The information contained herein is CONFIDENTIAL and PROPRIETARY to Fender Musical Instruments Corp. It is
disclosed solely for use by qualified technicians for purposes of equipment maintenance and service. It is not to be
disclosed to others without the expressed permission of Fender Musical Instruments Co. All specifications subject to
change without notice.
For warranty repair service, only Fender specified part numbers are to be used. It is recommended they also be used
for post-warranty maintenance and repair.
Parts marked with an asterisk (
and SAFETY requirements. DO NOT USE A SUBSTITUTE!
A coded naming convention is used in the description of certain parts. The codes and what they mean are as follows:
CAPACITOR CODES HARDWARE CODES
CAP AE=Aluminum ElectrolyticBLX=Black Oxide
CAP CA=Ceramic AxialCR=Chrome Plated
CAP CD=Ceramic DiskHWH=Hex Washer Head
CAP MPF =Metalized Polyester FilmM=Machine Screw
CAP MY=MylarNI=Nickel Plated
CAP PFF=Polyester Film/FoilOHP=Oval Head Phillips
RESISTOR CODES
RES CC=Carbon CompSMA=Sheet Metal "A" Point
RES CF=Carbon FilmSMB=Sheet Metal "B" Point
RES FP=Flame ProofSS=Stainless Steel
RES MF=Metal FilmTF=Thread Forming
RES WW=Wire WoundZI=Zinc Plated
*
) indicate the required use of that specific part. This is necessary for RELIABILITY
PB=Particle Board
PHP=Pan Head Phillips
PHPS=Pan Head Phillips Sems
Page 3
“CUSTOM” VIBRASONIC
SPECIFICATIONS
Product Release No.:PR 186 (This is not a model number)
Product specifications are subject to change without notice
Page 4
“CUSTOM” VIBRASONIC
THEORY OF OPERATION
STEEL CHANNEL
J1 is the high sensitivity input and J2 is the low sensitivity input. The input is fed to V1A, which proveds a gain of
about 42. The output from V1A drives the Treble (R7), Mid(R9), and Bass(R7) tone controls, then feeds the Volume
control (R10). When engaged, the SWEET switch connects C5 to the wiper of the VOLUME control. This provides a
boost in the high frequencies. The “Sweet” feature is most noticeable at lower volume settings. The signal then
feeds to V1B, which provides a gain of about 66.
GUITAR CHANNEL
J3 is the high sensitivity input and J4 is the low sensitivity input. V2A contains the FAT switch which boosts the gain
mostly at lower and mid frequencies. V2A drives the tone controls, and the Volume control (R21) feeds V2B.
V1B and V2B share the same cathode resistor (R23) and bypass capacitor (C11). The output of the Steel channel
(V1B pin 6) sums with the output of the GUITAR channel at V2B pin 6. From that point the signal follows two paths.
One to the reverb drive stage (V3). The other through R32 to summing amp V4B.
REVERB
V3 (12AT7) provides a gain of about 33 to drive the reverb transformer. V4A is the Reverb recovery or sense stage.
The Reverb control (R29) determines the amount of reverb signal that is summed with the dry signal at V4B. Via the
footswitch, the Reverb can be disabled by grounding the signal at the node between R30 and R74.
VIBRATO
V5A is a low frequency oscillator. The Speed control (R56) varies the oscillation frequency. V5B is the Neon Lamp
driver. The lamp flashes faster or slower based on the position of the Speed control (R56). The brightness of the
neon bulb is sensed by the LDR (Light Dependent Resistor). The LDR connects to the Intensity control (R64) which
varies the amount of low frequency modulation applied to the input of the Phase Inverter(V6).
POWER AMPLIFIER
The output from V4B feeds the Phase Inverter(V6), which is a classic style split-load type, used without feedback.
The output tubes (5881/6L6WGC) are arranged in a push-pull configuration that will produce 85 watts minimum into a
four(4) Ω load at 5% THD.