Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb Footwitch Question...and general thoughts.

[jbear]

Hey All,
I'm sure this is a stupid question, but...how/where do I connect the footswitch on this amp. The end consists of two RCA pins, and I've never used anything other than 1/4" connectors. The footswitch jack is a 1/4"...how does the RCA thing work in to the picture?
Thanks folks!
I am totally new to this amp...never even played one before. Just had an opportunity that I couldn't say no to, so...if you have any suggestions for getting the most out of it...all ears here. I was going to get a Super Reverb RI, but when this came up I figured I'd give it a go first. I'm playing jazz and Robben Ford-ish blues.

 

[Bludave]

Re: Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb Footwitch Question...and general thoughts.

There are usually two RCA Jacks. One for the Vibrato & one for the Reverb. On the back of the amp just plug them into the female RCA jacks. If you put them in the wrong way the buttons on the pedal will work opposite( when you want to turn the reverb on/off the vibrato will go on/off), so if that happens just pull them out & switch them. No biggie. They work pretty much the way a 1/4" jack does, they are just smaller. Great amp!

 

[jbear]

Re: Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb Footwitch Question...and general thoughts.

There are usually two RCA Jacks. One for the Vibrato & one for the Reverb. On the back of the amp just plug them into the female RCA jacks. If you put them in the wrong way the buttons on the pedal will work opposite( when you want to turn the reverb on/off the vibrato will go on/off), so if that happens just pull them out & switch them. No biggie. They work pretty much the way a 1/4" jack does, they are just smaller. Great amp!

Hey There,
Appreciate the response. There's only a 1/4" footswitch jack, so...either trade this one, sell it, or solder a 1/4" conn. Meanwhile, I'll just use the one I have for a DRRI.
Here's another question for you...or anyone. I have a new set of JJ's that came with it. The 6L6GC's have a dot with 2.5/19 on the boxes. This is a non-adjustable, fixed bias amp according to the Tube Dr. site. These tubes just pop in or am I looking at bench time?
Thanks in advance!

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb Footwitch Question...and general thoughts.

You have the old style switch with RCA plugs, you need the new one that has the 1/4inch plug.

Try the tubes , if they don't red plate and sound alright yes 'em...if there is an issue, bench time is the answer.


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[jbear]

Re: Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb Footwitch Question...and general thoughts.

Thanks for that.
Are the numbers on the tubes boxes in any way predictive of what I might expect when I pop these in place?

 

[Powdered Toast Man]

Re: Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb Footwitch Question...and general thoughts.

You've got the wrong foot switch. You need Fender part # 099-4058-000. It's the exact same switch as the one you have for your Deluxe Reverb RI.

 

[jbear]

Re: Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb Footwitch Question...and general thoughts.

Appreciate the response.
I'm straight on the footswitch...no longer in question.
Strictly interested in the tube question going forward.

 

[Powdered Toast Man]

Re: Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb Footwitch Question...and general thoughts.

Pop the tubes in and see how they sound. They're 6L6GC type so you're not going to damage the amp. If they're a bit on the cold side it might sound a little sterile. On the other hand they may sound great. These amps like to be a bit hot to begin with. Stock Groove Tubes are just a relabeled set of Sovtek 5881's. Source: I own this amp.

These are great amps for what they do. Very touch responsive. The reverb is pretty mild (you are not going to get lush Super Reverb verb) but the tremolo is excellent. Bonus with this amp is that both the Normal and Bright channels are in phase so that means you can connect a jumper between them and mix both for fuller tones.

Crank this thing up to 4 or 5 and plug in a hot pickup guitar like a P90 and you've got instant Angus Young style tone. My only concern is that you mentioned using this amp for jazz... It does not have much clean headroom. At normal volumes it's fine, but if you need to crank it up it's going to get dirty quick. That being said, I gig with mine regularly and I need to use a pedal for my overdrive. 40 watts and 2 10's gets you a heck of a lot of volume and I find I can't use the amp's natural breakup in any setting. I gig with it below 2 on the knob.

 

[jbear]

Re: Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb Footwitch Question...and general thoughts.

I will do it. I was curious as to whether the #'s on the box had anything to do with the bias. I have a bias probe, so I can get the read, but I won't have any way of doing anything about it if it's not optimal. I could always try to trade or sell the tubes and then just order based on the amp. I will hope that they play well together and that's that.
Thanks again.
BTW, I think this thing sounds sweet. I does hiss, but nothing obnoxious enough to discount the tone. More headroom that I had assumed would be there. In some regards it reminds me of the Super Reverb I traded. That's what I was originally going to grab. If this doesn't end up being as nice after the honeymoon...I'll just turn it and proceed with the original plan. So far...I'm diggin' it.

 

[Powdered Toast Man]

Re: Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb Footwitch Question...and general thoughts.

When I was originally shopping, it was between the CVR or the Deluxe Reberb. I found I liked the CVR better because it had a much more tight and focused sound. Probably due to the 10's.

I did change the speakers in mine to a Weber 10F150 and a 10A125. The stock speakers weren't bad, but I was on a speaker kick and decided to change them. The difference is most apparent when the amp is cranked up - the Jensens are no match for the Webers at high volume. But in clean territory, I'd say they're pretty close.

As for the hiss, when I swapped the power tubes for a set of Tung Sol 6L6GC's it mostly went away. However, I found that the amp lost some of it's warm tone. Is the hiss really much of a problem? Not unless you're sitting there listening to your amp idle.

I did own a Super Reverb and the CVR at the same time. I sold the Super Reverb. It was a gorgeous sounding amp, but really lousy to move. Awkward size and very heavy. I found I rarely took it out of the basement so it was a tough decision to finally let it go because I was not using it nearly enough to justify keeping it. The CVR however is an excellent gigging package. Not too heavy, and a nice size for most stages. Plus the kick back legs are great!

 

[jbear]

Re: Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb Footwitch Question...and general thoughts.

Thanks for the insight Man.
I agree so far with everything you observed. I don't mind the hiss at all...but...I dig the way LP's (albums) sound. I have a DRRI too, and it'll be fun to A/B them.

 

[Gearjoneser]

Re: Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb Footwitch Question...and general thoughts.

As for tubes, JJ's tend to fall right within the most normal bias settings. They're sold everywhere, cheap, and sound as good as any other high end modern tube.....often better than tubes selling for more money.

If you've got a new set of JJ's, throw them in. They'll probably bias up just fine, but I have heard of people adding bias pots to this amp and being glad they did, not to mention upgraded speakers.

 

[zzmoore]

Re: Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb Footwitch Question...and general thoughts.

The numbers are what JJ measured for Draw/Trans.
Go ahead and check the bias...if it is somewhere in the 50-60% range...you could order those same numbers from JJ again.
BTW...your amp IS adjustable...all amps are. The phrase "non-adjustable" is a bit of a misnomer.
It really means there is not a bias pot in the amp...but you can always change the resistor to accommodate different power tubes.
best

 

[jbear]

Re: Fender Custom Vibrolux Reverb Footwitch Question...and general thoughts.

The numbers are what JJ measured for Draw/Trans.
Go ahead and check the bias...if it is somewhere in the 50-60% range...you could order those same numbers from JJ again.
BTW...your amp IS adjustable...all amps are. The phrase "non-adjustable" is a bit of a misnomer.
It really means there is not a bias pot in the amp...but you can always change the resistor to accommodate different power tubes.
best

Sure do appreciate the knowledge. I am trying to get past the "just bring it to the amp guy" stage while staying out of the "did you hear about that guy who fried himself trying to save a few bucks but not going to the amp guy?" It's actually more the time and hauling that's more difficult to wrangle than the $. Wahhhhh!