Fender Brownface Vibrolux
Model/Circuit Number: 6G11
Years of Production: 1961 – 1963
Era: Brownface
Configuration: Combo
Controls: Brown forward facing w/ white screened labels, controls numbered 1-10
Knobs: Brown Round
Schematics
Faceplate
- Front: Normal: In, In, Vol, Treb, Bass – Bright: In, In, Vol, Treb, Bass – Speed, Intensity – Pilot Lamp
- Rear: Ground Sw, Fuse (2A), Power Sw, Speaker Jack, Ex. Speaker Jack, Tremolo Jack
Cabinet
- Dimensions: 18 x 23 x 9
- Hardware: Medium Chassis Straps 4 5/8”
- Handle: Leather Handle
- Feet: Glides
- Corners:
Covering Material
- Tolex/Tweed: Brown Tolex
- Grill Cloth: Wheat Grill Cloth
Logo:
Weight:
Speaker
- Size: 1 x 12
- Impedance: 8 ohms
- Model: Oxford 12L6 or Oxford 12M6(For more info, check out the Jensen Replacement Speakers)
Effects: Tremolo
~Watts:
Tubes
- Pre amp: 4 x 7025
- Power: 2 6L6GC
Bias: Fixed bias, Nonadjustable
Rectifier: GZ34
Comments:
This is one of the great Fender amps. Famous for Mark Knopfler’s “Sultans of Swing” recording this is a perfect amp for recording or small gig applications. More power and headroom than a Deluxe but nice and light to carry around with a single 12″ speaker. Many modern speakers will sound better than the Oxfords but a good original speaker (if you can find one) sounds great too. The tremolo circuit is lush and complex. Many of the original amps need new caps to bring the trem back to full depth. This amp can easily become your favorite for many applications…. unless you do metal…. then just get a bigger amp.
I own one of these (1963, mint except for aftermarket speaker). I have a question about the speaker impedance though. Here it is listed as 8ohms. However, the guy I emailed at Fender thought it would be 4ohms. I need clarification!
The guy from Fender was probably confusing it with the later Vibrolux Reverb that had two 4 ohm speakers. My ’61 Vibrolux has a single 12″, 8 ohm speaker. I have Jensen P12N in it now, but originally it had an Oxford. My output transformer is marked “125A7A”, and is designed for an 8 ohm output, but iI have heard of early Vibroluxes where someone installed a 4 ohm OT at a later date.
That’s actually two 8 ohm speakers wired in parallel to get you 4 ohms. Like every fender piggyback style cab was wired.
Wrong. This is not a piggy back cab, it is a 1-12″ speaker (8 ohm) combo. Additionally, there are single speaker piggyback cabs with 10″, 12″, and 15″ speakers, all 8 ohm.
Played one of these last weekend at studio101nola.com… MAN, what a
sweet amp! back-to-backed it with my SF Deluxe Reverb, which is also
there, and the Vibro just ran RINGS around the DR! The DR did clean chime better, but the Vibro had the sweetest brown tone I have ever heard. One thing did perplex us- by all accounts, the Vibro is a 30-watt amp, the DR 22 watts- but the DR was easily louder and had more head room. Both amps have a confusing history- the DR seems to have been “black faced-” the “Pull-Bright” function is disabled; the Vibro was apparently butchered by some misguided soul who wanted it to sound like a Twin (like I said, misguided) and then put back by a very well-respected amp tech in New Orleans. The only thing we could figure was the Vibro was de-tuned to be more brown, at the expense of power. We thought it was worth the trade-off. Wish I had my Ampeg Jet J12T with me, would have liked to A/B it, too.
That amp has actually pissed me off- I though I was done with amp shopping. Now, I want a Vibrolux!
If you look at the original schematics, you will see that the brown Vibrolux only had a listed plate voltage of 365! That’s extremely low for a 6L6GC amp. That’s like the voltage in a tweed Deluxe. By comparison most Deluxe Reverbs have a plate voltage of 415-425. That’s why the DR sounded louder. I had one of the brown Vibrolux’s and it sounded anemic to me probably because of the mentioned low plate voltage. 6L6GC’s need to be up in the 435-450 volt range to sound good.
I own a 1962 Vibrolux “Brownie” amp that was a Christmas gift to me from my dad, Christmas 1967. My first Amp. It is all original except that I removed and stored the original Oxford speaker and recently replaced it with a 2007 Jensen P12N. It also needed to be recapped to bring it back since the E-Caps were dying off, and a grounded power cable, so there’s that. The thing absolutely sings!
It, is my #1 amp If I don’t use my 1964 original BF Deluxe Reverb, or 1966 BF Super Reverb, or one of my two 1960’s Tweed 5E3 Deluxe’s or my Tweed 1962 Champ or my 1968 SF Drip Edge Champ. All my amps are original and I am blessed to possess and perform with some of the greatest amps from one of the greatest amp & guitar designer/builders that ever lived; Leo Fender. I have many other makes and brands to compare with, all of which have great and differing useful sounds and tones.
Forever Thank you for my Fenders, Uncle Leo!
I’m about to buy a 1961 Vibrolux. All original except a Radio Shack speaker. Cosmetically very-good. Will need 3 prong cord, caps and likely tubes, servicing. For sale from a private party. What might be a fair price? Original owner passed in 2013 and his widow now wishes to sell. She doesn’t know how much to ask, and I want to be fair. TYIA.
Here is some advice on “wanting to be fair”. About 25 years ago, an old man past away and his family was selling off his property. He had no living children, his nephew was entrusted by the others to do the selling. I bought his Gibson Granada Banjo {NOT a pre-war} he was offering locally. Right before I was leaving, he mentioned a guitar he was selling as well. I asked to see it. He went and brought back an all original 1939 Martin D-28. I couldn’t believe it. When I ask him what he wanted for it, he told me new one’s were bringing $1500, so a used one as clean as this one was should bring at least $1,000.00. Remember, this was before TV shows like: “Antique Roadshow” and “American Pickers”. The internet was just taking off in the mid 1990s, so there wasn’t the wealth of information out there like there is today. Instead of immediately going to the bank and getting the grand, I tried to be honest. I told him what he had, and what I’d pay for it {competitive to what a vintage dealer would have offered}. He was stunned. Now everything had changed. He said he would have to contact the other family members and “get back with me”. After several days of not hearing from him, I tried calling him, a couple of times. No answer. About a week later, I saw the guitar: On the cover of Elderly Music’s vintage catalog. So much for being honest. Never again. I learned a lesson that day. It’s not my business to educate people on the value of their goods. If they don’t know, their ignorance is my gain. The guy didn’t even offer to buy me lunch at Wendy’s for what I had done for him. Not even a “thank you call”, NOTHING. I’m not advocating for cheating people, just know that being the “good guy” often times doesn’t pay. People always want more, even if it is just a little. Make her price her goods, then pay what she says.
Robert, it doesn’t need a 3 prong cord! As a matter of fact, 2 prong amps are less problematic with AC hum as you can reverse the plug (polarity) to remove hum issues.
The amp is safe as it is. I’m a full time musician and have used two prong vintage amps for years and never gotten shocked.
Look up what Skip Simmons says about this very subject.