SRV Vibroverb real deal not reissue...tonequest report amp..

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sck1001931
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SRV Vibroverb real deal not reissue...tonequest report amp..

Post by sck1001931 »

so i have an all original (new electrolytics, old ones in a bag) 64 super reverb that sounds awesome and i also have a jbl E130f 15in speaker. the only difference between the super and the vibroverb's circuitry is a vibroverb has a 47ohm resistor in the negative feedback loop (which adds a little sustain and makes it brighter and takes the place of 100 ohm in super reverb) ....and a .047 400v cap in the tonestack for mids (takes the place of .022 cap in super reverb).
anyways, ive read how cesar diaz used bassman/super reverb output transformers in SRV's vibroverb so i put the jbl E130 in my super cab and man it sounds fantastic.

the tonequest report said something about 33 caps. now the aa763 vibroverb has .033 400v capacitor for the mids in the tonestack. the ab763 layout calls for a .047 400v cap for the mids. So im going to try it with both and see which one sounds better. ***8/20/14-i tried both caps in the mid section and with the .047 cap in the mid stack there was more of that strong bass. the .033 cap had just the right amount of bass and sounded way better for SRV tone so i stuck with the .033 cap. which is from the AA763 vibroverb. srv's vibroverb was AA763 in tonequest report, too.

the jbl E130 is an 8ohm and the output transformer is for a 2ohm but i was really suprised how awesome it sounds. i can always put the 4 10's back in but for now im leaving the E130 in because it sounds amazing.

also changing the two 68k input resistor on the vibrato channel to two 100k carbon comp input resistors was another thing diaz did that really takes the amp to the next level. it reduces some of the harsh high end. this is a very cool mod that helps alot if you play fast or play chords at gigging volumes. i love it. i do like the tone of the two 68k input resistor for single notes though, like for soloing, i get more saturation. id like to make a switch where i can go from the two 100k to the two 68k which would be nice.
*i must say if you convert a super reverb to a vibroverb and change the 100 ohm neg fdback loop to 47ohm then the 100k input resistors really help take off some of the harsh high end. the 47 ohm resistor makes the amp sound brighter.

anyways, if you havent tried it, give it a shot. when the blackface vibroverbs first came out, one of the reasons they werent liked was because of the small output transformer that sounded crappy (so ive read) the super reverb output tranny is huge and make a very sweet tone through a good classic 15 in speaker especially if youre going for a SRV sounding vibroverb.
it seems like the pulling v1 tube mod sounds better with the 100k input resisitors too. to me it does.

based on the tonequest report article about the srv vibroverb ive since added the other mods. including 100k input resistors and 47 ohm negative feedback resistor

*i also changed the few blue molded caps to NOS 715p .1 caps to match the picture of srv's amp. ive got it from a reliable source that diaz used 715p orange drops that were .1 and 1000-1200v. thats why they're so big. 715p are polypropylene which have more punchy bass and high end. the polyster ones are more midrange focused with a smoother top end so from what ive heard he didnt used those even though they are preferred by everyone generally.

*1 watt 100k plate load resistors for the reverb
(which is from a AA1069 silverface super reverb)
*"changed the 1M resistors in the phase inverter to a later 70's value for more clean headroom"
the only later 70's fender value that is not 1M in the phase inverter is 330k from a sf twin reverb and that would give more clean headroom.
*i read in AG that disconnecting the tremolo added alot of gain to the phase inverter so this might balance it out there i dont know. i did a 'before and after' with the tremolo disconnected and it sounded cleaner but with more sustain with the 330k and the disconnected tremolo. less muddied

I did the above mods and added a jbl E130, disconnected the tremolo, pulled v1 tube, solid state rectifier and you can hear how all of these mods work together to add more sustain but not be too distorted.
sounds great though.
the other mod Diaz did for SRV was putting 220uf 350v filter caps in place of the 70 uf ones. this made the tone stiffer in my amp. less compressed and there was less of the "tubey saturation" i didnt like it that much so i put my 100uf 350v filter caps back in there with the 20uf ones. This is definitely a Diaz SRV mod too and its even in the fender diaz modded 64 vibroverb custom.

when I first posted this I had a jbl d130 in my amp but recently got a jbl E130 and it sounds way better.
anyone with additions or corrections & ideas post for the rest of us!

also its fun to do this stuff to see what it sounds like so lets keep the comments positive. no naysayers

***I do this work myself and all of the mods are completely reversible so dont panic that im modding a blackface super reverb. i kept all the original parts which would only take 45 minutes to put back on :)
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Last edited by sck1001931 on Thu Aug 21, 2014 10:42 pm, edited 17 times in total.
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M Fowler
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Re: SRV Vibroverb real deal not reissue...tonequest report amp..

Post by M Fowler »

Just thinking out loud here a BF Bassman is 8 ohm OT and SuperReverb is 2 ohm OT unless you were referring to a 59 Bassman OT which I believe is 2 ohms..
sck1001931
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Re: SRV Vibroverb real deal not reissue...tonequest report amp..

Post by sck1001931 »

yep i was referring to the 2 ohm '59 bassman or super reverb output tranny. before i did it i tried to find some discussion on it but couldnt find any so i thought id post my experience for anyone wanting to try it.
2 ohm is a big difference but it sounds fantastic. lots of saturation, sustain, and very sweet "tubey" tone
Teleguy61
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Re: SRV Vibroverb real deal not reissue...tonequest report amp..

Post by Teleguy61 »

I have a 1959 5F6A that I put a D130F in and played as a gigging amp for many years, with no problem from the impedance mismatch.
And you are right, it is a great sound. Huge!
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JazzGuitarGimp
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Re: SRV Vibroverb real deal not reissue...tonequest report amp..

Post by JazzGuitarGimp »

I'm thinking one of the reasons it sounds awesome is that with an 8 ohm load, the amp produces 1/4 the output power compared to what the amp produces with a two ohm load. So it will go into power stage overdrive more quickly with the 8 ohm load.
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M Fowler
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Re: SRV Vibroverb real deal not reissue...tonequest report amp..

Post by M Fowler »

Myself I would use the BF Bassman 8 ohm OT.
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rp
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Re: SRV Vibroverb real deal not reissue...tonequest report amp..

Post by rp »

Pretty sure you can get drop-in 5F6A and Super-Reverb OTs w/ 2-4-8 pretty easy. Mojo? MC? Heyboer will wind you one easy and quick for not much upcharge, in which case might as well make it 2-4-8-16.
sck1001931
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Re: SRV Vibroverb real deal not reissue...tonequest report amp..

Post by sck1001931 »

this way though i get to use my 1964 super reverb ot instead of getting a new production one. the sound is HUGE and much louder than if i was plugged into the 4-10s. its definently something you should try if you get the chance.
sck1001931
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Re: SRV Vibroverb real deal not reissue...tonequest report amp..

Post by sck1001931 »

i think jazzguitargimp's post seems a pretty logical explanation. i read cesar diaz stating he used the super reverb OT's in the vibroverbs to give them more power, so that make sense to me.
roadkingbluzs
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Re: SRV Vibroverb real deal not reissue...tonequest report amp..

Post by roadkingbluzs »

M Fowler wrote:Just thinking out loud here a BF Bassman is 8 ohm OT and SuperReverb is 2 ohm OT unless you were referring to a 59 Bassman OT which I believe is 2 ohms..
I believe BF Bassman is 4 ohm? May give this a shot. I've got a separate SR cab and a D130 here somewhere, now see what you've done. :wink:
Last edited by roadkingbluzs on Sun Mar 30, 2014 4:01 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Roe
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Re: SRV Vibroverb real deal not reissue...tonequest report amp..

Post by Roe »

I'd leave the super alone
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tictac
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Re: SRV Vibroverb real deal not reissue...tonequest report amp..

Post by tictac »

Better idea would be to put a Twin Reverb OT in there....

It's a 2K/4ohm O.T. but plugged into an 8 ohm speaker you get 4K on the primary. Just right for a pair of 6L6's plus the darn thing is bullet proof....

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mike7
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Re: SRV Vibroverb real deal not reissue...tonequest report amp..

Post by mike7 »

Could you make it switchable between 2/4/8 ohms if you had the OT with those available? So you could actually change tone in between songs? I'm new at this so please excuse me if that is stupid :oops:
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Teleguy61
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Re: SRV Vibroverb real deal not reissue...tonequest report amp..

Post by Teleguy61 »

Roe wrote:I'd leave the super alone
Bingo.
If the amp works well, don't screw with it.
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roadkingbluzs
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Re: SRV Vibroverb real deal not reissue...tonequest report amp..

Post by roadkingbluzs »

Well after a gig last night I just hope SR (1965) still working. Took a fall rolling amp out to truck. (Black)Face first, has padded cover. No glass rattle so hope for the best. Dang it!!! :cry: To much in a rush. Lesson learned the hard way. I will give a look see exam later today. Crap!!!!
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