Vibrosonic or Reissue Twin Custom 15

Chris Harvey · From: California, USA

I'm looking into these amps and am holding for advice form the forum. I have had good luck with fender reissue amps for guitar, but would like any opinions prior to making the leap.

Roger Rettig · From: Naples, FL

I loved my Vibrosonic for steel, but that was many years ago; maybe the best steel-amp I ever played.

I don't imagine I could carry one now! Even my N'ville 112s are starting to weigh me down a bit these days....
_________________
Roger Rettig: Emmons D10, B-bender Teles, Martins, and a Gibson Super 400!
----------------------------------

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

If the question is "are these amps good for steel?"---definitely yes. If the question is "which is the better choice?" then there are these considerations----

--the Custom 15 does have a word-of-mouth history of being trouble-prone. Take that for whatever you think it's worth. I have no personal experience

--the Vibrosonic Reverb is much more tech-friendly with point-to-point wiring.

--note that there is a 90's version of the Vibrosonic that I believe has printed circuits

You very possibly/probably can find an old Vibro for less $$ than the Custom 15 which IMO is backwards from how it ought to be but that's cool.

Whatever your choice, you are going to have Fender sound. Gonna sound good.

But do be aware that as loud as these amps are, it will depend on your playing situation as to whether they will deliver all the pristinely clean power you need, if that's what you need.

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

I bought one of the new reissues of the FENDER Twin Reverb and altho' pretty and 'new'........

It was a sad disappointment to me.

I knew what I wanted and it simply didn't deliver.
I later acquired an original 1970-72 model and it delivers that 'special sound' I was seeking.

It might just be in my head or ears......who knows?

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

The Vibrosonic is the 15", 100-watt tube combo built in the 70s. It was basically a Master Volume Twin with a '15. All hand-wired. Great steel amp.

The Vibr"a"sonic was built in '95-'96 and featured a Steel and Guitar channel. It was PC board, 115. It too was 100 watts. I hear good things about them for steel.

The new Custom 15 is also PC board, 115 combo that is also basically a Twin with a 15. I owned one. It had an inherent mid-range that is hard to dial out, and it broke up way too early for my taste. I wouldn't hesitate to record with one, but would not take one out to a gig after my experience with it.

My '71 212" non-master Twin is hands-down the best steel amp I've owned. A close second is my '77 Session 400.

You're better off with a hand-wired '70s Twin or Vibrosonic for steel, if you wanna go tubes. The newer Fenders are not the real thing, and a shadow of their former selves. I learned that the hard way.

Mike Benzschawel · From: madison wi

i'll second c ledrews comment on the 70s twin or vibrosonic. i use a 73 mv twin for steel and it sounds fantastic, although pretty heavy. (one thing you could do for this though is pick up a cheap hand cart and you can carry your steel case and amp no problem. Very Happy

) if you're patient you should be able to get a decent early/mid seventies twin for around 600 bucks. not a bad deal at all imho. good luck with the search and let us know what you find. Smile

_________________
....lloyd green is a steel guitar hero...

Lee Baucum · From: McAllen, Texas (Extreme South) The Final Frontier

Back in the day, I used to play an Emmons push/pull through both a 70's Fender Vibrosonic Reverb and an 80's Peavey Nashville 400. The combination created a wonderful wall of sound.

Jon Light (deceased) · From: Saugerties, NY

Let me add that the 70's Fenders evolved into higher powered amps with ultralinear transformers. I have a 135 watt Vibrosonic Reverb. I got it on ebay at a decent price and received a problem amp. An expensive long distance tech job had it semi-working for a short time before it got very erratic and I put it on the shelf so I've never really gotten to know it (a live, learn, and don't believe that an old-timer/pro's tech recommendation is automatically golden sort of story). But I would say that it sounded a bit different from the Twins, Dual Showman Reverbs and Showmans that I've had or known. Getting this amp running is on my things-to-do-before-I-die list.

Lynn Stafford · From: Ridgefield, WA USA

Hi Chris,

I have been using a '96 Vibrasonic for a couple of years now. I actually own a pair of them because I thought I should have a backup, as I wasn't sure about their reliability. My main one has been totally reliable and I have not even used the second one. I'm most likely going to put it up for sale soon. You owe it to yourself to consider trying one of these amps. They have two channels (with reverb/vibrato in each) one for steel and one for guitar. The amp has great tone, gobs of power and won't break up, even while using my "bar-room" pedal on the back neck!
_________________
Best regards,
Lynn Stafford

STEEL GUITAR WEST
http://www.steelguitarwest.com
Steel Guitar Technician (Restoration, Set-up, Service and Repair work)

Previous Emmons Authorized Dealer & Service Technician (original factory is now closed)

ZumSteel Authorized Service Technician
----------------------------------

Chris LeDrew · From: Canada

Hi Lynn,

I actually won an auction for a Custom Vibrasonic about 6 months ago, @ $500. The seller sort of flaked out and disappeared. Too bad. I'd sure like to try one some time. My location makes it hard to get amps shipped in, unless I get them cheap. Thanks for the info, though. Sounds like a great steel amp for sure.

Forum Index > Pedal Steel		Next oldest topic :: Next newest topic

All times are GMT - 8 Hours	Jump to: