be about the amp. Nice pictures also.
Thank You & Best Regards.
Finally! I have the CS-4 version it’s so great! Modern classic, Pete Townsend, Gary Clark jr, Zane McGahee... 😉
Cheers ;-)
Beautiful sounding amp and really fits your style Johan! A Keeper, don't let it get away.
Thanks Roy!
Please keep it.
That is an amazing sounding amp. On the bucket list.
Sounds even better with the matching 2x12 cab. Huge.
Beautiful sound
love this amp, I remember when they first came out when I was working in a music store, I used to stay in the store after hours and play through them, like you said the vibrato is really nice, I've also heard that the was indeed the same as the stand alone Fender reverb. When I saw The Who in the early 2000's Pete Townsend was using these. Great demo and playing thanks for sharing, stay safe, Johan!
Thanks man, be well! Cheers
Yeah, I saw The Who on Entwhistle’s last tour in Sacramento, Pete had 3 or four combos with cabinets on stage if I remember right. Great sound.
I think Ronnie wood also used these a while
Townshend still uses them. I saw them in 2017 and he had 3 on stage
Long live the King! And Johan! Enjoyed your demo. These are great amps if you can get your hands on one. I got my hands on two (with extension cabs), and uumm-pa-pa-mow-mow they are awesome!
Sounds majestic.
I wish I could jump in this screen and jam with you, sounds awsome my friend.
Finally you demo an amp I actually owned!! I had one back in the 90’s. I became interested in them because of Chris Duarte. Monster Strat player. One unique thing about that circuit was that you could use the tone controls as a master volume. Crank the volume for the crunch sounds with all the tone controls dialed all the way down. There was no sound. Then dial up bass, tremble and mid to taste for overall volume. Pretty cool 😎. In the end it was way too much amp for me. I’m a small combo amp type guy. Great demo as usual!!
Thanks Scott!
I think it was Bruce Zinky who designed them along with the Tonemaster
Funny. I accidentally had bass. All the way to zero. I usually keep low. But I heard nothing. I thought amp was broke
It is so MUSICAL to the ears with fantastic tone shaping qualities. And, that Tremelo circuit is to die for !
Thanks Graham
Always liked the vibro king 💫
Hi Johan!
Everybody has his own position. My guitar setup master allways say that "It's sounds like sitar", when he wants to say that the action is not correct.:-) But now I see the other side of the coin! This amp is great for telecaster, but LP sounds good too. Actually, I am very jealous about those amps, because I have no place to play with the REAL GROOVY VOICES. But your videos making me feel much better about this. Special thanks for Telecaster! Great video! See you!
Zigfrid
Thanks Zigfrid, Cheers!
The vibroking is a beast
It is indeed! 🤘
Just bought a mid 90s blond version with the 6v6 reverb tube.
The amp is beyond words.
I cant stop playing it.
I set it to 2, sounds fat at low volume.
Beautiful sounds, incredible tremolo. Trippy stuff :-)
There is a tremolo on my Vox AC15, but I don't remember it sounding like this. Haven't used it in ages.
Another great amp, I cannot afford. Oh well :-)
Thanks Andreas!
Had my blonde tolex since 2000. The 3 x 10 just fills a room or any stage. The custom 2 x 12 ext. cab is great too. One of Fender's best amps. Awesome cleans. Very heavy and loud. Good enough for Pete Townshend and Ronnie Wood and Jimmy Page with a Vox AC-30 for Page and Plant UnLedded.
Ritchie Sambora and Dave Grohl as well
Good old Fender reliable as always... great clear bell like rounded sound sweet...great tones Johan
Thanks Gerry!
Cool amp this too, great tone
Thanks, I’m glad to hear that!
Townshend was playing those in the early 2000’s, don’t know if he still is, but I can tell you they sounded great with the Who’s setup on Entwhistle’s last tour.
Awesome!
What comes to reverbs, there seems to be several versions of Vibro-King reverb driver tubes. Some Vibro-King models had EL84 or some other reverb driver tube.
(Those very early Fender 6G15 reverbs had 6K6GT reverb driver tube, later CBS era Fender Tube reverbs used 6V6GTA reverb driver tube. Etc. Etc.)
nice amp very nice tone from the king.
Thanks, glad you like it!
I'm on the road, away from home. All my amps are at the house. Walked into a GC today and saw one of these, then this video pops up on my RUclips....are you guys following me around? I dug the tones by the way. From the way you were playing I felt like you had something more to say through this thing, like maybe you need to wood shed with it for a while, take it home to mama, write something new.
Yeah it certainly invited to played different stuff than I usually do
Gary Clark Jr 's amp.
A beast.
Johan great clip. I’d Love to hear the vibro king vs a super reverb!!
Thanks Jonathan!
In the late 90s earl 20s I think Roland made a 3 speaker Blues amp & BB King had them as back line amps at his nightclub.
Not to be confused with the German Vibro-King Vibrator .
That would sound quite a bit different, I'm sure
One is tube driven, the other lube driven.
We ALL like a little 'vibe' now & then! ;oP
Always wanted 1 of these. But lucked into a Boogie S O B and haven't looked back. But do have as a backup amp a 94 pro tube Twin that's 60/100 watts instead of 25/100. But the damn thing is so LOUD that I just use it to knock down things now. My 1st amp to ever play out of was a silverface Super reverb. My teacher was using his Ampeg V4 guitar stack.
Johan is living the life
;-)
Johan,
Thank you for the review. I own a Vibro King
I suggest you plug the Les Paul into input two and recut video. Input one typically for single coil pickups
Input 2 is -6dB. I preferred input 1 for both guitars.
Not too shabby inside, I was going to say I like how the modern boards have the component layout printed on them, although it might get confusing down the road since the bias board looks like it's made for several different amps. Sounds great
Thanks!
I love 5881's. Fat sounding. Cool amp! Love the 3 speaker setup
Yeah I’m a fan of that tube as well
Or rather classic circuits that have utilized that tube
Very special amp...
Johan, you REALLY need to try the 10" GASC64 in these (and other) Fender amps. The ceramic version of the blue frames w a tad more mids and less shimmering highs.prrrfect.
Dont get as 'ratty' as the new Jensens either..
Beautiful, the Trem/vibrati sound puts the pedal makers to shame, all that versatility without a million wirez and boxes is what makes that combo "Extra" special and "unique". Fender can do magic if they got thier hedz together. Have you ever played through a "Quad Reverb" 4x12" combo?
Great video as always Johan. By the way - You got me addicted to old Peaveys - now Ive got 5 restored and an old Peavey Pacer (blank knobs) on the bench... 😂 Suggestion: how about setting up a db-meter so we can tell the volume levels You need to get these lovely Tones? 🤔
Thanks Olav! They’re almost always cranked or close to it so the wattage basically tells the volume level. I can definitely declare the level in the videos.
Sounds chewy and 3 dimensional. Great sounding amp as usual. God bless and rock on!
Thanks Brother!
I had one for 5 years. They're good amps and a great bargain because no one wants them anymore. Took forever to sell mine and had to take less than 50% of retail to move it. Big, loud, heavy as a Twin Reverb.
What pickups are in that LP Custom Johan? Vibro King sounds great btw, keep up the good work
Thanks Jason! It’s got a 1977 DiMarzio Super Distortion and PAF
Let me just start by saying I love Marshall amps above all. This is one of the best sounding amps I've ever heard!
Glad to hear it! Cheers
I...I love it. More than a 58' Bassman, actually
Thanks
First time I ever heard of this amp I was watching Marc Ribot play one in a live video - I thought it sounded sublime. Looked it up and found it was Fenders most expensive amp, at well over $3000... It didn't sound as sublime to me anymore, haha.
At the time were they reissuing the Tonemaster as well ??
Paul Cowart I’ve never heard anything about the 90s Tone Masters being reissued.
@@darwinsaye yeah was just the VK's Thanks
Thanks for the video Johan. But I gotta say from here I didn’t prefer this sound so much compared to other amps you have demoed. I played a vibro king near me a didnt really bond with it. Consider trying to get your hands on a Gibson GA-15RV (Trace Elliott Velocette) for a demo....that amp should be a modern classic too!
Wow that chime from the reverb is great. Great amp all round. Did you gun it full with the les paul custom?
Thanks, it was very close to cranked at times.
@@JohanSegeborn cheers Johan. That must have been earth shatteringly loud
Great amp. Ron Wood's main stage amp for the last 1.5 - 2.0 decades. Thanks for sharing.
QUESTION: Have you ever played a Fender Tone Master amp (the original Tone Master amps - not the new ones - but from the Fender Custom Shop in the 1990s, designed by Bruce Zinky (of late of Supro fame))? Jimmy Page played one with the Black Crowes; Dave Grohl presently, Tom Petty and Mike Campbell,
along with Richie Sambora with Bon Jovi, to name a few. I was fortunate to find mine, a mint one, about a decade ago; a very early model in a 2x12 configuration.
Will do the 1990s Tone Master first chance
Have the Tonemaster and love the sound, it is picky regarding speakers though. Mine has the 2 Celestion 80's and they work well.
@@toddstaffen486 - So funny you just sent me a message, as yesterday after being in storage at my son's home for over two years, last night I just brought my Tone Master back home. Both my cab (2x12 Celestion Classic Lead 80s) and head (serial #0366), all in absolute mint condition. Have used other cabs, but this config is my favorite, so sexy (and so heavy)!
They didn't reissue the Tonemaster like they did the Vibroking did they ?? I run my TM with 4/10's usually a Peavey Classic 4/10 ceramic but would like to try alnico So yes they do sound great too w my 2/12 and 4/12 that are both alnico Just a great head I run a Strymon Deco in the clean loop and keep the drive channel nice and raw sounding
@@paulcowart3174 - The "reissued" (i.e. the 2020 Tone Master) has no DNA associated with the original Tone Master (Bruce Zinky heritage). I am fortunate to own a very low serial number original Tone Master. Absolute mint condition. Behind my son and 1962 Stratocaster, my absolute most important parts of my life.
Excellent amp. Might be my next purchase. What software gave you the affect at 7:00?
I own this one. So silky at any volume. It doesn't hide any thing in your playing for sure. Desert island amp right beside a matchless lightening. Be a hard decision for just one.
Vibro Kings are great, they're way better if you have someone to carry them around for you. That 2 ohm transformer throws it out of balance and it's hell to tote.
What's a fair EU price for this? I've played one some months ago, it was marvellous, and I'm a strictly Marshall guy...it's still in the shop, and I'm tempted.....
How did you like the 'dwell' and the 'mix' controls ?
I didn’t get any intuitive feel for them but once tweaked it was powerful
How did you push it to break up like that?
Pete Townshend's favourite amp.
Cool!
Sure not the bandmaster which also had 3 speakers?
@@jaycee30865 he famously used a tweed Bandmaster with the Gretsch 6120 that Joe Walsh gave him for the albums Who’s Next and Quadrophenia. But this newer Vibro King Townshend used in one ofnThe Who comebacks. The Hiwatts are too extreme volume wise for his tinnitus condition to play on stage now.
Apart from his Hiwatts...😉
Pete uses Lazy J amps now I’m pretty sure.
Hi Johan, just a quick question about how you record your videos.. When you record your introductions, I assume you are using an iPhone for recording your voice, but what are you using to record video please?
For this video I actually used the camera of my MacBook Pro, but I’m usually using iPhones and iPads for that too. I used a Canon 5D system camera in the early days of the channel but it takes too much time unfortunately
@@JohanSegeborn Thank you :)
Sounds better with the tele single coils.
Lovely sound! The great artist Jonny lang said there are few things better than a Vibro-King turned up loud
Thanks Roderick!
Saw Lang live up close in a small club around ‘99? ( right after Wander LP was released) Was playing the 72 Thinline at the time. He was just a kid really. One of the best live shows I ever saw his tone was monstrous with a pair of VK’s!
@@hrstrat57 Awesome!!
Yeah Dumble has pretty much modded all his vintage Fender amps Very sweet I'm sure he still has the VKs
Some serious beefy tone at 3.54
Thanks!
Not the same as the reverb unit. Has a couple of design changes, sound wise is not the same either. But at least is before the pre amp which gets it closer to the external reverb unit.
Killer tone. Please try a Tone Master if you can get your hands on one
Thanks! I will
Looks like there was an even older version w/ a 6BQ5/EL84 for the 'verb...
There may've also been a 'head' ver.
Thanx Johan and cheers
Cheers Jonny!
I've a 100 watt Tonemaster
I hope to do one of those too on the channel soon
Very cool Both channels have fx loops Clean side is Showman clean Sometimes I run an EP preamp in it Drive channel I keep gain below 4 usually Great amps designed by Bruce Dinky Mines ready for a tune up after almost 30 years 😁
Also 6K6
I bought a mint original pre CBS 60's Vibro King fr $600 22 years ago on a pizza delivery! The college kid I was delivering pizza to just inherited it.
The Vibro King was introduced in 1994. Maybe u r thinking of a "Vibroverb"?
Tom Petty's favourite amps, he used 2 of them
I respect the Fender name and history, but their amps just don't float my boat.
Had one for years. Always wanted to love it but had to look hard for reasons to keep it. Yes it has its own voice, but can't do Fender sparkle that well and the crunch isn't Marshall. Sure, it's cuts through the mix, but not in a good way. A higher frequency spike that makes it painful to be around. And the trem was tick tick tick. Cool looking, great craftsmanship on the build (loved the metal Fender logo) but as an everyday player? Meh.
It certainly looks like a honest comment by a former owner.
Mine has the tick tick with the trem too. Got my amp tech to make it a good bit quieter some how but it’s still there. Otherwise killer amp
Those Jensens seem to need a lot of break in time, the bias is too cold from factory and better tubes help. For the price it should sound good out of the box, I put 2 Clestion gold 10's with the jensen and I like it.
@@toddstaffen486 I went the opposite route. I run an original 65 Super alone or even better with an original 65 DR with a Tumnus up front and split into both amps. Holy hell.
Sounds to grainy Not Clean enough on the Cleans
Might sound good with some better speakers..............
They are maybe on cold side yes, but I think they work well
@@JohanSegeborn mines got the old eminence blue frames in it which i think we’re the first versions. They are nice and warm. Reissue Jensens can be pretty bright
@@cortmiller it needs the 10" GAsc64 speakers. Close to the blue frames which i also use.
@@MrBallynally2 yeah the Alessandro line from eminence has been my go to speaker lately for a lot of amps. I really love the 12 in ceramic version and 10 in ceramic version. Have heard the 10 in alnico is fantastic as well. But they are really great mix of American/British and great all arounder speakers for most situations
@@JohanSegeborn The original blue frame alnico speakers are still available except they are now black, you have to get them through the Eminence custom shop.
NEIN!
TZEIN!