Fender Vibrosonic, Vibrasonic Operation Manual

THE SOUND THAT CREATES LEGENDS

“Custom” VIBRASONIC

Owner,s Manual

P/N 049515

TM

INTRODUCTION

The Fender Amp Custom Shop is dedicated to creating high
quality amplification to serve top artists and discriminating
players. These amps offer no-compromise sound and per­formance with vintage appeal and bullet-proof construc­tion. Of course, things like point-to-point wiring do not
come cheap. To better serve those who cannot afford the
100% hand-wired custom amps, Fender has created the
New Vintage Series, using modern production methods to
reduce cost while keeping the tone “custom”.

The first Vibrasonic appeared in 1959 as a 40 watt combo
amp with 2 channels, tremolo and a 15” speaker. It
became the choice of steel guitarists of the era. Later years
saw the Vibrasonic evolve, gaining reverb and growing
from 40 watts to over 100 watts.

In the spirit of all the great Vibrasonics of yesterday, we
offer the “Custom” Vibrasonic of today. It is not a reissue
of any of the old units, rather, it is a new amplifier
designed for the multi-instrumentalist who requires versatili­ty and clean power along with the classic Fender tube tone.
It has 100 watts of tube power and 2 independent chan­nels. And just like the Fender custom amps, the “Custom”
Vibrasonic is painstakingly built, one at a time, by a select
group of craftsmen at the Fender electronics factory in Lake
Oswego, Oregon.

The two channels are voiced independently, one for steel
guitar (although it sounds great with many electric guitars
as well), and one for 6 string electric guitar. The STEEL
channel has a “SWEET” switch to boost the upper harmon­ics of the steel guitar. The GUITAR channel has a “FAT”
switch to boost the gain, especially at low frequencies. It is
equipped with all-tube generated reverb and vibrato
which, unlike many old amps, works in both channels. The
speaker in the “Custom” Vibrasonic is an Eminence ultra­high power driver with exceptional sound and fidelity for
electric or pedal steel guitar. The 2 button footswitch (pro­vided) will switch both the Vibrato and the Reverb on or off.

It is suggested that you read this manual thoroughly to
understand all the features and functions of your new
amplifier.

WARNING: TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FIRE OR SHOCK
HAZARD, DO NOT EXPOSE AMPLIFIER TO RAIN OR
MOISTURE.

A

“CUSTOM” VIBRASONIC REAR PANEL FUNCTIONS

FUSE - The fuse is in the AC supply of the amplifier

A.

and will help to protect the amplifier and operator in
the event of an electrical fault. If a fuse blows, it
should only be replaced with a fuse in accordance
with the listing at the fuse holder. If the amplifier
repeatedly blows fuses, it should be checked out by a
qualified technician. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES
should a fuse of a different type, higher current rating,
or a fuse bypass be used, as this could damage the
equipment and present a serious safety hazard.

POWER SWITCH - This switch turns the AC power ON

B.

and OFF. When the switch is OFF, the amplifier is
completely shut down.

STANDBY SWITCH - This switch turns the amplifier on

C.

and off. In the STANDBY position, the amplifier is off;
however, power is applied to the tube filaments so as
to eliminate warm-up time. Use of this feature during
short breaks versus using the POWER SWITCH will
increase tube life.

D.

MAIN SPEAKER JACK - Plug-in connection for speak-

ers. This jack must always be used as the primary
connection to speakers.

EXTERNAL SPEAKER JACK - Plug-in connection for an

E.

external speaker. This jack is wired in parallel with the
MAIN SPEAKER JACK, and must only be used in con­junction with the MAIN SPEAKER JACK. Should the
EXTERNAL SPEAKER JACK be used without also using
the MAIN SPEAKER JACK, there will be no sound.
Note that the amplifier is optimized for a 4 ohm
speaker load, and that the 15” speaker in the cabinet
is 4 ohms. Should a total load of more or less than 4
ohms be used, the amplifier will not put out its maxi­mum power output before distortion occurs.

F.

FOOTSWITCH JACK - Plug-in connection for the

footswitch. The footswitch allows you to turn the
VIBRATO and REVERB features on and off without
having to operate the controls on the front panel.
Note that only the REVERB feature will operate without
plugging in the footswitch.