For the fender guru's...

Is there any differance between the 63 and 64 vibroverbs?

I don't think so. The only circuit I can find for it is the '63 one. It was replaced by the Vibrolux Reverb in Sept. '64 - there was no Vibrolux Reverb in the AB763 (July '63) series, just the non-reverb Vibrolux.

The mid '63 Vibroverb, circuit # 6G16, was covered in Brown tolex and had two Oxford 10" speakers. In '64, circuit #AA763, came in Black tolex and packed the famous JBL d-130f...Still the greatest 15" speaker for guitar ever made. The 2x10 model also sported tube tremolo as opposed to the lamp/photo-resistor of the '64.
The '64 Vibroverb with the JBL 15 is one of my favs. It's a great amp...but you need that JBL speaker with it! It's the orange frame one made just for Fender that Dick Dale had a role in design, in terms of his needing a 15" that didn't tear apart.

Thank you all for the great info, this is what I was looking for.

AudioMonk said:

The mid '63 Vibroverb, circuit # 6G16, was covered in Brown tolex and had two Oxford 10" speakers. In '64, circuit #AA763, came in Black tolex and packed the famous JBL d-130f...Still the greatest 15" speaker for guitar ever made. The 2x10 model also sported tube tremolo as opposed to the lamp/photo-resistor of the '64.
The '64 Vibroverb with the JBL 15 is one of my favs. It's a great amp...but you need that JBL speaker with it! It's the orange frame one made just for Fender that Dick Dale had a role in design, in terms of his needing a 15" that didn't tear apart.

Click to expand...

Very close but let's set the record straight. Dick Dale had NO hand in the design of the D series speakers. The speakers were the result of a few great designers, but in particular Mr. Gurst. The speakers were in production already for use with sound systems of all types. It was Dick Dale and Leo Fender who decided a more high power speaker was needed to play at the higher volumes the newer 80 and 100 watt amps were capable of obtaining. It was Leo who went to JBL, then and now the most respected name in speaker design. The D series line was modified slightly, including adding a wider voice coil gap and additional cooling vents. These modifications resulted in the creation of the D series which includes 10", 12" and 15" speakers. The orange paint came out later and some Fender amps can still be found with factory grey speakers.

I own a number of both the grey and orange 10,", 12 and 15" D series drivers. Great speakers, but not for everyone. For Dick Dales part there was very little he is responsible for with both Fender and JBL other than suggestions to Leo, and he had no hand in the design of JBLs speakers. The only people supporting this myth is Dick Dale, and he spews more **** than a russian radio.

To find out more please go to the Lansing Heritage web site where a complete history can be found.

Hey. I'm originally from New York...so I'll put the whole Red Sox- Yankee thing to the side for this one! LOL...just kidding
Anyway...I remember reading in one of my Fender books that one of the reason's for the D-130F was because Dale kept ripping the surrounds of the 15" they were using?
Have you heard of this?

Oh and Dick Dale's my Dad....just kidding.

AudioMonk said:

Hey. I'm originally from New York...so I'll put the whole Red Sox- Yankee thing to the side for this one! LOL...just kidding
Anyway...I remember reading in one of my Fender books that one of the reason's for the D-130F was because Dale kept ripping the surrounds of the 15" they were using?
Have you heard of this?

Oh and Dick Dale's my Dad....just kidding.

Click to expand...

HAving grown up in the 60's shredded Jensens, Oxfords and CTS speakers were a way of life and I have no doubt Dick Dale blew more than one driver before going to Leo Fender, who then went to JBL for a solution.

AudioMonk said:

The mid '63 Vibroverb, circuit # 6G16, was covered in Brown tolex and had two Oxford 10" speakers. In '64, circuit #AA763, came in Black tolex and packed the famous JBL d-130f...Still the greatest 15" speaker for guitar ever made. The 2x10 model also sported tube tremolo as opposed to the lamp/photo-resistor of the '64.

Click to expand...

This is kind of what I meant, I just wasn't clear enough .

What it actually means is that the change in the Vibroverbs occured in July '64 or possibly slightly later by the time it actually reached production, so a "64 Vibroverb" is more likely a '63 circuit, and if it's a 2x10" it definitely is. The 1x15" Vibroverb is a very different amp.

The real successor to the 2x10" Vibroverb is the 2x10" Vibrolux Reverb, which came in in Sept. '64.

Confused? You will be...

94Tremoverb said:

AudioMonk said:

The mid '63 Vibroverb, circuit # 6G16, was covered in Brown tolex and had two Oxford 10" speakers. In '64, circuit #AA763, came in Black tolex and packed the famous JBL d-130f...Still the greatest 15" speaker for guitar ever made. The 2x10 model also sported tube tremolo as opposed to the lamp/photo-resistor of the '64.

Click to expand...

This is kind of what I meant, I just wasn't clear enough .

What it actually means is that the change in the Vibroverbs occured in July '64 or possibly slightly later by the time it actually reached production, so a "64 Vibroverb" is more likely a '63 circuit, and if it's a 2x10" it definitely is. The 1x15" Vibroverb is a very different amp.

The real successor to the 2x10" Vibroverb is the 2x10" Vibrolux Reverb, which came in in Sept. '64.

Confused? You will be...

Click to expand...

The 64 with the 15" JBL is what Im after.

The circuits are pretty different from each other. The tone stack seems richer on an original 6G16 Vibroverb than the 1964 1x15 Blackface version. On the earlier model, the amp seems less scooped sounding with better overdrive and vibrato. The earlier version has the same set of transformers/choke as a white Tremolux head though the voltage on the Vibroverb is set a bit higher. For rhythm playing and clean headroom, the later model would be preferable. A couple of decades ago I had a 1964 Vibroverb w/JBL D-130. Should have kept the amp as it was one of the best sounding amps for loud and clean tones, but traded it for a 50 watt Marshall that I still have. Never had a brown Vibroverb, but did play a couple over the years and thought it deserved its hype. I do have an earlier 6G9 Tremolux head that has the same transformer set as the Vibroverb and it sounds killer

While looking up a few specs, I noticed that the Vibroverb and Pro Reverb share the same set of transformers. One could make a cabinet the same size as a Vibroverb and drop a Pro Reverb chassis with a JBL D-130 and would be able to approximate the sound of a an older Vibroverb at way less cost. Except for voltage specs, the circuits look pretty much identical. .

Can anyone tell me if the cabs were the same size for the 63 & 64 Vibroverbs? I'm trying to order a cover, & it's been suggested that both 63 & 64 VVs used the same size & shape cab, but that seems a little unlikely to me since one of them is a 2 x 10 & the other is a 1 x 15.

The other thing I was wondering is whether the same sized cab was used in any of the other Fender amps, such as the Vibrasonic, or Vibra-anything else!

I'm sure one of you guys will know. Thanks