Vibro King

[BadCat]

I tried out a bunch of amps and guitars today.

Vibro King
Vibroverb
'57 Twin
Supersonic
Reissue Twin Reverb
Handwired Vox AC30 and 15
Genz Benz Black Pearl 30

EJ Strat
$4,000 Les Paul
335
Custom shop Tele
'56 strat reissue

The Vibro King was the best of the lot, and the EJ. But the dern VK had a bad tube or something, was crackling and buzzing and finally just quit altogether!:FM
The Vibroverb was really nice, too. And the Black Pearl was also a contender, that thing is pretty versatile.

I do believe I will be owning a Vibro King in the near future.

[katarzis]

how did you like the '57 Twin?
i wish i had the chance to try all these great amps in the store...

[StevenS]

Cool!

I just bought a VK on E-bay and it's in transit now. I'm looking forward to giving it a run.
Hope it doesn't behave like the one you tried.....:phones

[FFTT]

The VK is one of my favorite amps, but they tend to need a little TLC to quiet down the
hum a bit.

Overall, probably the most versatile amp Fender offers, but they need to release
a head only version.

Or.....

If you score a good used 9-'s model you can have it cut down into a Head-Cab configuration.

[Peppy]

I've played almost all of those amps listed and owned several. I now have a Vibro-King. Which Vibroverb? The '64 Vibroverb Custom, the reissue '63 or a vintage model? I owned the first two. Haven't played the new hand-wired Voxen but do own an AC30TBX and had an AC15TBX. I've got to agree with you...the Vibro-King is probably the best of that group.

[Dave Orban]

I like the Vibro King... a lot! I think it's the best non "re-issue" amp that Fender has come up with. :AOK

[FFTT]

The used one's are affordable enough where you can pick one up and have it custom
voiced and upgraded to your liking.

The stock speakers are just OK but you have lots of potential changing them out or
going to another cabinet.

I'd love to hear one though a combo back 15" or deep 4X10 SVT style cab.

Anyway you stack it up, the amp itself offers a great foundation for flexibility.

[davebc]

I like the Vibro King... a lot! I think it's the best non "re-issue" amp that Fender has come up with. :AOK

A big +1 :AOK
An instant classic from Mr Zinky and the Custom Shop, unique and original.
I don't believe I've ever heard an amp that sounded remotely similar, the whole 60 watts into 3-10's with perfect break-up, creamy distortion, killer bloom, great chime, great cleans, wicked sizzle, loves single coils or humbuckers, lush reverb.

I've owned about 3 or 4 different VK's that I bought when they were first introduced back in the 90's.
The fact that they were so inconsistent sounding from VK to VK was imo. a very cool thing, kind of like old Marshalls. My keeper is just incredible sounding,
an old around amazing rock & roll, blues amp, can't say enough.
You really need some good tubes.
Please, no whinning about them being too top heavy. ;)

[BadCat]

how did you like the '57 Twin?
i wish i had the chance to try all these great amps in the store...Well, I played the VK first, then just briefly tried the '57, it sounded kind of bare compared to the VK, I guess I'm just a reverb whore. Didn't crank it real loud , but I bet it would be a great amp for some raunchy rock.

I've played almost all of those amps listed and owned several. I now have a Vibro-King. Which Vibroverb? The '64 Vibroverb Custom, the reissue '63 or a vintage model? I owned the first two. Haven't played the new hand-wired Voxen but do own an AC30TBX and had an AC15TBX. I've got to agree with you...the Vibro-King is probably the best of that group.

It was the '64 Custom, I really liked the ss/tube rectifier option, you can crank it up and it stays fairly clean, or flip over to tube and let it scream. That is a really nice amp, too, the 15" speaker is a nice touch.

[VaughnC]

I played a VK for about 6 years exclusively so I must have liked the amp at that period in my gigging life ;). However, in retrospect, with its lack of clean headroom, IMO, it's kind of a one trick pony amp...but I can't deny that it does its one trick VERY well. So, if you can tolerate the amp's 70 lbs. and your tone is in there, it is a great amp for the right player. However, I ended up selling my VK when I had the opportunity to A/B it with a Komet 60...game over!

[revrand]

I have had 4 Vibro Kings over the years. It is true that they all sound different.
I had the early model with the blue eminence speakers and sold it. Then I went through two of the models with the Jenson's and sold those. I went to Marshall amps in 2001
Tried the whole TSL,DSL line and The Vintage Modern I was always thinking what a mistake it was to sell my Vibro Kings.

Well I got a confirmation when I watched the Stones new DVD Shine a Light
and I saw and heard those 4 or maybe even 5 Vibro Kings Ron Wood
had on stage with him. The tone brought back some really good memories for me
and I decided I was going to find me a used Vibro King.

The next day I went into Guitar Center and low and behold in the amp room was sitting a used Blonde Vibro King I plugged a Fender American Strat into it and
the tones went from clean and spanky to flat out raunchy almost old school Marshall
tones (I have a modded 50 watt plexi too.)

Anyway it was a done deal I bought it and feel truly blessed to have found that amp.
It has the blue eminence speakers and it was made in Dec 1997
it honestly sounds the best out of all of them I had in the past and it is in great
condition. They are loud no doubt about that. The cool thing too do with them is set your master at 9-10 and take the treble bass and mid to zero and slowly dial in your
tone like bass at 2 treble at 1 mid at 1 or so... just dial it in to your taste. The key to using the Vibro King is your
volume knob on your guitar. You can get some unique tones with this amp
just by cranking it and using your volume knob to control the amount of gain you desire
the fat switch is great I also use a Lovepedal COT50 and a Eternity to boost it even more for lead's. The Fender Vibro King is my favorite Fender amp. I had an endorsement deal with them in the 90's that's how I actually got my 3 other Kings, and I tried many of there other models it just has a tone that sounds big and lush that's the only way I can describe it I don't know what I was thinking when I sold mine but I thank God I was able to get one back.

[davebc]

My first few VK's were early models which used an el84 in the reverb drive position.
I was one of the unlucky owners whose VK kept blowing those tubes due to the excessively high voltage. Let me tell you, when that tube blew you went from having the best sounding to the worst sounding amp on the planet in an instant.

Initially, everyone was left everyone scratching their heads until shortly thereafter, Fender redesigned the circuit shortly to run a 6v6. The VK I ended up keeping was one made right after that change. Never had a problem since, only incredible tone.

I still own my Dual Professional from the same period, another killer Zinky CS design.

[gkoelling]

I like the Vibro King... a lot! I think it's the best non "re-issue" amp that Fender has come up with. :AOK

...and 13-15 years ago you could pick one up used for $500.00.

Oh, well, my back refuses to carry anything that heavy anyway.

[hangten]

my only real amp regret is not buying a mint used VK at a local shop couple years ago when I had the cash before getting divorced....sigh.

faze's post has the secret - turn the tone knobs to "0" and crank the vol, then bring them up slow. amazing.

I don't have the money, but I'm still keeping my eyes peeled for one...

[StevenS]

[quote=davebc;4632059] Let me tell you, when that tube blew you went from having the best sounding to the worst sounding amp on the planet in an instant.

Chuckle..............that reminds me a lot of snowmobiling.


I used to race snowmobiles for fun with my friends, and some of them were always fooling with the jets in the carb's to make them run as well as they could for the current temperature. The only problem with that was if you ran the jet too small (lean fuel condition) you'd take out a piston and your day was done pretty quickly.
The best quote I heard was "yeah it was running great just before it blew up." :D

[BadCat]

[quote=davebc;4632059]
The best quote I heard was "yeah it was running great just before it blew up." :D
that sounds like my Mesa Lonestar:mad:

[Peppy]

It has the blue eminence speakers and it was made in Dec 1997
it honestly sounds the best out of all of them I had in the past and it is in great
condition. They are loud no doubt about that. The cool thing too do with them is set your master at 9-10 and take the treble bass and mid to zero and slowly dial in your
tone like bass at 2 treble at 1 mid at 1 or so... just dial it in to your taste. The key to using the Vibro King is your
volume knob on your guitar. You can get some unique tones with this amp
just by cranking it and using your volume knob to control the amount of gain you desire
the fat switch is great I also use a Lovepedal COT50 and a Eternity to boost it even more for lead's.


Mine has the Eminence as well, prefer those over the Jensens. I sometimes use a Sparkle Drive to boost mine. Usually though I turn all of the tone switches off except mid...to 7. Volume to taste, fat on, reverb to taste and, when not feeling the verb or tremolo, plug into the send or return input for extra gain.

[revrand]

I used to use one of those Sparkle Drive pedals with mine back in the day and it worked great with the vibro king. I may try one again with it.
I use my COT50 red with it now to do the same thing and it is working very nicely for that effect. Here is a pic of my Vibro King I got used with my Custom Shop Hendrix New Rising Sun Stratocaster.
http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee11/fazeblaze-2007/vibroking.jpg

[revrand]

Has anyone tried this mod out? I was just curious as to any more info anyone has on it. This is the mod
From: Tim C. (tcowles@cableone.net)
Date: 5/17/2000 3:58 AM
Subject: Fender Vibroking Mod


There has been much discussion in the past about the lack of headroom in the
Fender Vibroking. They also have a tendency to sound constipated.

Recently one of our Fender dealers gave me a Vibroking and the license to
do whatever necessary to make it sound better. It is series one with the
6BQ5 reverb driver tube. I came up with the following modifications to
increase headroom and make the overall tone better.

1) At the plate of V4A are two coupling caps in series, a .22mfd. and a
.0068mfd. Remove the .22 cap and replace it with a straight wire. It is
identified as C5 on the circuit board. After each of these caps is a 470k
resistor to ground. Unsolder and remove both resistors from the circuit. They
are R21 and R15 on the board.

2) At the cathode of V4B is a 1.5k resistor and a .47mfd. cap. Remove the
.47 cap identified as C10 from the circuit.

3) Change the treble tone cap in the tone stack from 150pf to 390pf. It is C7
on the circuit board.

4) From the wiper of the treble cap to the phase inverter is a 100k resistor.
Remove it and replace it with an 820 ohm 1/2 watt resistor.

5) Change the output coupling caps, C13 and C14 from .047mfd to
.033mfd.

6) Change the cathode bypass cap at V4A from 22mfd to .68 or 1mfd. It is
C4 on the board.

That's it.

Set the treble on about 6 to start with. You should note that the amp will
bloom more and the bass is much fuller and richer sounding after the mods.

Of course tone is subjective but I really think it is a huge improvement over
the stock wiring.

Respectfully submitted,
Tim Cowles

[JimmyR]

I gigged with an early-ish VK for a few years. I enjoyed the punchiness - the notes seemed to come leaping out of the amp almost before you played them! But I found the reverb and trem a little underwhelming, and used to gig straight into the amp quite a bit. On the VK if you plug into the FX loop you can bypass the reverb altogether and I used to do this to get a tighter sound.

In the end I sold the VK for a SRRI! The SRRI actually worked heaps better for the band I was in as the reverb was quite a bit quieter and more lush, the trem didn't click as much and the tone was clearer and tighter in the low end. It also had more clean headroom which suited what I was doing at the time. The Super just sounded sweeter - I like the SRRI even if it's not particularly like an original, it still sounds great.

I may try a VK again one day. I would change a few things though. I'd love to hear one with a bias vary trem instead of the roach, and maybe limit the low-end a little for some better clarity. It always bugged me that I could never get it loud enough to really overdrive or get it clean enough at gig volumes! I tried all the tone knob tricks, etc but could never find the sweet spot. Maybe I could now!

[traviswalk]

I've had mine since '98 and have never tried mods, speaker changes or anything, and it is a beast!! I have been meaning to try the volume trick to see what the result is, I've always just ran it at about 2-3 on the volume and then add pedals from there. The Jetter pedal on this amp will make your head spin and your Marshalls beg for mercy, just an unreal combo that I recently discovered. Also, this weekend I was able to put the Fulltone Octafuzz through the VK and found these to be an amazing pairing (just the fuzz on the Octafuzz, Octave effect off).

What do people recommend for alternate speakers outside of the factory issued set?

[Bananafist]

Bought my VK in 2001, 6V6 reverb, eminence speakers. It was new, and one speaker was blown (!). The shop replaced the speaker, and I replaced the awful harsh sounding GT power tubes with JJs. Still broke up too soon and too trebly for me. Did Tim C mod, wow, a new amp, just what I wanted, Fender warmth and clarity upto 4, then gradual breakup. Treble is tamed and manageable - I recommend the Tim C mod. This VK is keeper, but the weight...................................


:cool:

[jzucker]

never liked the VK. Harsh to my ears though I did a set of mods on mine from blueguitar.org that turned it into more of a super reverb style amp and it was much better.

[BadCat]

hmm, the one I played wasn't harsh at all, more warm and lush sounding.


I guess they really are all different

[shark_bite]

Why is this amp so heavy? The Fender website lists the DRRI at 42lbs, the 59 Bassman LTD at 53lbs, the PRRI at 34lbs, and the Vibro King at 72lbs. I own some version of each of those amps except the VK, and I just recently got rid of a Custom Vibrolux Reverb. Also, I'm pretty sure the Bassman will make me age at twice the normal rate if I don't find a better way to get it from A to B. then again, I don't think the 59 Bassman is a scant 53 lbs - supposedly the CVR is 46lbs and the Bassman feels a good 10-15lbs heavier. But even if it was -- that would still put it almost 10lbs shy of a VK. There's one less speaker, one more reverb tank, and probably a few extra tubes, but where does the rest of the weight come from? Is it the difference between the Bassman's pine cab and the VK's birch plywood? My only other guess is the OT, but again, how could it add THAT much extra weight?

[Bananafist]

The transformers are HUGE, and very heavy on the VK. Thats a big part of the sound, and weight. The cab alone is less heavy than a twin.
To get a good sound you need iron.

[jzucker]

hmm, the one I played wasn't harsh at all, more warm and lush sounding.


I guess they really are all different

I think if you sit it side by side with a well tuned super reverb, you will notice the harshness. Again, I point out that so many folks take the fender circuit and then make relatively minor but significant tweaks to it and IMO end up getting away from the sound that is so groovey. The allen old flame I have is a perfect example. I liked the amp but when I compared it to an SDGVintage amp and my dual showman reverb, it sounded toylike. However, with less than $10 in component value changes it's on par with either of those amps. On my vibroking, I performed the mods suggested at blueguitar.org and the amp really came alive. Much more breathy and transparent.

There are also 2 versions of the reverb circuits in those amps. The original one with the EL84 reverb driver was unreliable and they later switched it out for a 6V6.

[revrand]

Mine has the Eminence as well, prefer those over the Jensens. I sometimes use a Sparkle Drive to boost mine. Usually though I turn all of the tone switches off except mid...to 7. Volume to taste, fat on, reverb to taste and, when not feeling the verb or tremolo, plug into the send or return input for extra gain.
I agree I like the Eminence speakers better then the Jenson's.
Never tried the send and return but may give that a try.
I am still experimenting with pedals. I like the Lovepedal COT50 red
with it it adds some really nice shimmer to the Vibro King and I mainly
use it as a clean boost like the Sparkle Drive, However it is much brighter
then the Sparkle Drive still it sounds great with the Vibro King.

I am still searching for a overdrive pedal that can make the Vibro King
scream I have heard quite a few good things about the throwback Overdrive
and the super expensive Pete Cornish SS3 for now I just use a Lovepedal
Eternity and it works for me....still my ears are always open for something new. Yes these are some Heavy Amps I use a dolly to transport mine.
When you get a good one you will know they are all different in tone.
Mine sounds just like Bad Cat posted warm and lush:D

But I have to admit it's one LOUD amp it will teach you how to use your
guitar Volume knob to control the amp and it's tone the amp is an instrument in itself. There are some great tones you can get just by using
your Volume and tone knobs on a Strat with this amp.:dude